Dave`s Juwel Lido Journal.
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Themuleous
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Ill add to the others by saying it looks really nice 
Sam
Sam
Dave Spencer
Gort! Klaatu barada nikto.
Thought it was time that my journal reared its ugly head again since I have been stuck at work all week on twelve hour shifts, barely leaving me the time to carry out a water change.
Still, it wasn`t a complete loss, because I had the opportunity to make up a batch of 4dKH solution for my CO2 drop checker in accordance with the method highlighted by MrG. Fortunately, I was able to use the finest power station boiler water where RO is just one of the steps during purification. BiCarb was weighed on scales that measure to four decimal places, and liquid volumes were measured very accurately as well. I am chuffed that I can be confident of my CO2 readings.
I am making the decision that I`m on top of the algae, so next week I hope to post a few pics of my first ever attempt at aquascaping, although it will be more of a haircut than anything else, if I am honest. Hopefully, advice will come flooding in from you good people.
Apart from following the EI method, the major step I took in the fight against algae was getting rid of my Egeria Densa, despite its prolific growth, and the Mopani Wood. Both were hair algae magnets, so their absence has made it difficult for the algae re establish itself. Any new growth is dealt with by my Amanos, which now have to hunt further afield for the stuff. Amittedly, there is now some developing on my Echinodorus Tennellus, but I hope to thin it out next week to allow more water movement around their leaves.
Removing the wood left my Java Fern homeless, so I have tied it to a small piece of bogwood. Despite preparing the wood, my water has lost a bit of its crystal clear look. Hopefully, this won`t persist.
Crikey, I have a been an aquarist (of sorts) for two months now. I think it is time for me to buy some of Takashi Amano`s reading material for a touch of inspiration.
Still, it wasn`t a complete loss, because I had the opportunity to make up a batch of 4dKH solution for my CO2 drop checker in accordance with the method highlighted by MrG. Fortunately, I was able to use the finest power station boiler water where RO is just one of the steps during purification. BiCarb was weighed on scales that measure to four decimal places, and liquid volumes were measured very accurately as well. I am chuffed that I can be confident of my CO2 readings.
I am making the decision that I`m on top of the algae, so next week I hope to post a few pics of my first ever attempt at aquascaping, although it will be more of a haircut than anything else, if I am honest. Hopefully, advice will come flooding in from you good people.
Apart from following the EI method, the major step I took in the fight against algae was getting rid of my Egeria Densa, despite its prolific growth, and the Mopani Wood. Both were hair algae magnets, so their absence has made it difficult for the algae re establish itself. Any new growth is dealt with by my Amanos, which now have to hunt further afield for the stuff. Amittedly, there is now some developing on my Echinodorus Tennellus, but I hope to thin it out next week to allow more water movement around their leaves.
Removing the wood left my Java Fern homeless, so I have tied it to a small piece of bogwood. Despite preparing the wood, my water has lost a bit of its crystal clear look. Hopefully, this won`t persist.
Crikey, I have a been an aquarist (of sorts) for two months now. I think it is time for me to buy some of Takashi Amano`s reading material for a touch of inspiration.
George Farmer
ad aqua
Good stuff Dave.
You'll find Amano's original series outdated aquascape-wise, but very inspiring none-the-less. As Steven Chong recently said somewhere, Nature Aquarium World Book 1 is the only book that really lets you get inside his head. It changed my whole perspective on this hobby.
You'll find Amano's original series outdated aquascape-wise, but very inspiring none-the-less. As Steven Chong recently said somewhere, Nature Aquarium World Book 1 is the only book that really lets you get inside his head. It changed my whole perspective on this hobby.
Dave Spencer
Gort! Klaatu barada nikto.
Cheers George,
I have been eyeing up all three Nature Aquarium books, plus I thought I might give Diana Walstad a read as well. Hopefully, I will be picking a nice bit of 60 x 30 x 36 opti white glass next week, which these books will help me decorate.
I have been eyeing up all three Nature Aquarium books, plus I thought I might give Diana Walstad a read as well. Hopefully, I will be picking a nice bit of 60 x 30 x 36 opti white glass next week, which these books will help me decorate.
George Farmer
ad aqua
Ha, ha. MTS already. New or second-hand?
Dave Spencer
Gort! Klaatu barada nikto.
I am meeting Craynerd next week, hoping to buy his. It`s a bit bigger than I planned, but the price was right.
I have spent time during these recent high winds collecting and trying to prepare some wood for it. I think the best stuff comes from wood that has been dead for a long period of time.
Dave Spencer
Gort! Klaatu barada nikto.
It is now week nine for me and my tank, so here is another update.
I have been playing around with my CO2 diffuser because I very quickly grew a dislike for CO2 bubbles racing around the tank. What I did was to position it under the filter intake so that all the bubbles were sucked in and given time to dissolve on their journey through the filter. The bubbles are now all gone, but I noticed there was less pearling. Trying not to be too despondent, I started to adjust the spray pattern on the multi part filter outlet. Eventually, I found a combination that gave me pearling in all four corners of the tank, all for no increase in CO2 injection. It shows what can be done with a bit of experimentation.
Here are two pictures of my tank after week 1 and its current look:
My tank when it was first planted.
This is it at the moment, although it is not at its best because I have just done some pruning and replanting.
It still seems to lack any real structure, but I am using Justin Law`s Summer Dance as a general guide to my final destination. I wanted the wood in the Hygrophilia P. to sit more horizontally, but it has decided that its current vertical attitude will have to do for now. Perhaps I will be able to change it when it becomes more water logged.
So, am I happy with this tank so far? My honest answer would have to be no, because although I do not really like the structured order of a Dutch Aquarium, this tank is a little too disorganised. The foreground is probably the worst part because I have allowed the Echinodorus Tennellus to become too dense and, because it is all interlocked by its runners, thinning it out is a nightmare. Still, you live and learn, and I know that my next project will be planted a lot more carefully at the beginning.
Comments and criticisms are more than welcome.
Cheers, Dave.
I have been playing around with my CO2 diffuser because I very quickly grew a dislike for CO2 bubbles racing around the tank. What I did was to position it under the filter intake so that all the bubbles were sucked in and given time to dissolve on their journey through the filter. The bubbles are now all gone, but I noticed there was less pearling. Trying not to be too despondent, I started to adjust the spray pattern on the multi part filter outlet. Eventually, I found a combination that gave me pearling in all four corners of the tank, all for no increase in CO2 injection. It shows what can be done with a bit of experimentation.
Here are two pictures of my tank after week 1 and its current look:
My tank when it was first planted.
This is it at the moment, although it is not at its best because I have just done some pruning and replanting.
It still seems to lack any real structure, but I am using Justin Law`s Summer Dance as a general guide to my final destination. I wanted the wood in the Hygrophilia P. to sit more horizontally, but it has decided that its current vertical attitude will have to do for now. Perhaps I will be able to change it when it becomes more water logged.
So, am I happy with this tank so far? My honest answer would have to be no, because although I do not really like the structured order of a Dutch Aquarium, this tank is a little too disorganised. The foreground is probably the worst part because I have allowed the Echinodorus Tennellus to become too dense and, because it is all interlocked by its runners, thinning it out is a nightmare. Still, you live and learn, and I know that my next project will be planted a lot more carefully at the beginning.
Comments and criticisms are more than welcome.
Cheers, Dave.
RadaR
The things we do for our fish..
I shouted "woah!" out loud when i saw the pic! It looks very healthy. Like you say, its now time to aquascape seeing as you can keep plants healthy.
Dave Spencer
Gort! Klaatu barada nikto.
Here are a few pictures of some of my plants at the moment. Over the weekend I am going to carry out some rescaping. It has been allowed to get a little overgrown lately because I knew I would be needing some fast growing stems from this tank to go in to two new tanks.
This first picture is of Ddiplis diandra, which has been in there for about two weeks and is growing like mad. My intention is to try and keep this as a midground plant. It is fairly hard to define in the picture because it is surrounded by Rotala rotundifolia at the moment, and is trying to create its own bit of space.
The next one is my favourite plant (in my limited experience). Good old Rotala rotundifolia.
This last picture is my idea of a jungle, taken from the side with the Ludwigia arcuata.
I am hoping to get some more wood in there this weekend to make the Echinodorus tenellus foreground more interesting. There is quite a bit in there already, but it gets overgrown at a pheneomenal rate. I`m half expecting to find an old lawnmower or abandoned fridge in there.
Cheers, Dave.
This first picture is of Ddiplis diandra, which has been in there for about two weeks and is growing like mad. My intention is to try and keep this as a midground plant. It is fairly hard to define in the picture because it is surrounded by Rotala rotundifolia at the moment, and is trying to create its own bit of space.
The next one is my favourite plant (in my limited experience). Good old Rotala rotundifolia.
This last picture is my idea of a jungle, taken from the side with the Ludwigia arcuata.
I am hoping to get some more wood in there this weekend to make the Echinodorus tenellus foreground more interesting. There is quite a bit in there already, but it gets overgrown at a pheneomenal rate. I`m half expecting to find an old lawnmower or abandoned fridge in there.
Cheers, Dave.
RadaR
The things we do for our fish..
Stunning there mate. However the first picture looks like Rotala sp. ''Nanjenshan'' to me...
Themuleous
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Quality pics
That was funny. Reminds me of some of my tanks. That's some pretty mad growth, and just about some of the prettiest, reddest Rotala I've seen in a long time. Great job. 
Is there a full tank shot?llj
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