Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Planted Odyssey

[fishenthusiast]

Cleaned the filter outtake and mini circulation pump tonight. I trimmed decaying Buce leaves and a couple Microsorum leaves. A few new leaves are starting to appear in some of the Buces. The Anubias is looking nice.

 

[TMaier]

Looking grand!

 

[DaleV87]

Looks very nice!

 

[fishenthusiast]

Thanks everyone! After having a hard time trimming the Microsorum in the nooks and crannies, I'm going to invest in some curved scissors. It'll make maintenance easier.

 

[DaleV87]

I been wanting some of the wave scissors. You are right though in that the right tools for the job make life so much easier.

 

[Fresh2o]

I was looking for curved scissors but ended up with scissors with a 45 degree angle bend. Works well with carpet trimming. The only drawback is the length of the handles. Great for reach but bad for corners or around hardscape.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Had the day off and I did some water tests. I had some interesting results!

pH: 7.4
Nitrate: 10 ppm
Phosphate: 5-10 ppm (closer to 10 ppm)

It looks like I need to reduce phosphate in the PPS-Pro mix. The dosage is currently doubled as I've been using this current mix since the tank had high lighting, plus I had problems with GSA when the tank was a stem paradise. I'm looking at regular dosage for phosphate and no nitrate dosage, or half of the recommended PPS-Pro dosage for phosphate. Easy fix, even though there are no algae issues or plant growth issues at the moment. Just for fish and tank health. The pH is an interesting one. The last time I tested for pH, it was at 7.6-7.8. The tannins have left their mark, reducing it by 0.2-0.4.

 

[fishenthusiast]

I also got some Crypt lucens today. It's a nice little Crypt. It'll look nice when it fills in.

 

[Delapool]

Looks nice - will be interesting to see it grow in.

 

[Caliban07]

Had the day off and I did some water tests. I had some interesting results!

pH: 7.4
Nitrate: 10 ppm
Phosphate: 5-10 ppm (closer to 10 ppm)

It looks like I need to reduce phosphate in the PPS-Pro mix. The dosage is currently doubled as I've been using this current mix since the tank had high lighting, plus I had problems with GSA when the tank was a stem paradise. I'm looking at regular dosage for phosphate and no nitrate dosage, or half of the recommended PPS-Pro dosage for phosphate. Easy fix, even though there are no algae issues or plant growth issues at the moment. Just for fish and tank health. The pH is an interesting one. The last time I tested for pH, it was at 7.6-7.8. The tannins have left their mark, reducing it by 0.2-0.4.

I'm not convinced that GSA is not related to fert levels. I used to be but not anymore. I'd definitely take the phosphate levels down but keep the nitrate at a higher ratio.

Did you see Marcel G's experiment on nutritional requirements for his tank?

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/weekly-nutrient-consumption-in-planted-aquarium.34930/

 

[Funken_A]

I was looking for curved scissors but ended up with scissors with a 45 degree angle bend. Works well with carpet trimming. The only drawback is the length of the handles. Great for reach but bad for corners or around hardscape.

Amazon.com has a few planted tank tool kits that are CHEAP. I bought a 5 piece set less than $16 shipped

There are 3 piece, 5 piece 7 piece + sets. I think I saw a few with those curved scissors you're looking for

This is the one I bought

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ANAYHE6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[fishenthusiast]

Amazon.com has a few planted tank tool kits that are CHEAP. I bought a 5 piece set less than $16 shipped

There are 3 piece, 5 piece 7 piece + sets. I think I saw a few with those curved scissors you're looking for

This is the one I bought

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ANAYHE6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for the link! I was looking at eBay a couple days ago, and most of the curved scissors shipped from China. Never been disappointed with Amazon.

I'm not convinced that GSA is not related to fert levels. I used to be but not anymore. I'd definitely take the phosphate levels down but keep the nitrate at a higher ratio.

Did you see Marcel G's experiment on nutritional requirements for his tank?

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/weekly-nutrient-consumption-in-planted-aquarium.34930/

Very interesting! Thanks for the link, it was a nice read. Like Marcel G, I too am critical of EI dosing. For me, and I only used EI for a month because of deteriorating tank health (got an algae bloom), I did not notice any gain in plant health. I like PPS-Pro as I can adjust it and it is more lean, and I'll adjust the new batch accordingly. CO2 is priority number one for me, which is why I run pressurized CO2 in the first place on this build--as we know, CO2 is important for building sugar in the Calvin Cycle, allowing for the plant to build its structure. I don't need a ton of CO2, but it definitely helps.

 

[Caliban07]

Agreed co2 is required for faster growth but it may appear that plant response maxes at much less than 30ppm depending on species. I'm looking in to other ways of reducing pH. Citric acid may be an alternative.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Agreed co2 is required for faster growth but it may appear that plant response maxes at much less than 30ppm depending on species. I'm looking in to other ways of reducing pH. Citric acid may be an alternative.

Another interesting aspect to consider. It looks like I have some reading to do!

 

[Bert2oo1]

Thanks for the link! I was looking at eBay a couple days ago, and most of the curved scissors shipped from China. Never been disappointed with Amazon.




Very interesting! Thanks for the link, it was a nice read. Like Marcel G, I too am critical of EI dosing. For me, and I only used EI for a month because of deteriorating tank health (got an algae bloom), I did not notice any gain in plant health. I like PPS-Pro as I can adjust it and it is more lean, and I'll adjust the new batch accordingly. CO2 is priority number one for me, which is why I run pressurized CO2 in the first place on this build--as we know, CO2 is important for building sugar in the Calvin Cycle, allowing for the plant to build its structure. I don't need a ton of CO2, but it definitely helps.

Hey fish I have a question about your dosing of PPS pro, do you dose both micro and macro on the same day? It says to on the website but I've always dosed them seperate using EI due to the iron binding to the phosphate (think it's phosphate?) dosing both at the same time is a big no no with EI so how is it not an issue with PPS pro?

I'm considering jumping over to PPS pro from EI in my tanks as I'm finding the balance with soft water and EI almost impossible to get right. Seems I'm always chasing one issue and then I change something and it causes another lol it's very annoying.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Hey fish I have a question about your dosing of PPS pro, do you dose both micro and macro on the same day? It says to on the website but I've always dosed them seperate using EI due to the iron binding to the phosphate (think it's phosphate?) dosing both at the same time is a big no no with EI so how is it not an issue with PPS pro?

I'm considering jumping over to PPS pro from EI in my tanks as I'm finding the balance with soft water and EI almost impossible to get right. Seems I'm always chasing one issue and then I change something and it causes another lol it's very annoying.

Yes, I do dose both at the same time. I dose micros at one end of the tank and macros at the other just to be safe. EI has a much larger concentration of iron and phosphate when dosed, so I guess that is why they advise against it. With PPS-Pro, it's already in a diluted when dosed. As long as you don't mix concentrated iron (like Seachem Iron) and phosphate together with either method, there shouldn't be any precipitation. I dose my iron after the weekly water change by itself. Hope this helps.

By the way, I've got two pots of Crypt parva on the way to fill in the rest of the foreground. I'll also be performing a minor rescape with the Java Fern. I'm planning to swap the Ishikawa Island and Trident, nothing more though.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Yes, I do dose both at the same time. I dose micros at one end of the tank and macros at the other just to be safe. EI has a much larger concentration of iron and phosphate when dosed, so I guess that is why they advise against it. With PPS-Pro, it's already in a diluted when dosed. As long as you don't mix concentrated iron (like Seachem Iron) and phosphate together with either method, there shouldn't be any precipitation. I dose my iron after the weekly water change by itself. Hope this helps.

By the way, I've got two pots of Crypt parva on the way to fill in the rest of the foreground. I'll also be performing a minor rescape with the Java Fern. I'm planning to swap the Ishikawa Island and Trident, nothing more though.

Ah good stuff! I too found seachem iron completely useless. Within an hour of dosing the tank would just be a white cloud lol

Parva is such a cool plant! I'm using it in the Ada setup as a filler plant. It's not a plant u see a lot in scapes to be honest. Very under rated if u ask me

Sounds like your underway, can't wait to see the tank in a few months when it's grown in. Those ferns will look amazing!

 

[fishenthusiast]

Ah good stuff! I too found seachem iron completely useless. Within an hour of dosing the tank would just be a white cloud lol

Parva is such a cool plant! I'm using it in the Ada setup as a filler plant. It's not a plant u see a lot in scapes to be honest. Very under rated if u ask me

Sounds like your underway, can't wait to see the tank in a few months when it's grown in. Those ferns will look amazing!

I agree! Crypt parva is underrated. I think it's due to its growth rate. I've always liked it though. Besides decaying leaves from emersed growth, I've only trimmed one or two leaves off it in a year's time.

 

[fishenthusiast]

I'm going to swap my Trident Java Fern for some Threadleaf Java Fern. It'll be a nicer fit. It is hard to enjoy the leaf shapes of the Trident, Thunder Leaf, and Thor's Hammer Java Fern due to the limited amount of openness in the driftwood. I'm going to do a quick flip of the ferns. I'll be keeping the Ishikawa Island Java Fern, and I'll be having some more Needle Leaf Java Fern coming in, as well as the Threadleaf Java Fern. The tank is getting there, is just needs a little adjustment! It should be back to normal by next weekend.

 

[Bert2oo1]

I'm going to swap my Trident Java Fern for some Threadleaf Java Fern. It'll be a nicer fit. It is hard to enjoy the leaf shapes of the Trident, Thunder Leaf, and Thor's Hammer Java Fern due to the limited amount of openness in the driftwood. I'm going to do a quick flip of the ferns. I'll be keeping the Ishikawa Island Java Fern, and I'll be having some more Needle Leaf Java Fern coming in, as well as some Threadleaf Java Fern. The tank is getting there, is just needs a little adjustment! It should be back to normal by next weekend.

Needle leaf + Driftwood = amazing! I'm a big fan of needle leaf. Looks soo dam good in wood dominated scapes.