Wise's Burton Dasset

[SuperColey1]

Rightio. Would you recommend mixing it up into one bottle, or doing one bottle for each substance as per the 500ml it states for each mix, or can both go into the same 500ml container.

You have to keep the trace (profito) seperate as iron reacts very very quickly with P and that renders it locked.

If you want to do an all in one check James' TPN+/all in ones recipes where he is buying traces with much superior chelators and then using some other ingredients as well.

For the sake of going from 2 bottles to 1 I can't really see the point

2 bottles means you can alter mixes without having to bin 2 solutions. Also means if you see cloudy water you can reduce the trace or reduce the macro. The cloudy water is often caused once the fe in the micro and P in the macro react as detailed above.

Saying that I like to dose mine within seconds of each other. If then I see cloudy water later in the day I know that the residual P/Fe were pretty high and when I topped it up that I hit the 'too much' level

This hobby is all bout eyeballing and learning and eventually you will throw away guides etc. You will be able to spot things and control it all yourself.

AC

 

[stevereade]

Nice, makes me wish I'd put a higher level in my tank.

 

[Verminator89]

Growth started off promising in this tank, but since then i havnt been able to get the blance quite right. A nice thick film of green algae covers the rocks (not a problem) and the glass (unsightly). I'm thinking its due to fluctuations in CO2 as i'm using a very basic TMC AquaGro set. I have all the required parts to set-up my DIY FE so that should be set up soon, as soon as i get a wrench Currently still dosing EI method. Dosing 2.5ml Phosphate and 2.5ml Nitrate to the tank twice weekly, was dosing closer to 3-4ml x3 weekly but concidering the algae i backed of slightly tryingt o find the root of the problem.

SuperColey1 mentioned the algae i'm on about was down to a lack of P, so cutting back could give me more problems i suppose. However i'm reluctant (scared) to continue dosing more, even though the theory is cutting back makes it worse. Either way, my fluctuating CO2 levels are my first priority once this blackout period is complete.

Currently i have turned off the lights and have a black towel placed over the tank, which shall remain there untill sunday night/monday morning. Keeping the tank blacked out and hopefully eradicating most of the algae, thats the theory.

I shall try and get a little update photo monday/tuesday next week just so people can see.

 

[ian]

Up the P, James. Don't be affraid to, i was having problems with GSA, upped the P as per Tom Barrs direction and it did go. A blackout may not solve any of the problems with this algae.

 

[Verminator89]

Up the P - I shall try this come monday when the blackout comes to an end. No harm in trying the blackout i suppose.

Its such a weird concept having to add more, it is rather nerving

 

[stevereade]

Looking forward to seeing the photo, only to see the growth tho not the algae lol, hope you sort the prob out, I had algae start in mine but after setting up a better CO2 system and dosing more TPN+ it soon went.

 

[Verminator89]

Ianho has inspired me to get an update on the way.



Before i get any pictures under way i'll point out the basics of this tank today. Basically the things that have changed that are influencing why this tank is as it is currently.

#1 Lazyness I just havnt been bothered with sitting down and getting this back on track due to two other tanks being set up recently. With ongoing health issues in one i just havnt had my planted tank as a priority recently.

#2 My current AquaGro CO2 unit ran out and i havnt had the tools to rig up the Fire Exstinguisher CO2 to get it back on track. So for just over amonth now the tank has been running on NO CO2

#3 With there being no CO2 i've stopped dosing ferts, and cut down water changes to 30% fortnightly. So this has had a big influence in the growth in the tank.


With all that having being mentioned, time for some photo's (bad ones at that) of the tank.

This is the one plant that has been looking quite spritely concidering the change in growing conditions. It is starting to look somewhat leggy now, and new growth is minute tiny leaves.

The HC is 'surviving' lol. The small clumps are dissapearing udner the substrate and apparently dieing off. However, the large clumps which spread nicely under optimum conditions are surviving. Neither getting bigger nor much smaller, so i'm confident once the routine picks up again this will pick up where it left off. The crypt in the middle has always just been small and stagnant. Don't know what this is doing as such, nor am i bothered. Its invading the tank, it wasnt placed in the tank to start with

The Downoi was looking good for a while, however very recently (last week or so) the leaves have started dropping off. As seen in the picture below.

And finally, a baddd FTS for you all. That reminds me.

#4 Would have to be the fact that the filter used on this tank originally (Fluval 205) is currently filtering my Rio 300 at the gf's house. So this mini internal has been drafted in to keep this tank ticking over whilst my FX5 is on order for the other tank, then the Fluval 205 will come back to this tank.

So yes, back to the poor FTS. I'm appalled, but as i said its not been a priority tank recently. The shame should spur me to get back on track for 2011 Certainly filtration, ferts and CO2 will be back on this tank then!

So watch this space!

Cheers, James

 

[ian]

This looks nice James! The HC looks really good and healthy. Nice scape mate!

 

[Verminator89]

Haha, are you looking at the HC properly? The leaves are tiny now, look very compact and shrunkern almost. Not lush and green like they were. They have brown tinges to them and are receeding more than an aging OAP.


Concidering what its been through, i'm happy with how it is for that. But i'll get it looking lush again soon. Just got to get that darn FE rigged up finally.

 

[lljdma06]

Any updates on this? Did you get the FE up?

 

[Verminator89]

Just rigged it up today llj. Quite scared of the thing actually. Its a very intimidating piece of equipment to have beside your head as you sleep with the gentle churn of CO2 diffusing in your ear

Quite excited though, thats one thing ticked off my list. Next thing is to collect my Fluval 205 from the gf's tank and get it set-up on here again, i had to take it to the gf's to put on my Rio 300 whilst the new filter matured over there.

So fingers crossed in a day or two i'll get a picture up of how it is, then give it a fortnight with water changes, CO2 and ferts and see where the growth takes me. Really want to get the HC back as its withering away currently. Fingers crossed it has the stamina to come back with avengence.

Regaining my enthusiasm for the planted side again with this

 

[Verminator89]

Complete rescape done today. Pics to follow tommorow (fingers crossed)

 

[ian]

look foward to it!

 

[Verminator89]

Right, so yesterday i completely ripped the tank apart. Plants in dinner trays submerged in 1/2" of water. All my fish and shrimp into a separate 70L whilst i started from scratch. Unfortunately as everyone seems to we plan on taking pictures during this process. I always seem to forget this initial plan and this time was no different. So i'll just post pictures of the finished scape, with some close-ups of certain areas. Relatively unfocussed close-ups as i wasnt really in the mood for taking pictures, so they are what they are


So i decided i liked how the growth went the last time with basic CO2 up untill it died on me, so i went a little bit more detailed on this scape. Adding some Redmoor Wood i had just sat on the bottom of my Oscar tank. I tried to slope the gravel behind it, using the wood and some cheap slate from a local garden centre to hold it in place. I think it worked.

I worked on adding in some extra plants from various other tanks, unfortunately these came from tanks with no basis for plant growth in. So they look somewhat leggy and some have the start of algae growing on them. Mainly the Anubias has some green spot algae on and the wood has small minute tufts of BBA on from the BBA infested Oscar tank (it looks good in his tank). Its safe to say the principles of this tank have now changed somewhat. So the 'iwagumi' label can be scratched off, as follows

Iwagumi

Plants that are now included in the tank;

xlots HC Cuba
x1 Echinodorus Quadricostatus (i believe, too small to tell)
x3 Micranthemum 'something' (umbrosum?)
x3 Pogostemon Helferi 'Downoi'
x1 Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Mi Oya'
x1 Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Green'
x1 Echinodorus Tenellus (unlabelled when bought)
x1 Anubias Nana
x1 bulb of Cryptocoryne Parva
x1 Limnobium Laevigatum

The two Echi's in the tank were unlabelled in the shops so they are really a guess as to which they are. Same for the Micranthemum, unlabelled purchase. It has also had 3 stages of growth and each looked very different. Its bought state which looked exactly as Tropica images show the plant 'Micranthemum Umbrosum', the CO2 stage in my tank went different and then without CO2 it went very very red with small leaves. The Crypt Wendtii is a presumtion, based on the fact i havnt bought a crypt for 5 years(?) and my i've chucked out and moved around so many of the plantlets since then i can't recall what is now where

 

[ian]

looks nice mate, it'll look even better when grown up. Nice wood positioning, really good. Remember to keep this one up to date lol.

Pity you couldn't get an external for it.