Zikofski's Ada 60H (45) Iwagumi Tank Journal

[Dandyman3]

@ Zik - I'd be suspicious of that 0 nitrate on the API test - maybe the reagents weren't mixed enough - very rare to have 0 nitrate at all. What's the other test you use? I have both API and Salifert and the Salifert one is my preferred test - just have API as back-up really.
@ Dandyman - have you tried filter floss in your filter to "polish" the water? When are we going to see your tank? Heard a lot about it - would be nice to see it too.

 
I thought you had seen it! It's on these forums here and an issue I am having with plants here. 
 
I spoke with AE and they advised what it looked like in the pictures 'die off' is from not doing enough with relation to CO2 hence the interest in this setup. I have the tropica plant growth system and put in daily doses of liquid co2/fertilisers so wondered why. They recommended I increased circulation and increase the water changes whilst this issue is present. 
 
I had to remove one of the plants (not one from AE) which had taken a turn for the worse. I am wondering if that dying had created all this mess in the tank. But having learnt so many things on cycling, substrate, etc. Would definitely want to look into redoing the tank now as the substrate I have is just basic gravel with no nutrients in it at all... 

 

[Zikofski]

@mamashack i use a test kit called aqua test from colombo its from AE website is very good in my eyes but ye that tested 5ppm, i have had that test 0ppm once, when i had no fish and just plants, obviously the plants ate up all the nitrate which can happen, i am getting good growth from my plants and i have not been feeding my fish frequently once or twice a week keeping them hungry or more importantly keeping my amano's hungry so they eat all my algae. think i may get more cherries this weekend if i am happy with the algae side its slowly getting better week by week
 
@dandyman eheim filter is very good i have very clear water ALTHO my water has gone a very yellow tinge to it since i removed the filter floss, this is because i made room for the seeded media from my other tank so i will slowly remove that media and re add the filter floss in a month or two time until then the tank looks a little yellowy only one wouldn't notice it unless you looked at my other tank >_< which is side by side haha so i can see it with regards to yor bits floating around any filter should clear that up, i would check your filter and clean it out, not so much rinse out the media, but remove any crap from the bottom of the filter and wash the pre filter if u have one sometimes this is ceramic noodles in my eheim its plastic noodles and a specific foam pre filter, been two weeks since i cleared mine and mine was so dirty >_< so i gave that a clean this weekend just gone. with regards to your black spots on your java fern, personally i don't know what that is could be a deficiency? or melting? i have never had java fern before, and yes your plant that died could well be the cause to all the mess. 
 
i am also with you with starting again my old tank 88L (Green Phantom) i have sat here thinking i want to change the substrate and replant everything using the ADA substrate i have in this tank as i do prefer it its even more expensive but its looks nicer and i am getting good growth with the cuba i am getting good growth in the Green Phantom tank too but it dosnt look right for some reason to me 
 
i shall try and get a picture of my tank in a bit for an update

my pregnant amano i do have 3 but sadly as my water is not brackish they won't hatch of if they do die very quickly
 

 
my amano king of the hill winners podium

 
and my full tank shot 

 

[Dandyman3]

@dandyman eheim filter is very good i have very clear water ALTHO my water has gone a very yellow tinge to it since i removed the filter floss, this is because i made room for the seeded media from my other tank so i will slowly remove that media and re add the filter floss in a month or two time until then the tank looks a little yellowy only one wouldn't notice it unless you looked at my other tank >_< which is side by side haha so i can see it with regards to yor bits floating around any filter should clear that up, i would check your filter and clean it out, not so much rinse out the media, but remove any crap from the bottom of the filter and wash the pre filter if u have one sometimes this is ceramic noodles in my eheim its plastic noodles and a specific foam pre filter, been two weeks since i cleared mine and mine was so dirty >_< so i gave that a clean this weekend just gone. with regards to your black spots on your java fern, personally i don't know what that is could be a deficiency? or melting? i have never had java fern before, and yes your plant that died could well be the cause to all the mess. 
 
i am also with you with starting again my old tank 88L (Green Phantom) i have sat here thinking i want to change the substrate and replant everything using the ADA substrate i have in this tank as i do prefer it its even more expensive but its looks nicer and i am getting good growth with the cuba i am getting good growth in the Green Phantom tank too but it dosnt look right for some reason to me 

 
Will look into the Eheim filter then. Well, right now, I am just using two internal filters. One which outputs around 200lph and the other I think around 400lph which is the aquaone 102 powerhead which I have used from the start. I clean these regularly. Got a cotton bud the other day too and gave around both fans a good scrub. 
 
I am just thinking with an external filter it might keep it completely clear. Because the filter inside the main tank only has two small sponges at the bottom and then the one in the back, the powerhead, doesn't really have any filter intake. That is what my sponge does at the back. I do use filter floss, well, polyester. In terms of my water clarity it does seem clean it is just all these little broken bits and dirt I can't seem to pick up even with regular water changes. So hoping an external filter like Eheim range would be able to get that clear. 
 
In relation to the plants that is why it also inspires me to start a fresh, I noticed when I watched your vid (which was brilliant) on you setting it up, the amount of different nutrients you had in there and simply the fact that the substrate was so deep all around the tank. I had a slight difficulty with mine because the gravel is so dense getting plants in and getting them to stay.... difficult to say the least 
 
I would imagine another re-scape of yours would be immense. But all your tanks look brilliant. You do a great job!  
 
Loving these shrimp updates too. Isn't that exciting with it looking pregnant. 

 

[Zikofski]

thank you so much sound like a good idea and let me know how it goes I'm glad my video inspired you, but my old 88L tank the substrate in that is only an inch tall if that and it is to shallow plus its all flat and a tank does look better when the substrate is raised at the back like in this tank, with this ADA substrate is it a problem keeping plants in too as it is so light, but the flourite in my other tank is so heavy like sand the plants stay in the substrate easier but its a 50/50 but i do think the ADA substrate because its light will allow the roots better access to the nutrients.
 
another update, the algae i mentioned above looking nice the green on the rocks, is kinda growing very quickly and is spreading more onto the substrate and plants i think this may be a problem later on if not controlled so with my next WC i may reduce the water bellow the rock line and use my hose pipe to spray it off, i also need to find the cause, i do have my light on for 12hr but i don't think thats the cause i think it was the 0 nitrate i saw on sunday i will test again tomorrow and test on sunday to see how my nitrate is going i may also test phosphate as that is also another cause for this algae. i know my co2 is fine, the only catch with my tank at the moment is my plants are growing well, and i can see the new growth really good as the new growth has 0 algae on and is a bright lush green the old growth is a darker green from the algae very interesting to see and notice that il try and get a good picture using my DSLR camera later tonight

 

[Zikofski]

okay pictures as promised 
 

 

 

 

[Mamashack]

It might be worth temporarily removing all the shrimp and most of the water then spraying the rocks with 3% (by vol) hydrogen peroxide. It soon dissociates into oxygen and water, and shouldn't harm fish, but I wouldn't like to say how it might affect shrimp. H2O2 is readily available at the chemist and apparently works wonders on algae. You should be able to refill and return the shrimp within half an hour of treating the algae. It should then die off within a day or 2. I think it changes colour first and then dies back.

 

[Zikofski]

WOW that is very interesting i did not know that, i thought it was very chemical personally i don't want to try it but i was planning to use my hose like a jet wash on cars, i did it last time and using the mist function on my hose seems to strip the algae from the rocks i think i shall try that mean while i am trying to figure out what is causing the algae, so far i think it has something to do with my 0 nitrate that i tested on sunday as being deficiency so i again will test nitrate tomorrow again and if its 0 again then i shall increase the dosage slightly but thank you again and if i would do the H2O2 then i would remove any shrimp or fish don't want to take the risk

 

[Zikofski]

and here is a picture that Ch4rlie asked for  there are two assassin snails cruising there way around my tank  
 

 

[Ch4rlie]

 

 

[Zikofski]

hmm interesting development turns out the API test kit was not shaking it properly so now i am doing that its given me a reading of 160 so my nitrate is sky high tested on other test kits and its high too when shaken properly i see why people don't like test kits and saying they are inaccurate, time for a large WC and maybe my substrate is leaving ammonia to much and is being converted to nitrate so i guess i won't be added any nitrate to my EI dosing just the other ferts

 

[Zikofski]

okay i did a near 100% wc and now my nitrate is down to 5ppm on the API test kit and 10ppm on the Colombo test bare in mind the tests start 0, 5 for API and 0, 10 for Colombo.
 
i shall do like i did with the TDS for the nitrate to log how that changes, i won't be adding any more nitrate into the tank i won't add any phosphate either, only trace and Magnesium Sulphate my TDS is back down to 94 i also found my 3 remaining cherries shrimp not lost anymore i thought i had but i had not, they where hiding under the cuba in the middle made me slightly happier

 

[Mamashack]

Glad you've found the shrimp and discovered the nitrate problem! That may have contributed to the algae problem too so all being well that's not going to get any worse.

 

[Dandyman3]

okay pictures as promised 
 

 
 

 
Wow them rocks look immense with that moss. So cool. Loving these updates.

 

[Zikofski]

its not moss the rocks is green dust algae or green spot algae but i do like that look, and the green plants ia cuba and its growing cery lovely at the moment qltho i have hit another problem green water >_< i also webt out and bought 5 ottos to clear up algae ans hrlp out a bit but also TwoTimeAdmin showed me the wonders of a veggie filter effctivly its a sump or another tank that you fill with dast growing plants ans it ssoaks up any nutrients in the tank you run it at night ao lights on at night when the main tank is off, it will also provid oxygen for the tank too i am going to give this a go to reduce my nitrate phosphate and any anythong else i hope it works to controll my nitrate

 

[Mamashack]

Tank is looking good Zik! The shrimp will love having that stuff to graze on.
There are a few videos on Youtube that show you how to make an algae scrubber/ magnet if you want to go that route and haven't got room for another tank/sump.