Finally up and planted! Algae here we come!

7403 Views 34 Replies 16 Participants Last post by Travis.808, Feb 5, 2012

Travis.808

Discussion Starter · Jun 5, 2009

Well, I guess it took me long enough to get this thing up :clap2:. In the time it took me to get my first tank set up I've become a "senior member" this just means I have far too much time on my hands and shows my skills in no way [smilie=b:. Anyway, thanks to everyone who helped along the way, you can rest assured I will still be bugging the crap out of you with questions :blah:. Please forgive the dirtiness of the whole project it was late when I finished. The floating "debris" is Anacharis I'm using to help fend off algae hopefully. Also excuse the horrible photography/ Lighting not sure how to get it to look how I see it (no photog skills).

So far setup hardware is as follows:
55g on stand I built,
AH 4x55w,
Magnum 350,
5lb co2 tank,
Sumo Premier line regulator,
Rhinox 5000 diffuser and bubble counter,
ebay drop checker.

Plants are:
eleocharis acicularis,
blxa japonica, hygrophila,
some rotala,
and floating some anacharis as well.

No fish yet as I just planted this late last night. Visit my gallery for some other views. This post was long enough didn't know if it was even worth more pics in this state. Thanks for looking!
Full tank
[IMG]http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquarium-pictures/displayimage.php?imageid=6198[/IMG]

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1 - 20 of 35 Posts

Philosophos

· #2 · Jun 5, 2009

Looking good.

So what's the plan for when things fill in? Some sort of iwugami hybrid? Varied fine grass is a nice break from seeing the usual carpets of glosso or HC with nothing else in the tank.

Anyhow, I look forward to seeing how this one progresses. You've spent some time reading before jumping in, and that's a welcome change from the usual.

If you find the light hard to keep up with long-term, scaling down the tank and using half the light in starting up a 2nd is always a nice way of doing things. It's not uncommon to do a high light push for the first while, then a lower maintaining light level.

-Philosophos

rich815

· #3 · Jun 5, 2009

Yup, algae in a big way soon. I use 25% less light than that on a tank almost 40% bigger and my plants, even high light ones, grow fine. To start with you might best cut the light 50% and keep your photoperiod to 8 hours max. Otherwise mark your calendar for about three weeks from now for the algae fest.

Travis.808

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 5, 2009

Thanks For looking guys! As for what "category" I'm putting this in Iwagumi or otherwise not really sure. I just hope it doesn't look too bad. Not everything that is in there now will be staying. Just in there for the anti algae type plants. As far as lighting I'm doing a 4 hour photo period with just 1 bank overlapping with a 1 hr in the middle for now I'll add lighting as needed. Either way I'll keep this updated as best as possible hopefully the pictures get better.

surpera1

· #5 · Jun 6, 2009

substrate ? ferts ? add a couple plecos for the algae - snails are cool too - good lighting you have going

Travis.808

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 6, 2009

surpera1 I am using Amazonia AS as far as ferts none as of late I'm weeding through all the schools of thought over ferts while using ADA substrates. I was gifted some Rex Griggs ferts including KNO3 KH2PO4 K2SO4 and CSM+B. I have read that using just green brighty and brighty k is better on here, is this true or are people buying into the ADA name? These ferts I have would cost about $50-60 a year shipped here the ADA stuff around 30 a month. Can anyone shed some light? Have a week till first 50% should I take the dive and go the ADA way or use the ferts I have? Thanks again for all the lookers, and for any help in advance.

Philosophos

· #7 · Jun 6, 2009

I'd advise DIY unless you've got enough money that the difference between $50 and $360 a year means nothing to you.

You won't learn anything using ADA's cocktail. You will consume their product, and if it changes or disappears, be left at their mercy or back where you started.

Yes, it grows plants. But why would it magically do better than anything already known about plant nutrient requirements?

Here's a very nice DIY fert EI tank:

Would you complain about that sort of growth?

-Philosophos

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orlando

· #8 · Jun 6, 2009

Philosophos said:
I'd advise DIY unless you've got enough money that the difference between $50 and $360 a year means nothing to you.

You won't learn anything using ADA's cocktail. You will consume their product, and if it changes or disappears, be left at their mercy or back where you started.

Yes, it grows plants. But why would it magically do better than anything already known about plant nutrient requirements?

Here's a very nice DIY fert EI tank:

Would you complain about that sort of growth?

-Philosophos

Nice

Is that KyleT's tank photo from PTF?

Philosophos

· #9 · Jun 6, 2009

Not sure who's it is. Tom Barr posted it for me on a thread where I was asking about driving up levels of red. I've been having great growth, but everything is green :frusty:

odds are I'll just drop PO4 dosing down to 1.5ppm (from 2.85ppm) and NO3 down to 15ppm (from about 20ppm).

-Philosophos

nokturnalkid

· #10 · Jun 7, 2009

It's about time you get some water in there.:cheer2:

Sorry, I finally found a use for this icon. Lol.

Travis.808

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jun 9, 2009

Yup water is in!

Travis.808

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jun 9, 2009

Yup waters in! Think I'm putting some algae eaters in tomorrow.

Travis.808

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jun 26, 2009

Well, my tank has been up for 3 weeks now and thought I'd post again. I have been doing a 50% water change every Friday and all general maintenance at the same time. Since initial planting I've added 20 ghost shrimps and I'm down to about 15 now

. I have also added 5 oto's which are happy and crazy, very fun to watch. The Anacharis is out and the photography is still horrible I'm gonna have to enlist the help of someone else to do a shoot at some time because my pictures/camera don't do the tank justice. The Blyxa and unfortunately snail population is booming everything else is doing good, just not as. At the rate its been growing at it looks like the HG should be full at the end of August maybe. Not sure if I'll need to wait all the way till then to add my general population but, I'll continue to check water parameters. Thanks for looking!

My gallery has more pictures but, here is a left side tank shot with 2 of my oto's.

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jimmyjam

· #14 · Jun 30, 2009

haha ..i like the plant in the back ..is it blyxa jap? or another blyxa? And are you adding a background?

Travis.808

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jun 30, 2009

There is some hygro in the back left of the tank and some rotala in the back right of the tank both are surrounded by blyxa which provided by nokturnalkid is growing something fierce! Just a reminder this is only a shot of the left side of the tank above. Already have a black back ground there is just a reflection on the glass in the back.

Travis.808

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jul 5, 2009 (Edited)

Sorry jimmy I didn't read your question properly last time, the Blyxa is Japonica.

Yesterday there were some updates done to my tank. Since I checked and my tank was fully cycled so, I decided to introduce some fish. I added two pea puffers (Carinotetraodon Travancoricus) and nine Ember Tetras (Hyphessobrycon Amandae). I think one of the tetras is not going to make it. It doesn't school and kinda gets pushed around by the rest of them. Also the circulation wasn't the greatest on the side with no outflow from the filter so I added a koralia 400gph powerhead. Circulation is awesome now and the tank inhabitants seem happy. pictures to follow soon.

Travis.808

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jul 21, 2009

My puffers both died within 2 days of each other. Anyone have any ideas as to what may have happened? 12 ember tetras, 12 chili rasboras, 5 otocinclus,<unknown ghost shrimp population, and 100,000 snails all fine. 2 dead pea puffers. I want to put another couple in but, not before I find out what killed them in the first place. I did read somewhere that they don't like strong currents, is this true? If so maybe I should take the koralia pump out other than that I have no idea what happened.

Travis.808

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jul 30, 2009

2

As you will see I still haven't mastered the arts of photography. My tank is almost fully grown in now. I am planning a partial replant and may be adding some manzanita with moss to add interest to the upper portion of the tank. As for the inhabitants, there has been a few changes. First as stated before my 2 DP died

. I still don't know the definitive cause of death, many suggestions have been made, of which starvation was one. Which brings me to my inhabitants :mad2: I am STILL battling my one billion pond snails. Stupid lazy puffers died of starvation in a friggin' all-you-can-eat buffet! :mad2: Next change, I now have a species only tank of all Chili Rasboras (Boraras Brigittae). The Ember Tetras (Hyphessobrycon Amandae) were scaring the little Brigittae into hiding so I had to make a species choice and the significantly more boldly colored Chili's won. Sorry Embers next tank: all tetras all colors? Last but, certainly not least, I have to mention the O.G.'s my ghost shrimps and otto's still doing great! Anyway, thanks for looking any praise or suggestions towards my re-scape are welcomed. The tank is definitely a work in progress still.

This is 5 weeks after initial planting

This is 8 weeks after initial planting took the picture tonight.

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Philosophos

· #19 · Jul 30, 2009 (Edited)

Puffers failing, try botia. They may not be quite so nice to your plants (they may nibble at or disturb them a bit), and I'm not sure about shrimp compatibility, but some yoyo or dwarf chain loach would do a great job wiping out those pond snails. I've never had a snail problem in a botia tank.

The other option would be to switch to RO water and up your magnesium to compensate; next to no KH with a lower pH has worked for me in tanks where I didn't want to use loach.

Assasin snails are a common solution as well; they won't reproduce, don't eat the plants, and they eat other snails. I'm unfamiliar with these through personal experience though.

-Philosophos

S-KGray

· #20 · Jul 30, 2009

Nice growth!

I agree with Philosophos about the botia. I had a pond and small ramshorn type snail infestation in my 55g low-tech planted until I added 4 clown loaches. They even cut down the MTS population (which I still want in there). I may have to pull them if MTS numbers drop too low.

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