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Thread: My first big tank

  1. #81
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    Re: My first big tank

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    Hi bro,

    Yup, I am 2nd to Ingen, substrate at front part is a bit too thick, you can slope up or remove some soil and add in later, if necessary. Try to slop up so that can have better depth of field vision.

    For the scape, it looks better than the initial one since things are getting closer to each other and uniform in the rocks. However, IMO, you probably can shift the hill top to the left or to the right , so that the focal point will be at the better spot according to golden ratio guideline.


    (Photo source: Google Image)

    BTW, it is a good idea to plants some ferns at the island. You can find Trident Fern and other kinds of ferns at SeaView. Remember to quarantine it before using since many snails could be found.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #82
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    Re: My first big tank

    Read this

    http://scapefu.com/aquascaping-project-ryuboku/

    It will help you in your design.

  3. #83
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by Ingen View Post
    I feel too much substrate to your front, too thick now. Either remove some of move to the back for some depth of field.
    Noted on that. I also felt that it's a tad too thick at the front. Interestingly i had started planting and filling the tank when i saw your post. Nonetheless, i've taken out the plants, adjusted the substrate and replanted them.


    Quote Originally Posted by jackychun View Post
    Hi bro,

    Yup, I am 2nd to Ingen, substrate at front part is a bit too thick, you can slope up or remove some soil and add in later, if necessary. Try to slop up so that can have better depth of field vision.

    For the scape, it looks better than the initial one since things are getting closer to each other and uniform in the rocks. However, IMO, you probably can shift the hill top to the left or to the right , so that the focal point will be at the better spot according to golden ratio guideline.


    (Photo source: Google Image)

    BTW, it is a good idea to plants some ferns at the island. You can find Trident Fern and other kinds of ferns at SeaView. Remember to quarantine it before using since many snails could be found.

    Yeah, as mentioned to Ingen, im in the midst of planting when i first saw his comment. Took out the plants, adjusted the substrate and replanted them. Haha i prefer my island to be centralised as seen in some island aquascape hence my choice of putting it in the centre. Btw if i'm not wrong i think the golden ratio is identical to photography's Rule of Thirds. However for this setup, i prefer my hardscape to converge towards the centre.

    Yup! I'm planting the Trident Fern in the island. Bought it from SeaView. I did a simple quarantine, didnt do it as extensive as bro UA haha. Hope it works.


    Quote Originally Posted by AQMS View Post
    Read this

    http://scapefu.com/aquascaping-project-ryuboku/

    It will help you in your design.
    Thanks!

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Adding onto the plants list are the following:

    1) Didiplis diandra


    2) Christmas moss


    3) Taxiphyllum 'flame'


    After misting the substrate, i started to slowly fill the tank with water. I did not use an plastic bag or plastic sheet to cover the substrate as i fill up. As such i have to use this EHEIM valve to reduce the flowrate to prevent stirring and washing away of the substrate. It worked pretty well.



    This is after planting of all the plants and before i adjusted the substrate later on.





    After filling up. At this point i notice there is a lack of depth as mentioned earlier by bro Jacky.









    Hanging basket that stores all the SeaChem fertilizers. As i'm someone with very poor memory, i had to print out the listing so that i can keep track of when and how much fertilizer to put.



    Although the canister itself is very quiet, to further reduce any noise, i placed a piece of rubber mat under the canister.



    Did a water parameter test and the result is as follow:

    • pH: 6.4
    • Ammonia: 4ppm
    • Nitrite: 0ppm
    • Nitrate: 0ppm


    It will take awhile before the bacteria colony starts to build and break down the Ammonia. Meanwhile performing a 1/3 water change daily for the first week.



    Now, this is after adjusting of substrate and replanting. I have no choice but to adjust the substrate with the tank full of water, hence the cloudiness. Plants ofcourse had been placed elsewhere as i readjust the substrate. Now it looks slightly better.



    This is looking at the tank horizontally. Notice that the slope is noticeable now.





    Slight slope at the left of tank.



    Really like how it looks now.



    Forgot to add on: Currently CO2 is at 2 bubble a second, CO2 checker is at green too.
    Last edited by chesterchuen; 1st Jul 2016 at 23:51.

  4. #84
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    Re: My first big tank

    Congrats on your initial setup bro! That would be very interesting process!

    The latest scape looks cool with water fill in. You can boost up CO2 rate to even more in this period and add in fertilizers from Day 1 so that the plants can have a push to grown up better.

    I have noticed the Trident Ferns was planted on soil? If yes, it would be better to tight it to rock or driftwood instead. So that the rhizome will not be buried and roots can developed better. With rhizomes buried, it will be rotted and die soon.

    Cloudy water will be gone after few days.


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  5. #85
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by jackychun View Post
    Congrats on your initial setup bro! That would be very interesting process!

    The latest scape looks cool with water fill in. You can boost up CO2 rate to even more in this period and add in fertilizers from Day 1 so that the plants can have a push to grown up better.

    I have noticed the Trident Ferns was planted on soil? If yes, it would be better to tight it to rock or driftwood instead. So that the rhizome will not be buried and roots can developed better. With rhizomes buried, it will be rotted and die soon.

    Cloudy water will be gone after few days.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Thanks bro!

    What rate should i be looking at ah? Oh nope, the Trident Fern is rooted onto a driftwood. I pushed the driftwood slightly into the substrate hence it looked as if its planted on soil. But after you mention that, i've taken out the driftwood and now it's resting on the top of substrate instead.

    Yeah after some water change it should disappear completely.

  6. #86
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    Re: My first big tank

    Well, you can increase even to 4bps for instance and also check the CO2 drop checker to see if it indicate yellow? Since there is no fauna yet, you can adjust it time to time to see how it goes. You can also play around with fertilizer dosing regime and lighting period as well. For the first stage, 6hrs a day is good enough to let the plants get use to the environment and prevent algae outbreak. Cheers!


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  7. #87
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by jackychun View Post
    Well, you can increase even to 4bps for instance and also check the CO2 drop checker to see if it indicate yellow? Since there is no fauna yet, you can adjust it time to time to see how it goes. You can also play around with fertilizer dosing regime and lighting period as well. For the first stage, 6hrs a day is good enough to let the plants get use to the environment and prevent algae outbreak. Cheers!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Ah i see. Can try haha. So far indicating green. Fertilizing dosing i follow as per manufacturer's recommendation currently and lighting i set at 6 hours from 12pm to 6pm. CO2 same, but is 11am to 5pm.

    Just found out that some of my Rotala Bonsai had turned brown and presumely, died. There are a few still standing and growing. Wonder if it's my planting that caused it to die off. All the other plants are fine.

  8. #88
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    Re: My first big tank

    As shown below, the plants have turned brown from bottom up. I have a gut feeling that i planted them too deep in an attempt to prevent them from floating up. The rest of the plants are fine.




  9. #89
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    Re: My first big tank

    Looks like it is melted. You just cut off the melting parts and the healthy one normally will acclimate to the tank gradually. Don't worry much, Rotala Bonsai is quite easy grown plant, they will be better before you know it.


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  10. #90
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by jackychun View Post
    Looks like it is melted. You just cut off the melting parts and the healthy one normally will acclimate to the tank gradually. Don't worry much, Rotala Bonsai is quite easy grown plant, they will be better before you know it.


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    I hope so!! Now everyday cant help looking at it.

  11. #91
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    Re: My first big tank

    Haha. Ya, soon you will have an Empty Wall Syndrome. Cannot leave any space empty. Haha!


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  12. #92
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by jackychun View Post
    Haha. Ya, soon you will have an Empty Wall Syndrome. Cannot leave any space empty. Haha!


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    That also mean Empty Wallet Syndrome. Hahaha.

  13. #93
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    Re: My first big tank

    Now it is Day 5 of the tank's setup. Unfortunately most of my Rotala Bonsai had melted, but the rest of the plants are fine. The Staurogyne is growing pretty well too. Ammonia is still high at 4ppm, while Nitrite and Nitrate is at 0. I'm expecting some changes to Nitrite and Nitrate by the end of this week. Currently doing 1/3 water change daily. However what bugs me is the cause of Rotala's melting when other plants are fine.

  14. #94
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    Re: My first big tank

    Suddenly i realise, the lack of lights could be the cause of the melting. I measure out to be only 0.48W per Litre (amount of water is 100L). Not sure if insufficient light could be the cause of the melting. I do feel that the front and back of tank is a little dark than the centre. I tried shifting the light back and forth and its quite obvious in the amount of light difference

  15. #95
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by chesterchuen View Post
    Suddenly i realise, the lack of lights could be the cause of the melting. I measure out to be only 0.48W per Litre (amount of water is 100L). Not sure if insufficient light could be the cause of the melting. I do feel that the front and back of tank is a little dark than the centre. I tried shifting the light back and forth and its quite obvious in the amount of light difference
    Yeah, while light is probably not the main issue of the particular rotala melting (otherwise your other plants would have also had the same melting problem)... the larger 60cm x 45cm base area of such tank dimensions often do require either a wider lightset or 2 sets of light to ensure coverage at the front and back. Looks like for your setup and layout, it'll be a good idea to install a 2nd light set.
    Last edited by Urban Aquaria; 6th Jul 2016 at 00:10.
    :: Urban Aquaria ::
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  16. #96
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria View Post
    Yeah, while light is probably not the main issue of the particular rotala melting (otherwise your other plants would have also had the same melting problem)... the larger 60cm x 45cm base area of such tank dimensions often do require either a wider lightset or 2 sets of light to ensure coverage at the front and back. Looks like for your setup and layout, it'll be a good idea to install a 2nd light set.
    I think i have spoken a little too early. The Eleocharis acicularis are starting to melt as well. My Didiplis bottom leaves are melting too, except for the upper stems but plant still growing and surviving. Staurogyne and Heteranthera zosterifolia is the only one growing and surviving well, and so happen i found that these plants can survive in low lighting.

    Nonetheless, i've purchased another set of Evo 24 as shown below. Hopefully things get better from here. I didn't try out the light stand because i did try lifting the light up to see how much light is dispersed. Light is more spread out but light penetration became lower due to taller height.




  17. #97
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    Re: My first big tank

    Yes, Heteranthera zosterifolia and Staurogyne repens can grow well under low light. I hope with 2nd light set, the plants can thrive better in your tank. You might as well increase CO2 rate a bit to match the increase of light, too.


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  18. #98
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    Re: My first big tank

    what is the temperature of the tank?

  19. #99
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    Re: My first big tank

    Quote Originally Posted by jackychun View Post
    Yes, Heteranthera zosterifolia and Staurogyne repens can grow well under low light. I hope with 2nd light set, the plants can thrive better in your tank. You might as well increase CO2 rate a bit to match the increase of light, too.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    I hope so! Hopefully things work now!

    Quote Originally Posted by AQMS View Post
    what is the temperature of the tank?
    Currently it is 28 Degrees. But everytime i perform a water change the temp rises to 28.5 degrees. I went to GC today and spoke to Roland. He told me that a daily water change might have shocked the plants hence the melting. I got a feeling that a combination of shock and lack of light caused the melting.

    24 hours after the water change, the temperature hovers around 27.7 degrees(fan blowing, no chiller). Now that i've reached Day 7, i will reduce the water change to once every 3 days. Let's see how it goes.

  20. #100
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    Re: My first big tank

    Also note that its normal for newly added plants to melt abit during the initial few days or week as they adapt to the new tank environment (some plants are more sensitive than others during the transition phase, some melt earlier, some later, also depends on the plant condition). So give the various plants some time to adapt and resume growth. In the meantime, keep up with ample Co2 injection to help improve their transition rate.
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