# The journey - 7 Months in



## Bacms (14 Aug 2015)

Hi guys,

New member here just thought I would start a thread to keep track of my progress. This will be my first ever planted tank so I am a bit worried. I am setting up a Juwel Vision 180 which I inherited from another member leaving the hobby complete set-up and with Cichlids on it. So I am attempting to sell them and set up a planted aquarium.  I have a introduction thread which you can read the set up I am aiming for.
Here is an early set up "sketch" of what I am aiming for:



 

I am a bigger fan of the dutch aquascape style so will probably try and keep hardscape to a minimum. Also since I am new I am trying to avoid problems with CO2 flow


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## Greenfinger2 (14 Aug 2015)

Hi Bacms, Welcome to UKAPS 

Looking forward to seeing and reading your journal


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## Bacms (17 Aug 2015)

Got some time on the weekend for some reading and more planning.
First things first got some time to play with the hardscape and think I have setteled in something like this:


 

Once that was in place was time to sketch some lines around it and remove them so I could create the floor plan.


 

This is where I currently stand. I need to decide on the quantities so if anyone has any rule of thumb on the amount of pots I would order please let me know. Any help at this point is really appreciated.
Also what moss do you suggest to add to the wood trunk on the left and to the straight right surface  of the big rock on the left. This is a part of the rock I really dislike so want to cover it somehow.  Was thinking Riccia but I am worried about having to keep attaching it. The other ones I like are the Phoenix and the Christmas one.

Was also consider going Monte carlo rather than HC for carpeting if it really is easier to grow than HC.

Finally I am getting my external filter today so any suggestion how to set it up. It seems most folks set the output on the side wall rather than the back wall, but with the narrow sides on the Vision 180 is this really recommended? Wouldn't it be better to create a longer pipe that would run across the entire back wall? I guess than I would have the problem of CO2 placement since I could not place it on the opposite wall from the water flow column


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## Zoe (18 Aug 2015)

Might just be me but I can't see your pictures


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## Andy D (18 Aug 2015)

Nor can I.


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## Greenfinger2 (18 Aug 2015)

Me Too


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## foxfish (18 Aug 2015)

When you say ... ". Also since I am new I am trying to avoid problems with CO2 flow".....  does that mean you wont be using C02?


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## Bacms (18 Aug 2015)

Zoe said:


> Might just be me but I can't see your pictures


blahblahblahblahblahblahblahs they are dropbox links and somehow work for me. I have replaced them with imgur links so hopefully now it works?


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## Andy D (18 Aug 2015)

I can see the first image now but not the next two...


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## Bacms (18 Aug 2015)

foxfish said:


> When you say ... ". Also since I am new I am trying to avoid problems with CO2 flow".....  does that mean you wont be using C02?


I will be using CO2, was referring to problems with creating areas of low flow which, as far as I understand it, would create problems with plants having access to nutrients and CO2


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## Manu (18 Aug 2015)

I can see them all   Lucky me


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## Andy D (18 Aug 2015)

I can now. Yay!


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## Bacms (18 Aug 2015)

This is starting well  glad it is working now. Let me know your opinions about hardscape and plant choice


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## Manu (18 Aug 2015)

Bacms said:


> This is starting well  glad it is working now. Let me know your opinions about hardscape and plant choice


Hi,
I'm quite new this hobby so I can't comment much. But concerning the hardscape, I think that the two rocks on the right are not positioned properly together. What I mean is that the movement of the one at the back is rather vertical but the front one is rather horizontal... Just my thoughts  

Good luck and looking forward to seeing the tank flooded  

Cheers,
Manu


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## Edvet (19 Aug 2015)

Bacms said:


> Wouldn't it be better to create a longer pipe that would run across the entire back wall


Aye this will give a good circulation, especially if the jets from in can hit the frontpane of the tank with some force (to be tried by lowering the level so the pipe is out of the water). THis works best if you have a reactor/inline diffusor, or if you have the CO2 being sucked into the cannisterfilter by placing the diffusor under the intake.


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## Edvet (19 Aug 2015)

Bacms said:


> areas of low flow which, as far as I understand it, would create problems with plants having access to nutrients and CO2


This problem is enlarged by high lighting, make sure you start with low light until you have everything under control, than you can gradually increase light.


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## Bacms (19 Aug 2015)

Edvet said:


> This problem is enlarged by high lighting, make sure you start with low light until you have everything under control, than you can gradually increase light.


I am often confused by this what constitute low light, 4/6h, for how long? Should I use lights on the day I plant or wait 24 hours for everything to settle before putting the system working?


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## Edvet (19 Aug 2015)

This is a widely used way to think about it, made by a guy in "the planted tank"forum; stay in the low light zone till you have a good grasp of CO2 and how it works in your tank. After that gradually go to medium values.  Start with approx. 6 hours per day


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## Bacms (19 Aug 2015)

Very interesting plot I never thought about it that way. There are two components in the light equation one is intensity/PAR and the other the duration of the photo period. Based on the stuff I was reading I was thinking in playing mainly with the photo period but you are suggestion to play with the intensity as well? 

However if I am trying to figure out the CO2 system wouldn't it be better to start with the higher intensity light so that your determine how much your plants are uptaking and making sure you meet the demand? I would assume starting with low light means I will have to increase the CO2 between inserted when changing to Medium light and so on. And should I move to the next stage in the Lighting plot as soon as I have the CO2 figured out and stable?   

I might considering running only the Grobeam 600 to start with and then add the T8 to the equation. Will need to find out exactly how many PAR this things produce


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## ian_m (19 Aug 2015)

If you start with light too high and on too long, without sufficient CO2 and ferts you will kill/starve the plants. The dying plants will leach organics into the water feeding algae.

This is why so many "beginners" end up with algae farms. They add masses of light on for 12 hours or more thinking that will really make the plants grow wonderfully, where as in reality they are vaporising their plants and converting them into prime algae food.

Starting with T8 (no reflectors) for say 4 hours can be a really good start for first couple on months until you master CO2 and plants settle down.


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## Bacms (19 Aug 2015)

ian_m said:


> If you start with light too high and on too long, without sufficient CO2 and ferts you will kill/starve the plants. The dying plants will leach organics into the water feeding algae.
> 
> This is why so many "beginners" end up with algae farms. They add masses of light on for 12 hours or more thinking that will really make the plants grow wonderfully, where as in reality they are vaporising their plants and converting them into prime algae food.
> 
> Starting with T8 (no reflectors) for say 4 hours can be a really good start for first couple on months until you master CO2 and plants settle down.


Would the plants I choose not die though?


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## Greenfinger2 (19 Aug 2015)

Hi Bacms, No your plants won't die  As this is your first planted tank This info on start ups Could help ?? 

http://tropica.com/en/guide/get-the-right-start/tropica-app/


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## Bacms (19 Aug 2015)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Bacms, No your plants won't die  As this is your first planted tank This info on start ups Could help ??
> 
> http://tropica.com/en/guide/get-the-right-start/tropica-app/


Thank you for the link I have download the app and won't start planting until the 16th when I return from holiday. I still have some holidays left anyway so I am thinking in actually taking a couple more days and stay at home for the first two days plus the weekend so I can keep an eye on CO2 levels across the day. 

I am however now even more confused though. If people say plants need higher light to succeed I would assume they would die if not enough light is provided. From your words I understand they would simply slow their growth is this right?


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## Greenfinger2 (19 Aug 2015)

Yes


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## Bacms (19 Aug 2015)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Yes


Just to be on the safe side, is this true even for HC


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## ian_m (19 Aug 2015)

Plants need light. They will grow with any light level (not quite true needs to be above a certain minimum) just with more light some "thrive" better, which is what the Tropica app is referring to with "high light" plants. Many people have grown HC, a so called "high light" plant with plain old T8 tubes, no problems. It's just that with low light it grows very slowly.


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## Bacms (19 Aug 2015)

Got you thank you very much so I will start with the T8s and the recommended 6 hours/day. If I start having problems managing CO2 then will drop the photo period even more. Thank you for clearing some of the myths and meanings of low/high light


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## ian_m (19 Aug 2015)

When I go on holiday I drop my T5's with reflectors down to 3 hours from 8 hours (and CO2) over a couple of weeks before going away to slow the whole tank down. Most plants grow slow to almost stopped whilst I am away, generating less waste and meaning frequent water changes don't need to happen. All recover fine once I get back and turn lighting on to full 8 hours.


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## Bacms (19 Aug 2015)

ian_m said:


> When I go on holiday I drop my T5's with reflectors down to 3 hours from 8 hours (and CO2) over a couple of weeks before going away to slow the whole tank down. Most plants grow slow to almost stopped whilst I am away, generating less waste and meaning frequent water changes don't need to happen. All recover fine once I get back and turn lighting on to full 8 hours.


That is good to know since as a foreigner I tend to do 3/4 holidays a year of at least a week and was wondering how plants would cope with it. Will still wait anyway for now so I can get the new filter running along the existing one for a bit so I can remove the internal one when I am back and be done with it. 

The good news is all the previous occupiers of the tank have found a new home. So a new acrylic bar that will serve as the spray bar as been ordered and the wood and rocks have gone in for soaking. They have already been boiled.


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## Bacms (19 Aug 2015)

Here are some pictures of the planned landscape inside the tank





Also played with some variations but still think I prefer the original one just need to sort a few details with the wood position and the fact that the left side is now looking quite empty


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## ian_m (20 Aug 2015)

Bacms said:


> That is good to know since as a foreigner I tend to do 3/4 holidays a year of at least a week and was wondering how plants would cope with it


You obviously need to dose ferts (and fish food) whilst away for more than a couple of days, as well. If reducing light time, reduce CO2 time and reduce ferts amount.

I went away for 3 weeks in 2012 (Florida, Disney) so water changes were pushed up to 5 weeks. So reducing light, CO2 and ferts I came back to alive fish & plants and no algae. Plants were not as green as I would have liked, but soon recovered when light, CO2 and ferts (and water changes) were back to normal amounts.


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## Bacms (25 Aug 2015)

A quick update today just to let you know where I stand. I have built a DIY spray bar to cover the entire back of the tank and it seems water hits the front with strength. I still feel however the left side on the picture may need to be improved as with the side exit there is an are of about 10cm with no flow. 
I have started to soak a bit more of wood and received the new tubes here is a couple of pictures with just the Zoomed florasun and then florasun+Grobeam 


 


 

Filter seems to be although be on the downward nitrate peak even though it has only be plugged a week ago and I only forced the ammonia levels to go up last Friday


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## Bacms (8 Sep 2015)

I am on holidays in Portugal and decided to visit the current exhibition by Amano at the Lisbon aquarium, it is quite impressive so I would recommended anyone that can to go and have a look. One of the things I really liked about was the extensive use of moss and anubias to integrate the hardscape into a continuum with the plants . For this reason I am thinking in adding some anubias and some more moss to my plant order. What do you guys think it would work better specially given the hard water (KH14) I have in Cambridge. I already ordered some phoenix moss on a mesh pad which I intend to add to position 3 in the picture as it grows slowly and I don't want it to overtake the rocks but rather to get confined to the original planted area. Now the questions is which other moss should I add to attach to the wood? Was thinking in Riccia but given the amount of continuous works it requires I am thinking it may not suitable to my set-up. I don't like the look of java moss so what would be the ideal options? Also what anubias would you suggest that stay compact? I have numbered the position I am thinking in adding moss will probably use even more areas but these are the minimum ones.


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## banthaman.jm (9 Sep 2015)

Hi Bacms,
I too stayed away from Riccia as i didn't like the idea of lots of added work but it does look great in tanks.  I finally thought i would give it a go, really glad i did as it has really added to the look of the tank.  Over the last 2 months of having it in the tank i have only had to re-attach it to the removable wood 3 times, so not really pushing me any more than before i used it.  I attach it using netting in strips wrapped the wood and riccia and then brown cotton thread for final attachment.  I have recently mixed the riccia with the off cuts of Monte carlo when trimming the carpet, this has added texture as well as making it look more natural.  will add a photo when i get home from work.
Jim


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## Bacms (9 Sep 2015)

banthaman.jm said:


> Hi Bacms,
> I too stayed away from Riccia as i didn't like the idea of lots of added work but it does look great in tanks.  I finally thought i would give it a go, really glad i did as it has really added to the look of the tank.  Over the last 2 months of having it in the tank i have only had to re-attach it to the removable wood 3 times, so not really pushing me any more than before i used it.  I attach it using netting in strips wrapped the wood and riccia and then brown cotton thread for final attachment.  I have recently mixed the riccia with the off cuts of Monte carlo when trimming the carpet, this has added texture as well as making it look more natural.  will add a photo when i get home from work.
> Jim


Hi Jim thank you for your post. My main concern is if it detach itself while I am on holidays. For example during the Christmas period I will probably be away for 2/3 weeks. I don't want to return home and find all the plants are dead because Riccia as covered the entire surface and cut light to the bottom

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## Bacms (18 Sep 2015)

Plants are arriving between 1 and 2pm today so I was just making sure everything was ready but while assembling the CO2 kit from CO2art just found out it is leaking through the back of the pressure gage....f**k what should I do? No lights on until CO2 is sorted? Reduce lighting? I am thinking there is no one around Cambridge that can dispense a CO2 regulator for a couple of days until I receive the replacement?


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## Bacms (18 Sep 2015)

Been on the phone with CO2art and it turns out to be the stem that connect the nut to the regulator that had come loose. Seems to be sorted now just checking there is no leaks. Managed to doge a bullet there...panic over for now


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## Bacms (19 Sep 2015)

Spent the entire day yesterday preparing and planting the tank so ended up leaving it overnight to stabilize and lights have CO2 have just come on this morning. Apart from having to replant most of the stems, a couple of anubias and a large proportion of the HC as it keeps detaching itself from the the bottom. Injecting 3 bubbles/second at the moment and CO2 checker is green but not really lime green although I have placed on the left side of the tank which definitely has less flow. I may have to find a way to attach the pump from the internal filter I am no longer using to try and improve flow on that region.

Drop checker before lights on (CO2 on for 2h):




Full shot of the tank, it is hard to take good pctures due to the bowfront and light reflections everywhere


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## Iain Sutherland (20 Sep 2015)

Looking good fella, wind that co2 up while there is no livestock, then reduce it slowly once the tank is staple and growing healthily for fauna introduction.

Great start.



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## Bacms (21 Sep 2015)

Thank you Iain I have followed your suggestion and increase the CO2 coming up by half an hour as the dropchecker is already lime-green/yellow for most of the photoperiod with the exception of the first hour or so. A few plants seem to developing holes on the leaves (specially hygrophila pinnatifida and ludwigia arcuata) and there seems to be some black/brown algae on the anubias too early to tell. Hopefully things won't start going downhill too quickly.


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## Ady34 (21 Sep 2015)

Bacms said:


> Thank you Iain I have followed your suggestion and increase the CO2 coming up by half an hour as the dropchecker is already lime-green/yellow for most of the photoperiod with the exception of the first hour or so.


The first hour or so is the most critical so getting your c02 optimised for lights on is very important. Keep tweaking it up until you get it at lime green for lights on and hopefully this will help with the issues you are beginning to suffer with the plants  If you continue to have issues then you need to up c02 further, reduce lighting intensity and look at distribution.
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## Bacms (21 Sep 2015)

Ady34 said:


> The first hour or so is the most critical so getting your c02 optimised for lights on is very important. Keep tweaking it up until you get it at lime green for lights on and hopefully this will help with the issues you are beginning to suffer with the plants  If you continue to have issues then you need to up c02 further, reduce lighting intensity and look at distribution.
> Cheerio,
> Ady.


My main problem is that I am a bit wary of trusting that drop checker as for example CO2 has been since 14:30 it is now 19:00 and the drop checker is still pretty light green 


 

The pogostemon erectus on the left side of the tank is also melting away shedding a large number of leaves and tops coming off. I have added the Juwel pump from the old filter to the left side to improve flow on this area although I am not sure it helps as it is pretty strong and seems to direct a lot of the water hinting the front glass upwards rather than downwards


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## Ady34 (21 Sep 2015)

Hi, the issues you are suffering are classic c02 related problems. You need to add more co2 and or reduce lighting intensity. While there is no fauna in the tank you have the perfect opportunity to add as much c02 as you like without fear of gassing any critters. You can't have too much co2 for plants so go crazy with it. You will see your drop checker turn yellow and this will give your plants the best chance to adapt to life underwater. As Iain said, you can dial it back down later, but being too light on c02 in the early stages can lead to plant failure and a mess of algae. 
If your drop checker isn't turning lime green or yellow it is likely because you are not adding enough c02, just add more and see if it changes. The plants are telling you there isn't sufficient c02 so trust them, if your drop checker is fouled then you can always clean it out and add fresh 4dkh water and reagent to be sure but I feel it is more a lack of c02.
Regards the extra flow, it is important to try not to create conflicting flow patterns so add the pump to the rear of the aquarium with flow direction the same as your spraybar.
Cheerio
Ady


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## Bacms (26 Sep 2015)

7 Days update. Most plants seem to be settling and I no longer to spend the mornings replanting the occasional odd plant that has decide to come lose during the evening. The only problem seems to be the ammania/rotala bonsai is turning into a green mash. The shorter stems of pogostemon erectus seem to have also lost most of their leaves but the longer ones seem to be doing fine, fingers crossed.

Here are the pictures:


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## Marius_20 (26 Sep 2015)

Thank is looking good. Give him 1-2 weeks more and the plants will start to grow faster. This is how it was in my tank. And now i need to cut them weekly.


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## Bacms (26 Sep 2015)

Marius_20 said:


> Thank is looking good. Give him 1-2 weeks more and the plants will start to grow faster. This is how it was in my tank. And now i need to cut them weekly.


Hopefully that will be the case. I want to change to a in-line diffuser as the bazooka one seems to cause the gas to accumulate on the filter which then burps every five minutes or so, so I imagine the CO2 level is probably quite unstable. 

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## Bacms (4 Oct 2015)

Weekly update. Some bad news this week the Rotala 'bonzai' is officially death. Most of the stems even the ones putting new leaves are rotting away and causing some fungus to grow on it. Moreover all the plants are starting to be covered in a brown type substance which looks like a fungus so I assuming it is diatoms , please correct me if I am wrong. The plants on the right also seem to be doing a lot better than does on the left side which is probably related to the CO2 being injected on he right. I have also tarted my CO2 earlier and just installed a new in-line diffuser which will hopefully give me much better distribution. I don't think is a problem with CO2 level since my drop checker is already yellow and I am getting a pH drop from 7.3 to about 6.6 an hour after the photo period starts, not the full 1 unit but since I am in a hard water area I am guessing it is expected. Anyway enough ramblings here are the photos:


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## Ady34 (5 Oct 2015)

Hi there,
If your plants are disintegrating and you are getting algae then your c02 is insufficient even if your dc is yellow. There are several remedies, increase c02 injection, reduce lighting intensity or add additional circulation to improve distribution. You could do all three which will offer the best chance and you can adjust lighting intensity back up in the future once healthy growth is seen and you're confident c02 can be balanced. Whilst you are getting melt you could also do an extra water change a week to rid the organic waste produced. If the upper parts of the plants are doing better it could simply be a sign that c02 is not reaching the lower parts of the tank so it may just be a case of addressing distribution
Cheerio,
Ady


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## 5678 (5 Oct 2015)

You've got similar issues to what I had in my last tank. No idea exactly what the problem was but I can only offer up some thoughts. 

- What substrate are you using? 
- Co2 as everyone says, I tried an inline diffuser and a gush glass in tank diffuser. Had issues with both. Using an ADA one this time and have no issues. I'm also at a lower bubble count on a bigger tank! 
- Most pogostemon seem very particular with requirements. Cut your losses and get it right with easier plants first. 
- change your co2 to be on 24/7. This will help with stability and avoid the swings. If your room has ambient light it will help too. (Did for me!)


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## Edvet (5 Oct 2015)

Make sure the CO2 is there (pH drop max) at the start of the lights. It's then when the plants need it most.(Or have it on 24/7 for now) And indeed distribution/flow needs to be better.


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## Lindy (5 Oct 2015)

Ady34 said:


> Hi there,
> If your plants are disintegrating and you are getting algae then your c02 is insufficient even if your dc is yellow. There are several remedies, increase c02 injection, reduce lighting intensity or add additional circulation to improve distribution. You could do all three which will offer the best chance and you can adjust lighting intensity back up in the future once healthy growth is seen and you're confident c02 can be balanced. Whilst you are getting melt you could also do an extra water change a week to rid the organic waste produced. If the upper parts of the plants are doing better it could simply be a sign that c02 is not reaching the lower parts of the tank so it may just be a case of addressing distribution
> Cheerio,
> Ady


You would do well to listen to Ady's advice.


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## Bacms (5 Oct 2015)

Thank you very much for all the replies guys I really appreciate it. I do agree with you Ady the thing is the majority of plants are doing well, with the exception of the ammania/rotala bonsai which I am starting to think I may well just pull it all out before they add even more mess to the tank. They do seem to be doing fine and then the roots start to rot and that propagates to the stem. I talked to Iain Sutherland, as he is local and was kind enough to make me a visit, and he told this is the only plant that George Farmer can't grow and even his were doing fine for ages and then one day decided to melt. So will have to find a substitute for it. I welcome suggestions by the way.

The only other bits having problem are the HC in a small are of the tank (although to be fair the rest is not spreading just growing upwards) just in front of the big rock on the left so most likely a CO2 distribution problem. Iain also mentioned he had a Vision as his first tank and never managed to get it to work due to flow problem with the Bow front and he recommended me to put the power head in the middle to help with that as for his experience the CO2 tends to flow to the sides causing a problem in the middle are, exactly where the bonsai is melting. So I am hoping that with the in-line diffuser I will be able to see the CO2 bubbles moving around and try to figure out the best distribution. I have also being doing liquid CO2 at almost double the recommended dose so lack of CO2 shouldn't really be a problem which also points to distribution problems.

As for the 5678 questions:
- What substrate are you using? -> Tropica soil and sand at the front, both with Tropica substrate underneath
- Co2 as everyone says, I tried an inline diffuser and a gush glass in tank diffuser. Had issues with both. Using an ADA one this time and have no issues. I'm also at a lower bubble count on a bigger tank! -> The ADA one would suffer from the same problem as the bazooka 
- Most pogostemon seem very particular with requirements. Cut your losses and get it right with easier plants first. -> Pogostemon are doing fine is the stupid 'bonsai' that is causing problems
- change your co2 to be on 24/7. This will help with stability and avoid the swings. If your room has ambient light it will help too. (Did for me!) -> This is something I am worried as I have the ceiling lamp not too far away (2m) from the tank with a daylight bulb but I am trying to not use that lamp while I am at home anyway.

Edvet I already went through an entire bottle of sodastream CO2 in 2 weeks so having it 24/7 may be too expensive. I did increase it coming in 3 hours before as it was only 2h until about 5 days ago and will add an extra hour. But the problem with the pH drop is that it starts at 7.3 drops to about 7 in a hour and then to 6.9 and 6.8 every hour after that. I will try and extra hour on the clock and see how it reacts as having a KH12 and a GH20 makes dissolving CO2 a pain in the a**


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## Bacms (11 Oct 2015)

Weekly update everything still seems to do well with the exception of the Ammani/Rotala ''bonzai" which has mostly melt. Thinking in replacing it on the right side with a Cory Wendetii and just replant the stems from the Roatala rotundifolia once I need to trim it. Inline diffuser has now been running for a week and the tanks sounds like a can of soda while the CO2 is on and brown algae has gone down but not completely disappeared. I have upped it to the roof and have stable pH and yellow drop check on the areas I previously had problems. The plan for this week is to start reducing it so I can introduce livestock. What is the best way to go about it? 

Overall picture


 

Side tank view my favourite viewpoint as it allows to not be influenced by the optical illusion of the bow glass. You can see the amount of bubbles on the surface and Hygrophila pinnatifidia pearling if you look really close. 


 

Leaves pearling


 

Anubias still affected by the brown algae but a lot better. Need to cut a few leaves 


 

Middle section of the carpet starting to spread 





Still struggling on the left side but seems to be recovering. 


 


Ludwigia showing some of its red 


 

Stems on the left side still doing well. Pogostemon putting new growth 


 

Right stems going slow after the prune last week. All a bit messy will probably need to pull them out and replant at some point 


 

Still some brown algae but improving


 

Pogostemon heferi putting new leaves but growth still mainly vertical 


 

Ammania/rotala 'bonzai" still melting


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## Bacms (2 Nov 2015)

Sorry I have been neglecting the journal for a while. The main reason for it was that the tank was in a bit of a state for a few weeks. I have added amanos and shrimp and before introducing decide to buy a TDS pen since I wanted to start diluting the tap water with RO. Well long story I found out that the sand that had came with the tank when I bought it second hand was coral sand. So decided to remove it all as careful as I could, specially given that I have tropica substrate underneath. That mean lifting and replanting the HC carpet which was finally starting to fill in. I did try and contain the mess as much as I could but adding new soil with water in resulted in bits of soil going everywhere and plants getting covered in black dust. Everything seems to have recovered and the tank is much cleaner after I added shrimp and ottos. Lost half of the ottos I have added and it seems I will probably lose an extra one in the near future even though I am keeping a courgette in the tank all the time. also tried spinach but the shrimps loved it so much that it was gone next day but ottos didn't even got closer to it. 

Anyway here is how it currently looks before I trimmed the Palustris:


 


 

All good on the left side. Had a bit of melt on the pogostemon erectus but it has been all stable for two weeks now. Not sure I am a fan of the rotala bossii since it has much smaller and narrow leaves that what I expected. 



 

Pogostemon helferi were the plants most affect by the chance in the substrate. I need to clean them at water change since the bottom leaves are covered in a thread brown mess, looks more like a fungus than an algae and rubs off easily. 



 

Ludwigia palustris is my favourite plant in the tank. Looks fantastic I had to trim it after the photo and replanted the cut stem to increase the density just hope it looks as good very soon.  On the other hand I can't make the Heteranthera zosterifolia look good. It grew like crazy when first introduced but now is growing slowly with the exception of one or two stems but the leaves look battered. If things don't improve may need to replace with something less delicate since the damage is being cause by the filter intake


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## Iain Sutherland (2 Nov 2015)

Looking great Bruno, it's really come along. Another month or so with some select trimming it with look fantastic.   Don't forget to tweak the co2 as the plant mass grows 


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## Bacms (17 Nov 2015)

Just realized its going be 2 months tomorrow since I planted the tank. So can't think of a better reason to update this thread. Tank is going really well I have started increasing the lights levels and so far no problems. Have the TMC grobeams running at 20% for most of the photo period and added the first reflector back to the front light this weekend. If everything still looks right next week is going to be time to add the second one. 

Plants are growing really well and the algae seem to have completely disappeared for now so I am hoping it doesn't come back. Only bit I am still struggling is the area near the filter intake as the plants keep getting sucked to it so the are still looks bad. Does anyone has any suggestion to remedy this?


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## Bacms (14 Dec 2015)

It will be three months next Saturday since I have started this thank. 

I finally introduced the last batch of livestock into it which mean I can now fully functional. 

It has been a great journey so far, from setting up my first planted tank and my first serious tropical tank. I have learnt a great deal in the process and apart from some brown algae during the first one and a half month algae hasn't really caused me any problems so far. I did have the TMC controller failing last week and still searching for a replacement which has definitely slowed down growth and made some of the reds loose intensity. 

Plants have been growing well and it has been a learning experience trying to keep them under-control by uprooting and replant the runners. The last one that seems to have gone crazy if the H. pinnatifida which I am still not sure how to solve. Also got rid of the Heteranthera Zostefolia as I couldn't keep it looking good so close to the filter intake and replanted the tops from the Rotala bonsai there since they will always be below the filter so shouldn't be a problem. Only problem so far seems to be the carpet seems to have stop spreading and it is pretty much all gone from the side due to being uprooted so may have to try Monte carlo instead in there. 

Anyway enough talking here are the pictures. 

Full tank with special effects....


 

and without


 

H. pinnatifida going crazy with runners everywhere 


 

Rigthside of the tank with a submerged flower from the anubias. I thought they didn't flower submerged? 


 

New stock C. alleni "Wapoga" about 6 months so starting to get their colours 


 


 

young M. rubrivittata  


 

Baby red cherry. The pictures looses a bit of the scale but thy are tiny smaller than two spheres from the tropica soil so around 5/6mm


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## Bacms (9 Jan 2016)

Was on holiday for three weeks so was a bit worried about the health of the tank. Had a friend doing one water change in that period and apart from him not filling the tank all the way to the top which caused the spray to be above water and so CO2 on the water column has been a lot lower than normal. Not much damaged done it seems but there are some pinholes on the H. pinnatifida. Apart from having to massively trimm the mosses and runners on E. tenellus and H pinnatifida everything else looks fine. Just letting plants grow at the moment


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## Greenfinger2 (9 Jan 2016)

Hi Bacms, You were lucky Gad they did not do to much damage 

Scape is looking great even so


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## Bacms (11 Jan 2016)

Thank you Greenfinger definitely very lucky. 

Here is a quick video I made since plants were pearling like I never seen them yesterday


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## Greenfinger2 (11 Jan 2016)

Hi Bacms, Nice pearling  Looking good.


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## MossMan (16 Jan 2016)

Very nice!


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## Bacms (15 Feb 2016)

Hi guys,

Sorry for the lack of updates. I am starting to have all sorts of problems. My CO2 bubble rate is having problems causing variable CO2 which I have only noticed after after all the bonsai was floating on the top of the tank due to melting at the stem base. In addition my hygrophila pinnatifida is showing severe deficiencies of what seems potassium and despite me upping my ei dose of macros the problem continues and BBA has started to appear on the tips of the damaged leaves. To top it up my twinstar has stopped working which according to the green machine is due to incorrect cleaning so I need to purchase a new reactor they aren't in stock anywhere so not sure what to do. So in conclusion not the best of times for the hobby and really considering what to do next.

To compensate for my bad fortune at the moment here are some pictures of my dancing rainbows


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## Sarpijk (15 Feb 2016)

Lovely pics !


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## 5678 (16 Feb 2016)

What are the fish in the top few pictures?


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## Bacms (16 Feb 2016)

5678 said:


> What are the fish in the top few pictures?


this: http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pseudomugil-furcatus/


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## Bacms (28 Mar 2016)

Hi guys,

Sorry for the lack of updates but have been through a bit of a nightmare with this one which finally seems to be in shape. After the new year I experienced a lot of melt due to variable CO2 which turned out to be a blown diffuser which I only found out when it collapsed emptying half of the tank on the floor. Things do seem to be on the up now but I had to replace some plants. I am also starting taking the light down planning to move it to liquid carbon only as I am getting a bit tired of the water changes every week.


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## Nelson (28 Mar 2016)

Looking lush and healthy .


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## Greenfinger2 (29 Mar 2016)

Hi Bacms, 

Looking good


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## MossMan (29 Mar 2016)

Tank looks stunning. I like your rainbows too!


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## Bacms (18 Apr 2016)

Got a tripod so got better pictures of the plants by using a longed shutter speed. That does mean blurry fish though . This is also probably the last photo before I start lowering light and moving it from CO2 to liquid carbon. Let's see how plants cope with the change but it has become too much of a chore.


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## Greenfinger2 (18 Apr 2016)

Hi Bacms, Wonderful great colours Nice photo too


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