Journal Attempting a True Dutch

[Count Krunk]

Your dutch tank looks really good

 

[Kwyet]

Your tanks are all looking great! Absolutely love how the dutch is developing. And I meant to offer insight but gjcarew and burr have got you covered in that aspect. Wait the rosette on the right is crypt wendtii green gecko? I thought it was something else entirely and am sad that its the phone setting turning it that blue-green.

Thanks! I’ll keep fiddling with it. Hopefully I’ll find the right combination of settings, eventually.

 

[Kwyet]

Your dutch tank looks really good

Thanks!

 

[Kwyet]

I’ve rearranged the Dutch tank several times, trying different things. I’m still struggling with symmetry, and now I have green fuzz algae. I won’t post a picture right now, just in case it miraculously comes together and I want to put it in the contest (not because I think it’s a potential winner, but for the experience and the comments). That would be a first for me.

Instead, here are some other tanks. This first one is the blackwater-ish tank. It now has a Galaxy Koi Betta. I wasn’t going to get any more Bettas, but my daughter liked it and brought it home for me. I think she’s very pretty.





Second, I converted a tank to a high-tech farm tank 5 weeks ago. I sort-of followed Dennis Wong’s Speed Method, but I don’t have a light of that power. It’s 84 par at the substrate without the backlight on. When it was first planted, it was 110 par at the substrate with the backlight and the Current USA light at 100%, but now that the plants have grown in I’m sure it’s much lower. It was also nearly a week before I got the CO2 running with a DIY Yugang Open Flow Reactor, which keeps a steady 30 ppm. There’s no rhyme or reason to the arrangement, and I swap plants in and out, but growth has been good. Color would be better with a different light. I’m pretty happy with it though. I’m probably going to need to thin it out soon, and give the plants more room to grow.



Lastly, the filterless shrimp bowl. I need to scrub the inside glass better, but it’s doing okay. The Bloody Mary shrimp have bred and I see them out and about. It’s hard to get a decent picture of them though.





Thanks for reading!

 

[OmidNiav]

I’ve rearranged the Dutch tank several times, trying different things. I’m still struggling with symmetry, and now I have green fuzz algae. I won’t post a picture right now, just in case it miraculously comes together and I want to put it in the contest (not because I think it’s a potential winner, but for the experience and the comments). That would be a first for me.

So my last year entry drained me of all resolve, patience, and love for this hobby. It was partly due to the late deadline and partly because I kept playing with the scape! I should have taken photos when my tank looked decent instead of trying to improve things more. My attending from residency always reminded me that: "the enemy of good is better!"

 

[Kwyet]

So my last year entry drained me of all resolve, patience, and love for this hobby. It was partly due to the late deadline and partly because I kept playing with the scape! I should have taken photos when my tank looked decent instead of trying to improve things more. My attending from residency always reminded me that: "the enemy of good is better!"

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Kwyet]

Well…I think I know at least part of the reason I’ve been having trouble with melting and green fuzz algae. My Chihiros dosing app still said I had 122 ml of micros, when it was actually empty. No idea how long that’s been the case.

I fixed that, and also put a heater attached to an Inkbird in the back left corner, just to keep things steadier. It’s been ranging from 69 to 75 with summer AC, because the basement gets colder than the upper levels when it’s running. I set the Inkbird on 73.

 

[OmidNiav]

Well…I think I know at least part of the reason I’ve been having trouble with melting and green fuzz algae. My Chihiros dosing app still said I had 122 ml of micros, when it was actually empty. No idea how long that’s been the case.

I fixed that, and also put a heater attached to an Inkbird in the back left corner, just to keep things steadier. It’s been ranging from 69 to 75 with summer AC, because the basement gets colder than the upper levels when it’s running. I set the Inkbird on 73.

i'm having issues with my chihiros dosing pumps as well. Keep getting fluid back down the tube and air leaking in.

 

[Kwyet]

i'm having issues with my chihiros dosing pumps as well. Keep getting fluid back down the tube and air leaking in.

Thanks, I’ll watch carefully for that too. I hope you get it figured out.

 

[DutchMuch]

This was such a fun journal to read. Thank you for posting, and will be following! Fantastic aquascape.

 

[Kwyet]

This was such a fun journal to read. Thank you for posting, and will be following! Fantastic aquascape.

Thanks very much!

 

[DutchMuch]

The last couple of months have been a series of neglecting my tanks and getting them back in shape, over and over. It’s not due to laziness, but life just keeps happening, lol!

View attachment 8368

This is the attempted Dutch tank today.

Just wanted to chime in and say this looks fantastic! Great work.

 

[Kwyet]

Just wanted to chime in and say this looks fantastic! Great work.

Thanks very much!

 

[Kwyet]

Okay, I have 3 sets of pictures to choose from for the contest. They all have flaws, and I feel I’ve learned some things for next year. I would still like to submit the least bad set though, lol!

I wonder, is there anyone that has participated in the past but isn’t participating or judging this year, that would look at my photos and give an opinion?

If not, that’s fine, but it’s worth a shot. I think I’ll wait a few hours and then submit something one way or another by 10 pm at the latest.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Unexpected]

Okay, I have 3 sets of pictures to choose from for the contest. They all have flaws, and I feel I’ve learned some things for next year. I would still like to submit the least bad set though, lol!

I wonder, is there anyone that has participated in the past but isn’t participating or judging this year, that would look at my photos and give an opinion?

If not, that’s fine, but it’s worth a shot. I think I’ll wait a few hours and then submit something one way or another by 10 pm at the latest.
Thanks in advance!

I can look, but completely up to you.

 

[gjcarew]

I would also love a sneak peek

 

[Kwyet]

Awesome! Thank you both! I’ll send them.

 

[Kwyet]

Okay, I submitted! When I filled out the form, it didn’t display the raw photo, and it listed the same jpg file number as the main photo. Is that normal or do I have a problem?

 

[gjcarew]

In my experience if they are missing a raw photo they will request it

 

[Kwyet]

Thanks! It’s a relief to be done, lol!