Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 (edited) Hey Guys, I am working on an new Iwagumie Style tank with HC and Micro swords. Previously I have had great success planting HC using the Dry start method, i will also be doing the same for this tank. This Log will be separated into 3 stages. Stage 1- Pre planting Stage 2- Dry start Stage 3- Flooding In the first few weeks i will be updating this log regular so you guys can see the growth process of the plants. Enjoy! Stage 1 - Pre Planting ** Interesting fact** Did you know that HC is a "Steam plant", therefor you can just trim the HC and replant the trimmings. That is exactly what i did here. Since i already have a well established HC tank i trimmed and replanted the HC for my new ADA tank. The reason why i am planting the HC prior to my new tank is so i can get a good root system established while i am collection my supplies for the future tank. This is a super simple method to expanding your collection of HC. and here is my secret..... DON"T over think it. All i did was fill a small basket with regular garden soil and threw the trimmings on top. (no planting required) The Key is to keep the soil moist, to a point where the water level is about 0.5cm over the soil level. Also covering the top of the basket with saran wrap. Covering the top will stabilize the necessary humidity for the HC to survive. One more impotent thing DO NOT PUT IN DIRECT SUN LIGHT. I can guarantee if you do your HC will die. I would suggest indirect sunlight for at least 8 hours a day. ~i will also be selling HC in the Calgary Location in about 2 months. PM me if you are interested Aug-22-2012 Time to gather my Supplies -ADA Cube Garden -$110 -ADA Amazonia Aquarium Soil -$50 -Sun Blaster T5ho Light -$30 -Fluval 205 Canister Filer - $80 For you guys out there looking for a cheap light fixture i would highly recommend the Sun Blaster T5 lights. This light fixture is designed for greenhouse use, but you can still use if for your aquarium. Specs- T5ho 24w, Lumen 2232, Length 24", 6400k I can't complain for $30 There are the Sunblaster Lights ADA Cube Garden- Dimensions: 45cm X 27cm X 30cm (just a little over 10 gallons) Fluval 205 (for later use) ADA Amazonia Aqua Soil Sept-22-2012 One month later i decided that it is time to start up my new tank. As you can see in the picture below the HC has grown quite a bit. The leaves are extremely green and they look very ready for planting. Prior to planting these i uprooted the HC and rinsed them in a bucket of water. (to get the soil off). I then clumped them in to small clumps for planting. Expanding my population of HC Here comes the fun stuff. The Landscaping! I later did change up the landscape by a bit afterwards, but i was too lazy to take more pictures. haha! In the front i have about 2.5" of soil and at the back it's up to 5" tall. Sept-25-2012 After a few days of rocks play i have finally perfected my scaping. (well how i like it) This is the where stage 2 begins. Weekly posts will be made for you guys to see the HC and micro swords growth progression. Edited November 4, 2012 by Mahawka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Stage 2 - Dry Start As you can see in the pictures below i planted the HC in about 90% of the tank and 10% of Microswords in the back. ...and yes i did use the whole basket of HC. First i poured enough water in the tank to flood the lowest point. then i started planting. At this point i will keep the tank waterless for about 1 month. Since my tank is in a dry state i will not have any Co2 issues as well as Algae problems. I have my light on a timer for 13 hours per day to promote growth. Once again if you are doing the dry start method you need saran wrap on top of your tank. I will be misting my tank once every 4 days and lifting the saran wrap each day for air exchange. Sept-26-2012 Sept-28-2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Sept-29-2012 Oct-02-2012 Oct-03-2012 As you can see in the photos above the HC is starting to connect to each other. I am super excited since it's growing way faster then i anticipated. I am Planning on giving it a few more weeks before starting stage 3. (adding water) Today i also also went to a Planted Aquarium seminar hosted at Pisces. It was awesome and very informative. The best part of the seminar was that it was very ADA focused. The host of the show went in to great details using ADA products. We also got some cool ADA gift bags and Pisces coupons. "We are not doing a fish tank here. We are doing a planted aquarium. The fishes are additions to the PLANTED tank ~Norm" After the seminar i went on Ebay and bought a few new items for stage 3 of the tank. 1) A set of 13 mm lily pipes 2) A Hydor ETH 200 inline heater 3) Moonlight Led 4) Glass Drop Checker 5) Rhinox 1000 Diffuser ~ i will post some pictures of these products when they arrive in the mail ~ YAY!:fish: I get a chance to play with my camera. (Sony Nex 5n) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Oct-10-2012 Hey guys, i have another photo update for you guys on my tank. OMG the HC has grown alot! I have also attached a few pictures of the 10 gallon Red Cherry Shrimp tank i am newly working on. In regards of "SomeCanuck"'s question i have also included 2 pictures of my Fluval 205. Hope that helps. I decided that it would be a good idea to buy a garden mat for my ADA tank. At first i was going to use a YOGA mat and cut it up, then i realized that the ADA garden mat was cheaper then a YOGA mat. So why not! I bought the ADA mat for 16$ The two pictures below is in regards to a question from a member. In my set up i am using 1/2"ID and 5/8"OD tubing on a Fluval 205 As promised here are a few pictures of my new shrimp tank. Stay tune, more updates to come. I will be flooding the tank very soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Oct-15-2012 Hi! I have another update for you !!! Today my Lily Pipes came. I ordered them from Ebay, from a vendor named "aquamagic" For 35$ i got both the intake and the out take. And i have to say i am super happy with the product. It is made of good quality glass, and it's thick. Here are some more pictures of the Growth rate. It's been 21 days since i planted these. I am thinking of giving it another 2 weeks before flooding. Root growth! WOW the micro sword roots are long !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Oct-20-2012 Hey all. Today i decided to do a DIY moonlight for my tank. It's a super budget one, costed $5 and a can of pop. It doesn't look like the MarineLand brand ones. But can't complain for $5 Blue Led from Ebay. $3 Yes i am using a can of pop as reflectors!!! Found some random metallic grate in the house. Meh why not? looks kinda cool Completed~~~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Here is a quick photo update of my Carpet. As you can see some of my leaves are changing color. I have no idea why, maybe my room is too cold. If you have an idea why please leave a post Oct-22-2012 My plan is to flood the tank this Sunday. So stay tune to stage 3 of the journal. After learning from a friend that micoswords might spread and invade the HC, i decided to be proactive and put in some DIY dividers. Not really even DIY, more like Cut it yourself. In the photos below i am using the plastic cups from store bought aquatic plants. And here is probably the last update during the DSM. We will see. After doing some research i have came to the conclusion that my DSM is too moist!! and that is why my leaves are turning brown. YEA i know right!!! too moist for an aquatic plant. I decided to unseal one corner of the seran wrap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 STAGE 3 Flood Oct-23-2012 So i couldn't wait anymore and i decided to flood my tank today. I opened the window this morning and saw super long roots and said to myself "it's time" LOL. Furthermore my aqua-magic Diffuser arrived in the mail too. Well before I started the flooding process i decided to get my DIY Co2 setup first. With prior experience i found that it takes about 2 hours before enough pressure is created for diffusion. Because this tank is going to be fishless for a bit i decided to double to ingredient to in my DIY mixture. I want to give my HC as much Co2 as possible to adapt from emerged to submerge. My DIY solution contains. -4 cups of sugar -2 teaspoon of active yeast Here is a comparison photo of day 1 to day 30 of my HC growth. WOW You might wonder why i have paper towels and a plastic bag in the tank. This is a good method to reduce uprooting and movement of substright when filling a tank. The paper towel/bag reduces the impact of water flow. ALL filled up !! time to set up my filtration system. 78 degrees and max water flow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Well guys, Thanks for following my Journal on my ADA tank. It was my pleasure to build this Journal. My updates will be less often now. Maybe once every two weeks to show the growth and transition of the HC. Also don't forget i will be adding in some neon tetras in about a month. If you have any questions, comments, maybe pictures of your tank, suggestions feel free to leave a post. I love posts!!! I will leave you guys off with a few pictures of my tank. My DYI moon light system Oct-23-2012 Hey Guys! it's been a while since i posted an update. Today i decided that it's time to trim the HC. It's been growing very very well and had no melting issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 (edited) to see future updates please go to: http://albertaaquati...showtopic=41807 Thanks Mahawka Edited February 18, 2014 by Mahawka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 RESERVED FOR FUTURE POST -THANKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahawka Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 RESERVED FOR FUTURE POST -THANKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syncro Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cgy_Betta_Guy Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Looks good... will be interesting to see if your dividers do actually keep the plants separated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayen Posted November 11, 2012 Report Share Posted November 11, 2012 Looking good so far, HC is great with emersed growth, I definitely need to start farming some HC again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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