# TMC Signature - First planted tank



## José Macedo (24 Feb 2014)

Hello,

After many failed attempts and some time away from the hobby, I decided to do some research and invest in better equipment and supplies.

For the time being, I’m only studying the layout, as you can see in the pictures.

I’ve already chosen the plants but I’m still undecided between the rotala rotundifolia and the ludwigia sp. to add some colour and contrast to the composition.

Any tips or suggestions are welcome!

Cheers,
José

*SETUP

Aquarium*
TMC Signature 60x45x30cm

*Filter*
Eheim Experience 250T Thermofilter

*Pipes*
DoAqua Violet Glass VP-1 Outflow 13 mm (Lilly Pipe)
DoAqua Violet Glass VV-1 Inflow 13 mm (Lilly Pipe)

*CO2*
ADA CO2 Advanced System
Polen Glass CO2 Diffuser
ADA Joint Glass JG-007

*Lights*
Aurora Lights Aquaeden (30w - TC leds: 8000k)

*Substrates*
ADA Amazonia Powder
ADA Power Sand S
ADA Nile Sand

*Hardscape*
Ryouh Stone

*Plants*
Echinodorus tenellus
Eleocharis sp.
Eleocharis parvula
Eleocharis sp. 'mini'
Hemianthus micranthemoides


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## Martin in Holland (24 Feb 2014)

promising start ....I love the hardweare


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## LondonDragon (24 Feb 2014)

Bem vindos ao forum José 
Very good start, nice rock work, also interesting LED light, you got more info on that? looks sleek.


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## aliclarke86 (24 Feb 2014)

also interested in this light, it looks great


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## Alastair (24 Feb 2014)

LondonDragon said:


> Bem vindos ao forum José
> Very good start, nice rock work, also interesting LED light, you got more info on that? looks sleek.





aliclarke86 said:


> also interested in this light, it looks great



Theyre actually named aurora lights made for aqua eden 
Nova calha led aquaeden - AQUAEDEN - Aquariofilia.net


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## LondonDragon (24 Feb 2014)

Alastair said:


> Theyre actually named aurora lights made for aqua eden
> Nova calha led aquaeden - AQUAEDEN - Aquariofilia.net


The Portuguese copying ADA!!  looks like a nice light if the price matches


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## José Macedo (24 Feb 2014)

Martin in China said:


> promising start ....I love the hardweare



Thank you.



LondonDragon said:


> Bem vindos ao forum José
> Very good start, nice rock work, also interesting LED light, you got more info on that? looks sleek.



Obrigado. The lights are aurora lights like Alastair mentioned. I'll try to get some more info.


Any suggestions between Rotala rotundifolia and Ludwigia sp. or other?

Cheers,
José


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## LondonDragon (24 Feb 2014)

José Macedo said:


> Any suggestions between Rotala rotundifolia and Ludwigia sp. or other?


Rotala will look better with the smaller leaves, nice colour too, the Ludwigia might be easier to achieve a nice colour compared to the Rotala!


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## Deano3 (24 Feb 2014)

Looking good and as said like the Ada style light how much did it cost also subscribed so keep updates coming mate 


Thanks Dean


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## José Macedo (24 Feb 2014)

Deano3 said:


> Looking good and as said like the Ada style light how much did it cost also subscribed so keep updates coming mate



Thank you Dean. The light cost 190€, but I think it was a promotional launching price. I'll keep updating the journal. If everything goes right, planting will be done this week.


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## Four50 (25 Feb 2014)

It's great so far, and looking forward to seeing it planted


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## José Macedo (1 Mar 2014)

Hello everyone,

I want to thank you for all your comments and support.

After a little hesitation with the plants I finally decided on:

Echinodorus tenellus
Eleocharis sp.
Eleocharis parvula
Eleocharis sp. 'mini'
Hemianthus micranthemoides

The plants arrived this afternoon and I began planting immediately.

Here are two photos: one while I was setting the plants and the other one right after I filled the aquarium, so the water is still cloudy.

Cheers,
José


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## Vito (2 Mar 2014)

Going to be promising, good start


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## José Macedo (2 Mar 2014)

Vito said:


> Going to be promising, good start



Thank you Vito!


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## José Macedo (3 Mar 2014)

Hello again,

Here’s a little update on what I’ve being doing. Again, comments and suggestions are very welcome.

The photoperiod is 8 hours long, from 3 PM to 11 PM. I start the CO2 3 hours before the photoperiod - because the room where the aquarium is has some natural light - and I stop it 1 hour before the end of the photoperiod.

I trimmed the Eleocharis sp. and the Eleocharis parvula, so it can spread horizontally - maybe I should’ve done this in the beginning. I also increased the CO2 from 1 bps to 2 bps and I’m doing a 50% water change everyday. As fertilisers I’m using “Green Brighty Step 1” and “Brighty K” from ADA. Should I also use the “Green Brighty Special Lights”?

The Echinodorus tenellus isn’t looking very healthy but I’m hoping that it’s still adjusting. I’m also thinking about placing Marsilea hirsuta next to the rocks.

Here are some pictures from the 2nd and the 3rd days.


*Day 2 - 01.03.2014



 



 



 


Day 3 - 02.03.2014



 



 



 
*
Cheers,
José


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## José Macedo (3 Mar 2014)

Hi there,

Today I did some water testing and these were the results:

pH: 6,6
kH: 6º dkH
gH: 8º dgH
NO3: 25ppm
NH4: 1,5ppm
PO4: 0,1 ppm
Fe: < 0,02 ppm

I think the various parameters are normal for a 4 day aquarium but despite having read about this I still have some doubts concerning the phosphate - should it be lower? - and the iron - should it be higher?.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers,
José


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## mede (3 Mar 2014)

Wow, beautiful tank... looking forward to seeing it fully grown. 

About the PO4; I've had the same experience in one of my previous tanks where I used a soil (Flora Base). Dosed up to 8ppm each week, but the test kit only measured 0.1ppm. After contacting Colombo (manufacturer Flora Base) they told me that soils are absorbing phosphate. I just followed the EI dosing and never had any sign (read algae) due to low PO4.

"technical" explanation from Colombo was that test kits can't measure PO4 correct when using a soil, but plants can take enough PO4 from the soil. 

Maybe others with the same experience can explain how this works better?


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## aliclarke86 (3 Mar 2014)

Just ignore test kits.... They are not accurate. Let your plants and fish tell you if you have a problem. 

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk


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## Robert H. Tavera (3 Mar 2014)

great .. congrats


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## José Macedo (5 Mar 2014)

mede said:


> Wow, beautiful tank... looking forward to seeing it fully grown.
> 
> About the PO4; I've had the same experience in one of my previous tanks where I used a soil (Flora Base). Dosed up to 8ppm each week, but the test kit only measured 0.1ppm. After contacting Colombo (manufacturer Flora Base) they told me that soils are absorbing phosphate. I just followed the EI dosing and never had any sign (read algae) due to low PO4.
> 
> ...





aliclarke86 said:


> Just ignore test kits.... They are not accurate. Let your plants and fish tell you if you have a problem.
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk



Thank you for your support! I’m going to worry less about water testing and just see how the tank evolves.




Robert H. Tavera said:


> great .. congrats



Thank you Robert!


Cheers, José


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## José Macedo (7 Mar 2014)

Good evening,

Nothing much to add.

The tank looks to be evolving well and the plants seem healthy.

From now on I am going to lower the water change frequencies and by the beginning of next week I will be getting some Amano shrimps.

I am also planning on trimming but I’ll let the HM grow a little longer.

Regarding the equipment, I ordered a solenoid valve and a CO2 Adapter from ADA in order to connect the system to a regular bottle.

Visually there aren’t any major differences but I leave you with a few pictures of the tank at 1 week (I still need to improve my technique to get better shots).

Comments and suggestions are welcome!

Cheers,
José


*Day 8 - 07.03.2014
*


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## EdwinK (8 Mar 2014)

Everything looks promising. Waiting for further updates.


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## ourmanflint (8 Mar 2014)

I really like this tank. Very beautiful.


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## José Macedo (9 Mar 2014)

EdwinK said:


> Everything looks promising. Waiting for further updates.





ourmanflint said:


> I really like this tank. Very beautiful.



Thank you for your encouragement!

Cheers,
José


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## LondonDragon (9 Mar 2014)

ourmanflint said:


> I really like this tank. Very beautiful.


Agreed stunning rock work and the planting is great, just waiting for it to fill in now  parabens


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## José Macedo (9 Mar 2014)

Thank you Paulo. Can’t wait to see it filled up!


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## José Macedo (14 Mar 2014)

Hi everyone,

Here’s a little update on my 2 week aquarium.

By the beginning of the week algae started to appear everywhere and it’s not evolving as well as it looked before. A few plants, especially the Eleocharis were affected. The sp. mini have now a lower volume and look like they’re withering, while half of the Eleocharis sp. look completely withered.

I’ve reduced the photoperiod from 8h to 6h and I’ve been removing the larger algae. Meanwhile I’ve also introduced 10 Amano shrimps which have been helping with the cleanup.

Sunday I will be trimming the HM, and the parvula to stimulate its horizontal growth. Should I trim the Echinodorus tenellus the same way as the other plants or should I trim leaf by leaf from its base?

Here are some photos but I must say that the aquarium looks way greener in the pictures than it actually does. Any suggestions, especially on saving the sp. mini, are very welcome!

Once again, thank you,
José

*Day 15 - 14.03.2014



 



 



 



 



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## aliclarke86 (14 Mar 2014)

I would say the the e sp mini is adapting to the submersed conditions as it was most probably grown emersed before you got it. I have found that every time I have used it, it has gone through a transitional die off but it will bounce back!!  Its looking great from the pics mate and good call on the lights. I, as a rule start all my aquariums with a 5 hour photo period for the first month at least. Then gradually increase week on week depending on how things are looking.

Keep the water changes up as much as possible, I would go with every day at the moment if possible but of not then as much as possible. 

A good thing to remember is that your tank is still very young and you will learn by watching your plants just keep posting and ask questions if you need too. There are a lot of people using this forum with years of experience that are always willing to help 

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk


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## José Macedo (21 Mar 2014)

aliclarke86 said:


> I would say the the e sp mini is adapting to the submersed conditions as it was most probably grown emersed before you got it. I have found that every time I have used it, it has gone through a transitional die off but it will bounce back!!  Its looking great from the pics mate and good call on the lights. I, as a rule start all my aquariums with a 5 hour photo period for the first month at least. Then gradually increase week on week depending on how things are looking.
> 
> Keep the water changes up as much as possible, I would go with every day at the moment if possible but of not then as much as possible.
> 
> ...



Thanks for your feedback aliclarke86. Today I trimmed all plants and added 4 pots of Eleocharis sp. mini. Meanwhile algae disappeared and Eleocharis sp. completely melted down. I'll add some photos tomorrow.

Cheers,
José


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## José Macedo (21 Mar 2014)

Hello everyone,

Here are a few pictures of my tank on week 3.

This week I trimmed all of the plants and added 4 pots of sp. mini. There are no signs of algae but the Eleocharis sp. withered completely.

The photoperiod is still 6 hours. I'm using 2ml of Step 1 and 2ml of Brighty K (ADA fertilisers), in alternate days.

Now, I'm just waiting for the plants to grow a bit more and when the carpet is almost done I'm going to plant some H. cuba and Marseila hirsuta to achieve a more natural look.

I'm also going to start thinking about the fauna, so any suggestions are very welcome.

Cheers,
José


*Day 21 - 21.03.2014
*


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## Robbie X (23 Mar 2014)

Love the layout, looking forward to seeing it evolve.
I'm curious how much of substrates in terms of weight etc. I'm planning on using the same tank for my first aqua scape and also considering the ADA substrates.
Cheers


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## faizal (24 Mar 2014)

Nice one Jose. I'm loving the very natural layout,...the nile sand looks really nice under the lights. Plants are looking healthy from the pictures,...just my 2 cents though & i am no expert in co2 but i think you might benefit more if you could further reduce your lighting duration to just 4-5 hours for the next one month & then gradually increase them as aliclarke86 had suggested earlier.I think it should help with the transition & might help to fatten the stems up too.


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## José Macedo (27 Mar 2014)

Robbie X said:


> Love the layout, looking forward to seeing it evolve.
> I'm curious how much of substrates in terms of weight etc. I'm planning on using the same tank for my first aqua scape and also considering the ADA substrates.
> Cheers


Thanks Robbie. I used about 12l of Amazonia Powder and 2l of Power Sand. I also have 0.5l of Nile Sand so you might need a bit more substrate. I'd say 15l to 18l.



faizal said:


> Nice one Jose. I'm loving the very natural layout,...the nile sand looks really nice under the lights. Plants are looking healthy from the pictures,...just my 2 cents though & i am no expert in co2 but i think you might benefit more if you could further reduce your lighting duration to just 4-5 hours for the next one month & then gradually increase them as aliclarke86 had suggested earlier.I think it should help with the transition & might help to fatten the stems up too.


Thank you Faizal. The photoperiod is still 6h, there are no signs of algae so everything looks fine. But I think there might not be enough iron because the Tenellus is a bit yellowish and the leaves are melting. I need to find some product to fix this. The Amano shrimps are also constantly pulling the sp. mini, so we'll see how the carpet evolves.

Cheers,
José


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## José Macedo (7 Apr 2014)

Hi everyone,

After a few problems things are finally starting to look better. I made some adjustments with the fertilisers and added another light fixture. Let’s see if the carpet finally evolves.

I also introduced a school of Paracheirodon simulans.

Cheers,
José


*Day 37 - 06.04.2013



 



 



 



 



 



 



 
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## José Macedo (11 Apr 2014)

Hey guys,

Just a quick update. The plants seem to be doing better!

Cheers,
José


*Day 42 - 11.04.2014



 



 



 



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## aliclarke86 (12 Apr 2014)

Glad to heard it  it looks immaculate and nice pics mate 

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## Robbie X (12 Apr 2014)

Looking good man


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## José Macedo (12 Apr 2014)

aliclarke86 said:


> Glad to heard it  it looks immaculate and nice pics mate
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk





Robbie X said:


> Looking good man



Thank you guys! Hopefully in a few weeks all substrate will be covered by the carpet!


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## milanioom (12 Apr 2014)

Glad to see everything is improving on this stunning layout.Keep us informed.
Best of luck!


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## Deano3 (12 Apr 2014)

agree with other comments coming along nicely and keep updates coming


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## José Macedo (14 Apr 2014)

milanioom said:


> Glad to see everything is improving on this stunning layout.Keep us informed.
> Best of luck!





Deano3 said:


> agree with other comments coming along nicely and keep updates coming


Thank you for your kind comments, I really appreciate it! 

Cheers,
José[DOUBLEPOST=1397510266][/DOUBLEPOST]Hey everyone,

Here’s a short update. Today was cleaning/maintenance day. I also did a little trimming. Hope you like it! 

I’ve been fighting with algae. Every other day I must clean the glass or else it gets completely green. Could it be too much fertiliser? The CO2 levels are still around 30mg/L and the photoperiod is still 6h. Tomorrow I’ll be testing to help figure out the problem and I’ll post an update with the results.

I would also like to know if there’s any way to prevent tenellus from expanding outside of its area or should I just keep trimming the new sprouts.

Cheers,
José

*Day 45 - 14.04.2014*


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## José Macedo (25 Apr 2014)

Hi guys,

Here is a quick update. Still fighting with algae, trying to adjust the fertilisers to solve that issue. Glass goes completely green every two days as you can see in the pictures from day 53.

The other pictures were taken today after another complete maintenance and water change. 4 hours afterwards the glass was already turning green.

Cheers,
José


*Day 53 - 22.04.2014



 



 


Day 56 - 25.04.2014



 



 



 



 



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## Greenfinger2 (11 May 2014)

Hi Jose, I am no expert   I don't think its the ferts causing your algae its too much light can you turn your lighting down or mount it higher from the water surface this should solve your problem


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## Lindy (11 May 2014)

Yes, too much light will be the problem. You could up your co2 but you'd risk gassing your fish and shrimp so i'd lower the light.


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## Alje (11 May 2014)

You could also try light daily dosing of a 'liquid carbon'


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## aliclarke86 (11 May 2014)

Its light, ferts will not cause algae, if you can't lower light intensity you will have to match with a co2 increase and then probably ferts increase. How long has this been running now? I find at about 3 months I get a breakout of algae if I have too much light.

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## José Macedo (13 May 2014)

Hi all,

Thank you for your support.

GSA has been controlled, I switched off one of the lights, reduced the time on the other one, and increased the ferts. The problem I have now is BBA.

The tank is running since 2,5 months.

Tomorrow I'll upload some pics.

Cheers,
José


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## aliclarke86 (13 May 2014)

Get some liquid carbon or h2o2 and spot dose it on the bba, it won't go away on its own but if its under control you can kill it and no more will grow

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## José Macedo (13 May 2014)

aliclarke86 said:


> Get some liquid carbon or h2o2 and spot dose it on the bba, it won't go away on its own but if its under control you can kill it and no more will grow
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk



I'll try to do that tomorrow before water change.


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## aliclarke86 (13 May 2014)

I would turn your filter off dose on the bba and leave it a few minutes before change 

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## José Macedo (17 May 2014)

Hello everyone,

Here is a quick update.

Cheers,
José


*Day 78 - 16.05.2014*


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## ADA (17 May 2014)

How's the algae issue coming along now?


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## Greenfinger2 (17 May 2014)

Hi Jose, Looking great


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