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My simple setup

Joined
2 Aug 2015
Messages
83
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Title: " Simple"

Dimensions: 30cm cube - Fluval Flora 30lt tank

CO2: liqiud co2

Filtration: Aquael mini internal

Lights: Fluval 11watt compact

Heater: Aquael 50watt Easy heater

Photo Period: 8hrs

Fertilisation: Tropica Specialised

Substrate: Fluval Stratum

Hardscape: single piece of bogwood

Flora: Anubias Petite
Pogostermon Helferi
Ludwiga Repens
Micranthemum 'Montecarlo'
Crytocoryne Beckettii
Fissidens Fontanus

Fauna: none as yet.

I decided to setup this nano while I make up my mind about the tank for the front room. I plan only to keep shrimp and some ottos. The rock is to keep the wood down, will update the photo once the rock isn't needed.
I never done anything like a journal before, but I thought it would be a good idea to remind me of the progress of my simple setup.
 
A good start
I'd like to see a little more height in the centre
 
Thanks Darren. I'm hoping the Ludwiga Repens, that is planted behind and to the left of the wood, will give it the height it needs.
 
Day 5 update:
About 30% water change. Everything looking ok, with good growth on the Ludwiga repens. Ammonia spike in process. So nothing unexpected.

Day 11 update:
50% water change with a good clean, including plants. Brown algae bloom started, was hoping the liquid co2 would help keep that at bay, but expected it. Recommend co2 dose is 0.6ml per day and I'm dosing 1ml at the moment to help the plants to establish. Plant growth is good still. New leafs coming through on all the plants, with a few old leaf melting on the crytocoryne and Pogostepmom. Happy to see some growth on fissidens fontanus, wasn't sure how well it would grow. The rock to hold the wood down isn't needed any more, but it's still a little unstable. Add some vesicularia dubyana to the bog wood, hoping that to grows well. Ammonia level is dropping and the nitrite level is rising as it should. Looking back I should have done 1 or 2 more water changes, but I thought being a low tech tank it wouldn't need it. Lesson learnt!

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Day 18. I'm happy with the progress of the plants. The Ludwiga is growing strong and healthy, maybe a little slower than expected. The Fissidens is growing very well, better than I expected. As for the Montecarlo, I'm extremely happy, it is starting to carpet nicely already. I still have the brown algae but not to worried about that. The only thing I'm not happy with is the ammonia going up, when it was so low just a few days ago.

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Not a great picture but you can see the new shoots.

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Day 19. Well the ammonia has gone down to 0, must have leached out of the substrate when I did the clean/water change. I have a little nitrite spike but will check that tomorrow, might drop too.
I have decided that I want to keep crystal red shrimps, and would like them to breed. To give them every chance I will be using ro water to bring th kh down to 0. Will be doing 5lt water changes every 2-3 days, once the tank has cycled, until the parameters are right.
 
Day 22. 5lt ro water change.

Day 25. 30% ro water change. Brown algae running riot. Potostermon is dieing, so I have removed them. I have reduced the liquid co2 to the recommend amount, probably why the potostermon was melting away. Have just added three Otocinclus, hopefully they will start to sort the algae out.
 
Day 32.
30% water change to day, still with ro water. The water parameters are nearly there for my shrimps, looking forward to those. Trying a new plant that I found at my lfs. It's called Bucephalandra spec " wavy leaf" by Dennerle, and should make a nice replacement for the potostermon. The otos have done a great job so far, the crypts have green leafs again lol. The xmas moss is starting to show some new growth. Over all the plants are coming on nicely, slow and steady.
 
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