My first planted tank - 20H - Aquascaping

Chondro · 02-19-2007, 05:08 PM

This is my first attempt at a planted tank... it has been a ton of fun so far and I can't wait to try a larger set up!

I've been battling algae for what seems like forever, but it is slowly getting under control. Not sure what kind it is, but it looks like green slime and flrms a blanket over anything it touches. Anyone know what kind it might be or what in particular, if anything, causes it? Will C. japonica eat it?

Let me know what you think.

gibmaker · 02-19-2007, 05:19 PM

Awesome tank, looks real nice!

fuzzyletters · 02-19-2007, 06:05 PM

i don't actually have a tank yet (so my opinion's probably not worth much... i dunneven know scientific names of anything beyond dwarf gourami yet), but i've been reading around these forums and looking at tanks etc. so i thought i'd comment

this tank looks great to me

there's only one suggestion i have aesthetically, and perhaps this is just my would-be personal style showing through, but it seems that staggering and spacing out those plants in the immediate foreground a bit would make it a little more natural looking. feel free to trample all over me and my lack of actual experience, but...

nice work so far and good luck!

cs_gardener · 02-20-2007, 12:07 PM

This is a very nice tank, especially for a first attempt. Your sword is beautiful, very healthy and a nice color. I like how you've used different shapes, colors and sizes of leaves. You have enough variety to be interesting, but not too much to look cluttered. I do think you could use a little more interest in the middle of the tank, as you have a nice foreground and background but not much in the middle (at least that I can see in the picture). In a 20H, you could maybe try smaller crypts, tropica sword plant, or slower growing stems that can be trimmed to the height you want. How much light do you have?

The green slime sounds like it is blue-green algae, which is actually a cyanobacteria and not an algae. Check out the algae finder to see if that matches what you have. I've had good luck with using small amounts (a couple mL) of Hydrogen Peroxide delivered in a syringe directly to the BGA. The BGA started to bubble and then died off in a couple days. Dose each affected area, but don't add too much H2O2 at one time. You can dose a couple times a day, but not a lot at once. Hydrogen peroxide degrades quickly in an aquarium, but too much at one time will be toxic to the desirable inhabitants. I never used more than 5 mL at one time in my 20H. What caused it, let's see . . . I think it was when I did a major rescape, stirring up all sorts of stuff and didn't perform a large enough water change. So, too many nutrients and organics, lots of light, and subsequent nasty slime. You might try floating plants to help get things in balance. They take up nutrients very quickly and it's easy to remove some of them when they start covering too much of the surface (you probably don't want to introduce duckweed, but salvinia and red-root floater are both good). Some people have used black-outs to get rid of the BGA, but I haven't gone that route. Have you tested your water parameters to see what your nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia levels are? You need to fix the underlying problem to get rid of the slime for good.

I'm glad your having fun with your tank, since that it the most important thing to me about keeping aquariums. Keep us updated on your progress and good luck eradicating the slime!

trenac · 02-20-2007, 02:38 PM

Nice first tank... The plants look healthy and the water is clear.

cydric · 02-20-2007, 03:27 PM

Nice Red Rubin Sword

I have one in my 29g tank and it's getting massive. I'm actually thinking about taking it out soon.

Anyway, looking very good for your first attempt!

Chondro · 02-20-2007, 05:37 PM

Thanks for the comments, everyone... I appreciate the feedback! The only thing in the center of the tank is two pieces of driftwood with java moss... it is almost totally covering the piece on the left and just starting on the right.

I guess I should have given the specifics on the tank...

- HOB filter - oversized with the flow turned all the way down
- DIY CO2
- 65watt CF - 6700K
- dosing N, P, K, Excel, Flourish
- water is decent - zero ammonia and nitrite, minimal nitrate... VERY soft though... right out of the tap,general and carbonate hardness will not even register on my test kit.

Ever since the algae appeared, I have not been fertilizing at all, and have cut the light down to 5 hrs a day. the ludwegia (sp?) used to have very red leaves, but has lost the color with the decreased light. I do have some duckweed I could throw in there... I didn't think of that. Should I add some & increase the light?

I will check out the algae finder.

Thanks again!