Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

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BostonJill
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by BostonJill »

Rob in Puyallup wrote:Okay... I gave in. Now the look is a bit to "perfect" or symmetrical, but will do for the time being.
Just a thought can you take aquarium silicone and silicone the lava rocks you have forming caves etc... I also think a big lava rock will balance things better as well.
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by eightoeight »

Maybe consider using your substrate and larger tank size to your advantage and not use a flat layer of substrate. Create depth and variance in substrate height to create a dynamic look to your scape. Keep an open mind and I think you'll be surprised with the possibilities.

I guess the purpose of the pile of rocks is to create crevices, but perhaps there can be a balance so it's not just 2 piles of rocks in the corners.
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Rob in Puyallup
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by Rob in Puyallup »

I agree, Jill. Chaetomorpha is not the most attractive macro algae out there, caulerpa is a lot better looking. You'll see some in the first photo in this thread. It's the species C. prolifera, I believe. The plant with the flattened leaves.

I slowly acclimated it to brackish over a couple days, removing a bit of the water it was in with distilled. When it approximated the same as the tank I left it in it's "quarantine" tank for a couple more days to make sure it was doing okay. Probably a waste of time, but I wanted to play it safe.

One thing about caulerpa... it'll grab onto anything it can with it's root-like structures. Removing it from a tank, even if it has died, can be a pain. But... it is very quick growing, and in my opinion, worth the trouble.
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Rob in Puyallup
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by Rob in Puyallup »

Hi Eightoeight...

In my other opae ula tanks I've made a "rock wall" from one end to the other, across the middle of the tanks. I'm thinking I prefer that over just piles on either end.
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by KenCotigirl »

Rob try to control yourself. Before you know it your 'accepted' setup will look like your others. While they look great I thought this setup was to compare and contrast the two styles.
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by eightoeight »

Rob in Puyallup wrote:Hi Eightoeight...

In my other opae ula tanks I've made a "rock wall" from one end to the other, across the middle of the tanks. I'm thinking I prefer that over just piles on either end.
I follow your tank(s) here and on another forum so I'm definitely looking forward to how your tanks turn out! :]
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Rob in Puyallup
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by Rob in Puyallup »

I promise to be good, Ken... No live rock, no hermit crabs, no filtration, very limited food. Not water movement.

I may switch the light to fluorescent, though.
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by Rob in Puyallup »

...and Eightoeight...

Do I know you?
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Rob in Puyallup
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by Rob in Puyallup »

Hey Jill...

Chaedo can grow pretty quick, given the right conditions. That "floating hairball" can fill a small tank in no time! :-D
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by Rob in Puyallup »

Dropped in three tiny Malaysian Trumpet Snails this morning, something to get the bacteria going.

Only real slow...

(I know, I know... they'll breed like crazy! (But only if I overfeed the tank!)
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by Rob in Puyallup »

Found a couple chucks of "lace rock" at Petco tonight. No decent pieces of lava rock, unfortunately. The lace was on sale, half price. Lots of holes and texture, good for bacteria and hiding places for opae ula.

Will put it in the tank in the morning.
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by Rob in Puyallup »

Okay...

After soaking the lace rock in some good old treated tap water for a couple days I threw a piece in. The other one just added to the confusion, so will leave it for another tank some other day...

So here's it so far.

10 gallon tank

LED lighting (for now).

Carib Sea African Cichlid Mix, Sahara Sand.

BBQ Lava Rock rubble.

Lace Rock.

Flora: Two species of Chaetomorpha macro algae.

Fauna: Five Malaysian Trumpet Snails.

and Nutrafin Cycle and Seachem Stability for a mix of bacteria.

OPAE ULA maybe over this weekend.
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by Harry »

Rob, I think the LED lighting is perfect. It seems to be centered to the middle of the tank, leaving the sides dark. I think this mimics the way light feeds down into their ponds. Pictures I have seen of these ponds have a round hole at the top and I believe the ponds down below would be wider. So I'm thinking your light setup is very natural.
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by Rob in Puyallup »

I like it, too, Harry. Not sure the color "temperature" is right. Don't wanna encourage the wrong type of algae.

Will be watching closely.
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Re: Okay... Gonna try an "accepted" set up.

Post by BostonJill »

Rob, love the colors and textures you have in your new tank but from this angle everything looks the same height perhaps you might want to create more balance in your aquascaping by arranging the rock piles by different heights. Here was a great article which I found helpful: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebinde ... begart.htm

Also, I was under the impression you couldn't use lava rocks meant for BBQ grills. It will be great if you could because it's so much cheaper then landscaping lava rocks. Have you used them in the past with no problem?
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