10 gallon shallow rescape

[Aktasak]

Current state of the scape, it is being torn down due to the JBL Aquabasis messing with the KH, I keep a very particular GH and KH due to housing a betta.
During the rescape, the fish, plants, water, hardscape and filter will be in a container and I’ll reuse all of these, plus the fish of course! 😂

Supplies I have at the moment:
Flora First Planting Substrate from Maidenhead Aquatics, never tried this one, curious if anyone else has?
Fluval Stratum, I really want to try this one but the effect it has on KH genuinely scares me. 🙈
Sand from WIO
Stones and gravels from Horizon Aquatics

I want to do mainly soil and a beach area because I have some Corydoras, I’ve got the vision in my head, but I think I’ll need to draw it. 😂

 

[Gill]

Nice, what is that baffle on the Tidal, Looks cool

 

[Aktasak]

Nice, what is that baffle on the Tidal, Looks cool

Hiya! I got it from an Etsy shop in the US, worth the absurd shipping prices. 😂

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/769221604/

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
The tank looks lovely.

Current state of the scape, it is being torn down due to the JBL Aquabasis messing with the KH, I keep a very particular GH and KH due to housing a betta.

Assuming you use tap water? Where do you live in the UK? It will help with working out what your tap water is like <"Some handy facts about water">.

Fluval Stratum, I really want to try this one but the effect it has on KH genuinely scares me.

A lot of people run their aquariums at very low dKH values <"Soft water tank">, it will make pH "unstable", but <"pH is always unstable in soft water">, and <"soft water fish"> aren't bothered by this.

cheers Darrel

 

[Aktasak]

I currently use RO, remineralised due to my tap water being so bad (25gh and 18kh).
I put a small amount of Fluval stratum in a jug of tap water and it plummeted the ph to 6.5 and the kh to 0. I’d assume it would have a different effect in soft water, correct me if I am wrong!
The fluctuating KH is not doing my betta any good unfortunately. 😞

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I currently use RO, remineralised due to my tap water being so bad (25gh and 18kh).

I'm a <"rainwater user">, I have really hard tap water as well. What / how much do you remineralise with?

I put a small amount of Fluval stratum in a jug of tap water and it plummeted the ph to 6.5 and the kh to 0.

That is a really strange one and I don't have an easy explanation for it.

The fluctuating KH is not doing my betta any good unfortunately

I'm sorry to hear that. In what way?

cheers Darrel

 

[Aktasak]

Hi all,

I'm a <"rainwater user">, I have really hard tap water as well. What / how much do you remineralise with?

That is a really strange one and I don't have an easy explanation for it.

I'm sorry to hear that. In what way?

cheers Darrel

I remineralise with Seachem equilibrium and Seachem alkaline buffer, I use their dosage calculator on their website.

When my betta was in hard water, his fin tips almost “melted” away and as soon as I began using RO, he began to heal. Now it’s happening again, even with fin rot medication, cattapa, etc, it’s not getting any better but also no worse.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I remineralise with Seachem equilibrium and Seachem alkaline buffer, I use their dosage calculator on their website.

I know it sounds strange, but I think that is your problem. My own (<"jaundiced">) view is that Seachem aren't interested in your tanks, or their well being, they are only interested in extracting as much money as possible from you.

Have a look at <"Who needs a tank for a dark start…. Let’s see.">, <"IFC Aquarium Fertilizer Calculator"> & <"Seachem method of potassium dosing">

When my betta was in hard water, his fin tips almost “melted” away and as soon as I began using RO, he began to heal. Now it’s happening again, even with fin rot medication, cattapa, etc, it’s not getting any better but also no worse.

That makes perfect sense. I still think the problem is the is the Seachem products you are adding. You can actually use a <"very small amount of your tap water as a remineraliser">, I do it, but so does @Geoffrey Rea and he is a real aquarist.

cheers Darrel

 

[Aktasak]

Hi all,

I know it sounds strange, but I think that is your problem. My own (<"jaundiced">) view is that Seachem aren't interested in your tanks, or their well being, they are only interested in extracting as much money as possible from you.

Have a look at <"Who needs a tank for a dark start…. Let’s see.">, <"IFC Aquarium Fertilizer Calculator"> & <"Seachem method of potassium dosing">

That makes perfect sense. I still think the problem is the is the Seachem products you are adding. You can actually use a <"very small amount of your tap water as a remineraliser">, I do it, but so does @Geoffrey Rea and he is a real aquarist.

cheers Darrel

I was hoping to avoid tap water altogether 😂 I’ll definitely look at that thread and see others experiences! Thank you!!

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I was hoping to avoid tap water altogether

I'm lucky our tap water is pretty clean and consistent in parameters, it comes from a deep limestone aquifer, but even if it wasn't so nice? You only need a very small volume of tap water to add both calcium (Ca++) "dGH" and bicarbonate (2HCO3-) "dKH".

cheers Darrel

 

[Aktasak]

Hi all,

I'm lucky our tap water is pretty clean and consistent in parameters, it comes from a deep limestone aquifer, but even if it wasn't so nice? You only need a very small volume of tap water to add both calcium (Ca++) "dGH" and bicarbonate (2HCO3-) "dKH".

cheers Darrel

I aim to remineralise to 3KH and 6GH; I take out 40% (roughly 10l) of water weekly. How much tap would you recommend? If it’s the products harming my betta, is there any alternatives to the Seachem products that you recommend apart from tap water?
Thanks!

 

[Ibz10]

Like many others on here I have very hard tap water and use spotlesswater for my RO. I do 70% ro and 30% tap (sprinkle some epsom salt) and its been great for me, both fish and plants are healthy and grow well. I do this for top ups and water changes.

 

[Aktasak]

Like many others on here I have very hard tap water and use spotlesswater for my RO. I do 70% ro and 30% tap (sprinkle some epsom salt) and it’s been great for me, both fish and plants are healthy and grow well. I do this for top ups and water changes.

Interesting, I use RO from my closest Maidenhead Aquatics and their help there has been above and beyond, can’t fault them. I wanted to avoid tap all together so I don’t have to faff about with dechlorinator and such 🙈

 

[hypnogogia]

I do this for top ups

For top ups due to evaporation, you should use pure RO as otherwise the mineral concentration in your tank will slowly increase over time.

 

[Ibz10]

For top ups due to evaporation, you should use pure RO as otherwise the mineral concentration in your tank will slowly increase over time.

Thank you for this, I have wondered about this recently and the universe has a strange habit of helping out 🙂 will use pure RO going forward.

 

[Aktasak]

So what soil do you guys recommend using out of these two:

Flora First Aquatic Planting Substrate Brown

Fluval Plant & Shrimp Stratum

Fluval Stratum makes an ideal alternative substrate for planted aquariums and those featuring shrimp. Encourages strong plant growth - roots easily penetrate and spread throughout substrate to obtain key nutrients

www.fishkeeper.co.uk

I love the look of the brown but also the stratum is a known brand, so I’m stuck. 😭

 

[bazz]

Hi,
Just my thoughts, I've just had a quick scan round the www and unfortunately there is little information on the Flora First (it appears to be a fairly new product) other than the MA website, and I can find no mention of NPK. For this reason I would be more than cautious using it especially if you are intending to repatriate your fish with the tank very soon as it may well be saturated with Ammonia like ADA Amazonia which may cause your fish and plants a few problems. Obviously the use of a mature filter and established plants will quickly help to reduce the associated problems along with large daily water changes but I would not risk it. On the other hand it may well have very little or no added N and P like FloraBase making the transition far easier but that is the problem, we don't know. If you know of any other sources of info I would be interested to see.
I think Fluval aim for the leaner side but I have never used it, others may hopefully comment with their experiences.
It will be pointless to add much if any KH buffer while using Aqua Soils as reducing it is one of their properties and you are just paying to deplete it more rapidly, and if you don't add any or very little it wouldn't fluctuate so much. There are many folks on here running exceedingly low KH values including myself but I haven't heard of anyone who has suffered a major problem.
Nice looking tank!

 

[Aktasak]

Hi,
Just my thoughts, I've just had a quick scan round the www and unfortunately there is little information on the Flora First (it appears to be a fairly new product) other than the MA website, and I can find no mention of NPK. For this reason I would be more than cautious using it especially if you are intending to repatriate your fish with the tank very soon as it may well be saturated with Ammonia like ADA Amazonia which may cause your fish and plants a few problems. Obviously the use of a mature filter and established plants will quickly help to reduce the associated problems along with large daily water changes but I would not risk it. On the other hand it may well have very little or no added N and P like FloraBase making the transition far easier but that is the problem, we don't know. If you know of any other sources of info I would be interested to see.
I think Fluval aim for the leaner side but I have never used it, others may hopefully comment with their experiences.
It will be pointless to add much if any KH buffer while using Aqua Soils as reducing it is one of their properties and you are just paying to deplete it more rapidly, and if you don't add any or very little it wouldn't fluctuate so much. There are many folks on here running exceedingly low KH values including myself but I haven't heard of anyone who has suffered a major problem.
Nice looking tank!

Hi! Thank you for your input, I actually have been soaking around 4-5kg of it in a container, it did spike about 0.5 ammonia and the nitrites were through the roof but it seems to have settled now but the KH lowering effect is a bit confusing, one day it reads a KH of 14 and then the next it’s KH 12 or sometimes higher.

I was very anxious about using Fluval stratum just because of its rather potent effect it had on my very hard water, sending my KH of 18 down to 0 in around 48 hours. I read and heard so many horror stories about a low KH crashing cycles and such, it makes me a bit nervous. 😬

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

one day it reads a KH of 14 and then the next it’s KH 12 or sometimes higher.

I'm guessing that it isn't having any effect on dKH. I'd be much more worried about ammonia.

I was very anxious about using Fluval stratum just because of its rather potent effect it had on my very hard water, sending my KH of 18 down to 0 in around 48 hours.

Because it is ion exchange, even if that is a genuine reading, the water would soon stabilise at 18 dKH, purely because all the ion exchange sites on the substrate would be at equilibrium with the tank water.

I read and heard so many horror stories about a low KH crashing cycles and such, it makes me a bit nervous. 😬

That is exactly what they are, stories. Planted tanks are never reliant on filter microbes, and the microbes that actually occur in aquariums don't require high carbonate hardness.

Cheers Darrel

 

[Aktasak]

I'm guessing that it isn't having any effect on dKH. I'd be much more worried about ammonia.

But it must be because my tap KH is 18, but the soil isn’t keeping it stable, in my opinion anyway. 🙈

Because it is ion exchange, even if that is a genuine reading, the water would soon stabilise at 18 dKH, purely because all the ion exchange sites on the substrate would be at equilibrium with the tank water.

It’ll be going into a tank with a KH of 7 (in theory I’d like it at 4), I tested a little in tap water first and that was the effect it had. Genuinely curious how it will effect my tanks soft water.