25 gallon starfire build

[fischkopp]

I must say it was well worth the trouble, the black background work so much better and really shows of the aquascape!

[charlie]

I must say it was well worth the trouble, the black background work so much better and really shows of the aquascape!

Thanks Robert, i concur 

[touchofsky]

Looks great!  Things are really filling in nicely.  Your photos are excellent, too. 

[delslo]

Future POTM winner coming here

[daworldisblack]

Looks Awesome Errol!

[jshchrtn]

Tank looks great man, sure hope I can scape a tank that nice sometime! Glad your on this forum!

[charlie]

Thanks  for your kind remarks guys.
Josh it`s only a matter of time for you.

[charlie]

update: The scape was not really sitting well with me & i have decided to switch things up a bit work in progress & will post update when it`s all said & done  .

[exv152]

How did you get the moss to adhere to the wood? Did you tie a bunch of it by hand, and did you use thread?

[charlie]

How did you get the moss to adhere to the wood? Did you tie a bunch of it by hand, and did you use thread?

I first tried the ctazy glue method but thta did not work well for me, so my next try i did the thread method., that wood is now in my shrimp tank 

[charlie]

update: The scape was not really sitting well with me & i have decided to switch things up a bit work in progress & will post update when it`s all said & done  .

well as stated , i just was not totally happy with the the scape, can`t really pinpoint what exactly , so did some tweaks including removing the drift wood with moss & adding rocks instead i will give it a dew days & see how i feel, your suggestions & comments are welcome.
I have also switched the light fixture to a Tek 4X24 T5HO fixture ( thanks Chris) , as a result of the higher intensity of the 4 bulbs I had to raise the fixture some 10 inches off the top of the tank & blank one bulb since this fixture does not allow the removal of one bulb & allow the other to work, the benefit of this fixture is a better light spread

[bettabreeder]

Looks incredible!

[pm]

IMO looks better now.  I am by no means an expert, but I find that wood (especially when covered in moss) just takes up too much space in smaller tanks.  Makes them look too cluttered.  Rocks for hardscape seem to work better.

[charlie]

Thanks Guys, Peter you have hit the nail on the head, i was just commenting last night that the Drift wood  was creating a very cramped scape, as much as i liked the look of the moss on the wood it had to go & has found residence in the shrimp tank.
Thanks & comments & suggestions always welcome.

[fischkopp]

Looking better than before. Less plants is good, but it's too uniform green for me. Need to add some focal points, either dark green plants or something reddish.

[charlie]

Looking better than before. Less plants is good, but it's too uniform green for me. Need to add some focal points, either dark green plants or something reddish.

Thanks Robert, the reddish has already made it`s presence 

[charlie]

Just so that Peter don`t feel bad about constantly changing things 
moved some rocks, moved & added a few plants
added a plant filter yea some more plants joke
Oh almost forgot, i got my switched co2 stainless co2 diffuser, so far it works just about the same as the fluval diffuser which is  a fraction of the price  of the stainless one
Increased co2 saturation
also switched to EI dosing , tried the PPS pro as posted earlier in the build, but found it too limiting in this tank.
The Macandra is now starting to settle in, since purchasing it in it`s emersed form.
I think that`s it
Can anyone who was @ the AI presentation see what was put into action here? This will show i`m always open to learning 
Errol

[Brine]

Can anyone who was @ the AI presentation see what was put into action here? This will show i`m always open to learning 
Errol

I notice a few things that the AI presenters mentioned....
rocks from largest at the front to smaller at the back ...giving the illusion of more depth
focal point at 1/3 mark of the tank
but I think you are talking about the intake and output on the same, short side

either way....you do good work sir

[touchofsky]

Intake and outflow on the same side 

[charlie]

I notice a few things that the AI presenters mentioned....
rocks from largest at the front to smaller at the back ...giving the illusion of more depth
focal point at 1/3 mark of the tank
but I think you are talking about the intake and output on the same, short side

either way....you do good work sir

Go to front of the class Brian, you are a star student, all of the above was done except the 1/3 focal point which was there before.
Thanks for you kind words.
Errol