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New tank after 5month wait
- Thread starter fredi
- Start date
I will get camera out and take a few pictures in the week
It’s definitely a fish tank as opposed to dedicated planted tank
It’s been a year in planning and getting to where it is (not finished due to delays in supply of tank/cabinet), and lack of time
I used tropica soil powder in laundry bags, capped with unipac fine sand, I went with this as corys seem to do better in this compared to more course sand/gravel
I use Ro/tap mix at 3:1
Ph 6.5 gh 4 kh 2
It has a weir feeding two 1200xl’s, heaters(3x300w Eheim), sensors, air stones in wier, filter returns are up through weir along top inside cover returning in both rear corners
2 mp40’s (rear corners) help with flow
Lighting is fluval 3.0 2x 59w 2x 43w
All channels bar warm white ramp up to 38%, warm white 25%, used this ratio on previous tank and prefer the colour (less yellow to my eye)
I had soaked soil for 3 months (changed water a few times), on filling tank with water, I got 3ppm ammonia, seeded filters with media from other filters, tank took a week for zero ammonia, and nitrite, gradually added plants over a week (when time allowed)
Added L027x 2, L128x2, Ottos, 2x honeycomb ancistrus, rummy nosed tetras, Cory sterbai, cory venezuelanus and marbled hatchet fish
A month later added some more rummy nose’s, manacapuru angels, and 2x baryancistrus demantoides, another 3 weeks saw the addition of moenkhausia costa, and a few days ago Hyphessobrycon notidanos, am waiting on some hyphessobrycon wadai, that will be it as far as fish are concerned
Currently dosing with apt complete (as this is what I had), at recommended dose
Plants are mainly crypts, some have done really well, others not as well but 🤞🤞, a few various buces, some large java ferns, a few large echinodorus, not certain what they are as they don’t look like what they were sold to be as
Most plants doing well, some growing like weeds
No real algae problems, traces here and there but nothing terrible
Ramshorn snails (courtesy of my sister, I gave her some assassin’s), and ottos keep leaves pretty clear, multiple pleco’s keep glass clear
Tank needs a vacuum
The cable ties will be removed at a later date👍
It’s definitely a fish tank as opposed to dedicated planted tank
It’s been a year in planning and getting to where it is (not finished due to delays in supply of tank/cabinet), and lack of time
I used tropica soil powder in laundry bags, capped with unipac fine sand, I went with this as corys seem to do better in this compared to more course sand/gravel
I use Ro/tap mix at 3:1
Ph 6.5 gh 4 kh 2
It has a weir feeding two 1200xl’s, heaters(3x300w Eheim), sensors, air stones in wier, filter returns are up through weir along top inside cover returning in both rear corners
2 mp40’s (rear corners) help with flow
Lighting is fluval 3.0 2x 59w 2x 43w
All channels bar warm white ramp up to 38%, warm white 25%, used this ratio on previous tank and prefer the colour (less yellow to my eye)
I had soaked soil for 3 months (changed water a few times), on filling tank with water, I got 3ppm ammonia, seeded filters with media from other filters, tank took a week for zero ammonia, and nitrite, gradually added plants over a week (when time allowed)
Added L027x 2, L128x2, Ottos, 2x honeycomb ancistrus, rummy nosed tetras, Cory sterbai, cory venezuelanus and marbled hatchet fish
A month later added some more rummy nose’s, manacapuru angels, and 2x baryancistrus demantoides, another 3 weeks saw the addition of moenkhausia costa, and a few days ago Hyphessobrycon notidanos, am waiting on some hyphessobrycon wadai, that will be it as far as fish are concerned
Currently dosing with apt complete (as this is what I had), at recommended dose
Plants are mainly crypts, some have done really well, others not as well but 🤞🤞, a few various buces, some large java ferns, a few large echinodorus, not certain what they are as they don’t look like what they were sold to be as
Most plants doing well, some growing like weeds
No real algae problems, traces here and there but nothing terrible
Ramshorn snails (courtesy of my sister, I gave her some assassin’s), and ottos keep leaves pretty clear, multiple pleco’s keep glass clear
Tank needs a vacuum
The cable ties will be removed at a later date👍
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The tiny Venezuelan was either conceived in tank or carried in as an egg on a plant
They have spawned on several occasions since being in this tank
Yesterday I witnessed breeding behaviour from rummy noses
I have reduced ferts to 80% of recommended dose as NO3 has been steadily increasing (ca30ppm now). I found that the capping sand had been removed from bag containing aqua soil in two places
I have added sand and placed thin slate and more sand to cover the bags
This was in areas adjacent to caves inhabited by L134 Rio jamanxim’s
And inhabitants
They have spawned on several occasions since being in this tank
Yesterday I witnessed breeding behaviour from rummy noses
I have reduced ferts to 80% of recommended dose as NO3 has been steadily increasing (ca30ppm now). I found that the capping sand had been removed from bag containing aqua soil in two places
I have added sand and placed thin slate and more sand to cover the bags
This was in areas adjacent to caves inhabited by L134 Rio jamanxim’s
Not sure how i missed this one. My type of tank it looks great, love the stocking choice too.
Are the notidanos the red or yellow form?
How is the sawdust with the panaques?They’re a beautiful fish but I don’t think I’ve seen a fish produce as much waste as they do.
Cheers
Are the notidanos the red or yellow form?
How is the sawdust with the panaques?They’re a beautiful fish but I don’t think I’ve seen a fish produce as much waste as they do.
Cheers
Thank you, notidanos are red form, I have not kept them before, I have been fortunate in obtaining the fish I have
The saw dust is “abundant” 😂😂
I vacuum (Eheim vac) every week prior to water change
Odd thing is, that I have had the L027 for around 18 months, in the previous tank they didn’t produce half of the sawdust they produce now, perhaps their habits/diet changes as they grow (around 6” now), they hang around together all the time, perhaps I have been rather fortunate and have a pair, time will tell
They were around 11/2” when I got them
The saw dust is “abundant” 😂😂
I vacuum (Eheim vac) every week prior to water change
Odd thing is, that I have had the L027 for around 18 months, in the previous tank they didn’t produce half of the sawdust they produce now, perhaps their habits/diet changes as they grow (around 6” now), they hang around together all the time, perhaps I have been rather fortunate and have a pair, time will tell
They were around 11/2” when I got them
You’ve managed to get these to grow at a decent pace if they’re only 18 months old. It shouldn’t take too long for them to reach full size at that rate.
I feed the plecs at night just before I turn in for the night
They get a few Tetra pleco wafers, Hikari carnivore pellets or
Osi spirulina wafers
I was surprised just how large they were when I transferred them to this tank, one is noticeably lighter in colour than the other and slightly smaller
They get a few Tetra pleco wafers, Hikari carnivore pellets or
Osi spirulina wafers
I was surprised just how large they were when I transferred them to this tank, one is noticeably lighter in colour than the other and slightly smaller
I am finding what looks to me like poor colour in Amazon frogbit , and rather pale Hygrophila difformis and corymbosa (both floating as plecs repeatedly dig them up), I think this is due to mg or fe deficiency
I didn’t experience this issue in the previous tank, but had no Hygrophila, and the echinodrus wasn’t growing at anything like the rate it is now (due aqua soil I think)
My tank water (RO/tap mix) Gh is 4 degrees, (I am in north kent), after some searching I found a BGs paper/report from 2008 (not sure it would be ok to post here, but am happy to send pdf to anyone that wants it), which indicates water in this area to contain vastly more Ca than Mg, ca 40 times as much
So pretty much next to no Mg in my tank water (ca1.8ppm by my “back of fag packet” calculation)
I will start to add some Epsom salts at next water change
When the Solufeed delivery arrives (I found it rather problematic to get their checkout to process payment) I will make up a solution of Fe and Epsom salts and set up the doser
I didn’t experience this issue in the previous tank, but had no Hygrophila, and the echinodrus wasn’t growing at anything like the rate it is now (due aqua soil I think)
My tank water (RO/tap mix) Gh is 4 degrees, (I am in north kent), after some searching I found a BGs paper/report from 2008 (not sure it would be ok to post here, but am happy to send pdf to anyone that wants it), which indicates water in this area to contain vastly more Ca than Mg, ca 40 times as much
So pretty much next to no Mg in my tank water (ca1.8ppm by my “back of fag packet” calculation)
I will start to add some Epsom salts at next water change
When the Solufeed delivery arrives (I found it rather problematic to get their checkout to process payment) I will make up a solution of Fe and Epsom salts and set up the doser
_Maq_
Member
Together? If yes, depending on the chosen iron source, it can react with negative results.
Thank you 👍
I will be using Solufeed Fe 11 DTPA (I purchased dtpa so my sister who uses tap water, could share it)
I also have Chempak Fe, Mn, Mg which I use in the garden, so may try this at some point
Added roughly 0.4ppm Mg, which is roughly 25% increase (actual amount will be slightly higher as calculations done on basis of theoretical capacity, which doesn’t allow for volume tanken up by sand, rocks, wood, or additional capacity of external filters), Hygrophila difformis is definitely more green, frogbit has multiplied greatly and colour looks better
Will add additional 0.4ppm tomorrow
Will add additional 0.4ppm tomorrow
4 months from filling with water
Not much of a picture, but progress is being made, tank filling out, I have left a space for a cryptocoryne flamingo (I have been unsuccessful with them in the past).
Adding 0.4ppm mg (magnesium sulphate) definitely helped
Next week I will switch to Chempak Mg/Mn/ Fe
At 0.5ppm MgView attachment IMG_2880.jpeg
Not much of a picture, but progress is being made, tank filling out, I have left a space for a cryptocoryne flamingo (I have been unsuccessful with them in the past).
Adding 0.4ppm mg (magnesium sulphate) definitely helped
Next week I will switch to Chempak Mg/Mn/ Fe
At 0.5ppm MgView attachment IMG_2880.jpeg
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Trimmed a few plants today (Hygrophila, and Java fern), also removed handfuls of Pistia stratiotes, as I wanted to open up the top of the tank, more light now reaching small cryptocorynes, so hopefully they will flourish
I have a redox sensor on this tank, it’s surprising (to me), just how much it alters with every clean, trim, or feed
It has steadily increased with time, as tank matured, it’s been pretty steady for a month or so now, it does fluctuate, especially when vacuuming up the wood particles
Tomorrow I will start using Chempak fe, mn, mg, it will be interesting to see the changes (if any) between this and magnesium sulphate
I have a redox sensor on this tank, it’s surprising (to me), just how much it alters with every clean, trim, or feed
It has steadily increased with time, as tank matured, it’s been pretty steady for a month or so now, it does fluctuate, especially when vacuuming up the wood particles
Tomorrow I will start using Chempak fe, mn, mg, it will be interesting to see the changes (if any) between this and magnesium sulphate
Angelfish spawned Friday, not a perfect place, but there you go, the parents will have there work cut out, but have been smart/lucky enough to spawn in a corner
Tank is doing ok, picked up some hyphessobrycon wadai last weekend (in quarantine), then that’s it for fish I think
I passed on some Cory Pulcher as the plecs are beginning to show themselves on a regular basis, I didn’t want to upset them😂
Mike Singh
Member
A really nice jungle looking tank!
I have been adding Chempak Fe, Mn, Mg @ 0.5ppm mg, for a couple of weeks now, subsequent to this I noticed an increase in surface plant growth and crypt spirals has definitely increased in length
Whether this is due to Chempak Fe, Mn, Mg, or just a delayed reaction to adding Epsom salts, I just don’t know
I am ceasing adding Chempak Fe, Mn, Mg for a bit, as I only carry out 20% water changes, I have no way of monitoring Mn, so will add Chempak Fe, Mn, Mg every 4 weeks and see how it goes
When I run out of TNC I will start using dry salts w/o NO3 and phosphate
Whether this is due to Chempak Fe, Mn, Mg, or just a delayed reaction to adding Epsom salts, I just don’t know
I am ceasing adding Chempak Fe, Mn, Mg for a bit, as I only carry out 20% water changes, I have no way of monitoring Mn, so will add Chempak Fe, Mn, Mg every 4 weeks and see how it goes
When I run out of TNC I will start using dry salts w/o NO3 and phosphate
