Weeds

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks SaltySully. I had originally painted it darker before, but it was so shiny I ended up sanding it off. This time I went for near black, and if the mat clear coat turns out shiny, then so be it. It will get encrusted with life. Good to know about the tunicates. I had some small, clear-ish ones before. I do plan to add some new live rock to bring in some biodiversity.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks McPuff!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks lapin. Yes, I agree, nature should step in and do the 'finish work' on it. Foam walls like mine, with no rocks, need all the help they can get, to keep them from floating out. So the zip ties are helpful. I noticed the same thing in my tank before. The current does a lot to the sand bed!

 

[Chasmodes]

The mangrove roots looked fantastic before, but with the darker color, wow, very realistic. I like the zip tied light diffuser idea to hold down the foam. I will consider that for my FW tank wall. I was thinking about wedging the wall in from across the tank somehow by forming a brace of some sort. With all of the foam that I have in that wall, I might need both options!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Kevin! It's better. Nothing like the detail you've done on your rocks, but I think it will do. I think with the volume of your wall, you'll need every trick in the book. It sounds like you've got it covered though. I hope I haven't bee too annoying about it!

 

[Chasmodes]

I think with the volume of your wall, you'll need every trick in the book. It sounds like you've got it covered though. I hope I haven't bee too annoying about it!

I hope so too. You aren't annoying at all. If anything, you've inspired me to plan ahead to make it work!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I remember getting annoyed with all the suggestions I got when working on my fake root. Many of them suggested I abandon my plan and start over. Annoying! But I'm sure they were just trying to help. I think with all the gluing and wedging, you'll be good.

 

[Chasmodes]

Thanks man, I sure hope so.

Yeah, and the truth is that your root endured the test of time. I think that sometimes, people post what they assume might happen based on reading other peoples opinions, and somehow that becomes common thought over time. Then they spout those opinions in a way to warn you of dangers that they heard about. I think that people mean well, and are trying to help. That is why we experiment, to find ways to make things work. Then, when our experimentation works, the results speak for themselves. Others learn from that.

...That said...

I have to admit, I'm a bit worried about it. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep the structure in place...we will see! All I know is that I will have to stock up on some silicone!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Well, it endured for about four years. And to be fair my method was out there - tin foil and duct tape! I agree, sometimes people use the forum to spout knowledge and put down others' ideas.

I just did that myself, to lapin. Sorry lapin! Ignore me and give your idea a go! New ideas advance the hobby.

I understand your worries. Buoyancy is powerful!

 

[Chasmodes]

Yeah, that is true, but I think most people are trying to be helpful.

Regarding the foam buoyancy, I think that my build will be OK. After fitting the entire thing into my tank, I realized that there is no way that this thing will float up. It fits so tightly that I can't get it out unless I force two sections to part at the junction. I could barely fit it all in (see my thread for more). Anyway, just to be safe, I'm going to use a lot of silicone, so this might be a good time to buy stock in the silicone manufacturer!

I can't wait to see what you do with your wall, especially incorporating a side wall as well. I hope that you're getting excited as you go. I've found that after I am satisfied with the progress, my urge to move forward increases to the point that it's all that I think about. Life getting in the way frustrates me unless it's my fun activities. But, even doing those makes me feel guilty about not working on my tank.

 

[BonesCJ]

Who puts dirt in their aquarium!? Talk to me…

Going through your thread after being off the boards for awhile, great stuff!

A bunch of years ago in a freshwater planted tank of mine I got organic garden soil from Home depot, did this thing where you soak it, drain off the water, resoak and repeat several times. Then I mixed it half and half with play sand and set that as a two to three inch substrate on the bottom of my tank. Added another inch of regular play sand on top of that.

My heavy root feeders such as Amazon swords and Crypts absolutely loved it! They grew like monsters and the only time I had issues was when I had to pull and thin the plants. Even then if you pulled slow most of the soil mix stayed below the surface.


*** EDIT ***

So I remembered its called mineralized Top Soil, here is the link to an article on it.

https://www.aquaticplantcentral.com...-mineralized-soil-substrate-aaron-talbot.html

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I'm crossing my fingers for you, Kevin! I think you've got it.

I'm getting excited about the wall upgrade too. It's funny how you gain momentum, working on this stuff. The closer I get to completing it, the more excited I get! I think the new left end fake wall will take the tank to another level. Can't wait!

 

[Michael Hoaster]

...

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Welcome back Chris! Great link, thanks!

Diana Walstad's book "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" was my intro to using dirt in aquariums. It makes so much sense. Just as in Nature, the soil is the foundation of the ecosystem.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I got the fake root clear coated and silicone sealed, over the weekend. So the root project is done. Woo!

Next is getting the wave box placed and situated. Once that's done, I can build the fake wall to hide it, and the rest of the left end, flow-through wall. I guess it's time to buy some egg crate and pond foam. It should be a fairly straightforward project. Hiding the 'vents' in the wall could be challenging to get right. Plus I want it to blend into the back fake wall. If I get it right, it should look very cool and natural!

There will be very little rock on the bottom. Almost all sand. And seagrass. A few live rocks under the roots will host a small number of macros. In v1, the macros eventually took over. This time I want the grasses to dominate. I'm really liking the vision. Will I ever get there?

 

[Michael Hoaster]

After comparing photos, I've come to the conclusion that what I thought was a flowering manatee grass in my tank (v1), was in fact a widgeon grass instead. The key to figuring it out was the 'sheaths' at the joints.

So, all that bragging I did, I'll have to take back. I have no experience with seagrass flowering in my aquarium. It's still a goal though, lofty as it is!

 

[SaltySully]

I think with the right combo of light, high flow and proprt nutrients it should happen easier than you think. They are just grass



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[Chasmodes]

I got the fake root clear coated and silicone sealed, over the weekend. So the root project is done. Woo!

Next is getting the wave box placed and situated. Once that's done, I can build the fake wall to hide it, and the rest of the left end, flow-through wall. I guess it's time to buy some egg crate and pond foam. It should be a fairly straightforward project. Hiding the 'vents' in the wall could be challenging to get right. Plus I want it to blend into the back fake wall. If I get it right, it should look very cool and natural!

There will be very little rock on the bottom. Almost all sand. And seagrass. A few live rocks under the roots will host a small number of macros. In v1, the macros eventually took over. This time I want the grasses to dominate. I'm really liking the vision. Will I ever get there?

Awesome! I can't wait to see the progress. At some point, you'll post pics, right? Gotta document I'm sure you'll get there. Progress made...one step at a time.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks SaltySully! Easier than I thought would be lovely!

This being my second time around with seagrass, makes me pretty confident. In v1, I started very cautiously, which I think led to the grasses taking a long time to get established.

There are three things I will do better from the beginning. I will start with a much more fertile substrate. I will populate the bottom of the food chain. I will have a clean up crew that I truly believe in.

The best thing about a redo is that I can apply what I learned before. Bottom line, I think I'll be able to speed up the grasses' establishment time and get the tank looking nice quicker.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks Kevin! Well, I did post a pic of the fake root, after I painted it. Getting it sealed didn't really change its appearance, so I don't plan to post another pic of it. I of course will post pics of the new fake wall project. I'm looking forward to it!