Eden

[SLIM]

I like it, the name is cool mate,great minds think alike lol.

Indeed they do lol

 

[mishmash]

The Aquience range is a stunning tank.  Im actually about to sell the baby version of this... the 800R.  But WOW !  The 1800r really is the DADDY !  And your tank is really starting to look great too.  When that sag grows in (and trust me it will grow fast esp if you have root tabs in the substrate) the foreground will look amazing.  And I love the crinums at the back

 

[SLIM]

The Aquience range is a stunning tank.  Im actually about to sell the baby version of this... the 800R.  But WOW !  The 1800r really is the DADDY !  And your tank is really starting to look great too.  When that sag grows in (and trust me it will grow fast esp if you have root tabs in the substrate) the foreground will look amazing.  And I love the crinums at the back

Hi and thanx for your kind comments. Its a forever work in progress
It is a huge tank, it absolutely dominates my living room and I love it.
Im 6ft and I can lay inside it lol took 6 people to lift it when empty Lol
As for the crinum, I believe its actually a Crypt Balansae
I love the colour green it has. It grows very tall very quickly, infact everything seems to be thriving which is good considering I dont inject or use carbon.

 

[Questions?]

lovely looking tank

 

[SLIM]

lovely looking tank

Thank you very much. As I keep sayin it still very much a work in progress. Still has to grow in loads yet its still pretty young. Im getting there tho slowly but surely lol

 

[mishmash]

The Aquience range is a stunning tank.  Im actually about to sell the baby version of this... the 800R.  But WOW !  The 1800r really is the DADDY !  And your tank is really starting to look great too.  When that sag grows in (and trust me it will grow fast esp if you have root tabs in the substrate) the foreground will look amazing.  And I love the crinums at the back

Hi and thanx for your kind comments. Its a forever work in progress
It is a huge tank, it absolutely dominates my living room and I love it.
Im 6ft and I can lay inside it lol took 6 people to lift it when empty Lol
As for the crinum, I believe its actually a Crypt Balansae
I love the colour green it has. It grows very tall very quickly, infact everything seems to be thriving which is good considering I dont inject or use carbon.

 
Its a bloody nice balansae then... is it shooting out a lot of new plants yet ? Id love to nab some off you if you have some to sell at some point.  
6 people to lift it ?  jaysus !

 

[SLIM]

10mm reinforced glass mate weighs an absolute tone!
Yea it was giving off loads before I moved it. They kept sprouting up everywhere. Soon as it settles and shoots off more il give you a shoutD

 

[Shelster]

Thanks for the reply SLIM

Tank measurements are 92cm long, depth 41cm, height 55 cm. it holds 180 litres of water.
I have a fluval 305 at 1000 lph.
I change 30-40 % of the water on a weekly basis, but must admit I don't feed the plants often at all, as they do grow so well I probably add plant food once a month and use ferropol.

 

[SLIM]

Thanks for the reply SLIM
Tank measurements are 92cm long, depth 41cm, height 55 cm. it holds 180 litres of water.
I have a fluval 305 at 1000 lph.
I change 30-40 % of the water on a weekly basis, but must admit I don't feed the plants often at all, as they do grow so well I probably add plant food once a month and use ferropol.

Hi Shelster
Well i can see afew underlined issues to why you may be getting algae.

Il start with ferts. I know you say your plants are growing well but imo its always a good idea to dose trace ferts, ideally daily really.
I know this sounds alot but if your water column lacks any nutrients your plants need, your plants wont be growing as efficiently as they could be, this opens a massive door for algae to take hold.
Ferts dont have to be expensive. You can buy Trace Mix from aquariumplantfood.co.uk, its a powder and you make the ferts yourself.
Its only a fiver and itll last about a year on a tank your size easy, and thats dosing daily. Very good stuff.

Flow.
A 180L tank ideally needs 1800lph flow. This ensures all the plants get the good stuff they need, it ensures you get no dead spots (which is where algae normally attacks first) and the better your flow the harder it is for algae to take hold.
You say your filter is 1000lph? Might be an idea to add a HYDOR KORALIA 900 power head. This will give you a perfect flow rate.
You may need to play with its position to make sure your getting even flow.

Water changes.
Now imo water changes in low tech should be small. No more than 20% weekly. Less even.
Remember in planted tanks Nitrates are not a problem so no need for big water changes.
You see everytime you do a big water change, your unbalancing your waters natual CO2 levels.
This takes your plants some time to adjust to putting your plants at a disadvantage.
Algae adapts to this change very quickly so again this opens a massive door for algae.

The more perfect the enviorment is for your plants, the harder it is for algae to survive.

I forgot to ask about your photoperiod also.
Ideally somewhere between 8 - 10 hours daily. Anymore and your feeding algae outbreak.

Hope this helps

 

[Shelster]

Thanks very much SLIM, I was looking to upgrade my filter for my birthday in march and go for a fluval 406 which would increase my LPH to 1450.
I will look into the fert from that website too, yes I must admit I have never really thought that they could grow at a much faster rate, just appreciated that they were growing in the first place!
I use RO water and I know the tank is heavily stocked hence my frequent large water changes. My parameters have always been good with the API test kit but I guess you get into a habit of large water changes.
I will look into my tank maintenance and improve my plant care now I know how cost effectively it can be done.
Thanks again for your helpful input, I appreciate it!

 

[Shelster]

Just to clarify is it the chelated trace elements on that website? Thanks x

 

[SLIM]

Just to clarify is it the chelated trace elements on that website? Thanks x

Yes, heres a link for you.

http/www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/fertilisers/dry-chemicals/dry-salts/chelated-trace-163.html

And it might be worth treating your self to a dosing bottle. Only a couple of quid and you can mix your ferts in it and messure out the exact amount you need
Heres a link for that too

http/www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/twin-neck-dosing-bottle.html

 

[SLIM]

Sorry to be so brief and too the point but on my phone at work lol
Hope the links help XD

 

[Shelster]

Appreciated, thanks very much

 

[SLIM]

Abit of moving around and aqua scaping this week
Hopefully all the Echinodoruses I ordered will arrive tomorrow and hopefully should have some needle leaf by the end of week

Debating if I should venture down the high tech route again and start using easycarbo once more.
To dose carbon or not to dose carbon, than is the question!