# Low Energy ADA 45H



## Mike Moran (12 Aug 2019)

So here’s my new tank - a belated birthday present form my hubby - best present ever  Went to Aquarium Gardens in Cambridgeshire (amazing shop!) but got caught in a huge traffic jam Ended up arriving almost at closing time but the guys were really helpful and stayed open a wee bit late to give me chance to shop.
It’s an ADA 45H. I’ve heard they’re tricky to scape as it’s as tall as it is wide. But it fits like a glove in the alcove next to our fireplace so I’m going to give it a go. I’m attempting a low energy tank with loads of ‘easy’ plants that I’ve less chance of killing. I’ve zero experience so all comments/advice extremely welcome!


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## Edvet (12 Aug 2019)

For figuring out your hardscape, mock up a carddoard fake tank, easy to fiddle around in without damaging the glass!


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## Mike Moran (12 Aug 2019)

Thanks Edvet! I impulse purchased a large branch (manzanita wood I think)  and some pieces of millennium stone. I really wanted the wood to stick out of the top of the tank but without getting too much in the way of the lighting. I wish I’d had your advice earlier as I foolishly tested  out the rocks in the tank. I was as careful as possible but have to admit to a few unnerving dings fortunately no harm done though.


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## Mike Moran (12 Aug 2019)

Here’s the tank with the soil (tropica) banked towards the back and my branch and the main stone in. I’ve tried to position it so nothing is too close to the edge of the tank so it won’t be too tricky to clean and maintain. The tank is in a tall narrow alcove so I wanted to make best use of the available height and use the hardscape to draw the eye in from across the room which opens up to the right hand side.


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## Mike Moran (12 Aug 2019)

And here’s where I ended up.... now with the rest of the rock in place. I’ve gone for an odd number of stones and tried to achieve an asymmetrical design with the focal point on the left hand side at roughly 1/3 across. The stone had some beautiful cracks and fissures that I tried to use to draw the eye inwards towards the base of the main branch.


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## castle (12 Aug 2019)

I too am about to setup a 45H, but I went against Manzanita sticking out of tank and have collected some birch and hawthorne branches (will see how I get on) When I last setup manzanita sticking out of tank it molded at the water line and it put me off a little - just a warning for you, in case!

Maybe I could use that as an excuse to journal too.

Good luck with it, I will follow with interest!


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## Arana (12 Aug 2019)

The wood looks great Mike and you have achieved a nice balance IMHO, you have a good eye, looking forward to see this planted


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## Jayefc1 (12 Aug 2019)

I agree the hard scape looks really nice have you thought about hanging the light with a suspension kit to give you more room and it also make the tank more focal it is very easy to achieve 
Cheers 
Jay


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## alto (12 Aug 2019)

Awesome Birthday Gift 

George Farmer version for inspiration
(though this one is high tech as it’s done at ADA Idea Studio Poland)




You might look at this older treescape video from Filipe Oliveira for rock placement inspiration



Note there are several videos in the series, all beginning with the title
*One step closer*
Note how the rocks are adjusted again during planting
(easy to find, just load Filipe Oliveira Videos with “oldest first”)

Ive always been intrigued with this tank, and after watching the GF video attempted to source a 45H
(without success - though I’ve been invited to pay now for (maybe) delivery sometime in the next 12-18 months  )


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## Mike Moran (12 Aug 2019)

Thanks so much for the encouraging feedback everyone! I was a bit scared putting up the pics in case I’d made some embarrassing rookie mistakes.



castle said:


> I too am about to setup a 45H, but I went against Manzanita sticking out of tank and have collected some birch and hawthorne branches (will see how I get on) When I last setup manzanita sticking out of tank it molded at the water line and it put me off a little - just a warning for you, in case!
> Maybe I could use that as an excuse to journal too.
> Good luck with it, I will follow with interest!



I’ll watch out for mouldy bits on my manzanita castle, thanks for the heads up.....if it’s starts going funky I’ll let you know. I’ve soaked it for a few days and there’s no sign of anything fuzzy yet. I’d interested to hear how you get on with your native wood - birch is such a great looking tree ...looking forward to your journal then

Alto how could you!? Showing me that George Farmer wundertank is just too cruel  How come his giant twig looks so much better than mine ......perhaps I just need to turn mine upside down too?


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## Mike Moran (12 Aug 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> I agree the hard scape looks really nice have you thought about hanging the light with a suspension kit to give you more room and it also make the tank more focal it is very easy to achieve
> Cheers
> Jay



Thanks! Pleased to hear you like it so far. Re. the lighting. That’s sounds a great idea but might be a it beyond my skillset just yet. I have a neat looking adjustable LED that, fingers crossed, should just give me clearance over the branch if I get the placement right. Have you got one of those suspended lights over your tank? ...they do look really cool.


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## alto (13 Aug 2019)

Which lights did you get?


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## Jayefc1 (13 Aug 2019)

Yeah mine is suspended from the ceiling with a suspension kit from Amazon so easy to do
Cherrs 
Jay


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## Mike Moran (13 Aug 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Yeah mine is suspended from the ceiling with a suspension kit from Amazon so easy to do
> Cherrs
> Jay


Cool! I’ll take a look. Our house is a an old Victorian with quite dodgy plasterwork...would probably end up with half the ceiling in my tank if I drilled in to it


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## Mike Moran (13 Aug 2019)

alto said:


> Which lights did you get?


It’s a twinstar light with a teeny dimmer. The legs are adjustable so I can move it up and down above the tank a wee bit. Looks quite Star Trek!


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## alto (13 Aug 2019)

You might look for a tension fit rod for the alcove and then suspend light from that (assuming you’d prefer not to drill the sides of the alcove)


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## Mike Moran (13 Aug 2019)

Planting time. Got some cracking little plants from Aquarium Gardens at the weekend and....I think I spent about two hours choosing. So ready for a bit of gardening- wish me luck! It’s dawning on me I’ve not really got the proper kit. Just a long pair of tweezers (I got in a free toolkit that the Halifax gave us when we got our house) And a pair of bathroom ones I’m redeploying for the tiny plants at the front. Oh and a small pair of pliers which will squish the plants if I press too hard. Should have invested in some of those jazzy plant tweezers but it’s a long drive back to Cambridgeshire.


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## Jayefc1 (13 Aug 2019)

Good job there online business is so good order the tweezers by 2 today you will prob have them by tomorrow
Cheers
Jay


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## Jayefc1 (13 Aug 2019)

A suspended light just so you can see how it looks this is a twinstar with the legs removed and 4ml screws in the holes to hold the cables and just 4 little screws in the ceiling


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## Mike Moran (13 Aug 2019)

Wow! That looks amazing! What a beautiful tank and set up. Now I’m tempted to replaster my ceiling


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## Mike Moran (13 Aug 2019)

Well it took a good few hours but I got all the plants in the soil and I’m feeling pretty happy....so needed a cuppa by the end of it!

I started with the taller background plants. They proved pretty fiddly and didn’t want to stay in the soil- don’t  they know what’s good for them!?  I wet my soil with a spray to begin but I notice some people plant into dry soil. I wonder if that was a mistake? The soil seemed to clag to the roots a bit making it difficult to poke them in deep enough. I’m sure my use of bathroom tweezers didn’t help matters either. 


 
I moved onto the mid and foreground plants. Managed l to wedge a few small plants into the cracks and gaps in the stones. At the front I have 3 different carpeting varieties . I know it’s all a bit of a mish mash but I’ve never grown any water plants before.  just want to see what grows well/ what doesn’t/what might grow too well. 
Final flourish was a few plants on the branches and a wee bit of moss. It’s tied on with a £10 reel of ADA moss cotton....blimey thats the priciest garden twine I’ve ever bought!? Being a yorkshireman had to have a sit down when I saw my receipt  seriously though, have  you/do you use it? I’m sure that one reel will last a lifetime, and it apparently biodegrades once the plants have grabbed on themselves. Trying to avoid unnecessary chemicals so swerved the superglue. 

So ta-daah! heres the result. Treated the water for chlorine, switched on the light, fitted the filter, and filled up the tank....What do you reckon? 


 
Would love to know your thoughts. Let me know what you think I could improve/remove/reconsider. Thanks for all the help everyone


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## Jayefc1 (14 Aug 2019)

Looks really cool and natural good job with the planting a plant list is a good idea in your journal so you remember what you started out with cause it will probs change 
Cheers
Jay


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## Mike Moran (15 Aug 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Looks really cool and natural good job with the planting a plant list is a good idea in your journal so you remember what you started out with cause it will probs change
> Cheers
> Jay


Thanks Jay. I’m feeling pretty happy with the progress. And thanks for the tip about the planting list, sorry, I should have thought of that.  I’ll make a list and post it shortly.

So I’ve done my first couple of water changes. 50% every other day. So far the waters looking pretty clear and clean. No sign sign of the dreaded algae yet fingers crossed.

I bought some water test strips and have had a few tries to get the hang of them. Chlorine is zero as I treated my Tap water before adding it. My water is very hard but I’m hoping as the tank settles that level will drop as the bacteria in my filter start to work...does that sound right? Nitrite were reading as safe and nitrates read at 40- the chart says this is in between safe and harmful. But am I right in thinking that’s ok at the point in the setting up cycle?


 
I had a problem with quite a few of my plants coming out of the soil and  floating up to the surface. I think I made two mistakes here:
1.not using proper tweezers for planting - solves now though- found  a smashing pair of used ADA pincettes on eBay (they arrived this morning) The difference is night and day! I replanted lots this morning before the water change and it’s all stayed put in the soil this time. Phew.

2. Planting some of the plants in clumps instead of dividing them. If I’m honest I still can’t tell what is an individual baby plant and what is a stem of a larger plant. Perhaps I was overly cautious when separating the plants out of their pot. Particularly with the tiny foreground plants on runners this meant every time I let go they’d just float up out of the soil, or worse get tangled on the tweezers and dragged straight back out. Think I’m getting the hang of it now though. Not quite as easy as it looked on YouTube though.
It’s a steep learning curve


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## Jayefc1 (15 Aug 2019)

Planting takes a lot of practise I find it best to have the plant on its side and push the root in and as you push the plant becomes upright if you know what i mean 
The water changes are so important do as big as you can and as many as you can especially the first week or 2 helps to minimize the diatomes and clear the substrate of ammonia 
Wouldnt worrie about the test strips there so inaccurate and you can just take your water to any LFS and they will test for you 
Cheers
Jay


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## dw1305 (15 Aug 2019)

Hi all, 





Mike Moran said:


> My water is very hard but I’m hoping as the tank settles that level will drop as the bacteria in my filter start to work...does that sound right?


The filter micro-organisms don't have much effect on water hardness. Nitrification will utilise some of the carbonate hardness, but not a lot. Before people used to <"change their water"> you sometimes got problems with <"old tank syndrome">, where all the carbonates were used up and pH plummeted.

Just keeping some water, water changes are really important and you can never change too much water. 





Mike Moran said:


> Nitrite were reading as safe and nitrates read at 40- the chart says this is in between safe and harmful. But am I right in thinking that’s ok at the point in the setting up cycle?


Yes you are fine, despite what you might read on other forums and web pages neither test kits, nor the "cycling" concept, are very useful to us. 

You just need to let the plants grow in, and then you have a system (<"plant/microbe biofiltration">) which is much more powerful and resilient than "microbe only" filtration will ever be. 

Have a look at the cycling discussion on page 4. of <"Bedside Aquarium">. 

cheers Darrel


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## Mike Moran (21 Aug 2019)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, The filter micro-organisms don't have much effect on water hardness. Nitrification will utilise some of the carbonate hardness, but not a lot. Before people used to <"change their water"> you sometimes got problems with <"old tank syndrome">, where all the carbonates were used up and pH plummeted.
> 
> Just keeping some water, water changes are really important and you can never change too much water. Yes you are fine, despite what you might read on other forums and web pages neither test kits, nor the "cycling" concept, are very useful to us.
> 
> ...


Thanks Darrel
 Much appreciated, I’ve followed your advice and changed the 50% of the water every other day as I know this is important in the first few week. So far so good, don’t seem to have any algae as yet. Fingers crossed!


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## Mike Moran (21 Aug 2019)

So my tank is through it’s first week and no major problems to report. Ive been diligent with the water changes -50% very other day and the filter (Oase 250 which looks almost as big as the tank!) seems to be doing its job beautifully. The inbuilt heater is keeping the water a steady 24 degrees and some of the plants are already starting to grow nice new leaves. 
The tank keeps making me late for work as I can’t take my eyes off it. It’s like a little underwater world you get to peek into whenever you like, not often in life you can be nosey without getting into trouble 

My highlight of week one has been a flower on my bucephelandra. So proud! 


 

On the downside my tiny foreground cryptocoryne seem less happy with their new home. 


 


 
The larger ones in the tanks look pretty healthy but these babies have either disappeared completely (I’m guessing into the bowel of the filter) or look soggy and withered. Is this is the dreaded melt everyone talks about?  I’ve read they can come back after a period of recovery so I’m not giving up hope just yet


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## Hanuman (21 Aug 2019)

Mike Moran said:


> Is this is the dreaded melt everyone talks about?


In my opinion yes. Plants are adapting. But I do see some new growth there so those plants should be fine. Try to remove any dead leaves / old rotting leaves.


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## Siege (21 Aug 2019)

Looking good Mike,

Your temp is at the higher end turn it down to 22 and it’ll be perfect.

As others have said don’t worry about testing just keep up the water changes, the bigger the better!

You’ll be ready for some shrimp soon


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## Edvet (21 Aug 2019)

Try rubbing the leaves "clean" before a waterchange, and try do suck away as much dead plant material as you can with the waterchanges.


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## Mike Moran (1 Sep 2019)

Siege said:


> Looking good Mike,
> 
> Your temp is at the higher end turn it down to 22 and it’ll be perfect.
> 
> ...


Thank you! And thanks for the tip about the temperature - I’ve turned down the heater to 22 and I’m keeping up with the water changes.  I’ve had a few small bits of algae but nothing too scary yet.


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## Mike Moran (1 Sep 2019)

Edvet said:


> Try rubbing the leaves "clean" before a waterchange, and try do suck away as much dead plant material as you can with the waterchanges.


Thank you! If I’m honest I thought the marks were in the leaves as they adjusted to life underwater. Didn’t realise it was just muck - embarrassing.  I’ve used a small soft paintbrush to clean the leaves and they look much better now.


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## Mike Moran (8 Sep 2019)

I’m now well in to week three with the tank. I took this picture yesterday just before a water change and a big old clean. As you can see I have some (ok lots,) of algae, brown on the leaves of the cryptocorynes and the glass, and green on the rocks. To combat it, I’ve given everything a good sponge brush and rubbed the leaves with my fingers to remove as much of the algae as possible and done another 50% water change probably a little too late. Uptown be honest I’d been slightly dreading cleaning the biomaster external filter for the first time.  Watched a few you tube vids to maximise the chance of messing it up.
Actually it proved to be really simple quick  and painless, so I’d been slightly fretting for nothing. I thiroughly cleaned the pre filter and made sure to use aquarium water to rinse the sponges so as not to kill the beneficial bacteria off. I know everyone hates the little tests strips but I’ve been enjoying needing out with them And my water parameters seem to have really settled down this week. No nitrites at all and pH well within acceptable limits so I’m feeling pretty chuffed.

Plant growth however has been a little hit and miss. I’ll start with the good and work down....

GREAT! : Moss.... I know it’s hard to go wrong but I’m really pleased with how it’s setled in...already looks really bushy and content on the branches. 

GOOD: Hydrophila Siamensis  53b - rocketing away in the background and looks very happy and healthy so I’m giving myself a thumbs up for that. Steve, the nice chap at Aquarium Gardens helped me choose suitable plants, and said this one  will eventually grow out of the water and may have blue flowers. Very happy to see it growing so fast.

NOT SO GREAT  (but not dead yet):   Bucephelandra - not attached to the wood properly. Rookie mistake, I used moss cotton. Great for moss, but disintegrated long before the plants had attached. They’ve been floating off around the tank in the current from the Lily pipe and I’ve had to chase them and try and find nooks and crannies in the rocks where they’ll stay out. I didn’t use superglue as want the tank as natural as possible, so might invest in some ADA wood tight to hold them in place on the manzanita wood. It looks like really expensive bread bag ties but the colour with be discreet until the plants grab on!  Do you reckon I got the placement of them wrong on the branches too? Not really sure if they would grow there in the wild. Maybe should go with more moss. Would love some feedback from anyone

FAIR TO MIDDLING:  Rotala Rotundifolia - growing reasonably well. Lots of new bushy (and slightly pink) leaves at the top of the stems . But also lots of crazy roots growing out into the water, and  some of the lower parts of the stem have gone  black/slimy. Here’s a pic of the gorey detail.



To remedy this I’ve pruned out the cruddy bits and replanted the healthy stems to bulk it out.  Should I have cut it down low from the start do you think? What’s in now looks much healthier though

EPIC FAIL! Anubius Mini: in just few short weeks I reduced a beautiful plant to something resembling a forgotten
bagged salad dredged from the back of the fridge just in time for bin day. No idea what I did wrong. At this point all I can do is apologise to Mother Nature and the nice people at Tropica that wasted months growing it for me.


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## Jayefc1 (8 Sep 2019)

First of all the tank looks great mate to say it's only three weeks old and it's still very much in the changing stage not even really settled in yet


Mike Moran said:


> As you can see I have some (ok lots,) of algae, brown on the leaves of the cryptocorynes and the glass, and green on the rocks.


I dont think this is alge as such its diatomes and there very normal in a new tank and will stop as the tank matures and evolves almost every new tank goes through it


Mike Moran said:


> To combat it, I’ve given everything a good sponge brush and rubbed the leaves with my fingers to remove as much of the algae as possible and done another 50% water change


I'm not sure what your water change regime is but I'd keep doing at least 2 a week till the diatomes settle and a just keep rubbing the leaves of the plants so they dont get a build the rocks and wood  just a quick rub with a tooth brush 


Mike Moran said:


> I thiroughly cleaned the pre filter and made sure to use aquarium water to rinse the sponges so as not to kill the beneficial bacteria off.


The pre filter sponges are just that pre filter they should be washed weekly in tap water to help with the main filter all your good bacteria is in the main canister and  this should be clean a lot less often if you take care of the pre filter I actually do mine twice a week just pop it out was sponges in the sink pop it back in


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## Jayefc1 (22 Sep 2019)

Hows the tank looking mike


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## Mike Moran (22 Sep 2019)

Thanks for all this advice and also the encouragement. Not going to pretend, it’s been a  LOT to get my head around very quickly so these tips are really helpful. 


Jayefc1 said:


> The pre filter sponges are just that pre filter they should be washed weekly in tap water to help with the main filter all your good bacteria is in the main canister and  this should be clean a lot less often if you take care of the pre filter I actually do mine twice a week just pop it out was sponges in the sink pop it back in


Thanks for the frequency advice...wasn’t really sure how often to maintain. I’m cleaning the pre filter weekly now.  Got to say I think the design of the OASE 250 filter is great...so quiet and really seems to keep the water clear with zero debris. I have an EA glassware with a skimmer and it plenty powerful enough to keep the surface looking good.  I’ve washed them in the old tank water when I’ve done water changes just to keep as much of the helpful bacteria in the filter while the tank is still young. I’m keeping on top of the water changes to minimise the chance problems and, fingers crossed,so far everything still looking pretty good!


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## Steve Buce (22 Sep 2019)

As for attaching buce, i use superglue gel or fine fishing line, dont waste money on those ada bread tie thingys

Check out my tank thread, all buces attached with superglue or fishing line, the fishing line way is trickier to do,but it does work, when they have attached to the wood just cut away the f/line
I can send you some, no prob
I also find when attached securely, they grow quicker and stronger(imo)
Steve


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## Mike Moran (22 Sep 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Hows the tank looking mike


Hi Jay

I think it’s going pretty well thanks!  I’m loving every minute of it.....almost stopped watching tv....just stare at the tank now....its so relaxing  

My most exciting update is that with everything running smoothly I took the plunge and added 5 Sakura red cherry shrimp. Chose  them from Aquatic Design Centre in London after reading that the cherries are the hardiest and easiest to keep. I’d initially planned on an Amon shrimp too but heard they can jump out of the tank and I didn’t want any injuries. And having seen them, I am pretty taken with the cheery colours of the cherries. Here they are: this is Big Shelly hanging out with her friend - she’s the biggest by far and seems to rule the tank. I wouldn’t mess...


 
I read around loads of posts on here and other sites to try and make sure my water was suitable and my tank had cycled properly. really wanted to make sure they were happy and tank was ready to be a good home. They seem to have settled in very happily, busying themselves with cleaning the manzanita wood and the rocks.  I love watching them fly around the tank from leaf to leaf, or taking a nap under a bit of moss....knew something so tiny could have so much character? 


 
I can’t honestly say 5 of them has massively made a difference to the tank cleanliness,  but its definitely increased the entertainment factor.  I didn’t feed for the first few days and then they’ve had a single tiny pellet of dennerle shrimp king complete. They enjoyed it, but they’re so tiny they could finish it so I ended up hoovering it out when I did the water change 2 days after they went in. I also boiled them a catalpa leaf as I read they like them too, but they just ignored it, much preferring the algae on my branches


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## Jayefc1 (22 Sep 2019)

The catalpa leaves they graze on very slowly i love shrimp and watch mine for hours to mate they are full of personality them 5 will turn to 50 before you know it and then you will need to feed them. Them pre filter sponges just squeeze them out in tap water all the good stuff is in canister its self no good bacteria on the ore filter sponges your rsc are lovly mike


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## PARAGUAY (23 Sep 2019)

The shrimp will be doing a good job and as the tank matures ,your doing well, they will make a difference maybe not obvious just yet


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## alto (24 Sep 2019)

Exciting updates 
(especially for me as I’d somehow missed this topic for ages   )

Most sponges are excellent homes for “filter bacteria”, even with weekly rinsing some will keep holding on 
Pretty much anything in the filter flow will end up populated with various microorganisms, most filter companies will supply media designated as biological, mechanical etc and the different shapes makes it easy to decide which is which, some media is designed with maximum surface area (for theoretical bacteria to “attach”), while others are designed the trap debris etc

Similarly, bacteria etc will end up populating various surfaces (rock, wood, plants, soil, gravel etc) within the tank 
Some surfaces are less efficient than others, eg, glass marbles (lots of inaccessible volume and little surface area, also “slippery”) vs Eheim Substrat (pro) (the rough crinkly surface means more surface area, significantly  smaller internal volume than a larger smoother particle) etc

There are lovely electron micrographs showing all the pores available for microorganisms in various media (though I’ve not looked at this in ages ... perhaps they also have data indicating what’s where these days  ) 

Obviously in planted tanks biomedia efficiency tends to be less critical than in fish only systems, and washing those “prefilter” sponges in tap or conditioned water is unlikely to make any difference


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## Mike Moran (25 Sep 2019)

PARAGUAY said:


> The shrimp will be doing a good job and as the tank matures ,your doing well, they will make a difference maybe not obvious just yet


Thank you.  The main thing is they’re alive and looking busy and healthy.  Just want to make sure I care for them properly


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## Mike Moran (25 Sep 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Them pre filter sponges just squeeze them out in tap water all the good stuff is in canister its self no good bacteria on the ore filter sponges your rsc are lovly mike


Oh thanks for the tip -will just do them under the tap from now on then. Will definitely save a few minutes. Hope you’re right about the shrimp breeding!  At the moment though just happy to see them settled in and looking healthy.  I have five and 3 are definitely bigger and redder than other two,  who are smaller and a bit more see through, so I hope when if they breed the colours stay bright.


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## Mike Moran (25 Sep 2019)

alto said:


> Exciting updates
> (especially for me as I’d somehow missed this topic for ages   )
> Obviously in planted tanks biomedia efficiency tends to be less critical than in fish only systems, and washing those “prefilter” sponges in tap or conditioned water is unlikely to make any difference



Thank you so much for the info.  I’ll definitely just rinse the pre filter sponges under the tap from now on, but I don’t suppose it did any harm while the tank was settling in. The shrimp seem pretty active and content so I’m hoping this is a good sign that everything is healthy in the filter.


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## Mike Moran (25 Sep 2019)

So I grew a little impatient with the rotala  rotundifolia I mentioned above which was looking a little weedy and sorry for itself. It looked pretty luscious in George Farmer’s low tech scape (think it’s a sticky thread in the low tech section here or maybe an article in PFK)  so I was lulled into a false sense of security. How does he make everything look so Blue Peter ‘here’s one I made earlier!’ easy?  Whilst trying to work out what I’ve been doing wrong found a video of him giving his Rotala a pretty brutal prune with his ADA scissors.  So I thought I’d follow suit and give it a go.......




Ta Daah! Got to say I’m pretty pleased with result  what do you reckon? Even after just a few days the new growth looks much perkier, neater and more compact.  It’s even looking a bit pink on the newer top leaves.  I’ve heard that’s tricky to achieve in a low tech/low light tank so as a total beginner I’m feeling quite chuffed. 
As a reward I squeezed in a cheeky extra plant ( just peeking out) at the back - a limnophila sessiflora after a chat with Andy at ‘Aquarium Gardens’ shop. He used it in their beautiful low tech tank and it looks really healthy with an interesting structure and leaf shape.  I know it’s  common as muck and ridiculously easy to grow. But so is grass, and it doesn’t make me love my garden lawn less. Hope it will make a nice foil for the Rotala which I plan to keep shorter now so it looks at its best. Don’t judge my foreground crypts...I know they look a bit ropey. They’re next on my first aid list.


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## Jayefc1 (25 Sep 2019)

Your plants are growing long and leggy at the moment because they are searching for the light with a 45h beining taller the light has deeper to penetrate so the plants will grow upwards when you start to increase the light intensity they will stay lower if that makes sense 
Cheers 
Jay


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## Mike Moran (26 Sep 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Your plants are growing long and leggy at the moment because they are searching for the light with a 45h beining taller the light has deeper to penetrate so the plants will grow upwards when you start to increase the light intensity they will stay lower if that makes sense
> Cheers
> Jay


Thanks Jay. Yes it does make sense but I thought I had to keep the light levels low to avoid algae with it being non-CO2...am I getting it wrong? The light is a Twinstar 450S which is lovely but very bright. The current photoperiod is 8 hours dimmed to just 20% I was recommended 30% but found I was getting lots of algae. I’m adding one squirt of tropica premium every other day and 8 drops of dennerle bio carbon elixir. I was using tropica specialised but swapped when I put the shrimp in as nitrates were already showing when I tested the water so didn’t want to add more till the plants were using them up.  Ive definitely had less algae but now am I starving the plants of light? Or maybe the algae is because my light is too low and I just assumed it was because it was too high.


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## alto (26 Sep 2019)

I’d gradually increase the light - 20% is low and given the 45cm tank height (plus distance to light), substrate PAR is likely Low to v Low

Looking at the Rotala (do you know which variant?) there’s a longer internode distance at base, then much shorter at the growing tip ... but I don’t know how much of that growth is from ‘in tank’ vs before 

Can you post full tank shots? as well as closeups of various plants


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## Jayefc1 (26 Sep 2019)

As alto says 20% is very low with the distance to substrate id increase it by 5% each week till you get to about 50% for a low tech tank the twinstar is a strong light but is made for growing plants
Better growth means they will out compete alge
And ferts seem fine just remember as the plant mass grows so will the need for food
Cheers
Jay


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## Mike Moran (26 Sep 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> 20% is very low with the distance to substrate id increase it by 5% each week till you get to about 50%
> Cheers
> Jay


Thanks for the advice. The light was at 30% initially and I only dimmed it further last week so I’ve adjusted it back up and will gradually increase it as you recommended and keep you posted how it goes. Really appreciate the advice. Because I’ve never grown any of the plants before I didn’t even realise they looked leggy. I thought this was just what underwater plants looked like. But embarrassed I was proud of them now. So much to learn


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## Mike Moran (26 Sep 2019)

alto said:


> I’d gradually increase the light - 20% is low and given the 45cm tank height (plus distance to light), substrate PAR is likely Low to v Low
> 
> Looking at the Rotala (do you know which variant?) there’s a longer internode distance at base, then much shorter at the growing tip ... but I don’t know how much of that growth is from ‘in tank’ vs before
> 
> Can you post full tank shots? as well as closeups of various plants


Thanks Aalto. It’s great to have advice from someone with experience as I’ve just been trying to learn from you tube and other peoples journals etc along with some great advice from the staff at aquarium gardens. I saw other successful tanks where the plants were growing under standard aquarium lights with low wattage LEDS so just assumed my lighting from the Twinstar was on the high side even so heavily dimmed.  I knew I’d bought a deep tank and that might present a challenge and it’s definitely the foreground plants that seem to be least happy (except my staurogyne reopens) which looks healthy and compact with no algae at all. I’ll take some ‘whole tank’ pics later and put up a proper plant list (realise I should have done that at the very beginning) and you can see what you reckon.  Thanks again for all the helpful advice. The shrimp definitely all seem to like higher light levels.  They come running out to play straight away!


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## Jayefc1 (26 Sep 2019)

You shouke be proud of what you are achiving with the little experience its very much trial and error to start with and a lot of help from all the amazing people here most peiple dont realise the time and effort that has to be puy in to these lil underwater worlds and when they do they quickly fall short so your effort and patience will be worth it


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## Mike Moran (26 Sep 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> You shouke be proud of what you are achiving with the little experience its very much trial and error to start with and a lot of help from all the amazing people here most peiple dont realise the time and effort that has to be puy in to these lil underwater worlds and when they do they quickly fall short so your effort and patience will be worth it


Thanks for the encouragement. Itis a bit daunting sometimes when I don’t really know what I should be doing, so all the advice everyone is sharing is really appreciated. Even though Im making some mistakes I’m really enjoying it all so the maintenance doesn’t feel like a hassle. Obviously water changes and glass cleaning not the most exciting way to spend an hour, but it feels worth it when the tank looks clean and clear


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## Mike Moran (26 Sep 2019)

Six week tank anniversary today!  And an exciting addition to share. I’ve added some beautiful little fish - Seven Neon Green Rasboras (microdevario kubotai) are enjoying their new home. As promised, here’s a picture of how the whole tank is shaping up with a close up of the new occupants.


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## Jayefc1 (26 Sep 2019)

They are beautiful lil fish one of my favs they do like to be in larger numbers to feel safe if your going to put other fish in too personally i like them on there own with about 20 in a tank your size


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## Jayefc1 (26 Sep 2019)

Mike Moran said:


> all so the maintenance doesn’t feel like a hassle. Obviously water changes and glass cleaning not the most exciting way to spend an hour, but it feels worth it when the tank looks clean and clear


I actually enjoy the maintenance too it takes your mind of everything and is quiet relaxing t


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## Mike Moran (27 Sep 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> They are beautiful lil fish one of my favs they do like to be in larger numbers to feel safe if your going to put other fish in too personally i like them on there own with about 20 in a tank your size


I love them too. They’re amazing little fish. Seem really happy in the tank too, very active and enjoying their food. Yes, I was planning to put a few more in, maybe 10 or so, but they only had 7 at the shop. But I will put a few more in in the future as I know they’re happiest in a bigger shoal. l’ll keep the number on the light side until I’m sure the tank is settled in and  all the occupants are happy but so far so good. They seem quite content.


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## Monkfish (27 Sep 2019)

The neon greens are really nice. I’ve never seen them in any of the shops near me but might have to seek them out now!


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## CooKieS (27 Sep 2019)

Mike Moran said:


> I love them too. They’re amazing little fish. Seem really happy in the tank too, very active and enjoying their food. Yes, I was planning to put a few more in, maybe 10 or so, but they only had 7 at the shop. But I will put a few more in in the future as I know they’re happiest in a bigger shoal. l’ll keep the number on the light side until I’m sure the tank is settled in and  all the occupants are happy but so far so good. They seem quite content.



Had them in my 45liters iwagumi, they were always very active (even at night !) and made nice ditters fishes for my ember Tetra that were VERY Shy in comparaison.

Nice lifespan too.

They can jump as every danio but it happened only once in my tank and it was during waterchange so fishes were frightened and I've saved the jumper.


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## alto (27 Sep 2019)

One of my favourite fish
Based on what has shipped over the last few years, I’d guess there are 3 different species/locational variants that come in under the M kubotai label

The fat one is a bit suspect - I’d be concerned that it’s more than just eggs ready to explode 
(ie choose the more slender fish though it would’ve been cruel to leave that single fish behind and well beyond my own abilities)

They seem to be oxygen sensitive and it’s not uncommon to lose them singlely over several months (likely due to ammonia damage to gills during shipping)

They’re definitely much happier in larger groups and can display and spar and ..... 

Beware of them diving into an Eheim Skim 350      
I’d  left it running for maybe 10 minutes after transferring them between tanks - for however long it took me to catch the last and then realize I’d not unplugged the skimmer
It was late ... so then like a complete idiot I didn’t check the skimmer as I was SO CERTAIN none had gone near it  
   this morning


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## CooKieS (27 Sep 2019)

Eheim skim 350 is an killing machine that needs serious upgrade to avoid this by eheim.

I use mesh but it loses some succion, anyway better this than killing critters! I Lost 3 corydoras habrosus because of that skimmer


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## Mike Moran (3 Oct 2019)

alto said:


> The fat one is a bit suspect - I’d be concerned that it’s more than just eggs ready to explode
> (ie choose the more slender fish though it would’ve been cruel to leave that single fish behind and well beyond my own abilities


Sorry to hear about your skimmer disaster  they seem really inquisitive little fish and very attracted to the flow from the lily pipe. I can imagine they could easily get themselves into trouble. If my chubby one has lots of babies I’ll give you shout and we can top up your numbers after skimmergate. I hope it’s size is nothing sinister.  Its eating well and really active and swimming nicely so fingers crossed it’s just happy and well fed. Looks like me after a trip to the Toby carvery!


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## Mike Moran (3 Oct 2019)

Steve Buce said:


> As for attaching buce, i use superglue gel or fine fishing line, dont waste money on those ada bread tie thingys
> 
> Check out my tank thread, all buces attached with superglue or fishing line, the fishing line way is trickier to do,but it does work, when they have attached to the wood just cut away the f/line
> I can send you some, no prob
> ...


Thanks Steve. Will take a look now.  I’d taken the plunge with the ADA ties before I read your post. They were quite handy for reattaching the buce to my branches but it took quite a long piece to wrap around the wood and hold them firmly enough in place.  Not the prettiest solution, I bet your fishing line solution is a lot less visible, but I hope once the roots have attached I can unpeel the ties and Mother Nature will have done her job.


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## Mike Moran (3 Oct 2019)

Highs and lows in week 7 of the tank.  The bad (sad) news was I lost one of my lovely neon green rasboras.  It jumped out of the tank overnight and was too late to rescue by the time I found it in the morning. I feel bad about it, and have been reading to find out why it might have happened.  I was a bit of a shock as I’ve kept up with water changes and been monitoring the water parameters and everything was fine.  From what I’ve read, and the advice everyone’s helped me with, I think it might be about the numbers.  I only have six (I was hoping for at least 10) as that was all they had in the shop. Now, I think I should have waited until I could put in at least a dozen so they were able to school properly. Maybe it’s left them feeling a bit nervous and might explain why the little one made a bid for freedom. I really want to make sure it doesn’t happen again so as soon as I have a day off work I will drive to the nearest shop and bring them some friends.  My good news this week is that in the meantime Steve and Dave at aquarium gardens have come to the rescue with some beautiful frogbit to float on the top of the tank.  The fish seem instantly calmer with a bit of a hiding place and really love playing hide and seek in the roots. Hopefully they’ll be fine now till I find them some new tankmates.  I also picked up a dozen more beautiful red cherry shrimps from aquarium gardens and after a slow and careful acclimatisation they are looking very content on the rocks and plants.


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## Kalum (3 Oct 2019)

The floaters will help no end, I've not had a jumper (touch wood) since using them in my tanks


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## Siege (3 Oct 2019)

Hi Mike,

I am pleased the shrimp made it home safe and sound to sunny Brighton 

The Frogbit will look cool and spread quickly. Will also allow you to turn up the intensity of your Twinstar S light more safely.

I think the fish will appreciate some friends!


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## Mike Moran (3 Oct 2019)

Siege said:


> Hi Mike,
> 
> I am pleased the shrimp made it home safe and sound to sunny Brighton
> 
> ...


Yes they all made it home safe and sound....thanks for all the help. The shrimp look fantastic, and I’ll use the Christmas Moss on one of the branches. Hope your big water change went well.


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## Siege (3 Oct 2019)

Good to see you again. The Mini Christmas Moss will look nice, quite hard to get nowadays so your shrimp were treated! 

Big water change every week, thurs and fri are maintenance days.

Only problem is when if I get sidetracked and forget the hose is filling a tank! Usually caused by @Geoffrey Rea distracting me though.
He loves water pouring down whilst he is near an electric extension lead, so all is good!


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## Mike Moran (3 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> The floaters will help no end, I've not had a jumper (touch wood) since using them in my tanks


That’s good to hear, I’ve been a bit nervous to look in the morning since it happened.  I really like the look of the frogbit too. The roots are so cool.


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## Jayefc1 (3 Oct 2019)

I dont think its any thing you did mike they do like to jump a little its part of there playfull nature ive watched them swim down and shoot back to the surface out and back in several times i did lower my water a little after i had see them do it so that the tank wasn't filled to the brim so there was a little gap at the top just for peice of mind 
Cheers 
Jay


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## Mike Moran (6 Oct 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> I dont think its any thing you did mike they do like to jump a little its part of there playfull nature ive watched them swim down and shoot back to the surface out and back in several times i did lower my water a little after i had see them do it so that the tank wasn't filled to the brim so there was a little gap at the top just for peice of mind
> Cheers
> Jay


Thanks Jay. Did feel bad about the little fella, I’ve followed your suggestion and lowered the water level a bit so hopefully no more doomed bids for freedom.


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## Mike Moran (6 Oct 2019)

Siege said:


> Good to see you again. The Mini Christmas Moss will look nice, quite hard to get nowadays so your shrimp were treated!
> 
> Big water change every week, thurs and fri are maintenance days.
> 
> ...


Who knew aquascaping was an extreme sport? Clearly taking your life in your hands with these water changes- try not to kill each other and blow the shop up  
Mini Christmas moss going in tonight when I get in from work. Think I need at least an hour to battle that fiddly cotton.


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## Mike Moran (10 Oct 2019)

The tanks been running for two months now so I thought it’s a good time to post a picture. (the water is a little cloudy and stained as I’ve just done the weekly maintenance and added a catappa leaf to condition the water for the fish and shrimp) I’m really pleased with how it’s settling in so I’d love to know what you all think? Considering it’s a low energy tank I’m amazed how much the plants have grown. Won’t be long before some of the background stems need a trim.  I’ve made several changes this week:
1. I’ve followed your recommendation and increased the numbers of the neon green rasboras (microdevario kubotai). Thank you everyone. It was great advice! The addition of some new friends for the original fish has made such a difference. The new tank mates have bonded well and everyone is schooling nicely, much calmer behaviour, much more playful rather than territorial. I’ve 14 altogether now and,to my eye, it looks about the right number for the tank.
2. I’ve increased the light intensity from 40% to 50% (up from 30% the week before) with a photoperiod of eight hours.  I took out the hours break in the middle of the day as I thought it was probably confusing for the fish, but left in a gradual sunrise and sunset ramp  to be gentle on the fish. The quality of the plant growth has improved no end over the last fortnight. Not so much that they’re growing faster, but the growth is less stringy, more compact, and healthier looking.  Algae which was plaguing the leaves, particularly on the foreground crypts, has all but disappeared.
3. I’ve added some Mini Christmas moss to the lower section of the largest manzanita branch. I figured it would look best lower down as it grows outwards in a bushy fashion, is that correct? Big thanks to @Siege for the gift of the moss. I guess my Christmas came early.
4. 25 litre weekly water change (about 50%) and new fert regime. I was adding  tropica premium, one squirt every other day. Now I alternate this with specialised nutrition to add macro nutrients now the plants are growing well and algae is less of an issue. I also add 8 drops of Dennerle carbo elixir BIO as a more natural substitute for liquid carbon. Does anyone else use this? I’d love to know what you reckon, and also if that dose sounds correct?

It’s been a really exciting few months and I’m really enjoying the tank. There’s been SO much to learn but I’m starting to feel more confident now.  The comments, encouragement and friendly advice from members of the forum have been invaluable. Thanks everyone for getting me through the first few months without too many hiccups!


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## Jayefc1 (10 Oct 2019)

Im sure its been as much a pleasure for us to see it developing into a beautiful lil scape thanks for sharing and keep up the journal 
Cheers
Jay


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## Mike Moran (11 Oct 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Im sure its been as much a pleasure for us to see it developing into a beautiful lil scape thanks for sharing and keep up the journal
> Cheers
> Jay


Thanks for all the advice Jay, it’s been a great help


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## Mike Moran (11 Oct 2019)

Exciting news from the tank: Big Shelley (my favourite cherry shrimp) is getting even bigger!


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## Jayefc1 (12 Oct 2019)

You will have to many to name soon lol 
Cheers 
Jay


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## Mike Moran (12 Oct 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> You will have to many to name soon lol
> Cheers
> Jay


I hope so!  Big Shelley is definitely the biggest reddest and best looking of the shrimp so I’m not surprised she found an ‘admirer’ so quickly. Don’t know how long they take to hatch so I’m going to find/make a filter inlet cover.  Can’t have the kids getting hoovered up into the filter


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## Siege (12 Oct 2019)

They’ll be fine in the prefilter!

Just pour the water into a jug when you clean it and fish the shrimp out!


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## Jayefc1 (12 Oct 2019)

Yeah that is what i do in my 60p found 23 yellow sukura babies and juves in there last wed but hadnt done the pre filter for 2 weeks i know that is bad but sometimes work gets the better of us all my partner is know as the shrimp whisperer and she actually loves spending half an hour catching them (well that what i tell myself)
Cheers
Jay


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## Mike Moran (12 Oct 2019)

Siege said:


> They’ll be fine in the prefilter!
> 
> Just pour the water into a jug when you clean it and fish the shrimp out!



So confession time: the last time I cleaned the pre-filter a full grown shrimp had got sucked in. I had no idea this was possible -the gaps in the glassware looked so narrow. I was rinsing the sponges and I spotted it, a millisecond too late, swirling down the kitchen sink plug hole. After a minor freak out I grabbed a sieve, ran outside and placed it under the drain pipe. Then I ran back in, turned on the tap and managed to flush it through the sink pipe and into the sieve. Was still wriggling so I just ran straight to the tank and plopped it back in. It just swam off and was right as a bobbin! I was too embarrassed to mention it here, especially after my Rasbora suicide. I’ll definitely be double- checking the sponges from now on


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## chefski (13 Oct 2019)

Wow quick thinking, bet you were frantic.


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## Jayefc1 (13 Oct 2019)

Haha thats brilliant and your not the first and wont be the last to flush a shrimp mate
Cheers 
Jay


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## Mike Moran (21 Oct 2019)

Its not been a vintage week for my tank I’m afraid.  The poor wee Rasboras have become sick, and I’ve lost two of them over the weekend. I think internal parasites might be to blame as I test the water every week and nitrite still zero and nitrates are where they should be. I noticed a range of symptoms affected several of the fish white and red marks on their bodies and fins (patches rather than spots) one, that also looked bloated, had what I think I’ve identified as an anchor worm sticking out of its side. At the bottom of the tank I’ve also seen  three different small unwelcome guests. 
1. Small white crawling round things the size of a pinhead crawling on the glass
2. A very small grey leech/fluke type creature
3. Some very thin white worms in the substrate
Feeling pretty sad as I’ve tried very hard to ensure the tanks been well cared for. It was set up with beautiful clean and pest free tropica plants and I’ve had no problems till the fish went in.  I acclimatised them properly and didn’t add any of the fish shop water to the tank.  I’ve fed them carefully just small amounts for two minutes so as not to have build up of waste food. I have fed them occasional treats of  frozen live food from blister packs and this is the only other place I can think I’ve introduced a problem. 

As I have my lovely cherry shrimp I’ve tried to research a safe medication to use. So yesterday I added a (4ml)  dose of seachem paraguard. I’ve had no more losses and the fish seem brighter today. But some of the pest seem alive and well at the bottom of the tank.  On the upside my shrimp still look happy and healthy and don’t seem upset by the medication. If anyone has any suggestions/advice I’d be most grateful. I have a small empty tank I could potentially set up as a hospital tank but it is empty so I couldn’t cycle it in time and in any case I imagine my whole system is now infected not just the fish. Definitely not my finest week


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## dw1305 (21 Oct 2019)

Hi all, 
Sorry for your losses, but don't panic.





Mike Moran said:


> 1. Small white crawling round things the size of a pinhead crawling on the glass


Possibly seed shrimps, <"Ostracods?">. 





Mike Moran said:


> 2. A very small grey leech/fluke type creature


Possibly <"a Leech">, or more <"likely a Flatworm">.





Mike Moran said:


> 3. Some very thin white worms in the substrate


Almost certainly <"Detritus worms"> (<"Naididae">).

Ostracods are pretty much universal in fresh water, they have persistent eggs that can blow around in the wind (like algal spores) and I've had them in buckets of rain-water etc. The same with Naididae, Planaria (and Hydra), they are really common in any reasonably clean freshwater. 

cheers Darrel


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## Mike Moran (22 Oct 2019)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> Sorry for your losses, but don't panic.Possibly seed shrimps, <"Ostracods?">. Possibly <"a Leech">, or more <"likely a Flatworm">.Almost certainly <"Detritus worms"> (<"Naididae">)



Thanks Darrel. Those names were really helpful. I’ve looked them all up and I reckon your IDs were spot on. As most apart from the flatworm look pretty standard Im feeling more hopeful. At least two of the remaining fish looking sick so I’m hoping the medication works some magic.  Really appreciate the help. Thank you.


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## dw1305 (22 Oct 2019)

Hi all, 





Mike Moran said:


> Thanks Darrel. Those names were really helpful. I’ve looked them all up and I reckon your IDs were spot on. As most apart from the flatworm look pretty standard Im feeling more hopeful. At least two of the remaining fish looking sick so I’m hoping the medication works some magic.


Fingers crossed for the fish, unfortunately it may well be things that happened to the fish before you got them.  

Have a look at <"Bugs you might encounter">.  Usually, unless it is physically attached to the fish, bugs that you can see in the tank aren't parasites

We have a <"few threads"> about the various uninvited guests we get in the tanks (and particularly shrimp tanks). Personally I've learned to live with _Planaria _etc. 

cheers Darrel


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## Mike Moran (22 Oct 2019)

Have a look at <"Bugs you might encounter">.  Usually, unless it is physically attached to the fish, bugs that you can see in the tank aren't parasites
Thanks! didn’t realise there were so many ‘ tank friends’ who might pop round uninvited! Wish I’d not look at it while I was eating my dinner though. Lol.


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## CooKieS (22 Oct 2019)

Mike Moran said:


> Have a look at <"Bugs you might encounter">.  Usually, unless it is physically attached to the fish, bugs that you can see in the tank aren't parasites
> Thanks! didn’t realise there were so many ‘ tank friends’ who might pop round uninvited! Wish I’d not look at it while I was eating my dinner though. Lol.



Don't worry, Fishes love to eat those bugs for donner


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## Mike Moran (29 Oct 2019)

Very happy news from the Rasboras after a touch and go week in the tank.  I’ve had no more losses and everyone is looking MUCH more healthy.  I’ve been dosing Easy Life Voogle for a full course, having dosed Seachem Paraguard for few days. I stopped the Paraguard after losing a cherry shrimp on day two. Obviously not wanting to kill my shrimp creature trying to cure my fish. 
Honestly, I’m still not sure what the problem was/is or which treatment fixed it but I’m just really happy to see my fish looking healthier again. The fish had red blotches by their tail and lost colour with milky white patches on their bodies and fins. From  what I read it was either haemorrhagic septicimea (caused by a virus) or ammonia poisoning (caused by me I guess but it never showed up on my weekly water tests). I guess I won’t know whether it was my fault or not but I’m just very glad they’re on the mend. The guilt has kept me awake!
After over a week with no water change due to the meds  the tank itself is looking pretty awful. I have lots of brown algae/diatoms on the glass rocks and all but the newest plat leaves.  I know it’s common in a non CO2 tank. I’m not sure if this is from too much/too little light or nutrient problem or an ammonia spike I haven’t detected so I’m going to ask in the algae forum and see if anyone might spot where I’m slipping up.


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## Mike Moran (31 Oct 2019)

After spending the best part of the evening trawling the ‘algae’ ‘ferts’ and ‘lighting’ forums (is it a bit sad that I enjoyed it?)  I’ve come to the conclusion I’ve made a rookie mistake with my my lighting that has caused my algae. I have a twinstar 450SA which is sexy and I love but I think performance-wise is probably better suited to a high tech set up. 
Since planting the tank I’ve gradually raised the intensity from 30% at set up to 50% and I think this has caused diatoms to flourish. My tank now has a none too attractive brown coating on pretty much every surface.  I am a muppet for this....I was told to keep my lights at 30% but panicked when I started to get small amounts of diatoms.  I read general algae guides, and several said it is caused by low light or is particularly common in low tech tanks so I turned my lights up assuming light was the cause. With more reading, helpful advice from @dw1305 about the ‘duckweed index’ and a generous gift of Aquarium Gardens celebrity frogbit from @Siege I now think my algae may be because my plants were a bit undernourished and the algae was outcompeting. My frogbit was pale and yellowing and greened up within a week once I increased my dose of tropica food. Unfortunately I was trying to do too many things at once...cure the algae and improve my plant health.  So what I’ve mistakenly done is up both my lights and my ferts. On top of this my new fish got ill  and I had to medicate which prevented a weekly clean and water change. So too much light, extra ferts and less cleaning in combination. Viola! Algae soup

Now I’ve just got to work out how to get the tank back in control. So far I’ve:
1. Reduced lighting back to 8 hours dimmed at 30%
2.Using fogbit to manage dosing...tropica premium 1 squirt tropica specialised 1 squirt per week. (The tank is 55l) but with soil and big rock so I think about about 40l water)
3. 50% water change each week as usual but today I’m going to do an extra clean and 50% change to reduce to diatoms.
4. I’m going to add 5 nerite  snails to help general clean-up.   
5. Consider replacing the plants I can’t clean the algae off. 

Hope all this sounds sensible. Diatoms teaching me who’s boss.


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## Siege (31 Oct 2019)

Sounds good. Pay attention to the floating plants, they’ll tell you if you need to dose more.

Don’t be afraid of doing 2 large water changes on the trot. It’ll do the tank good.

I think you are ready for co2.........!

Ps. It’s easy, Dave or myself will go through it with you.


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## Kalum (31 Oct 2019)

@Mike Moran don't beat yourself up we've all been through it and still battle the same things years down the line, if it was easy we would all have contest escapes but it sounds like you've got the right attitude and wanting to learn and noticing your mistakes and more importantly listening to the more seasoned ones on here which can be hard when you're told some home truths at times 

Enjoy the journey and soak it up but keep it simple, no better feeling than when it all starts coming together and your tank is 100x better than my first couple of tanks


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## Mike Moran (31 Oct 2019)

Siege said:


> I think you are ready for co2.........!


Haha.  I think I’d better learn how to grow my plants a bit better first, I’m bad enough at growing them slowly   That frogbit is a godsend though, thank you....it’s had a lot of babies so at least one thing is thriving! 
Not one to give in though, I’m still loving it. I’ve taken your advice and done a big 70% water change, and I’ve started the clean the plants manually to see what I can recover.  Hoping the algae will slow down now I’ve corrected the lighting- can’t say you and Dave didn’t warn me Will give you guys a call next week to get some extra plants. On the bright side my mini Christmas moss is attaching nicely!


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## Mike Moran (31 Oct 2019)

Kalum said:


> Enjoy the journey and soak it up but keep it simple, no better feeling than when it all starts coming together and your tank is 100x better than my first couple of tanks ;)



Thanks  so much for this. I’ve messed up a bit this week but I’m still really enjoying it, just trying to learn as I go.  The sick fish was a low point I’ve got to be honest, just in case it was something I did. But I do think they may have been poorly before I brought them home as one was bloated (as I didn’t know any better I thought it was pregnant)  and there was a sick one in the tank at shop.
Plantswise, I’m not a bad gardener so thought I might have a knack for a planted tanks but I definitely underestimated the skill it takes.  I’ve realised part of what makes scapes beautiful is how effortless they look.  I don’t need mine to be a showstopper, just healthy and green with some happy fish. If I can get my bucephalandra to grow as well as my beetroot I’ll be a happy chap! Thanks again for the encouragement:thumbup:
[ATTACH]128680[/ATTACH]


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## Jayefc1 (31 Oct 2019)

Wow mate them beets looks so good could do so much with them head spinning with dishes
Sorry to hear you have finally suffered the dreaded diotoms reading back through i think you probably increased the light to fast and coupled with missed water changes to the medication of the fish things just went a little out of balance but its nothing a beet grower like you cant handle as @Siege says do a a couple of water changes a week for 2 weeks i find rinsing the pre filter sponges out every other day really helps as they seem to get dirty rely fast in this period and any plant matter they catch is not good so get ride ouickly
Just keep on rubbing the leaves to get the dirt off as before and a couple of snails will defo help
Cheers
Jay


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## Mike Moran (2 Nov 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Sorry to hear you have finally suffered the dreaded diotoms[/QUOTE
> Haha thanks Jay. I’m guessing the diatoms are a rite of passage. Definitely doing better with my emersed (veg patch) growing Thanks very much for the tips. I’m following them all and things are already starting to look much better. I did a big water change yesterday and I’m going to do another tomorrow and give all the leaves a thorough clean. I also have a few new nerite snails to help me out with the algae clean up....they’re certainly not going to go hungry for the next few weeks! They’re brilliant....way better at cleaning the leaves than I am!


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## Jayefc1 (2 Nov 2019)

I cant cope with the eggs but have got racing strip red snails they gont seem to leave eggs but do like to climb out of the tank lol 
Cheers
Jay


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## Mike Moran (2 Nov 2019)

They climb out?  Mine would be foolish to try that at the moment ...all that algae, its a snail all-you-can-eat buffet in there!


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## Jayefc1 (2 Nov 2019)

Haha they will be loving it lol my lil boy is the cheif snail petroler he just pops them.back in now 
Cheers 
Jay


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## Mike Moran (11 Nov 2019)

Great tanks news this week. Big Shelley my favourite shrimp has had A LOT of babies!They’re ridiculously cute and they’re everywhere. I’ve rescued 5 from the pre filter already!


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## Jayefc1 (11 Nov 2019)

Congratulations mike


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## Mike Moran (9 Dec 2019)

Over the last few weeks I’ve done a gentle rescape to make room for extra carpeting plants  (Sagittaria subulata and helanthium tenellum green). I removed a large rock that I thought looked a bit clumsy and added some Anubias nana bonsai and hydrophila pinnatifida (hopefully eventually to grow emersed) to the higher branches. The fish are healthy now and the baby shrimp are growing up fast. Hope you think it’s an improvement.


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## Mike Moran (9 Dec 2019)

Jayefc1 said:


> Congratulations mike


thank you


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## Mike Moran (5 Jan 2020)

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you’ve all had lots of time over the holidays to enjoy your tanks. A quick photo of my tank to show how the new plants are settling. It’s slow progress with it being non co2 and I don’t think I’m getting the feeding completely right. But the fish and snails look healthy and the shrimp are breeding like crazy so definitely some progress!


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## Mike Moran (17 Jan 2020)

Wishing I’d not been so excited to try my new seachem purigen and read the ‘rinse first’ instructions before adding it to my filter


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## Iain Sutherland (17 Jan 2020)

Mike Moran said:


> Wishing I’d not been so excited to try my new seachem purigen and read the ‘rinse first’ instructions before adding it to my filter
> View attachment 130780


Bit of purigen will clear that up 

In seriousness I've never rinsed purigen and never had this... maybe its changed since I last used it a few years back....

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Kalum (17 Jan 2020)

i've always washed it and it does give off a milky/dust residue when washing but that seems pretty extreme

as much as @Iain Sutherland is on the wind up....the purigen might actually pick it back up on the way through again


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## Mike Moran (17 Jan 2020)

Iain Sutherland said:


> Bit of purigen will clear that up


Lol. I hope so - foggier than the backdrop in a Bonnie Tyler video


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## Mike Moran (17 Jan 2020)

Kalum said:


> as much as @Iain Sutherland is on the wind up....the purigen might actually pick it back up on the way through again


Do you know I think it actually is - waters already starting to look clearer. Maybe I’ve moppped up my own mistake? The moss still seems to have a light covering of the white dust.  Shame it’s a month late, it actually looks quite Christmasy


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## Mike Moran (7 Feb 2020)

Tank is clean and clear again after my rookie mistake with the Purigen. As proof here’s a close up of my Bumblebee Clithon (the wee bee) happily hoovering the Anubias Nana.


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## Mike Moran (9 Feb 2020)

For fellow enviro-geeks a link to an article about fashion combatting the climate crisis with algae coated textiles. If it’s the same kind currently coating my stem plants I must be off-setting at least a long haul fligtht. BBA raincoat anyone?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/08/fashion-living-garments-suck-carbon-from-air


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## Mike Moran (5 Mar 2020)

Very pleased with my new Bucephalandra Biblis, a birthday treat from Aquarium Gardens. love the wavy leaves and deep colour. 

 Thanks @Siege for help with the choosing. It’s already looking settled in.


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## castle (29 Apr 2020)

Hows this one getting on @Mike Moran


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## Mike Moran (16 May 2020)

castle said:


> Hows this one getting on @Mike Moran


Thanks for asking🙏 I’ve been a bit too embarrassed to put any pics up recently. to improve the plant health I decided to inject CO2. But I haven’t managed to get the balance quite right with light/nutrients too and have had BBA outbreak as a result 😳
Anyway  here’s an honest picture-  The plants are definitely growing healthier and faster. Unfortunately so is some of the algae!


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## Mike Moran (21 Jun 2020)

Hi everyone! Thought I’d post a pic of some new additions to my tank - some lovely ember tetras. They’ve settle in very happily with the neon rasboras and seem to love frolicking in the plants. The greenery is looking much healthier with the addition of the CO2. Think I’ve got the levels right now and I’m gradually upping the light intensity. Happy days.


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## hypnogogia (21 Jun 2020)

Are you going high tech then?


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## castle (18 Nov 2020)

@Mike Moran been a while since your last update Mike, how's it going?


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