L_Plates - Fishless Cycle Log - Complete

[L_Plates]

5 July 2011

I have trimmed the Java fern a little removing some of the older leaves to make room for new growth so it looks a little empty but im hoping over time i will see this filling up again.

The anubias is going wild at the moment with another 2 new leaves since the last photo and the Sagittaria platyphylla are also going crazy with new plants popping up all over the place.

Im going to leave to grow a few more weeks before deciding if anything needs to be cut back as to keep it under control.

Im happy with the way the tank is going.

LP

 

[L_Plates]

14th July 2011
Since the last photo on the 5th July not to much has changed. I have added a new member to the family he is called THE BOSS and he is a German Blue Ram.

Trimmed some of the plants down a little to make room for new growth.

Also i have seen some algae starting to form on the wood as you can see in the 3rd photo below. Also i have seen smaller algae on the other wood which looks like very small furry coral shape growths. I have decided to reduce my lighting to 18:00 – 2300, Set Co2 to 15:30 – 22:00 & reduced TPN+ to 10ml Daily instead of 12ml, to try and combat the situation. Any help and ideas on this would be greatly received.

Full Tank Shot

Latest Member to the Family, THE BOSS - Male GBR

Algae

Cheers
LP

 

[L_Plates]

Oops forgot to post the video

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPEFzyeXe4Y

 

[librarygirl]

Wow, gorgeous tank!!

 

[L_Plates]

Thanks, having a few probs at the moment with algae and so on but i am still happy overall with the tank.

LP

 

[philrag11]

Hi L_Plates

Only just seen your log - pretty much going as mine is and will be useful to compare....I like the way you've set it out

I've set up my log as a separate post but just have a quick question.

From your log I noticed that although you tested every 12hours you only dosed ammonia every 24hrs is that correct? Wasn't sure if that was what I should be doing now that my ammonia is dropping in under 24hours.

Will read through the rest of your posts as I'm sure I'll get some more tips

Regards

Phil

 

[eaglesaquarium]

There is no need to test every 12 hours until your nitrites fall to zero. Once the nitrites have fallen to zero you move into phase three. 12 hour testing is only necessary in phase three.

 

[L_Plates]

Hello Phil, As eagle said once the nitrites have fallen to zero you move into phase three with 12 hour testing. As for dosing ammonia every 24hrs when testing the water every 12 that is correct.

LP

 

[philrag11]

Hello Phil, As eagle said once the nitrites have fallen to zero you move into phase three with 12 hour testing. As for dosing ammonia every 24hrs when testing the water every 12 that is correct.

LP

Thanks eagle and LP....

Not been testing every 12hours but my nitrites were 0.25ppm this morning when I tested them (last night they were dropping so couldn't wait to check!)....will see what they are like tonight. Hopefully getting near phase 3 as I'm now into day 28 (I know the time can vary but hey I can always hope!)

Phil

 

[L_Plates]

Fingers crossed for you Phil.

LP

 

[L_Plates]

Small Update
I have purchased two 900 Hydor Koralia Nano's to replace my SEIO M250 Powerhead as i feel i was not getting enough flow. My flow now is around the 2400 lph mark give or take a few. Hopefully this will help with the small amounts of algae i have seen on the wood and leaves of some of the plants.

Also i have not started to diffuse the Co2 via a glass diffuser instead of using a powerhead.

I have also trimmed the moss on top of the wood a fair bit as it was getting a little long and stringy and started to look a little sad for itself. So hopefully some nice new growth will appear. Also trimmed back a few of the cypts.

Latest Photo - 29 July 2011

Video
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOkuLJRwnDg

Cheers
LP

 

[L_Plates]

I can no longer edit my first post within this thread. Has this been disabled across the whole forum ?

Cheers LP

 

[L_Plates]

Latest Photo & Video - 15 August 2011 - HD

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmeayK7pg7w

 

[L_Plates]

Little bit of an update to this tank.

After battling unstable Co2 a bad fert regime and flow issues i feel i have managed to get them all sorted out properly this week.

My Co2 is now stable for once after trying for weeks to get a reliable system in place. I have blown up a bubble counter, check valves and had major issues with glass diffusers not working after they have been off all night. Now i am using a Mist atomiser with a glass bubble counter that is still in one piece after a week. The drop checker has been nice and lime green all week.

I was also using TPN+ as a fert but i have now switched over to EI dosing. This to me is the better choice for a tank of this size and my wallet !

Finally since planting the tank back in May 2011 they have all grown well but due to bad Co2 and flow they did start to pick up alot of algae on the leaves. On Wednesday i decided that now i have a better regime in place i would do a major trim. I removed most of the leaves that had algae on them and cleaned up all the other leaves with a cloth before replanting. I know removing the plants is a little extreme but this also gave me a chance to split the plants as some of them had so many leaves it was untrue especially the crypts.

Also i decided that i would need to space them out a little more than i did when i first planted in May as they seemed to be growing on top of each other which reduced the flow in the tank a hell of a lot.

I have recently added two Koaralia 900lph power heads to help with the flow.

This week i have a few more plants arriving but i will leave that for a later update.

Ok so here are some photos and a short video.

Photos Not the best sorry.

Full Tank Shot

Female German Blue Ram & Five Banded Barbs

Male German Blue Ram ( The Boss )

Five Banded Barbs

Male German Blue Ram ( The Boss )

Female German Blue Ram

Wood & Plants

Video - 720p HD
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyC3RcLtPD0

All comments very welcome.
LP

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Looks great mate. The GBR have got really nice colours i had to get rid of my 4