Proenca
Seedling
- Joined
- 1 Jun 2015
- Messages
- 17
Setup date: 23rd May, 2015
Aquarium : TMC Signature, 60cm x 45cmx 45cm ( 120 liters ), 8mm ultra clear glass
Stand: TMC Glaciar White 60x45x75
Light: AquaEden 2 x 55w PL but will start with 1x55w+1x39w when cycling then switch to 2x55w to try to fend off algae
Filter: Eheim 350 Profissional filter with standard Eheim biomech + pads
Heating: Eheim 150w Jaeger
Others: CO2 Kit from TMC + Solenoide shut off valve + VIV Lilypipes + C02 VIV diffuser
Hardscape: Spirit Stone (18kgs) and two Mangroove branches
Substrate: 18l ADA Amazonia + 2 x ADA PowerSand S
Ferts: ADA ferts ; starting with ADA K ( potassium ) for first week, then K + ADA Micros from second week onwards. Will switch to EI once tank is stable ( around 6 months mark or so )
Fishes: : still deciding - and cycling
Plants:
CARPET : Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo'
MEDIUM :
Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis (near the rocks, although a few will be replanted )
Hygrophila Pinnatifida (near the mangroove roots, to see if they can grow on top of them)
Cryptocoryne Beckettii (trying to use this to do a smoother "red" transition to the full red Reineckiia )
Hydrocotyle Verticillata ( although only one, was one of the plants that made me setup a planted tank - I just love this )
MEDIUM"ish" :
Rotala 'green'
Rotala Rotundifolia
FOREGROUND :
Myriophyllum Mattogrossense (love its "supposed" fragile nature, so delicate but man, this thing grows fast )
Alternanthera Reineckiia ( love this)
So after 15 years of keeping aquariums, I did the usual : simple tank, then cichclids, then african cichclids , jumped to nano reef, big reef tank, coral propagation, clownfish breeding ( premna bieaculatus ) and then.. big halt.
Moved abroad quite a bit so didnt want to setup a tank to break it down after a few months or a year. Now back home ( Portugal ) and got married so... SWMBO dictates the rules and she said "fresh water - I want plants and discus fish".
Bit of a shock since its the two things that I never ever had - so I decided to try with a small tank, plants, and this is my first effort in 20 years to keep a planted tank.
Having a lot of fun, reading a lot ( Estimative Index and all that jazz ) , so before I setup a larger tank, I want to try with this smaller one to see how plants react to different currents, lights, ferts, positions, trimmings and so on.
Hope to learn with all of you, lurked a while here before setting up the tank !
cheers from ex Londoner and now Lisboner !
DAY 0
Setup day - although I tried to introduce the water slowly, it was just cloudy. Oh and I learned how fun it is to turn on the filter and not have 80% of your montecarlo properly rooted down the substrate. Really fun
DAY 5
Since day two I have pearling. Had a couple of CO2 problems ( bought the TMC solenoid valve second hand, of course it did break down and it was on a Saturday night - so had to wait two days to get another one. Water still cloudy, 50% water change on 2nd day and 50% on day 5.
DAY 8
After another 50% water change, water is clear now. Tank is jinxed - now was the timer that went ballistic ( had the CO2 turning on 2 hours before and one hour after lights ) so for now, CO2 valve is on the same circuit of the lights. Plants are settling in, a lot of growth on the back, trimming will be soon !
Aquarium : TMC Signature, 60cm x 45cmx 45cm ( 120 liters ), 8mm ultra clear glass
Stand: TMC Glaciar White 60x45x75
Light: AquaEden 2 x 55w PL but will start with 1x55w+1x39w when cycling then switch to 2x55w to try to fend off algae
Filter: Eheim 350 Profissional filter with standard Eheim biomech + pads
Heating: Eheim 150w Jaeger
Others: CO2 Kit from TMC + Solenoide shut off valve + VIV Lilypipes + C02 VIV diffuser
Hardscape: Spirit Stone (18kgs) and two Mangroove branches
Substrate: 18l ADA Amazonia + 2 x ADA PowerSand S
Ferts: ADA ferts ; starting with ADA K ( potassium ) for first week, then K + ADA Micros from second week onwards. Will switch to EI once tank is stable ( around 6 months mark or so )
Fishes: : still deciding - and cycling
Plants:
CARPET : Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo'
MEDIUM :
Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis (near the rocks, although a few will be replanted )
Hygrophila Pinnatifida (near the mangroove roots, to see if they can grow on top of them)
Cryptocoryne Beckettii (trying to use this to do a smoother "red" transition to the full red Reineckiia )
Hydrocotyle Verticillata ( although only one, was one of the plants that made me setup a planted tank - I just love this )
MEDIUM"ish" :
Rotala 'green'
Rotala Rotundifolia
FOREGROUND :
Myriophyllum Mattogrossense (love its "supposed" fragile nature, so delicate but man, this thing grows fast )
Alternanthera Reineckiia ( love this)
So after 15 years of keeping aquariums, I did the usual : simple tank, then cichclids, then african cichclids , jumped to nano reef, big reef tank, coral propagation, clownfish breeding ( premna bieaculatus ) and then.. big halt.
Moved abroad quite a bit so didnt want to setup a tank to break it down after a few months or a year. Now back home ( Portugal ) and got married so... SWMBO dictates the rules and she said "fresh water - I want plants and discus fish".
Bit of a shock since its the two things that I never ever had - so I decided to try with a small tank, plants, and this is my first effort in 20 years to keep a planted tank.
Having a lot of fun, reading a lot ( Estimative Index and all that jazz ) , so before I setup a larger tank, I want to try with this smaller one to see how plants react to different currents, lights, ferts, positions, trimmings and so on.
Hope to learn with all of you, lurked a while here before setting up the tank !
cheers from ex Londoner and now Lisboner !
DAY 0
Setup day - although I tried to introduce the water slowly, it was just cloudy. Oh and I learned how fun it is to turn on the filter and not have 80% of your montecarlo properly rooted down the substrate. Really fun
DAY 5
Since day two I have pearling. Had a couple of CO2 problems ( bought the TMC solenoid valve second hand, of course it did break down and it was on a Saturday night - so had to wait two days to get another one. Water still cloudy, 50% water change on 2nd day and 50% on day 5.
DAY 8
After another 50% water change, water is clear now. Tank is jinxed - now was the timer that went ballistic ( had the CO2 turning on 2 hours before and one hour after lights ) so for now, CO2 valve is on the same circuit of the lights. Plants are settling in, a lot of growth on the back, trimming will be soon !