Planted Tank Newbie Journal

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Thanks for your thoughts lljdma06 and Themuleous
I will try and find that plant you suggest lljdma06. Do you know if it likes hard water? as unfortunately mine is
I already have pressurised CO2 and it is working well. I will take up your suggestion regarding root tabs for the amazon. All my nutrients are added rather than at substrate, as mine is only fine gravel.

 

[Bloo]

I have the same tank too !! They are just lovely aren't they ? But the most impossible to arrange plants in unless you have super long arms. I get drenched everytime (even with my long thong thingy and long scissors it's impossible not to get drenched).

Though I'm not sure yet if I'm really going to turn it into planted (yet).

But looks like things are coming along very nicely

 

[lljdma06]

Thanks for your thoughts lljdma06 and Themuleous
I will try and find that plant you suggest lljdma06. Do you know if it likes hard water? as unfortunately mine is
I already have pressurised CO2 and it is working well. I will take up your suggestion regarding root tabs for the amazon. All my nutrients are added rather than at substrate, as mine is only fine gravel.

Yes, Egeria najas does well in hard water. Thank goodness about the pressurized, I wasn't reading the posts right. Imagine changing yeast everyday! That would be monsterous! The root tabs will help those amazons a lot.

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Your right about the long arms bloo.
I stand on a small step ladder and lean in, I will probably fall in one day
Nice for the fish though, you get a good appreciation to where they site normally in the wild - bottom dwellers, mid water swimmers and top feeders.
Best comunity tank ive had.
Did you sort out the noisy XP3 filter?

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Well just an update to show the results after a week of Co2 and some addition of Dennerle plant fertiliser:

I am struggling with hair algae, in particular on the small forground plants which do not grow that well, and also on Amazon sword leaves. I use root tabs for the amazons and root feeding plants. Do you think its time for a strip down and add some proper substrate? Will this resolve my algae problems on the leaves?

Whats the best substrate to use? Eco-complete or ADA Aquasoil, or another type? What do you guys think?

 

[netcode]

wow looking like a nice tank you got there friend.

I don't really think you should strip down and change the substrate. That would be a lot of work. Just keep giving the root feeders some root tabs and I think you will be fine. Eventually if you keep doing what your doing the algae will slow and be minimal. It doesn't even look like you have enough algae to be worried about in the first place. As for the swords.. ever since I got mine I have had issues with growing them. I find them quite hard to get going.

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Thanks NETCODE for your kind words

 

[juicebox]

your tank looks really nice! i love your rock cave in the foreground.

gosh, i'd love to have a tank that big! you have so many options, hehe.

 

[Themuleous]

Yeh I would agree, the tanks looks great and should look even better with time. Only strip the tank down if you want to and have the money, a plant substrate would probably help but you seem to be doing well with just the root tabs so why change?

As to the thread algae, do you have any shrimp in there? They cleared mine up in no time!

Keep up the good work

Sam

 

[geezer]

Great tank mate . Is that polysperma in the background (the stuff which is almost touching the top)

I have the stuff here and it grows so bloody fast!

I've had the pressurised co2 for about 5 days. Yet to notice a huge difference just yet

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Themuleous
Do you think the shrimp would be ok in my community setup? (See fish list at start of this thread.).

Geezer
Stick with the CO2, it takes a while to get it set up just right. I was adding too little to begin with, but turned up to 1 bubble per second and things changed almost overnight !!

Regards
Brian

 

[Themuleous]

Yeh think with that fish list you'd be fine. Perhaps just get 2 or 3 and see? Then you're not wasting lots of money should they get munched, not that I think they would though

Sam

EDIT - I should add that shrimp like at crustaceans wont tolerate copper in the water so some medications are not usable unless you remove them first. But there are other non-copper based ones available and Ive never had a problem with them. Just so you are aware Oh and in a tank this size you'll probably need 30 - 40 possibly more.

 

[geezer]

Themuleous
Do you think the shrimp would be ok in my community setup? (See fish list at start of this thread.).

Geezer
Stick with the CO2, it takes a while to get it set up just right. I was adding too little to begin with, but turned up to 1 bubble per second and things changed almost overnight !!

Regards
Brian

i think i'm on 130 bubbles a minute here without any pearling. it's been about 5-6 days now. hard to say if the plants are growing, maybe they are and i'm blind

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Well tanks still going, latest pic (background plants really coming on now):

If the tank lighting looks slightly yellow/orange its because I went to my LFS yesterday and asked advice on keeping hair algae under control. They suggested that some of the lights in my tank were not suitable and to try the Dennerle 'Tropical special plant' ones. These have only the colour range that premotes plant grpwth and cuts out the Algae growth spectrum. Down side is that it makes the tank slighlty orange looking,
but im getting used to it now as it does look like an Amazon rainforest type setting.

When I put the lights in I read an interesting post by George Farmer on the site that says he uses the Dennerle tropical lights to. So maybe there is some truth in the LFS suggestion!

I'll let you guys know how it goes and if they do work. The LFS also suggested lighting breaks mid day for a few hours. This apparently also upsets the algae growth.

While I was there I invested in some algae shrimp, only 6 to start with, but lets see if they keep the tank clean!! My bristlenose plec has some competition now !

You probably notice that my fake piece of swamp wood has gone for another slate cave. I was fed up with scrubbing the swamp wood to remove hair algae, so thought I would have a change. I will be going to visit my parents in Cornwall soon, so will probably spend some time searching the slate mountains for some interesting lumps of slate to add to the tank.

I added some root tabs under the amazon swords, but no noticable difference yet. They are still the main plant suffering with the hair algae.

I need to get some quick growing plants for the forground to cover the bare gravel areas. You guys got any suggestions? (bear in mind that my substrate is only gravel, so no root only feeders).

 

[Themuleous]

If the tank lighting looks slightly yellow/orange its because I went to my LFS yesterday and asked advice on keeping hair algae under control. They suggested that some of the lights in my tank were not suitable and to try the Dennerle 'Tropical special plant' ones. These have only the colour range that premotes plant grpwth and cuts out the Algae growth spectrum. Down side is that it makes the tank slighlty orange looking,
but im getting used to it now as it does look like an Amazon rainforest type setting.

TBH this doesn't sound right to me, algae are plants just like plants are plants (if you get what I mean! ) and both photosynthesise so if you provide light suitable for the plants then it will also provide light for the algae. I wouldn't think you could do one without the other. And given the huge variety of alga there are if you do happen to find light that stops one it'll probably just provide light for another type! But guess we'll see!

Unless anyone knows better?

The LFS also suggested lighting breaks mid day for a few hours. This apparently also upsets the algae growth.

There have been many debates about this, and from what I have heard it has little difference. The most important factor in keeping algae at bay is lots of plant growth, the effect a small break in the lights is going to have I would think is minimal compared to the plant growth, so rather than trying to actively do things to hamper the algae, so more things to help the plants

While I was there I invested in some algae shrimp, only 6 to start with, but lets see if they keep the tank clean!! My bristlenose plec has some competition now!

You're probably going to need more than 6 to notice a difference. Yes they will undoubtly eat the algae but probably not enough to make a very visible difference. If you have the money throw a bunch more in

I will be going to visit my parents in Cornwall soon, so will probably spend some time searching the slate mountains for some interesting lumps of slate to add to the tank.

Be very careful what you add many rocks will affect the chemistry of the tank and often send pH through the roof. Also, can I ask that you be a little sensitive about what you take? If everyone did this it would destroy some habitat types.

I added some root tabs under the amazon swords, but no noticable difference yet. They are still the main plant suffering with the hair algae.

Give them a few weeks, I'm sure they'll show signs of improvement. It'll take them a while to grow their roots around the tabs and be able to use the added nutrients.

Sam