My New 36X18X36 ExoTerra Build. A Video and a pic of an issue I am having....

[Bnagy]

Hey guys. I finished this build about 3 weeks ago. What a long and drawn out project! It came out nice, but I am having a few issues. I have an egg crate bottom with water underneath that is filtered and pumped up to the waterfall by a Fluval 105 with charcoal, sponge, and filter floss media. I had to use a ball valve to slow down the water fall, but I still getting some splashing here and there that is soaking the substrate. The substrate being wet caused me to have gnats that grow I the soil. I need to figure out a way to get rid of the splashing. Is there a solution or the gnats?

I also have this clear slime growing in the water below the egg crate and I cant figure out a way to get rid of it and keep it away. Anyone know what it is? Maybe algae?

They seem to like their new home. The plants seem ok other than the two bromeliads, they are dying. Can someone recommend 2 replacement plants that will look as good and live?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY8I...ature=youtu.be

[DigitalPunk]

Is t splashing towards the bottom as the waterfall is entering the pond below?

[Bnagy]

Yes, the big flat stone is supposed to stop that splashing, but it doesn't flow that great. I need to do some work on it.

[deranged chipmunk]

From what I am seeing in the video, the water splashing is kind of design related. My only suggestion would be to cut the flow down more and see if that keeps it in control more.

Why are the broms dying? That should be your question instead of what can I replace them with? Odds are whatever you replace them with will die if you don't correct the issue.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[Bnagy]

I'm not too sure about the broms. They didn't have adequate lighting for the first 2 weeks. They now do, so I may get another to try out.

If you could imagine, I had to design the waterfall with the Exo on it's back, so it wasn't that easy to get it perfect. I will revisit the waterfall and try to fix the issue without slowing the flow down anymore than it already is.

Maybe the slime is coming from not enough water flow because I have already cut the flow down for the waterfall. I wonder if hydro balls or some sucker fish would help at all...? The slime bothers me, if you could imagine.

[DigitalPunk]

Could be algae. Wrap the pump supplying the waterfall with a sponge filter. You can buy sheets of it at most pet stores for cheap. Just cut it to size and encase the pump in it. This will turn the waterfall pump into a water filter and help keep the water cleaner.

[deranged chipmunk]

The slime is most likely a form of algae. Putting fish under a false bottom would be a bad idea. If it were to die and you don't notice it right away, it will spike ammonia levels in the water supply rather quickly. Then you'll have the wonderful job of tearing down the tank to retrieve the corpse. If you are taking about putting a suckerfish in the pond, it is way too small for fish.
I get slimy algae in all my false bottoms. There's really no way around it. If it bothers you that much, I would suggest covering the visible area with some black shelf paper. Out of sight, out of mind.

From what I saw of the water fall in the video, it's part a flow issue and part design. You can try adding some smaller pieces of slate in between the existing ones to decrease the distance the water hits the next level. That may control it a bit better. Keep in mind one thing. Water cannot really ever be controlled 100%. We can try guiding it, but in the end, it is going to go where it wants and that's normally where we don't want it. Lol


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela