Oldwhitewoods 200l Nature Aquarium Journal

[George Farmer]

I have to say Neil that the new photos are excellent. This is the best Nature Aquarium style tank and layout this forum has ever seen IMO, better than my layout at its best no doubt. Well done indeed.

And to think it will probably improve furthur is a very exciting prospect. Please would you post some pictures in Member's Pics to inspire others?

The switch to more finery will look great and I can't wait to see this masterpiece evolve. It may be hard for you view your own work objectively from a critical perspective - I know I have this trouble myself, but let me assure you it is very good. May I suggest you post over on APC, PT or AGA for some "expert" feedback, I'm sure your work will be very well received.

Oh, and what's your CO2 bubble rate please?

 

[ChrisP]

Looks great! Can't wait to see how it evolves!

 

[oldwhitewood]

I have to say Neil that the new photos are excellent. This is the best Nature Aquarium style tank and layout this forum has ever seen IMO, better than my layout at its best no doubt. Well done indeed.

And to think it will probably improve furthur is a very exciting prospect. Please would you post some pictures in Member's Pics to inspire others?

The switch to more finery will look great and I can't wait to see this masterpiece evolve. It may be hard for you view your own work objectively from a critical perspective - I know I have this trouble myself, but let me assure you it is very good. May I suggest you post over on APC, PT or AGA for some "expert" feedback, I'm sure your work will be very well received.

Oh, and what's your CO2 bubble rate please?

I prefer your layout than mine But thanks for the praise regardless. Really there is not much skill into my layout at all it's just a matter of finding the wood and getting the narrow leafed java fern. I guarantee you can make any tank look good just by having those two components and arranging them in a group of three

I would post it on APC but I find the place a bit intimidating sometimes.

I am unsure of the bubble rate as I dont have a bubble counter, but I estimate about 1 per 2 seconds.

 

[oldwhitewood]

I have just ordered a 6 pots of Rotala from Birstall Garden Centre, so I will have a load of hygro to give away soon if anyone wants it.

 

[George Farmer]

I would post it on APC but I find the place a bit intimidating sometimes.

I understand mate, no pressure. I respect your modesty.

I am unsure of the bubble rate as I dont have a bubble counter, but I estimate about 1 per 2 seconds.

That is really low for a 200L and 28ppm CO2. I run 1 BPS in my 125L with a similar CO2 reading.

How long does your 500g cylinder last?

 

[oldwhitewood]

I know, it's hard to measure it as all I have for a bubble counter is just checking the rate a bubble comes out of the bare tube at the moment. I fancy getting an ADA bubble counter from aquaessentials like all ADA stuff pricy!

I got my CO2 cannister a few months ago and its still fine. I have checked everything for leaks and I think using the ADA parts set for tubing is good as some of the more plastic airlines can leak CO2 gas. My CO2 kit is notriously bad at keeping pressurised and I've had tremendous trouble with them in the past leaking and breaking. You get what you pay for certainly!

I have ordered a low range test kit for my Ph so I should be able to get a more accurate reading when it arrives. I feel as if I am working in the dark right now!

I have also added my tank to the members pics as suggested.

Yeah ADG I dont know, I respect those guys knowledge but I just feel a bit uneasy about posting stuff there, this place is a bit more friendly I guess.

Cheers again George.

 

[George Farmer]

I got my CO2 cannister a few months ago and its still fine.

That is remarkable then if your CO2 reading is correct. My 500g cylinder lasts 8 to 10 weeks in my 125L. I also assumed that actual CO2 dissolution would be less effecient using micro-bubbling as not all the CO2 reacts with the water thus giving a lower CO2 test reading. Amano himself generally tests <20ppm CO2 in his tanks with relatively massive bubble rates i.e. 2 per second in a 56L.

Anyway, whatever your true CO2 reading - it works well! I'm assuming you have no algae issues?

........APC I dont know, I respect those guys knowledge but I just feel a bit uneasy about posting stuff there, this place is a bit more friendly I guess.

I understand Neil.

What I and others do like about APC though is their honesty. How many times have we seen "less than great" aquascapes posted in TFF Member's Pics, for them only to recieve cringingly positive feedback. This may sound controversial, but I know others here agree with me. I'm all for encouragement but to blatantly lie and say a tank looks "wonderful" when it clearly is not, for me at least, defies the whole point of posting one's work.

Perhaps I'm just taking things too seriously - or perhaps people really do think that rubbish looks good?!

 

[oldwhitewood]

I got my CO2 cannister a few months ago and its still fine.

That is remarkable then if your CO2 reading is correct. My 500g cylinder lasts 8 to 10 weeks in my 125L. I also assumed that actual CO2 dissolution would be less effecient using micro-bubbling as not all the CO2 reacts with the water thus giving a lower CO2 test reading. Amano himself generally tests <20ppm CO2 in his tanks with relatively massive bubble rates i.e. 2 per second in a 56L.

Anyway, whatever your true CO2 reading - it works well! I'm assuming you have no algae issues?

........APC I dont know, I respect those guys knowledge but I just feel a bit uneasy about posting stuff there, this place is a bit more friendly I guess.

I understand Neil.

What I and others do like about APC though is their honesty. How many times have we seen "less than great" aquascapes posted in TFF Member's Pics, for them only to recieve cringingly positive feedback. This may sound controversial, but I know others here agree with me. I'm all for encouragement but to blatantly lie and say a tank looks "wonderful" when it clearly is not, for me at least, defies the whole point of posting one's work.

Perhaps I'm just taking things too seriously - or perhaps people really do think that rubbish looks good?!

I know what you mean but bear in mind I am not sure of my bubble rate to I might be off. All I know is I have no algae and things are growing

There are some great works on APC but I have seen some daft comments on some of the threads. Jeff Senske had put up this brilliant tank and I mean it was really well done, and someone commented on it saying something like "I would move that plant and fill in the background" with nothing else Cheeky! If I were more confident with the tank I'd probably show it to those guys but I just thought I would post it here as I say it's more friendly.

 

[George Farmer]

All I know is I have no algae and things are growing

That's what it's all about.

Sometimes I think I look into the science a little too deeply, I guess I just want to know how it all works and the reason why it works.

My main observation was how long your 500g cylinder lasts - a few months for a 200L is good going. Do have a solenoid coupled to the lights? What's your photoperiod?

Jeff Senske had put up this brilliant tank and I mean it was really well done, and someone commented on it saying something like "I would move that plant and fill in the background" with nothing else

That is just comical, cheeky doesn't come close. I imagine Jeff must have chuckled.

 

[Discomafia]

Great picture, I especially like the driftwood and the moss... Did you have a hard time fnidng those pieces? A question regarding your additional shepherds crook outlet... What are it's benefits? Why is it better than the ordinary outlet? Looks smaller? Curious cos' I have an Eheim Ecco as well. Anyways, good luck with this tank, and looking foward to seeing future posts in this thread...

 

[oldwhitewood]

All I know is I have no algae and things are growing

That's what it's all about.

Sometimes I think I look into the science a little too deeply, I guess I just want to know how it all works and the reason why it works.

My main observation was how long your 500g cylinder lasts - a few months for a 200L is good going. Do have a solenoid coupled to the lights? What's your photoperiod?

Jeff Senske had put up this brilliant tank and I mean it was really well done, and someone commented on it saying something like "I would move that plant and fill in the background" with nothing else

That is just comical, cheeky doesn't come close. I imagine Jeff must have chuckled.

As I remember he just said something like "er ok thanks" The thing that got me was that the person posting didn't say anything positive just simply said that brilliant.

I do have a solenoid yes, photoperiod is 10 hours with an hour dawn and dusk at both ends. The arcadia luminare allows you to control two banks of tubes independently, so I have a timer on each plug. 2 bulbs come on, then 4 bulbs for the main blast, then 2 bulbes then lights out. I dont know if this actually does anything but psychologically I find it a great benefit

I appreciate your interest with the science, I wish I had a better grip on the water chemistry side but a lot of it just confuses me.

 

[oldwhitewood]

Great picture, I especially like the driftwood and the moss... Did you have a hard time fnidng those pieces? A question regarding your additional shepherds crook outlet... What are it's benefits? Why is it better than the ordinary outlet? Looks smaller? Curious cos' I have an Eheim Ecco as well. Anyways, good luck with this tank, and looking foward to seeing future posts in this thread...

Thanks.

A hard time does not come into it. It's pretty near impossible to find great driftwood pieces in fish stores. The closest I came were marsh roots from Aqua Essentials (mentioning them again sorry but what can I do ) which I had settled on using, but by chance I came across these pieces in my local World Of Water store. I'd never seen wood like it anywhere else and believe me I've searched for this stuff in every LFS in my area. So I quickly bought a few pieces and planned to return the following day to buy the rest, when I got there 24hours later they'd all been sold. The guy in the store assured me he'd be getting some more in the following Thursday so I went in there on the Saturday, again no wood. Not sure if the order came in, so I checked back the following week as I knew they had some wood left in the display tanks which the guy said he'd sell to me. When I got back all the wood had gone from those tanks too! I managed to find another three pieces in another tank which I bought, since then I've been checking in every weekend to see if some more arrives. ) They must think I'm crazy.

Good question regarding the crook outlets. These are IMO temporary until I can afford the ADA glass lily pipes. As far as I'm concerned the primary benefit over the standard crook you get with the ecco is the flattened end. This creates an even spread of water and positioned quite near the surface creates a pleasing ripple. The effects of this are two fold, less surface turbulance and a gentle surface agitation which keeps down that surface scum you can get on planted tanks. With an open topped tank scum becomes your worst enemy. There's also some thought from the ADA camp that a concentrated stream of water from an outlet pipe can cause problems.

The ADA lily pipes as well as being glass have an odd design which apparently creates a kind of bubble vortex effect when the water comes out, I've never seen this so I can't comment but it sounds really interesting. Jeff Senske of ADG reckons this really cuts out the surface scum too.

 

[George Farmer]

Jeff Senske of ADG reckons this really cuts out the surface scum too.

Jeff actually moves his lily pipe towards to surface every night to rid the scum. Tom Barr reckons scum can be treated via addresing CO2 issues - just for a change!

Eheim do a lily pipe too. I have a clone that I painted black, it looked too odd though so I use the spray bar.

 

[oldwhitewood]

There seems to be more than one way to skin a cat, or skim off scum

For the record with my tank the scum I have had has just dissappeared on it's own accord, even though the surface agitation seemed OK it wasn't really breaking it up. The scum was there one minute gone the next! But it sometimes comes back then goes again. Very weird.

 

[George Farmer]

The science of scum is a mysterious one!

(that rhymes too!)