# Johns 717l / 157G Tank



## johnb (23 Mar 2008)

Hi
So after receiving so much assistance so far thought I would start a journal and see how it goes
The aim is for a planted community tank, the setup is:

*Tank*
Rena Aqualife 200 x 50
Volume in litres: 717
Tank Volume in imperial gallons: 157
Water Volume in imperial gallons: 146

*Filtration* provide by 2 FLUVAL FX5 Canister Filters each filter in theory each will do 3500 lph

*Heating*
2 x In line hydro heaters â€“ 300w

Current lighting (which will be upgraded when I can afford to)

4 x 58W-150cm tubes

*CO2*
Iâ€™m looking at inline diffusers although I have a â€“ I do have a JBL Profi2 which I like, ive signed up with BOC and have 2 large bottles so I may simply get another JBL Profi2, from all the research CO2 is a very variable subject and creates lots of discussion

*Substrate*
250lbs of Eco-Complete

Picked up loads of accessories (filter media, some cool word and rocks) from my local very friendly LFS â€“ Can I mention that Chris from Maidenhead aquatics in Morden has been so help full and I will be a regular customer.

So I have most of what I need picked up 4 bags of Eco-Complete from Chris on Sat (9 bags on order)  and some lovely wood, brought it home sat looking at it, bank holiday so it had to be started. I have setup the filters, put in what substrate I have and popped the wood to allow it to soak so by next weekend it should be saturated and not try to float ?, it was not all plain sailing the hoses that come with the Fluval FX5 are not the most bendy hoses in the world, any way lots of messing around etc and its done, the inlets \ outlets for each filter are at each end of the tank, the filters are very quiet I have one in each cupboard nd you really donâ€™t know they are there, they have an outlet to allow for draining which is perfect so I have attached and routed a pipe to allow for water changes.

I will need to adjust the lid to allow for the hoses going out the back.

I thought a lot about the background and read of some real disasters with internal ones,  so I ended up with black wallpaper on the back of the tank, its quite effective and achieves what I wanted. 

So now I have the tank just over half full, filters installed and wood soaking, next week end I will begetting the rest of the substrate then I can really get going.

Iâ€™m sure ive made some mistakes and im probably to keen to get water in in ?, there are no fish so worst case im wasting time â€“ im optimistic

I have included some pics â€“ I have an old digital camera but im sure I will get better at taking pictures.

John


Yes awull pic but it gives an idea of the size - something i had not really appreciated






This is a better one shows some of the wood nicely.





Oh im using photobucket so unless i pay a bit im restricted on size (will work on that)


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## ceg4048 (23 Mar 2008)

Hi John,
            Good start. It was wise of you to join the BOC even though they are a bit expensive. I LOVE your filtration choice mate!   Don't skimp on the media though. I think the Fluval comes with mostly foam but to take full advantage of the filters you really ought to ditch the foam and go for the ceramic biomedia to give yourself as much surface area as possible.

The wood will take weeks if not months to not float I think.   The tank appears to be taller than I expected and not as long. I guess that means it fits in the room better but with that depth you really are going to have difficulty getting good CO2 saturation. Are you 7 ft tall? Can you reach down into that beast and touch the bottom?   Be sure to study the CO2 article in the Cookbook section for CO2 application and measurement. You definitely want dual CO2 reactors.

240 watts (is that T5?) is actually a blessing in disguise. A mistake that many make in the beginning is to get megawattage only to see an algae farm develop. Take your time on the lights. That should be the last thing on your agenda. 3 or 4 months to get the tank stabilized and when you upgrade the lights you'll have something really spectacular.

Well done mate.

Cheers,


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## TDI-line (23 Mar 2008)

Good luck John, it will soon be up and running. 

Just for a comparison, just spent 2 days doing a full strip down (except gravel), re-scape, full re-plant and 300 litre water change of my 720 litre tank, also took a few photos.  

But they do look great at the end.  

What height and width is your tank?

Any plans for plants and fish?


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## planter (23 Mar 2008)

Hi John,

Good to see your up and running! cant wait till that wood sinks and you can start aquascaping. I think those rocks will blend niceley with the substrate too. I pressume the Jbl pressure regulator fitted your BOC bottles ok then? are you planning on upgrading the lighting at some point? 

Will enjoy watching this journal


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## johnb (23 Mar 2008)

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Hi John,
> Don't skimp on the media though. I think the Fluval comes with mostly foam but to take full advantage of the filters you really ought to ditch the foam and go for the ceramic biomedia to give yourself as much surface area as possible.,



Noted, I have other media, leaving the foam till after next week when i add another 200lbs of substrate, then i will put the real media in




			
				ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Can you reach down into that beast and touch the bottom? :shock.


Nope have to stand on cofee table, floor to top of tank is 58 inches



			
				ceg4048 said:
			
		

> You definitely want dual CO2 reactors.


Yes im planning two feeds (got 2 cylinders from BOC)



			
				planter said:
			
		

> I pressume the Jbl pressure regulator fitted your BOC bottles ok then? .



Well thats what i thought !!!, no its to big, have no idea why but its simply wrong, I have another regulator on order via Ebay so hope that fits ?, learnt the hardway there.





			
				TDI-line said:
			
		

> Any plans for plants and fish?


Dont have a clue, get some fast growing plants to start with, as for fish dont know were to start, i have so much choice, open to any thoughts


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## ceg4048 (24 Mar 2008)

johnb said:
			
		

> ceg4048 said:
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Ummm..I think your going to have to get a dedicated stand for this (perhaps a fold-away?) Can't imagine the Mrs. will continue to support this kind of behavior.  



			
				johnb said:
			
		

> planter said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Which regulator is this JBL? These should be a standard industry coupling nut. Normally, the only way it doesn't fit is if this is a regulator for a non-refillable bottle (and usually it would be too small, not to large). Do you have a photo? I'd be interested to see for future reference.



			
				johnb said:
			
		

> TDI-line said:
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> 
> 
> ...



In my opinion the top priority would be to just get this system running and to get the ecology stabilized. Aquascaping and fish should come much later. For about Â£30 you can get the Greenline 150-180cm XL SUPER Discus Collection (150+ PLANTS) which this tank will swallow easily (so maybe get two packages - 300+ plants). I'd also add groves of hygroplilas  such as augustifolia and carymbosa.

The crypts and swords quickly develop root structures which oxygenates the substrate and encourages the growth of ammonia fixing bacteria in the soil. The hygroplila stems augment the swords/crypts to quickly remove ammonia from the water column. These are important functions to minimize algal blooms. Leave the fish out for now while you experiment to determine how to optimize CO2 injection and flow.

After you stabilize the tank, find out what grows well and what doesn't (and why) you can start to move things around, get rid of the plants you don't like and to implement your aquascaping ideas. You can then add fish to complement the aquascape. More than likely, after a time when you can see the plants develop in 3D you will have a much clearer idea about the direction you want the scape to go, which at this point is  vague.  

Cheers,


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## johnb (27 Mar 2008)

planter said:
			
		

> I pressume the Jbl pressure regulator fitted your BOC bottles ok then? .





			
				johnb said:
			
		

> Well thats what i thought !!!, no its to big, have no idea why but its simply wrong, I have another regulator on order via Ebay so hope that fits ?, learnt the hardway there.





			
				planter said:
			
		

> Which regulator is this JBL? These should be a standard industry coupling nut. Normally, the only way it doesn't fit is if this is a regulator for a non-refillable bottle (and usually it would be too small, not to large). Do you have a photo? I'd be interested to see for future reference.


It was all me, a proper lokk and it fits no problem. Thanks John B


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## johnb (27 Mar 2008)

Some progress so here is an update. Received a further 9 bags of eco-complete today adding them to the existing 4 makes a total of 13 bags (20lbs bags) so I have had a go at scaping, deliberately avoided keeping everything square, so eco added and wood positioned and rocks. Added the Hydro 300w heaters (1 to each filter), what a nightmare - Hydros are 16mm and outlet from FX5 is 25mm, got some reducers from my lfs and after many attempts its all watertight. I have added media to the Filters and its all running ok, it is a little cloudy after all the moving around of the substrate, hoping by the morning it will be nice and clear   .

Took my first readings today

PH7
Nitrite 0.3
Nitrate 20
Ammonia 0
Will do hardness tomorrow once the CO2 has been on for a few hours, do have a visual CO2 indication and it went from blue to light yellow once the CO2 had been on a while, so whilst the amount of CO2 in the water may not be correct at least i know its working.
Tomorrow is planting day - Cant wait
I have added some pics (im getting better at pics.

Regards to all

John B

I seem to fail at inserting the images here or gettingthem full size so i have included links which should open in a new window

General view x 2
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/johnb_001/ST831349.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm105/johnb_001/ST831342.jpg


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## Ed Seeley (28 Mar 2008)

In your album just click below the pictures where it says, "IMG CODE" and paste them into your post.


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## Themuleous (28 Mar 2008)

Loving the wood!


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## planter (28 Mar 2008)

Getting there john! The wood looks fantastic. You might slope the substrate to add some depth as the 2m Rena aqualife is long tall and narrow.  Nice tank (very jealous).


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## aaronnorth (28 Mar 2008)

Thats the tank i wanted but it's too big  

I like the wood positioning


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## Martin (28 Mar 2008)

Wow 13 bags of eco complete    that's one hell of an investment! Good stuff though, I'm using it in my tanks. Nice set up , looking good so far John.


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## LondonDragon (28 Mar 2008)

Now this is a huge tank, wish I had the space for something this size!! Can't wait to see it develop 
Keep us posted with photos, good luck with the project


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## George Farmer (29 Mar 2008)

Good job, John.  I look forward to following this beauty!

Are you still running the 4x2x2'?


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## johnb (29 Mar 2008)

Well got some plants in, im no aquatic gardener, however I like it, im aware that it wont be long and I shall be pruning but we will see how it goes

The pictures are below, I have planted;

Limnophilla aromatica
Rotala wallichii
Hygrophilla corymbosa
Hygrophila rosae australis
Heteranthera zosterifolia
 (and a few other but cant find the tags)

I see some plants have bubbles on them which is good, and some donâ€™t ? (see pictures)
I think somewhere on the forum there is a chart that I can use to determine PPM using the PH and DKH ?
I see some plants have bubbles on them which is good, and some donâ€™t ? (see pictures)

I have included some water results taken after the CO2 has been on for 3 hours,  the info is listed below, its only day 2 but comments appreciated

	Tap Water	Tank	Tank
		27-Mar	28-Mar
PH	8	7	7
Ammonia	0	0	0
Nitrate (NO2)	0.1	0.1	0.3
Nitrite (NO3)	5	20	20
KH Carbonate Hardness in dKH	12	12	14
Dissolved C02 in PPM			



Regards

John B

General Views







Bubbles and no bubbles


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## planter (29 Mar 2008)

Someones been busy! heres a link john to a co2 calculator - http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm

As well as the plants you mention John I can see - 

Micranthemum Umbrosum 
Pogostemon Helferi
Lilaeopsis


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## ceg4048 (29 Mar 2008)

planter said:
			
		

> ...heres a link john to a co2 calculator - http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm ...



Hi,
    This calculator will not work properly if you are measuring the pH and kH of your tank water to use in those calculations. You will always calculate a higher CO2 ppm than you actually have in the tank and this will cause you no end to grief, especially in a tank that size. You should get a drop checker and use 4 dKH water in the dropchecker. See this article regarding CO2 measurement with a dropchecker: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=467

Cheers,


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## Ed Seeley (29 Mar 2008)

Looking good.  I like the wood and the space you've got is going to look great when everything grows in.  I think however you really need to spread the clumps of plants out more.  The Lileaopsis especially will look best spread out in much smaller clumps to grow out into a nice lawn. 

As Clive says, get a drop checker to measure your CO2 levels.  Other things apart from the KH effect the pH in a tank and will mean the CO2 calcuation could be miles off, whereas in a 4dKH drop checker only the CO2 concentration will alter the colour of the drop checker.


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## planter (29 Mar 2008)

Have to admit its been a looong time since I bothered to check my Co2 level. Pearling plants and No algae and im happy    Used the Co2 tables (chucks/Tropica) on recommendation when I started out and spent a long time cross referencing the table results with a drop checker and they always seemed to tally up. I soon gave up on testing regualrly as you begin to instinctivley (spelling?) know when all is well.  Have to say have never (touch wood) had problems. I guess thats the joy of the forum John, when given conflicting advice you can choose to go with the majority! Im sure Ceg knows what hes talking about! You only need to take a look at his tanks/plants.


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## John Starkey (29 Mar 2008)

Hi John,thats one hell of a big setup and i wish you luck, my setup at 150x20x60 is very hard work so i wish you all the very best. Are you following EI to feed your plants? i know plants are exspensive but i think you should plant more heavily if possible to avoid any algae issues but i like what you have done so far, regards john


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## johnb (29 Mar 2008)

Thanks to all for the helpful comments. IVe installed a drop checker as advised. I can see some of the plants pearling which is good, but only some of them, do all plants do this or are some more prolific than others ?

John B


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## TDI-line (30 Mar 2008)

Looking good John.


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## Ed Seeley (30 Mar 2008)

johnb said:
			
		

> Thanks to all for the helpful comments. IVe installed a drop checker as advised. I can see some of the plants pearling which is good, but only some of them, do all plants do this or are some more prolific than others ?
> 
> John B



IME all plants can pearl but some pearl more than others and some are more noticeable than others!  In my tank the cabomba and Hygrophila pearling isn't as evident as the swords and the mosses (surprisingly!).  However the most obvious is usually the lilies as the bubbles under the leaves can cause the leaves to fold up!
Newly planted plants can often take a few days or so to settle down and grow and pearl heavily too.


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## johnb (30 Mar 2008)

*CO2 Update*

So I installed a drop checker, here is progress
10.00 am
Drop checker installed, colour Blue
11.00 am
CO2 Comes on
12.00 am
Lights come on
12.30 pm
Pearling seems to start
14.30
Pearling well
Drop checker now a greenish color ?

I think overall with the amount of plants etc im on the right lines, as I get more plants anf of course they start to grow I will need to add my second feed of CO2

Feedback always appreciated

John B

Drop Checker Initial color




Drop Checker after CO2 has been on for some 3 hrs



Pearling after some 3 hrs


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## ceg4048 (30 Mar 2008)

Hi john,
            Yes, this is a typical profile. The dropchecker, has such a depressingly slow response time that you only ever know what the CO2 value was a few hours ago. As a learning tool you might want to consider testing the pH of the tank water every hour for the duration of the photoperiod and plotting a graph with time on the horizontal axis and pH on the vertical axis. A pH probe is always better for this because it could get tedious. Mark on the graph at what time the dropchecker is stable lime green/yellow. Visually, you'll be able to see the profile of the pH change in the tank water. If this profile exercise is done long term you will be able to get a quick idea, by noting what the pH of the tank water is at the time when the lime green color stabilizes. It will be just a guide but it may enable you to do quick troubleshooting in the future.

As plant biomass increases the CO2 demand will definitely increase and you will be able to note this by seeing that the tank pH does not drop as low as it did when the biomass was less (assuming you have not increased the bubble rate). Again, these are just guides. Organic acid production, phosphoric, nitric etc, will affect the pH reading in the tank water so don't depend solely on this value.

Planter, the ph/kH/CO2 relationship is only valid when the only source of the pH is due to CO2. If there are any other acids in the water then the relationship is ambiguous. I agree that you could just select a target pH and drive to that value with injection and you could saturate the tank with CO2 and be fine but the value calculated for CO2 ppm is seldom accurate, so for example you could calculate 60ppm when the real value is actually 30ppm and you would be OK. In many cases though, depending on the tank the hobbyist uses tank water to calculate a CO2 concentration and gets a number like 50 when the actual value may be 18.   Depending on the light intensity the tank may then becomes CO2 limited and algae appears. The hobbyist swears his CO2 is good and goes on to assume other causes for his algae with often predictable results. We've seen countless scenarios like this so as a standard practice I reckon it's best to at least start with a dropchecker with 4dkh water and to go from there.  

Cheers,


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## johnb (1 Apr 2008)

Hi

Well did my first tank change today and changed 50%, quite a painless exercise (god forbid when I get a water meter)
Everything is growing well and pearling a treat now â€“ I noticed more pearling once the filters were turned off.

So im refilling via the tap, does it matter when the Dechlorinator goes in? As in before, during or after?

I had a good look and have no algae etc, however on the wood I see some small white patches, I have tried to take a pic but its not come out to well, they are small and in the crevices and look a bit like a matted spider web (hope that makes sense) â€“ any thoughts ?

Regards

John B

Ok not the best pic


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## ceg4048 (1 Apr 2008)

Hi John,
            The white on the wood is an aquatic fungus and that's just life under water. You can scrape it off if you don't like it but it will normally go away after some time. You can put the dechlorinator in before you fill. Try not to get too mesmerized by the pearling bubbles. Focus on plant growth rates, color etc. Try to keep your light on for no more than 10 hours or so, follow your dosing schedules and keep an eye on CO2.

Cheers,


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## johnb (6 Apr 2008)

Evening all

Itâ€™s been a while so an update (with the odd question), sorry no pics as camera has died

So it was two weeks on Saturday, overall things are going well I think, I have been doing a weekly change of 50% and 25% in the middle of the week, all the plants are growing like crazy and I did some gardening today and cut them back so they will thicken out (I hope)

I had an existing CO2 feed, I now have 2 feeds and am using very nice Spiro 9000â€™s (thanks Planter)

I have added 10 Amano Shrimps and 5 Siamese flying foxâ€™s â€“ they are all settled and seem quite happy

Water Quality

Ammonia has been 0 since day 1
Nitrate (NO2)  started at 01. rose for a few days to 0.3 and then back to 0.1
Nitrite (NO3) started at 5 was up to 20, water change and back to 5 and then goes back to 20 over a few days

Q1 â€“ Water changes my tank is a steady 27C â€“ a water changes drops this to about 20 to 22 â€“ when its fully stocked will they cope with this ?

Q2 â€“ Algae, I have two types started in the last couple of days,  Green Dust Algae and the other is like a fine spider web forming on the rocks.

My PH varies between 8 (my tap water is 8) and 7 depending upon the time of day due to the CO2, my drop checker is a nice green, from reading on line etc Iâ€™m sure my CO2 is fine so ive turned down my photoperiod from 10 hrs to 8 hrs and I think I just need to wait and get through it ? â€“ Comments appreciated

I will get some updated pics next weekend

Hope you all had a good weekend

John b


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## ceg4048 (6 Apr 2008)

John,
        GDA can be a result of poor nutrients and/or poor CO2 in a new setup. See JamesC's algae guide: http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

You have not specified your dosing scheme and I would never say that the CO2 is necessarily fine just because the drop checker is green. I also think you have added fish much too soon as you can stand to tweak both the dosing and injection rate. It's better to do without the fish for a while until final tweaks.

Cheers,


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## johnb (13 Apr 2008)

Well itâ€™s been a while since I have posted an update. The tank has been running for two and a half weeks now.
Overall I think things are going well, plants are all growing, I pruned quite hard a week ago, damm they grow fast. Cutting grass underwater was an interesting experience, collecting the grass was a nightmare, maybe I need some sort of vacuum cleaner (suggestions)

The shrimps (11 of them) seem happy, they spent a few days huddled in a corner, now they are all over the place, ive also seen an epidemic of snails, should I be concerned ?

So im doing regular bi weekly 25% water changes (im getting quite slick at these), and this week I cleaned out a filter, just washed the debris out of the sponges etc using tank water and was going to this on alternate filters fortnightly ? 

So some filter advice appreciated: The FX5 has three baskets

So starting at the bottom and moving up

Hagen A1445 Activated Carbon Fluva
Hagen A1470 Fluval Pre- Filter Media

Hagen Fluval Biomax

Polishing Pad

I can rinse the Carbon pad and Polishing pad fortnightly, how often should I replace the various media (not forgetting I have two filters so it wonâ€™t all be done at once)


The Algae is growing well ?., from what ive read I should not worry to much about it, I did manually remove some on the last water change and I have adjusted my CO2 on \ off and Lights On off they are now set to

CO2 â€“ Comes on at 16.00 and goes off at 22.00
Lights â€“ Come on at 18.00 and go off at Midnight (previously they were on for some 12 hours

So im hoping to see a reduction in algae growth over the next week or so

I have finally invested in a camera a : Samsung NV4 (8.2mega pixels) it takes quite nice pictures, you can really see the algae

Regards to all

John

Algae growing well







General pic still looks quite empty of plants but in comparison to two weeks ago its growing well


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## ceg4048 (13 Apr 2008)

I'd do multiple water changes of 50% or more per week at least for the first 6-8 weeks. You don't have enough plant mass to be doing only bi-weekly 25% changes.

It might be an optical illusion from the photo but the close up of the hygro in the second shot looks like either Nitrogen or micronutrient starvation. Can you see the yellowing of the tissue between the vascular tissues? Are you dosing?

Cheers,


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## johnb (20 Apr 2008)

Hi all

Well it will be 5 weeks this coming Wednesday and Its all going well so far?, I do have a bit of an algae issue but its dying down, yes there is a lot left but compared to a week ago its so much better. I was doing weekly with Tropica, since swapping to Tropica + which contains N and P things are picking up and the plants are getting greener and bigger by the day ( I do understand that many of you use EI but I work long days during the week and just donâ€™t think I could stick to a regime) . Most of them are now well established so I will over the next couple of weeks be scaping quite a bit and adding more plants with color for some contrast. I have 5 Siamese algae eaters and 10 shrimp, I donâ€™t see much of them until water change time ?, they seem more active when the temperature drops ?, currently its 27 C (or 80F) maybe I should lower it a couple of degrees ?

I have included a picture of my drop checker , it seems quite stable on this color 

I did further up in the journal post some questions about filter media â€“ advice appreciated.

And of course any general comments appreciated.

Hope you all have a good week.


John B

Drop Checker



General Shots


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## Ed Seeley (20 Apr 2008)

I think everyone missed that query about the media.

You'll need to clean/replace the polishing pad every time you clean the filter.  I use pond floss pads cut to size in my Ehiem as it saves a fortune!

The carbon will last up to about 4 weeks depending on the load and I wouldn't replace it as you shouldn't really need carbon in a planted tank.

The other ceramic and biological media simply need cleaning in old tank water every time you clean the filter and shouldn't need replacing.  (I still have ceramic rings and siporax that are over 15 years old now and still going strong!)

When you do water changes are syphoning away as much algae as possible and it's then re-growing?  Have you tried dosing with Excel or EasyCarbo as this will kill many algae directly and adds extra carbon metabolites that plants will use too.


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## johnb (20 Apr 2008)

Thanks for the Media tips.

I have been manually removing the algae on water change days, its not the simplest job, I found a bottle brush does the job best, sort of twist it round the algae and it collects loads. Ive noticed since Im using the Tropica with N and P that its starting to decrease (I think), had not considered chemicals to kill it ?, maybe I should see if it disapears by its self first ?

John B


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## daniel19831123 (20 Apr 2008)

What kinda algae are those? I have something similar in my tank but they are very little like a strand or two and they are normally left over organic stuff that I didn't manage to get hold of during water change such as floating leaves etc. I've never seen an algae like that before to be honest. Is it improving?


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## johnb (20 Apr 2008)

Daniel

I have no idea ?, the closest thing I can find online is here

http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

I think its Rhizoclonium ?

Description Strands of fine green or brownish threads which are soft and slimy. 
Cause Low CO2. Low nutrient levels. General lack of maintenance. 
Removal Increase CO2 levels and check nutrient dosing. Give the tank a good cleaning. Overdosing excel should also clear it. Amano shrimp will eat it. 

I clearly had Low nutrient levels and this is now fixed. Time will tell
Im happy to be corrected

John B


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## daniel19831123 (20 Apr 2008)

Does looks like it. Need time to tell if the method is working. Hopefully everything turns out alright


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## ceg4048 (20 Apr 2008)

Temperature is an algae growth factor that many people don't pay enough attention to. Just a two degree temperature reduction can help tremendously to lower it's proliferation. I would reset the thermostat to 25C. 

Cheers,


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## Ed Seeley (20 Apr 2008)

johnb said:
			
		

> Thanks for the Media tips.
> 
> I have been manually removing the algae on water change days, its not the simplest job, I found a bottle brush does the job best, sort of twist it round the algae and it collects loads. Ive noticed since Im using the Tropica with N and P that its starting to decrease (I think), had not considered chemicals to kill it ?, maybe I should see if it disapears by its self first ?
> 
> John B



No worries.

The Excel can't hurt to add it.  At the very least it'll help with the plant growth.  I add it to my tanks after any disturbance like a water change or replanting just to be on the safe side and help prevent any algae getting going.


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## johnb (27 Apr 2008)

Afternoon 

Well things seem to be going from strength to strength

Iâ€™m on 25% bi weekly water changes (itâ€™s a slick routine now), water testing shows that all is well, Iâ€™m using Tropica with N and P and the plants seem to be flourishing and the algae has stopped producing now (I take more out ever time I water change so soon it will be all gone), Temp is now a steady 25C which also helped with the algae. Plants pearl nicely and wont stop growing and the Drop Checker looks good so Iâ€™m assuming I have the CO2 balance right for the time being.

Recent additions include some nice Red leafed plants which gives a nice contrast, I offset it did not want it in the middle, also added a couple that have attached them selves nicely to the wood with different shaped leaves. So again giving something different (it may not be to scientific but I like it)

Fish wise I now have in total

10 Amano Shrimps
5 Siamese flying foxâ€™s
25 Rummy nose Tetras
and 3 lovley little fish just cant remember the name of them (Planter Help !!)

Getting pictures of them is another thing altogether (aghhhh), they just wont keep still

They all seem happy and the Foxes seem to love getting into the Tetra shoal

So all in all things are going well, obviously I wonâ€™t get complacent and there is still a way to go but Iâ€™m happy with progress.

My only question is lighting which maybe I donâ€™t need to worry about just yet, I have two thoughts?

I currently have:

4 x 58W GRO T8 -150cm tubes

1 â€“ Is it sufficient for the plants?

2 â€“ Seeing another thread on the forum can I better enhance the visual look with different lighting?

Regards

John B


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## Themuleous (29 Apr 2008)

The plants seem to be pearling?  In which case, leave the lighting alone.  Changing it could be disastrous and is probably unnecessary.

Plants look ultra healthy BTW, very nice to see 

Sam


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## Arana (29 Apr 2008)

great looking plants, well done mate


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## TDI-line (30 Apr 2008)

Looks great John.


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## planter (30 Apr 2008)

WOW looking really nice John! What a huge difference The TPN+ seems to have made .... 
Well done!


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## LondonDragon (1 May 2008)

Looking great, very healthy indeed  congrats


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## Steve Smith (1 May 2008)

Hi John, its looking lovely   What is the green bushy/tall plant in the back-middle of this shot:





 :?: 

Thanks


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## johnb (6 May 2008)

Hi

Sorry for the slow reply (had to seek advice) its: Heteranthera Zosterfolia


Regards

JohnB


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## Steve Smith (6 May 2008)

Ah cool, thanks for the info   Common name is star grass isn't it?  It looks lovely


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## planter (6 May 2008)

Aye ! also known as star grass ... If you let this plant reach the surface it will readily produce a blue flower, Might mean your plant gets a bit leggy in a deep tank though!


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## johnb (6 May 2008)

Hi

Growth does not seem to be an issue. See what I mean

Regards

John B
The plants are a bit greener in real life, my photo skills seem to lighten everything a touch


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## planter (6 May 2008)

looks nice John any chance of a full tank shot straight on ?


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## johnb (6 May 2008)

A full shot, not sure my photographic skills are that great (but im getting there)

Regards

John Berman


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## Steve Smith (6 May 2008)

Thats looking fantastic!  My only criticism, and it is just an aesthetic thing to me, is the way the substrate is in the middle front.  It seems too mounded up at the front.  Perhaps take it back from the front of the glass a bit?

Just an idea


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## TDI-line (7 May 2008)

Looks great John.


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## beeky (7 May 2008)

Lovely and lush, your hedge growing skills are to be applauded!

I think the Alternanthera (if that's what it is) would be better moved to the left a bit though as it gets a bit lost over there on the end. Lovely though, well done.


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## johnb (18 May 2008)

*Im moving and it wont fit ?*

Hi

Im moving and it wont fit (eek)

Please see http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1678

A sad day

John B


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## Steve Smith (18 May 2008)

Unlucky John


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## planter (18 May 2008)

Aww john and you was doing so well ... A real shame.


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