Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Journal Closed.

[Ady34]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra light.

Tank is looking great Ady, careful with the extra light 😉

Cheers Paulo, its been a considered upgrade....ill monitor and can reduce/increase individual light photoperiods accordingly.
Currently on 6hr photoperiod both lights.
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Keep us updated on light progress Ady 😉

I know youve been away, so when you get chance, would be good to see if there has been any improvement yet.

Im starting my 600x400 optiwhite cabinet build soon, just been cutting a couple of components this morning.

All the best,

 

[Ady34]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Keep us updated on light progress Ady 😉

I know youve been away, so when you get chance, would be good to see if there has been any improvement yet.

Im starting my 600x400 optiwhite cabinet build soon, just been cutting a couple of components this morning.

All the best,

Hi Nath,
came back to another stauro melt and surface scum 🙁
The missus said she put a bit too much of one of the 'thingys' in, possibly liquid carbon? Maybe this caused it, maybe its a response to the added light and not enough liquid carbon?
On the plus side the mosses and mini pelia are starting to take off....think ill be pulling out the stauro and hc and trying something else.
Bloody planaria in here somehow too??? Gonna get some treatment and do both tanks.
Bit disheartened at the moment, failed with stauro before and even the hydrocotle isnt doing great, so maybe need to try something else in here. Anyone got any suggestions, thought maybe some mini hairgrass, wendtti green crypt (maybe too large) or just some monosolenium tenerum and christmas moss? Seems a bit defeatist but if it aint working it aint working.
I know some shrimp would cheer me up, but want to wait till things have settled and are going well really.
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Hey ady, sorry to hear that some of the plants arent doing so well... have you considered dwarf riccia on some cleverly shaped stones around the base for detail? not sure how it does with easy carbon though. Goes great guns in my low tech nano.
Im sure youll get there mate and the stauro curse will be broken eventually...

 

[faizal]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

......another stauro melt and surface scum 🙁

Hi Ady,..I am sorry to hear of your problems mate. But melting & surface scum appears to point at a co2 issue,..in this case it's most probably the recent increase in lighting levels about 10 days ago. Ady I have got staurogynes growing at 20 micromoles mate. Very low PAR. The lights are on for 6 hrs ,...only Excel dosed ( probably just 1.5 times the recommended Excel value for my tank size) . I would switch back to the old lighting levels, remove the dead leaves & keep at the current excel dosing levels for another 2 weeks.

Daily small water changes. Remember that if we change more than 40% of the water then we need to add more excel each time after the water changes. Don't give up just yet.

 

[Ady34]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Hey ady, sorry to hear that some of the plants arent doing so well... have you considered dwarf riccia on some cleverly shaped stones around the base for detail? not sure how it does with easy carbon though. Goes great guns in my low tech nano.
Im sure youll get there mate and the stauro curse will be broken eventually...

...ill never break the stuaro curse :?
Think i might just play this safe now with respect planting and go for some less c02 demanding plants that should be guaranteed, get things stable and enjoy some shrimp 🙂 .

......another stauro melt and surface scum 🙁

Hi Ady,..I am sorry to hear of your problems mate. But melting & surface scum appears to point at a co2 issue,..in this case it's most probably the recent increase in lighting levels about 10 days ago. Ady I have got staurogynes growing at 20 micromoles mate. Very low PAR. The lights are on for 6 hrs ,...only Excel dosed ( probably just 1.5 times the recommended Excel value for my tank size) . I would switch back to the old lighting levels, remove the dead leaves & keep at the current excel dosing levels for another 2 weeks.

Daily small water changes. Remember that if we change more than 40% of the water then we need to add more excel each time after the water changes. Don't give up just yet.

you could well be right there Faizal, it all points to c02 really but i was just concerned at the level of light before. I must say i probably have been inconsistent with the liquid carbon though as you said. Ive been doing 40% every other day water changes (till this weekend) and not been consistent with dosing the excel to compensate. I need to get a routine and stick to it. Im going to leave the lighting as it is for now and attempt to regulate everything else better.
Cheers for the encouragement and advice guys.
Cheerio,
Ady

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Hey ady,

This isnt good news! Everyone has said basically what I have thought. Stick with lighting, pump up excel/EC.

I use a 2.5ml/5ml syringe. If you dont have one I suggest you invest, as both accurate and consistant.

How much excel were you dosing? Have you been dosing TPN+ too?

Regards,

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Also,
Im doing a Stauro trim shortly, let me know if you want a fresh batch to give a go.

 

[Ady34]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Hey ady,

This isnt good news! Everyone has said basically what I have thought. Stick with lighting, pump up excel/EC.

I use a 2.5ml/5ml syringe. If you dont have one I suggest you invest, as both accurate and consistant.

How much excel were you dosing? Have you been dosing TPN+ too?

Regards,

Hi mate,
yeah i have a syringe, been dosing 2ml daily on a morning along with 1ml macro mix and 1ml tpn for ferts (just today started ei micro mix also to replace used up tpn), but not adding more after the water changes which normally take place on an evening during lights on...probably the worst time especially without adding more LC to compensate 😳 Think when the water changes reduce in frequency this will help manage the w/c timing better and maybe more frequent but smaller water changes for the time being as Faizal suggested may be a better way of stabilising things. Dont really want to add more than 2ml easycarb especially with the shrimp ill be keeping.

Also,
Im doing a Stauro trim shortly, let me know if you want a fresh batch to give a go.

Probably leave it mate thanks, id like to try again but im sure it will do the same so ill decide on an alternative.
If i now remove the melted plants, i can maybe reduce water change frequency down to 1 a week so i can do it (on a weekend) pre dosing and photoperiod to get more stability.
Cheers,
Ady.

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Hmm, Why are you doing as many water changes as that?

Your dosing enough to keep algae at bay to a degree aren't you? I just do a WC of 15-20% a week. And my tank
Is in its grow in stages.

My HC is spreading like Wild fire now, in both my tanks, so its kind of frustrating that I cant help you 🙁

Regards

 

[Ady34]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Hmm, Why are you doing as many water changes as that?

Your dosing enough to keep algae at bay to a degree aren't you? I just do a WC of 15-20% a week. And my tank
Is in its grow in stages.

To keep ammonia and organic waste at bay in the maturing stage with the leaching from aquasoil and planting immediately method. Prevention rather than cure for algae.
Its been a few weeks now, thought id just carry on as i was still having melt and the plants hadnt settled yet. Maybe time to get the old test kit out and do some ammonia readings. If i get the melting plants out i can probably reduce this now.

My HC is spreading like Wild fire now, in both my tanks, so its kind of frustrating that I cant help you

i have plant poison tap water
all i can think is its your light and hc likes it as im dosing more LC and similar level of ferts, but my lighting is lower wpg....but who knows? In fairness its probably a few things most likely fluctuating c02 due to my frequent water changes and then not compensating the LC, also not helped by changing the light intensity... :idea: pretty much all the things ive learned are important from my other tank not being put into practice on this one!!! 🙄
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Haha can be frustrating at times cant it.
Well there is the WPG but depth is only 4-5cm more so that light must be penetrating. The fact my water is harder too, at approx 250-300 ppm.

Sorry if Im wrong but isn't the fact ADA leeches ammonia intended for initial plant growth? I Thought this was beneficial during the stages before stocking mate?

Regards,

 

[Ady34]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Haha can be frustrating at times cant it.
Well there is the WPG but depth is only 4-5cm more so that light must be penetrating. The fact my water is harder too, at approx 250-300 ppm.

Sorry if Im wrong but isn't the fact ADA leeches ammonia intended for initial plant growth? I Thought this was beneficial during the stages before stocking mate?

Regards,

yeah can be very frustrating, its good keeping a journal though as it helps others help point out the obvious for you! You can look back through the evidence trail and have it written in black and white 🙂
TDS in my tank is only around 110ppm at the moment and surprisingly is only 220 in the 180l, which given the conductivity reading of getting up towards 500 surprised me a little.
Yeah ADA ammonia leaching helps cycling for the filter bacteria etc but too much i think is good for algae especially in the early stages when the plants havnt rooted and began strong growth.
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Ahh cool,
i understood cycling properties and thought plants preferred the ammonia at start.

Regards

 

[Antipofish]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Remember that if we change more than 40% of the water then we need to add more excel each time after the water changes....

Hi faizal, why is that ? I dont add any excel at all and i change 50 to 60% water weekly. Doesnt seem to cause any issues, so I am wondering what the thing is with adding extra excel ?

Ady, keep going with the stauro... mine seems to have REALLY perked up now I have upped the flow. In fact I will be doing a trim soon and adding in extra plants to thicken up the carpet.

Im sure you will ride out the niggles you are having at the moment mate. All tanks have glitches... blame the wife for adding too much "stuff" and tell her you need some expensive piece of equipment to rectify it hehe.

(Like an AI sol LED light unit 😛 )

 

[Ady34]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Remember that if we change more than 40% of the water then we need to add more excel each time after the water changes....

Hi faizal, why is that ? I dont add any excel at all and i change 50 to 60% water weekly. Doesnt seem to cause any issues, so I am wondering what the thing is with adding extra excel ?

Ady, keep going with the stauro... mine seems to have REALLY perked up now I have upped the flow. In fact I will be doing a trim soon and adding in extra plants to thicken up the carpet.

Im sure you will ride out the niggles you are having at the moment mate. All tanks have glitches... blame the wife for adding too much "stuff" and tell her you need some expensive piece of equipment to rectify it hehe.

(Like an AI sol LED light unit 😛 )

Ha ha, it is fathers day on sunday so maybe......
Pleased your stauro is taking off mate, but mine is a no go, practically all melted 🙁 Water change night tomorrow so im going to remove this and the hc to be substituted with something else. The mosses and pelia have started to grow now so thats encouraging so may well end up being just mosses, liveworts and ferns in here, although im considering giving the amania sp. bonsai a go. Tanks in need of a cuc, cant tell wether its mould or diatoms on the wood but it needs to go. Want to add some ottos but water temp only at room temperature sitting at a constant 21.5 degrees c so maybe borderline a bit chilly for them....im sure the shrimp will take care of it when i eventually get some.
The liquid carbon thing is only significant if your using it as a carbon source, your supposed to add a higher amount after a large water change although i myself am unsure why as as far as im aware it degrades within 24hrs anyway? I can understand adding a percentage after a water change to compensate for any removed to keep the carbon levels constant....maybe its more to do with its algaecide properties or something?
Hows your shrimp nano coming along Chris?
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Antipofish]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Thanks for the explanation about the easycarbo. I used to use it but Im happy without it at the moment.
Shrimp nano... erm... Im trying to get everything sorted for it. Got a TMC mini LED but decided I wanted a different one, so am selling the brand new mini 500 I have 🙄

Once thats sorted I will get it going for sure 🙂

 

[Ady34]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Have you got it filled so it can be cycling, then when youve got the light etc sorted youll be ready to plant and add shrimp

 

[Antipofish]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Ive got the filter set up on the main tank as well as the big eheim but im wondering if i take it off if that will cause an issue in the main tank now ? What do you reckon ?

 

[Ady34]

Re: Aquanano40 CRShrimp tank....Extra Light.

Ive got the filter set up on the main tank as well as the big eheim but im wondering if i take it off if that will cause an issue in the main tank now ? What do you reckon ?

Will be ok. Your main filter and plants will keep the big tank in check
Cheerio,
Ady.