7.1 gallon rimless aquatop video journal

Alright, if you saw my recent tank tours video, you saw a "sneak peak". Well this is it. I'm trying to expand my aquascaping knowledge and abilities. The tank will have fish and shrimp, but thats a while out. Maybe we could have a quessing game with a prize, of course provided by me or something.. let me give that one some thought. Anyways, tank went from bare to fully scaped today. And the series of videos are basically brainstorming, and techniques I use. Although, I'm not very good at it yet, I feel like im improving. Anyway, here's video 1.

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Nice video... though I think you ought to lay off the rockstar BEFORE the video lol. Joking!

Anthony. You crack me up. Could not stoping   .

Thanks guys, and I was really shaky tying the moss, it was hard. Dang rockstar here is video 2.


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Awesome job, Anthony! I subbed to your channel!

Ahhhhaha, I just realized that part 2 is already up. =P watching now.

Thanks man, and thanks for the sub. I fell asleep before the third video loaded, but I was able to finish this mourning. Tank is still to cloudy to do the last one, but here is part 3. Thanks for watching.


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Anthony the 3rd vid is private view only.

Thanks, will fix.

and fixed. Wonder if it'll need a new link.

It works

it worked for me

While I was watching the 3rd video, I thought my fire alarm's battery was dying... turned out it was yours. LOL. Change your fire alarm battery already! =P

Nice layout of the plants though! I'm excited to see how the Hydrocotyle sp. Japan is going to look once it grows out!

So, the smoke detector, when we replace the battery, it only doesn't beep, for 3 weeks, then it starts back up again. We plan to just replace the whole thing, but who thinks of the smoke detector while out shopping.

Thanks for the compliment on planting. Turns out the hydrocotyle, is not the sp. Japan variety. But instead, the dwarf, hydrocotyle sibthorpioides. Still low growing, and carpet forming. But, evidently not as forgiving where light is concerned. And a little slower growing. I'm okay with that though. Will still be fun to watch the progression.

Oh wow, that definitely calls for a new smoke alarm! lol! Hmm... well, gee, that sure is a neat plant (hydrocotyle sibthorpioides). Can't wait to see it fill up!

And number 4. It's still pretty cloudy, but, you can get a feel for it. I will update this weekend, should be much better by then. Thanks for looking.



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did you rinse the flourite gravel? I didn't rinse mine and my water got so cloudy!! it took weeks for it to totally clear.

No, I never rinse it. I've used it 4 or 5 times like this, usually mostly clear after 4 days, and crystal at 2 weeks. I would rather wait a few weeks then spend a few hours in the freezing outside world with my hands in a bucket of hose water... but that's just me.

I guess I'm just impatient, I don't like looking at a cloudy tank for a week lol!

I'm just lazy .

Snapped some pictures tonight. Its about 75% clear I think. Not to bad for a power head with a sponge on it.

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flora,
jave fern trident
weeping moss
anubias petite
rotala indica (temporary)
Rotala walichii (temporary)

Alrighty, quick update,  a few days ago I made a few changes, and took a pic but didn't post. This means, there's a pic update today for a few days ago, and a video update coming later today or tomorrow.  The major change was in flora stock, I keep reading about these two plants that will "take over your tank", and due to my small plant load, I kinda needed it. So since I had one of them already, Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides, I decided to get something to contrast it in both shape and color. So Sagittaria subulata was placed as my background plant. My only concern is that the H. sibthorpioides,  is "slower to get going", but, it had a 5 day day head start, so, we shall see. Both of these plants have a reputation for being "aggresive" and "needing frequent pruning to stop from taking over". So if our two contestants have their weapons ready, and armor strapped on tight, without further adieu.

(clears throat), hmmmm mmmm mmmm
(In big announcers voice) LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!
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Oh, and btw, the split in that wood, drives me freaking INSANE!
what should I put on it, some willow moss, or java trident? I originally thought trident, but, kinda wanted all the trident to stay in the cluster of branches, so I was leaning towards the moss, but kinda wanted the moss to stay down on the "roots"... anyone have any ideas?

Blow the budget! Looks like that split is close to the light. Stuff it with fissidens!

I was tossing around the idea of another type of moss. I have xmas moss growing out. I also thought of using a big clump of anubias nana, and jamming that in there to give a tree effect. But was fearful of the scale issue in such a small tank... fissidens fontanus is very attractive. I will look into it.

P.S. budget?? Did I have one? I guess I did do a few things on the cheaper side. The light was $40 shipped, but it had the par rating and smack dab in the "medium" light I was looking for. I didn't buy an ADA tank, but, I dished out the extra $16 for low iron glass. I will never use ada substrate, as I feel its way overpriced, and has bad crap in it out of the bag. The three pieces of wood were $68. Real anubias petite isn't cheap nor is trident java. Oh, I have to wait until after christmas for my finnex px360 canister and taam co2 regulator. Think I'm gonna order another $50 in anubias petite before christmas, shh dont tell my wife . Not sure I had a budget for this, but, if I did, I'm sure I didn't stick to it.

Update sorry, I'm a cheese ball.
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Anthony J. wrote:Oh, and btw, the split in that wood, drives me freaking INSANE!
what should I put on it, some willow moss, or java trident? I originally thought trident, but, kinda wanted all the trident to stay in the cluster of branches, so I was leaning towards the moss, but kinda wanted the moss to stay down on the "roots"... anyone have any ideas?

Grow some of that fuzzy stuff on it. It would match the other limbs, HA!

Jk!!!

I was going to suggest Anubias petite but looks like you have some at the base. It would look okay there though but the roots would hang down into the substrate.

that log looks like some kind of snail like monster!! ( I think I've had too much coffee)

I had some moss that was supposed to be delivered today, but it didnt come , tomorrow I hope to wrap a little here and there. Its more willow moss Fontinalis antipyretica, I hope it grows well,  some people have have problems with it.
These pics were takin yesterday, a few minutes after adding the shrimp. Notice how "yucky" it is.

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and these are today, notice the rock from the last pic in the first se is the one up front, covered in shrimp poo [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Anthony J. wrote:Oh, and btw, the split in that wood, drives me freaking INSANE!
what should I put on it, some willow moss, or java trident? I originally thought trident, but, kinda wanted all the trident to stay in the cluster of branches, so I was leaning towards the moss, but kinda wanted the moss to stay down on the "roots"... anyone have any ideas?

Looks great Anthony. How about an anubia of some type...there are so many options with them...petite might look great as maybe one that grows tall. I know...anubia seems like the easy way out but I really like them and they like wood. It's a shame there is not a RED anubia...wouldn't that be rad. My tanks would be full of them.

cichlid-gal wrote:
Looks great Anthony.  How about an anubia of some type...there are so many options with them...petite might look great as maybe one that grows tall.  I know...anubia seems like the easy way out but I really like them and they like wood.  It's a shame there is not a RED anubia...wouldn't that be rad.  My tanks would be full of them.

I havent heard that word for a long. 

sorry...anubias LOL ... the high priestess thing would look great in your tank but I'm not sure it goes with your theme

No. Rad thats the word I haven't heard in a long time.

Pretty tank :)I hit the - instead of the + on on accident