rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
Great looking tanks.
Work in progress (long) , updated 09/10/07
- Thread starter rkilling1
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dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Sorry to hear about the problem with lights... Are you using CF? How old were they?
dapellegrini said:
No, I am using ODNO T-8's. I knew they would burn out quicker then normal driven T-8's, but figured a good 6 months before then. I have now learned mine will only last for 3 months.
That's still not too bad, 6 bucks every 3 months for light bulbs. The key is making sure to replace them before the spectrum shifts or whatever it does!!!!
Jchillin
Aquarium Advice Addict
rkilling said:
I've just made a note for myself...bulb life is extremely important, thanks! Looks like the tank is recovering nicely, as a matter of fact, doesn't look like there was ever a problem. Congrats!
Glenc
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's amazing how fast things can go downhill in a high light set up. It's happened to me a couple of times as well. Very fine line to balance on, glad to hear your getting it back on track, your tanks look great. Thanks for the heads up on the lights, I'm about due for some new ones myself.
I finally made the change in fish species that was way over due. Some species are just not made for a planted tank. Both the Bala's and Bichirs found a new home with a Petsmart employee. I have replaced them with 10 oto's, 6 cherry barbs, and 4 tiger barb fry.
You can see in these pics the algae I am still dealing with. This is in no way how bad in was just weeks ago.
The hardest hit by the light issue was the Glosso (which I had to removed due to it growing upwards), Tonina sp. 'Belem' (It just melted), and Didiplis diandra (The stems rotted away). These are starting to grow back finally.
Tonina sp. 'Belem'
What's left of the Didiplis diandra:
The Glossostigma elatinoides is starting to form a carpet again:
All the leaves on my species that had large leaves all fell off. They are starting to grow back.
Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba':
Overhead shot:
Pogostemon stellatus 'Broad Leaf'
Overhead shot:
Limnophila aromatica to the left and Ludwigia repens on the right:
One of my newest species and one that really sticks out in leaf shape and color, Polygonum sp. ‘Kawagoeanum’. (Notice the algae on the sword)
Overhead shot:
My Blyxa japonica was barely affected by my mishap:
Here is the latest whole tank shot:
You can see in these pics the algae I am still dealing with. This is in no way how bad in was just weeks ago.
The hardest hit by the light issue was the Glosso (which I had to removed due to it growing upwards), Tonina sp. 'Belem' (It just melted), and Didiplis diandra (The stems rotted away). These are starting to grow back finally.
Tonina sp. 'Belem'
What's left of the Didiplis diandra:
The Glossostigma elatinoides is starting to form a carpet again:
All the leaves on my species that had large leaves all fell off. They are starting to grow back.
Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba':
Overhead shot:
Pogostemon stellatus 'Broad Leaf'
Overhead shot:
Limnophila aromatica to the left and Ludwigia repens on the right:
One of my newest species and one that really sticks out in leaf shape and color, Polygonum sp. ‘Kawagoeanum’. (Notice the algae on the sword)
Overhead shot:
My Blyxa japonica was barely affected by my mishap:
Here is the latest whole tank shot:
Despite your algae issue, the tank is looking gorgeous. I love what you've done with the scape. There's an excellant contrast of textures and colors that is very pleasing to the eye. I'm sure that it will be stunning once you get the last few issue balanced out and the algae goes on the retreat.
Glenc
Aquarium Advice Addict
Your tank is just amazing. As Purrbox says, it is very pleasing to the eye, just beautiful. I think it looks better now, more space in there to really appreciate all the different colours and textures.
rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
The tank is just fabulous. Nicely planted.
An t-iasg
Aquarium Advice Addict
Simply stunning... I like the way the Blyxa japonica cascades over and around the Hydrocotyle verticillata.
Thanks for the nice comments!
And the whole time that my plants were dying, I was still EI dosing. I had a major buildup of ferts in the water column. Once I figured out the problem, I started testing the water. After a 50% and 80% PWC, I finally had readable PO4 levels (near 10 PPM) and NO3's in the 20's.
I believe the huge downfall was a combination of losing the lights and overdosing due to the plants not uptaking any nutrients at the time. The leaves were overgrown with algae, curled up, and just falling off.
Everyday I would come home from work and fish out a whole fish net full of leaves. How depressed and frustrated I was during this time.
You learn something new almost daily. I just guess that's the way life is. You learn the most when things go wrong.
Then add in the decaying plants into the organics in the tank and you have a complete implosion of a planted tank. Never would have thought that the lights would go so quickly. (I bought extra light bulbs this time!)
I agree. I started removing plants a couple of months ago to let the ones I liked more grow in. I have removed about 10 species now and am looking into others. It just looks better having more of one species in a group then 50 different ones all stuck together. I am still on a decent learning curve!
And the whole time that my plants were dying, I was still EI dosing. I had a major buildup of ferts in the water column. Once I figured out the problem, I started testing the water. After a 50% and 80% PWC, I finally had readable PO4 levels (near 10 PPM) and NO3's in the 20's.
I believe the huge downfall was a combination of losing the lights and overdosing due to the plants not uptaking any nutrients at the time. The leaves were overgrown with algae, curled up, and just falling off.
Everyday I would come home from work and fish out a whole fish net full of leaves. How depressed and frustrated I was during this time.
You learn something new almost daily. I just guess that's the way life is. You learn the most when things go wrong.
Then add in the decaying plants into the organics in the tank and you have a complete implosion of a planted tank. Never would have thought that the lights would go so quickly. (I bought extra light bulbs this time!)
Glenc said:
I agree. I started removing plants a couple of months ago to let the ones I liked more grow in. I have removed about 10 species now and am looking into others. It just looks better having more of one species in a group then 50 different ones all stuck together. I am still on a decent learning curve!
Glenc
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks to you, I think alot of us will be checking the age and potency of our lights. I know I will, maybe thats the missing piece of the puzzle of why my 20 gallon has been so bad for the last couple of months. I've been going crazy with the fert levels, upping C02, but the lights, never thought of that, mine are not that old, are they? In fact they probably are. Thanks for the heads up and the inspiration 
maxwell1295
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Wow...
newfound77951
Aquarium Advice Addict
definitely Wow.....fabulous!
I agree, it is better to have more stems of fewer species, I am at that point now where I need to get rid of 3 or 4 plants to make room for the others, I just can't make up my mind which to get rid of!
Love the H. verticillata, it gives the tank such a neat look.
I agree, it is better to have more stems of fewer species, I am at that point now where I need to get rid of 3 or 4 plants to make room for the others, I just can't make up my mind which to get rid of!
Love the H. verticillata, it gives the tank such a neat look.
dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Randy - Your tank looks really nice. I wish I could get my Blyxa to look like yours... Perhaps now that I am supplementing RO into the water changes I will be able to take some of he edge off of my extremely hard water...
Question: on the left side of the big sword in the middle, you have a small-leafed plant that is growing up from the glosso and mingling into the sword a bit... Is that M. Umbrosum with Bacopa behind it? I really like that flowing, inverse waterfall look with the fine leaves against the sword.
Question: on the left side of the big sword in the middle, you have a small-leafed plant that is growing up from the glosso and mingling into the sword a bit... Is that M. Umbrosum with Bacopa behind it? I really like that flowing, inverse waterfall look with the fine leaves against the sword.
An t-iasg
Aquarium Advice Addict
Randy - your tank is always gorgeous! In the last picture of the series, you have a full tank shot last and then your sig pic of a previous 'scape. I like the new scape better - I like what you did with the far corners. They are not as dark - I realize that just may be the way the picture turned out, but this new change really lets you take advantage of the corner areas to the fullest. I have to say again how much I like the Blyxa cascading over the Hydrocotyle. The rest of the Hydrocotyle looks great in that corner and seems to open it up. I don't have any Blyxa but I think I'm going to put some pygmy chain swords around my Hydrocotyle to see how it looks.
dapellegrini
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Does your M. Umbrosum grow more-or-less straight up? Or does it get wiley like R. Rotundfolia or Pearlweed?
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