Green refuge

[Wolf6]

Hi all,

Dutch guy here, recently joined forum (more on the introduction forum). After having been without a tank for a few years I caught the virus again and started once more, trying my hand at planted tanks and aquascaping. This is my first attempt at an 'aquascape', still learning lots of new stuff everyday that I could have done better, but will just have to keep it in mind for the next scape. Already got a second one on the way, but that will get its own thread.

I named this one green refuge, because the main inhabitant is microrasbora kubotai. Also I am terrible at picking names and it was nameless untill 5 minutes ago. Anyways, details:

Tank:
Dennerle scapers tank 50liter ( L 45 x W 36 x H 31 cm) and went with a black background as it suits this setup better then white I think.

Technique:
Scapers light 24W on for 2x3.5 hours with 3 hour siesta so I can enjoy the tank in morning and evening. Intention is to build up to 2x4 hours with 3 hour siesta.
Eden 511 external filter with build-in heater
Pressurized CO2 (JBL set) administered with glass diffusor on from 1.5 hours before lights on, untill 1.5 hours before lights off. Its off for 1.5 hours during start of siesta as well, as I cant find how to deal with co2 and siesta lighting anywhere. If anyone knows anything about this I'd love to know!

Soil:
ADA amazonia and amazonia powder

Hardscape:
Spiderwood
Beach pebbles

Plants:
Rotala rotundifolia
Microsorum pteropus trident
Microsorum pteropus mini
Echinodorus tenellus
Cryptocoryne (I'm guessing wendtii but not sure)
Vallisneria nana
Fissidens (guessing Fox, could be fontanis)
Vesicularia dubyana
Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo'
Hydrocotyle tripartita sp. 'Japan'

Fertilising: Right now using up ferropol, but I've already got powders for starting EI once its used up.

Tank has been running about a month now, only algea I've seen this far is a wee bit of GSA. Still building up the CO2 but the fish and shrimp get unhappy if I go much higher so taking it slow.

Inhabitants:
4 female guppies (will be moved to another tank)
10 microrasbora Kubotai
6 otocinclus affinis
8 amano shrimp
13 cherry shrimp (might be more by now as 3 are berried already)

May add a few kuhli's once the guppies have moved. Also want to add a small fish like dario dario, but havent decided yet, open for idea's!

Anyways, here are some pics:

First start with the spiderwood

Pebbles added

Few days after planting, using bio CO2 and easycarbo at the time.

After one month. Lots of trimming rotala, nana, tenellus, and hydrocotyle . Crypts slowly adjusting and making many new leaves now, accidentally uprooted one during maintenance.
Javafern is taking its time to start growing but seeing new small leaves form now as well. Fissidens growing well, monte carlo seemed to have some issues switching from easycarbo and bioCO2 to pressurised CO2 but is growing well again now.

Sorry for crappy pics, mostly made with my phone and the rest with borrowed camera I havent quite figured out how to use yet.

Would love to hear opinions and tips on how to improve. Personally want to move the tenellus into the righthand corner as its a bit too high for the frontal position it has now, and replace it in the front with cryptocorine parva or something like that (preferably a plant that spreads less fast, I'm removing runners almost daily).

Greets
Wolf6

 

[allan angus]

nice looks very much like a pond bottom

 

[Wolf6]

Allan: Thanks

Few close ups:
Amano with eggs (shame they are doomed but still):

Shrimp I bought as amano but its red, too big for cherry but no idea what species:

Kubotai that slowed down a bit for a picture:

One out of three pregnant cherrys:

 

[tim]

Lovely little scape definitely has a river bed feel to it, the amano is probably a colour morph I've had a couple of pink ones and a very blue one in the past.

 

[darren636]

Microdevario are a gorgeous fish
All mine did was fight and scare my boraras

 

[Wolf6]

Small update in the newyear: Starting to get some green spot algea and some staghorn that was sneakily hidden in the wildest parts of my tank. Cut it out as soon as I spotted it, hope it was in time. Gonna keep a close eye on it either way. Adjusted flow somewhat as a countermeasure, to provide better CO2 circulation, and started dosing liquid carbon. I also noticed some deficiencies with some of the plants, most noticably the rotala rotundifolia having 'see-through'/glasslike leaves on some branches. A possible cause for this is phosphate deficiency from what I could find on here. Started EI dosing last week when I noticed it, as I was still using some ferropol I got with my CO2 set untill then. Hoping the three issues (2 algaes and the deficiency) were all caused by the lack of phospates in ferropol, which should be solved with the EI dosing now. Plant growth is still amazing, still have to trim weekly, sometimes twice a week. Some pics:

Overview:

Carpet filling out:

Close Up of "Finless" (kubotai missing half his fin, was already like that when I got him) and hidden in the foiliage are some shrimp.

Shiney crypts, guess they are happy:

Comments and possible causes for the algae are welcome! Upping my CO2 is not an option, if I go any higher my fish are all hanging at the surface.

Greetz,

Tony

 

[Wolf6]

Had a major trimming session as the vallisneria nana and tennelus were taking over the entire tank. Removed the nana altogether, moved the rotala towards the middle and moved the tennelus to the back right part. Replaced it with crypto parva at the front, as it stays a lot lower and grows much slower. Picture was taken an hour after the big change, will make a new one again soon (this all happened 2 weeks ago). Dialed down light back to 6 hours, slowly increasing again now. No new algae, so transition went well. Only some staghorn that was already there due to no CO2 for 2 weeks (bottle emptied out much sooner than anticipated). Tried to fix it with liquid carbo but couldnt prevent staghorn from spreading a little. Removed most of the infected leaves and it hasnt spread any further, so I'd say its under control. I did notice my fish and shrimp become much more active after the CO2 was gone , so I'm going to be adding less co2 from now on.
Also got some new inhabitants: 2 colisa chuna and 1 kuhli (will get 4 more soon but this was the last one at the store).

 

[banthaman.jm]

Lovely wolf6 a really nice tank. Very soon MT syndrome will kick in, it is with me

 

[Wolf6]

Thanks banthaman What is MT syndrome?

 

[Crossocheilus]

Multiple tank syndrome

I think everyone gets it at some point, I'm certainly tempted but in reality I don't have the funds or time for multiple tanks.

The tank is looking great, sounds like you are handling the rearrange very well! It is a shame that sometimes what our plants need is contradictory to what fish want/need. Its about trying to achieve a balance between the two.

 

[alto]

Hoping for a photo update

Microrasbora kubotai are gorgeous fish.

 

[Wolf6]

Its been years ago, but since I might just dust off this little tank, here is how it looked when I took it apart before we moved houses. I think this is how all my tanks end... a thick green jungle The pebbles and wood were all still in there, burried beneath the thick layer of green. All in all the tank had very few algae during its relatively short life, and always brought me more joy then the bigger tank

In between houses it briefly functioned as a low tech iwagumi attempt to save a few fish till we moved again. And for the past 3 years its been gathering dust on a shelf in the garage.

 

[hypnogogia]

Thats a great looking little tank.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I think this is how all my tanks end... a thick green jungle

<"Same for me">, but they tend to start a bit like that as well.

cheers Darrel