So it’ been about 4 weeks since I filled the tank up and about 3 weeks since planting it…
Current routine:
- every morning 2.2ml EasyCarbo and 0.7ml TNC Complete
- lights 22W (not even on full power though) on from 15H00-21H00
- every evening 50% water change/siphoning substrate/picking out plant crud
- once a week, quick filter clean
-every fortnight, clean pipes
I had thought by now that I’d be doing a wc every 2nd day but found that when I did miss a day there was a significant build-up of decaying plant matter and a general muckiness on the substrate and then a coating of diatoms all about the tank so I’ve decided to stick to daily water changes for now. I’m also giving the filter a quick clean weekly as there is so much debris getting in there and if I fail to do this I notice that the diatoms get worse. When I planted the tank so heavily I had hoped that it would help stabilise the tank and new filter quicker, which in some ways it has, but on the flipside it had also meant that there has been a lot of mess to clear up as the plants adapt to their new underwater, no-so-CO2-enriched environment.
The plants:
When I ordered the plants I included a few ‘medium’ rated species, even though the recommendation was for a higher tech setup than mine, I decided to give them a go anyways! On the whole I have been pleasantly surprised, nothing has died, yet. I’ve detailed their progress below in case anyone interested…
- I wasn’t sure what the Ammania ‘Bonsai’ tissue culture would do as I’d read about them rotting at the base and floating away but at the moment they are all looking pretty happy, rooting well and putting on good growth.
- Staurogyne rubescens and Eleocharis acicularis are looking good too, the E. acicularis is sending out an ever increasing network of roots and runners, it’s very exciting to watch them grow against the glass.
- Lilaeopsis n-z has needed frequent attention as most of the original leaves turned yellow, there are new shoots coming so hopefully it will settle in soon.
- Micranthemum umbrosum has been very mucky! Lots of melt and floating away from the substrate so I used
@alto 's tip and pinned it down with toothpicks after giving it a harsh haircut – not sure how it will do, I’d like to give it a chance though.
- Juncus repens has been doing well and is one of my favourite plants so far, it’s a real gem.
- The Ludwigia repens and palustris and Bacopa caroliniana and compacta have also seem okay though an absolute NIGHTMARE to keep in the soil, they are rooting better now but initially they spend most of their time taking turns to float around the tank! I have given the Ludwigia prune – but I’m not sure I’ve done it right – it looks a bit top heavy, I’ll post some pics below for your advice and opinions.
- Crypt petchii, Anubias nana and Eleocharis sp have all been predictably reliable. The petchii is turning a lovely pink/bronze colour and I’ve split one of the larger clumps up and planted the results in between rocks and wood.
- Hydrocotyle ‘Japan’, the plant I received was huge, about 40cm long. I wasn’t sure how to deal with it so I just cut it down to about 20cm and planted it like that. It looks very happy but it’s not sent any runners out along the floor of the tank like it thought it would. I’m not sure if I should just cut it back further or give it time?
-Hygrophila pinnatifida – this has been a tricky one! It was the first plant to get diatoms and then what looked to be some kind of short filamentous algae. Even when the other plants recovered, the pinna continued to be harassed by algae regardless of a routine of liquid carbon and leaf cleaning. There are about 5 plants in the tank, planted in different locations with respect to light and flow, some tied to hardscape and some shallowly in the substrate next to wood and rocks. All of them have suffered so I can only assume that this plant has found it very difficult to adapt to the tank. But I stubbornly refuse to let them go! What I have been doing is waiting for good basal shoots to develop and then on those plants that have got the basal shoots I have lopped the rest of the plant off and discarded it. I’m hoping that these new shoots will be better able to cope to their new environment and won’t get smothered by algae, any thoughts on this?
New additions:
- One Tiger Nerite snail, 5 Cherry Shrimp and 2 Amano’s added 5 days ago. The shrimp are very amusing and a big help with tank cleaning. The Amanos have so much attitude and personality but are a little ADHD when it comes to algae eating whereas the Cherries make up for what they lack in size with good work ethic!
- 5 Bucephalandra added yesterday: B. Copi Susa, B. Kedagang Purple, B. Brownie Helena, B. Brownie Purple, B. Brownie Blue
Some pics:
Amano on Ammania 'Bonsai'
Eleocharis growth - a week's worth
New Buces
Trying to salvage the Hygrophila
Ludwigia pruning - any advice on what to do now?
I'll be carrying on with daily wc's for the next couple of weeks, I hope things will begin to acclimatise soon and that the algae will go away! In a few more weeks I’ll start thinking about adding fish – some Oto’s and maybe some Celestial Danio’s – anyone have any other suggestions for a tank this size?
Thanks for reading - any comments, advice etc very welcome!
Bex
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Worth spot treating with liquid carbon?
. Mine is thicker than yours but it started out as single stands evenly spaced.
suddenly there was a gushing sound and I looked down to see a ever increasing pool of water around my feet. It turned out that the pipes had pulled out of either end of my inline heater. Once I'd dealt with the flood I discovered the serious design fault with the heater (a Chinese knock off), the screw down nuts that are supposed to keep the hose firmly attached to the heater do no such thing, they are too wide, the slightest tug and the pipe pulls off. I guess I shouldn't be surprised!. Extremely grateful that this happened when I was home though and I have now FIRMLY attached the pipes to the heater with duct tape!
