Supercoley1

‘UNDER THE FOREST CANOPY’

TANK:
Fluval Duo Deep 800 (125 Litre / 33USG)

FILTRATION/HEATING:
Tetratec EX700. Vecton2 200 8W UV steriliser. Hydor ETH-200 external in-line heater. Glass ‘lily’ outflow and inflow pipes.

CO2 INJECTION:
Disposable 600g cannisters. Dual gauge welding regulator. Lunapet needle valve. Lunapet CO2 hose, Gamba XII glass bubble counter. Gamba XII non return valve. Glass ‘J’ pipe. Rhinox 2000 glass/ceramic diffuser.
(Running 24 hours @ 1bps)

LIGHTING:
1 x 29” T5 30W Hot5 Daylight. 1 x 29” T5 30W Hot5 SpectrumGro (1.8WPG).
Timed 4 hours @ 0.9WPG, 4 hours @ 1.8WPG, 4 hours @ 0.9WPG.

WEEKLY ROUTINE:
1g KNO3 and 0.25g KH2PO4 on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
4ml Tropica Plant Nutrition on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Hard tap water loaded with nitrate and phosphate.
15-20% water change on Saturday night.


BIOLOAD:
11 Cardinal tetra, 4 Pitbull plecs, 3 Otocinclus and 10 Malaysian trumpet snails (I counted them in.)

PLANTS:
Bacopa caroliniana (giant bacopa).
Nymphea rubra.
Nymphea zenkeri (tiger lotus).
Nuphar japonica (spatterdock).
Philippine java fern.
Needle leaf java fern.
Anubias Barteri v Nana.
Anubias Barteri Petite.
Cryptocoryne Balansae.
Cryptocoryne Undulata.
Cryptocoryne Spiralis.
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Green.
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Brown.
Christmas Moss.




THE SCAPE:
The substrate contains fresh mulm (from previous setup),leonardite (Earthworks soil builder granules), Tropica plant substrate and finally J Arthur Bowers silver sand.


First the ferns, anubias and moss are attached to bogwood so that they aren’t out of the tank for too long a time. One Anubia has a flower on it from the previous setup.


A nice clean and empty tank and then in situ with white fablon background.



Fresh mulm is spread across the bottom. Still in a little amount of tank water that it was mixed with when I boxed it.


½ inch layer of leonardite added which will be invisible as it is below the bottom border of the tank. This is quite a powdery substance rather than granules as it says on the box.


Tropica substrate goes in as close to planned scape as possible. I can’t give a review on this for a long while because I don’t know how long it will last etc, but I’m chuffed to bits with the colour because it’s the same as the sand and therefore blends in much better than some of the more orangey/brown substrate additives.


Finally the silver sand goes on the top to complete the substrate. I love the colour of silver/dry/play sand. They are all the same material with the only difference being that dry/silver sand is sterilised and play sand is not. It’s also the perfect colour to see Pitbull plecs do what they do best which is to change their colour to match their surroundings within reason so when they are on the sand they go a very light sand colour and when they are in the shade or greenery they darken up and show their greeny ‘freckles’)

Then hardscape is positioned, the tank one third filled with water and equipment added, planted and then filled.

And this is how it looks now.




The scape’s title ‘under the forest canopy’ is really based on what I envision this scape will turn into, which is to use the 7 Nymphae bulbs in the tank (5 x Rubra, 2 x Zenkeri) to provide the ‘tree trunks’ and stagger their pads through the top third of the tank which will make the ‘forest canopy’. I hope I don’t need to rename it!!

I have also added Bacopa Caroliniana as individual stems as it has developed nicely in the previous setup and has nice thick stalks and a lovely texture to the leaves. I hated the look of this plant when I first got it in a cheapo collection but I have developed a fondness for its fully grown appearance.

All this cover will provide the plants below with the shelter they need as they are all low light plants (Ferns, Moss, Anubias, Crypts.) These should fill out the floor nicely and provide quite a bit of foliage. In greens and browns and yellows.

I cut the leaves from most of the crypts and Lilys so that I won’t need to fish out dead leaves and also because the Lilys need to be trained to stagger again because during my recent 2 weeks holiday they all got carried away and would look a little bit too much for this scape.

Therefore this tank will be a slow grower and the vision I have of it may not come into fruition for 6 months or more which I think will be quite interesting to watch (Do I sound boring or what?)

I have chosen the white background because when you walk through a wood or forest you see the horizon through the trunks as white although I’m not too sure about the fablon backing. I chose fablon because my equipment is all glass and it needs to be suckered to the outside of the tank. The fablon is very smooth and lets the suckers hold on whereas paper, cloth etc doesn’t let you do this. I may yet paint the back of the tank white but I’m not too keen on this.

At the moment it looks poor and people may say black would be better but if the tank develops as I am planning then it will get a lot darker with the Lily pads blocking a fair bit of light and then the white will be integral to the overall effect. Black would look better at the moment but in a couple of months would mean you couldn’t see much at all. This tank is very much a case of planning for the future and I may well keep it the way it is for many years to come if it turns out the way I want it to.

Another integral part is the hardscape. Some may say that it is too low for a high tank but there are no set rules in this hobby and I have intentionally left the hardscape low because I want the sense of depth to make the tank seem taller and give an illusion of height to the ‘forest’.

Let me know what you think. I am open to critique, both positive and negative, but please be gentle as this is my first real attempt at an aquascape rather than just a tank with plants in it.

Andy

Supercoley1

I won’t be updating this journal every week because with the plants I have chosen for this scape and also the reduced lighting the growth will be much slower. I also won’t be changing the layout at all so there won’t be huge changes week to week.

However I can show you the finished pine hood that is now on the tank. It’s definitely better than the original hood that I persisted with for so long, modding and modding over and over. lol



The two HO T5s are fitted and I have moved from the previous 0.6WPG (1 x 18W T to 0.9WPG (1 x 30W T5) with just the Spectrum Gro Lamp on for a straight 12 hours. Next week I will have the Daylight on for the middle 4 hours which will give me 1.8WPG (2 x 30W T5) during this ‘midday’ period. This is the lighting routine I am planning to keep.

These lights are super cool looking and the light they give is nice too. These shots are with 0.9WPG!!! Only the Spectrum Grow 30W is on.




The final ‘little’ change this week is that I have joined a Cichlid forum. Why? Because I have purchased 2 male Bolivian Rams!! These are peaceful dwarf Cichlids which enjoy planted tanks and are hardier than German Blue Rams. The 24 hour CO2 should benefit them by keeping the Ph in the low 6s rather than the low 7s that my tap dispenses (No RO etc on this tank.) I had been looking to buy a pair of German Blues but saw these and loved their more subtle but still vibrant colourings.





Although they are peaceful for Cichlids, the males are territorial and they are still confronting each other to decide where the middle ground is. lol. They seem to take it in turns to back off though.

A week or two to let them get settled in and I am planning to add 2 females and hope that they pair off with the boys.

I’m already loving these fish as they compliment their co-habitants really well. The plecs laze around ignoring you unless you move suddenly and then they hide. The Otos ignore you totally with their tunnel vision focused on grazing all day. The tetras rush away to hide when you come near before slowly advancing back towards you and these Rams see you there and come towards you as if to say ‘What you looking at Eh’.

One of the pitbull plecs munching away on Tetra Prima.


Thanks for reading

Andy

guppygirl123

Pretty tank! I like bolivian rams too.

K20A2

You've built a great home for the bolivian's man, I'm sure they love it. They are such great fish, and so personable.

Seeing your tank done up with sand makes me want to use it in my upcoming project. Once everything fills in its going to look really cool.

Supercoley1

Although there is Tropica and Leonardite underneath, the substrate's total depth at some points is 6".

The depth of the sand on top is 3" and I have decided to put more than the 'reccomended' depth to 'house' the amount of roots there will be in the tank.

If I were using mainly stems then I wouldn't dare use that depth because even with playful burrowing plecs, digging Rams and MTS I would fear the 'urban legend' of anaerobic pockets (which I have never endured yet.)

Once the roots do spread (especially from the 7 Nympae) I expect to see them trail along the substrate at the front of the glass which will be quite cool.

Thanks for the comments and yes sand is great and the fish love it even more than me.

Andy

Supercoley1

An update better late than never I suppose. lol

This setup is now 7 weeks old and 1 reason I haven't been posting updates is because there was so much green on the glass that you couldn't see anything. I have left it to 'cycle' and there is still some remaining but not too much.

I have come to the conclusion that the HO T5s absolutely smash the WPG rule because I have had some major algae build ups with 'just' 1.8WPG.

The current routine is now based on lean dosing which I dose daily
I have also changed my lighting to 4-2-4 (30W,60W,30W) WPG???? Who knows.

My water changes are no 10-15% twice a week.

This is how the tank is looking at the moment (after a heavy prune)




And this is the view I have from my chair whilst using the PC


Guess what this 'little' Otos been feeding on!!


And this is a view through the left side of the tank


Finally this piece of bogwood has had a huge trimming fest as all the Anubias and Needle Ferns were covered in staghorn.


So after 7 weeks we have had lots of growth both in algae and in plantmass.

The Nuphar Japonica is huge now and starting to 'command' the tank so I may still have to prune this back a little.

The low light plants suffered a little during the time when the Lilys gre their leaves to block the light and they have had to be pruned heavily due to this. Switching dosing routines and lights will not have helped but hopefully the tank is balanced again now.

Thanks for reading and will update again in a month or so

Andy

Supercoley1

An update on the scape so far. Week 12 of ?

Remember we are talking a slow growing tank here with Ferns, Moss, Crypts and Anubias so growth of these is not rampant and we may be talking a year to fulfill the actual planned effect.

The Giant Bacopa and Nympeae are rampant though and require pruning every week.

The Nuphar Japonica is out of control and I have to cut 2-3 leaves off every week or so (so much for the dennerle guidelines which say 2-3 leaves growth per month. lol) This plant pre pruning spans the tank at 80cm (30 inches) so it is a monster.

The lighting is now 0.9WPG of T5HO for 10 hours with another 0.9WPG T5HO for the central 2 hours so this is basically a low light tank with a noon burst and is being lean dosed.

I do have some pics at this stage.

The Crypts are growing quite well and ridiculously tall some of them. Me thinks they are not what they were meant to be but they look great anyway.

The Java Fern is now down to new growth only as all the pre-scape leaves have been cut away. I must say it is looking as lush as ****

The Anubias are battling on and are now producing quite a few leaves.

The Christmas moss has battled the algae and is now winning as it is feeding on any dead relatives it is sitting on and there are huge frongs of green coming from it (and in the mesh portions on the right which I intend to tie to another piece of wood I am preparing)

This is the front of tank shot


This is an angled shot from the left of the tank


And this is a view through the left hand side of the tank


Sorry the pics look a little green but the Nuphar Japonica leaves are acting like green slides over the bulbs. lol

Please please please some comments...even abusive.


Andy

gf225

It has potential, Andy.

Currently is looks too sparse with all the open space between plants. I guess you're waiting for it to fill out?

I would keep all the same species of stems together in groups, but I prefer a clean-cut look. I think I understand your 'forest' concept so see why you've done what you have.

The Nuphar japonica is too overwhelming for me.

I'm not sure on the long-term use of the red Nyphaea throughout the layout.

Your hardscape does little for the aquascape.

I look forward to seeing it in 6 months when it's mature.

Chostshrimp

Although many are are fighting about the plants, i think the white background, with white sand distracts some attention to the actual plants. Forest rivers are dark and not very bright looking. I would suggest switching to a black or anything more drak looking for the back because they the tank looks more like a dessert seen to me. Just me.

Supercoley1

George.
I quite agree with you about the Nuphar. I am planning to cut its core into quarters next month when I move house and replant one, giving the other quarters away, hopefully for it to be a little smaller for a long while but plans like that never work for me. It also acts like a green slide over the bulbs and ruins the tank colour a little. This plant isn't supposed to grow this big by most of the guides. lol

I think I have overdone the Nymphea a little and do try and thin them out regularly. They tend to 'weave' between the Nuphar stems as well rather than growing straight up. I might move at the same time as the Nuphar the ones at the edges of the tank in a bit so they can spread a little more. I may also reduce to 2 Zenkeri and 2 Rubra (There are currently 2 Zenkeri and 6 Rubra)

With the Giant Bacopa stems, they are only in there until all the crypts fill out the sand. There are about 30 seperate crypts in there and 6 or 7 variants. I think I may have got a couple of strays within my purchases and there are some that are growing very tall but they are stunning looking plants. I will post pics of the individual variants I have at some point to see if I can get positive IDs. These of course are a long term plant and its a tad impossible to accurately picture how they will grow in but hopefully they will all overlap leaving only the sand at the front empty.

I did plan the scape to be very low just as if you walk through most english woods there are subtle dips and rises but no huge differences in the surface so its meant to be relatively flat and the plants should overhang and grow around this low scape giving me the 'forest floor'. The upper 2/3rds should remain relatively sparse whilst the lower third should be quite 'jungly'. I think it looks quite natural rather than scaped at the moment which in one way is good but not very artistic. lol

Chostshrimp
Again I have to agree. The concept of the white 'daylight horizon' through the 'trunks' hasn't really worked and it just makes the tank look a little short of depth. Again when I move next month I am thinking about either going black or Dark Blue. Will have to get the fablon out and see which is best. It may even show off the plant colours a little better.

Thanks for the opinions though. I agree with most of them so at least I am seeing the same as others see. lol

Andy