Journal The Green Dream _ My Cryptocoryne infested riparium

[Walt1908]

Hey guys, welcome to the journal of my self build riparium!

After many many years of lurking on this awesome forum finally my own tankthread here

Just for all you to know i'm dutch so english is not my main language.
So it can be a little bit 'challenging' for me and you from time to time hehe.

Ill make sure this will be a picture filled journal and ill use it as my own aquadiary with all the ups and downs.

This is what we see when we are on the couch:

I started building it on 18-7-2018 and the first fish were introduced in 4-11-2018 so the tank is now over 5 years up and running.

Ok here some specs:

Size: 190x43x80cm
Aprox 160L in the system
Glass: 10mm, bottom glas 12mm
Tetra TEC EX1000+ for the tank
Tetra TEC EX600 fir the waterfalls
Schego titanium heater 300w
Inkbird ITC 306 heater controller
2x 3kg CO2 bottles
Co2art atomizer
Milwaukee pH controller
AquaNoa PH electrode
5 rows Led lightning
1 Twinstar G-line 100G
3 tc420 led controller
8 Rainspray with pump
3x 25L osmose jerrycans
Osmose filter
2x4 kanalen Jebao dosingcomputer
Hobby hygro misting tank

Tomorrow ill let you in on the flora and fauna in my tank but ill give you some hints

 

[Walt1908]

As promised the fish in my riparium:

10 Rasbora Briggitae
10 Desmipuntius Pentazona
5 Pangio Kuhlii
4 Oblonga Kuhlii
couple Melanotaenia Boesemani
3 Otocinclus Affinis
7 Paracheirodon simulans

Not really like a biotope but fish i thought they were beautifull, small and fit for my tank.

Working on my plant list

 

[Walt1908]

Plant collection aquarium part:

Cryptocoryne Wendtii tropica
Cryptocoryne Leroi
Cryptocoryne Undulata red
Cryptocoryne 'Green gecko'
Cryptocoryne Green
Cryptocoryne Beckettii
Cryptocoryne Becketii Petchii
Cryptocoryne Crispatula var. Balansae
Cryptocoryne Spiralis 'tiger'
Cryptocoryne Lutea 'hobbit'
Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Flamingo'
Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Rubella'
Cryptocoryne Nurii
Cryptocoryne Lucens
Cryptocoryne Nevilii
Cryptocoryne Amicorum
Bucephalandra biblis red
Bucephalandra 'Red Scorpion'
Bucephalandra wavy green
Microsorumpteropus petit
Sagittaria Sagittaria Subulata
Juncus repens
Lilaeopsis 'Novea-Zealandia'

Maybe i forgot a few but i think this is the collection ☺️

 

[Walt1908]

3 Weeks ago i planted a small field of 3 Cryptocorynes x Willisii and in these pictures you can see the new leaves changing from green and 'lumpy' to brown reddish and thinner and 'pointy'.
I love these types of changes especially i hoped the leaves would change to be more thinner . The colour change is a big bonus

And yeah, i forgot this species in my yesterdays post. Just like i forgot my group of Cryptocoryne Veingera

So here is the updated list:

Cryptocoryne Wendtii tropica
Cryptocoryne Leroi
Cryptocoryne Undulata red
Cryptocoryne 'Green gecko'
Cryptocoryne Green
Cryptocoryne Beckettii
Cryptocoryne Becketii Petchii
Cryptocoryne Crispatula var. Balansae
Cryptocoryne Spiralis 'tiger'
Cryptocoryne Lutea 'hobbit'
Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Flamingo'
Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Rubella'
Cryptocoryne Nurii
Cryptocoryne Lucens
Cryptocoryne Nevilii
Cryptocoryne Amicorum
Cryptocoryne x Willisii
Cryptocoryne Veignera
Bucephalandra biblis red
Bucephalandra 'Red Scorpion'
Bucephalandra wavy green
Microsorumpteropus petit
Sagittaria Sagittaria Subulata
Juncus repens
Lilaeopsis 'Novea-Zealandia'

 

[bazz]

Morning,
How is your Hobbit doing, I've just been talking about it in another thread, I struggle with it but need to find out why?
Cheers!

 

[Conort2]

Morning,
How is your Hobbit doing, I've just been talking about it in another thread, I struggle with it but need to find out why?
Cheers!

I’m interested too as I have the same problem. All other crypts are fine but hobbit just withers away over time.

 

[richardcunliffe]

More pictures! Nice tank @Walt1908 and cool idea to go mostly crypts

 

[Walt1908]

Mwa here its stays alive i guess..

It looks healthy and ok but it looks this way for a few years haha.

I placed an extra twinlight a month ago and it seems there is a leave getting larger. Could also be the clay capsules i placed around the corners and reds few weeks ago.

It seems theres a green runner behind it and its def not the hobbit but i suspect the c. Lucens to the left of it.

 

[Walt1908]

More pictures! Nice tank @Walt1908 and cool idea to go mostly crypts

Thanks Richard

 

[Walt1908]

Snails eggs

Mom probably

Natural food for the kuhlis and the barbs

 

[Walt1908]

Cryptocoryne flamingo. Bought 3 months ago invitro and its going very nice. Green leaves are from the invitro.
The pink ones in the centre are new.

 

[Walt1908]

Nurii bought few months ago invitro. They are in the center of the tank so they gain the most light. New leaves seem green lolz.

 

[Walt1908]

 

[Little]

Nurii bought few months ago invitro. They are in the center of the tank so they gain the most light. New leaves seem green lolz.

View attachment 218713

If this was the tropica version, most of mine did the same. Ended up removing all but 1 as kept throwing green leaves.

 

[Walt1908]

If this was the tropica version, most of mine did the same. Ended up removing all but 1 as kept throwing green leaves.

Thanks, appreciated for the heads up cause im pretty sure it was tropica.
We'll see

 

[Walt1908]

Cryptocoryne x willisii is taking off. Submerged leaves are soooo cool in my tank. Narrow and pointy and reddish brown. I like it a lot.

Did a massive clean up and rearranged a few plants. The willisii is doing so good i already had some runners that i replanted.

 

[Walt1908]

Not everything is going perfectly here atm. Since a few week im struggling with my co2 setup.

Fish are doing great, plants the same.

Problem is i can't seem to get my ph under the 7.0. Now this isnt really a very big problem since i kept my tank at 6.8 before this problem.

I have calibrated my old sensor. No changes.
I have replaced my atomizer. No changes.
U upped my pressure. No changes.
I replaced the ph sensor. No changes.

So basically the following things can be the cause:

ph controller - not likely.
Solenoid valve - could be? Already 5 years old.
Regulator- 5 years old.

Also, the problem could be something different since i see many bubbles going around in the tank.

Anyone have an idea what it could be?

 

[hypnogogia]

Have you made any other changes or done any work to your tank between the time that you could get below 7 and now?

 

[Walt1908]

Hi Hypnogogia.

Not really. The only big changes i had last month is that i installed an extra twinstar led.

Also i replaced my old tetratec 1200 with a new tetratec 1000 plus since it had a small leak in the motor compartment.

Since i could easily get my ph to 6.0 something is off.....

 

[Walt1908]

My C. Flamingo is making a new leaf and its looking beautifull. Think ill cut off one or 2 old green leaves one of these days.

To the left of the tank i replaced the juncus repens with my cryptocoryne undulata red. The juncus was getting to big and for some reason it didnt fit there lolz. The undulata was stashed away i the back for some reason years ago so they switched places.

Regarding the co2, im thinking about getting myself a reactor. Something i wanted a long time ago. Never have been a great fan of diffusers.