Aaron's 216l Planted Journal!

[aaronnorth]

Sorry Aaron, around the 6th June just before I went on holiday I asked you about the temperature you were keeping the tank at. You said 26 degrees.

Angels really like water that is upwards of 30 degrees, I keep mine at 28-30, with no ill effects but have never kept them that cool.

Tank is looking stunning though, really like your loaches too.

Hi, although they prefer that temperature they will survive in 26C which is the colest tempertaure reccomended, albeit i have seen them in 25C, they are kept at 27C in the shop.
I am sure they will be fine.

Thanks, Aaron

 

[AdAndrews]

just stick to the reccomended dosage. I have overdosed 5x before withput any problems.

And running the CO2 high also hepls, just dont forget to change it when you add fish

ok, thanks aaron, there are two different "knobs" on my reg, both with a minus and a plus sign when you turn them, one is straight on the reg face and is larger, the other is by the needle valve, do i have to screw the main one in fully and then the one by the needle valve is how much i need?

 

[aaronnorth]

dont touch the largest, you only need to adjust the needle valve

 

[AdAndrews]

dont touch the largest, you only need to adjust the needle valve

ah..well i have kinda slipped up then i turned it as far as poss to the minus sign coz i thought that would be the safest option being as tho i dont want to fire the FE yet, so what do i do now, just guess to where it was?

 

[aaronnorth]

adjusting that will mean the output pressure will fall, they are usually preset, so when you fire it, adjust it so the 2nd gauge shows between 1.5-2bar (doesnt matter if it isnt dead on).

I have just added the biggest scare yet... the loaches were laying on thier side so i thought i had gassed them (despite being in what, 3 days?) then after panicking for a few minutes i suddenly remebered they "play dead"... phew. I can remeber i had the same feeling when i had clown loaches!

 

[lljdma06]

He he, loaches fooled you. Yeah, they play dead. Corydoras can do that too, but nowhere near the same skill. You were punked by a bunch of loaches!

 

[AdAndrews]

adjusting that will mean the output pressure will fall, they are usually preset, so when you fire it, adjust it so the 2nd gauge shows between 1.5-2bar (doesnt matter if it isnt dead on).

I have just added the biggest scare yet... the loaches were laying on thier side so i thought i had gassed them (despite being in what, 3 days?) then after panicking for a few minutes i suddenly remebered they "play dead"... phew. I can remeber i had the same feeling when i had clown loaches!

alright, cheers matey

 

[aaronnorth]

He he, loaches fooled you. Yeah, they play dead. Corydoras can do that too, but nowhere near the same skill. You were punked by a bunch of loaches!

 

[mdwheeler]

He he, loaches fooled you. Yeah, they play dead. Corydoras can do that too, but nowhere near the same skill. You were punked by a bunch of loaches!

Mine never play dead I just can never find them ! I'm always trying different things with my tank and think i've buried them or something but eventually they'll stick to the glass where i can see them.

I love the way you set up the wood in your tank! I've been thinking about going to the local pond and looking for something small enough to stick in my ten gallon (dang I cant wait to graduate from college and get a WAY bigger tank....in about 6 years!!!)

 

[aaronnorth]

He he, loaches fooled you. Yeah, they play dead. Corydoras can do that too, but nowhere near the same skill. You were punked by a bunch of loaches!

Mine never play dead I just can never find them ! I'm always trying different things with my tank and think i've buried them or something but eventually they'll stick to the glass where i can see them.

I love the way you set up the wood in your tank! I've been thinking about going to the local pond and looking for something small enough to stick in my ten gallon (dang I cant wait to graduate from college and get a WAY bigger tank....in about 6 years!!!)

these will probably get lost in a few more months!
Thanks,

 

[aaronnorth]

Everything is going along nicely, all except the fungus which is still growing and spreadin through the tank! The plants are in perfect health but the fungus makes thm appear rotting & untidy

the moss is worst and that is right in front of the filter outlet & powerhead

I get sick of cleaning the stuff of, it returns by the next day, as though i havent touched it!

Also one of the pidces of wood has cracked/ cracking down the middle, and the loaches keep digging beneath the substrate and up into the wood which gets me panicking, so i am getting 1 or 2 pieces as a replacement, which is fine by me as it doesnt tie in with the rest of the tank!

I shall be getting some more fish at the weekend. A surface dweller... hatchetfish if i can get them, i have had a fe locations pointed out to me.... Wharf & cml @ Chesterfield so i may go there.... or i have been looking at penguin tetras & killifish, i think killifish are to colourful though.

 

[AdAndrews]

ahh no!! hope you sort it out ok i had this in my 35litre and i just thought it was from disturbing the clay based substrate(at the time the tropica stuff) and then the filter outlet blew this around. although i didnt get any white fungus, just the same colour clay coloured stuff covering your hairgrass

good luck mate

 

[aaronnorth]

yeah, the fungus is white, but the dust from the aquasoil turns it brown

 

[lljdma06]

Can you treat with a fungacide? Dosing at 1/3 or 1/2 strength of a standard fish fungacide might be what the tank needs and will probably not adversely affect the plants. I often do this when I am raising egglayers. Treat with a very mild dose of fungacide so that less eggs get it and I get more fry. Might kill your type of fungus too. Make sure you read the label though, so you are sure it doesn't harm plants. I'd give you the brand and name of what I used, which at 1/2 strength didn't harm even HM or mosses, but I'm at work.

llj

 

[aaronnorth]

Can you treat with a fungacide? Dosing at 1/3 or 1/2 strength of a standard fish fungacide might be what the tank needs and will probably not adversely affect the plants. I often do this when I am raising egglayers. Treat with a very mild dose of fungacide so that less eggs get it and I get more fry. Might kill your type of fungus too. Make sure you read the label though, so you are sure it doesn't harm plants. I'd give you the brand and name of what I used, which at 1/2 strength didn't harm even HM or mosses, but I'm at work.

llj

good idea, i could add some boron, or try spot dosing with liquid carbon, that stuff can kill anything i think i would half dose anyway with the loaches as they are sensitive as i have found out in the past
thanks for the idea,