My 1St Attempt, 2Ft Planted Cube!

[SuperColey1]

Thanks for the nice comment.

Just a quick question guys. I want my cherry shrimp to breed so I have put some tights over the filter intake to stop the little shrimplets being sucked into the filter. The problem is that is restricting the flow into the filter. Any ideas? Do they need the tights? Or is it worth getting a cheaper pair that will allow more flow? (I dont know if that'll make a difference )

Cheers, James

Tanks looking good. Reminiscent of LLj's style or maybe its just the bogwood.

I don't bother with covering my filter intake. not worth it for shrimp. Cherry's are prolific and much as you hear how 'sensitive' shrimp are you'll be fishing them out of your filter everytime you clean it ALIVE!!!

If I have Cory fry in my little tank then I put a sponge (cut to size) in the intake bit. Easy enough to unclip the strainer every few days and rinse the sponge under the tap to get all the goo out of it Then return it. Not for cherry shrimp though. They really are prolific.

AC

 

[jameshughes1989]

Thanks for the nice comment and the reply to my question. Maybe I will just take it off then and see how it goes. Like you say, they might even be okay in the filter.

The only thing im not happy with is the light spread of the CF tube. I may look into a new light unit or would I get away with adding another CF. I have a spare starter laying around. What do you think?

James

 

[SuperColey1]

What do you think?

Oh dear. The world read that last question and said 'Oh Noooo, here we go' Llj is cringing now awaiting my reply. lol


If you ask me about CFs (or indeed T5HO) you risk having a huge rant in your thread So here you go. A useful rant though.

You are one of the fortunate ones who asks the question BEFORE doing anything. Most ask why they are struggling under their new super T5HO lamps etc.

Lets just say linear tubes are better than CF and the more tubes to get the same wattage the better. Steer clear of T5HO if you can. better to use T8NO or T5NO (NO = Normal Output) to get you 55-60W and then you can space them better.

You could get 3 x T5NO 21W rather than 2 x T5HO 30W then space them equally front to back. NO lights last longer are more efficient than HO lights, have more light per W too

T5NO are quite limited in choice which is why I normally suggest T8. Purely because of tube availability. IF you get the spacing/spread correct you will only need 40W to knock spots off 55W of PC not in terms of actual light. In terms of spreading it out and you will notice the difference from your plants. Therefore don't buy a retail setup as they will be squeezing tubes into the centre of a luminaire. try and retrofit it and then you can get as much as possible from the lights and therefore either have more light and or be able to use less light to get the same/better results.

Oh and why are CFs so bad. Spacing you have 55W tightly packed in one position over the centre of the tank. Huge intense hot spot directly underneath and low intensity away from the tube. If you then say have 3 x 18W T8 the huge intense hotspots will be replaced by 3 not too intense hotspots and the areas not directly (as the crow flies) beneath the tubes will be much closer in terms of PAR to the hotspots Its what I call spread/coverage and will become (I am determined) a key feature in the future.

Told ya so, Don't ask me light questions. lol

AC

 

[PDSimon]

I bought the 1000LPH hour one for my tank and it works well other than a sound fault which they don't appear to want to replace which is quite annoying. Its in my room as well so i'm going to have to soundproof the cabinet.

Okay cool, what size tank have you got it on? I dont mind too much noise as the tank is downstairs and not in my room. Im happy with a little bit of humming. Im thinking the 1400 lph model but would that be overkill?

Pics to come, James

I've got it on a 30USG or 100L tank. The noise i've got is actually a fault rather than just a hum, it makes an annoying clicking sound. Annoying As Radar said the circulation should be fine.

 

[lljdma06]

Tanks looking good. Reminiscent of LLj's style or maybe its just the bogwood.

I have no style... Ask anybody, they will tell you the same...

What do you think?

Oh dear. The world read that last question and said 'Oh Noooo, here we go' Llj is cringing now awaiting my reply. lol


If you ask me about CFs (or indeed T5HO) you risk having a huge rant in your thread So here you go. A useful rant though.

You are one of the fortunate ones who asks the question BEFORE doing anything. Most ask why they are struggling under their new super T5HO lamps etc.

Lets just say linear tubes are better than CF and the more tubes to get the same wattage the better. Steer clear of T5HO if you can. better to use T8NO or T5NO (NO = Normal Output) to get you 55-60W and then you can space them better.

You could get 3 x T5NO 21W rather than 2 x T5HO 30W then space them equally front to back. NO lights last longer are more efficient than HO lights, have more light per W too

T5NO are quite limited in choice which is why I normally suggest T8. Purely because of tube availability. IF you get the spacing/spread correct you will only need 40W to knock spots off 55W of PC not in terms of actual light. In terms of spreading it out and you will notice the difference from your plants. Therefore don't buy a retail setup as they will be squeezing tubes into the centre of a luminaire. try and retrofit it and then you can get as much as possible from the lights and therefore either have more light and or be able to use less light to get the same/better results.

Oh and why are CFs so bad. Spacing you have 55W tightly packed in one position over the centre of the tank. Huge intense hot spot directly underneath and low intensity away from the tube. If you then say have 3 x 18W T8 the huge intense hotspots will be replaced by 3 not too intense hotspots and the areas not directly (as the crow flies) beneath the tubes will be much closer in terms of PAR to the hotspots Its what I call spread/coverage and will become (I am determined) a key feature in the future.

Told ya so, Don't ask me light questions. lol

AC

Why would you think I would cringe... I love light discussions...

He's absolutely right...That being said, here's a CF tank...

It can be done... But I know that my bulbs are lousy, they are poorly made, and the spread is bad. If you can opt for the spread, by all means, do it, and do it yourself. If you must by an already made fixture, which I tend to do because I am extremely lazy, know what you're getting and what are it's advantages and disadvantages. It's not all about wattage and tank volume...

llj

EDIT: Where are my manners? The tank is looking very pretty. The crenata is coming along nicely. It is a great plant, you'll love it. It can get quite dense, so be sure to thin it out on occasion. Otherwise, you can get some funky stuff growing in between and some die-off if you're not careful.

 

[n3ont3tra]

Looks nice, thank you for the pictures, they're great. Keep it up! And good luck with your shrimp.

 

[jameshughes1989]

What do you think?

Oh dear. The world read that last question and said 'Oh Noooo, here we go' Llj is cringing now awaiting my reply. lol


If you ask me about CFs (or indeed T5HO) you risk having a huge rant in your thread So here you go. A useful rant though.

You are one of the fortunate ones who asks the question BEFORE doing anything. Most ask why they are struggling under their new super T5HO lamps etc.

Lets just say linear tubes are better than CF and the more tubes to get the same wattage the better. Steer clear of T5HO if you can. better to use T8NO or T5NO (NO = Normal Output) to get you 55-60W and then you can space them better.

You could get 3 x T5NO 21W rather than 2 x T5HO 30W then space them equally front to back. NO lights last longer are more efficient than HO lights, have more light per W too

T5NO are quite limited in choice which is why I normally suggest T8. Purely because of tube availability. IF you get the spacing/spread correct you will only need 40W to knock spots off 55W of PC not in terms of actual light. In terms of spreading it out and you will notice the difference from your plants. Therefore don't buy a retail setup as they will be squeezing tubes into the centre of a luminaire. try and retrofit it and then you can get as much as possible from the lights and therefore either have more light and or be able to use less light to get the same/better results.

Oh and why are CFs so bad. Spacing you have 55W tightly packed in one position over the centre of the tank. Huge intense hot spot directly underneath and low intensity away from the tube. If you then say have 3 x 18W T8 the huge intense hotspots will be replaced by 3 not too intense hotspots and the areas not directly (as the crow flies) beneath the tubes will be much closer in terms of PAR to the hotspots Its what I call spread/coverage and will become (I am determined) a key feature in the future.

Told ya so, Don't ask me light questions. lol

AC

No worries, I appreciate any input. I totally agree about the CF light spread. As you can see from the FTS, Ive got a really bright centre, with the outsides of the tank slightly darker. Do you think I would be able to add another CF tube without algea? I would of thought it would be okay as long as I keep the ferts and co2 up, correct? That would be a short-term thing though. I think eventually Ill fit a lighting system like you have mentioned, it sounds the best option.

Cheers

I bought the 1000LPH hour one for my tank and it works well other than a sound fault which they don't appear to want to replace which is quite annoying. Its in my room as well so i'm going to have to soundproof the cabinet.

Okay cool, what size tank have you got it on? I dont mind too much noise as the tank is downstairs and not in my room. Im happy with a little bit of humming. Im thinking the 1400 lph model but would that be overkill?

Pics to come, James

I've got it on a 30USG or 100L tank. The noise i've got is actually a fault rather than just a hum, it makes an annoying clicking sound. Annoying As Radar said the circulation should be fine.

Okay cool, maybe ill just go for it and see how it goes. I think half of the reason I wasnt happy with the filter Ive got now is because of the tights I had over the intake. I have since taken it off and the filter is doing a great hell of a job. Im going to give it a chance and maybe in the future (xmas time ) ill look into that one.

 

[jameshughes1989]

Tanks looking good. Reminiscent of LLj's style or maybe its just the bogwood.

I have no style... Ask anybody, they will tell you the same...

What do you think?

Oh dear. The world read that last question and said 'Oh Noooo, here we go' Llj is cringing now awaiting my reply. lol


If you ask me about CFs (or indeed T5HO) you risk having a huge rant in your thread So here you go. A useful rant though.

You are one of the fortunate ones who asks the question BEFORE doing anything. Most ask why they are struggling under their new super T5HO lamps etc.

Lets just say linear tubes are better than CF and the more tubes to get the same wattage the better. Steer clear of T5HO if you can. better to use T8NO or T5NO (NO = Normal Output) to get you 55-60W and then you can space them better.

You could get 3 x T5NO 21W rather than 2 x T5HO 30W then space them equally front to back. NO lights last longer are more efficient than HO lights, have more light per W too

T5NO are quite limited in choice which is why I normally suggest T8. Purely because of tube availability. IF you get the spacing/spread correct you will only need 40W to knock spots off 55W of PC not in terms of actual light. In terms of spreading it out and you will notice the difference from your plants. Therefore don't buy a retail setup as they will be squeezing tubes into the centre of a luminaire. try and retrofit it and then you can get as much as possible from the lights and therefore either have more light and or be able to use less light to get the same/better results.

Oh and why are CFs so bad. Spacing you have 55W tightly packed in one position over the centre of the tank. Huge intense hot spot directly underneath and low intensity away from the tube. If you then say have 3 x 18W T8 the huge intense hotspots will be replaced by 3 not too intense hotspots and the areas not directly (as the crow flies) beneath the tubes will be much closer in terms of PAR to the hotspots Its what I call spread/coverage and will become (I am determined) a key feature in the future.

Told ya so, Don't ask me light questions. lol

AC

Why would you think I would cringe... I love light discussions...

He's absolutely right...That being said, here's a CF tank...

It can be done... But I know that my bulbs are lousy, they are poorly made, and the spread is bad. If you can opt for the spread, by all means, do it, and do it yourself. If you must by an already made fixture, which I tend to do because I am extremely lazy, know what you're getting and what are it's advantages and disadvantages. It's not all about wattage and tank volume...

llj

EDIT: Where are my manners? The tank is looking very pretty. The crenata is coming along nicely. It is a great plant, you'll love it. It can get quite dense, so be sure to thin it out on occasion. Otherwise, you can get some funky stuff growing in between and some die-off if you're not careful.

You have got style. I have enjoyed reading all of your tank journals. I particuraly like the one of the pic you posted. I love that style of scaping (dutch I believe? please correct if wrong!). My plan is to maybe achieve something nearly as good as that in the near future. But hey, this is my 1st real go, so baby steps!

Thanks for posting that pick up, the lighting looks good, and no 'hotspots' like as been mentioned. Ill definetely do my own fitting if I choose to change the lighting, for that reason and the fact that a made fixture is expensive for what it is. Thanks for the nice comment. I really like the crenata, im just waiting for it to spread out a little more, hopefully will eb pick up. Its showing good signs!

Looks nice, thank you for the pictures, they're great. Keep it up! And good luck with your shrimp.

Thanks, im hoping they breed. They are a deep red too, more than it shows in the pic.

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments and input so far, Cheers!

James

 

[jameshughes1989]

Quick update and a query really guys. I went on holiday recently and when I came back the tank was okayish. Ive been happy with the growth but not the quality of the plants. I run out of co2 when I was away, so Ive got some on the way next week. Im also starting EI dosing so im hoping these 2 will help boost them up a bit.

For the query, the java fern has loads of baby leaves sprouting on them? Why is this? They have loads, they seemed to get even more when I was away. I dont know why mine do it though, no one else's seems to from what ive seen. Is it bad? Good?

Cheers

 

[Verminator89]

If anything the Java Fern plantlets are good. I've had mine do it a few times. One batch of them grew millions off its leaves, then another i bought didnt at all. So i can't put my finger on what is the cause/trigger. But it can only be good. They wouldnt 'reproduce' so to speak if conditions werent good.

Your tank is stunning, i don't see anything wrong with your growth to be honest. Its a million times better than what alot of people can achieve. I too am going down the EI dosage route, got my powders on order from AE today.

 

[PDSimon]

I have loads and loads of plantlets growing on mine....

 

[Biulu]

Flowering and reproduction of plants is a reaction to stress. If the situation has been unsuitable for a while (look in nature after winter and drought) and then improves, the plant reacts with reproduction mechanisms. You also see it a lot with bettas which have been confined to small spaces for a while. Once in your own tank, he immediately starts building a bubble nest. So, it only means that the situation is favourable at the moment after a stress time.

 

[SuperColey1]

Biulu is correct here. It isn't a good sign. You will always get 'some' plantlets, but if you see them it is normally the 'mother leaf' knowing her time is up and best to sow her seeds.

Some people (including me), cut these 'mother' leaves off straight away as we consider that they 'may' be using up nutrient that they needn't be from the rhizome and therefore other healthy leaves could be using it.

Not a problem for a plant like ferns or anubias. They are pretty robust and react pretty well if you are aggressive with them.

AC

 

[jameshughes1989]

If anything the Java Fern plantlets are good. I've had mine do it a few times. One batch of them grew millions off its leaves, then another i bought didnt at all. So i can't put my finger on what is the cause/trigger. But it can only be good. They wouldnt 'reproduce' so to speak if conditions werent good.

Your tank is stunning, i don't see anything wrong with your growth to be honest. Its a million times better than what alot of people can achieve. I too am going down the EI dosage route, got my powders on order from AE today.

Thanks, I am happy with the growth. Im just not 100% happy of the condition of the plants at the mo. I bought all my powders off ebay for a quarter of the price, just a hint for next time.

Flowering and reproduction of plants is a reaction to stress. If the situation has been unsuitable for a while (look in nature after winter and drought) and then improves, the plant reacts with reproduction mechanisms. You also see it a lot with bettas which have been confined to small spaces for a while. Once in your own tank, he immediately starts building a bubble nest. So, it only means that the situation is favourable at the moment after a stress time.

You see I had read this before and now I dont know if it is because they are in good condition or struggling. There is very contradicting views on the web. Anyone else got any more input?

They are quiet unsightly!

Cheers, James

 

[SuperColey1]

Most definately the latter. too many plantlets is a bad sign.

AC