I can't believe how fast time goes by!! I am not one that likes excuses, but unfortunately, I've been so busy over the last eight months that I haven't managed to find the time to update my journal. From being crazy busy at work, a week of SCUBA diving in Grand Cayman, upgrading my computers, two weeks in Hawaii, several work related conferences, a hernia operation, lots of aquarium maintenance and improvements, plus all of the normal things involved with the responsibilities of home ownership, I've gotten
way behind. I'm going to try and summarize what has happened and then hopefully I can do better in the future at not getting behind. My wife has gone shopping and didn't leave me a Honey-do list, so let's see how much I can get done before she returns.
First of all, I need to update on some of the things that have already been mentioned.
I figured out that in order to stop the noise that was coming from the Magdrive 12 pump, I simply needed to throttle down the flow from the exhaust side where the water returns to the tank. I just closed the ball valve slightly and the noise went away. The pump hasn't given me any trouble since then, so I am happy with it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend one to someone else.
The Crypt. wendtii plantlets from the AGA conference never did grow much, and unless they happened to be the exact same variety of the Crypt. wendtiis that I already had (in which case they disappeared amongst the rest of them), they eventually died altogether.
Earlier I had mentioned that I had some snails, but that I was crushing them as fast as I could find them to keep the population from getting out of hand. Apparently that worked, because I haven't had any snails at all in a long time. I'm very surprised that I was able to get rid of them so easily, because years ago I had the tank get overtaken by snails, even though I worked as hard as I could to get rid of them.
Shortly after my last post (back in January), I noticed that BBA was starting to grow on the wood and some of the plants. It eventually got
very out of control. I've been reading a lot here on APC on how to get rid of it, and the problem is starting to get better, but I'm still not happy with the situation yet. I'm not really sure why it took off to begin with, except that it started during a time where I was experimenting with the fertilizers in order to achieve the recommended amounts of the various nutrients in the water column based on water testing and also desirable plant growth. The CO2 had remained pretty much the same from the time that I set up the aquarium until now, so I don't think that had anything to do with it. I had been using Seachem Flourish, Flourish Trace, Flourish Excel, and Flourish Iron, as well as KNO3 and KH2PO4 added dry. I was testing the water and trying to keep NO3, PO4, and Fe at the generally accepted proper levels, but was having a hard time. Most of the plants were growing very well though - almost too well. In fact, the Ech. cordifolius started growing huge leaves (from memory, probably 7-8" long), and then they all started growing emersed. Every leaf that it would send up would go straight to the surface, almost like a water lily. Sometimes they would even go all the way up into the lights. However, the Stargrass and Mexican Water Oak were only content once they made it all the way to the surface, and then they would take off. After that, their stems would rot away and they would become just large floating plants that were shading everything below them. I eventually became so discouraged with both of these plants that I just took them out and threw them away. The Ech. parviflorus didn't seem to be too concerned about growing anything but more stalks with babies (but it's not even doing that now - it's just barely surviving). The Ech. hormani, like the cord., was putting up flower stalks continuously, and was growing just fine. In February I added one of the Madagascar Lace plants that I had received at the AGA convention, and later it started growing some new leaves. I added the other one in March, but it never grew at all. The first one is still in the tank, but is barely growing (it puts out a new 2-3" long leaf a week). I was beginning to get very tired of all of the water testing and fertilizer tweaking, so I researched here on APC fertilizer techniques. I decided that I liked the idea of PPS pro the best, so I bought the other ingredients and mixed up the two solutions. In March I began fertilizing with PPS pro and Excel. I quit worrying about testing the water since I was under the impression that I didn't have to. I noticed that the plants stopped growing so fast, especially the Ech. cordifolius. In fact, it now is only growing submersed leaves at a more manageable 4-5" long. However, the Hygros slowed down their growth to the point that eventually, they were barely growing at all. In fact, they were looking like they might die. I saw a thread started by Diana Walstad about nitrates inhibiting growth on some plants, so I checked the NO3 and found it to be off the chart on my Seachem kit (50+ ppm!). I am now in the process of trying to correct this problem, and have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all fertilizer for planted aquariums. You can read more about my PPS pro changes here:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/pps-analysis-feedback/64886-long-term-experience-pps-pro.html
On March 14th I added ten Rummynose Tetras (YEAH,
finally some more fish :whoo::clap2::bounce:!!). By March 18th I couldn't find but eight of them
. I then added eight Corydoras sterbai. On March 21st I found a dead Cory, and became really concerned as to what might be going on. I began researching here on APC, and decided that I didn't like what I was reading about the gluteraldehyde in Excel, so I stopped using it (and haven't used it since). It might not have had anything to do with my fish dying, but I still didn't like what I read, so decided not to use it. I might change my mind in the future, but for now it isn't going in my tank. By March 26th I could only find six of the Corys (and the eight Rummynose).
Also in March I decided to remove the timer from the transformer for the heating cables and plugged it straight in. It has been on 24/7 ever since (I have no idea if it helps or not). I also noticed that the temp of the tank was a little lower than I wanted it to be, so I turned off the fans for the cooler.
I noticed that something was floating in the PPS micro solution, so I checked into it here, and discovered that others had also had issues with fungus growing in theirs (sure wish that would have been addressed in the original information so I could have prevented it). Basically everyone just said that they added some anti-fungus medicine to the solution to kill and prevent it from forming. I happened to have some MarOxy on hand (from probably 9-10 years ago), and tried to find out if it would be okay to use. I couldn't find any info on whether it expires, so I guessed that it would be okay (the ingredients are listed as "stabilized chlorine oxides", but it doesn't say for how long they are stable). I added about .5 mL to my micro solution (had started with 1 L; not sure exactly how much was left), and it seemed to stop the fungus from growing.
At the end of April, I noticed that the temp of the tank was beginning to creep up a little higher than I wanted it to be, so I turned the fans for the cooler back on (and they've been on ever since).
On May 4th, I decided that I had ignored a Cory that appeared to be infected with what appeared to me to be a fungus for long enough, so I decided to try and treat it with some of the MarOxy that I already mentioned. I added 1/2 oz. MarOxy a day for five days (the recommended dosage and time according to the instructions). On May 10th, I found a dead baby Bristlenose pleco
(the only one left from the spawn back in January; not positive as to what happened to the others, but now I think that they were being sucked up into the intakes for the filters and pump and subsequently killed). On May 11th I found another dead Bristlenose; this time one of the original ones from the convention :Cry:. On May 12th I found another dead Bristlenose (again one of the originals), and the Cory that I had been treating was dead, too :crybaby:. I immediately did an emergency water change to hopefully stop the deaths. The three remaining Bristlenose plecos didn't seem to be doing so great, but were still alive. However, on May 14th another one died
. That left me with one male and one female. The male still seemed to be stressed (was just laying around and constantly moving his pectoral and pelvic fins as if he was trying to move water across his body). The female seemed to be okay. I tried to contact Mardel Laboratories to ask if the MarOxy should be blamed for my deaths, but after being transferred multiple times on the phone, I ended up having to leave a message for someone, but they never called me back, and I was so frustrated that I gave up.
On May 20th I added three more Rummynose Tetras and six Lemon Tetras. The next day I found one of the new Rummynose Tetras dead (I wondered if I should even buy it since it appeared weak at the store, but I bought it anyway since I was so desperate to get some more fish).
On May 31st I added a fan set-up to blow air across the light bulbs in the hood (the tank temp was getting a bit too high again). I did some research on the internet and found a design for a temperature controlled, adjustable device that only turns on the fans when the temperature gets high enough. I bought all of the components necessary and soldered it all together, and am extremely happy with how well it works. As the lights slowly come on in the morning, the fans also slowly come on. Once the lights are on fully, the fans are also. When the lights begin dimming in the evening, the fans start slowing down. Once the lights turn completely off, the fans also turn off. Pretty cool set-up and I'm very pleased with it.
By this time, the BBA was beginning to show signs of dying (turning gray to rusty red, and then letting go and eventually getting sucked up by the filters). The plants were also starting to grow better. I had been noticing "pearling" for the first time ever.
On June 1st, I noticed that one of the Lemon Tetras was beginning to swim around aimlessly, as if it had lost all swim control. By June 5th it was dead :sad:. Also, I couldn't find but nine of the Rummynose Tetras (should have been ten).
I went to Hawaii for two weeks at the end of June to the first of July, and when I returned, I found that the Bristlenose plecos had spawned :cheer2:! Found nine fry (they actually spawned again later, so I had two different groups of fry that were different ages/sizes). However, one of the Rummynose Tetras was missing, and two of the Corys appeared to have some white fuzz on them and their fins appeared to be eaten away
. I had measured out the PPS doses and food to be fed for family members to take care of while I was gone, so I don't know why there would have been any problems. I decided to just let the Corys either get better on their own or die, since the last time I had tried to medicate had ended up in disaster.
In July, I started doing a lot of research into methods of automatically administering the PPS solutions. My thought was that the plants in nature would not be just getting their nutrients all at once in the morning before the sun comes up, but would actually have the nutrients available all day long. With the exceptions of rain storms, the water conditions are probably pretty constant. I finally decided to use an infusion pump to slowly add the solutions all throughout the day, every day. I posted information on how I did this here:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/diy-aquarium-projects/59729-diy-liquid-auto-doser-3.html#post486616
So far I am extremely pleased with how this system is working.
Speaking of PPS pro, I now mix the solutions at 1/2 strength (I use twice as much water, but then dose twice as much). I did this for two reasons: it allows me to fine-tune the dosing easier using the infusion pump, and it prevents the precipitate from forming in the macro solution. I also managed to find some methylene blue to add to the solutions to try and prevent fungus growth.
The Ech. hormani and cordifolius had been sending up one flower stalk after another and producing lots of plantlets. I had taken some of these, as well as other plant trimmings, to the LFS that I had been going to in my town. However, the owner there isn't too concerned about freshwater, and definitely doesn't care at all about plants, so he took the plants, but didn't give me any kind of credit for them. He told me later that he just gave them away to his other customers that asked about them. I finally got fed up with him and his lack of concern for getting me the fish that I wanted, so I decided to try another LFS about a thirty minute drive away. This store turned out to be awesome! They actually had almost as much space dedicated to freshwater as saltwater, and about a third of that space is for plants. They actually gave me store credit for my plants (about $68 so far), so I'm going to shop there now. I had read that Siamese Algae Eaters might eat the BBA that I'm still plagued with, so I used some of my store credit to get an approximately 4" long one that they had. I added him to the tank on July 31st, and even though he has been doing well and I like him overall, he definitely hasn't taken care of the BBA like I presumed that he would. He does like fish food though! I try to feed where the other fish get the food instead of him, but it's difficult. I also bought some Cabomba caroliniana to plant in place of where the Stargrass and Mexican Water Oak had been. I am very pleased with how it is doing so far. It grows very quickly and I think that is happy in my tank.
On August 14th, I removed the two Corys that were
still sick and put them in a 20 gallon aquarium that had just been sitting around not being used for a long time (it's actually the first tank that I ever had). I wanted to try and medicate them again, but not while in with the other fish in the display tank. I then added ten Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki (Dwarf Chain Loaches) that I got from the Invertz Factory. I couldn't find these fish anywhere locally, so I got them from Niko and Milalic, and I highly recommend these guys. The fish arrived without any problems, and on top of that, they threw in eight Rasbora maculatas and eleven RCS that I hadn't even ordered! I added the Rasboras to the display tank, but put the RCS in the 20 gallon with the two sick Corys. I medicated the Corys with Maracyn, but they died anyway
.
On August 17th, I planted some Elatine orientalis in the foreground in a section where I had removed some Crypt. wendtii and took to the LFS for trade in. Just about all of it has died since then, but I still have a little hope that it might survive because there is a tiny little patch left. I'm wondering if the reason that it didn't do well at first is because of the high NO3 that I mentioned earlier. My discovery of the high NO3 happened after adding this new plant, so I guess that it is possible that it didn't like the high NO3 just like I suspect the Hygros didn't.
On that same day, I happened to notice that one of my new Dwarf Chain Loaches had been sucked into the intake for my circulation pump and killed
:sad::tear:
:Cry::crybaby:!! I've never had such small fish before, so I wasn't aware that I needed to be worried about them getting sucked into the intakes. I was really busy with work at the time, so there wasn't too much that I could do about it, and hoped that maybe it was just a freak accident. I also noticed that I couldn't find but two of the Rasboras, but I thought that maybe they had just died and gotten eaten. On August 29th, I performed a major cleaning, during which I opened up one of the canister filters for service. To my surprise, inside I found one of the Rasboras and an albino Bristlenose baby, still alive! I suspect that many of the baby plecos and Rasboras had ended up getting sucked up without me knowing about it and died before I could save them
. I caught the remaining baby plecos (three regular and one albino) and Rasboras (only two) and moved them to the 20 gallon with the RCS. They've been doing fine ever since.
Well, my wife is back from shopping now and is ready for dinner, so I'll have to finish this up later. I have a lot of pictures and a little more information that I'll post later.
Andy