90L Dirtied Planted Tank

[noahm]

I love the neos. They weren't really a common thing back when I had tanks before. Mine pretty much take care of themselves so long as the honey gouramis don't pick off too many babies. I think if it weren't for the DHG, they would have a much harder time of it, but seem to reproduce pretty successfully with that sanctuary for the little ones.

 

[MattW3344]

I love the neos. They weren't really a common thing back when I had tanks before. Mine pretty much take care of themselves so long as the honey gouramis don't pick off too many babies. I think if it weren't for the DHG, they would have a much harder time of it, but seem to reproduce pretty successfully with that sanctuary for the little ones.

I had considered using DHG as a mini carpet but decided for a crypt carpet at the front instead. It will take a lot longer to fill in though

 

[MattW3344]

The Sawbwa are here!​

Today I removed 12 sawbwa from my Fry tank into the 90L. I drip acclimated them for 35 minutes, and I didn't need to temp acclimate them as both tanks' temperatures were set to 22°C the night before. There are 3 males and 9 females.

There were some other changes I've made to this tank as well. Firstly, I did a massive trim of the stem plants and removed a large portion of the floating plants. I then added my Cryptocoryne Undulatus from my 60L. The main plant is on the far right side behind the Rotala and a baby plant is with the Wendtii in the center. I'm hoping they will adjust ok to the new environment. Secondly, I removed the monstera and the unnamed terrestrial plant from the tank and replaced them with a peace lily which looks great. Again I'm hoping it adjusts well to its new environment.

Lastly, I've lost 3 cherry shrimp since they were added, all to the same thing. WROD. Luckily the last death was a week or two back so I'm hoping for no more cases of WROD. I've been adding mineral blocks as well to help the shrimp. So far many have molted successfully and I also leave the old molts in the tank. But there is some good news about the shrimp! The baby lives!

(pond snail for scale)

Perhaps I should name this one?

 

[MattW3344]

Growing in sorta​

The Sawbwa have been in the 90L for just under a month now and are doing well. Constant sparring and breeding activities which are a very good sign. RCS are doing ok, out of the 15 I got I'm on 11 now. All died from WROD. Been supplementing mineral blocks now and then just to help with molting. The 3 adult Sawbwa I have in my 60L will be added when the group in the 90L puts on a bit more size. I'm also contemplating putting my 3 Otocinclus in to help with algae and give them more space compared to the 60L.

The Elodea and Hornwart are growing very well and quickly. Trimming is almost weekly. Still having algae problems, especially on the Crinum. Red tiger lotus is also doing very well. However, the original bulb still hasn't sent out roots yet.

I've had a lot of dieback from the Hygrophila corymbosa (Siamensis 53B). Out of the 9 stems I put in around the tank only 4 are left. I have been looking for alternatives to fill in gaps if needed such as Hygrophila polysperma.

The Anubias congensis is doing very well and new leaves are appearing all the time now.

Pond snails are still a dominant presence around the tank. Ramshorns were also spotted a few days ago which must have hitchhiked over on the plants from Etsy.

Lastly, the peace lily has grown insanely quickly. I think I've found my new favourite emersed plant.

 

[MattW3344]

More plants!​

As I plan to tear down my 60L and turn it into a Paludarium I've been scavenging for plant trimmings to fill in gaps in the 90L. I let some Rotala H'ra grow for 1 month without trimming to get some amazing pinks and reds grown at the water's surface. I used these trimmings to fill in some gaps in the front right and the far back left to add some pops of colour. I also added some more Rotala indica to the existing group next to the pot. When I tear down the 60L the remainder of the Indica will also go into this tank. Some Ludwigia was also added to the existing group in the center.

Two healthy crypt parva's from my 60L were also transferred to this tank filling in the gaps where the previous Hygrophila corymbosa compact was, which has also been moved to the center now.

RCS numbers have sadly dwindled. Out of the original 15, I believe I have 9 remaining. I'm starting to think I should have gone with Amanos instead, which I know thrive in my water conditions. I've added some cuttlefish bone into the filter in an attempt to increase hardness. I still get confused with water chemistry. I have a TDS meter on order to see a precise level of what my tank is currently at and from there, I will attempt to find a solution. I've also increased the temperature to 24°C as we slowly approach summer.

 

[Ceez]

Is the output on your light adjustable? Can you dial back the intensity?

 

[MattW3344]

Is the output on your light adjustable? Can you dial back the intensity?

Afraid not. The only feature the light has is an on/off switch

I have been looking into changing the light. This one looks like a great alternative. An adjustable light will definitely help with dealing with the current algae problems

 

[Ceez]

Afraid not. The only feature the light has is an on/off switch

I have been looking into changing the light. This one looks like a great alternative. An adjustable light will definitely help with dealing with the current algae problems

Yea it has the dimmer so you can adjust the intensity. Should definitely help you quite a bit. This guy explains about light ramp up so you can't get to full intensity in this video, it's kind of interesting. I know it's not the light you're thinking of getting but some of the ideology will still apply.