# Fluval Chi Rescape Time



## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

So about 6 months ago I started a fluval chi 5 gallon low tech setup with mts with a sand cap


























It grew in wonderfully but got frustrated because I couldn't move any plants around without disturbing the substrate a lot. 

Sorry I forgot to take pics before I tore the tank down.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

So about 3 weeks ago I started on this tank ago I took out all inhabitants that consisted of about 60 fire reds shrimp, 1 oto, and 1 betta female. I transfered my betta to a gallon jar for the meantime, and my shrimp and oto to a 20l. 

Well here goes day 1

Setup hard scape, layed down a thin layer of special kitty, added lava rock for added slope, also added ADA bacter 100

Nevermind the background


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Save I got to get back to work lol


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## Skuldane (Aug 22, 2013)

Are you using a different substrate in hopes of it stirring less?


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Skuldane said:


> Are you using a different substrate in hopes of it stirring less?


Yeah I'll be using a different substrate, I like the NPTs but I didn't like the fact it stirs everything u p even if you pull a single stem.


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## Skuldane (Aug 22, 2013)

So whats the final plan for substrate now? Also, any chance you wanna part with some of those shrimps?


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

So, you're using kitty litter, or did I read that wrong? 

This is a new one for me, I haven't heard of litter before.  Is there a benefit to the litter for the plants? 

Curious!  Love the driftwood though.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Day 2-7 I added in the ADA aquasoil then I added matured tank water and some plants. 

Added dwarf sag, ludwigia repens, rotala rotundifiolia, hygrophilia sunset, and red root floaters, and salvinia Calcutta. I also superglued mini Xmas moss on the dw.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Blue Fish said:


> So, you're using kitty litter, or did I read that wrong?
> 
> This is a new one for me, I haven't heard of litter before.  Is there a benefit to the litter for the plants?
> 
> Curious!  Love the driftwood though.


I added a small layer of kitty litter before I put the aquasoil on top, I actually soaked the volcano rock and kitty litter in NPK. I didn't feel like driving an hour to aquaforest to get powersand, so I kind of improvised.


I have kitty litter as a substrate in my 10gall grow out, it's ok on the plants I have real good growth even before I added co2 and started ferts. 

Thanks for the feedback


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Skuldane said:


> So whats the final plan for substrate now? Also, any chance you wanna part with some of those shrimps?


I went with ada aquasoil, I love it but it sure is expensive though. 

I gave away half of my shrimp already and kept the deep red ones, I added a couple of painted reds to keep the gene pool different and in hopes of getting more painted reds. So, I can't part with the current shrimp now sorry. :-(


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## Skuldane (Aug 22, 2013)

gorillakev said:


> I went with ada aquasoil, I love it but it sure is expensive though.
> 
> I gave away half of my shrimp already and kept the deep red ones, I added a couple of painted reds to keep the gene pool different and in hopes of getting more painted reds. So, I can't part with the current shrimp now sorry. :-(


Would I be able to get some from you in the future?

Also, does the soil you use not need a cap? Does it stir? Do shrimp do ok walking on it?


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Skuldane said:


> Would I be able to get some from you in the future?
> 
> Also, does the soil you use not need a cap? Does it stir? Do shrimp do ok walking on it?


If I get a good survival rate and learn how to ship live animals, I will keep it mind.

This soil I'm using doesn't need a cap on it, it's dirt/soil mixed with other ingredients then it is cooked/kilned to get its shape. 
The first couple of days it was cloudy but then all of the cloudiness just settles down to the substrate. 

This product is good cause when I uproot plants it doesn't stir up the substrate
that much, causing lots of cloudiness. 

Shrimp should be ok.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Update time, 2 weeks past since I setup the tank again, what I thought was going to be low tech might make a turn for the worse or good. 

Got my other regulator fixed and filled up my co2 tank and set it up









On to the diatom bloom and add HC in, I took out all of the floaters at this point now.









I decided to add a guppy for a fish in cycle. 
Bad mistake though because it gave birth during the cycle now there's 3 babies in there 










I'm going to start on my ferts in a couple days, even though it isn't recommended since the aquasoil gives off a lot of the nutrients in the first couple of weeks. 
Here's the ferts I will be using, these were what was left over from my other tanks since I start dosing dry ferts.


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## Ezzie (Sep 17, 2012)

Whats that fern looking plant right in the middle? I love the look of it!


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

That is hygrophilia polysperma I think or it's a hygrophilia variant. 

Thanks for your comment


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Ever since I took out my floaters, I've started a bloom of hair algae. I'm hand picking most of it out now, and spot treating with h202.

I ran out of flourish excel, so I couldn't double dose the tank. I'm gonna go to the medical supply and pick up some metricide. It's way cheaper than buying excel, at $14 a quart you can mix up 2 quarts of excel. 

Hc is not doing so well as I thought either, it's always uprooting itself. I should have done a dry start but I didn't have time to wait for a month for it to fully root in.

I might give up on the HC if it fully dies off, and try out those petsmart tissue cultured staurogyne repens. For now I have to wait and observe.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Plant and equipment list updated on the 3rd post


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Ok I didn't realize that I couldn't edit my 3rd post. 

Here's the equipment and plant listing

Equipment:

Fluval chi 5 gallon tank
Petco nano HOB filter
23watt 5000k cfl
5# co2 tank
Archea single gauge pro regulator

Substrate and hard scape:

ADA aquasoil Amazonia
ADA Bacter 100 
Special Kitty cat litter (thin layer)
Manzanita wood

Flora:

Not so dwarf sag
Mini Xmas moss
HC (dwarf baby tears)
Ludwigia repens
Hygrophilia sunset 
Hygrophilia polysperma
Rotala rotundifiolia


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## tilli94 (Nov 30, 2012)

I love the tank! Ecpesially how some of the plants seem to clime the driftwood


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

tilli94 said:


> I love the tank! Ecpesially how some of the plants seem to clime the driftwood


Thank you


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

It's looking beautiful!!  I love the driftwood for height and interest, and the chistmas moss looks fantastic on it.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Blue Fish said:


> It's looking beautiful!!  I love the driftwood for height and interest, and the chistmas moss looks fantastic on it.


Thank you bluefish, I'm hoping it will fill in more nicely after I battle this hair algae


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Time for an update. The past week I've been having lots of issues with this tank. As far as having plant loss and co2 issues. 

We'll my HC as I expected isn't doing so well, I'm going to have to figure out a new foreground plant that's good with medium light.

On my co2 I almost gassed my in cycle guppies, so I had to pull my ada drop checker out of my other aquarium and put it in here. I also opted for co2 on a 8hour period when I have the lights on, it was to hard to maintain the co2 24/7. Co2 is currently set at 1 bubble per 4 seconds. When I shut my lights and my co2 off the drop checker is at a yellow green.

My cycle is done, but my soil is still leaching out ammonium. I'm going to wait a week or 2 till I add my betta in. Hopefully the flow in this tank isn't to strong for her.

I'm still battling algae also, it's looks like most of the hair algae has died off. The thing is now the tank looks like there's a spider living in there, since all the hair algae turned white. I still have to handpick out the dying algae everyday.

On to the pics

Here's the HC not doing so well. Covered in hair algae, plus I don't know how that random piece of rotala started growing in there









ADA drop checker when I first turn the lights on









Front view









Side view


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## MichelleA (Jun 25, 2013)

Wow that looks amazing. I have enjoyed following this post. I have terrible luck with plants lol Great job


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## carlos puron (Jun 9, 2013)

I see you're not using the original light and filter how does the whole tank looks like cause I have two fluval chi but I didn't want to remove filter because of the fountain so I can only grow java moss in there I want to have an idea of the whole set up cause y have them in my living room as lamps on my ending tables and that fountain looks good but I want to do something different but good looking at the same time


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

MichelleA said:


> Wow that looks amazing. I have enjoyed following this post. I have terrible luck with plants lol Great job


Thank you for you your comment much appreciated. Ever since I rescaped this tank I've been having problem after problem, hopefully it will all balance out soon.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

carlos puron said:


> I see you're not using the original light and filter how does the whole tank looks like cause I have two fluval chi but I didn't want to remove filter because of the fountain so I can only grow java moss in there I want to have an idea of the whole set up cause y have them in my living room as lamps on my ending tables and that fountain looks good but I want to do something different but good looking at the same time


When I got this fluval chi, I got it only as a tank, so no other stock equipment was included. I like this tank for its dimensions, I wasn't really into the built in filter and light. I knew the stock filter and light wouldn't be adequate enough for what I was planting.

You can add anubias to your tank, they don't really require lots of light. Just a suggestion


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## carlos puron (Jun 9, 2013)

This is how it started my first betta my first 5 gallon before this he gas in a 2 gallon








Then we moved to this








Now it's this








And the second one hasn't been rescape I like how it looks since the beginning








All those plants did very well with stock light that's why don't want to changevthat I know it's nt for more demanding plants but I may do something diferent later I don't see those tanks in the forum very often to get more ideas on light and filter since they're on the living room I don't want to get a big lamp above it or something that would look like office furniture you know but again your tank it's so cool


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Sorry if this was asked already, but what brand of superglue did you use for the moss? How has it held up? No sighs of problems with it leeching anything into the water and messing with the cycling fish?


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## carlos puron (Jun 9, 2013)

Thread I tied it up to the wood


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

carlos puron said:


> This is how it started my first betta my first 5 gallon before this he gas in a 2 gallon
> View attachment 221330
> 
> 
> ...


Looks good I still like the concept of the fluval chi though, maybe later if you decide to get more demanding plants, you can do a diy led in place of where the stock lights are.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Sorry if this was asked already, but what brand of superglue did you use for the moss? How has it held up? No sighs of problems with it leeching anything into the water and messing with the cycling fish?


I'm using the superglue brand gel type. It's holds up pretty good, the thing is once you put your moss might die. I only did dots of glue so that only little parts of the moss died.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

Not much of an update, but it's been a couple of weeks and this ada aquasoil. Finally this tank is cylced but the aquasoil is still leeching ammonia or ammonium. I went ahead and added a school of black skirt tetras for the next couple of weeks just to make sure, I transferred all the guppies to my other 5 gal with my female betta.










This tank still has an algae problem though, I got rid of a majority of it, but it comes back with a vengeance. There is still too much excess nutrients coming from the substrate. I also fixed my co2 to run 24/7, 1 bubble per 4 seconds. I want to add floaters but at the same time I don't want to be blocking out light.










Plants are doing fine except the hc still. I've been busy with switching out my grow out tank to another 20l. I bought s repens but decided not to put it in here due to algae. I was thinking of putting hydrocotyle Tripartita since I have leftover from my 20l grow out. Here's the new grow out 20l, I didn't keep the scape since it was only to grow out plants for my big tank project next month.










My betta that was originally in here before is still happy in her temporary 1 gal, hopefully in 2 weeks I'll put her in and take the black skirt tetras out and put in another tank.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

So it's been a couple of months since I last updated you guys. I let this thing turn into a complete jungle, I had root balls the size of mini basketballs in there. It got to the point my betta got stuck in the root system and drowned , after finding that I redid the whole tank.

I left whatever remaining hc in there. And trimmed back the l repens, root system was the mini basketball size. I took out a lot of dwarf sag. 

I also added hydrocotyle sp japan, pogostemom helferi, pogostemon erectus, and some limnophilia sessiflora which was later removed.

Fish consist of 7 harlequin rasbora, 1 black skirt tetra and a guppy female soon to be moved to my 20l. I will be adding a betta female soon to replace the tetra and guppy

Sorry there is no before and after.

Water is still cloudy due to me uprooting the plants.


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## gorillakev (Feb 21, 2013)

All the mulm from the uproot should be taken care of in next weeks water change


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