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I've been reluctant to post pictures of my tank because I am new to live plants, have made (and am still making) lots of mistakes, and I am constantly dissatisfied with the look of the tank. However, I've finally come to realize that if I want it to get better I'm going to need help and feedback from folks who've had a bit more experience than me. I really appreciate you all!

Anyway, here goes...from the begining...

Tank first established: 3/26/07


Very yucky looking cloud of particles, even after many rinsings. Filter is a Emperor 400. Substrate is 30 lbs of Flourite topped with play sand.

Added first batch of plants: 4/03


Cloudy, but improving. Filtering over peat. No additional fertilizers. No CO2 system. 2 32 watt 6500K bulbs, 1 40 watt 5000k. approx 10-12 hours per day. Being new, I purchased a variety of plants to see what I could grow and what I liked. From left to right we have: hornwort, narrow-leafed ludwiga, dwarf saggitaria, broad-leaf ludwiga, creeping jenny, anubias nana, wisteria, amazon sword, bacopa, java fern, anubias barteri, twisted vals. Plants were shipped and the shipment took 6 days! The vals, bacopa, and ludwigas arrived as mostly brown mush. Planted them anyway, ever hopeful.

Slowly growing: 4/14


Now home to 6 peppered cories and a dwarf gourami female. Hornwort is starting to take off. I finally gave up on the bacopa. Also took out some of the rotting ludwiga and removed almost all of the val leaves.

Green water stage: 5/04


At this point the tank is home to all of the above mentioned fish as well as 5 cherry barbs, 3 otos, and 3 pearl gouramis. As you can see, the hornwort is very happy. It is shown after several ruthless trimmings. It traded places with the creeping jenny. I moved it because it was becoming a giant aquatic dust mop and I thought maybe having it right under the filter output was contributing. It is just a filthy plant, however, and became as full of gunk as before. The vals are coming back slowly. Only 7 of the original 10 plants made it. No runners yet. To combat the green water, I removed half the peat from my filter, thinking that maybe excess nutrients were in the water. Also slightly reduced feeding and dropped my lighting from 3 bulbs to 2.

No more green water!: 5/15


Sparkling clear water! Put the peat back in. Hornwort is still a nasty yellow/brown from debris. My typical water change is 15 gallons every other day or every three days but with the hornwort looking so filthy I’ve been taking out at least five gallons everyday while shaking and siphoning it just trying to get it looking clean (doesn’t help much). Tank also has 5 cardinal tetras.

Pearl Gourami: 5/15


A quick pic of my male pearl’s wonderful bubble nest. The poor fish rebuilds it after every water change. Isn’t he wonderful?

Current setup: 5/17/07


Well, I like the current look better than any other thus far but it still needs improving. I ripped out almost all of the hornwort except for a few pieces to be used as filler until I get something I like better. The creeping jenny is very happy in it’s new spot and will be trimmed soon. I saw this same plant for sale in Home Depot as a ground cover. Guess it can do double duty and is not a true aquatic. However, my specimins are much prettier and healthier than theirs! Java fern has added two new leaves and is starting some babies. Anubias barteri was removed. Anubias nana is very happily putting out new leaves. Wisteria looks good (other than algae on it).

The thing that makes me most unhappy with this setup is it is too empty and it still looks cluttered. I know that without CO2 I can’t expect it to be too lush but I do want it fuller, denser, better organized and more fish friendly in general. I decided to go for a bit of a south american look to complement my predominantly south american squad of fishes (I removed the cherries and the dwarf gourami so the current stocking is: 3 pearls, 6 pepper cories, 3 otos, 11 cardinal tetras). New plants are as follows: rosette sword in left back corner, oriental sword in front of heater next to hornwort, bronze crypt in front on the right(not amazonian but reminds me of a sword), and microsword also front right. I am eagerly anticipating my vals getting back to full height. They looked cool with the piece of driftwood there. The look still feels too mishmash and cluttered. I have little talent for aquascaping and setting things up creatively. I doubt I can move the big sword or the wisteria (SO many roots!) but almost anything else can be juggled around. I am VERY much open to any and all suggestions (even harsh ones!). The plants availible to me at the LFS are: Anarcharis. another elodea species (brazilian? or perhaps just grown under different light), cabomba, hornwort, dwarf hairgrass, microsword, anubias, banana plant, various crypts, various swords, java moss. Not a terribly inspiring selection. Fish budget is about maxed for the moment but plant orders online in the future are not out of the question so keep that in mind when recommending plants.

So...to continue this ridiculously long post, here are some close-up pics of the tank, from left to right...









See the oto on the back glass behind the sword leaf?



The tank looks deceptively clean from a distance. It is actually loaded with this wonderful algae... Some type of hair/thread algae? It is all over the glass, plants, and driftwood. Can be wiped off fairly easily but comes back within the day. Very yucky. The otos don’t seem to eat it. Help!!

Finally, the point of this post: decorating suggestions please!

Finally, the point of this post: decorating suggestions please!

Hi Lioness , If I may be so bold , it occurs to me that the scape has no focus . If you were to move the driftwood on the right to the far left you would then have a left to right slope to the scape and you could plant accordingly , Tall to the left graduated to small at the right.I would move the Val with the driftwood. Maybe even have a bare area of sand at the front right ( Like a beach ) . As fare as your plant selection maybe some big Swords on the right and some Anubia's or Hairgrass on the left . Anyway I'm sure you get the idea , Hope these suggestions help
Garry

First of all, don't get down on yourself. Planted tanks take some time. My tank has really come a long ways in the past couple of years. Try looking at nature for scaping ideas or even other people's tanks. It's ok to steel a little here and there.

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2006.cgi
Feel free to look at my tank too.
http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/

Here are some of my questions with suggestions.

~Has the tank cycled yet? It it hasn't I would be careful stocking it heavily to soon. Lighter fish loads are easier to deal with in a planted tank. At least for starting up.

~What are your plans for ferts? Most of us around here are using Tom Barr's EI. I personally like it and believe in it but it is not for every one. The biggest thing is finding something that works for you and your plants.

http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/62-estimative-index-dosing-no-need-test-kits.html
http://www.barrreport.com/estimative-index/2819-ei-light-those-less-techy-folks.html

~Some sort of back ground would help the tank look a little cleaner. Stick with something sold in color.

~I am with Gary on the focus issue. There really isn't any central focal area. The focal point could be plants or hard scape.

Tank first established: 3/26/07

Good day to start a tank. (My birthday! )

Best of luck with everything. You are sure to learn a lot.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

it occurs to me that the scape has no focus .

Agree! I would like more hardscape in there. I've never had this large a tank before (yeah, I know. but to me a 55 is big!) and I still haven't developed any faith in the stand and the floor to support all that weight, plus rocks. Driftwood is expensive! Who would have thought? My LFS has horrible prices on it. I will experiment with what driftwood I have.

Has the tank cycled yet?

Yes. Ammonia:0 NitrIte:0 I hung gravel from an old, established tank in the filter and also used that Cycle product. I think I was fairly careful with my stocking. I have yet to lose a single fish.

What are your plans for ferts?

Bought some spikes for the swords last night. I haven't had a good fert recommended to me yet. And honestly, I really don't know how to tell what the plants need as far as micros/macros and what not so I figured I had no business randomly throwing something in and hoping it helped. Plus, with the algae problems I have had I am a little wary of sending them off the charts again. I will check the links you provided.

Some sort of back ground would help the tank look a little cleaner

Yes. I'd like to stick with plain black. Will try the trash bag idea until I get something more permanent.


I will work on some rearranging today. Hopefully you can all critique some pics tonight!

Happy belated birthday Wings!

Bought some spikes for the swords last night. I haven't had a good fert recommended to me yet. And honestly, I really don't know how to tell what the plants need as far as micros/macros and what not so I figured I had no business randomly throwing something in and hoping it helped. Plus, with the algae problems I have had I am a little wary of sending them off the charts again. I will check the links you provided.

If you have Flourite in the bottom then I would not worry about gravel ferts yet. Flourite by itself it really good stuff.

Read the links above and look into getting ferts from here:
http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/store/aquaticplantfood.php

It doesn't get cheaper then dry ferts. Running lower light with no CO2 the dry stuff will last you a long long time. I can get about a year out of my dry ferts with my high tech tank.

I would also think about dosing Flourish Excel. Algae doesn't like it and it will speed up your plant growth.

Can't wait to see more tonight!


55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Hi,
I'm glad that you decided to post your log with us and
ask questions. You will find a wealth of information in
the various logs as members record their experiments
with various things.

With the layer of Flourite, although thin, your plants
should do fine once the tank matures (not cycles, matures)
and the organic compounds necessary for plant growth are
in abundance.

In addition to what has been noted, remember that Flourite
is a clay, and every time you disturb the clay you will
have cloudy water. Right now it is the disturbance of the
setup that is giving you the cloudy water and the best way
to eliminate that and the clay dust, is to use a diatom
filter. Other than that, it is simply a matter of water
changes and filter maintenance. Over time, as you noted,
it will clear.

Also, over time, the plant roots will grow down and into
the Flourite. That means that once settled in, if you
should up root them, they will bring clay dust up into the
water and again the water will become cloudy.

The Horn wart, is not a "filthy plant." The problem is that
the leaves are so fine and so closely spaced that they trap
the clay dust. Actually, it is an excellent plant and the
difference (contrast) between leaf types can make it very
attractive in your (or any) aquarium.

Remember that this is a beginning tank. The plant package
was designed to give you a nice variety but it has to grow
into the tank, or mature, as the tank matures. If you slow
down and allow things to grow, I think you could wind up
with a tank full of plants. Every time you up root a plant
it has to re acclimate to its new surroundings which means
that it has to grow new roots, and expend stored energy in
the process. That means that it could loose leaves as it
grows roots, and then when the roots will support it, new
growth (leaves) will occur. It is best to plant the plants
and give them a month or so to settle in before
re landscaping.

You have a great begining tank, give it time now.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

lioness,

Welcome to the world of planted tank logs

I am new to live plants, have made (and am still making) lots of mistakes, and I am constantly dissatisfied with the look of the tank.

This is the perfect mind set for starting a new planted tank. And one thing is for sure, you will never be satisfied with the look of your tank, or at best you will be happy for a short period before you decide to "up" it a notch. And - we all make mistakes, over and over again, that is part of the game

Instead of giving you design ideas, I suggest to focus on getting the tank settled, meaning the addition of lots of fast growers to keep the algae at bay. Wisteria, water sprite, and hygros are good for this job. And who cares how the tank looks in that stage? I for sure would rather have the tank stable first instead of worrying where to put what (I did it wrong in the 125 and right in the 40).

This approach would also buy you some time that you can use to familiarize yourself with the tank, to see what may and may not work, and so forth. Also, you can use the time to discuss in detail all aspects of scaping without having to rush anything.

Have fun, looking forward to some nice discussions and seeing your tank thrive,

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

hi Lioness:

first of all congrats on setting up your log, I am looking forward to your postings! Driftwood is expensive and it is difficult to find nice pieces that support the layout you have in mind. Several ways to get them chraper; aquarium club - most of them have swap meetings with hobbyists as well sellers that offer nice pieces for extremely food prices. I don't know if you have this type of access. Another possibility is (don't laugh) ebay. there are several sellers that offer very nice and clean pieces. I don't want to make sales pitches for those sellers, but look for the ones that state that the driftwood is either Malaysian and specifically suited for aquaria, African (Mopani is great as it does not give a tint) or from swamp regions with subsequent heating to kill parasites and bacteria. A little bit opf luck and patience and you should find something nice and affordable.

HJope this helps and looking forward to your next posting

Hi Lioness,

I thought I'd pop in to say hello and write a few lines about driftwood. I personally am a big fan of driftwood in aquariums because I really like the natural look of the stuff and the way it contrasts between the greens (and reds) of the plants. When I last bought some driftwood I think I scoured six or seven petstores and LFSes, some were not so local . I found that there was quite a big difference in the prices and quality of the wood and finally found a few pieces that I liked.

Recently I did a small makeover of my smaller (40g) tank and had a good look at the wood I had in there. I thought it war quite a pretty piece, but I didn't like the shape terribly much since it would always end up lying in such a way that most of the wood would be in the substrate, where it would also prevent me from planting plants. last week I took out my saw and cut the wook into two pieces, removing most of the parts that would be in the soil, except for the areas on which it would be resting. I ended up with two very nice pieces that now actually show more than when it was a single piece.

It's something you may keep in mind when you start looking for a nice piece cutting something into smaller pieces may actully result in two better ones.

Thank you all for your ideas and support so far! I look forward to hearing more.

Here are some new pics for you all. I was gone all weekend and have been too lazy to post these. For those of you who suggested I leave it alone and let it grow more...sorry, you are too late. I tore it apart a little and chopped some plants up, but I tried to be gentle! With the clipping I did last week, plus getting rid of all the hornwort, I have sacrificed a lot of height which is something I am really craving in this tall tank. I think the tank actually looks like it has fewer plants than before because when I rearranged it I concentrated the plants to try to get a thicker look. I hope I can be patient with all of my cuttings. I made sure that each one had some roots on it to begin with to give it a better start. I have a background now too! A very cheap one...but it helps. I pulled out half the peat (again) because I am thinking that it is probably responsible for the large amount of particulate in the water. I am considering getting rid of it altogether but my tap water's natural pH is quite high(it comes out at 8.1+. The tank water is 7.6-7.8) and anything that can help keep the water soft and the pH stable and lower is helpful. Do you think that the peat will help me at all in this case? Or is it worth it? Any other suggestions?





The driftwood is all on the left side, arranged in a slight slope. Then we have a little beach off center. Then another clump of plants. I added a tall plastic plant (not shown) behind the wisteria in the right back corner to see how the tank would look with height on both ends. I think I like it so I am leaving the plastic plant (gasp!) until the LFS gets some new plants in. I am thinking about using anacharis because I want a fast grower that will get nice and tall. If I don't like it (I haven't in the past) I will have to order some other kind of stem plant, maybe hygros.




I took clippings from the creeping jenny and filled up the back corner and around the filter intake. Then the vals are in front, with a few out of sight behind the driftwood.




Here is my sad little stand of narrow leaf ludwiga (complete with cory flock). This is one of the plants I have had a very hard time getting restarted. I have been waiting to clip them until they had good leaves growing. The way they were before was a bare stem (the original stem) about 6 inches tall with a tuft of nice leaves finally coming out on top and roots starting off of the bare stem. They looked awful. I think now was an ok time to replant them. I saved the bases and planted them too because they had nice roots and I'm hoping they will start more leaves.

Behind the driftwood is the oriental sword and rosette sword. Neither of them are doing very well. Their leaves are turning transparent around the edges. I hope this is just part of the settling process for them and they will just lose a few leaves and get healthy again in the future.




My beach, with a nice amazon sword in the background. I actually had the dwarf sag floating all day because I couldn't figure out where to put them. I was very discouraged with how the remodel was going and didn't like this part of the tank. I think it turned out good. I like it a lot better now.




The back corner. As you can see, I did get brave enough to uproot the wisteria (it was not very happy about that) and I was rewarded with a big cloud of flourite dust. This is the plant that I really hacked apart. It had such big clumps of roots all over the stems that it was easy to make cuttings with nice root systems. I made a little stand of wisteria behind the crpyt and then I have microsword planted all around the crpyt. I hope it will spread out a little more. This corner looks a bit different now because I moved the rock out of the way and pulled a few pieces of wisteria forward so I have room behind it for my height plant.




Pretty fishies enjoying the new set up. I did lose a cardinal the night of the redecoration. He turned up with one eye white, swollen, and torn up. I'm sure it was an injury, either he bumped against a decoration or another fish nipped him. He looked really bad, bumping into things, poor equilibrium... I decided I would give him through the night and then put him down in the morning if he wasn't doing better. He spared me the trouble though and was dead an hour later. It was so fast, poor little guy. All the other fishies are fine and my water tested out same as always (0,0) so it must have just been an accident and with the extra stress he didn't have a chance.


I wish the lighting in the pictures would come out better. I am looking at the images on the screen and saying, "hmm...that looks...interesting" and then I glance over at the tank itself and I think it looks good. I really do like the new set up a lot more than my previous one, even if it isn't perfect. It should grow into itself nicely. I hope I will be able to leave the plants alone for a while now and give them a chance to grow up again.

Frank,

As to the hornwort...Sorry, I think I was getting a little emotional about it. I do like the plant. It is a wonderfully fast grower and I had some beautiful, thick pieces (not stringy like you sometimes see) that were really nice. All of my other smaller tanks have hornwort. I have a 10 gal with a sponge filter that is packed completely full of hornwort and java moss. It stays clean and beautiful in there. I just cannot keep it clean in the 55. Having the ends planted under the substrate causes the leaves at the base to turn yellow and brittle and fill my tank with plant debris. Plus the leaves catch absolutely everything that floats in the moving water, no amount of water changes can keep the stuff clean! In the 10 gal none of the plant is under gravel, so it stays healthy, but I can't have a floating plant that big in the main tank, it would shadow all the other plants. Anyway, I wasn't being mean to the plant or anything, I just can't use it right now.

Ok, I read through the links on fertilizers and I think I would like to try the simplified EI method as described.

Dosing would be:

40-60 gallon tank
+/- 1/2 tsp KN03 2x a week Potassium Nitrate
+/- 1/8 tsp KH2P04 2x a week Mono Potassium Phosphate
+/- 1/8 tsp K2S04 2x a week Potassium Sulfate
Trace Elements(Flourish?) 2x a week
Flourish Excel as directed
50% weekly water change


Is twice weekly too much for me? Should I dose once a week?

Could I do two 25% water changes, each followed by a fert dose, instead of one 50% change? I don't usually do such big water changes...I worry about not getting the temp right on that much water. All things new are scary.. Plus, my water changes involve a low pressure sink and new water being brought in by 3 gal buckets...it takes a while...which is part of the reason that I do such frequent, small changes. They are easier!

I also saw that they sell a premixed version that is a little cheaper than buying the individual components, only it has magnesium sulfate and no potassium phosphate. I don't think I need the magnesium because I have hard water?

Any opinions on how I could do it better? Please advise before I purchase anything. I want to do the best I can for my plants and fish!

Wow! I've been on this site WAY too much today!

Here is yet more for you all to respond too. I won't feel bad if you get confused trying to follow all this mess.

I decided to throw out the elodea idea. I've read it disagrees with ferts. I don't really like it much anyway so I don't feel bad. I thought maybe giant hygros instead? And then some contortionist vals with the creeping jenny in the back left corner. I really want plants that will be able to reach the top of the tank! I am planning on placing a small plant order this week to get some more fast growers in the tank (the hygro and maybe more wisteria and ludwiga.. Anything else?) I'm planning to place the order through Florida Driftwood because they are the only place I have found so far that doesn't have a minimum order or really high prices. Any experience with them as far as quality, plant size, amount of plant per portion? Any better dealers?

I was playing around today with the idea of DIY CO2 but I'm thinking it would be too much mess/hassle and too unstable in a 55? Is that true? Would two 2-L bottles be enough? I would love a full pressurized setup but can't afford it. With my lighting just under 2 wpg will the Flourish Excel be enough for the plants carbon needs? Should I look at any other CO2 options? I like the idea of CO2 lowering my pH...if I could keep it stable...but I just can't spend a lot.

Any input?

Boah,

Replying in detail to all the recent posts of yours would take quite a while, so I try to keep it brief, if you don't mind.

- Your scape: I have no doubt that your scape will change dramatically until you are all set, for example the Ludwigia as a foreground plant will not work too well as it is a rather fast grower that will be way too tall for that spot (eventually). As such, talking about scape at this point is not on my priority list (no offense intended)
- Water changes in general: 2 x 25 % is not the same than 50% as you remove (during the second 25%) a certain part of the first 25% that you just added. As such less total percentage has been removed
- EI method in general: keep in mind that it is a guideline and needs quite some tweaking to adjust to the individual tank.
- EI fert dosage as listed by you: Nah, not good. This dosage regime is for a well planted tank, your tank is not at that level (yet). You would clearly overdose, in particular if you modify the water change routine. Also - in my opinion - the Mono Potassium Phosphate value seems a little high for me, and the Potassium Sulfate level a little too low (but that is based on my tanks and water conditions). And, this fert setting is based on CO2 injection, if I am not mistaken, right? DIY will not work too well on a 55, and if it does then it will be quite a bit of work (like having 2 bottles running etc.) and an ongoing concern which bottle puts out how much, with stability of CO2 content being shaky at best.
- Flourish Excel: I assume when you say "as directed" you mean daily, right?

Puh, that should cover the basics, I hope it helps,

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi Lioness , looks like you've done a lot of work . Well done for having a go . I think you've made some great improvements and when the plants grow you will have a better idea of what changes you need to make.
I'll leave the fert regime to Ingo and company as I'm still trying to learn that stuff as well .
Look forward to seeing how the tank develops over the next few months .
Garry

Hey, thanks for the attempt guys! Here are some main points outlined to help simplify it for you.

-Scape-
I have resigned myself to not be concerned about it for a little while. I can tolerate the current setup until it grows in better. Yes, I know the narrow leaf luds aren't a foreground plant but they weren't intended to be. The height they are now, they need more light than they would get if I tucked them into a corner to be background plants. I actually would like them to get tall where they are, to add contrast. I can always keep them trimmed down to the swords level if it starts to look wierd, and then replant my trimmings to make taller plants in a different spot. Not concerned.

-Fert Dosage-

I'm getting confused! Why can't it be easier? I didn't make up the numbers, only took the recommended ones off the link. For a fully planted tank it said to dose three times per week and to do fewer doseing for lower plant/light levels...So I just assumed one or two doses of the same stuff. Could someone please recommend a good basic dose for me to start with and then I can work with it from there? Which products should I order?

-CO2-
Is the DIY method worth trying for me? I don't mind playing around with it but I don't want to crash my tank because of it.

I believe the Excel says something like "every day to every other day" so yes, that's what I mean. I'd go through the stuff pretty fast, wouldn't I?

-Fast Growers-
Would really appreciate some input on the dealer if anyone has used them before. Also, are my plant choices ok or would something else do better? (looking for plants that will get pretty tall).

Ingo, Your post tells me that all of my plans are rubbish...but what should I do instead?!

Ingo, Your post tells me that all of my plans are rubbish...but what should I do instead?!

- your plans are not all rubbish, don't let my way of writing (aka sounds like doomsday) discourage you from doing what you think is right.

Some more input:

- Good that you are not too concerned with the scape now, it will come in time. Something to look forward to
- Fert Dosage: Instead of reducing the frequency, reduce the amount. The key here is "STABILITY" and I write this in upper case letters as it is the key for sooooo many things in the planted tank (like lights, moving things around, fish load, and such). As I said before, the specific dosage for you tank depends on the specific conditions of your tank. To give you an example: I way overdid my P (as in phosphates) when I followed EI (which I still do, but customized to my tank) blindly as I forgot to recognize that my tab water has already 2ppm of P, the normal max for EI. So - my dosage during the week is really little. Also, when my plant mass in my tank is less then I dose less (but not less often).
- CO2: you can try the DIY, but I am most certain that over time you will find it a PITA to maintain properly, and either you will go back to no CO2 at all or pressurized. And with "2 32 watt 6500K bulbs, 1 40 watt 5000k" - meaning 101 watts over 55G you can go without CO2 anyway, although it helps to have it in there. Excel, over time, would cost you more than the CO2 system, but it is a good starting point to see how much you wish to drive this tank in the first place. If you go low tech, all current discussions have to be changed to accommodate the lesser needs of plants in that setting.
- Fast Growers: Wisteria is good, Water Sprite as well, so is Giant Hygro and other forms of hygro. Florida Driftwood is ok, and so is Aquariumplants dot com. Local is even better as plants don't have to travel.

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks Ingo, sorry for my little breakdown there.

-Plants-
Thanks for the refer to aquariumplants.com. I think I will use them. Not sure when I will place my order now...

-CO2-
I am, with certain reservations, attempting a DIY CO2. I am certain I will find it to be a PITA but it is the best I can do for now so I will give it a try. Maybe next year I can have the real thing... I am following these instructions fairly closely. I have 2 2L generators with the seperator and am trying the inverted bottle and a fine airstone for my reactor. Starting with just one bottle the first week, then add the second, switching out the mix on each after two weeks so there should always be a steady supply. Should I place the reactor below my filter output for more circulation or would that diffuse too much back into the air? I can but it on the other end of the tank, which will hide it better, but it doesn't get as much circulation back there.

(note: due to parts order I won't be able to set it up until June 2nd or so...)

(also note: I tried to find a kH test today but the LFS won't have them in until next week)

-Ferts-
Did still more research today and am starting to realize errors in my last layout. Here is another tenative attempt for you to critique. By the way...finally got a NitrAte test today. Followed instructions very carefully and got a big fat 0 reading. So what is happening...1) My plants are using it all up, 2) My tank just isn't cycled, or 3) I am using Prime as a conditioner and that is making my test mess up... If it is that my plants are using it all then that is fine, I know then that I can dose NO3 ferts...

Fert schedule:
- No added phosphates...too scary for now.

- KNO3 to be mixed into a solution which will be dosed everyday
This will add about .84 ppm NO3 per day...5.88 ppm by the end of the week
Targert range for NO3 is 5-15 ppm so this is on the low and safe end of the range to start with. Note that the level is brought up nice and slow to try and make it more STABLE...I hope.... Regular NO3 testing to make sure I am not overdosing.
This will also add about .53 ppm K per day...3.71 ppm per week
This is low, considering target K is 10-30 ppm but that is why we also have....

-K2SO4! Kinda following the EI recommendation on this one with 1/8 tsp (1.62 ppm) 3x week = 4.86 ppm by week's end.
I am doseing this a bit higher because I am not also doseing KH2PO4. Weekly total with the two ferts is K=8.57 ppm...which is still pretty low. Should I dose more frequently?

-Trace elements via Flourish. As directed on bottle which is 5 ml 2x week.


*pant pant*

Does that sound better? Does it sound like I did more work this time?

Please tell me what is wrong so I can make it better!

Does that sound better? Does it sound like I did more work this time?

Yes, yes, and a big fat extra yes. And I give you all of these yeses not because I looked at all the details of your current dosing suggestion but because I see that you understand what is going on. This is the single most important achievement when messing with ferts, and it took me months to figure it out (if I even have done so as of yet, ).

But in order:

- surface agitation is the prime reason for loss of CO2 to the atmosphere. A HOB always creates quite some of that, so as long as you don't have a filter that expels the water below the surface you have to consider some loss of the CO2 that you add. Where to place the reactor is another story, I would say that you should play with it to see where the bubbles flow once they leave the reactor. Under the HOB may very well work good.
- having almost no flow on the other side of the tank doesn't sound so good to me, with or without CO2 injection. Do you think there would be a risk of stale water in that part of the tank? You might even already have some BGA in that area, in particular also because of your low (0) Nitrates.
- Prime is for sure not the reason why you don't have any Nitrates in your tank, quite a few people I know with planted tanks use it (including myself). That leaves you with option 1 or 2, aka plants take it all up or not cycled. Some thoughts, albeit unreliable:
* you don't have a huge plant mass, so super uptake would only be if little is added in the first place.
* Planted tanks, even only medium planted tanks, don't really show the classic signs of cycling. Often, already the first stage, alas ammonia, is suppressed as the plants love that stuff. Only if for some reason, like dying plants, too many fish, and not enough plants, more ammonia is produced than can be taken up by the plants will a cycle even go into phase 2, conversion into nitrite.
- The fert schedule seems ok, although I have to find more time to look at it in detail. As I said, a lot depends on your specifics, recall my example with phosphates from the tab at 2ppm.

Have fun,

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

20-40 Gallon Aquariums
+/- ¼ tsp KN03 1x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp KH2P04 1x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp K2S04 1x a week
+/- 1/16 tsp (5ml) Trace Elements 1x a week
50% weekly water change

Start light with your ferts. I would try the above method for starters or even lighter. The biggest thing is your plants are not going to be driven for a great need in ferts being you do not have high light and CO2. Those are the two main things plants need to grow. When they have that then they need more ferts to fill in the gaps.

DIY CO2~~
When I started up I was running 3 2L bottles on my 40G. I changed one out every week so each bottle lasted 3 weeks. It did help the plant growth a bit but I was always fighting with the HOB filter. One must keep the water level high. It was quite the pain. If I was you I would stick with the Excel. It is pretty pricey stuff but you can buy it in bulk for better prices sometimes. Look for a 2L or 4L of the stuff at your LFS or online. Life will be much simpler with it. Thank trying to use the DIY CO2.


55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric