My Tank Journal

[StanChung]

hi rupert,

a nice long one... , your moss and hairgrass is growing nicely and good to see you beat the black bushy pests...
had same problem, bba grew on black foam bg and wont come off. emptied tank and let it dry out.

Good job on creating the cave as it gives depth. it seems the rocks still looks new you may consider letting some spot algae grow on it to look lived in?

i agree squee has a point in limiting the types of plants to create a harmonious layout? ha ha it's my advertising bg talking. like in typography...we try not to use too many fonts, otherwise looks like unless doing supermarket ad..
yours doesn't but keep faith with what you have already and fill up em empty spaces!



ps. can't really see your blyxa aubertii but maybe because you have strong light causing it to stay short...

[Rupert]

Hello Terrence,

Yes there are still some white spaces that I want to keep white or possible enlarge to accentuate the clearing and then there are some spaces in which I hope the hair grass will grow into soon. I like Blyxia Japonica as well and have some in reserve to re-introduce back once I know where or should I say feel comfortable to plant them.

The previous photo was taken by experts [Benny and Chris] it has such rich, crisp detail and good contrast and is a source of enjoyment to look at. The darker photo with less contrast, that is not crisp was taken by myself with less than perfect equipment and is the result a lot of trial and error with a cheap camera.


Hello Standoyo,

yes it a been a while since I have been active on the forum. The algae that I have are not BBA, and thankful it is not as I am not sure if I could conquer BBA. This it is a green fuzzy 2 mm long threads, but not quite threads. These 2mm long bits appear quickly and have been a source of frustration.

What I have noticed is this stuff avoids my rocks, but loves to attach itself to glass, hence my rocks are not looking aged at all!

I guess I need to do something about my spaces [clearings] make them more obvious so they do not look like bald spots. I try to restrict my plant list to 5 +/- 2 and can almost count the blyxa aubertii & blyxa Japonica as one kind.

Current plant list:
1. Dwarf Hair Grass [Eleocharis acicularis]
2. Blyxa Japonica
3. Blyxa Aubertii
4. Hygrophila difformis
5. Aponogeton Longiplumulosus.
6. Java Moss

I did think that the B Auberitii would grow higher, so it must be the lights keeping it compact? I did try a red plant for a short time, but whilst it caught ones attention it turned green quickly and removed it as this its purpose was gone.

[vinz]

...

yes it a been a while since I have been active on the forum. The algae that I have are not BBA, and thankful it is not as I am not sure if I could conquer BBA. This it is a green fuzzy 2 mm long threads, but not quite threads. These 2mm long bits appear quickly and have been a source of frustration.

...

Since your plants are growing well and don't have other algae issues, I think you're having CO2 issues.

I've been fighting BBA over the last few weeks in my 6 footer. I've been having staghorn and short furry algae on the glass (like yours) . I've been concentrating on BBA, but have been ignoring the staghorn and furry alage. But seems that I've beaten all by fixing the CO2 levels to beat BBA.

It's easy to inject more CO2, but in a large tank, if that CO2 is not distributed properly... it does not help.

I messed with the CO2 reactor and CO2 injection rates to fight BBA, but to no avail. Finally I listen to Tom Barr and Peter Gwee (yeah, yeah, yeah, told me so. ) and changed the lilypipe that is connected to the CO2 reactor to a tank-long rain bar and placed it 2/3 deep on the back wall just this past weekend. 4 days in, any remainding BBA seems to have stalled and no discernable new BBA growth observed. Staghorn has stalled and any furry algae that was cleaned off did not come back.

My other fert routine has not changed... 10ppm NO3, 2 ppm PO4 3x a week. 30ml Easylife Profito for traces and other macros, and 2 tablespoons Seachem Equilibirum once a week.

In the previous setup of this tank, I had beaten a BBA issue by diverting a shallow rainbar that had been blowing across and just under the water surface to blow 45 degress down to the substrate... specifically the BBA infestation area.

By the way, what is your dosing regime (i.e. what, how much and when do you dose)?

[vinz]

Oh yeah, I finally figured out what bugs me about your scape... those rocks are too straight and too far apart. The harmony is not there.

My suggestions: tilt the left rock to the left (to compliment the direction of the Aponogeton growth) and tilt the middle and right rock to right (as a balance to the left rock). The left rock is much larger, so the 2 on the left of it must pull away from it to balance the view.

Just an opinion...

[StanChung]

hi rupert,

i think vinz said what i didn't dare to say but in all honesty, since you made the triangle cave, that becomes the main focus now...using simple rule of thirds[simpler than 1:1.618-haha]
Look at all the 'energy' lines drawn by the shapes of your plants rocks wood is creating and you will notice it can be more pleasing by enhancing the triangle of wood/moss.

the rocks seem to have algae shield on?
you may consider removing the rock[esp the big one and putting the 2nd biggest in it's place, lean it to follow the wood triangle line...] as its tends to draw focus because of it's size and brightness of it's tone. if not i suggest you put the aubertii there as the 'focus' plant. yes you may have to shade the area with some black netting to get it to grow tall. i use 60w only in a 2 x 2ht x1.5' tank and it grows really tall[3-4 inches short of two feet]!


I think you have the right idea to use blyxa's and hg to fill up the place...you may consider some anubias[needs less light, generally used as a plug the holes and cover plant! ] to scatter around to break up all the vertical lines going up and cover the foot of the big plants other than japonica's and hg.

[Rupert]

Hello Vincent,

I think that you are quite correct in that the CO2 is probably the source of the problem. When the JBJ came to carry out my chiller maintenance I had to remove my NA external reactor. I had used some CO2 tubing that came with it as a second hand purchase and it had become twisted, now I suspect it could have been leaking, anyway it was replaced as well taking the opportunity to change the inlet/outlet connector to a larger size so more water would go through it. All this in addition to increasing the CO2 has had a dramatic/large impact in coverage and how quickly pH levels are bought down. If the this doesn’t work then a rain bar might do it, but it might upset my Wood Shrimp who like to congregate in the flow.

Currently:
• pH is set at 6.6 via a controller with actual ph at 6.64 after 6 hours of illumination. CO2 at 27 ppm. This is much better than it was previous.
• KH is 4.0 [Normal 4.0 – 4.5]
• GH not known
• Lighting FL 12.00 am - 8:30 pm 60 watts [Total Duration 8.5 hrs] MH 14.00 pm – 8:00 pm 200 watts[Total Duration 6.0 hrs. Weekends I might turn on all the lights at noon

My dosing habit changed for a short time after the Wallichii /guppy’s were removed and the Hygrophila Difformis was added, but has reverted to the familiar Lushgro routine of:

Sunday 20ml Macro Po4 Water Change
Monday 2ml Micros.
Tuesday 20ml Macro
Wednesday 2ml Micros
Thursday 20ml Macro Po4
Friday 2ml Micros
Saturday 20ml Macro [optional day in that may not dose]

The rocks are like old friends now, but the one on the right might go… but might just let everything settle down and resist “itchy hand” syndrome as long as possible… then act based on advice.

Hello Standoyo,

I am sure the algae rock shield will not last long... your anubias idea has got me thinking and thought Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite might be a good choice?

In regards to the formation of the rocks I should try and take a couple of extra pictures from different angles so as the context of the tank can be better seen, then do something

[PeterGwee]

Stop using the pH controller for the CO2. If the KH changes or gets lower, you are only going to have less CO2. Use it as a pH monitor instead and watch where the CO2 level is during the entire photoperiod. Target 30ppm and error on the high side. Its fine if it gets above 30ppm but do watch the critters to see if they are stress due to the high CO2. Try to have some surface movement..not alot but just good movement.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[Rupert]

Thanks for the advice Peter, I have increased my KH to 5 and kept the pH at about 6.6 with the CO2 in the 30-40 range, with no adverse affects on my critters. There is some, but not a lot surface movement, which looks great when the MH’s are on and the reflective ripples go through the tank.

[Rupert]

Finally one my wood shrimp has eggs! I had given up on them getting eggs and assumed that my entire population was the same gender even though the mathematical odds were against this being the case.



This unexpected event forced me to act in that my surface skimmer or fish would probably remove the lava before I got to them, so the egg-laden wood shrimp staying in the large tank will be taken out.

With only one other tank with some guppys in means it is really time for the guppy’s to be displaced, which in reality confirms that I preferred shrimp over fish.

Luckily I had purchased the marine salt & hydrometer months earlier when I got some red nose mosquito shrimp and they began to carry eggs, however at the time I just didn’t have the energy or equipment to follow through.

So I have made a few containers of diluted salt water have been made in preparation for the eggs to be released. I will have had to settle for what was practical, in that salt concentrations will be increased in rather large increments at a time. Since brackish water {salt & fresh} must be rather variable in salt concentrations I will increase the salinity slowly over the first few days then in larger increments than probably desirable and then hope for the best over their development cycle.

The plan of attach will be to wait until day 19 since the eggs appeared, move the egg carrying wood shrimp to my spare tank. Then inspect the tank for lava on a daily basis, when seen net the lava to a smaller container in which salinity can be easily altered.

[Rupert]

Day 26 since I spotted my Wood Shrimp carrying eggs and decided that since I have a project in HK that would be best for the Wood Shrimp to move her back to my big tank while I am away. Really disappointed that she didn't release the egg but don’t have much choice… now just have admire the tank in the weekends.

[StanChung]

hi rupert,

nice pix, have you tried the nana petite's? they would def work.

hope you have resolved your co2/ph issues.

stan

[Aquatic]

nice tank nice setup
all your plant look like very healthy

[Rupert]

hi rupert,

nice pix, have you tried the nana petite's? they would def work.

hope you have resolved your co2/ph issues.

stan

Hello Stan,

I have been reluctant to try adding any new plants as I have been traveling to much and do not want to introduce another variable that I am not home to react too or enjoy watching. The Blyxa Japonica at the top of the tank has an almost copper color to it in parts, the mid level is bronze and the substrate level is it normal green colour.

At present I am following Peter Gwee’s advice and really keeping the CO2 high between 30 -30 pmm. Which I am pleased to say is having the desired effect in that the fuzzy algae has almost gone and now I am just getting Staghorn algae. Staghorn algae is much more desirable.

edit - added picture

[PeterGwee]

Rupert, staghorn and all algae are not desirable. Are you still using the pH controller? Stop using it...

Change the way you return your filter output. Get the return to the centre-back of the tank and pipe it down to the bottom with a vertical tube. Split the flow of the vertical tube at the bottom with a T-bar and connect the two outlets with spraybars pointing forward into the plants. Drill a small hole at the top of the vertical bar about 1/8" below the surface water to provide some surface movement. This provides a good flow pattern if you use a CO2 reactor inline which I think you do. Also, consider the new CO2 misting method. Its a whole great deal of intense pearling.

Regards
Peter Gwee

[Rupert]

Hello Peter,

Thanks for the note, I don’t have much choice at present about the pH controller as I travel a lot… and might only be back in Singapore for the weekends for the rest of this year, thus the pH controller give me some remote control freedom [winning the lottery would give me more freedom, but unlikely].

I have two input and two outputs [Dual Eheim 2026’s] with a skimmer in a combination that provides surface movement that looks good with the MH’s are on. You are right in that I am using an external reactor, which works well, but will take on board your comments on the spraybars + CO2 Misting method. Here is my pipe set up.




I kind of admire algae and Staghorn algae is my favorite form, but still would like it gone. My best attempts to have an algae tank [nano] with nothing but staghorn in it failed with hair algae going every time.

Thanks Rupert

[StanChung]

hi rupert,

we're in similar position of not being home all the time. upping the co2 will help reduce the algae as you've noticed...
the only algae i can tolerate is spot algae, that which i use a nice sharp razor to!

i agree to not introduce more plants till you've got the time. peter's suggestion of difussion like what tom talked about is interesting and some people don't agree but it's worth trying.[if you have time or more than one tank or just curious]

anyway a nice plant to drape over the big rock is rotala rotundifolia green...ha ha i know...

[Rupert]

Behind every large tank I bet there is a small one, here is my 2 footer [fiveplan] that started life as a spare tank for bits and pieces, then thought I would try a Java Moss wall a month ago, added a couple of stones and whatever plants I remove from my big tank.

I must have about 200 cherry shrimp in it that swarm across the substrate, there are so many that I worry about overcrowding. Before going to work in the morning I usually have a cup of coffee in front of and toss in some food and then sit back and enjoy.



Specs:
· Tank: 2 foot Five plan.
· Lighting: indirect sunlight. But do have a light that I turn on if I want to have a look at it at night.
· Temperature: ~26 - 27 celcius with one combined 6 fan unit. Evaporation is about 1.5cm a day
· Substrate: lapis
· Filtration: cheap powerhead unit.
· Fertilization: nil.

Fauna:
· Java Moss, Blyxa Japonica, duckweed and a couple seedlings of Aponogeton Longiplumulosus + some Dwarf Hair Grass & H Deformis that floated to the surface on my big tank. All the plants seem happy and are growing except for the HG which survives rather than grows
· Water Changes 30-50% when I think about it

Critters:
· 200 Cherry Shrimp & snails

[Rupert]

What turned out to be a 3 nights away from home turned out to more than 21, and with another trip arranged for November and away in December, I knew had to do something about moving my tank from the High Tech – life in the fast lane towards the low tech – life in the slow lane.

With only Saturday morning at home to implement the transition, it was thought that the best approach was to reduce the lighting intensity and turn off the CO2, I couldn’t do anything about the plants, so they will just have to adapt.

At present I have 360 watts of lighting, which I planned to reduce by 40%[to 214w] or 50%[to 180w]. The problem was my Dymax Hilux MH’s, I cannot raise them to reduce the intensity and with a rather deep 30-inch tank, another problem that was seen was light penetration.

So light replacement or supplement was on my mind, knowing that MH’s can’t be beaten for intensity, choosing the next best light setup was the challenge. Since I was in Hong Kong a after a few trips to Tung Choy /”Fish” Street, I settled on going for T5’s plus after a bit of confusion specifically two sets of T5 HO 2 x 54 w or 216 watts in total.

What is confusing is that the T5’s are sold everywhere but one has to specifically ask for T5 HO and some of the light units are sold with 4 bulbs crammed in side the casing, with insufficient space to allow the up-light to be cleanly reflected down. After a bit of reading reflectors, parabolic entered my vocabulary, then another round of searching.

Only one local HK brand “SolarMax” had decent parabolic reflectors, but the casing was not very attractive. So another round of searching until I gave up and settled on the Chinese “SolarMax” brand that two light tubes per case and what appeared to be good parabolic reflectors. Just to make it a bit interesting each case has one 6500k & one 10000k tube.



Well I got home…arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it wasn’t as bad as I expected the weeks away with no water changes, no dosing gave me more forms of algae than I had experienced before, but mostly a lot of Staghorn Algae and a tiny bit of BBA on the tips of the hair grass.

I did a 50% water change, turn off the CO2 with the pH Controller now becoming a pH monitor, and changed the lighting. It was brighter than, I expected, and reminded me of my MH’s but since I hadn’t seen them in a month, I couldn’t tell. I set the initial photo period of 9 hrs for one set and 7 hrs for the other. A about six hours later I still impressed at how bright the lights were, not really low tech at all, so reduced the lighting period for the second set to 5 hours…. But might change this tomorrow before I fly back to HK monday morning.

[ehlim]

Hi Rupert, Love the look of yr tank! Is it a 4'? I am looking for one which matches the living room furniture. (no choice lah, have to appease the other half! ) Where did you get it from? And of course, how much? Would really like to know yr experience with a new tank setup. Are you blogging on it? Best wishes in yr setup.

[Rupert]

Hi Rupert, Love the look of yr tank! Is it a 4'? I am looking for one which matches the living room furniture. (no choice lah, have to appease the other half! ) Where did you get it from? And of course, how much? Would really like to know yr experience with a new tank setup. Are you blogging on it? Best wishes in yr setup.

Hello ehlim,

Yes it's 4 footer and it cost me more than I like to think about as it is braceless and 30 inches tall, 15mm glass, but if you want to know the maker & pricing then PM me. As the setup sits in a visually dominate position in the apartment, I too was concerned about fitting it in with the furniture and trying to keep everyone happy. I documented my experiences & mistakes as I went along and you will find those in the previous pages of this thread, specifically there are some PDF files for the equipment & scape setup to day 0, then first 30 days and finally day 60 - 90, culminating in the picture that Benny & Chris did at day 90.... Happy reading

Rupert