Hi,
Here's a photo after 4 weeks. The filter and pump are off so when they are running normally the stems are angled much more to the left.
Most of the plants have been growing well, the
Staurogyne is much better.
I took out the
Heteranthera zosterifolia and put it in another tank. Because of the circular flow, it kept on being sucked up into the inlet. I might try replanting it another time.
The
Rotala macandra was in a really bad state when I bought it. It was melted and yellow and the bottom with a little healthy-looking material at the tips. I planted it in pretty random places where it wouldn't get too blasted by the flow. Luckily it seems to have survived the transition and now there are quite a few healthy stems which I can re-plant closer together.
It should be quite obvious from the photo that the HC is not doing very well. As always seems to happen to me, the HC was growing fine only for the first 2 weeks (when I was doing daily water changes). The pieces were joining together in a carpet and felt soft and 'cushiony'. Then it started to go yellow and though there is new green growth, the leaves are tiny. At the moment it feels 'wiry' to the touch. There are still lots of dead or dying old leaves.
To help the HC, I've increased the CO2 so that the bubble rate is pretty much uncountable (the Amano shrimps don't seem bothered and there's lots of surface movement). As I'm using an Up in-line atomiser I can see the CO2 mist and it does reach the HC at the substrate level. By lights on the drop checker is lime green and it's yellow by the end and every plant including the HC, is pearling. I've also moved the pump so it blasts the HC as much as possible but doesn't blow away the sand. I hope this might help the HC turn around and get healthy again.
Any tips/reassurance would be greatly appreciated!
The PAR measured with a Seneye is about 50 where the HC is growing and I'm dosing EI macro and micro ferts on alternate days. I do a weekly water change of 50%.
In about a week I'm going to finally add some fish. I might need to throttle down the CO2 so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the HC will still somehow get better.