Delapool's 150 gallon tank

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Yes, I must get started to finish :)

These plants in the tank centre are in for the chop. They just grow and grow - it's despicable.

But that is tonight's job list, prune plants and set up second co2 line :(
 
The UK CO2 line splitter turned up from the UK. Exciting night.....

Check fits CO2 line - tick :)

Check fits onto existing fittings - tick :)

Turn on - gas leak :(

Re-check packet, find o-ring and better seal results - tick :)

Turn on properly - main valve now leaks :(

Fiddle around with o-ring and re-seat, try once more and all good :)

Now to setup the second CO2 reactor some time :)


Glad the UK came through for you! Good luck setting up the splitters. Hope it makes a difference.


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Thanks for the tip on this equipment store!

So glad I didn't throw out the packet before I saw the o-ring :) I don't know why the main solenoid connection to bottle played up. That O-ring looked fine.

So much nicer having needle valves too. All seems to work but I have to buy more co2 line today.

Filled a 10litre container with plants removed. Off to buy different plants today ( :) ).

Also removed the uv unit. The bulb was pretty old but I have left the power pack behind the tank for the moment just in case it was doing something and needs to be reconnected.

Tank looking very bare today.
 
Tank is still pretty cloudy with all the changes and adding root tabs. Latest plant list below with two extra plant types (Aponogeton Crispus, Cryptocorine Balansae). They have some growing to do so fingers crossed!

The second tunze reactor is working fine. All looks setup ok there and was pretty quick to get it all going. There is an amazing amount of space in the tank now. It looks quite bare but at least next week I won't be pruning plants :) I'd say in the last few weeks about a 5gal or 20litre bucket of plants have been thrown out (that was tricky to explain how I was buying more plants after throwing out other plants :) ).

Re-planted some baby java fern plantlets. Hardly seemed worth the effort of small plant vs large fish but I thought I would try a few.

Plant list now:-
Vallisneria (narrow and broad leaf).
Ambulia.
Hygrophila polysperma.

Alternanthera reineckii (red alt)
Java Ferns (narrow leaf).
Melon Sword.

(Giant Hygro).
Rubra (stem plants)
Echinodorus augustifolia - Vesuvius (Corkscrew Sword)

Aponogeton Crispus
Cryptocorine Balansae
 
Tank is still pretty cloudy with all the changes and adding root tabs. Latest plant list below with two extra plant types (Aponogeton Crispus, Cryptocorine Balansae). They have some growing to do so fingers crossed!

The second tunze reactor is working fine. All looks setup ok there and was pretty quick to get it all going. There is an amazing amount of space in the tank now. It looks quite bare but at least next week I won't be pruning plants :) I'd say in the last few weeks about a 5gal or 20litre bucket of plants have been thrown out (that was tricky to explain how I was buying more plants after throwing out other plants :) ).

Re-planted some baby java fern plantlets. Hardly seemed worth the effort of small plant vs large fish but I thought I would try a few.

Plant list now:-
Vallisneria (narrow and broad leaf).
Ambulia.
Hygrophila polysperma.

Alternanthera reineckii (red alt)
Java Ferns (narrow leaf).
Melon Sword.

(Giant Hygro).
Rubra (stem plants)
Echinodorus augustifolia - Vesuvius (Corkscrew Sword)

Aponogeton Crispus
Cryptocorine Balansae


Good stuff. Hope the new plants work ok. Let us know which do particularly well. I'm after some aponogeton crispus red for my tank but the supplier are out of stock.

Also keep me posted on the alternanthera. Had trouble with mine. Is this a new addition?

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I've probably had it for a year now but maybe grows an inch or two a month. After about 6 months I finally had to prune some so can't say it's been entirely successful. It has been trying to put out off/shoots and new growth but does suffer from low light at bottom of tank and GSA. Also small leaves but it hangs in there. Finally seems to have adjusted to the tank and older ones have put out rootlets.

Hoping with the extra CO2, I can try slightly more light. At the moment half the LED strip light is switched off still.
 
Crypt Balansae should do well for you. It grows like a weed for. Me under low light. If you want to create new plants just place a rock on a leaf and the leaf will send new roots into the substrate where it is weighed down.

Tank looks great.
 
Crypt Balansae should do well for you. It grows like a weed for. Me under low light. If you want to create new plants just place a rock on a leaf and the leaf will send new roots into the substrate where it is weighed down.

Tank looks great.


Thanks for the tip! Tempted to switch the second bank of LEDs on tonight but should measure par first.
 
Noticed the Congo tetras are more flighty. I've lost one of the males :( Looked fine, I'm wondering if it ran into the glass as I've seen a few take off and bump along the glass.

Quite amazing, you would think 4ft gives a bit of length but not so for these.

Major water change and then check tank readings tonight planned.
 
Water change went well.

The other co2(?) line splitters also turned up. The co2 line fits very well (had to cut it off) but they look a little too cheap (were only a few bucks each) and not sure if would handle pressure. Put them in the drawer with all the other junk :)
 
Sorry for your loss :( such beautiful looking fish!

55 gallon elephant nose tank.
30 gallon boraras , red longfin bristlenose, bamboo shrimp, crs,rcs and different snails.
 
Many thanks, I know - all a bit sad. Took readings anyway and got 0 ammonia and nitrite, ~20ppm nitrate, 2ppm phosphate and 6.8 ph (co2 running). Bit strange but hoping it doesn't repeat.


Tried running the LED light with both banks on but got a PAR of 140 (1ft deep) so went back and tested with just the white light bank on (as I had been running). PAR there was 90 which was a little above the previous reading of 60 in early June... Especially as I thought the t5ho's might have started to decay a little. I'm hoping this reflects all the plants being removed near-surface and not the par meter going. So just left lighting as is.

Next week I'll clean the internal filter and might replace the pads. Also plan to try lifting the CO2 bps rate a little now it is running well.
 
:) I'd say in the last few weeks about a 5gal or 20litre bucket of plants have been thrown out (that was tricky to explain how I was buying more plants after throwing out other plants :) ).

Isn't that the tricky part!? And you think keeping the fish is tricky it's keeping the spouse appeased.
 
Hi Dela what BPS are you running on this tank?


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It's about 2bps on either side of tank so 4bps in total. I thought ph had gone lower but the rest of the family disagreed. I do run the canister filters part of the time co2 is on so think I lose a bit there. Ideally I'd have them off completely for co2 run time and on completely for filtering so have sort of compromised. It's probably something that could be set up better.
 
:) I'd say in the last few weeks about a 5gal or 20litre bucket of plants have been thrown out (that was tricky to explain how I was buying more plants after throwing out other plants :) ).



Isn't that the tricky part!? And you think keeping the fish is tricky it's keeping the spouse appeased.


Ah yes - how much were those plants?

Er, about $40 (and say in head very quietly ''... for the large pots". Thankfully they haven't died!

I can get another tank (and was thinking shell-dwellers or shrimp) as long as my time on tanks doesn't increase over all. So pretty lucky and trying to lay low on this planted tank. Still have to get a good shot of it now to compare.
 
It's about 2bps on either side of tank so 4bps in total. I thought ph had gone lower but the rest of the family disagreed. I do run the canister filters part of the time co2 is on so think I lose a bit there. Ideally I'd have them off completely for co2 run time and on completely for filtering so have sort of compromised. It's probably something that could be set up better.


Sorry I don't understand what you mean. I run my canister 24/7. That's about the bps I run too. Unfortunately I'm on soda stream bottles and I don't expect this one to last very long. We have a local brewery in fact that my mate works for. I wonder if I can get refills there? I'll have to ask.


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Sorry I don't understand what you mean. I run my canister 24/7. That's about the bps I run too. Unfortunately I'm on soda stream bottles and I don't expect this one to last very long. We have a local brewery in fact that my mate works for. I wonder if I can get refills there? I'll have to ask.

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I've found the best pearling and lower ph when running CO2 is when the canisters are off (go figure :) ) but found the filters need to be on as much as possible to clear the water. It's all on some complex schedule I have that is on a file somewhere. I did start trying to re-map the various electrical cords tonight but gave up after 5 minutes. So will probably go back to plan B of just run the filters as much as possible and boost the CO2 as much as possible (sometimes I think it is like trying to inject CO2 into a sump).
 
Thought I'd post a before and after photo of re-planting. More change than I thought. Must clean some filters next week. The red alt doesn't look too pretty - I'm hoping that will get going better, it's still swapping over to life in this tank. The expensive new plants are behind the plane :(


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I've found the best pearling and lower ph when running CO2 is when the canisters are off (go figure :) ) but found the filters need to be on as much as possible to clear the water. It's all on some complex schedule I have that is on a file somewhere. I did start trying to re-map the various electrical cords tonight but gave up after 5 minutes. So will probably go back to plan B of just run the filters as much as possible and boost the CO2 as much as possible (sometimes I think it is like trying to inject CO2 into a sump).


Yeah I see what you mean. To minimise this I turn the spray bar so it points a tad down Instead of a tad up. I get more co2 in the water that way. I'm just wondering how the bacteria respond to the lack of flow found through the canister? Perhaps it's not too bad if it's for a while but having the canister on would keep oxygen saturated water going through them. Just a thought.


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