First planted aquarium

[SueD]

Hi. As promised I am going to attempt a journal of my first planted aquarium. I have had aquariums for years but never been successful with plants, partly due to not ensuring all parameters are correct and mischievous clown loach devouring everything in sight!!!

I started this journey back in October 2014. I downsized my tank to 100L and found new homes for my larger fish. Current setup comprises of:

Filter: Eheim prof 3 250,
Heater: Rena inline smart heater
UV: TMC v2 vecton
CO2: co2art sodastream system
Bulbs: fluval power and life T5 HO
Blue light: TMC aquaray aquablue led
Nutrition: APF plant nutrition
Water: 50/50 RO and conditioned tap water
Substrate: JBL manado and aquabasis +

New tank delivered

Initial setup

Currently have my original stock of harlequin rasboras, cherry shrimp and amano shrimp, I will be waiting before I add any more fish stock.
During the initial stages I had natural co2 system running, while waiting to upgrade to current soda stream co2 system.

Sodastream system was installed 2 days ago. White mould that was on the wood is nearly cleared up through water changes and the army of shrimp in the tank.

tested the water this morning and KH and PH was high. Discovered this was due to the co2 being added to aquarium and reaction with the lava rock!! Of course lava rock has now been removed and 50% water change carried out.

Plants and fish are doing well and I am waiting on delivery of a new collection. Excited is not the word Looking forward to seeing everything flourish.

 

[Edvet]

Try to extend the exit tube all along the backside, this way you'll have a good circulation. Try to have the jets coming from it hitting the front pane( if you lower the waterlevel a bit so you can see how far the jets go) is a good measurement for efficiency of the circulation.
I am not sure lavarock reacts with eiher water or CO2.
If at all possible try to get a hold of a electronic pH device and do measurements every hour ( from 1 hour before CO2 on till on hour after lights out) thus should gibve a lot of information.
Be carefull, if you start on CO2 it's like a plants drug, they will want it often and a lot so you will have to be on top of things.

 

[SueD]

Thank you edvet for your advice.
In respect of the lava rock I was thinking that possibly the lava rock contained carbonates which would raise GH and KH.

 

[SueD]

Try to extend the exit tube all along the backside, this way you'll have a good circulation. Try to have the jets coming from it hitting the front pane( if you lower the waterlevel a bit so you can see how far the jets go) is a good measurement for efficiency of the circulation

I will look into this, thanks. What are my options if the jets don't reach the opposite side?

 

[Lindy]

I thought lava rock was inert and that is why it is used in shrimp tanks often?

 

[naughtymoose]

Mmm. Lava rock. I thought it was supposedly good for shrimp tanks etc too?

 

[Christos Ioannou]

Try to extend the exit tube all along the backside, this way you'll have a good circulation. Try to have the jets coming from it hitting the front pane( if you lower the waterlevel a bit so you can see how far the jets go) is a good measurement for efficiency of the circulation.

Found this formula from a guy Hoppy. I used this to do my diy spraybar with what I believe good success.
Essentially what he suggests is that the total area of the spraybar holes is 0.8 * area of delivery hose, as follows

h: number of holes on spraybar
Rholes: radius of holes on spraybar
Rinput: radius of hole on delivery tube connected to spraybar
0.8: factor to achieve desired flow

h = 0.8 * Rinput^2 / Rholes^2

A worked example
Rholes: 1mm
Rinput: 8mm (for a hose with 16mm internal diameter)

h = 0.8 * 8^2 / 1^2
h = 51

This is 51 holes @ 1mm radius (or 2mm diameter) that need to be equally spaced on the spraybar.
The target hole diameter must be big enough so it will not clog with debris.

 

[Edvet]

if the jets don't reach the opposite

Get a stronger pump?

Eheim prof 3 250

Should be able to deliver enough power, make sure you dont pack it full of filtermedia (wil hamper flow), if you want a cheap medium put it app halffull with some plastic potscrubbers,

 

[SueD]

Found this formula from a guy Hoppy. I used this to do my diy spraybar with what I believe good success.
Essentially what he suggests is that the total area of the spraybar holes is 0.8 * area of delivery hose, as follows

h: number of holes on spraybar
Rholes: radius of holes on spraybar
Rinput: radius of hole on delivery tube connected to spraybar
0.8: factor to achieve desired flow

h = 0.8 * Rinput^2 / Rholes^2

A worked example
Rholes: 1mm
Rinput: 8mm (for a hose with 16mm internal diameter)

h = 0.8 * 8^2 / 1^2
h = 51

This is 51 holes @ 1mm radius (or 2mm diameter) that need to be equally spaced on the spraybar.
The target hole diameter must be big enough so it will not clog with debris.

That's very interesting thankyou for sharing this I will give it a go. This will be my job for weekend

 

[SueD]

[quote="Edvet, post: 383917, member:
Should be able to deliver enough power, make sure you dont pack it full of filtermedia [/quote]

Yes I think my filter is full. I will remove some of the media, and let the water circulate better.

would a powerhead work as well? Can these go inline or on a spray bar and pump on separate inlet? Sorry for questions I am not familiar with powerhead and how they work.

 

[Edvet]

It could if you need it, will give more clutter in the tank though. I would add an extra cannister filter, but see if you need it first.

 

[X3NiTH]

Do you know what the plant at the front left of the tank is? I might be wrong but it very much looks like an Opheopogon which is a non aquatic (can handle roots in water but if submerged it will suffocate and die). Gets unscrupulously sold as a true aquatic in fish shops when it's more of a terrarium plant. Mine just about annihilated my tank by going toxic in the substrate before I realised what it was.

 

[SueD]

Do you know what the plant at the front left of the tank is? I might be wrong but it very much looks like an Opheopogon which is a non aquatic (can handle roots in water but if submerged it will suffocate and die). Gets unscrupulously sold as a true aquatic in fish shops when it's more of a terrarium plant. Mine just about annihilated my tank by going toxic in the substrate before I realised what it was.

Yes it is! That is the 3rd plant I brought from the same fish shop which was not true aquatic!! The leaves are turning brown but it had started to produce runners. Thankyou for the warning!

 

[X3NiTH]

3rd time unlucky, its probably a good idea to source your plants elsewhere, plenty to chose from through some of the forum sponsors, that's if you don't mind buying online, I know it's always nice to see the plants before you buy them but this is how you got suckered, like me I too thought the Opheopogon was a lovely looking plant. What were the other two plants that you were sold as aquatics? It might be worth saying which LFS did this so others can avoid buying plants from them. I dread to think of how many tanks have been wiped out precisely by sellers that do this and how much sales they made from customers trying to fix the problem.

 

[SueD]

3rd time unlucky, its probably a good idea to source your plants elsewhere, plenty to chose from through some of the forum sponsors, that's if you don't mind buying online.

I have since ordered plants from Aquarium gardens and awaiting delivery.... can't wait. Don't worry I will only be buying online in future! It appears by the ophlopogon label that it would be the original supplier at fault as the label states it is an aquatic plant!


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[josepinto]

whats your opinion about that diffuser...you like it?

 

[SueD]

For my 100L tank I'm not keen on it. I don't need my co2 more than 2bps so there is no 'fizz' from the bazooka bar, actual bubbles are instead coming from the end with the join to the plastic and quite noisy! I emailed the company and they say this is normal! I will be buying another from elsewhere!

 

[SueD]

Beautiful, healthy young plants recieved today from Aquarium gardens. Highly recommended. Recieved: Hermianthus calletrichoides Cuba; pogostemon erectus; eleochqris acicularis and hydrocotlye tripartita.

 

[Lindy]

Sounds like your diffuser is broken.

 

[SueD]

Sounds like your diffuser is broken.

I agree!