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My first planted tank !

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 :D )
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
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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
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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
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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 ! :)
 
DAY 12
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Its official, I have to start thinking how to trim things. Tank showing very good growth ( or at least to me ) and plants look healthy.

Some bit of algae appear here and there - to be expected. Found a little snail, whats this ?

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Here goes, updated picture after water change ( always look better and much clear :) )

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Hi Proenca, Love the Scape :clap: With the snails Get a few Assassin snails:) Takes a bit of time for them to munch through the pest snails though:happy:

Thanks mate, still have LOADS to learn when it comes to aquascapping - major weakness.

Loving the planted challenge though and boy, everything grows FAST ... Really not expecting this ( coming from reef aquariums :D )
 
Here are some updates :)

TwinStar - unit was faulty, going to be replaced
Kribensis - they hatched !!! Didnt had brine shrimp or whatever ( was leaving for a mini holiday period of 4 days ) and they died. They seem eager to do the thing again :)

Big big trimming - Monte Carlo growing very well, the rest... well... few BUCKETS of stuff taken few days ago... damn, this is hard work :)

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In my opinion it draws more attention to them. Looks like floating algae.
I know you're absolutely right.. I was just kidding and found it looking rather funny. :) Don't know where you all get those smilleys from to underscore that...
It's a verry nice scape.. Remarcable that the scape still can be so nice and clean with such a algae bom in the middle. :) I would clean it to before it spreads to everywhere in the tank.. Would be a pitty..
 
DAY 50:

Dont worry ! Big changes today, today was aquarium-cleaning-day, so those lilypipes are now presentable to impressionable UKAPS members :D

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Also shelled out a few and replaced my C02 ceramic and went bananas and bought a ADA one - expensive but oh boy.. quite the difference...

Apart from that, also bought ADA silicone tubbing and a new return valve and did a lot of work on the cabinet - now fully functional with hangers for the scissor collection, drawers for the additives, etc.

Bought also ADA Macro and started dosing it, apart from ADA Bright K and Ada Bright Step 1

Trimmed heavily the carpet - long due - and the Rotala's and on the right. Left side will trimm next week, its overpowering the tank.

Main issue is my Kribensis couple - doing lovely but they have new ideias about the substrate placement

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Also, they are proud parents of 6 babies that keep feeding like animals

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here is mom with one :)

Next month will install a coconut cave for the kribs so they leave the substrate alone and will replace the lights with LED's
 
Last edited:
DAY 56

So big update : the Kribensis couple were wreaking havoc in the tank - uprooting pretty much everything, doing tunnels and covering the MonteCarlo with substrate.. Sold them off to a friend, and.. was a royal pain in the rear end to take them out of the tank - had almost to take everything apart...

The tank now is home to a pair of Otos who are happlly grazing everywhere without being harrassed by the Kribs and the four reamaining Krib fry who keep feeding from anything they can munch on. Will keep them a little longer - will see what I will do with tem, problably sell the to the LFS

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Anyway, I took the chance and did a 50% water change and HEAVY trimming on the background plants. Also trimmed the carpet and organized a bit better the "valley" in the middle. Quite happy how it did turn out and quite interesting to see how things will grow.

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Next plans are to introduce some Cardinal Tetras and some shrimps - last try I introduced some shrimps, the Kribs had a great dinner :D After the Cardinal's, not so sure what do get in next ( in terms of fishes ) wife wants a pair of small Discus fish... will see :)
 
Ηello Proenca! Lovely tank! For fish I suggest you go for cpds or some pseudomugil gertrudae.
 
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