• 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

Skinz180189's 60L Budget Tropical Tank *Now Planted!* (56K)

aaronnorth said:
the wisteria is a nce addition.
The "cycle" you have added will probably do nothing to help your bacteria/ cycle as the bacteria it contains will be dead unless it is freshly produced.

Oh well, it does say to chuck some in with new fish addition, water changes etc. I had it anyway from setting the tank(s) up, not like I went out and bought it especially :)
 
Quick update....
DSC_0341.jpg


The stems seem to grow very quickly in here (wisteria is slower than whatever the other one is). Might rip the Java Ferns out, black algae spots are slowly taking over.
Have plenty of fat snails that continuously breed, yet no fry from the livebearers. These must be the least sexually active livebearers ever. :thumbdown:

Ammonia problem seems to be calming down, fish are losing the red area behind their gills after some frequent water changing.

Original moss is doing well...
DSC_0342.jpg

Moss on the big stones doesn't seem to be doing anything.
 
Id give the tank time to fill before you make a final decision to remove the java ferns,
if you do so now you may worsen the problem :(
 
FINALLY! The first guppy fry have arrived. Turned the lights off, and noticed one swimming around. Managed to catch 3 (they are currently in the floating breeder), and there may well be more hiding.

Will move them from the floating breeder to the 40l tank when they are big enough to not get sucked up by the vacuum syphon thing.
 
I cut it right back. However, struggling for a way to plant it, I superglued it to a piece of slate. There's no way it will just stay in the gravel.

Thanks on the fry. I don't know when I'll put them in the 40. I keep losing the otos in there, and they are far far bigger than these lol.
 
skinz180189 said:
I cut it right back. However, struggling for a way to plant it, I superglued it to a piece of slate. There's no way it will just stay in the gravel.
I've never heard of anyone attaching hairgrass to hardscape - not saying it won't work, just never heard/seen it.
Maybe look into some plant weights if it comes out of the substrate easily. Some of mine did it after a while and the shrimps pulling it out, it get a pain but in time it took hold.
 
Hello :wave:

Just read your thread from start to finish, looks like you have come on a journey and i can see the "planted tank" glint in your eye!

As a fellow Elite user i know what your working with, excllent bits of kit to get started with:


Just a couple of things to consider

1. you mention earlier in your thread that you hadnt cleaned you stingray filter in five weeks, when i was using mine b4 i went external i was cleaning it every 7-10days. I also have a fluval U2 which is an excellent internal filter and benefits from having media in it. As with the stingray its important to give it regular cleans as internals definatly loose there performance a lot quicker than an external. This will have positive effects on both your plants and fish ;)
2. Not trying to encourage you to spend money, but managed to fit a second tube into the hood, (12" t5) and that had real benefits on the light levels for me. If you interested i can post some pics up to show you how to do it. Its really easy and you only need to drill two small holes. :thumbup:

I hope this helps

Andy
 
andyh said:
Hello :wave:

Just read your thread from start to finish, looks like you have come on a journey and i can see the "planted tank" glint in your eye!

As a fellow Elite user i know what your working with, excllent bits of kit to get started with:


Just a couple of things to consider

1. you mention earlier in your thread that you hadnt cleaned you stingray filter in five weeks, when i was using mine b4 i went external i was cleaning it every 7-10days. I also have a fluval U2 which is an excellent internal filter and benefits from having media in it. As with the stingray its important to give it regular cleans as internals definatly loose there performance a lot quicker than an external. This will have positive effects on both your plants and fish ;)
2. Not trying to encourage you to spend money, but managed to fit a second tube into the hood, (12" t5) and that had real benefits on the light levels for me. If you interested i can post some pics up to show you how to do it. Its really easy and you only need to drill two small holes. :thumbup:

I hope this helps

Andy

Cheers. Don't know where you've picked up I didn't clean the filter in 5 weeks though. I always give it a clean with the weekly water change, and have done since getting the tank.
 
skinz180189 said:
Think I got the fluval u2 in just in time! Currently got both filters in (for the fluval media to mature), but that elite was a state after 5-6 weeks of being running. Gave it a full strip down clean, and there was waste everywhere inside.

Erm, just a guess, but i'd say this is where he picked that up from!!!
 
baron von bubba said:
skinz180189 said:
Think I got the fluval u2 in just in time! Currently got both filters in (for the fluval media to mature), but that elite was a state after 5-6 weeks of being running. Gave it a full strip down clean, and there was waste everywhere inside.

Erm, just a guess, but i'd say this is where he picked that up from!!!

A bit misleading, but I do clean them out weekly. It was in a state inside all the impeller housing and everything when I took it right apart to clean up and store.
 
yes that's were i got it from, now realise it doesn't say what i thought, note to self must not skim read, must read thoroughly!!! :oops: :lol:

Anyway come to think of it my stingray wouldn't still be working in my tank if i left it for five weeks as mine fills up with off cuts from my jarva moss after pruning! (such a pain)

Apologies once again, keep up the journal!

:thumbup:
 
Not updated this for a few weeks...

The tank had started to grow pretty wildly now I'm using TPN+ for ferts, so I trimmed out around 2/3rds of it. Mostly Wisteria & the other stem (still don't know exactly what it is). Moss is really taking hold of the rocks, Java fern is still slow as ever. Amazon Sword is also growing well.

Fry wise, we must have about 25-30 now. Some are almost big enough to transfer to the 40 now. Fish wise, I'm down to 4 mollies, 7 guppies & the plec. 1 Mollie is recovering from cotton fungus, and has responded well to the treatment which is good.

A quick shot...
DSC_0420.jpg
 
Tank as it is now, will need a trim with this week's water change...

60TankDec.jpg


Sorry about the image quality, photobucket sucks.

Down to 2 adult mollies and 1 adult guppy now. They haven't lasted me that long, I had the water tested and it was fine, so they must have been old or a crap stock of fish. Most likely inbred :rolleyes: . 2 otocinclus are now in there from the defunct 40litre, and they are happy alongside the bristlenose plec. Have about 40-50 molly/guppy fry in the floating breeders. Really need to rehome them TBH.

Plant wise - Java Fern all but dead, all the spiral vallis diasappeared, must have melted. Java moss thriving in some areas but struggling under the wisteria. Stems grow mad, as does the wisteria, and I have 2 amazon swords now, one salvaged from the 40 litre which only has 3 leaves left! I'm hoping I can save that.

All of this tank will be getting transferred into a Rekord 120 when I get round to it.
 
Back
Top