• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

What’s the next move? Low tech

Nubias

Member
Joined
2 Jul 2018
Messages
145
Location
Melbourne, Australia
3357F13B-0FF3-45E3-BF23-E3EA1DC37467.jpeg
So my low tech is coming up 7 weeks and I’m trying to figure out my next moves.

Algae seems not too bad but getting a bit of green thread/hair algae. Seemed to improve with more frequent water changes and cleaning but it’s returning now I’m back to weekly. Grows in the sand too which is annoying. I was using some excel which worked well with some early bba but the more I read on it the less keen I am to use it.

Plant wise most are growing ok albeit slowly (yes I know...low tech) Bacopa pretty much all melted away except for a couple of small pieces. Blyxa was melting but seems to be recovering. Montecarlo was going well but a couple of portions have recently melted completely almost within a day. Most other stems going ok, the Syngonanthus sp. Belem seems to be really good which is surprising as it’s the one I thought wouldn’t work out. Have since read that it likes soft water and my water is extremely soft 1-2gh and kh.

Livestock I added 15 black neon tetras last weekend along with 10 Caridina Longirostris. Other plans are panda corydoras, red cherry shrimp and something else ???? Recent thoughts include diamond tetras or columbian tetras. Fighting the urge to rush out and add too much too soon. How should I space out the additions?

Fertilization has been sporadic to say the least with only seachem flourish weeklyish. I think I will track down some aquascaper complete to try and get something consistent going with daily dosing and I like it being an all in one. Is there a specific time of day that is better to dose? Does 4-5ml a day sound about right? 180L tank but I estimate about 150l of water.

Also can’t wait for the piece of wood on the left to waterlog so I can get rid of the rocks holding it down!!

Any other thoughts?
 
Low tech, really means low light. You haven't told us your lights your are using.

So you need to ensure your lighting levels are in the low light region of the graph below.

parforvariousbulbs-jpg.jpg


My mate has a 120l low light tank lit by a single T5 tube with some foil rings blocking some of the light as he was starting to get algae appearing and plants suffering. His tank is now algae free, he fertilises using EI ferts I gave him, maybe 1/4 EI dose once a week and changes water whenever he can be bothered. Plants do grow, but slowly.

You should possibly harden your water a bit, as you have very soft water. This is generally bad as can suffer very easily from massive pH swings as it has no buffering capacity. Plants (and fish) generally don't care about water hardness, this is generally a myth that such and such grows in soft water etc. Shrimp don't like too soft water either.

Plenty of ways to harden the water slightly, there are commercial GH boosters available or make your own (much cheaper) http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/RO.htm or add limestone rocks to tank or add coral sand to substrate or even cheaper chicken grit (crushed shells) in a bag in the filter.
 
Lights are standard Juwel Rio 180, at a guess low-med level?
If you have reflectors (assuming you have T5 tubes) then you are immediately in the high light region.
With no reflectors your are in medium light region.

This along with poor fertilisation & lack of any carbon source would explain the algae and melting of plants.

So ways forward are if you have reflectors is, treat as high light:
- Add daily fertiliser dose.
- Add daily carbon source either liquid carbon or CO2 gas.
- Weekly water changes to remove waste organics and excess fertiliser.
- Filter flow increased to x10 tank volume, so external filter flow of at least 1800 litres per hour.
- Frequent plant trimming as growth can be rather monsterous.

If you want to treat as medium light:
- Remove reflectors.
- Fertilise preferably daily.
- Add some daily carbon source eg liquid carbon.
- Can possibly use existing 600l/hr filter, though
- Water changes, 50% monthly ?

If you want to treat as low light then:
- Remove reflectors.
- Block at least 50% of the light, eg foil rings around the light, gray plastic sheets etc
- Change to Juwel LED lights that can be dimmed.
- Fertilise in low doses, preferably daily.
- Add some carbon source eg fish poo, liquid carbon.
- Can possibly use existing 600l/hr filter.
- Less frequent water changes, 50% monthly or less ?
- Carefully chose plants that thrive better in lower light.

So plenty of options depending on wallet size and amount of work you are prepared to put in.
 
Really nice tank :)

I would consider keeping the number of schoaling species to 2 and getting eg. Dwarf cichlids seeing as you have soft water as a centrepiece fish.

Also how about hiding the filter on the right with one of your fastest growing plants?
 
Thanks all,

Ian, lights are Juwel multilux LED tubes 2x23w

I picked up some aquascaper complete liquid and have started daily dosing of 5ml and have started using excel again at a half dose.
I am considering a bit of a re-hash of the planting this week before any more livestock additions as I am not happy with a few things.

Let me know any thoughts or suggestions you have or plant suggestions.

Tidy up of the hygrophila and ludwigia behind and around the right hand driftwood maybe trimming to promote it to bush out, it has plenty of side shoots forming so assuming if I pinch out the tops it will push energy into these?

Maybe topping and replanting the Syngonanthus sp. Belem to get the scale right for now, it also has side shoots forming down low so looking to help it to bush out.

Behind the Syngonathus there is Rotala Colorata and Green varieties these seem to be doing OK albeit slowly due to low tech so would like these to get a bit taller before I trim.

Behind the left hand driftwood is 3 Blyxa Japanoica which I will move to the left so they are visible where the MC and Staurogyne repens is melting

Planing on giving helanthium tenellum a go to replace where MC and S. Repens is melting and to fill in any other areas.

Behind the left driftwood there is room for more planting, I am thinking about trying some crypts here maybe, I need 10-15cm height to be able to be visible above the driftwood but don't want too much taller as I want the planting on left to be low and increase in height to the right of tank. I don't have much choice as crypts seem to be hard to come by over here, most seem like lucky dip although I have seem Wendtii green and brown available as tissue culture. Any other suggestions for behind here?

Tidy up and group java ferns better and trim the spiky moss's

Live stock I am now thinking the following additions to the black neon's

5-7 Panda corydoras
7-9 Diamond tetras
10-20 RCS
 
Really nice tank :)

I would consider keeping the number of schoaling species to 2 and getting eg. Dwarf cichlids seeing as you have soft water as a centrepiece fish.

Also how about hiding the filter on the right with one of your fastest growing plants?

Any suggestions for dwarf cichlids ? I haven't really created any cave structure within the hardscape. I did originally consider rams of some sort but was put off by the difficulties some people had.

Also considering around 5 otocinclus potentially
 
There will be plenty of natural caves inbetween the rocks and wood. Not all are cave dwellers though.

Rams can be tricky but Bolivian Rams are much hardier. I would also suggest cockatoo, and agassizi dwarf cichlids. Nannacara anomala are superb if you can find them.
 
Ian, lights are Juwel multilux LED tubes 2x23w
These LED tubes are 2600lumen compared to equivalent T5 length of 2800 lumen. So the Juwel LED's are roughly equivalent to Juwel T5 HO with reflector (T5 with reflector gets all that 2800 lumen downwards, similar to LED). So well and truly in high-light region.

You need to adapt/configure/change/behave/think/ponder/panic/change underwear what to do about the light levels you have, as per my post below.
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/what’s-the-next-move-low-tech.53907/#post-533033

If you leave the LED lights as is, without CO2, without daily large fertiliser doses, frequent large water changes, you will simple melt & vaporise all your carefully chosen plants to mush and algae will move in to take over the tank.
 
Haha nice

Are there any 3rd party lights with dimming that suit the Juwel lids? I would get the helialux but it’s just too expensive by the time you purchase the controller. Alternatively any cheaper controllers that work with the helialux unit?
 
Dim the lights by wrapping foil rings around them or with covering grey plastic.
 
Any recommendations on how much to try blocking? Both tubes or just 1?
See if you can run with just one tube at a first pass. Juwel T5 units could only run with two tubes, LED units might be different.

If not invent/work out ways to block/lower the light from both tubes.
 
Back
Top