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Well it took me awhile to post new pictures. Yesterday was a pretty crappy day. My truck got broken into at work and my radio was stolen. Very frustrating, but at least my wife took pity on me and blanked out the ole Honey Do list so I can play with the tank.

Anyway there is a lot more plant mass in there now. The aquascapeing isn't so good but I can play with that later. I drained the tank and it was much easier to plant but I still had to redo the wisteria as it uprooted while filling up the tank. The haze is still there though. Right now I am just going to wait and see if it disappears in a few days.

Tank Day 4

Also I have a plant question. When I first bought plants on Saturday I got a Narrow Leaf hygo. When I got plants yesterday I got a few more stems. I wasn't paying attention when the guy bagged them, but when I got home I noticed they look completely different.

Can anyone tell me what I have? (The plant on the left is from Sat. The plant in the middle is from yesterday.)
Mystery Plant



Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Rick,

Sorry to hear about the break-in

At least it gave you some time for your tanks

The aquascapeing isn't so good but I can play with that later

That is the right attitude, scape is not all that important right now, getting the tank settled is.

The way right corner of your tank looks like a battlefield. Seems like some plants still need proper setups.

About the mystery plant: I think it is Hygro angustifolia as well, just grown under different conditions (probably less light). You will know for sure after a while when both, old and new plants, grow under the same conditions for a while.

And - if you get bored - you can still add more plants , there seems to be some open space left.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

The way right corner of your tank looks like a battlefield.

Yeah, it looked pretty bad in the picture, although today it is looking much better. The crypts were the last to go in so they sat out of the water longest. The leaves have recovered some by now and it is looking much cleaner. All the plants are planted this time so I imagine they are much happier.

I think it is Hygro angustifolia as well

It's amazing how different they look. I wonder which form will happen in my tank. I'll have to take a picture in a couple weeks to see.

Now that everything seems to be settling in. When should I start thinking about fertilizers?

I figure the soil is pretty rich and with no CO2 it may not need any for a couple weeks. I looked at GregWatson.com and priced out KNO3 and KH2PSO4, and Flourish. Is that OK? Or am I going over kill. The fish stocking is likely going to be light so I don’t think I can rely on the fish to provide enough nutrients to keep the plants happy.

All in all it's coming along now!! Hopefully it will clear up here in a couple days and I'll start seeing some new growth.

Also anyone who is looking, feel free to suggest fish. In addition to three or four shrimp I am tossing about some ideas:

A pair of female betas or
A M/F Ram or
A M/F Dwarf Guarumi

Feel free to chime in. I just don't want any bottom feeders other than shrimp because I don't want to stir up any more dust than I have to.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

When should I start thinking about fertilizers?

Well, I hope you have started already to think about fertilizers.

Given that you have no CO2, you most likely will get quite a few different opinions about ferts. Here is mine:

Find out your tab (that's what you use for water change, right? ) Phosphates. If they are high (2pm ++ ) then you would not need to add additional P to the tank.

Get KNO3 and KH2PSO4 (if needed, otherwise you may want to replace it with Potassium Sulfate), get small measuring spoons and bottles to pre-mix fert specific components as if you should decide to use dry ferts you would need only tiny hard to measure amounts.
Get a good micro fert mix, I like my Tropica Master Grow.

And then dose the right amounts (we will help you once you figured out what to get) maybe twice a week, and you could have started that yesterday

About the fish:

A pair of female betas or -- Not my kind of fish
A M/F Ram or -- fragile and way not made for new tanks, very sensitive
A M/F Dwarf Guarumi -- maybe one only

How about a gourami and 3 Otos?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi read your post on LF's new tank log. Is the ADA product still clouding the water? After how many days? Is it improving at all?

Cheers
TW

Is the ADA product still clouding the water? After how many days? Is it improving at all?

That's my guess. Everything in the tank has a light dusting, but I don't see any particles in the water. Ingo mentioned that it may be a white cloud bactriea bloom, so I am hoping that it might go away in a couple days.

I set the tenk up on Tuesday. I planted it with no water and filled it up slowly.

It's hard to tell if it is improving right now. It looks about the same to me from one day to the next. I have to say my non planted tanks have crystal clear water so this is totoally new to me.



Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Week 2 Update

This week was pretty active setting up the tank. I added a good amount of plants and am still dealing with cloudy water. I have started to notice some algae growth, but nothing out of control yet. The biggest surprise to me is the plant I expected to grow the slowest seems to be doing the best. The Crypt Wenditi brown has more visible new growth to me then any other plant in the tank.

Full Tank Shot Week 2
Algae on Anubias
Amazing Crypts!

As to my current problem with cloudy water, I have a hypothesis. The ADA instructions say the following.

Do Not position the outflow pipe of the filter in a way that the water flow directly hits Aqua Soil and make the aquarium water cloudy.

Here is my filter

HOB filter.

When I look at the tank I notice that all the way in the front the crypts are swaying in the current. I think that the down flow of the HOB is stirring up the dust. The problem is I don't know if I can fix it with out using a different type of filter. I was looking at some internal filters at PetSmart and some of them look promising because I can direct the outflow towards the surface or horizontally instead of downwards.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Rick,

I got an answer for you

I had the pleasure to talk to someone today who uses the ADA soil since over two weeks now. There are a few side effects to that stuff:

1) The one regarding your tanks as you can see it. The soil creates a lot of tannins in the water, that is the "cloud" that you see. Supposedly this is the way the substrate works, and the guy I talked to says he does large weekly water changes to keep it somewhat in check.

2) Another side effect (although we somewhat knew about this one) is the ph lowering effect of the ADA substrate. The guy's tank went from 6.5 to somewhere in the upper 5s, that is a big change.

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Oh Gosh!!! I was way over thinking this. Thanks Ingo it is so obvious. While the soil may be leaking tannins, I have a nice big piece of fresh driftwood that I did not presoak!! No wonder my water is so dark.

I was just thinking it was the soil since there is a fine film on the water. But now that I look at it, it does just seem to be tannins.

Will the dark water significantly reduce my light? I am already pretty low on light with just 2WPG. I don't want to push it any lower. If so I will need to do pretty heavy water changes these next few weeks.

I will order my fertilizers this week. I will order a pound of the KNO3, and KH2PSO4 from GregWatson.com. For the micros I can order Flourish or should I look around the LFS for TMG?

I will also be getting me some nice little Amano Shrimp this week to start my cleaning crew.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Well my ferts have been ordered and shipped so I should have them shortly. I went to the LFS to get a couple shrimp to start the tank off with but I found this handsome fish.

New Betta

So I bought him as well.

Before I added him to the tank I checked my water. I had 2.0 ppm Nitrites! Yikes! At least I know I am half way through the cycle. I did a 50% water change and then put him in. Hopefully he can survive the rest of the cycle. Bettas are pretty tuff so I'm not to worried.

I also checked my pH. Water that has sat for an hour or so out of the tap reads around 7.6. My tank after a week and a half was reading 6.0 . Between the ADA soil and my driftwood leaking tannins it really lowered my pH.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Rick,

"to get a couple shrimp" - what kind of shrimp? Did you add them? I was under the impression that shrimp should not be added to a cycling tank.

"I had 2.0 ppm Nitrites!" - where does this come from? Seems to me that something is off. Too many fish, or too much food, bad reading of test kit, no plant uptake or too few plants, or something else. What is the Ammonia reading?

"... around 7.6. My tank after a week and a half was reading 6.0" - Wow, that is sure some difference. But the first thing that strikes me is the "week and a half" statement . How come you didn't do the weekly water change? Besides that, how do you envision future water changes, wouldn't a 50% change conclude in an instant significant ph change as well? I got no answer to that question but it would be something to think about.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

What kind of shrimp? Did you add them? I was under the impression that shrimp should not be added to a cycling tank.

They are regular Amano shrimp. And Yeah I added them. I was kind of worried about them so I will be watching the tank closely until things settle down.

Where does this come from? Seems to me that something is off. Too many fish, or too much food, bad reading of test kit, no plant uptake or too few plants, or something else. What is the Ammonia reading?

Easy - dieing plants. There were no fish in the tank until last night and I wasn't putting any food in. When I was doing the water change I noticed the bottoms of some of the Hygro were rotting. I pulled them out. There are still some leaves tucked into places I can't get my fingers though. I guess I don't have enough light for Hygos. I will watch the rest for rotting and pull any out that I see. I guess I should trying harder to pull out anything I see that is dead. With heavly planted tanks how do you get all the dead stuff out?

The Ammonia was just barely registering maybe 0.25ppm. This is why I think I am half way through the cycle. The ammonia is dropping and Nitrite is spiking. I'll be checking again tonight and every night until it stabilizes at zero.

How come you didn't do the weekly water change?

Remember, that I am giving Tom Barr's non-CO2 methods a shot. This involves no water changes. Now since I am setting this up and don't want the fish to die, I will be changing the water until it is cycled (In smaller amounts to not induce too much of a pH swing). Once it is cycled I will be adding a little bit of SeaChem Equlibirum to replenish some of the buffers and keep everything stable.

I probably jumped the gun on the fish and shrimp but I underestimated the amount of waste the plants generated on their own when decaying. I will need to be much more on top of that from now on.

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Remember, that I am giving Tom Barr's non-CO2 methods a shot.

Sorry, I forgot that one again, I am getting old

That is going to be interesting, tannins and ph altering stuff in the tank and no water change. You sure are not afraid of trying out new things (unlike me, I am a chicken).

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Things were looking better last night. The new Betta and two shrimp were present and accounted for. The Betta made quick work of creating a bubble nest. That to me was a pretty good sign.

The Ammonia remains low. I can't tell for sure if it is 0 or 0.25 as the colors are so close. The Nitrite remains pretty high. I added some cycle to the tank to help try and speed up the processes and get the nitrites down.

The pH was at a nice 7.0 last night so the water change seemed to add enough buffers as well as remove a big chunk of the tannins. It is much clearer and lighter in the tank today.

All and all it seems to be doing better. Pictures to come this weekend!


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

That to me was a pretty good sign.

Or he figured that he has to rush things a little, given the current water parameters (just joking) .

The pH was at a nice 7.0 last night so the water change seemed

So Rick, tell me: do you do water changes at will or was that the major exception? I believe that following the "no water change" rule is a realy challenge. Does it state somewhere what to do in case of an emergency, like your high Nitrites? Or how about after treating with medicine (I wonder if that has been considered in the first place, as Tom may assume people put their sick fish in a QT or something)?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Rick, I forget if you mentioned it already, but what's your normal Ph out of the tap?

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Back in the saddle!

Well the article I read says basically no water changes as you are adding CO2 back into the water and destroying the enzymes in the plants that allow them to cope with low CO2.

That being said I imagine that someone like Tom has the resources for tanks that are larger and driftwood that has been presoaked. As for sick fish like you said I can just assume that adding medicines is not part of this.

Right now since I am setting this up I'll do water changes as needed. Once the bacteria in the tank can handle the Nitrite and I am happy that the tannins from the Driftwood are mostly soaked out, I will probably really try the methods in earnest.

I am very curious though to see the differences in this tank with say TW's new 20G. She is doing a non-CO2 tank as well, but I imagine she will be doing a more typical maintenance schedule. It will be fun to see how both tanks progress.

NowherMan6
Sorry, didn't see your post. Out of the tap it is around 7.6. Although to be fair I can't say if it is the driftwood or the ADA that is having the biggest affect on lowering pH. I would need to set up a tank with ADA only and see the pH differences.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Rick,

This non-CO2 method you mention, this means no Excel either, correct?


Also, I asked about your ph level with the ADA soil and I foudn that in my 4G with no DW the ph dropped from 7.4 out of the tap to 6.4. I'm also using Power Sand which contains more peat, so that may have something to do with the bigger drop, but if anything else I think your ph drop is due to the ADA.

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Back in the saddle!

NowherMan6

Wow. That soil is strong stuff then. Do you add any Equlibrium or bakeing soda to keep the buffers up or are you cool with low pH.

I wonder as the soil ages if the pH lowering affect will deminish?

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Rick,

Didn't your tank drop from 7.4 to 6?

I think it was TW who mentioned that she heard/read somehting like "while eco loses its effect after 2 to 3 years, ADA soil keeps it for 10 years"

If that should be so then you will not see a "lesser" ph drop for quite a while.

Also, does anyone know if the addition of peat lowers the ph to a certain point or is the lowering in itself an ongoing process, meaning if you keep it in long enough the bottom will drop out eventually?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Do you add any Equlibrium or bakeing soda to keep the buffers up or are you cool with low pH.

I like the low ph. I try not to mess with that stuff as much as possible. Creates more problems than it's worth. When not injecting CO2 gas I'd just as well let the pH fall where it may. My KH is fairly low but I think my GH is OK - I haven't measured them in months. Maybe it's time for a new test kit...

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Back in the saddle!

I think it was TW who mentioned that she heard/read something like "while eco loses its effect after 2 to 3 years, ADA soil keeps it for 10 years"

I've now been told that by the 2 Aussie suppliers of ADA - could be a sales pitch though. One of them mentioned Eco, one didn't, but both promised long life for the effects of ADA. I plan on buying the ADA for my 23.7G today. My main prompt for buying it for this tank are it's pH lowering quality (my new imported cichlids are arriving in 3 weeks, yat, yippee, yahoo - not exactly the sames ones Ingo, but I think better). They like pH of around 6.5 apparently and, so I've been promised, ADA will keep my pH where I want it, without having to worry about using other pH lowering products. The added benefits will be the good plant growing qualities & that I don't have to wash it (ha ha).

Cheers
TW

not exactly the sames ones Ingo, but I think better

Better is always good

Well, you and Rick seem to become the ADA substrate Guinea Pigs, actually Rick already is. And he also took on the task of "no water change EI" on top of ADA soil - brave man

Ingo

EDIT: Oh, and NowherMan6 as well, of course

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

BTW, I haven't seen the claims about the life of ADA products in writing anywhere - that's just from the sales staff. So it should be taken with a grain of salt & it's probably an exaggeration.

I'm looking at the shop site of the US ADA site. I can't see where it says how much I need. You gave me some amounts which I emailed to my supplier & he thinks I've got it wrong. I was trying to find it on the ADA site (in the shop, in the substrate section), but can't find recommendations on how much I need. I was hoping to show him where the info came from, as I think it's more likely he has it wrong, as this is his first batch of ADA products - its not been available here before. Where did you find it?

Cheers
TW

Robyn,

I got the information for how much I need based off recommendations from Jeff Senske. I bought two 3 liter bags for my 10G and it filled it perfectly.

The ADA instructions that come in the soil bag (Yes there are actually instructions with ADA soil ) indicate that a 9 liter bag will fill a 15 gallon aquarium. Since yours will be almost 10 gallons larger I would get a 9 liter and at least two 3 liter bags. You could also do two 9 liter bags and have a little deeper base.

Hope that helps.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Week 3 Log.

This week I let the tank stabilize some as well as added a very nice and active Betta. I also discovered the magic pH lowering ability of the ADA soil. They aren't kidding when they say it lowers pH.

Anyway the good news is the addition of cycle earlier this week helped big time as both my ammonia and nitrite have zeroed out. I also measured my Nitrate and it was around 40ppm. I also removed a lot of dead leaves and all the dying Hygro except for the first stem I bought which is doing fine.

This week I will start the fertilizers. However I am curious if I should let the nitrates drop before I start adding more?

And now on to the pictures. I only have two today.

Week 1
Week 3

I am seeing good growth in the wisteria and the only algae I see seems to be a small amount of diatoms. I think it is starting to come along nicely. Let me know what you all think. I can take it.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Rick,

Looking good, in particular because your fast growers seen to do what they are supposed to do - grow fast .

I think one of the biggest mistakes I made in my big tank (and hope not to repeat in the "soon-to-be" 40G) was that I tried to style it from the get-go. This limited the number of fast growers that I could add and eventually led to many initially purchased "fancy" plants being thrown out as they didn't do too well in the shading of the "weeds".

You are on the right track and I would hold off with designing the tank until all is stable.

About your Nitrates: This is a manifold problem. For one thing, let us assume we know the source of it, being dead leaves and limited uptake while the plants are settling. Now, the plant "nerds" have ongoing discussions about the reliability of test kits. We mostly agree that at best you can use them to identify changes in concentration, meaning the same kit shows color changes over time (measurements) and lets you know that a situation is improving or getting worse. Actual value reading are basically not trusted, instead plant behavior changes (dying leaves, fast grow) is consulted as well. But we never know for sure what the real value is.

I would say that if you have the kit that adds liquid to a test tube then you could assume your N is over 20ppm. In this case I (IMHO) suggest not to add additional N during the early "feedings". I don't remember, did you get some Potassium Sulfate or any other pure Potassium source? You would need to add that to balance out the high N (at around 20ppm). Then try to get your P to maybe 2ppm and add the micros as instructed.

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Sorry I've been so quite. We have a new baby on the way any day now, so I have been pretty busy getting the last minute things done around the house to get ready for the baby and all the attached company.

Anyway... The tank is doing fine. The wisteria is growing really good. Funny thing is that it is growing horizontally because the outflow of the filter blows down on it and bends it over. Saturday I will begin my dosing of fertilizers and will have to trim the wisteria.

How should I go about trimming and what tools should I have handy? I was thinking of pulling them up and trimming the bottoms and replanting the tops. Can you guys give some guidance on how you trim your stems?

Thanks


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

We have a new baby on the way any day now

How nice, congratulations. That would be number?

About the trimming. Just to make it clear, you are asking specifically about the Wisteria, right? Stems are not all the same to trim and it depends on the plant.

But Wisteria, you should be able to cut off the tops, just above a node with leaves. New tops will grow back in that spot. If your bottoms look bad then you could go ahead and dispose of the bottoms at that point. If they are good then you could keep them and plant the tops somewhere else. Either way will work as Wisteria is a pretty undemanding plant, except that new planted stems tend to float up. Oh, another thing you may need to know is that you should remove the lower leaves from the trimmed off tops so that when you plant them again these leaves would not be buried (even half way) in the substrate as they would rot.

About growing horizontally: take a look at my Ludwigia in my 125G log (second or third to last page). It is the tall plant group on the left which is in the flow of the Spray Bar. It grows flat just below the water flow and creates a nice overhanging garden for the Anubias group next to it.

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

That would be number?

This baby will be my second. I have a 3.5 year old son already and this baby is also a boy. We are very excited and are excepting the baby to arrive sometime between now and then end of next week.

On to the plants. I am asking mainly about the Wisteria. The growing horizontally is only a concern when I eventually start trying to make the tank look nicer. For now I'm jut glad it growing like a weed .

When I trim the group should I pull all the plants out together and replant the whole bunch or should I trim once stem at a time?

I think I may throw the bottoms away because I didn't know to trim the bottom leaves and some have rotted. That is probably where the Ammonia was coming from before the fish was added.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

That is very exciting

About the Wisteria: As it is a huge group that you have, I would suggest to take out half of it and replant the trimmed tops (as you want to dispose of the bottoms). A week later, do the other half. This way, enough plants are settled and as such algae issues are less likely to happen.

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hey Rick,

Exciting news for new baby. Hope all goes well. Good too, that the tank is going well.

Cheers
TW

Week 4 Update.

Here is the tank this week. I forgot to take a picture before trimming but I trimmed about half the westeria group.

Week 4 Pic

Next week I will trim the other half. The nitrates did not seem to go down though despite the good growth. The tank is till testing around the 40ppm level. I added the KH2P04 this week so hopefully that will help. I don’t have a micro solution yet but I will get that this week if I have time.

I am seeing a little more algae. It is the mostly the staghorn variety.

The shrimp however seem to be dead. I have not seen either of them since last Saturday. Now that the tank is cycled I may try a few more.

Ohh.. No baby yet.

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

I don't have a micro solution yet ... I am seeing a little more algae. It is the mostly the staghorn variety

Rick,

I could see how this is most likely related. Including the lack of Nitrate uptake. Healthy plant growth though should not occur at the same time. I don't know if you know that, but if one growth element is missing then we call this the limiting factor (I think ). On a large scale, that would be either light, CO2, or ferts. But it is also the case within the ferts group, say you were limiting Phosphates the growth would be restricted by the availability of that element. If you don't add any micros then this may open the door for the algae.

The tank looks fine, but you for sure could add more plants
Also, it seems like your tank is still cloudy, or is that only the picture?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well, I'm back. My little boy was born Monday and mommy and him are doing well!

The tank is doing well. A little neglect actually seemed to help. The water level dropped a bit and the filter was able to disturb the last bit of surface film. The water is crystal clear now. I'm quite happy the way it looks.

I also tested the water and the nitrates were down to 5ppm. Adding the phosphates really jump started the plant growth. The wisteria is taking over. I did a water change and dosed some KNO3 and KH2PO4.

I am seeing a little increase in staghorn algae but it isn't out of control. I just try to remove what I can.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Congratulations on the new arrival Rick

Oh, glad the tank is going well too.

Cheers
TW

Rick,

Congratulations on the new arrival

Glad all went well and mother and son are good, I hope you guys get some sleep.

Tank: did you start adding micros? Don't forget that.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

My shrimp are alive. I hadn't seen either shrimp in almost two weeks and I had written them off. But wait!! What do I see today? To happily eating amano shrimp walking around. Dang these things are good hiders!

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Hello,

Can any of ya'll identify this plant for sure. We thought it was a Hygro but it doesn't look like any of the Hygro species on Tropica.

Mystery Plant Bottom
Mystery Plant Top


Also how many times can I just cut the top off of a wisteria stem when trimming? After so many times do you reach a point that you have to pull the bottom and replant the top or can you keep cutting indefinitely?


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Rick,

I would give it a 0.1% chance that I am wrong, otherwise the plant in your picture is Hygrophila corymbosa "angustifolia". I thought we talked about that plant before - does that mean you don't believe me ? At the Tropica website, it is listed Here. I know the picture looks a little different, but that is a drawing with some artistery. The plants in my tank looks 100% like the one you picture.

I think that no stem plant can endlessly be trimmed,but it would be a few trimmings before the bottom wears out. Most of the time, people dispose of the bottoms because of the lack of leaves (shaded too much) and/or the amount of water roots that may make it unsightly. Wisteria bottoms should stay nice for quite a while though.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks Ingo. I was just makeing sure. Would I trim the Hygro like the wisteria?



Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Rick,

I trim my hygro differently. I pull out the whole plant, and then I cut off lower the side branches at their base. These would be ready then to be planted by themselves. The upper part of the main stem, and maybe the higher side branches (2 to 4) is then planted as well, after removing the bare bottom part of that stem.

I hope my explanation makes any sense, if not then feel free to force me to do better

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Week 5 Update

I just finished the trimming of the tank. I have been adding my fertilizers and have seen a lot of growth. The wisteria and hygro have been growing pretty fast. Even the crypt wendeti and Anubias have new leaves coming in. I have had a little bit of staghorn but only on the older hygo leaves. No other algae that I can see. The only plant that is not doing well is the balanase. It has hanging on but I don’t see a lot of new growth.

Thank Pic Week 5

The tank seems set up for the most part. I shouldn't need any more water changes excpet for an occasional one every couple months. Wish me luck!

I really like the ADA soil now. The growth is great, and once the plants start to root it really holds them well. Plus my water is crystal clear now so it apparently wasn't the soil that was clouding it. Also my pH is hanging around neutral.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Rick,

Looking very nice, much clearer (except for the room light that reflects in the tank )

Glad to hear that all seems well, I will keep my fingers crossed for you on the no-water-change EI method.

If the Balansae is anything like my Crypt Retrospiralis then it can take a while until it is settled. But once this point is reached you better watch out (might get too tall and shade the other plants).

Foreground - any thoughts on what you would like to do with it? I know someone who says that Hair Grass is really taking off in ADA substrate. I don't remember, are you still on the 30W incand. or 20W PC? Might not work with this light, but buying one small pot should be enough to experiment.

Again, getting nice there,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks Ingo.

That reflection bugs me too. How do you guys get those straight on tanks shots with out any reflections. Masters please share your secrets.

The wisteria and Hygro are still growing good. Even the balanase is finally starting to look better on some of the plants.

I do have some algae growth coming in slowly. A mix of staghorn and hair algae. I just started the micros though so hopefully the tank will stabilize.

I don't know what I want to do with the foreground. I have 20W of light on the tank. I'd be afraid the hair grass would grow too tall for such a small tank. I'll have to think about that some more.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

When I cut the top of my westria off the new leaves came and they were all ugly and looked big no pattern.
Do you have a Co2 filter?


10gallon: 8neons 5gallon: 1betta
1oto
2platys

Rick,

Taking pictures:

- Best done in a darkened room, like in the evening with no lights on but the tank light
- No flash use
- If exposure to long to get a sharp shot while holding camera, use a tripod or similar device

Or - Get a better camera

20W over 10G is not much, as you may know. I believe it would eliminate glosso or HC as options. Hair grass may or may not grow. On the other hand, you have an excellent substrate so maybe these plants would be ok. If hair grass is getting too tall, simply trim it like a lawn .

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Week 6 Update

Everything is going good this week. The hair algae has disappeared and after trimming some of the old Hygro leaves the staghorn is pretty much gone. Like everyone else on the board the wisteria is growing good and is really filling out the left side.

Here is the picture for this week. Thanks Ingo for the photography tips. While I can’t get a better camera right now, they did help eliminate the glare. Pardon the blurry ness though. I'll try to prop the camera up on something so it doesn't shake any next time.

Week 6 Pic

Also I finally have the tank stocked. Went the LFS on Saturday and my wife liked these Golden Tetras. I bought six for the tank. When I got home I realized that they gave me 8. I am a little concerned about being over stocked but all seem to be doing well. No Ammonia or Nitrites yet but I’ve got an extra packet of cycle handy if they start showing up. It's very cool watching them eat, the look like little shiny gold streaks in the water. They also love the wisteria as they swim in and out of all the stems.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Looking nice Rick

I still think that your tank could handle more plants, in particular the spot in front of the driftwood base seems too vacant. How about a small crypt or some nana petites for that spot? Or maybe a small narrow leaf java fern?

Glad to hear that all seems to be going your way, just keep an eye open for ammonia and such as adding 8 fish to a 10G at once is a major change.

Ingo

PS: When can we see a picture of these fishies?

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi Rick

Your tanks looking very nice and very clear. I hope you're liking the substrate as well as I do. Hope your golden tetras settle in happily. Looked up their profile and they are very pretty.

Cheers
TW

Ingo, Robyn

Thanks for the complements. Your tanks have been very helpful in teaching me what I need to do so you all get some of the credit!


I defiantly have room on the right to plant some more and I may look for something to fill in the bottom right. Right along the front I would want something that stays very low. Could I plant a petite right in the gravel?

And a few more pictures. I seem to be getting a better hang on my camera. Although the close ups still have a little blurr, but the are alright for a low end camera.

First a clear tank shot.
Week 6 Full Tank

And the new Tetras
Picture 1
Picture 2

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Yes Rick,

That is a much better full tank shot

About Nana Petite in the substrate: It can be done, I have it in my 125G (look at the small plants (5 of them) in front of the big driftwood trunk), but it is a pain in the neck. The plant would need to have a significant root lenght (not rhizome) so you can bury the roots and hold it down with that. I think it would be easier to tie it to a small rock and then bury the rock in the substrate so that only the top part is exposed. I know you would not notice it, but the leftmost of my 5 Petites is actually on a rock as the plant came lose when I vacuumed and I couldn't get it.

Interesting: the new tetras look just like Black Neon Tetras, but without the black. Do you have any info on them being the same fish but a special breed? ( And didn't tetratech have them? )

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Found this profile here http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/431.htm on the golden tetras. They are very pretty. Wish I had room for some of those too. Ahhh, maybe some day, when I can afford to set up my 4ft.

Cheers
TW

Week 7 Update

Not much to update this week. Everything is still pretty stable and growing good. All the fish are doing fine.

Week 7 Picture

I am still looking for some foreground plants and getting the hang of trimming the wisteria. I want to start thinking about how to make it look a little nicer. Suggestions are welcome.


Also I had a question about lighting on an Eclipse hood here. I'd apreciate any thoughts.

Eclipse Thread

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Everything is still pretty stable and growing good. All the fish are doing fine.

... and your picture taking qualities are improving as well .

About the scape: I am not too thrilled about the yellow plants in the front, towards the left. Colorwise they look like they are dying, even if this should be their natural color.

Foreground plants are a constant struggle between light requirements and the willingness to put in some major extra work. Having a rather small tank, your foreground plant has to be small too, I even would assume that a carpet of Pearl Grass, neatly trimmed, could be too high. Glosso is very invasive once it takes off and needs lots of pruning and cutting off side branches that otherwise would go on to smother surrounding plants. Bensaf, and I agree with him, think that HC (don't ask for the real name, I think it is Himantheum micranthemoides or something) may be a good candidate, but it is hard to come by and grows rather slow, so you would require quite a bit of it if you don't want to wait forever until a carpet is formed.

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Week 8 Update

This week the plant growth stalled a bit. I did a water change Saturday and already the tank is looking better. I think the tannins leaching into the water are shading the plants some.

Here are this weeks pictures.

Full Tank Shot
Wisteria Jungle Shot

Work has been really busy so I have not had a chance to look at any new plants for this tank. Hopefully things will settle down these next few weeks and I can find a nice foreground plant that will complement the tank.


Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Hey Rick, for some reason I can't get your picture links to work.

EDIT - Refer to Frank's post below. That's the same error message I get too.

Cheers
TW

Hi Rick,
When I click on your links this is what I get:

Google
Error


Forbidden
Your client does not have permission to get URL /?imgmax=576 from this server.


Dunno what the problem might be...
Frank


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

OK Try again. I'm beta testing the new Google Web Albums so I am still getting used to it. IE doesn't seem to like me linking directly to the picture. It works OK if I link to the album.

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

I did a water change Saturday

Rick,

Does that mean your water got so yellowish that the plants suffered? Wow, it must have been quite tea like then.

Of course you broke the rules of Non-CO2 EI, and I really would like to have seen how this works when performed "by the books". It will be interesting to see if there is any consequence, like algae, from changing the water.

But besides all of that, the tank looks very well. All is green and shiny

Keep us posted on the tannins, and maybe even capture a picture of it before the next water change (if you should do another one).

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club