90x45x45, new project on the track !

[alnitak]

If you add a floating plant it has access to <"atmospheric CO2"> and will start to deplete all forms of <"fixed nitrogen"> straight away.

Hi ! for the time being no lights, as I start in the dark, but yes, as soon as i will reset the water to setup the plants, i will use some floaters to control the nutrients.

No, I'm pretty sure you will be all right, microbial nitrification is a lot more <"wide-spread then we originally thought"> and <"much less restricted by low pH">.

Ok, that's a good new, So no worry about pH and high nutrients levels at this stage.

I just saw my previous post with the nice red test result, and, I wrote "nitrates", but it is nitrites (NO2)...

 

[alnitak]

Interresting cnsiderations about the adaptation of the bacterial load to the levels of pollution in the water. This also means as a consequence, that after the last huge waterchange, when the soil will stop producing large amounts of ammonia, the bacterial colony will have to adapt again to fit with the new "standard" conditions. So maybe I should wait another one or two weeks to let it adapt ?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

for the time being no lights, as I start in the dark, but yes, as soon as i will reset the water to setup the plants,

Change some more water, turn the light on and add the floating plants. I'm not a fan of <"ammonia based "cycling">, when you have an ammonia rich substrate you just need to <"deplete that ammonia"> as rapidly as possible.

I've been using the <"Seasoned Tank Time"> concept for a long time, but <"without ever giving it a name">.

This also means as a consequence, that after the last huge waterchange, when the soil will stop producing large amounts of ammonia, the bacterial colony will have to adapt again to fit with the new "standard" conditions. So maybe I should wait another one or two weeks to let it adapt ?

I think that is it, in aquarium filters you have a core of <"Ammonia Oxidising Archaea (AOA) and COMAMMOX Nitrospira">, and a continually changing assemblage of ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidising Nitrospira, the composition of which is dependent upon the ammonia loading.

cheers Darrel

 

[alnitak]

Hi all !
Today was a long day, planting the tank after five weeks dark start.
I managed to use a lot of plants from the other tank.
Too tired to explain the trip in détails, apologize, i shall post something more detailed within a few days...
But OK, globally satisfied, the result is cool, now time will tell ! 😉

 

[alnitak]

Hello ! Some more details on the startup:

After five weeks dark start (with one 100% WC after 2 weeks), it was time to set everything up.

I started by collecting a lot of plants from the previous tank (rotala, pogostemmon erectus, buces, anubias, microsorum, rannunculus, staurogyne, crypts). They were wrapped in wet absorbing tissue for a little rest before transfer..

Then the tank was "opened", and emptied. No problem of algae, everything was smooth. Nitrates, nitrites, ammonia OK zero, KH <1, pH 6-7. The prefilter of the OASE biomaster-burping-chef - 850 was cleaned.

Then I installed the plants in the new tank, with old and others (invitro and grown)

• montecarlo on the wood (simply glued, hope it will remain on place...)
• green buces
• blyxia japonica
• crypto flammingo
• araguaia
• hydrocotyle
• brasiliensis
• micranthemun micranthemoides
• lagenandra meeboldii
• bolbitis heudelotii
• naesea golden (in vitro, a little bit messy, hope it will start)
• floating phyllantus fluitans.
• pinnatifida
• ammania bonsaï
• flame moss

Then the tank was flooded with 100 RO, added CaSO4/MgSO4 to reach GH4 and conductivity around 170-180 µS. CO2 on to get green dropchecker (about 2-3 bb/s). Very nice CO2art inline diffuser, just a flow of nanobubbles from the exhaust of the filter, perfect.
A pump (SICCE voyager nano) is helping for the water movement. There is another (aquamedic) pump, lent by my son, but it is far too powerfull, so i shall remove it.

Temperature is 23°C

Lighting Chihiros WRGB2-90, about 40% for 6 hours with 1 hour ramp.

Started daily fertilization with easylife Kalium and profito half recommended dose (same as for my previous tank)

What else ? enjoy, wait and see

Have a nice day

 

[alnitak]

Hi ! Day 4, running smooth. Some leaves melting on the crypts I transfered from previous tank, but i know it is normal.
I noticed that phyllantus fluitans likes to swim very close to the skimmer, and i may put a warning flag close to the inlet saying something like "warning, dangerous hole, no access to floating plants". Maybe could help... 😂

 

[jasonjleach]

nice!

 

[alnitak]

Thank you
Now have to wait for the plants to grow, maybe add some more buces ther or there.

 

[alnitak]

Hi all ! update after one week

50% water change this week end, remineralized with CaSO4 and MgSO4 to get GH 4.
Conductivity S is about 170µS.
Daily dose of Kalium and Profito with autodoser (recommended dose).
Light Chihiros WRGB2 about 50% for 6.5 hours
CO2 is about 3,5 bbles/s, and good flow all over the tank with the filter outlet + pump during CO2 injection.
pH is about 6, dropping from 6,5 to 5,5 during CO2 injection.
No ammonia (test = 0), no nitrites, no nitrates.
GH = 4
KH = 0

The main fact is that a lot of in vitro plants are melting... buces, araguaia, cyperus helferi, crypts, Monte Carlo... I know that it is "normal", but I am a little bit worried about that. So sad.. so bad looking...

Hope I will see new shoots on the plants soon

 

[alnitak]

Hello ! some news
After a lot of plants melting, some seem to start, and I'm enjoying this new life appearing there and there... Montecarlo almost completely disappaeard on one side, the other side seems a little bit better... wait and see

 

[alnitak]

Hi !
Things are going pretty good and my lost bucephalandra are retrieving. Except cyperus helferi, plants are growing. Some algae on the old leaves, but nothing alarming so far.
I added amano shrimps and otocynclus. The strange white spots on the wood disappeared half a day after the introduction of the shrimps.. Nice job!

Here a small video, enjoy!

 

[alnitak]

Japonica friendly sharing meal...

 

[alnitak]

Hi all !

Introduced 20 bleheri that seem to love their new home.
A very nice story, with wet eyes, about the last amandae tetra that was lonely and getting bad in the previous tank. He was wandering about all day along, so sad to find nobody...
He is happy now, flashy red coloured, and he was immediately adopted by his new friends, nice story 😊
Just find him in the picture 😉

 

[alnitak]

Hello !
2,5 months after start, things are running quite smooth, low grow for the plants except for the floaters.
So far so good 👍🏻

 

[alnitak]

Hi all ! Almost four months, just after two weeks vacation. I left the tank running alone, and everything seems ok 😉
Blyxia is gigantic, i shall trim it soon but honnestly i do not know how to proceed 🤓
Enormous macranda, running pinnatifida (i have to chase the runners soon), and what i love is the arch which is slowly becomming covered with Montecarlo.
So far so good👍🏻👍🏻

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
That looks good.

Blyxia is gigantic, i shall trim it soon but honnestly i do not know how to proceed

It is actually a stem plant, but the stems are really short and the leaves really brittle, so I'm not sure exactly how to proceed (other than you need to prune the stems, not the leaves). Hopefully some-one will be able to offer some more useful advice.

cheers Darrel

 

[Hufsa]

Hopefully some-one will be able to offer some more useful advice.

Im not an authority in trimming Blyxa, but I usually yank mine out, divide as needed and remove any scraggly old leaves, trim roots a bit and plant a few back in the substrate. Ive never tried trimming from the top, I will try that next time just to see what happens. Im not sure if it sprouts new tops willingly so maybe snip off one of the divisions the plant has made on their own?
I do think replanting the whole thing is most common, otherwise it can get quite big

 

[Courtneybst]

Im not an authority in trimming Blyxa, but I usually yank mine out, divide as needed and remove any scraggly old leaves, trim roots a bit and plant a few back in the substrate. Ive never tried trimming from the top, I will try that next time just to see what happens. Im not sure if it sprouts new tops willingly so maybe snip off one of the divisions the plant has made on their own?
I do think replanting the whole thing is most common, otherwise it can get quite big

This is what I do too. I find it reacts similar to vallisneria if you try to trim the leaves. Those leaves eventually melt away.

 

[alnitak]

Hi ! In fact you just pull the plant out, trim it and plant it again. Not too messy for the aquasoil ? I'm affraid about creating a large brown cloud in the tank...

 

[Hufsa]

Hi ! In fact you just pull the plant out, trim it and plant it again. Not too messy for the aquasoil ? I'm affraid about creating a large brown cloud in the tank...

I have only sand which is sort of cheating (but very nice) 😁
For Aquasoil I would do it slowly like it shows in this clip: