Llj's Filterless Ada

[lljdma06]

Could also come back to rasboras and corydoras. I've been wanting to keep Boraras again and they are available.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

I do love Boraras, I have 12 that are currently flirting. I'd go with pearl Danios tho, they're beautiful but they won't like the Koralia. Ahhh go with Boraras .

 

[lljdma06]

I do love Boraras, I have 12 that are currently flirting. I'd go with pearl Danios tho, they're beautiful but they won't like the Koralia. Ahhh go with Boraras .

I got a soft spot for them, and now that I've done an RO/Tap mix they may do better.

Ok, I did the tank. So, as all of you know, my cat knocked down the light fixture, breaking the mounting legs. So I had to buy a 24" Aqueon Versa top (glass) at the local Petsmart. Ok, it didn't quite fit, so I put the brace that they gave me, put on the light and prayed.

This morning, so far, so good. But then I get home with my light set next to my tank and my family explaining to me that it fell in. Expletives come out of my mouth as I scurry to dry the fixture. I turn it on and it still works. Tough little fixture. Well, anyway, I still have to figure out how to mount the light. Then I got a bright idea... The versa top came with braces that slide onto the glass, they just weren't big enough. What if I made bigger braces with...

It's the back section that you can custom cut to fit your cords and filters. I had an extra one lying around. This happens a lot with me. Lots of extra stuff lying around.

So I came up with this...

And presto! The fixture now fits securely onto the tank. No more kitties knocking it over.

So I figured, might as well enjoy a few beers and rescape it. I removed the wood and began the process of draining the tank.

Yucky and muddy.

Initial planting is done. Still needed to do the Eleocharis

This is where I got the Eleocharis, btw. From Petsmart. My guess tissue culture.

More filling, yes... This'll be picture heavy. It's a 50/50 mix of RO/Tap

Planting complete.

Placing the Koralias, for now I'm using a 425 nano and a 240. It looks sooooooo much better without the filters. Yes, I've got some stupid flow in this tank.

Ok, a ton of pictures. Water still needs to clear up a bit. I've got to watch for ammonia and I need to make sure I've got a steady supply of RO

The Koralia

Video, with a dumb voice over by me.



Now, it's just a matter of keeping it clean. Hopefully the Crypts won't melt too bad. We'll see. It's not a huge shock water chemistry wise, as I've been doing an RO/tap mix for a while. The sags are stunning.

Thanks for looking. Comments are welcome. Yes, I will have some plants for sale or swap.

L

 

[Biulu]

I love the bolbitis! Can't have it in my new tank though as it is African, but will include it in my 20 gallon long... I like the stone scape as well; I am after a similar type of pebble but probably a bit larger for my river biotope together with some wood.

Heavy planting; not much space for cories to scurry on the sand! Maybe you should go with rasboras

 

[lljdma06]

I love the bolbitis! Can't have it in my new tank though as it is African, but will include it in my 20 gallon long... I like the stone scape as well; I am after a similar type of pebble but probably a bit larger for my river biotope together with some wood.

Heavy planting; not much space for cories to scurry on the sand! Maybe you should go with rasboras

Corydora habrosus are a little corydora. Super cute, but they are bottom-dwellers. I think I may want to trim the bolbitis a bit. But otherwise, I'll let things grow and fill out. Tank went through a major upheaval so gonna do a water change today and some clean up. Also running a much shorter photo period, about 5 hours while things adjust. I'll gradually increase it in the coming weeks. The plant mass before was absolutely huge, and you think this a dense planting?! Hahahahahaha...

L

 

[coldcazzie]

Love it! looks great, very river bed ish in my opinion. Also at your voice-over

 

[stu40]

Nice work, instant scape

oh, and you can never post too many pics...
how will the Parvula get on with Cories?

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Nice, makes me think Emerald Isle due to the greeness

 

[ian]

looks great llj, imo a lot better than the wood scape. The rock look great in there, look forward to some clearer pics.

 

[lljdma06]

Love it! looks great, very river bed ish in my opinion. Also at your voice-over

Riverbed was the look I was going for. Haha, my voice over is stupid.

Nice work, instant scape

oh, and you can never post too many pics...
how will the Parvula get on with Cories?

I think the parvula will be fine with the cories because they won't go in until the parvula is rooted.

Nice, makes me think Emerald Isle due to the greeness

Awwww, I like green.

looks great llj, imo a lot better than the wood scape. The rock look great in there, look forward to some clearer pics.

I think the flaw of the wood scape was that the wood was too big and that ultimately wasn't my fault as it was wood that another person had originally picked. I did the best I could with it. I think I was also ready for rocks. I've done anubias, moss, pelia, java fern. What else can I do with wood in all fairness. Honestly, I just chucked the rocks in there. The randomness of it helps. I may lose one Bolbitis plant, too overwhelming IMO. I may also add my little lawnplants; the hydrocotyle. I got a better light fixture, I'm curious if I can grow it shorter in this higher light.

Clearer pictures won't come for a while. The Amazonia is some seriously dirty stuff and I got rid of a lot of bacteria when I tossed the filters and removed most of the substrate to cap with sand. It'll take a while to repopulate, but I'm confident that it will.

L

L

 

[lljdma06]

Some more pictures. But first, what I did.

- replaced the Koralia 240 with a 425, so now I have Two Koralia 425s.

- grabbed some Hydrocotyle verticillata from my back yard, rinsed it and incorporated it into the scape

- grabbed some small anubias and added them too. Just some petite nana

- Did a water change

Now for pictures...

Still now quite clear yet, but better

Detail from the side

Front detail

Detail of the Hydrocotyle

Full tank shot

Honestly, I don't think I'll be adding fish until I've established the Eleocharis. Thanks for looking.

L

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Looking lovely now it's cleared a bit, I've just re scaped and thinking of doing it again now I've had a look at this, kinda fancy summin with sand now.

 

[Biulu]

Do you notice a lot of difference between the 240 and 425 powerhead llj? I ordered a 425 as the difference in price with the 240 was only 2 dollars . It will be the first time I will be using a powerhead to counteract any BBA that I had so much in my other tank...

 

[lljdma06]

Ok, it's been about a month since planting. No crypt melt to speak of. Some of my little hydrocotyle did melt some, but others are growing. It still grows tall underwater.

I haven't changed the water in over 3 weeks, I need to do a top off. If things go the way I think they will, this'll be one low maintenance scape.

I do need to consider dosing though, especially for the Eleocharis, so tomorrow it's a nice water change and then I start on I'd say 3ml of TPN+ a day for now, just to get better growth out of the Eleocharis. It's growing, just I really think the crypts and sags will out compete it soon cause it's so tiny.

Lousy iPhone pictures, sorry.

Thanks for looking.

L

 

[coldcazzie]

looks great! you wanna come sort mine now?!