Surmounted

[Tankless]

I removed two pieces of wood to create more space in the tank for planting and to make things easier to clean.

Since the last update, I’ve added in the following plants:

• Cryptocoryne Spiralis Tiger (CST
• Cryptocoryne Ferruginea Sekadauensis (CFS)
• Marsilia Crenata / Minuta

The CST arrived with broken ends which I haven’t cut yet but hopefully it will pull through. The CFS hasn’t done anything from what I can see. Whilst the Minuta keeps getting uprooted by my BN pleco. I’m after a bushy epiphyte that likes light to be placed high up on the wood. Suggestions are welcome.

The issues:
1. I’ve had a very small of Staghorn Algae on the twinstar thing and old decaying leaves of the Bacopa that I didn’t cut off pre planting. I assume this is due to having to redial in the co2 as I swapped back to a intake with a skimmer.
2. The BN pleco keeps uprooting the front right hand side plants. As long as I re flatten the soil and replant the uprooted plants then this issue should eventually end. It started after I cleaned the area between the glass and subtracts with an old debit card. This led to the filter being filled with detritus and decaying plant matter which I also assume contributed to the Staghorn algae.

For now I’ve gone back to 3 water changes a week to fix the above and lowered the lighting intensity to 40%

Few images to show the progress:



I I haven’t seen my Kuhli loach which I’ve had for many years for a few days. I assume it’s decaying somewhere underneath the wood. I’ll be adding some Amano shrimp and either a Dwarf gourami or Tiger Badis over the coming week.

Final query, do I have too much media within my filter. It’s a Fluval 307, picture for reference:

 

[John q]

Final query, do I have too much media within my filter. It’s a Fluval 307

If the flow is fine with it in then no you don't have to much media. I ditched the bio max ceramics in my 407's many moons ago because they really do choke the through put of water, now i just have the standard foams that came with the filter and the fish in the tank appear oblivious to it.

 

[Tankless]

If the flow is fine with it in then no you don't have to much media. I ditched the bio max ceramics in my 407's many moons ago because they really do choke the through put of water, now i just have the standard foams that came with the filter and the fish in the tank appear oblivious to it.

Do you fill each tray with the standard foams? I find the ceramic noodle things trap a lot of detritus.

 

[AlecF]

I find sparkling gourami love or even need floating plants, or high strands. They don't seem to like an open top half of the water column that much; they really do want to hide and lurk. Or mine do.

 

[John q]

Do you fill each tray with the standard foams? I find the ceramic noodle things trap a lot of detritus.

No, I only have the standard black foam in one of the four (3 in your case) stacked trays and then the standard blue and white foams in the vertical pre filter.

Pre filter:


Bottom tray:


2nd,3rd & 4th tray:




Any solid detritus should get trapped in the pre filter sponges, the black ""bio"" sponge will mop up any small particals that bypass these.

Do sponges alone give clear water? You bet they do. Here's a view lengthways down a 1200mm tank. The gyre you can see at the back of the picture is in another tank that's separated by a 300mm gap, so 1500mm away from the camera.

Hope that helps.

 

[Tankless]

I find sparkling gourami love or even need floating plants, or high strands. They don't seem to like an open top half of the water column that much; they really do want to hide and lurk. Or mine do.

Yeah I’ve decided against getting any sparkling gouramis as it’ll take forever for the Crypts, Guyana and Bacopa Compact to grow (which is what I was aiming for). I did consider getting a dwarf gourami but the stock that came into my lfs weren’t great (missing eyes etc) plus they weren’t the rainbow colour I wanted either.

It’ll be Tiger Badis when I can eventually find them locally. I’m also considering 5 or 6 Black Phantom Tetra for contrast as every fish currently in the tank is red or near enough (8 Espei Rasboras, 3 Ember tetra and an Orange Bristlenose which is close enough to red lol)

No, I only have the standard black foam in one of the four (3 in your case) stacked trays and then the standard blue and white foams in the vertical pre filter.

Hope that helps.

This makes sense, I’ll probably empty out one of baskets during my next filter clean. It’ll make the maintenance a little bit easier. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[AlecF]

No, I only have the standard black foam in one of the four (3 in your case) stacked trays and then the standard blue and white foams in the vertical pre filter.

Pre filter:
View attachment 210831

Bottom tray:
View attachment 210832

2nd,3rd & 4th tray:
View attachment 210835
View attachment 210836
View attachment 210835

Any solid detritus should get trapped in the pre filter sponges, the black ""bio"" sponge will mop up any small particals that bypass these.

Do sponges alone give clear water? You bet they do. Here's a view lengthways down a 1200mm tank. The gyre you can see at the back of the picture is in another tank that's separated by a 300mm gap, so 1500mm away from the camera.
View attachment 210837
Hope that helps.

Another mind-blowing moment of zen enlightenment when I realise 3 out of 4 trays can be filled with the void, and only 1 needs sponges ... what next, an aquarium without water?

 

[_Maq_]

Do sponges alone give clear water? You bet they do.

This kind of reasoning is pretty typical and helps feeding various myths. And these myths, in turn, feed aquarium stuff manufacturers and dealers.
You've got a filter filled with some media, your water is crystal clear and ammonia test is negative. Is it thanks to your filter? How do you know?
Look, par example, here. The water is clear, ammonia test negative. Is it thanks to a good filtration? Well, there's no filter there whatsoever. The water is permanently disturbed by internal pump with venturi. So, why is it clean?

We reason like that in many circumstances. Things are going well, and we guess / believe / assume it's thanks to something. But we don't bother to remove that something to see the result. I've checked some of such beliefs, and the results were often surprising, perplexing. Let's keep our minds open. In most cases, we don't truly know. We only guess.

 

[John q]

Let's keep our minds open. In most cases, we don't truly know. We only guess.

Fair point maq.
The intention of the post was to try and explain to the op that removing the ceramic media won't lead to a detritus contaminated water column.

 

[Ady34]

Nice journal @Tankless 🙌🏻
Both iterations of hardscape have been nice with lots of interesting vistas. Really like some of the ‘look through’ images you’ve taken under archways.
Bristle nose are a pita unfortunately, with either soil or sand for different reasons. Sand becomes covered in fish 💩 and soil constantly rearranged 😂 Be thankful you have just the one as if you had more it would soon become about a million 😂
Cheerio

 

[Tankless]

Nice journal @Tankless 🙌🏻
Both iterations of hardscape have been nice with lots of interesting vistas. Really like some of the ‘look through’ images you’ve taken under archways.
Bristle nose are a pita unfortunately, with either soil or sand for different reasons. Sand becomes covered in fish 💩 and soil constantly rearranged 😂 Be thankful you have just the one as if you had more it would soon become about a million 😂
Cheerio

Thanks, I’m trying to learn as much as I can with the 60cm before I move to either a 100cm or 120cm.

Oh yes, they poo constantly. But I do find them very interesting as a fish species to watch. I’ll definitely try one of the smaller plecos in future. Over the last two scapes I’ve figured out how to prevent the corners from being dug up at the front. It’s to stick hairgrass in the corner lol.

 

[Tankless]

Initial question is for @dw1305 . I seem to be having issues with my red root floaters. They do end up submerged but just wanted to check if it’s a nutrient deficiency. I’m currently doing 3 30 to 40% water changes a week and dosing one pump of TSN a day. Image for reference:




My zebra loach which I thought was dead popped out yesterday for the first time in over a week. The wood on the right hand side is accessible in 3 locations with one entrance below:


I’ve found that Minuta and Hirusta don’t take to being uprooted too well compared to dwarf hair grass. New growth is starting to come through.

I also purchased 6 Black Phantom Tetras on my way home from the Emirates on Sunday. There’s a fish shop opposite one of the Finsbury Park Station entrances. 6 for £15 (I paid £14 for two amano shrimp from my local Maindenhead -_-)

 

[dw1305]

Hi all

Initial question is for @dw1305 . I seem to be having issues with my red root floaters. They do end up submerged but just wanted to check if it’s a nutrient deficiency. I’m currently doing 3 30 to 40% water changes a week and dosing one pump of TSN. Image for reference

I don't know, I always had the <"same problem with them">.

I'm going to guess that they <"need more nutrients"> than I have.

Cheers Darrel

 

[Tankless]

I’ve added in Pinnatifida onto the wood and removed the tank background. The Staghorn growth has decreased. The tank should become more stable as the plant mass increases.



The Cryptocoryne Spiralis Tiger has started to grow new leaves although it’s probably too big for the tank as a plant but will keep it as I look to move a bigger tank at the end of next year.



Cryptocoryne ferruginea sekadauensis has grown a tiny bit in the past few weeks. I was surprised that there was no melt. The Bacopa around it was trimmed to give it more space.


I’ve found feeding the Black phantom Tetras challenging as the Espei Rasboras eat everything. I will probably top up their number from 6 to about 10 at the end of the month.


Any suggestions for plants that eventually creep over rocks? Also open to alternative suggestions to the Tiger Badis as I can’t find them locally.

 

[Tankless]

The tank went through a phase of neglect. Nearly 2 and half months with just topping up water, no ferts and the co2 ran out. This left it in a terrible state. I’ve started sorting it by doing daily water changes (currently on day 4). Co2 is back on but at a lower injection rate so that the inhabitants get used to it again. I’ve been daily dosing the algae with apt fix and apt fix lite.

I removed a lot of the stem plants as I find the trimming aspect a hassle. They’ve been replaced by Blyxa japonica which had grown well.

To do list over the next few days:
1. Sort out the carpeting plants as they’ve grown too tall. I will probably move the tall Hirusta in the middle to the replace the algaefied section on the left side. I’ve purchased a new pot of crenata/Minuta to plug the gap that will form in the middle.
2. Clean filter and pipework
3. Prevent H.Tellenum Red from spreading all over the tank as it’s gone everywhere

Maintenance should be easier going forward without out the Bacopa and rotala which will hopefully lead to consistency. I can also report that the Cryptocoryne Ferruginea has not grown at all. lmages containing a type of algae.

 

[Tankless]

After 6 days of hardwork which could have been done in two longer sessions, the tank is now at an acceptable standard for me. I’ve reduced the flow rate to 50% and the fish behaviour has been significantly better.

To do list over the next few weeks:
1. Clean filter pipes and glassware
2. Optimise co2 (it’s not stable atm so I’ve lifted the lily pipes higher otherwise I’ll need to lower the injection rate)
3. Trim foreground on the front right
4. Trim moss and potentially replace it with a Fissiden
5. Remove the Hirusta from the middle shaded region and try Minuta there however I’m not sure if it will survive the shaded conditions






As soon I rearranged the foreground plants, the inspector came out to test my planting skills 🙁 . The BN attempted a hit and run.

 

[Tankless]

I removed the Dwarf Gourami from the tank as it was ill. I then lost 7 of my 11 Black Phantom Tetras in 3 days. That seems to have stopped now but it did not impact any of my other fish. The DG was swapped for 5 Amano shrimp and 1 Apistogramma Borelli.

I trimmed back the Cryptocoryne Tiger Spiralis and the red lotus (can’t remember the name).

I’ve started new growth for the Minuta which is good. I assume the Cyperus Helferi I purchased was grown immersed as strands are growing brown so it’s probably transitioning. The Tissue Culture Juncus Repens seems to be doing the same thing.



I’ve noticed that there’s plenty of planting space so I added Cryptocoryne Flamingo and Cryptocoryne Becketti Pink


What can I add to this rock? I thought about either a small Buce or something large like Anubias Minima.



Final point to end this update, I would like to replace the moss with either Fissiden Fonantus or Riccardia. Any thoughts on which would be better?

 

[Tankless]

This week I removed the rocks on the left hand side to create more planted space. I planted emerald Cryptocoryne Flamingo in this position.


I also added hygrophilia araguaia to be used as an epiphyte.



I trimmed the moss and the carpeting plants on the right hand side. I will add in a fresh lot of Minuta to replace the Hirusta over the next few weeks. This is the height that I usually view the tank.


Trimming the moss back has made more of the Buce and Pinnatafida visible.


My new favourite view point following the removal of the rocks:



I’m enjoying having a very small portion of fast growing plants which keeps the trimming frequency minimal.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I would like to replace the moss with either Fissiden Fonantus or Riccardia.

I was actually just admiring your moss. Fissidens fontanus will be a lot slower growing, but it will attach and slowly fill out. Riccardia fluitans* is hopeless as an epiphyte, it doesn't attach and just wants to reach the waters surface.

I’m enjoying having a very small portion of fast growing plants which keeps the trimming frequency minimal.

I'm guessing <"most of us end up there">. I always think <"having a lot of stems"> is a bit like planting a Cupressus x leylandii hedge in your garden, short term gain, but long term pain.

* Edit that should have been Riccia fluitans, so not answering @Tankless's question at all. To answer that, Riccardia chamedryfolia would be much more suitable as an attached epiphyte.

​

cheers Darrel​

 

[Tankless]

I was gifted a pleco by my brother in law today. He took two for himself and one of the store workers took the rest. I was told that it’s a gold spotted dwarf pleco (some type of Parotocinclus). Pictures were taken immediately after introduction to the tank. If anyone know where I can buy more then let me know as I’ve read that they do better in groups.