George's Journal

[jimboliana]

I found the Italian version a couple of weeks ago with the same stuff on it and i saw the prices then which i think are rediculously high, £60 for a pair of sicciors dont think so, how do they get away with it? and i thought the Dennerle equipment was expensive!

Well it's nice to see that i can now read the descriptions in English and some very nice tanks

 

[George Farmer]

£60 for a pair of sicciors dont think so, how do they get away with it? and i thought the Dennerle equipment was expensive!

I think because they import from Japan. Japan is expensive for starters. You need to be a professional footballer to set up an ADA tank from scratch over here! I'll stick with Dennerle me thinks.

My tank is looking great I must say. The fish seem brighter and more active than ever and the Rams are digging a little "ditch" in the substrate ready to spawn I reckon. The black background and substrate work really well contrasting wonderfully with the bright greens of the plants, the reds/blues of the Cardinals and the almost flourescent yellow of my Rams. Most of the plants are pearling once again which is nice to see. Pity the camera's away.

I'm testing for Ammonia and Nitrites daily though - just in case I get a mini cycle due to the substrate change, I'm confident my filtration is more than capable though.

If you've read my Cyanobacteria thread then you'll know I'm not using RowaPhos anymore. I will add KNO3 a few times a week to get a constant NO3 @ 10 to 15 mg/l. My target PO4 will be 0.5 mg/l. This NP ratio should hopefully help keep away BGA.

Fingers crossed - it all seems a bit to good to be true so far. I won't be taking anything for granted anymore - lesson learnt there!

 

[jimboliana]

Can i ask why you are adding KNO3 your now getting me worried that i should be adding it when i eventually get mine going, do you not get enough when using your ferts etc.

Nice to hear your tanks going well, lets hope it stays this way

 

[George Farmer]

Can i ask why you are adding KNO3?

My NO3 tested at virtually zero and I was seeing signs of Nitrogen deficiency. I don't think the Dennerel ferts. (as with most commercially aquarium ferts.) provide much NO3 as they assume there will be enough provided by the nitrogen cycle through fish waste.

It depends on the plant growth rate and fish stocking/feeding. Personally I have relatively low fish stock and high growth rate. I imagine you may be similar so you may need to add KNO3 too. Don't worry, it is very easy to use. Buy the KNO3 powder from here http/www.kno3.co.uk/products.htm. Mix it with water and add to your fresh water in a water change. To calculate dosage use Chuck's guide - http/www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm

The efforts we plant freaks go to eh?

I've just done a quick calculation for you (now there's a mod service!) -

500 grams of KNO3 powder added to 1 litre of water.
Every 1 ml of solution will increase a 60 Gallon tank's Nitrate by 1.35 mg/l.

All is clear?

 

[jimboliana]

Sorted cant knock the service

Yeah i think you could be right in the low stock/high growth i'll check out the links, cheers

 

[George Farmer]

The plants are growing like mad so I've decided to start my KNO3 and Dennerle A1 dosing. I'm increasing Nitrates by 5 mg/l three times weekly in the hope of acheiving a fairly consistant 10 mg/l. Trial and error is the key (hopefully with not too much error).

 

[George Farmer]

At last I can show you all the new layout complete with new substrate.

For those that don’t already know (and haven’t read through this and my BGA thread) I have changed my substrate and thrown out most of my old plants due to a massive BGA outbreak. I could have probably treated the BGA successfully but used the opportunity to give the tank a good clean (except filters obviously) and installed a newer and better substrate.

The plants are all new except for the Java fern attached to bogwood. The new plants are Hygrophila difformis, H polysperma – both used for their fast, easy growing properties and Sagittaria platyhylla in the foreground. There are also two Crinum calamistratum bulbs which I picked up really cheap from a pet shop that sells very basic equipment. They were £2 each which is a bargain as they normally sell for around £8 and are quite rare. You can just see the crinkled leaves behind the Sagittaria. The floating plant is a small portion of Hydrocotyle leucocephala. Altogether I have only spent £10 on new plants. The substrate was more expensive at £55 in total.

I haven’t decided on a final layout yet. I will eventually replace the Hygros with slower growing more demanding species. I like the Sagittaria at the moment so I may keep that – it is spreading like mad already though.

Overall I am happy with my new look. Most importantly there is no trace of algae, I am showing excellent growth and my fish appear in great health.

I look forward to sharing more pics soon. Unfortunately spare time is somewhat precious at the moment so I an unable to contribute as much as I would like to the forum. Bear with me.

Thanks for looking and comments welcome (although I may be a little slow at replying).

 

[iggy01]

Lookin' good gf!

Looks like you're going to be doing lots of trimming!

 

[abstract]

very nice as usual...i'm sure it will look amazing when the H polysperma pinkens up!

 

[nitro]

Very nice. I prefer it to the previous design.


What is the floating plant?

 

[George Farmer]

Lookin' good gf!

Looks like you're going to be doing lots of trimming!

You're not wrong! A small price to pay though for acheiving a rapid balance. I'm looking forward to planning the long-term planting.

Nitro - Hydrocotyle leucocephala is floating.

Abstract - I've read that polysperma pinking (not the pink variety) is a symptom of nitrogen deficiency. I won't be seeing this if this is the case.

Thanks everyone.

 

[abstract]

Abstract - I've read that polysperma pinking (not the pink variety) is a symptom of nitrogen deficiency. I won't be seeing this if this is the case.

Thanks everyone.

really thats strange? the top half of mine pinks/reds the closer it reaches the light..bottom half stays green/yellow

 

[George Farmer]

Sounds normal. A lot of green plants turn reddish under bright light.

My old polysperma went a dull pink/green all over and my NO3 tested @<5 mg/l, I assumed this was N deficiency.

 

[jimboliana]

Nice one mate, looking good, your doing alot better than me at the moment keep up the good work

 

[iggy01]

My old polysperma went a dull pink/green all over and my NO3 tested @<5 mg/l, I assumed this was N deficiency.

That's what I have always understood..........the lower the nitrate...the redder the plant.