3ft Zen Tank update

**Weirong** · 5th Mar 2006, 01:14

It's about 3 months now since I started this tank. Everything has grown in and I have done numerous trimming of the plants already, even though I'm only using PL 2x55w without any reflectors.

Some new plants were added since the last setup:

Hygrophila lacustris (All the plants at the far right corner)
Some unknown Crypts
Pelia (Left 1 piece on a driftwood and it started spreading)

Rest of the plants are unchanged: Blyxa Japonica, E.tenellus, Red Tiger Lotus

Fertilization regime:

Ferka The Aquatizer (10 pumps a week)
Dr. Malicks micro (2 drops a week)
Nutrafin NPK (2 caps a week)

So far, not much algae except for some green spot algae on glass. How to solve this?

Setup on 20th JAN 06

Setup on 06 MAR 06

E.tenellus lawn (1 month to fill the entire tank)

Red Tiger Lotus and some Crypts

The same Swordtails still remain. However, the fries are not surviving. I do see them from time to time but non ever make it into juveniles. I'm guessing the big ones just eat them.

Comments welcome.

**Justikanz** · 5th Mar 2006, 02:17

Keep some floating plants if you want to save the fries. Their roots can allow some of the fries to hide. It is really nice to see how you manage to keep it algae free!

I am beginning to have hair algae now with my T5s!

:P

**evolim83** · 5th Mar 2006, 02:44

Simple and Neat!
Guess like wat bro Justikan suggested, if you want the fries to survive, you might need some floating plants.
My fish-only tank with swordtails and a small mass of floating plants are doing well!
Started of with onli about 5, now at least 20!
Btw, wat is that black tubing in the far right of the tank in the first pic?
Is that for CO2?

**juggler** · 5th Mar 2006, 02:47

Do you dose PO4 as well?

BTW - those swordtails are from me? Are they showing the double-swords already? Looks big now. Thanks for taking good care of them.

**Weirong** · 5th Mar 2006, 09:30

Originally Posted by juggler

Do you dose PO4 as well?

BTW - those swordtails are from me? Are they showing the double-swords already? Looks big now. Thanks for taking good care of them.

Yes, PO4 added as well.

The smaller ones are from you! But non have yet to show the double tails! All females???

**Weirong** · 5th Mar 2006, 09:34

Originally Posted by evolim83

Simple and Neat!
Guess like wat bro Justikan suggested, if you want the fries to survive, you might need some floating plants.
My fish-only tank with swordtails and a small mass of floating plants are doing well!
Started of with onli about 5, now at least 20!
Btw, wat is that black tubing in the far right of the tank in the first pic?
Is that for CO2?

I do have some floating Salvinia in there. Perhaps it's not enough. Will transfer somemore over from another tank.

Yes, the black rubber tube is for CO2, connected to a difussor. It's placed under the rainbar of my Eheim 2026, so I can see the circulation of CO2 in the tank.

**gregorsamsa** · 5th Mar 2006, 09:56

i think at the exact spot wher eyou placed the wood, you could replace it with a bigger rock. it looks a bit small in the scape. otherwise, the idea is there

**Weirong** · 5th Mar 2006, 10:15

Originally Posted by gregorsamsa

i think at the exact spot wher eyou placed the wood, you could replace it with a bigger rock. it looks a bit small in the scape. otherwise, the idea is there

Thanks for the suggestion!

I Won't be scaping this tank again until I move. For now, I'm making do with what I have lying around the house.