Craynerds Planted Tank Mk.2

Hey, you can never be too careful. When i come home after a few pints and get a bit thirsty, that "Do Not Drink" sign could be the reminder that saves my life!! :) lol

Besides, i know what it is, what about other people!

I would suggest everyone sticky labels it the same, especially if they are in pop bottles like mine are!

Chris
 
just my 2 cents..i noticed you have the ferts ready to dose in liquid form..i did that initially for the longest and couldnt seem to get my dosing straight..then after some talk with Tom Barr, he suggested i dose dry which i seem to encounter alot now, and low and behold,just a simple step like that and my tank is really turning around..quickly..maybe its just me but since i started ive noticed a BIG difference..EI is EI you still dose more than needed but it may stay fresh longer or something..i dont know..everything else looks beautiful though..wish i could afford all that ADA stuff..have fun ..dan
 
Hummm, thanks for your input Dan.

I really can’t see how dosing dry or in solution could be any different. I know for a fact I can definitely dose my tank more accurately using solution then dry.

Also i foresee a huge problem with none dissolved solids gathering in the tank when dosing dry.

Potassium Nitrate and Potassium Phosphate are both fine, i just give the bottle a shake if it crystallizes a little and keep my trace in the fridge.

Other than that i really can’t seem to see a difference, to me there seems more negatives dosing dry.

If it works for you mate then great and if things don’t go to plan for me then it is something i will definitely think about so thanks for posting your comment! I used solutions before and they worked fine, so i shall stick to that for the time being.

Thanks again, interesting post, really got me thinking.

Chris
 
Putting it in the fridge is just asking for a drunk craynerd to stumble in and have a nice dose of EI followed by a nice stomach pumping :lol: I always keep the odd beer in the fridge "Drink in case of thirst aid"
 
I would stick to making up liquid stock for EI dosing with smaller volumes just for accuracy and convenience. Larger tanks (>100 l.) then dry dosing may be easier. KNO3, KHPO4, K2SO4 have an unlimited shelf life in solution so that's never an issue.

Good work Chris, I sincerely look forward to the progress on this little beauty.
 
Thanks George,

They rang me today from Birstall and said the plants or in the post, all minus Didiplis.

So thats good, i`ll be all go starting monday.



Hi,

Very quick, i have just finished more or less. Of course i have to pull it all up to put on the moss, but this is the idea.

hardscape1.jpg


Comments most welcome!!


Chris[/img]

:) me again.

On my way out so i can`t redo it, but looking at it again in picture. I am going to bring the two halfs in about and inch or so so the gap in the centre is slightly less.
 
I agree about bringing it all in a bit, especially on the lrft hand side. Those two left hand pieces are a bit too close to the side of the tank. Any plants running up those bits have a chance of touching the sides of the tank and making the composition look cramped. Also, not sure if it's just the photo or not but the way the substrate is higher in the middle looks like it's only there to keep the wood in place. I know that once the plants are down it will mostly be hidden but a more level bottom might look a bit better. Saying that, not TOO level!

One question. Where's the heater going?

WK
 
thanks a lot for your comments and advice.

First to answer your question, the heater is an external hydor so it will be out of the tank.

Regarding the substrate, it will be heavily packed in the centre and that is how i intend it to be. Although it will be slightly smoother and deeper along the whole of the back. To be fair, at present i was more interested in getting the wood in position rather than delaing with the substrate. You are quite right, at present it is heavily built up in the centre to hold the wood more firmly while i mess with it all.
However, it will certainly not be level or even near level. The idea behind this should become apparent as i begin to plant and shape the aquascape.

Agree with your comment about moving the left in a touch. i will be doing this so thanks for that. Although still not very much. These area`s represent the boundries and cross sections defined by the golden ratio. You are quite right, it is slightly off.

Thanks mate, anymore opinions.

Chris
 
Hey Chris. Could you please tell me where you got the wood? The reason being is that I love that sort of wood (branchy) (always seen in ADA tanks or Amano) and ive never been able to find any.
 
Unfortunately I can`t really help.

Took me about 3 months to find it and made several posts on here. If you check out "craynerd" user topics I am sure you will find more info regarding the wood.

I considered buying the ADA old black wood at £90 and then stumbled across this lot at my local garden centre. Trust me it’s not a fancy place, I just happened to route around and found 3 long pieces, then went back the week after their next delivery and got another 2. It was purely hit and miss.

All i would say is, don`t EVER give up. It’s just a case of routing around at every opportunity.

If your fortunate enough to live in some areas of the world then u may be able to find it lying around. You should see the beauty that George has just found and picked up!

Just keep looking mate, if you want the exact location it was Gordon Riggs in Rochdale, North Manchester. Seriously, no fancy place and certainly not guaranteed to have it in stock. Just driving past to work one day and called in. I have been several times since and they have had nothing as nice.

Good Luck

Chris
 

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