TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
Solo cups are multi purpose. Things are looking great. Glad your amano has good aim.
FresH2O's 20g planted rescape
- Thread starter Fresh2o
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
OP
OP
Fresh2o
Aquarium Advice Addict
A few changes. Put the spray bar back on. Turns out the fish were in a constant whirlpool. I noticed that the drop checker is more green than lime green. More surface movement? I do like the shimmer effect though.
The RCS are hiding most of the time and most likely from a belligerent female Endler. Will remove the endler next chance I get. An alpha male CPD rules half of the tank. I've set up the QT for an upcoming order from Batfish (it's a secret). Enough blah-blah, here are some pics.
Staur repens and Pogo on the hill
Staur repens closeup
RCS "cleaning" a snail
Carpet filling in the few remaining spaces of substrate
HC Cuba closeup
Soon to be removed endler hovering over the Ammania bonsai
The RCS are hiding most of the time and most likely from a belligerent female Endler. Will remove the endler next chance I get. An alpha male CPD rules half of the tank. I've set up the QT for an upcoming order from Batfish (it's a secret). Enough blah-blah, here are some pics.
Staur repens and Pogo on the hill
PerfectDepth
Aquarium Advice FINatic
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2013
- Messages
- 607
Wow, cruising right along.. Everything looks so healthy. I can't wait to see how this looks in a couple more weeks.
A secret....oooooh!
OP
OP
Fresh2o
Aquarium Advice Addict
Batfish Aquatics does pre-sales. Ordered 4 otos and a dozen ember tetras online; will pickup this weekend at a local fish club meeting. Was looking at various micro rasboras, however, my tank is not quite the black water setup. Too bright and lack of surface cover. I decided to add to what's already in there.
QT is setup and waiting for the new arrivals. Currently housing a single adult female endler. Not sure why I said single. It's not like she's dating or anything. She will probably end up going to the LFS.
flchamp89
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2016
- Messages
- 2,387
Is that naja?
OP
OP
Fresh2o
Aquarium Advice Addict
OP
OP
Fresh2o
Aquarium Advice Addict
Picked up a dozen ember tetras from Batfish Aquatics. Doing the slow drip followed by a stay in the QT. For the record, this is probably my FIFTH fish purchase since 2012. Like is said, I don't but fish very often.
I also changed the flow in the Planted tank. Removed the spray bar, moved the output to the center (back) of the tank and its pointing to the left side. I placed the diffuser in the path of the jet. The result? Millions of very small bubbles. Basically simulating an inline diffuser to a degree.
Pros: Decent CO2 injection even at 1.5 bps.
Cons: Haze from the bubbles, no shimmer effect
I also changed the flow in the Planted tank. Removed the spray bar, moved the output to the center (back) of the tank and its pointing to the left side. I placed the diffuser in the path of the jet. The result? Millions of very small bubbles. Basically simulating an inline diffuser to a degree.
Pros: Decent CO2 injection even at 1.5 bps.
Cons: Haze from the bubbles, no shimmer effect
Bert2oo1
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2016
- Messages
- 2,562
That carpet! God I'm jealous of the way you grow HC lol. I'm increasing my lighting, hoping the HC takes off abit more
OP
OP
Fresh2o
Aquarium Advice Addict
Not sure if my lighting is that strong. It's the 30" Finnex 24/7 running in 24/7 mode and the 30" Finnex Planted+ on for 3 hours. CO2 is key. But I'm getting by on less than 2 bps.
Just wondering how things would have gone if I used Brightwell Florin Volcanit or even ADA substrate.
Oh, here are the new fishies:
Bert2oo1
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2016
- Messages
- 2,562
Not sure if my lighting is that strong. It's the 30" Finnex 24/7 running in 24/7 mode and the 30" Finnex Planted+ on for 3 hours. CO2 is key. But I'm getting by on less than 2 bps.
Just wondering how things would have gone if I used Brightwell Florin Volcanit or even ADA substrate.
Oh, here are the new fishies:
Yea I've heard nothing but good things about Ada. It's $120 a bag here in Aus because you need to order it from America so I'm not keen to put $700 worth of substrate in a tank haha
My co2 is easily 30 ppm and I'm not getting much growth at all. Maybe it's still adjusting? I've just put it down to lack of light. At 50% i would have around 60-80 par I recon. It's been bumped to 70% today and I'll be 160 par at substrate by the end of the week
Love the new additions! How long do you QT for? I've always just been lazy and added all my fish straight in lol
Well I just ordered ADA Amazonia and it smelled mouldy and it is pretty mushy. Waiting to hear back from the company which answered my mouldy and mushy comments with a bunch of info on caution for leeching ammonia due to all the nutrients, which did not answer my questions of if those things are normal...
The Brightwell Florin volcanic was one of the only substrates that any of my far away not so local fish stores had. Have not seen that one yet, But as a non nutrient rich substrate the Fluval Shrimp and Plant Strattum is sounding pretty good.
Those little guys will be colored up in no time!
The Brightwell Florin volcanic was one of the only substrates that any of my far away not so local fish stores had. Have not seen that one yet, But as a non nutrient rich substrate the Fluval Shrimp and Plant Strattum is sounding pretty good.
Those little guys will be colored up in no time!
OP
OP
Fresh2o
Aquarium Advice Addict
From what I've read about the smell is that it should go away after a few water changes. If you were doing a dry start then plastic wrap over the tank is your friend. I've been wary about substrates that are practically soil based because they do break down. My EC is pretty filthy as is. Hope you hear back soon from them.
I looked up Brightwell Aquatics Substrate on Amazon and there are several to chose from. So if you cannot locally source it, there's Amazon and most of those listed are Prime eligible. One of those would probably be the next substrate I use in my next build but that is far off. I'm only 7 weeks into this one so I will let it run its course (guessing a year or less).
The new embers are active and feeding in the QT. Can't wait to see them in the display tank.
OP
OP
Fresh2o
Aquarium Advice Addict
I decided to do something different with my CO2 setup. I removed the spray bar and pointed the filter output towards the diffuser. The result was a tank full of very small bubbles. I imagine this is how an inline diffuser works. As CO2 passes through the ceramic material, the water rushes across the ceramic surface at such a rate that the CO2 gas is present at the surface for a very brief moment.
Here is a video I took. The first ten seconds is the bubble counter (BORING). About 20 bubbles are produced so that should equate to 2 bps. The bubbles show that current is less on the right side of the tank. The drop checker got to a nice lime green during the today.
http://youtu.be/w5jLDfcggKk
Here is a video I took. The first ten seconds is the bubble counter (BORING). About 20 bubbles are produced so that should equate to 2 bps. The bubbles show that current is less on the right side of the tank. The drop checker got to a nice lime green during the today.
http://youtu.be/w5jLDfcggKk
Wow, that is a bunch of bubbles. The visual display in the tank of the bubbles gives you incredible information of how it is being dispersed. Very useful. But then the amount of bubbles is dizzying.
OP
OP
Fresh2o
Aquarium Advice Addict
Can't wait until I move the new fish in. I might transfer them this weekend. Hopefully it will make me like my tank again. In my head I was going for a certain look but when I view the tank, I'm not seeing it. The carpet is growing but it just doesn't look healthy.
The Staurogyne repens on the hill needs fill in. Interestingly, I'm seeing more horizontal growth than typical vertical growth with the staurs. HC Cuba might be due for another trim.
Maybe I will work on building the CO2 reactor. At least I won't be seeing the mist of bubbles.
If I could get something to vaguely resemble this (not my tank), I would be overjoyed:
The Staurogyne repens on the hill needs fill in. Interestingly, I'm seeing more horizontal growth than typical vertical growth with the staurs. HC Cuba might be due for another trim.
Maybe I will work on building the CO2 reactor. At least I won't be seeing the mist of bubbles.
If I could get something to vaguely resemble this (not my tank), I would be overjoyed:
Bert2oo1
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2016
- Messages
- 2,562
Can't wait until I move the new fish in. I might transfer them this weekend. Hopefully it will make me like my tank again. In my head I was going for a certain look but when I view the tank, I'm not seeing it. The carpet is growing but it just doesn't look healthy.
The Staurogyne repens on the hill needs fill in. Interestingly, I'm seeing more horizontal growth than typical vertical growth with the staurs. HC Cuba might be due for another trim.
Maybe I will work on building the CO2 reactor. At least I won't be seeing the mist of bubbles.
If I could get something to vaguely resemble this (not my tank), I would be overjoyed:
Don't be disheartened fresh, your tank is a great looking tank
build the cerges reactor you won't regret it! Mine works great! That tank is so nice, I love large rises in tanks
I thought it was progressing - maybe just needs time?
Caliban07
Aquarium Advice Addict
When you say the carpet doesn't look healthy what exactly are you seeing?
You can't be a million miles away from perfect health for things to fill in that quickly. Do you think you needed to add more of the ferts/co2 as things have grown in? I noticed that my staur plantlet's looked like tiny little palm trees stunted and unhealthy and I thought they were healthy and normal but one of the guys in the toxicity thread described his staurs in exactly the same way as I was seeing. This would coincide with the very tiny leaves on the Monte Carlo.
I know this whole toxicity thing may have taken some people by surprise and I can understand if some are not wholly convinced about it all but I really think it deserves a closer look.
The toxicity thread I linked in tigers thread was still live up until a month ago and had been going for a year at least. Somewhere towards the end I remember people discussing about altering 'Wets' calculator which I'm sure is now rotala's. It could be one of the reasons PPS-Pro has been reduced too.
If I were you Fresh I would at least try a large water change and micro detox just to see if things improve.
You can't be a million miles away from perfect health for things to fill in that quickly. Do you think you needed to add more of the ferts/co2 as things have grown in? I noticed that my staur plantlet's looked like tiny little palm trees stunted and unhealthy and I thought they were healthy and normal but one of the guys in the toxicity thread described his staurs in exactly the same way as I was seeing. This would coincide with the very tiny leaves on the Monte Carlo.
I know this whole toxicity thing may have taken some people by surprise and I can understand if some are not wholly convinced about it all but I really think it deserves a closer look.
The toxicity thread I linked in tigers thread was still live up until a month ago and had been going for a year at least. Somewhere towards the end I remember people discussing about altering 'Wets' calculator which I'm sure is now rotala's. It could be one of the reasons PPS-Pro has been reduced too.
If I were you Fresh I would at least try a large water change and micro detox just to see if things improve.
OP
OP
Fresh2o
Aquarium Advice Addict
Unhealthy carpet as in inconsistent leaf size and the presence of a dark, short haired algae.
The leaf size is larger when the HC Cuba is growing well. Especially seen on the runners. While I am seeing both larger and smaller leaves, the areas where I had trimmed are displaying smaller, less numerous leaves. I equate this with less vigorous growth. Don't get me wrong...the carpet has filled in nicely.
The algae did show up in the first 3-4 weeks. It is on about 30-40% of the carpet. It's not BBA. I managed to keep it at bay using spot treatments of glut. Plus, since no fish were present I was not concerned with excessive co2. Seeing how the RCS in my shrimp tank love this stuff, I moved a few RCS in this tank hoping they would feast on it. I do see them grazing on it but they are not making a big difference. I have a lot of MTS and ramshorn snails and they are peppered into the carpet. I will need to vacuum them off before I trim the carpet again (they might dull the blades).
Then there the BBA... Around the same time the other algae appeared, I started seeing BBA on the substrate and on the snail shells. In the last week it has made a strong comeback. Blaming this on the increase of waste from the fish (with no additional water change % to compensate) and possibly a cumulative effect of the micros dosage.
I plan on doing a few water changes over the next few days to correct the situation.
To answer a question on another thread, I am using a micro solution made up from CSM+B purchased before the recipe change and still using the "old" dosage. I mixed this up a month or two ago and it should last a few more months. I do have some new, unopened CSM+B purchased earlier this month.
Yes, a detox may be in order. THANKS for the feedback everyone!!!
The leaf size is larger when the HC Cuba is growing well. Especially seen on the runners. While I am seeing both larger and smaller leaves, the areas where I had trimmed are displaying smaller, less numerous leaves. I equate this with less vigorous growth. Don't get me wrong...the carpet has filled in nicely.
The algae did show up in the first 3-4 weeks. It is on about 30-40% of the carpet. It's not BBA. I managed to keep it at bay using spot treatments of glut. Plus, since no fish were present I was not concerned with excessive co2. Seeing how the RCS in my shrimp tank love this stuff, I moved a few RCS in this tank hoping they would feast on it. I do see them grazing on it but they are not making a big difference. I have a lot of MTS and ramshorn snails and they are peppered into the carpet. I will need to vacuum them off before I trim the carpet again (they might dull the blades).
Then there the BBA... Around the same time the other algae appeared, I started seeing BBA on the substrate and on the snail shells. In the last week it has made a strong comeback. Blaming this on the increase of waste from the fish (with no additional water change % to compensate) and possibly a cumulative effect of the micros dosage.
I plan on doing a few water changes over the next few days to correct the situation.
To answer a question on another thread, I am using a micro solution made up from CSM+B purchased before the recipe change and still using the "old" dosage. I mixed this up a month or two ago and it should last a few more months. I do have some new, unopened CSM+B purchased earlier this month.
Yes, a detox may be in order. THANKS for the feedback everyone!!!
