Reply With Quote1st, you got to tell us how big is your tank? I don't think you can just dose excel any how as there is some limit to it. Too much and your fishes (provided you have) dies due to suffocation.
Hi guys, I just got my tank torn down on Monday night, and added the ADA Amazonia soil to get it broken in before I do a complete rescaping. But after three days, the tank still look very yellow and hazy. I know that the soil actually contain tannin, but to your experience how long does it take to see a end to the leakage of tannin in the water? I can't bear to look at a tank that look like chrysanthemum tea...I put in some photo-sythetic bacteria (forgotten what brand it was) yesterday to clear the haziness but that had limited success in removing it completely.
And also, I do have three bunches of long grass in my tank (unplanted) and a small amount of HC planted in the foreground. I wanted for them to flourish so I put in flourish excel since I heard the acclaim it had on plants. How much flourish excel I should actually put in? It seems that even though I put in a capful into the water, I don't see any changes to the plants, instead the HC that I just planted the day before seem to be melting.
I am so new to the concept of using ADA stuff, that I know nuts about the stuff that I bought. Please help!
Thomas
1st, you got to tell us how big is your tank? I don't think you can just dose excel any how as there is some limit to it. Too much and your fishes (provided you have) dies due to suffocation.
Founder of theWaterBox
When you said torn down tank, do you mean the tank was bare only then the ADA soil was added? Is the filter runnng?
My tank is 1.5x1x1 feet. If I'm not wrong, I actually calculated it to be about 40L so as it was instructed in the bottle, I put a capful only.Originally Posted by prec
I only cleaned out the tank and retained the filter with its filter pads intact. The filter is a new one but I had it running in the old tank for about a 5 days before I did the rescape.
I was wondering whether it is possible that the water is too acidic for the plants, since the tannin is leeching so much?
Thanks for your quick reply too!
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
I am also very new to this hobby and in fact, I just started my new venture into planted tanks just 2 weeks ago using ADA Amazonia soil. Without any experience and with limited research, my first few days with this soil was diastrous!!!
My 3 feet tank was brownish for three days during the initial setup and there are no signs of improvement despite having my filters running at full blast. I went back to the LFS and I follow their instructions employing the following method:
1. I drained off 90% of the `dirty' water and refill my whole tank with new water very slowly, trying very hard to have as little disturbance to the substrate as possible. You can use an inverted dish or newspaper placed on top of the substrate while adding water.
2. Then I add some crystal clear solutions to bind the fine articles together and get them filtered off by my internal and external filter.
3. The water visibility improved the next day. Remember to clean your filter at this stage. From here, I begin my regime of adding BB to accelerate the cycling process, and changing 10% of the water daily for a week.
Now, my newly planted tanks are almost crystal clear, the fishes are happy and plants are growing. However, I notice that at this stage, my ammonia level is still very high and the water very sensitive. I suppose this will improve gradually once the tank is fully cycled.
To conclude, you just have to be patience.
just sharing my thoughts.
Amazonia tends to release more ammonia into the water especially when its new. Other types like Africana tends to be more mild in that aspect. But doing a large water change is good to clear things up.
Founder of theWaterBox
my method for filling water in ada soil tanks:
i use a thin rubber tubing - the type you normally use for air stones etc
weight 1 end and put into bucket of new water, which is positioned higher than the tank level
suck on the other end to create a suction and it then obviously goes into the tank
usually i place it facing a driftwood or rock to further disperse the water flow
totally ZERO disturbance of anything and guarantees clear water right from day one
i do that when filling water, changing water etc etc
even when removing old water from tank i do using this method
drawback is of course its very slow lor.
30% water change on a 2 feet takes more than 1 hour
Hi Thomas,
I oso started to use ADA Amazonia soil for the past going 4 weeks already introduce by my very very long old friend. I'hv experience what you mentioned. It took me about 3 weeks to see better clearer water. My old friend told me to do the followings:-
(1) 1st day to 4th day - 50% water change
(2) 5th day to 7th day - 30% water change
(3) 2nd week - 20% water change
(4) 3rd week - 20% water change and so on.....
(5) external filter canister running from day 1 (never wash still ok)
I totally agreed with All@star, the bottom line is PATIENCE.
An update:
Lee1224 & All@Star: Actually, when I poured the water into the tank in the beginning after adding the soil, It was very clear since the soil was not very dusty. So I did not have the problem with very cloudy water from the particles in the water. But I do have the yellowish water and the bacteria bloom.
As advised by All@Star, I had changed 90% of the water and it looks very clear now. But I have more questions now than ever:
1. Correct me if I'm wrong, I think the tannin in the soil actually become tannic acid in the water. Is that why it is said that Amazonia lowers the pH? So will it be detrimental to my plants? I observed that the baby tears planted in my tank the day before literally browned and melted away by now, and the HC don't look that good either.
2. How long does it take for the soil to lose most of its tannin? (including almost daily 50% water changes)
3. Is there any way to up the pH? I'm worried that my plants and fishes will roast in there with the acidic water.
Thanks for all your quick and expert replies!
Thomas
I've just added new ADA soil into my existing tank and just poured it in. Water cleared up within a day. But i guess its because i'm using air sponge filter so water movement isn't that strong afterall.
Founder of theWaterBox
Never create what you can't control
One capful for 40L is after a major water change, thereafter is one capful for every 200L every day or alternate days.
What are your expectations of Seachem Excel actually? You do realise that that the effects are NOT the same as injecting CO2 right?
BTW, is there actually CO2 injection in your tank?
Quixotic:
I thought that Flourish Excel could be *used* as a replacement since there were quite a few threads over at Aquatic Plant Central which talks about using Excel to dose their office tanks and from the pictures and comments I concluded that it could be a substitute.
I do have a CO2 tank and a diffuser, but I haven't started to use it. I was contemplating on either diffuser or external reactor, so meanwhile I used Excel first.
Last edited by thomaspkc; 27th Jul 2007 at 00:58.
Thomas
the yellowish water can be solved by some water changes so its not a big problem
it doesnt happen all the time with ada soil setups btw
i had a few setups previously where i just leave the brownish water there
1st water change only after 2 weeks and then weekly thereafter
afterwards the water was crystal clear
try adding some bottled bacteria to speed up the cycling
seachem stability works well for me ==> i add it per dosage instructions daily for 1st 2 weeks and with every water change and have never gotten bacteria bloom
for the browning plants, try adding some potassium
i think it will help
a month at most should see all the brownish water disappear
as for the low ph, you can add coral chips to your filter to increase the ph if you want
but i don;t see it as a problem. it will stabilise after a little while anyway
as for fishes, don;t add them in too early
i typically only add fishes after 1 month when everything has more or less stabilised
Never create what you can't control
From http://www.seachem.com/support/FAQs/...Excel_faq.html
Growth is not the same. Also with CO2 injection, you can be assured that the plants will get their CO2 all the time during the photosyntesis period.
Some plants are said to be sensitive to Excel, but milage varies because it depends on how you dose Excel as well.
That said, I think your HC is melting because it may be converting from emersed to submersed form.
Growing without CO2 needs a lot of patience. Inject CO2, plus the appropriate dosing and you will see the difference. So what is stopping you from using the CO2?
Hmm.. I didn't want to use the CO2 injection because I wanted to test out Flourish Excel in my tank. I have been looking for that bottle all over JB and I just recently found it. So I wanted to see whether Excel is as what many people said. That is why I didn't include the CO2 injection. But guess I better do so then, since Excel is not a true alternative to CO2 injection
I guess everything (including tannin) boils down to one thing: patience. By now, the water is yellowish again and I have to do a water change again. Sigh... If only the Amazonia II was able to come in earlier then at least I can get it.
Thanks guys. I will keep you updated on my tank. Im keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that my tank water will be clear in a week's time. Then I can really enjoy my tank!
Thomas
if you are really bothered by the water color and can't waitHmm.. I didn't want to use the CO2 injection because I wanted to test out Flourish Excel in my tank. I have been looking for that bottle all over JB and I just recently found it. So I wanted to see whether Excel is as what many people said. That is why I didn't include the CO2 injection. But guess I better do so then, since Excel is not a true alternative to CO2 injection
I guess everything (including tannin) boils down to one thing: patience. By now, the water is yellowish again and I have to do a water change again. Sigh... If only the Amazonia II was able to come in earlier then at least I can get it.
Thanks guys. I will keep you updated on my tank. Im keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that my tank water will be clear in a week's time. Then I can really enjoy my tank!
you can add activated carbon into your filter
let it run for a couple weeks then you can rmeove it
by then the brownish should have cleared up anyway
My way of changing water fast and clean.
1 long hose from tank to tap/toilet.
Siphon the water via the hoses directly into toilet bowl. 50% of 4ft in 15 minutes.
Then connect hoses to tap and open tap to let water into tank. Let water flow onto inverted bowl (better than plate actually). 10 minutes to fill up. Add anti-chlorine into running water, then add diluted ferts.
I feel the faster the water change the better so you don't deprive the filter of oxygen for too long.
I'm back!
sorry for borrowing the thread, i had some problem now. my water is also yellowish, however, when i tried putting shrimps in, they seem to go
through a period of spasm then stop moving and some died, others i was able to revive by putting them in another tank. anyone has experience with this?? i'm using ada amazonia and i cycled my tank for a week before
putting in the shrimps, also added fertiliser for the plants; JBJ ferropol.
what shrimps you added?
did you do any water changes during this 1 week cycling?
i believe its down to ammonia
added yamato shrimps 3 died the rest concussion, added crs 8 died 2 concussion. didnt do any water change during cycling. if its ammonia then will have to change water?
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