Simon's Planted Tank Journal

[simonbrown403]

Thanks for your reply Ste. The solenoid does fit directly onto the regulator so I think ill leave it as it is.

I am currently on the work computer so I best not download the calculator now probably get in trouble if I do!!

I presume that this caluculator assumes that you are injecting CO2??

I dont buffer the water as it is very hard in this area. I use a mixture of RO & carbon filtered water.

The only thing I can think of is that when I do a water change I dont heat the water first as the tank is at 30c and only drops to about 27 - 28. When I measured the KH etc the water was room temp. Do you think I need to heat etc then do the tests??

I know heat effects PH, but I'm not sure about KH, i would of thought it would affect your co2 reading when you ref on the chart.
You can use the co2 chart whether you inject co2 or not.

It can be hard to maintain a buffer in a discus tank especially if you have a lot of bogwood, as well as waste from your fish that will lower your PH, which will keep your KH low, co2 doesnt help none ether.

 

[zig]

I use a mixture of RO & carbon filtered water.

I would say the answer lies here somewhere, maybe you are stripping the water of the KH before you begin, the KH is the carbonate hardness of water and if you are carbon filtering the water to begin with!! perhaps you are over doing it, just use 50/50 RO and tapwater and this should give you what you want or half the origional KH value.

What are you stats from the tap anyway? plants will grow fine in hard water, what do you consider hard water?

And Ste is right you have to buffer the KH if you want to raise it higher, thats why we add known quantities of bicarbonate of soda.

 

[Ste_J]

just use 50/50 RO and tapwater and this should give you what you want or half the origional KH value.

I've found this to be very good at keeping my high tap nitrates down although it does drop my KH - bicarb brings this nicely back though.

Just reading your original post and I would sugest if you are starting at 2KH then try 1/2 tsp of bicarb to bring it up. Test the water again a bit later and see where you are at. You can then work out how much more bicarb is required to raise to required value.

 

[simonbrown403]

bit of an update to let you all know how its coming

Things are looking ok since my last update and co2 disaster, the Echinodorus angustifolius and tenellus are coming along nicely, its a constant battle to keep them apart.

I,ve added a java fern and some moss to the wood, the java fern has taken off but the moss doesn't seam to be doing to well.
I don't know why, it grows like a weed in my low tec tank but in this one it dies as quick as i put it in.

A friend of mine has given me some of his every growing population of platies LOL, its tit for tat
I,ve also put a dozen rummynose tetras from my discus tank,

All i need now is a plant for the back right corner, to replace the vallis and I'm off.

Here's a pic, sorry for the quality, ever since i got the new light it getting harder to get a decent pic.
I think I'm going to get a large piece of black card and make a frame to black out all the crap and the light to give me a better pic.

 

[George Farmer]

Nice triangular layout Simon.

May I suggest Cyperus helferi to replace the vallis - assuming you have enough light.

 

[YOYO]

Looking good Simon !!! Iam not looking forward to all the problems when i have to switch on my co2 either , but reading more posts will help i think !

 

[simonbrown403]

Posted Today, 03:43 PM
Looking good Simon !!! Iam not looking forward to all the problems when i have to switch on my co2 either , but reading more posts will help i think !

Thanks YOYO.

Its certainly been an adventure, reading has helped me a lot but there's always something to jump up an bit you on the arse

Posted Today, 01:17 PM
Nice triangular layout Simon.

May I suggest Cyperus helferi to replace the vallis - assuming you have enough light.

Echinodorus angustifolius fills the gaps around the bogwood and use the Cyperus helferi across the back and side to make a canopy.
I can see it but i,m not sure if it would need something to serprate the two?

I'm still a little paranoid about this light thing

 

[simonbrown403]

Not much has happened aquascape wise since my last update, but i have been experimenting with co2 and nutrient levels.

I'm still having a little algae problem, which I'm putting down to iron, I'm still messing with levels.

I'd was worried at one point that high levels of nutrients where causing my algae, so i cut back which seam to help, but the side affect was slow growth.
In the end algae was still growing just a little slower
.
I'd been looking around at other peoples tank stats, and noticed that quite a few where keeping there nutrient levels quite high, so i've upped the nitrate to 20ppm and the phosphate to 2ppm and potassium around the 30ish mark.
I've also turned the co2 up, giving me 49ppm fish are fine, and plants are now pearling like mad.

I,ve got to the point where i'm thinking sod it lets play around more to find out what works, so far it seams to be going well.

Here's a up to date pic, sorry about the quality, I'm still working on it at the moment, since getting the new pendent light I'm finding it hard to get a decent pic, any help would be appreciated.

All comments welcome.

 

[George Farmer]

Looking good Simon.

Watch your lawn doesn't get too overgrown, it'll result in dying leaves and algae otherwise. Have you thinned it out yet i.e. pulled it up and re-planted the healthiest plants?

There's a blue UFO in the top left!!

 

[simonbrown403]

Looking good Simon.

Watch your lawn doesn't get too overgrown, it'll result in dying leaves and algae otherwise. Have you thinned it out yet i.e. pulled it up and re-planted the healthiest plants?

There's a blue UFO in the top left!!

Thanks George

The aliens have landed nano nano! Its the sucker off the thermometer

I keep pulling out plants and planting them to the back and right to fill in, but its probably ready for it as you say.
Some of the leaves have algae on the lower leafs, so i might do it this Sunday.

When i replant it would i lower the fert levels or keep it the same?

 

[simonbrown403]

I've replanted all my grass that's a job i wouldn't want to do to often, it took me about three hours and back asked for a while after.
I took all the vallis out to see what it would look like with out it, its still short of something in that back Conner, what i don't know, so suggestions please on the back of a stamped addressed envelope

I'm getting close to a change anyway, i cant seam to decide on a design or plants for the next step, but l know i like the nature aquariums, something along the line of oldwhitewood ADA style aquarium.
I'm torn between hairgrass, glosso and HC decisions decisions!

But then again, I've just got a 180.200ltr bow front aquarium for nothing, and am thinking in building a nice cupboard in the other alcove, and turning it into my high tech, and using the record 96 for my low tech.

Here's a pic of where I'm at now not much change from the last.

 

[Themuleous]

Nice Simon, looks really good. IMO I dont think it really needs anything in the corner it looks well balanced to my eye as it is. That said how about a lily or cryp in the middle of the lawn on the left hand side? give that area a bit of a feature? or something red?

Just a thought

Sam

 

[lljdma06]

Hey Simon,

That's looking great. I love it when there's actual structure in the tank, unlike mine which is just a jungle mess. It just needs to grow in a little. Keep us posted. I can't believe you planted all the grass again, I would just die! I like the patience for that, none of that stuff for me!

 

[simonbrown403]

Thanks all

Thanks for the suggestion Themuleous...... the original plan was to put a green Lilly in the middle of the E tenellus but never got round to it,.
I might try a tiger Lilly just fore something different.

lljdma06...... thanks for the kind works i think your pic doesnt do your tank justice, i like that nice big anbulia you have in the center of your tank.

As for the grass it had to be done, as George said it would of caused problems if i had left it.
I suppose that's the beauty of the high tech approach, you can experiment more at the plants recover faster, which keeps me occupied

 

[George Farmer]

I'm torn between hairgrass, glosso and HC decisions decisions!

HC is the lowest maintenance out of the three by far, and the prettiest too for most circumstances IMHO. It just requires a little trim now and again - ask zig.