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15 Posts
Hi there
I have had an experimental El Natural tank running since October:
The soil used is John Innes No.2 (picked arbitrarily) and is quite deep, perhaps too deep (it bubbles a lot):
However, so far I have had problems with very high nitrates (correctly diagnosed by DW as coming from nitrogen-laced soil), and several deaths.
Deaths are as follows:
1 pumila gourami, died within three days of purchase, presumed nitrate shock (November)
2 crystal red shrimp, presumed dead from trace nitrite caused by incomplete denitrification (in itself due to very high nitrates) (December)
1 remaining pumila gourami, died after developing black splotches on its back, one gill going bright red, bloating, not accepting food and then death. (January 22nd - after three months of vitality)
Since doing water changes to bring the nitrates down, I have had fairly bad problems with brown algae:
The remaining micro rasboras are okay but sometimes seem a bit agitated, and there is a bit of yawning and flashing going on, which in my experience is a bad sign. There is also one remaining crystal shrimp, who just seems to get on with it.
I really like the ethos of El Natural tanks, but I'm afraid after this last death I now mistrust it, and wonder if it is just too risky a system for trying to keep the more sensitive fish (like the pumila).
However I am certainly not giving up yet!
Can any light be shed on what is going on in my tank? Is it a case of the soil STILL being immature, or is there some nasties in there that have slowly poisoned my last pumila, and that I need to get some activated carbon on?
Also - is it possible to keep very sensitive fish in these systems?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Yours
Joe
I have had an experimental El Natural tank running since October:

The soil used is John Innes No.2 (picked arbitrarily) and is quite deep, perhaps too deep (it bubbles a lot):

However, so far I have had problems with very high nitrates (correctly diagnosed by DW as coming from nitrogen-laced soil), and several deaths.
Deaths are as follows:
1 pumila gourami, died within three days of purchase, presumed nitrate shock (November)
2 crystal red shrimp, presumed dead from trace nitrite caused by incomplete denitrification (in itself due to very high nitrates) (December)
1 remaining pumila gourami, died after developing black splotches on its back, one gill going bright red, bloating, not accepting food and then death. (January 22nd - after three months of vitality)
Since doing water changes to bring the nitrates down, I have had fairly bad problems with brown algae:

The remaining micro rasboras are okay but sometimes seem a bit agitated, and there is a bit of yawning and flashing going on, which in my experience is a bad sign. There is also one remaining crystal shrimp, who just seems to get on with it.
I really like the ethos of El Natural tanks, but I'm afraid after this last death I now mistrust it, and wonder if it is just too risky a system for trying to keep the more sensitive fish (like the pumila).
However I am certainly not giving up yet!
Can any light be shed on what is going on in my tank? Is it a case of the soil STILL being immature, or is there some nasties in there that have slowly poisoned my last pumila, and that I need to get some activated carbon on?
Also - is it possible to keep very sensitive fish in these systems?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Yours
Joe