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120L Eleocharis Parvula tank

Jaap

Jaap

Member
Joined
30 Sep 2011
Messages
1,068
Location
Nicosia
Hello,

Here are my aquarium specs:
1. Tank – 120L open tank
2. Filter - Tetra EX700 (700 l/h)
3. Lights – 2 x T8 18W each but only one is switched on for 6 hours per day
4. Substrate – JBL Manado
5. Pressurized CO2 with magnetic valve and UP atomizer
6. Estimative Index fertilization regime
7. Large piece of driftwood in the tank
8. Water changes once a week 30% with dechlorinated water
9. Flora – Eleocharis Parvula
10. Fauna – 7 Bosemani Rainbofish, 5 Black Widow Tetras, 1 Glassfish, 3 Ottos
11. Tank is up and running for 2 months but filter is running for a whole year.

photo.jpg

Current Situation:
I initially added 3 pots of Eleocharis Parvula in the tank but instead of the using a pressurized CO2 system, I added daily dose of Excel, Seachem Flourish for micronutrients and DIY Macronutrient batch. This did not seem to help the plants which never established in the tank and were gradually removed by the Rainbowfish. Algae is minimal.

Future plans:
My intention is to remove all fish so that I can blast the tank with CO2 from the pressurized system, continue adding the regular dose of Excel (5ml per day), plant 8 pots of Eleocharis Parvula and all these so I can create a dense carpet effect.

Questions:
1. Should I remove all of my fish so that I can increase CO2 levels without any concerns for fauna?
2. Is the photoperiod and light intensity correct?
3. Is the filter strong enough?
4. Should I continue using Excel?
5. How long should I keep the CO2 on for? 24/7 or should I schedule the magnetic valve to start 1 hour before lights on and close when lights are out?
6. Should I overdose when using EI so I am certain that plants don’t have any deficiencies?

Any other advise or suggestions?

Thanks
 
Jaap said:
1. Should I remove all of my fish so that I can increase CO2 levels without any concerns for fauna?
Click to expand...
Yes.
Jaap said:
2. Is the photoperiod and light intensity correct?
Click to expand...
Yes
Jaap said:
3. Is the filter strong enough?
Click to expand...
As a general policy, please comply with the 10X rule.
Jaap said:
4. Should I continue using Excel?
Click to expand...
Yes.
Jaap said:
5. How long should I keep the CO2 on for? 24/7 or should I schedule the magnetic valve to start 1 hour before lights on and close when lights are out?
Click to expand...
If there are no fish in the tank then this is up to you. 24/7 is much less complicated, so again, if there are no fish then this sounds like a good idea.
Jaap said:
6. Should I overdose when using EI so I am certain that plants don’t have any deficiencies?
Click to expand...
If you follow advice 1-5 there should be no need.

Cheers,
 
A question on this tank:

I was wondering about the number of pots of eleocharis parvula which should be planted in this tank. 8?
In general should we go for a dense initial plantation? Or plant a few and wait for the growth dense effect over time?

Also should the co2 be running prior to planting the hairgrass in order to increase co2 levels in the tank? Or could start co2 as soon as the plants are in place?

Feedback on this would be much appreciated!

Thanks guys
 
Hi,
The idea is always to plant as many specimens as possible right from the start. The more plants you have in the tank the better off you will be because they will oxygenate the sediment and will have a positive effect on aerobic bacteria. You can always remove and sell on any excess if there is too much. Sorry, I have no idea how many pots it takes to cover the open areas of the substrate shown in the OPs tank. I guess buy 8 and then if there is space left and money is not an issue then get more to fill the open spaces.

CO2 and flow are absolutely required immediately as the plants are flooded. In fact, failure to do this is the root of almost all failures with carpet plants. Lighting should be kept at low intensity and CO2/flow should be maximized. After some weeks, when the plants have adapted to an aquatic regime, then the lighting can be intensified, if desired, to accelerate growth rates, but CO2 and flow to the substrate are a priority. Additionally large water changes (50% or more) should be accomplished 2X-3X per week for the first month or so.

Cheers,
 
Thanks ceg4048 great info!

With regards to the filter above, the outflow pipe is in the same position as the inflow!
If the inflow pipe was moved to the other side of the tank would that have beneficial effect on the co2/flow and help the growth of the plants overall? Or that does not have a major role in this?

Thanks in advance for the help
 
I have a question on the filtration system of this tank.

In the above tank there is driftwood which has been in place for about a year.
Initially I was using carbon in the filter to get rid of tannins and the water was crystal clear.
However now the carbon is removed from the filter and the water has a sligth yellowish color from the tannins.

Advice needed: if i plant the tank with eleocharis parvula does the carbon in the filter play a role? Should i use one (crystal clear water)?

Also how do I clean the filter in a planted tank in order not to remove any bacterial etc?

Thanks
 
Hello,
Carbon removes toxins and some forms of organic products, therefore it's a good thing, so add as much carbon as you want. Eleocharis parvula has no conflict with activated carbon.

Clean you filter thoroughly and worry 10X more about removing as much of the dirt, muck and detritus from the filter as you can, that if left unattended to, causes a lot more problems that loss of a few measly bacteria. Clean you tank thoroughly and remove as much dirt from the sediment as possible. There a re plenty of bacteria left to repopulate the filter and the sediment so this is not really a concern. People who worry about losing bacteria are the ones with the most problems, because this behavior results in a dirty tank and dirty filter, which causes many more problems than it solves. A CO2 injected, nutrient infused tank gets very filthy, very quickly. The more of these elements you add, the more dirt and organic waste the plants will produce. Everything in your tank, including the bacteria will benefit if you keep it scrupulously clean by rubbing, scrubbing and by replacing as much water as possible, as often as possible.

Cheers,
 
Thnx ceg you ve been very helpful!

I must say though that on the filter cleaning and carbon so far ive heard very different opinions!
For me i would go for cleaner and use carbon since the result is immediate on the tank water!

Any other tips on planting/maintaining the hairgrass?

I should be ready to start planting next week and i will post pics of the process!

Thanks
 
I have to say that I disagree with the comments from ceg - from my own experience I go in almost the exact opposite direction! That is not to say that he is wrong, far from it. I think we all find our own ways that suit us as people and our tanks.
I change the water of my 35gall tank 20% once a month. I 'clean' my filter (Elheim 2224) twice a year and even then I just change the sponges and shake the baskets in some tank water (mostly to get the 50 or so Cherry reds that have found their way into the filter). I have to clean algae from the front glass about every 6 -8 weeks. I never, ever remove any sediment from my substrate. I allow it to settle and enter the substrate so that my plants can use the nutrients. I can actually see this process from the side of my tank - fine sediment sits under the coarser 'gravel' and this is where the plant roots reach to. I leave it to the fish to and shrimps to break down the bigger stuff. I do dose trace every other day but follow the 'Poor man's dosing regime' as outlined by Barr (basically it's a tiny amount). I don't dose any ferts - no need to as I have lots of fish producing those for me. The CO2 should come on an hour or two before lights on and switch off an hour before lights off - unless you have vast amounts of money to burn! It can only be used in photosynthesis when there is light present so absolutely no need to pump it into your tank in the dark - it's just wasted. As for lights I'd say you were pretty low with only one 18w bulb for 120l. I'd have them both on for 9 - 11 hrs. But, of course, others will have different ideas and run very successful tanks on different regimes. Find what suits you - I'm a lazy bugger so try to get my tank as balanced as possible without my interference from me.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Steve
 
Manrock said:
.. I have to clean algae from the front glass about every 6 -8 weeks...
Click to expand...
Exactly. I don't have to clean algae from glass at any time. And that's the difference. Adding more light is not a good thing for someone struggling to "get it right". That doesn't mean that you can never add more light, or that you can never get away with laziness, only that the more light you add and the more lazy you are, the less margin of error there is.

Once the plants are healthy and established, they can put up with abuse, however it has been demonstrated repeatedly that those people suffering algal blooms and poor performance can solve or minimize these issues by following the basic strategy of cleanliness, good flow/distribution, nutrition and reduced lighting. Carpet plants in general have a very difficult time getting established, so the best path to success is to do all the things that benefit plant health, which, for carpet plants, means strict attention to flow/distribution, high CO2, low-to-moderate lighting, high nutrition and clean water.

Cheers,
 
As I said, we all find our own ways.You'll find plenty of people who will disagree with you ceg. I have a carpet without having to do all the cleaning that you do, my tank pretty much runs itself. If you go down that route, with cleaning all the time and high fert dosing, then there is only a small margin for error, especially if you add light. Sure, I have to put up with a little algae on my glass that requires me to give it a quick wipe every couple of months but that is about all I do re; maintenance and that suits me fine. Each to his own.

Steve
 
Ah yes I remember now, I have also found that planted tanks do indeed become much easier to maintain once they become mature.
It is in the early stages that we really need to keep cleanliness & water changes etc in check.
I would say from my experiences that if you can strictly maintain your tank for six months or so then every thing seems to slot into place & thereafter run very smoothly, I am sure there are logical reasons....
 
I'd agree with that. A brand new set-up is fraught with danger early on and can be prone to algal blooms. We all get there in the end, which ever way we do it!
 
Hi,

you might struggle with establishing hairgrass in your tank with respect to your fauna. Boesemani will pick at it and often pull the plants up. They will even consume the plants whole only for the plant to come out the other end almost intact. :shock:

You can try mitigating this to a degree my increasing the vegetable matter you feed your fish. I do have eloacharis in my tank, but not as a carpet although that was the initial intention. I have tried twice to carpet the tank with hairgrass and failed chiefly down to rainbowfish pulling it up and consuming it.

Some rainbows are less likey to do so, praecox tend not to be so bothersome in this regard aswell as other smaller species.

Try to increase the veggie matter in thier diet; spirulina, duckweed, spinach, seaweed, chlorella flakes, peas etc.
 
Thanks for the replies,

The tank has been planted with eleocharis parvula mainly and in the background some eleocharis accicularis as from yesterday. I will try and post some pics during the day.

I also removed the rainbow fish and glass catfish - now in tank 5 Black Widow Tetras, 3 Ottos.

Sanj you are very correct for the Rainbow fish - I have tried to plant before and they were pulling the hairgrass out and even consuming it. So this time I played it safe on the fauna side. I will put more tetras when the tank is stable and the hairgrass is established.

I would like to ask about the initial stages of the tank.

1. Water changes: - should it be more often around 3-4 times weekly at 30% ?

2. CO2 stability: - current status is Lights on at 18:00 and off at 23:00, CO2 on at 16:00 and off at 23:00.
- is this a stable routine to follow in order to avoid algae issues? any other tips?
 
Hi,
Yes you should do the frequent water changes and you don't have to limit them to 30%. The more the better.
As long as your dropchecker (filled with 4dkh water) is lime green at lights on you should be OK. You may have to move the spraybar to the back wall to get better distribution. You can also add liquid carbon as a supplement to aid the transition.

Also, you can add some easy simple plants to help the substrate mature faster. You are not limited to only the hairgrass and you can pull out the plants that you don't want later. Egeria densa or some type of fast growing stem can be planted and removed later on.

Cheers,
 
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