Ketso's Tank Log - New plants, New pic(04-15-2007)

[hulkamaniac]

Looks very cool. I'd consider Black Neons as a tetra. I love mine and they're extremely hardy. I believe rainbows prefer larger schools, but I don't know for sure. I'm always a little afraid of driftwood that was just found somewhere, but that's just me. The tank looks pretty awesome.

My design suggestions (take them or leave them):

1. Slope the substrate and make it higher in the back. Tanks look better IMO with a sloped substrate.
2. Add some taller plants on the left side to kind of balance the tank out.
3. Be careful with adding rocks. Not only can they carry things into your tank like driftwood can, but they can jack with your water chemistry as well.

[Hoovercat]

The algae will come, especially in the "break-in" period. First will most likely be diatoms though. "It's not brown algae, just rub it off. Get some otto cats, they love the stuff. Just wait, it'll go away."

If you keep up the DIY, next should be black algae. "Get some excel and dose 3-5x strength for a week. Take all your plants out and bleach dip them. Get pressurised CO2 so your levels don't fluctuate."

Just keep us updated and we'll get you up to full speed.

[Ketso]

Originally Posted by Hoovercat

The algae will come, especially in the "break-in" period. First will most likely be diatoms though. "It's not brown algae, just rub it off. Get some otto cats, they love the stuff. Just wait, it'll go away."

If you keep up the DIY, next should be black algae. "Get some excel and dose 3-5x strength for a week. Take all your plants out and bleach dip them. Get pressurised CO2 so your levels don't fluctuate."

Just keep us updated and we'll get you up to full speed.

Maybe a bunch of algae would be a good thing? Would be easier to smooth the cost of the pressurized system over on my wife!

[Ketso]

I just noticed, about an hour ago, that my plants are producing oxygen. Specifically, one of my swords. It is giving off tiny air bubbles at about 1 every second. I also noticed tiny bubbles on several of the other plants as well, but nothing like the sword.

Well, it's sketty time. See Ya!

[Jchillin]

That is a sign of great plant health. Congrats!

[locorosa]

I love the dw the way it is sitting now... It does look like it's walking around.

I am jealous...lol.

The tank is going to look great when it fills in. Good luck!

[Ketso]

The DW grew a fur coat the other day so I removed it. In just a matter of 2 days, it seemed, I had white mold cover nearly every inch of that piece . Needless to say, I am not ready to deal with that. So, I removed it.

I am going to pick up a large container soon to soak it in for a loooong time. I'll see what happens then. It may or may not end up back in the tank.

[Purrbox]

From what I understand that white mold is fairly common in a newer piece of driftwood. I don't remember exactly what it consumes, but once it's done it will go away on it's own having eliminated it's food source. It's also not supposed to be harmful to fish.

[Ketso]

I read pretty much the same thing about the mold on another site. I'll probably use the DW later this spring. I am going to wait until it is warmer so I can soak it in a big tub in the garage. My plan is to have a heater in it and try to keep the tub as close to the same conditions as in the tank. Not sure how I will go about the lighting yet or even if I should worry about lighting. My thought is to let the mold run rampant in the tub until its done. Besides, a good soaking wouldnt hurt it a bit.

[Ketso]

Well, it's been a few days since I updated my log. Yep, the driftwood is gone for now. And I have been battling an algae outbreak. I think I caught it early enough though. It hasnt completely taken over ..... YET! The problem was too much light and not enough Co2. Hopefully that is taken care of though. Time will tell.

I built a cave out of leftover ceramic tile. You can see the opening in the image. It has another opening in the rear. I am keeping my eye out for a couple of rocks to camouflage the entrance a bit.

I did some trimming to get rid of some algae covered leaves/blades. Tank is looking a bit sparse now but will grow back in pretty quickly. Here is a pic I just took.



Yep, I know that Co2 diffuser is large and not great looking. But it will be gone in a couple of months barring any unforseen problems. Getting 50-60ppm Co2 out of it with 6 2-liter bottles running.

I'm hoping to get the back of the tank covered with black plastic this weekend. I think that will make it look a great deal better. Also, going to keep an eye out for a large piece of black plastic to hide the Rena intake pipe. On second thought, the plants should hide it pretty well given some time.

Well, that's all for today. C-Ya!