A place 4 my questions & ponderings as I build a 34 Gallons (127L) tank

[AilyNC]

The tank was set up for 3 days before I added food for ammonia. I'm taking day one as 12 hrs after food added & my water test should 3ppm. On Day 1 of cycle I also added Tetra SafeStart.

Now on Day 8 of cycle and I've Nitrite. So it's progressing. Ammonia 2.5ppm & Nitrite 0.2ppm

 

[AilyNC]

Should I vac up this bacteria? It's on my bonsai & now across some sand.

I've ordered some new plants from a place i e used before cause they had 3 Xmas moss in stock:

Cryptocoryne wendtii ‘Green’
Echinodorus ‘Bleherae’
Cryptocoryne crispatula
Vallisneria nana
Limnobium laevigatum
Taxiphyllum barbieri
Vesicularia dubyana ‘Christmas’

Might be here by the weekend.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Should I vac up this bacteria? It's on my bonsai & now across some sand.

Vac up this Bacteria?

The bb in the tank is basically invisible to the naked eye.

Only thing you might see briefly during new tank set up is bacterial bloom and possibly seeing a sheen on your surfaces inside the tank which is the new biofilm forming over the bb.

Hard to see from your pictures what you mean exactly.

Only two things come to mind, a brownish tiny dust type stuff and a white fluffy cottony stuff that’s usually grows on wood.

Both are pretty normal on new set up, brown stuff is diatoms, usually form by silicates in your tank or silica from substrate, these will go away eventually when your tank establishes.

White fluffy cottony stuff on wood, easiest remedy is to scrub the wood under tap and remove this and put back into tank, never found out exactly what it is but seems to be harmless enough.

If it’s neither of those, then perhaps you can describe and maybe a pic if that’s possible.

 

[AilyNC]

It's the stuff that grows on the wood. It's spread down onto the sand. I read that it's not harmful but as it's spreading was wondering if a clean up was in order. It's like someone put lots of vaseline on the wood & it's floating from the wood.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Yeah that’s the white fluffy cottony stuff am speaking of, sorry could not describe it any better

Yeah, just clean/scrub it off the wood best as you can using an old toothbrush or something, it is as far as I know pretty harmless but a bit unsightly really, and should not return after it’s been cleaned/scrubbed off.

Not seen it on substrate before though but same principle imho. Maybe use gravel vac syphon to suck that away from substrate?

 

[Wills]

I use a little tooth brush to get rid of it. I had it quite bad on a piece of wood and since I removed that piece I have not had the catastrophic brown algae issues I had when it was in the tank... not 100% convinced it is harmless but it usually disapears really quickly I think I was just unlucky.

Nice looking Limnophilla

Wills

 

[Ch4rlie]

... not 100% convinced it is harmless but it usually disapears really quickly I think I was just unlucky.

Nor am I 100% on that either but when I first seen it in my tank, I left it on the bogwood I had after I cycled the tank and the shrimps and fish were not bothered by it and nor did I get any algae issues.

Just decided one day to scrub it off the bogwood and it did not return hence my thinking it’s harmless as it did not do anything really, just sat there being ugly in the tank.

 

[mbsqw1d]

AilyNC would it cost one of us here in the UK to post some moss to you the same as it would an online shop? Or cheaper?

 

[AilyNC]

@Ch4rlie I have new plants coming soon so will be taking the Bonsai out & can scrub it then. I'm sure vac will get up the sand bit.

@Wills it's growing nicely already. The shade of green is really too. I'm hoping to have variation in tones in the tank with my plants.

@mbsqw1d I think it'd be the same. I've ordered locally and I think 3 Xmas moss will mostly fill it out & can then use java in gaps. If I'm stuck again I'll try find somewhere with free UK delivery & pay additional €4 for out postal PO box service. This would work fine if the plants where in the 1-2-Grow cups. The big cost is that they mostly use DPD courier service.

 

[kwi]

AilyNC would it cost one of us here in the UK to post some moss to you the same as it would an online shop? Or cheaper?

It costs the same to post something to Ireland from the UK as to Europe. Even from N.Ireland...........
Some courier firms even surcharge for N.Ireland and a lot of so called "proud UK" firms wont deal with this part of the UK, unfortunately trade descriptions don't see that as a problem,.

 

[AilyNC]

It costs the same to post something to Ireland from the UK as to Europe. Even from N.Ireland...........
Some courier firms even surcharge for N.Ireland and a lot of so called "proud UK" firms wont deal with this part of the UK, unfortunately trade descriptions don't see that as a problem,.

I've noticed that alright - UK deliveries excluding Northern Ireland!

 

[kwi]

I've noticed that alright - UK deliveries excluding Northern Ireland!

And it's only the UK if N. Ireland is included otherwise it's just Great Britain. (Don't tell the unionists we're not in GB..........)

 

[AilyNC]

And it's only the UK if N. Ireland is included otherwise it's just Great Britain. (Don't tell the unionists we're not in GB..........)

I remember driving to Derry & being genuinely confused by the signs. I'd never heard it called London Derry I really really hope the GFA stands and peace in north isn't a casualty of Brexit. We should be trying to protect & support communities not dividing and destroying them

 

[AilyNC]

Definite plant growth. Though my riccia fluitans is dying a death. I've Frogbit on the way & will probably need to adjust my filter streams as website says the Frogbit doesn't like to be splashed. Will probably angle my spray bar down & leave the turbo stream to agitate the water. Might even add a circle of tubing to keep the Frogbit out of the way of splashes.

The Limnophila sessiliflora is growing very well but also seeing growth on the Lagenandra meeboldii red, Echinodorus'Reni'& the hygrophilia corymbosa. Not so sure about the poor looking Cryptocoryne Beckettii 'Petchii'.

Of the moss the spiky is nearly all dead. I had no look with this in my other tank either - I didn't order it for this tank it was a substitute. The Xmas moss is doing the best but java Moss looking good too. The java Fern looks good - no idea if growth though.

The new plants should be here tomorrow so I'll be adjusting the scape a bit. Aiming to create a cliff/raised area for the bonsai leading down into a more densely planted area.

Ammonia 0.2 and Nitrite about 2. I added fish food around 10pm last night but no increase in levels yet.

 

[AilyNC]

I've been trying to the Dose #2 to raise ammonia levels but no joy yet. I think it's time add even more skanky fish food or vac it all out & go plant/silent cycle.

Added loaddds of fish food that's definitely dissolving at bottom of tank on 26.09 @10pm Day 10 of cycle.

28.07 DAY 12

Ammonia 0.1ppm
Nitrite 1.5-2ppm
PH 8.1
GH 11dh or 196.9ppm