# Fluval Edge 6 gallon with 42 LED light bar HC Cuba - tearing down soon.



## FlyingHellFish

Decide to tear this tank down once I find a nice ADA Mini-L, etc.

Old set up:









Current:

























Why Co2 is important 
HC Cuba going adapting to underwater conditions:








No Co2, heavy lights, in bad shape:








Semi-recent shot, Co2 added, EI dosing, lighting period cut:









Specs: 
Flourite Black
Flourite Flourish, Iron, Excel
NPK in dry fertilizers 
1.5 bps Aquatic Life Compact

Going to tear this baby down as it takes A TON of work due to the small opening on top.










The Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides was a hitch hiker that came with my HC Cuba rocks. From the one small stem, it grew into what you see in the picture. It is a beast of a plant and grows way too fast.


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## manmadecorals

very nice!! I threw in 4 amano in my edge so that they can help with my maintenance. They did a great job! Such a great job that by the end of it they had pulled out all of my HC our from the gravel...


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## FlyingHellFish

Same thing happen to me, the carpet really started to grow when I remove the shrimps and put them in my 12 gallon Edge.


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## FlyingHellFish

Can't find any ADA Mini M local, so I'm not tearing this down yet.

Carpet!!!


































I was just testing to see which rock looked good on my carpet, apparently none of them do, so I'm back to square one. But square one is better than this.....

This is what the tank used to look like....


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## solarz

wow, very nice!

What's that light you're using?


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## FlyingHellFish

I'm using the 42 LED light made for the 12 gallon Tank. You have to special order it from PJ Pets, the cost was about 50 dollars. Plus they have moon lighting! 

I'm also using a desktop lamp with a 6500K rating at 23 watts.


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## manmadecorals

That's a really nice and even spread. Do you trim at all?


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## FlyingHellFish

No, but I read it a bed time story every night.


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## manmadecorals

LMAO!!!!! What??


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## manmadecorals

Mine is spreading as well in my 10gal...although it looks bumpy and not even like yours...i had to trim it a few times


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## FlyingHellFish

Which look were you going for? Some people hate the dense small leaf look while other people try to get that effect. 

I like the dense looking carpet because it looks the best from a distance.


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## manmadecorals

i was going for the same as yours


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## Zebrapl3co

Huh, you didn't have to trim it yet? I am surprise. I had to trim mine every 2 weeks to maintain the carpet look. Otherwise, they start to grow tall and then lift off. And with that little openning, heh, I am surprise you managed to get it going that long. But exceptionally done though. I really like it.

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## manmadecorals

Zebrapl3co said:


> Huh, you didn't have to trim it yet? I am surprise. I had to trim mine every 2 weeks to maintain the carpet look. Otherwise, they start to grow tall and then lift off. And with that little openning, heh, I am surprise you managed to get it going that long. But exceptionally done though. I really like it.


Ooooo...is THAT why my HC gets unrooted? I had no idea...this whole time i thought it was my damn Amano Shrimps that were pulling them up...Well i guess i'll go home and trim them then...crap...


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## FlyingHellFish

Zebrapl3co said:


> Huh, you didn't have to trim it yet? I am surprise. I had to trim mine every 2 weeks to maintain the carpet look. Otherwise, they start to grow tall and then lift off. And with that little openning, heh, I am surprise you managed to get it going that long. But exceptionally done though. I really like it.


Course I had to trim, but I was being dead serious about reading them a bed time story. They love Jack and the Giant bean stock.


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## FlyingHellFish

Another carpet instead of HC Cuba....


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## Fishfur

That hydrocotyle is really pretty as a carpet, but it looks more like the one they call H. tripartite, cv. Japan.


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## FlyingHellFish

It is H. tripartitea. What did you think it was?


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## Sameer

Ah HC, does it ever not look good?

Your new carpet is interesting, I can already see its growing upwards away from the light, looks like more demanding and maintenance plant for a foreground.


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## FlyingHellFish

You mean upwards towards the light? I notice some characteristics that makes it a great carpet plant. It will creep sideways and down, regardless of location. I'm guessing it really wants to root itself though it does fine in the water column. 

The lower selection doesn't die out, it just stop growing. It's anchor is extremely strong, I end up with a clump of flourite rocks attached to the roots if I try to pull it out. It's undemanding and grows really fast. 

One of the major downside is the invasive nature of the plant, it creeps everywhere and is a weed under Co2.


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## Sameer

FlyingHellFish said:


> You mean upwards towards the light? I notice some characteristics that makes it a great carpet plant. It will creep sideways and down, regardless of location. I'm guessing it really wants to root itself though it does fine in the water column.
> 
> The lower selection doesn't die out, it just stop growing. It's anchor is extremely strong, I end up with a clump of flourite rocks attached to the roots if I try to pull it out. It's undemanding and grows really fast.
> 
> One of the major downside is the invasive nature of the plant, it creeps everywhere and is a weed under Co2.


From the pic it looks like its growing upwards, almost an inch of space btw substrate and the top leaf.

I had bacopa australis a long time ago, that thing was the most serious weed Ive ever had. In high light it could cover your tank in 2 or 3 weeks. I let it float and it became a 12x12x4 inch carpet, blob, monster. The plant you are using seems of that nature, but its better looking.


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## FlyingHellFish

I been cutting it to stop the spread, there used to be a gorgeous carpet of HC Cuba around that space. I took the HC out and put it in my ADA and stop all fertilizing but still, the plant grows. 

I also have a plant in the bacopa family, it was a hitch hiker and came with 1 stem and two leafs. Despite being yellow with holes in the leaf, it grew an insane amount. Been tossing the clippings in the trash.


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## John_C

Wow.. The HC grew out beautifully! 

why you tearing down such a beautiful tank? If you're getting rid of the HC I'll buy it !!!


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## FlyingHellFish

Hey thanks!

It up rooted, take a look at this:


















I got another carpet going in my ADA 60P.


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## John_C

*....*

WOW .. That's thick!!!


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## yomen122000

are u using pressurized C02 here? growth is incredible.


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## 10G

Uprooted looks sick. It looks like a gladiator stadium for shrimp to fight in. Fight to the death.


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## poverty

FlyingHellFish said:


> Hey thanks!
> 
> It up rooted, take a look at this:
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> I got another carpet going in my ADA 60P.


Heart wrenching. I think I love and hate this plant.

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## FlyingHellFish

A few days late... happy post- halloween....


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