Navarro

Well, guy's some of you saw it after set up and I have to admit that the plants grow super fast using ADA amazonia and power sand.
We have to move to a bigger place since space is an issue after my daugther arrival, unfortunately the tank most come down this weekend.
The size and tank details were the following:
58 gallon tank
36 inches coralife aqualight 2 X 65 10,000 K PC and 150 watts 10,000 K HQI
6 liters power sand
30 liters ADA amazonia (27 coarse and 3 powder)
5 Texas fossil rocks
Cypherus helferi on the back 2:1
Blyxa Japonica on the center (between rocks) also at 2:1
Ranalisma rostrata on the open areas

The tank was not ready and that make me sand since as simple as it is I think it would it been a nice and easy Iwagumi.
The blyxa was expected to be more strong, specially on the center right 2 bunches.
After talking to Bong and Than about the Paracheirodon simulans we came to the conclusion that is a shy fish and only with the presence of other fish that can be seen. I have added 50 fish after the 6 week after set up and I could never see them later I added 50 more thinking that they will feel safe in numbers, well, NO! O have to be across the room in order for me to see them come out.

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TNguyen

Maybe the simulans just don't like you. It pretty much suck everytime you have to take a tank down before it really mature. But look at it this way, now you gonna have more room which mean more tanks!

Thanh
NASH Team

jerseyjay

Luis,

Tank looks good ? Did you have this tank setup in April ?

tsunami

Well done, Luis!

I have also noticed the same thing with P. simulans in the past. When I used to keep a 20g long, I had 20 green neons in there at one point which would always be hiding even though there were other characin species (red phantom tetras) in the same aquarium.

Carlos

Navarro

Jay the tank was set up back in August the 26 almost at the same time I did the 75 gallon in my office.
Carlos I am sure there is a way to make the fish less nervous unfortunately I am not willing to experiment =) You know these guy's breed really easy, I keep finding babies in the first stage of a 2028 Eheim filter; at first I wasn't sure until my wife made me open it to "rescue the fish" but sure enough tiny simulans. I have the same bad luck with emperors and kerri tetras they breed like rabbits!.
Luis

plantbrain

Hi Luis, "Felize navidad", or the Barrio version, "The police got my car" haha.

I've been playing with the other side of this type of rock arrangement, I'm liking the the other right side largest rock pointed the same direction as the largest stone. It's a blur between a longer type of set up with 2 distinct rock layouts and a single layout.

I'm not sure if you read the APD post about ADA soils and powersand.
I recently did some phytometer test and reports for 5 wetalnd soils, we used a control, hoagland's non limiting nutrients, the wetland soils with LESS nutrients produced a number of different effects.

But long story short, the EI + the ADA soils has done the best relative growth rates I've seen. The ADA + powersand and the ADA rouitne produced about 10-20% less growth.

I used no powersand in the tanks with EI.
I also dosed from day one.
I add mulm instead of the bacter/Tourmaline etc.

So I have found no need for powersand, EI is much cheaper and produces better growth.

But for many folks, not dosing is common, for them, the powersand is good.

I alos did a cost comparison at the AF and ADG pricing for ADA soil(not the powersand + ADA soil) and it's about the same as Flourite and no washing needed.

So I am a convert, but.........I find no need for the powersand and I have plenty of data to show it does not promote algae anymore than EI does.

It also shows there is no need for a wait peroid, that algae will no bloom etc if the water column is loaded + ADA soils etc.

A 20 gal tank will use one 9 liter bag of ADA soil(28$), or 2x 15lb bags of flourite(26$ at a very low price).

Flora base was the worse of the 3 compared.

I still like the onyx sand for many species, Crypts in particular and all the non Carbon eriched tanks.

Have you tried Neasea red in ADA soils over the long term?
I have nutty Tonia growth in both the Onyx and flourite and the ADA soil.

I'm trying to see differences between growth of wimpy plants, Eustralis and L cuda have no difference with ADa soil vs Onyx after a few weeks.

There is a difference with HC, but I still get good growth in the onyx.
I get better growth with Flourite for the Elatine and the best hari grass growth with Plain sand RFUG, Kittly litter and Onyx(the best of any).

The mix of grasses/sedges look good in your tank.
Mow the lawn down to accent them rocks!
Or...get bigger rocks! haha

Hohoho!

Regards,
Tom Barr