Perdition to paradise (hopefully)

[greying_mantis]

Day 19
13th and final rehab water change done. I did another 50% today. Tested at 40-50ppm nitrates. I’m happy to leave it there and move to weekly water changes. I want to see what the plants do with it.

I’ve been dosing NPK and trace elements for the last week or so. Not sure what exactly is in the trace mix, other than iron. It seems to be an older Aqua Essentials range - I’ve had them for a few years, I think they were a gift. I recognise there’s an element of risk using an old product but I don’t think there’s much that can “go off” in a way that would be dangerous for the tank. The fish are showing no ill effects. I’ll use them up and then see how things look, unless strongly advised otherwise.

The congos are displaying at each other and the synodontis seem to have settled down. Plenty of interaction/minor squabbles today but none of the vicious chasing/fighting from yesterday. The big two are making “desire paths” all over the tank - it’s lovely to see the sand reflect their preferences and habitual movements, something they couldn’t really achieve with the old substrate (which is still in there, just largely buried at the back).

If Lucy and Petri stay chill, the next fish added will be more congo tetra. I’d love to have 10 or so in there, and I think they’d be happier as well. Anyone with some not-tiny congos needing a new home, hit me up? 😄

I’ve ordered polycarbonate sheet for the new lid, and some new tools to cut it. I’ve not decided exactly how I’ll lay it out but I have some initial ideas. I want holes cut for emersed growth and will make the lid up of 2-3 panels, with the plant holes in a panel I won’t have to move much. This will either be at the back or in the middle, over the brace bar. I suppose it really depends how I want the plants to look over the tank, and their roots within it. I’ll do a mock-up tomorrow (probably).

Bought some plants of another UKAPS member - more vallis and limnophila sessiliflora, some dwarf water lettuce and red root floaters. Excited for them to arrive. I also want more foreground and mid ground plants - probably more crypts (with weights this time) but happy to hear suggestions

 

[greying_mantis]

Day 20

Managed to get a cloth attached to a broom handle down the back of the tank. No more water streaks! I don’t think the tank has ever looked this clean. I’d like to get a background to hide the pipe work and cables but I don’t know how I’d apply it neatly without draining and moving the tank. Maybe an old bank card tied to the end of the aforementioned broom?

I’ve been thinking forward to how I might manage CO2 if I want to add it. Despite knowing the likelihood of a catastrophic failure is relatively low, I continue to be very anxious about pressurised cylinders in the house, as is my spouse who is acutely aware of the risks from his work in chem labs. And I’ve seen several accounts of cylinders going through lethal-to-livestock “extinction bursts” as they run out. I would also really struggle with getting it refilled due to my particular disabilities which mean I am not allowed to drive, have highly variable executive functioning and struggle hugely with fatigue. I know that even with the best of intentions I will find it very difficult to get across to a refill site in a timely manner. Which leaves sugar-and-yeast or citric acid (which seems to be a sort of half-way between the other two?) The major cons seem to be the variability of the reaction, the risk of flooding the tank with reactants and the possibility of messy “explosions” if I overload the mix (though they seem rather less dangerous than a fire extinguisher gone haywire) but those seem manageable to me as long as the right routine and equipment are used, especially as I would be looking to add “just enough” CO2 to perk everything up rather than pushing 30ppm for intense growth of tricky plants. The need to change over the mix every week or so doesn’t seem more bothersome than doing laundry/other regular household tasks, and the ability to get everything I need from my regular supermarket orders is very useful (and likely the deciding factor). I know there are strong feelings about homebrew CO2 but I’m not seeing a consensus against it as a fundamentally unethical approach, more a general feeling that pressurised CO2 is cleaner, easier and more reliable.

Still, it’s not something I am rushing into. I need to make sure I can keep on top of basic maintenance before adding a new system. One thing this rehab process has done is “cure” my avoidance of water changes. They are not the big, scary task I had turned them into. If only I could find similar energy for weeding the garden…

Speaking of gardens, I have more plants on the way. I went back to Abyss who have been great during the “renovation” and also placed my first order with Dennerle. Mostly fore-to-midground and epiphytes. I finally paid attention to the bucephalandra hype and realised just how pretty they are. I don’t think they were very available last time I was seriously thinking about plants (a good many years ago). Once this lot land I should have a fairly heavily planted tank. Whether they’ll thrive or not is another matter!

 

[bazz]

I know it is subjective but to me your tank looks far better now, kudos for the effort. Under the circumstances I personally would not bother with CO2. Looking at that plant list and the plants you already have in your tank, I can't see many species that will vastly benefit from it's application, and varying levels of CO2 can open up a new can of worms. However, it is your tank to do with as you please, and if you do fancy a dabble, I believe lower levels of CO2 can most certainly benefit most plants as long as it is stable, plants love/need stability, and leave the higher levels of CO2 to the, high light, pearling stem plant junkies.
Obviously this is just my blinkered approach, but good luck with whatever path you choose.
Cheers!

 

[greying_mantis]

I know it is subjective but to me your tank looks far better now, kudos for the effort

Thanks bazz ☺️

Under the circumstances I personally would not bother with CO2. Looking at that plant list and the plants you already have in your tank, I can't see many species that will vastly benefit from it's application, and varying levels of CO2 can open up a new can of worms. However, it is your tank to do with as you please, and if you do fancy a dabble, I believe lower levels of CO2 can most certainly benefit most plants as long as it is stable, plants love/need stability, and leave the higher levels of CO2 to the, high light, pearling stem plant junkies.

This is my feeling too.

 

[Connswater]

my feeling too

And honestly, if you do want to "dabble", I myself recommend yeast and sugar, not perfect, but green, works and gives stability without endangering the fish and provides just a little boost in harder water for the plants in their ongoing 'battle with algae', nature 'tooth and claw' and all of that.

 

[greying_mantis]

And honestly, if you do want to "dabble", I myself recommend yeast and sugar, not perfect, but green, works and gives stability without endangering the fish and provides just a little boost in harder water for the plants in their ongoing 'battle with algae', nature 'tooth and claw' and all of that.

I’ve got the old Nutrafin yeast and sugar kit. I suspect it’s rather too small for my tank though, even with the lower output I’d be using. Do you know of any good resources for using yeast and sugar for “just a little” CO2? Most guides seem geared towards maximising output.

 

[Connswater]

maximising output

Mark, MJ Aquascaping (YouTube) used gelatine to make things last longer, slower release, never done it myself, but you might want to have a look. I used a modest home made system on a deep, wide, three foot with great success, but I did have to recharge a lot in warmer weather, but I was just using supermarket yeast and sugar in an old old fizzy drink bottle. With a yeast and sugar system the output is rarely more than a modest bubble per second or so, not the three or four bubbles per second some of us use. If I was doing things from scratch, I suspect, I would not use an external cannister filter, not buy dedicated aquarium lights, not use soil in my substrate, not muck about with my water chemistry and not use a high pressure CO2 system, but then I think I'm getting a bit less comfortable with all aspects of high tech, but I'm not going back to a manual typewriter, but LPs are better than CDs, in my humble opinion, and as for downloaded music, I'd rather let a real human being choose for me on the old fashioned "wireless". What suits is what is important I think, best of luck.

Pearling Rotala macrandra in my main tank tonight, after a massive prune, which proves I am sadly a CO2 stem plant "junkie".

 

[greying_mantis]

Day 21

The frogbit is really struggling and I noticed some issues with other plants. Posted in the Plant Help forum.

Thinkin’ ‘bout ferts, ferts, ferts. Probably Happi’s Solufeed recipe. Seems like a good middle ground between easy-but-expensive liquids and buying all the dry ingredients separately. I need to do a lot more reading, though.

Played around with the Nutrafin DIY CO2 canister. It’s feeding into a bucket of water. I want to see what the output is like and how long the system lasts. No bubbles yet but apparently it can take hours to get going. Maybe it’ll have woken up by morning. Maybe the yeast is too old (I found it in the back of the pantry).

I caught one of the monsters slurping crypts like spaghetti. I can see why people tend to keep small fish in their planted tanks 🤣