4ft tank 1st in 5 yrs

[Chris Tinker]

i will double check which plant that is *face palm* please point out more silly mistakes..

 

[Chris Tinker]

Looks like you have some javaferns planted in the sand.............can't do that, need to be tied/glued to hardsscape.

this one?

 

[Edvet]

Yup, and another one left side..middle of the wood.

 

[Chris Tinker]

any ideas to why they may make circles... ?

 

[Chris Tinker]

so couple of questions...

should i be worried about this gill? it looks like its missing a part and more red?

is this shrimp pregnant? i have another looking the same? i know the zoes need next level care but im more concerned about the rams getting a taste for shrimp.

any ideas on the circles? two right next too each other...

and you can tell who feeds them, best view down the length, this is where i sit. happy days.

 

[Chris Tinker]

had another light delivered.

thought it would be a 30minute job now i know what im doing. got it wired up and here we go another light.

got the hood down to attach it and realised my other lights are cable tied preeeety tight.

i also ordered 3 water proof 3 gang connections to replace my non water proof silicone filled home made water proof boxes
so while the lights were down i decided to do the job properly.

all 3 lights wired safely, using the correct connectors and back in place. its now 2am... WHAT 2 AM HOW DID THAT HAPPEN.

i will tell you, silicone is messy. i may have had an accident and needed to clean it up before the wife woke up.... all clear.

this time i remembered to cut the cable ties....now the planted section is fully lit up

and wow the colours of the fish look fantastic... its truly amazing how different they look moving from the shaded part to the lit section

really happy with the cost and outcome of this.

 

[Chris Tinker]

so not going to lie the tank went bad with algae.. 2 types from my research and i think fundamentally caused by poor nutrients for plants.

so i got EI sorted... tested it and plants grew quickly after 1 week... but the tank was a mess sooooooo

i took all the fish out and did a rescape. i added some additional substrate for the plants and removed a lot of badly affected plants.

starting again.

 

[Chris Tinker]

i made some small changes too.

the co2 is now attached to the eheim pro 2 as it has more output... hoping the co2 will distribute better.

i have moved an inlet to the other side of the tank so circulation will be better.

i am now using EI

 

[Chris Tinker]

these little guys are easier to see and roam more and this odd one makes pits again

 

[alto]

Looking good

Though now I’m seeing why your wife wanted some fish visible at a distance

re the red gill - as long as there’s no swelling or frequent extension of the gill plate (normally lies fairly flat against the face) it’s likely just a “short” gill plate (this may be genetic or poor water conditions (too many bacteria) when fry are very young) or possible a translucent area of a normal shaped gill plate

When the zoea are released, everyone will be thrilled for the snack (including other shrimp) but this won’t precipitate shrimp hunting behaviour
(though larger fish may “accidentally” snap at nearby shrimp (if they’re swimming about wildly) while excited about the zoea swarm)

If you separate out those crypt bunches, they will fill in the gaps more quickly (as long as healthy etc)
If you start to see melt of any crypt leaves, just quickly trim at base - otherwise melt can spread to nearby leafs (and other crypts)

Plant density is still fairly low (lots of light, lots of nutrients) so I’d add some fast growing stems
H zosterfolia is one of the fastest (and loads of stems in a single 1-2-Grow cup)

 

[alto]

Awesome Cory Line

In this photo you can see some BBA on those lower leafs, I’d just remove those
(and possibly treat with Seachem Excel or similar)

As you’ve just reset the tank, large frequent water changes are recommended

 

[Chris Tinker]

i have this plant in 4 locations which grew rapid.. and i plan to have dotted around the back and sides.

i have already seperated the majority of crypt but i do like that 1 big bunch, and yes thank you to you i am now fully aware of the crypt leaf death and plan to keep an eye..

i plan to trim tomorrow night any algea leaves and dying leaves as the rescape took till 3am.....

i also plan to add more sand over the substrate just need some more first... its amazing how fast 10kg vanishes lol

 

[Chris Tinker]

Awesome Cory Line

In this photo you can see some BBA on those lower leafs, I’d just remove those
(and possibly treat with Seachem Excel or similar)

As you’ve just reset the tank, large frequent water changes are recommended

if i do a large water change with EI should i continue dosage as normal? its a rolling 6 day programme so start back to day 1?

 

[alto]

Up to you, but if I’m doing daily water changes, I just dose for that day (and if I’m not going to manage a water change the next day, just add another fertilizer dose)

The easiest stage to manage algae is when it’s least visible 😀

(I don’t EI 😉)

 

[alto]

Be careful about making sand too deep, as it’s not a good “air movement” or “current” substrate (those tiny uniform grains pack densely) - can you add some large grain “sand” or fine gravel?

Plant List?
Most look as if they’re fine with moderate substrate depth

If you hadn’t just done a rescape I’d suggest a lower layer of a bulkier substrate (assuming you like the fine sand appearance)

You might also add some floating plants to help balance the tank as plants establish

Nothing wrong with a big bunch of crypts 😀
- it will still propagate (often below ground)

 

[Chris Tinker]

Well..... tank doesnt feel like its moving along but just looked back and yes... filling out.

Algae is... sort of coming in to control. I keep doing large trims to cut out as much as possible and keep working my way around the tank, hugely improved but still got some issues.

Huge thank you to this forum for the support. There have been some key players through my journey so far.

House is slowly moving. Once some cash becomes spare i may buy some 10w and 20w and see if i can fit

10w 20w 30w 20w 10w across the top

With 10w coming on earlier and off later and then 20w then 30w so its got a steady increase .

I have added a pump which really helps with water movement but i have noticed a debris build up front left so i may move this to rectify that...

Also anyone got some tips on getting my corys out? They are constantly under my wood unless food is on offer or its night time .... doh

 

[Dadofthree]

Hi my corys love pets at home cat fish pleco pellets they are approx 12mm long by 6mm diameter and soft all my fish go nuts for these and graze for hours but all my corys just love them also good for ottos

 

[Chris Tinker]

Good to know, but again i can get them out at feeding time.... its all the other time i want to see them lol

Hi my corys love pets at home cat fish pleco pellets they are approx 12mm long by 6mm diameter and soft all my fish go nuts for these and graze for hours but all my corys just love them also good for ottos