Bert's 60g Planted Tank

[Caliban07]

Some good suggestions! I'll have to have a look at that Aus one my new crypts have started
Melting already [emoji17] as expected tho. I'm still not convinced about these micro's. Something is killing my milfoil. Almost looks like it's burning. Too high nitrate maybe? I'm currently around 40ish

It's not nitrate bud. I have high nitrate production from the ammonia from the soil AND I'm adding daily EI. I haven't dosed micros since the soil. I've just been told to increase my lighting further on Ukaps

 

[Bert2oo1]

It's not nitrate bud. I have high nitrate production from the ammonia from the soil AND I'm adding daily EI. I haven't dosed micros since the soil. I've just been told to increase my lighting further on Ukaps

Gah! I'm actually hating life lol. I'm only having problems with 3 plants at this stage. AR mini, milfoil and HC Cuba.
My crypts are growing like weeds and so are my Java ferns.
Repens look good and have sent out runners and are filling in.
Glosso is growing well.
The japonica is doing fine, hasn't grown much but looks fine.
Java moss doesn't look great. (Abit brown looking)
Anubias is looking good but is slightly burnt on the very tips on a few leaves.

Maybe I just need to find what grows and what doesn't in my setup and keep doing what I'm doing. The tanks still clean as a whistle apart from a small amount of GSA.

I wish I had another tank to hold plants in. I'm pretty keen to go Dutch style but don't want to destroy my scape while I grow the plants I require lol

Maybe if I win lotto the other half will let me set up a grow out tank.. I better go buy a ticket!

 

[Caliban07]

Gah! I'm actually hating life lol. I'm only having problems with 3 plants at this stage. AR mini, milfoil and HC Cuba.
My crypts are growing like weeds and so are my Java ferns.
Repens look good and have sent out runners and are filling in.
Glosso is growing well.
The japonica is doing fine, hasn't grown much but looks fine.
Java moss doesn't look great. (Abit brown looking)
Anubias is looking good but is slightly burnt on the very tips on a few leaves.

Maybe I just need to find what grows and what doesn't in my setup and keep doing what I'm doing. The tanks still clean as a whistle apart from a small amount of GSA.

I wish I had another tank to hold plants in. I'm pretty keen to go Dutch style but don't want to destroy my scape while I grow the plants I require lol

It is bad when your at work and you know things are getting out of control in your tank. I know your not having it as bad as I was but I'm just glad I can finally have a bit of space to breathe lol.

You know you have enough light. You know you have enough co2. You know your flow is good. You're on point with water changes. I'd say it is a nutrient issue. Why don't you cease micro dosing and nitrate and pop a few osmocote tabs under the plants. Bury them deep.

 

[Bert2oo1]

It is bad when your at work and you know things are getting out of control in your tank. I know your not having it as bad as I was but I'm just glad I can finally have a bit of space to breathe lol.

You know you have enough light. You know you have enough co2. You know your flow is good. You're on point with water changes. I'd say it is a nutrient issue. Why don't you cease micro dosing and nitrate and pop a few osmocote tabs under the plants. Bury them deep.

What ferts do you use to make them? I've got some osocote trace I use on the veggies will that work? It's a blue powder? I've got some clay tabs I can use aswell

 

[Arthur75]

Which elements I assign as fertilizer depends on the measurement.
Potash and iron consumed. Phosphate and nitrate is enough. It can also be too much. With me. It can be different with someone else.
Fertilizing without measuring is not good.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Can't see your pic bud

 

[Caliban07]

What ferts do you use to make them? I've got some osocote trace I use on the veggies will that work? It's a blue powder? I've got some clay tabs I can use aswell

I don't know bud. There's different types that release at different speeds. I'm really not the best person to ask about osmocote tabs. Someone will offer their advice soon though I'm sure.

 

[flchamp89]

Post a picture of the label

 

[Arthur75]

Can you see the two pictures now? I have a new host.

 

[flchamp89]

Not showing up Arthur

 

[PerfectDepth]

Hey Bert, do you have a photo that shows the placement of plumbing, powerheads so we can see your flow pattern?

If it seems that taller plants are healthy, but shorter plants are struggling, I definitely wouldn't rule out co2 (or light actually but you have an insane amount of light hahaha) Are you 100% sure enough co2 is being distributed all the way down to the substrate?

 

[Bert2oo1]

Hey Bert, do you have a photo that shows the placement of plumbing, powerheads so we can see your flow pattern?

If it seems that taller plants are healthy, but shorter plants are struggling, I definitely wouldn't rule out co2 (or light actually but you have an insane amount of light hahaha) Are you 100% sure enough co2 is being distributed all the way down to the substrate?

Hey bud, it's actually the other way around the milfoil stem is doing the worse out of all the plants. Only the AR mini (might just be because I trimmed all the twisted leaves off) Java moss and HC are doing bad in mid, forgrounds plants. My flow have 2 circles basically like this ()(). Flow meets in the middle and then rolls down and back around. I've got a spray bar at one end and just an open pipe at the other end with 9x tank turn over. My ph is dropping 1.2 points and checker is now lime all day in all positions of the tank.

All plants have a gentle sway

I'm almost certain I can rule both of those out.

As for lighting I'm running at 60% of 180 par (if that's how it works) however even if it's under that I think I'd be up around 60-70 par at substrate.

To be honest things were looking a lot better untill I started dosing 0.4g of micro's per week. The week prior to dosing micro's everything was looking a lot better

 

[PerfectDepth]

Maybe cease w micros altogether for a few weeks and see how the plants respond.

I know that co2 distribution down to substrate level can be very challenging in deeper tanks. I've even had flow-related problems in my tank which is only 12" tall, but not until plants started filling in more, which obstructed flow in critical areas that previously had plenty of flow.

A trend I've noticed is that people with deeper planted tanks will have a powerhead placed down low in the front corner, blowing directly over the carpet to make sure there are enough nutrients being delivered constantly. If the carpet doesn't grow at the fastest rate possible given the amount of light, that's when algae will start showing up.

Just this morning I moved a powerhead from the right rear corner to the bottom front left corner to see if I can get better results from the star repens which is somewhat walled-in and located in the spot most susceptible to poor flow.

Even if flow is not an issue now, this can eventually change. I would recommend trying to get all of the equipment working together with the same flow pattern. Turn those two circles into one giant oval, and find a way to make sure there is plenty of movement in a single direction near the bottom, flowing directly over the carpet plants.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Maybe cease w micros altogether for a few weeks and see how the plants respond.

I know that co2 distribution down to substrate level can be very challenging in deeper tanks. I've even had flow-related problems in my tank which is only 12" tall, but not until plants started filling in more, which obstructed flow in critical areas that previously had plenty of flow.

A trend I've noticed is that people with deeper planted tanks will have a powerhead placed down low in the front corner, blowing directly over the carpet to make sure there are enough nutrients being delivered constantly. If the carpet doesn't grow at the fastest rate possible given the amount of light, that's when algae will start showing up.

Just this morning I moved a powerhead from the right rear corner to the bottom front left corner to see if I can get better results from the star repens which is somewhat walled-in and located in the spot most susceptible to poor flow.

Even if flow is not an issue now, this can eventually change. I would recommend trying to get all of the equipment working together with the same flow pattern. Turn those two circles into one giant oval, and find a way to make sure there is plenty of movement in a single direction near the bottom, flowing directly over the carpet plants.

Great point. I'll try and play with my flow abit. I've got a fair bit of surface agitation so I could prob reduce that abit and aim the spray bar down abit more.
The HC has had a pretty hard life to be honest. Micro toxicity + being grown emersed to begin with. I moved a square of it yesterday and it had some small white roots so it's not completely dead yet. I think the main issue is it struggles to root into the Eco before the otto's run past it and pull it up.

Might have to change to glosso or something abit more sturdy.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Is this what I need to make the root tabs? https://www.bunnings.com.au/osmocot...purpose-plant-food-and-soil-improver_p2961129

 

[TMaier]

I don't know about the manure in there?!

I used a version called osmocoat plus.
And put it in gel caps.

I have heard great things about the pond one too.

 

[flchamp89]

I don't know about the manure in there?!

I used a version called osmocoat plus. View attachment 295375
And put it in gel caps.

I have heard great things about the pond one too. View attachment 295376

Plus 1. On those

 

[Bert2oo1]

I don't know about the manure in there?!

I used a version called osmocoat plus. View attachment 295375
And put it in gel caps.

I have heard great things about the pond one too. View attachment 295376

Cheers for the info! I can't seem to find that one! I'll have to go into the store and have a look I've ordered 100x00 caps

 

[Bert2oo1]

Ended up with the pond ones! Couldn't find the other one. The pond tabs are very large so I think I'll break them up and put them into caps

 

[Bert2oo1]

Soooo, I've decided to strip the tank down and add soil below my Eco. The scape will be completely torn out aswell. I'm going full Dutch style. I'm ordering 9 different types of stems and some more AR mini. I'm still going for a HC carpet in the middle (haven't given up on it yet!)

I'll be using seed raiser soil with an Eco complete cap.

My current scape hasn't turned out the way I thought and due to me likely a wide variety of plants I've decided that Dutch is more my style.

I've come up with a ruff design so I'll be pulling it all down in a couple of weeks and rescaping and planting.