50G Low Tech Planted

[ChilliPepper]

Ahhh, great you had the baby, and you still find time to update TFF - brilliant! Haha.

Loving this tank, loving the Geo too! Nice to see you over on the planted side also!

Haha thanks - it's mainly typing one handed lol

 

[PDSimon]

Congrats

Tank looks great

 

[ChilliPepper]

Thanks

I added some red Cabomba today (and some green to my Betta's tank). Will take a photo later.

Some of the Vallis has gone brown on the ends, but the plants are putting out new runners already. The Crypts are doing well and putting out new leaves, as is the Nymphaea lilly. No sign of anything from my new bulbs though. The Anubias is doing well. One of my Java Ferns has gone blacky/brown. Hmm.

I keep forgetting to turn the powerhead on during the day...

 

[coldcazzie]

I keep forgetting to turn the powerhead on during the day...

timer? you can buy them from the supermarket for about a fiver...

 

[ChilliPepper]

Thanks Caz, will have a look.

Here's the tank as of tonight:

 

[PDSimon]

Looking fresh and crisp fish look great too

 

[coldcazzie]

It's looking really good! and your rainbows look stunning

Wont be long before bubs starts pointing and saying "fiss!"

 

[Plecostomos Fan]

Love the tank, can I ask what type of background is that?

 

[creg]

looks amazing and so clean

 

[ChilliPepper]

Thanks, I think it's a Juwel one

 

[Biulu]

Lovely tank, and yes very clear; it doesn't look as if you have water in it!

 

[ChilliPepper]

OK, have been neglecting this journal a little of late. So, here's some updated photos:

Cute little thing!

I am upgrading to a 4ft/90g tank to use as planted, as my rainbows are fast outgrowing my 3ft and need more room to thrash about I am ordering from ND again soon, so expect to wait 6-8 weeks for it. This 50g is then going salty as finally convinced OH we want to try marine

Added two Melanotaenia trifasciata, two more Melanotaenia boesemani and two Glossolepis incisus to the tank recently. All are doing fabulously and have slotted right in.

Plans for the 90g is to plant it right up from scratch, transferring over all my current plants and getting some more cabomba with weights on. Some more crypts. And tying moss onto some wood, maybe some anubias too.

Stocking will be the same with probably two more Glossolepis incisus and two more Melanotaenia trifasciata.

 

[ChilliPepper]

Added some more cabomba and had a reshuffle about to keep me entertained until the new tank arrives.

Still suffering from BBA Want to get some ottos as heard they will eat it, is that the case?

Everything growing well except one plant, which went all brown. Red cabomba looking worse for wear after being uprooted a million times by my plec. He's gonna go in my big tank at the change over, as fed up of him disturbing my plants. Vallis grows great until it gets to a certain height, then goes brown. Looks great as a grass though, and my khulis love it.

Here's the tank tonight:

 

[lljdma06]

Tank looks so lovely. Of course, you will post a journal when you upgrade to the 90g, yes?

Otos don't eat BBA, they only eat diatoms. BBA is low CO2 levels or a lack of flow. What's your filtration?

 

[coldcazzie]

I have the same problem with vallis. I have heard several suggestions as to why this is: some people say it's to do with the hardness of the water (soft = squat plants, hard = tall plants), some say it's to do with the lighting levels (high light = squat, low light = tall). I'm not sure. Could be a combination of the two. Certainly when I got my vallis much of it was over a foot long. Now, I'm luck if it get to 8 inches long, seems to prefer staying around 6.

Tank looks very nice!

And of course you've been neglecting it a bit - you got a newborn to care for! They take up a lot of time for something that doesn't do much!