Olympus is Calling.

[Zeus.]

Thanks for all your kind words guys 🙂, much appreciated

Please put your hobby grade test kit in the bin or if you insist using it, ignore the results....😉

Wasn't mine 😱 it was the sons, mines in post , well I was in two minds not to bother, then last minute I ordered one

Did a macro dose 50% EI this morning, had light on at 50%

had to wait to put CO2 on till 2pm due to other commitments, but setup the pH controler, had the independent line bubbling like mad, still took some time to get the pH up to 6.5, Drop checker didnt go critical just green, had quite a bit of pearling too.

Had the lights on 6Hours

Added some pics below of the various stages from Yesterday, from cleaning the filter, water setup for WC in wash room etc

 

[Zeus.]

Just did a few night shots last night.








Added daughter's Val's that I got for her, there still in pots. Think I might keep one. Wife really likes the middle Val too, so plan to leave it potted or try and get a small clay pot from garden center. Plus the Vallisneria do not tolerate liquid carbon very well, so with my plans to be dosing liquid CO2 for its anti algae properties Vals will be a poor choice long term. But they help fill in the tank short term. Well till Daughter takes them on Thursday.

Had a look this morning and all the swords/grass are standing up straight, plus cypts leaves picked up too.

Morning pH 7.15 via pH controler. Plan to aim for 6.2pH today and see if drop checker turns Yellow (too much [CO2]), good to know where the limits are IMO.

pH held very close to yesterdays limit of 6.5 for several hours after the CO2 was turned off, independent line was also turned off at shame time, Flow was still good.

 

[Zeus.]

Son managed to get some 'Cyperus helferi' yesterday from LFS good price too (out of stock elsewhere). looks great in tank might get some more😀

twilight end shot- one kessil on low(did another 50% WC last night)

 

[ian_m]

How is your flow and drop checker colour at the far end of the tank ?

 

[Zeus.]

Flow is good with the FX6 and better with the eheim compact3000+ , no AS movement after slight adjustment in spray bar agle of independant line. Drop checker is showing to high (its clear ATM) keep reducing the ph controler seting by 0.1 each day. Its at 6.4pH today so will see how it is tonight. But still plaing around with the Double CO2 inputs to get the balance right.

Might have a play with the independent spray bar and have it well down in water. Not glued the final ends together and pipework is holding so thats working great as can make micro/complete adjustments 🙂

 

[ian_m]

Forgot you had an FX6....😛

 

[Zeus.]

Pic off the flow input from spraybars

 

[Zeus.]

Fitted Twinstar
Was thinking about the possible algae issue that may arise and what else I could do to help reduce its visit.

Better Flow
So positioned the left spray bar


Twinstar bubbles dont get the chance to be not carried away in the current 😀

 

[Zeus.]

Nitrites at 0.25ppm on Micky mouse API master test kit ( clear for ammonia and nitrates). Used it on small tank with Otto's and Amanos in and was all clear for Ammonia, nitrite and nitrates so using it with caution with reference to an establish tanks results.
So with a bit of luck should be safe for clean up crew soon.
Picked up 12 Amanos today at good price from LFS. So 18 ready on standby. Had laugh watching them squirrel off the small algae pellets I have. In the same light they will move the AS no problem !

 

[Zeus.]

Been doing 200l WC every week day night last week. Son tested the kH of the water before he went back to Uni and it had gone down to 8kH which was what I had calculated from the local water supplies data sheets, then allowing for the ADA AS and the seiryu stone having a net neutral effect together. Think the initial high kH was due the the longish DSM or high because it was done straight after flooding and needed as few WCs to reach equilibrium.
Could use some bio solution to help kickstart the filtration, but seeing as it has been working for several months in garage with a bioload was hoping that would be enough, obviously not.
Did put a few
Gel Filter Starter Balls into the filter before flooding tank. But only a small handful. Got them with the Biohome Ultimate free. Had half a bag left. So put the rest into the filter this morning. Did it the easy way putting them in via the filter intake in tank, sucked them up nice and easy.

Just needs time and should be good. Just like to get the clean up crew in. The other fish can wait.

The pH for good [CO2] via pH controller at 6.8pH, took a few days hit and miss to find the sweet spot. pH controller made it nice and easy. Drop checker stays nice and green in photo period, moring pH in the range of 7.16-7.2pH and drop checker is blueish.

Some melting of leaves, others picking up. Two off the C. helferi nice and green, however one going yellowish, it was the poorer specimen, will see how it goes. Repositioned some of the J. ferns, Anubias and Bucephelandra which is why I didnt go down the glueing route in the first place. Also been gettting a few Anubias from daughters old small tank and squeezing them in here and there between Rocks/DW some arent the best specimens but should pick up. Nice thing about rock wood placement is easy to change without disturbing AS.

H. pinnatifida turning a little brown/reddish too on top leaves showing little pearling at times.

Pearling here and there (obviously no pearling is not a sign of unhealthly plants, but nice to see) mainly on plants higher up in tank.

Turned kessils up to 60% intensity but kept main photo period at 6hrs.

Very happy with flow in tank with the spray bar positioned. when the twinstar starts the micro bubbles are jetted off to the other side of tank reaching the independent intake, like a snow storm - must do a vid :whistle:

Tank is a bit smelly which started when a fitted the twinstar, so I'm putting it down to that. Could be the tank cycling also OFC and the fitting of the twinstar was just coincidental as purely observational and not evidence based.

 

[Daveslaney]

Looking good.
Out of intrest do you use the fx6 to drain water out the tank for water changes?.

 

[Zeus.]

Looking good.
Out of intrest do you use the fx6 to drain water out the tank for water changes?.

Thanks 🙂

Could do, but use point one on pic, its an independent line - no filter


Then the chlorinated water gets primed before reaching filter, filter off during WC.
Do plan to use the FX6 drain/fill point to clean the detritus out with the free vac and filter I got with FX6, prior to WC. But after a week after flooding and good flow not much to clean to be honest, which a light disturbance of plants gets it into the flow and filter takes it out.

 

[Daveslaney]

Great system.
Thinking of uping the filtration on mine,But am abit torn between a sump using a overflow box or a fx6 at the min lol.

 

[Zeus.]

Great system.
Thinking of uping the filtration on mine,But am abit torn between a sump using a overflow box or a fx6 at the min lol.

Well I am well happy with the FX6 so far, managed to get about 4Kg of biohome ultimate in it, the 25mm piping is a bit of a pain getting fittings for CO2 wise or external heaters, great flow. Great price for what you get IMO.

 

[Zeus.]

Nitrites all clear this morning so stuck one Otto in and went to work. Still alive tonight so stuck other Otto in and 16 Amanos.
There busy ATM pick some more Otto's up asap

Sent from Mountolympus via neural interface

 

[Zeus.]

Did first big trim of carpet today
Forgot to do pre pics the carpet was getting long
used


Took about 4hrs - well it was first time trimming a carpet - well planted tank. Plan to get some more scissors too

Those Amanos dont half like nipping your arm 🙄 just dropped an big algae pellet in solved the minor issue



didnt take enough off at first as well



Can see the Pava now as well, was being drowned by the micro swords.

Might change the Java ferns for some trident.

Got about 50 Amanos in tank and 12 ottos - picked some more ottos up today in quarantine ATM was at a good price

No real issues ATM Light on 6hrs kessils at 60% and four T5s, extended viwing about 2hrs with one kessil on at 5%.
Ei dosing at 50 to 75% and two 65% WC a week

Been getting on with PLC too

 

[Daveslaney]

Looks great,Coming along nicely.

 

[Zeus.]

Been some time since last post. Took out all the Java fern and added Trident, moved some Anubis about a bit, took out one(trimmed to base off stem) Cyperus helferi as it wasnt looking right. All Crypts doing well. Three amanos with eggs


End view



Carpet not doing well 🙁 since I trimmed it





So here's my newbie thoughts long DSM 12Hr light so plenty of stored energy in plants. Flooded tank grew from stored energy, even with kessils on 60% 6hrs and T5 about 2 hours, trimmed carpet so swords melted back to then regrew a bit whilst the micro grass regrew some, then they ran out of energy. I was keeping the tank lighting low to avoid algae blooms etc. Plus wanted to get my EI & LCO2 auto dosser done also Plus PLC before I went away for two weeks. PLC fitted along with auto dosser week before Hols( will post details when the final touches done) turn lights down a bit more for Hols.

Got back from Hols and carpet still not recovering and all the crypts leaves are reaching for the top off tank too (some minor holes in one or two leaves on crypts)

Plus I was being patient seeing what happens without changing setting all the time. I have a 50cm deep carpet so need more light penitration.

provisional newbie diagnosis -Not enough light

So from last night I have the kessils on full for 6hours along with six T5 24w for six hours too. Might need more hrs will give it a few weeks

Also thinking of doing a LED COB array Dimable via PLC 0-10Volt analog output to LED driver with 6500K, red,(maybe blue) chips. then I can control the amount off light getting to different parts of tank too

 

[Zeus.]

Since posting rearranged my T5 tubes so they are basically arranged around the carpet and not uniform around the tank and the micro grass has started to pearl here and there , hasn't done that before- nothing amazing but pearling all the same 😀

 

[xim]

I agree on increasing the light because it looks like the carpet is on decline compared to the after-trim picture from 4th March. I would carefully monitor the tank because you may be increasing it too much (from the way you describe it). Green algae on rocks indicates that if the light is too low, it's not by much . But I never use Kessil's light, so have no idea, can't gauge them, by the way.