Aquascaper 600

Wells said:

Tanks looking great. Some moss on that rock pile I think would suit the aesthetic of the tank.

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Thanks all the new kit arrived this week so will get the Co2 on at the weekend.

I was in two minds if I should but think I have to update the thread with some sad news I had'nt seen my male puffer fish for a day or two after I added the new Rasboras. I was hoping he was sulking at the new arrivals but also got really paranoid he had jumped out so had a good look around the tank and very sadly I found him dried up in my maintenance bucket which sits to the side of the tank this afternoon.

Really really gutted because he was a lovely fish. Bottom line is I chose to have an open topped tank so totally my own stupid fault. Slight disclaimer, I've been letting the plants grow out to give surface cover (which you can see in some pics above) but since the big trim and all the Co2 issues the plants havent grown back to provide the usual cover.

I've got a jump guard waiting to be put together which is even worse... again a weekend job now at this time but will definitely be going on. I only have the standard mesh which is about 1cm between the threads so may upgrade this to a finer mesh in the future but I think it will be an improvement on whats there now.

In terms of what to do with replacing him, I mentioned above my not so LFS has a group in stock and is selling pairs so currently thinking of going on Sunday morning to get an other pair to add to my female to make a trio which will probably work out better. While the male has been absent though the female has been much more active though and again great little fish, it makes me wonder if adding more is the right thing to do?

Wills

Not updated this a in a while, tank isnt in a great place in all honesty. I cant get my Co2 working properly and my RO unit is still leaking and I've never had an answer on if the coconut fibre filter and post filter are fish safe so not been able to get that up and running yet either.

I think this scape might have had it I might try and fix the Co2 one more time and see where I can go from there but otherwise probably switching to low tech set up with more epiphite plants and mosses.

In terms of the fish its a bit of a mixed bag too. The Neon Green Rasboras have not done well and I'm downt to 4 from 12, I'm not blaming my self massively as a number of them were visibly undersized and skinny when I got them home but I do worry the puffers may have been at fault for some of them. Speaking of which after setting up the jump guard I got an other pair a male and a female who are doing good and the older female gets on well with them both.

So here we are, had some stuff going on at home for a few weeks and its been hard to get a water change done I think its been about 2 weeks. Co2 still not working, algae a pretty major problem, RO unit hasnt really ever worked...

Rasboras have dwinded to 2, likely hard water problem but I am suspicious the puffers have been getting them I will decide on a hardier, faster species at some stage but will leave the tank as is for now.

Wills

Wills said:

So here we are, had some stuff going on at home for a few weeks and its been hard to get a water change done I think its been about 2 weeks. Co2 still not working, algae a pretty major problem, RO unit hasnt really ever worked...

Rasboras have dwinded to 2, likely hard water problem but I am suspicious the puffers have been getting them I will decide on a hardier, faster species at some stage but will leave the tank as is for now.

Wills

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Still having trouble with co2 then. Id go low tech Wills. Think you can do something just as good with the low demanding plants available today and you dont get the trouble co2 brings.

Sorry to hear about your Rasboras how are your puffers doing now youve introduced a new pair?

I would blame the puffers for your Rasbora losses, they could be jumping out as well, but that will be because they are trying to get away from the puffers.

The trio of puffers are doing good some chasing from the male but not loads. The gobies are doing well with the puffers which is what made me think I’d be ok wit the rasboras a lot of people suggest glow light or Pearl danios with them so they are high up my list.

in terms of switching to low tech I’m really close the sloped substrate is annoying me now so thinking of what I want to do. I’ve got some time off work soon and what I had planned might be falling through so good opportunity. It would be a massive shift though…

Wills said:

The trio of puffers are doing good some chasing from the male but not loads. The gobies are doing well with the puffers which is what made me think I’d be ok wit the rasboras a lot of people suggest glow light or Pearl danios with them so they are high up my list.

in terms of switching to low tech I’m really close the sloped substrate is annoying me now so thinking of what I want to do. I’ve got some time off work soon and what I had planned might be falling through so good opportunity. It would be a massive shift though…

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Keep us posted shall be interested to see what you come up with.

AquaBarb said:

Keep us posted shall be interested to see what you come up with.

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Left to my own devices I'd end up with a big 4 foot tank with cichlids and rainbow fish but then I'd also be divorced so best to stick with the puffers lol.

Wills

Wills said:

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Made the mistake of looking back to when this tank looked good today pretty sure this was the peak. The badly timed big trim and running out of Co2 has really ruined the scape really wish I knew what to do…

Wills said:

View attachment 136220

Made the mistake of looking back to when this tank looked good today pretty sure this was the peak. The badly timed big trim and running out of Co2 has really ruined the scape really wish I knew what to do…

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That does look good, to be sure, but I think you need to realise that every single one of those gorgeous tanks we see online are likely to be only that gorgeous at the time of the photoshoot.

Bruce Leyland-Jones said:

That does look good, to be sure, but I think you need to realise that every single one of those gorgeous tanks we see online are likely to be only that gorgeous at the time of the photoshoot.

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Without a doubt but I think I had a few more months at least I had some mild troubles all the time but now I just can’t get stuff to grow until my Co2 works again might have an other crack this weekend.

Do you happen to have a more recent pic of your tank so we can see what it is like now?
Hopefully the tank is still looking pretty good and the puffers are doing good as well.

Sorry that you had trouble with the C02 system, I've personally attempted C02 set ups a couple of times in the past and sadly did not work for me either, had rampant hair algae first time due to a dodgy reg and possibly the diffuser as well as that was a cheapo one I got I believe looking back now, and the second time never quite got the C02 balance quite right and had different sorts of algae blooms which went on for weeks until finally giving up, of course disapointing but defintely learned a lot though and now planning on staying with fairly low tech set ups as is much more stress free but with the knowledge I gained going through C02 is probably invaluable.

Am surprised you had touble with the RO system, what was the problem exactly do you know?
What brand and size was it again as this is a fairly long thread and am not sure where you mention the RO system originally.....

Ch4rlie said:

Do you happen to have a more recent pic of your tank so we can see what it is like now?
Hopefully the tank is still looking pretty good and the puffers are doing good as well.

Sorry that you had trouble with the C02 system, I've personally attempted C02 set ups a couple of times in the past and sadly did not work for me either, had rampant hair algae first time due to a dodgy reg and possibly the diffuser as well as that was a cheapo one I got I believe looking back now, and the second time never quite got the C02 balance quite right and had different sorts of algae blooms which went on for weeks until finally giving up, of course disapointing but defintely learned a lot though and now planning on staying with fairly low tech set ups as is much more stress free but with the knowledge I gained going through C02 is probably invaluable.

Am surprised you had touble with the RO system, what was the problem exactly do you know?
What brand and size was it again as this is a fairly long thread and am not sure where you mention the RO system originally.....

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The last post is still pretty accurate, maybe some growth on some of the stems, most of the carpet is still failing and I have a real problem with long green hair algae but it is quite easy to pull out in big clumps.

Fish are doing well though, I'm still not sure what happened with the Rasboras they were really weak when I first added them to the tank I think they are very very young fish. I think Im going to try some kind of Harlequin at some point, I think that will work well in here.

The Co2 I have enjoyed doing and I only needed quite a low amount like 1bps but for some reason my diffuser wasnt getting the gas through very well and I think I had damaged the stone in trying to clean it. So I replaced that but then on the new one I couldnt get any bubbles through so I've changed the tubing and got a new diffuser which I need to set up but not had chance hoping this weekend.

While I've had the Co2 I've had every type of algae too lol. Some of it I have gotten the better of but it comes down to my tapwater which is high in heavy metals, about 25ppm nitrate and its pretty hard too. Which is why I got the RO machine.

This is the one I have https://www.directwaterfilters.co.u...reverse-osmosis-pumped-system-LCD-floor-stand

I think it was the front right that was leaking, I just came downstairs one morning and noticed a puddle on the floor outside the cupboard. Its probably just an ill fitted O ring or something but never got round to fixing it - finding it a bit daunting to start using to be honest but I know I need to for the health of my fish and to defeat the evils of algae lol.

I've actually just had the go ahead from my better half to get the four foot tank I was joking about above which will co-inside with us doing some work on the house so this tank will need to move soon temporarily as it is where the four foot will go and this will go in a different location.

So when it gets set back up I'm not actually 100% if I'd go high tech again or go down a low tech approach. My biggest gripe is the depth of the substrate I've used to get the effect which looks good and all but it does take up a lot of room... I think my failing here has been the timing of a big trim combined with running into the Co2 problems. I think if I hadnt of had the big trim the tank would still have been sort of ok?

Wills

Ah I remember that RO system now that I saw your link, not a bad price for a 600 GPD system to be fair.

That one is a bit too big for my needs, looking at Vyair brands at moment for 100GPD as am considering mixing 50/50 or maybe 40/60 tap water to RO water depending on results of my testings on tap water. Ridiculously hard and high TDS water that I’ve found so far.

And as for the rasboras deaths, as mentioned before could be down to a number of things, the puffers being around and stressing out the little rasboras sound fairly likely but also having poor unhealthy specimens from LFS is a likely contributing factor to their deaths as well.

Maybe get a larger specie of rasboras like harlequins as they are a fairly decent size for a rasboras species.

As for your lamenting on doing a large trim during early stages might have been a factor but it’s one of those things that we will likely never quite know 100%, but I remember first reading of you doing a large trim down early on I did think might be worth waiting to see if plants establish a bit more first but thought should be fine nonetheless as tank and plants were doing great at the time.

Ch4rlie said:

Ah I remember that RO system now that I saw your link, not a bad price for a 600 GPD system to be fair.

That one is a bit too big for my needs, looking at Vyair brands at moment for 100GPD as am considering mixing 50/50 or maybe 40/60 tap water to RO water depending on results of my testings on tap water. Ridiculously hard and high TDS water that I’ve found so far.

And as for the rasboras deaths, as mentioned before could be down to a number of things, the puffers being around and stressing out the little rasboras sound fairly likely but also having poor unhealthy specimens from LFS is a likely contributing factor to their deaths as well.

Maybe get a larger specie of rasboras like harlequins as they are a fairly decent size for a rasboras species.

As for your lamenting on doing a large trim during early stages might have been a factor but it’s one of those things that we will likely never quite know 100%, but I remember first reading of you doing a large trim down early on I did think might be worth waiting to see if plants establish a bit more first but thought should be fine nonetheless as tank and plants were doing great at the time.

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I got the Rasboras from a good store but they were in a tank I couldnt really see as it was at floor level and I have bad knees lol. So I took them on trust but I think they were a bit small on reflection, quite skinny, not ill but I think just young. Harlequins are definitely the most likely you can usually find good healthy mature ones around

The trim was on quite a mature tank definitely at least a few months old. I took it quite low as it had been trimmed a few times so to get it to branch how I wanted it needed to be below most of the existing branches. It would have come back with Co2 and ferts I think but just bad timing...

I'm going to try and get Co2 going this weekend and if it works I'll head to an LFS thats quite good for plants and get some easy stems to get it going again, good plant growth will likely kill off a lot of the basic algae problems I think.

Wills