Finally finished java moss wall

[rob]

got my new lights yesterday "finally"
"150cm 2x80w T5 Aqua medic"
so spent all last night transfering my plants over to my big tank and also finally got round to finishing my java moss wall

i still need to arrange my plants a bit better cause i'm not quite happy with it yet and now iv'e got better lighting can get some red plants to break the colour up a bit. also ordered my Co2 reg yesterday so will have pressurised Co2 soon too, so hopefully my plants will grow even better now

 

[joan]

Looks nice!!

The grasses look a bit too evenly spaced, but other than that, it's gorgeous. I'm excited to see how your moss wall turns out.

 

[anna]

Great tank! The moss wall will look brilliant when its all grown out.

 

[sin]

Looks fantastic Rob, can't wait to see some pix in a couple of months time when it's taken hold. certainly puts a new spin on backgrounds for tanks.

 

[rob]

Thx for the replies guys

i agree Joan the grasses dont look right and too evenly spaced, i didnt finish till 7am in the morning after doing an all nighter

and just put them where eva to get them in and go to sleep

and i was so buggered tonight still havnt touched it lol but i did get 2 beautifull varieties of Ludwigia today and some orange looking plant and some hygo, still to put them in, but will post a pic when i have

i will also post some pics later when the moss grows through...

(Message edited by KharmaKazi on April 28, 2006)

 

[sharon]

Absolutely lovely! I agree the grasses need rearranging and can't wait to see pics with new plants!

 

[shane]

how did you get the moss to stay on the mesh? it sounds like you've talked about this before but i can find it.
it looks great.

 

[rob]

i posted it here originally Shane
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/793/57197.html?1143745189
just click on the link for the instructions

will try to post some more pics tomorrow, iv'e added a few more plants, still not happy with the arrangement though, so much for not putting as many plants in this one lol...

 

[rob]

heres a cpl of new pics with the added plants and took out some of the hair grass and re-arranged it a bit

 

[stipe]

T5's !!!!!!!!! holy m8 your plants would love you. When you said u where getting red leafs i was like, m8 you gonna suffocate them from light but when i relised u had t5 i changed my mind. I keep my corals under T5's, how much u paid for yours? wats the kelvin rating?

Lovley substrate, i hope your feedimg them. Oh and with the CO2 watch out becasue it chagnes your PH more acidic, but since ur in auz like me it will barley change it.

You breed your plants? i run a little business, i sell around $50 worth of plants to my local fish shops a week, mine grow faster than rabbits can breed.

 

[rob]

Hi Stipe
i got the aqua medic 150cm 2 x 80w sunbeam fixture
paid $468 inc freight "cheapest i could find" i wont put the link up where i got em from cause they stuffed me around a bit

i have 1 x 80w ocean white tube @ 10,000k and 1 x 80w planta tube @ 5,000k this covers both the blue and red spectrum
http://www.aqua-medic.com/products/products.php?category=Lighting&product=Aqua%20Medic%20T5%20Bulbs
it's pool filter sand substrate and use seachem root tabs under my rooted plants and flourish and excell and getting iron next week.
got my co2 reg, Milwaukee with solinoid and bubble counter @ $184 inc freight and getting a Milwakee pH controller next week, so it will be fully automated and my pH should be stable

hiring my bottle later in the week or earlly next week.
i dont sell my plants yet but hope to so i can make a little money back

i have given a few plants away to freinds though

$50 a week would come in handy

 

[rheann]

Rob, it looks AMAZING! =D

Great work, please post pictures of progress, I would build a moss wall but I don't have the time to right now.

 

[stipe]

Thats cheap for your T-5's, great work. Yes im glad u have both spectrums covered but dont be lured into getting anything over 15,000k it is basicly worthless and tropical plants do not photosymphasise at that colour temprature. Also i like your CO2 reacter, i have one that i picked up for $30 and refill for $10 (once every 3 months) its s cheep welders brand but still does the same. I definatly need a Ph controler, i will look into that later.\

I keep my plants under 3x 10,000k 45watt VHO (very hight output) bulbs and 1x 250watt metal halide at 6,000K and the growth is unnormal, but i grow them to sell (mainly) so i wouldnt expect you to buy metal halides ( unless u would love to, lol)Great substrate and food.

One thing you can try is vermiculite. I use it as me first layer then i add my gravel. it acts as a rich organic source of food adn if used corectly wont harm your critters ( i mean as dirt does cotain hight organic compunds it is better not to have to much in a little tank).

For the bottom layer mix potting vermiculite (from any nursury) with enough water to wet the vermiculite well but not so much that it floats. Squeeze and knead the vermiculite to get as much air out of it as possible, and also to separate the different layers of the vermiculite granules, making the mixture as fine as possible. When your hands look like they're covered in gold dust, you're done. Now add some soil that you have dug from outside (garden topsoil). See the suggestions for soils at the end of this section. You should mix in enough of this to turn the vermiculite from its shimmery golden color to grey. For example, I used about two gallons of Yolo loam with enough vermiculite to make a 3-inch layer in a 55 gallon tank, or about a quart mixed with enough vermiculite to make a 1.5-inch layer in a 10 gallon tank. The precise amounts are not important. After mixing in the soil, the mixture should no longer be runny with water. If it is, your tank will be quite cloudy when you add the water to fill it, so add more soil and vermiculite until it is no longer runny with water, but comparable to prepared cake mix before you cook it. This bottom layer forms a rich, soft medium for roots to penetrate into and obtain nutrients from. This layer should be as thick as possible, within aesthetic limits.
The top layer is simply sand. You need about a 1 inch or more layer, simply to keep the lower layer from clouding the water. The best is #3 sandblasting grit, which our local gravel yard sells in 100 lb. bags for $10. Any sand that is not from the sea and is not too fine will do. #3 sand is about 2 mm in diameter. Just pour it on top, and level it out. Wash it first if you think it needs it. This layer should be at least 1" thick, and not more than 2".

 

[sharon]

This new plant arrangement is GORGEOUS!! you did a fantastic job!!

 

[rob]

thx for all the info Stipe

when u talk reactor do u mean ur Co2 gauge "reg"
if so $30 for a reg is good

the only thing if u want to add a pH controller u will also need to add a solinoid valve too for this to work "as u probably know" thats why i went for the milwaukee reg cause its all in one then u just add pH controller, get my Co2 bottle today, just hiring a D size "should last me around 12 mths hopefully " @ $33 to re-fill it and $135 a yr hire

the reactor"diffuser" i made is based on the one on this site and does a great job for my yeast sugar setup

http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html
but with my pressurised system i am going to make an external inline reactor
http://www.aquaticscape.com/articles/co2reactor.htm

hope u dont have ur axies in the same tank as ur vho's and halide

thats a lot of light lol
mine dont really like the T5's even, but there is plenty of spots for em to hide from the light + when my plants grow better is should be better for them

they seem to be getting used to them now

at first they were freaking out a bit, but i had less plants in there than now. might give the vermiculite a go later cause it means emptying the whole tank out again, which i dont really want to do just yet, i was tossing up on weather to use a peat base when i first set it up, but decided to just use fert tabs under my rooted plants in the end.

thx Rheann and Sharon

i will definately add some progression photo's to show how it's all going

it has changed a bit allready lol, cause so i found out, the purple plants i had in there that i thought were ludwigia arnt a tru aquatic plant so iv'e removed them and the orange looking ones cause of the same reason, but have added some ambulia,hygrophilia and wisteria in it's place
i have a bit of algae forming but hopeing the fast growing plants iv'e just added will combat this along with the pressurissed Co2 and getting the right ballance of ferts for this tank...

 

[rob]

got the nicest piece of driftwood today

so the tank is going to be changed heaps "again" lol
it measures 80cm x 45cm i thought it was a bargain @ $100

just soaking it to get some of the tannins out and for it too sink...

 

[jennifer]

Is that photo in your bathtub? That thing is huge!

 

[rob]

yep thats the bathtub lol

no baths for a while hehe.
it will be the centre piece in my 5 footer

and will be attaching lots of java fern, crypts and anubias too it "i have a plan i think"

just waiting for it too sink...

 

[drew]

great information
A mall wall is Brillient, Great looking tank ..