144 liter low tech

[Henrik J.]

Day 56: Time for an update!

I'm thinking this journal could be called '144 liters of I've changed my mind'... I have made a lot of changes to the setup. I'm a tinkerer I guess.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I've added co2, so this is not a low tech anymore. Co2 is distributed via a jbl proflora direct. To get the co2 properly distributed I have also put in a Koralia powerhead. The increased flow means the sand in the foreground is shifting a bit, but it's not too bad.

I've also put up a 2x24w t5 lamp, as the first light simply wasn't enough. Lights are on 6 hours a day.

I am dosing Tropica Specialised Fertiliser, but only half dosis.

I've added a few more plants. Valisneria Nana pretty much melted away and have only just now turned around - Only 1 out of 5 plants have started growing - so in order to get some more plant mass I added som Limnophila sessiliflora in the background. I am planning on eventually removing it and replacing it with Valisneria Nana, now that it has begun putting out runners.

I also added Limnophila hippuridoides behind the Microsorum pteropus 'trident'. The Microsorum is slowly putting out new leaves and some of the old ones have melted. Really beautiful plant.

Helanthium tenellum 'Green' haven't filled in yet, but started putting out a lot of runners a week or so ago, so it will get there.

Some livestock have also been added. I have 7 otocinclus, 6 corydora paleatus and an ever growing flock of crystal shrimps. I am thinking of getting another 6 corydora paleatus as it is a really nice fish, very active, and doesn't grow too big.

I have some bba on some of the rocks (in a spot with a lot of flow) and I'm scrubbing away with a toothbrush to remove them. I hope they will be outcompeted by the plants eventually. I also had a lot of biofilm on the surface - because of the melting plants perhaps - but that is not an issue anymore. I had to remove the biofilm daily, so I'm really happy it's gone.

I am doing two water changes a week. 25% on Wednesdays and 50% on Sundays. I am doing two wc's because of the bba. Sundays is also the big maintenance day with glass cleaning, pruning and so on.

 

[Henrik J.]

Day 61, small update

A few days ago I decided to remove the leaves that my trident java fern came with when I first bought it at the LFS. Reason was that the leaves weren't adapting to their new home, but were slowly dissolving and I was afraid it might cause algae problems. So I removed them and only left the new leaves, which by the way, look really great and healthy compared to the leaves that the plant arrived with. I think, in the future, I will simply trim away all the leaves and just 'plant' the rhizomes in a new setup.

The trim also means the Limnophila hippuridoides get a lot more light and is really taking off now.

A picture of the aquarium after the java fern leaves were removed

 

[SuperJam]

Really like the journal and the scape i love the mosses - look very natural! Will follow with interest.

I had a mini power head on mine to improve the flow but couldn't stop the substrate getting moved about so after much deliberation I changed the filter, I think I could have worked it out in the end but panicked with a BBA outbreak after adding the power head (still trying to get rid of it) but in hindsight I just got the balance of CO2/lights etc and power head strength wrong... still working on it!

 

[Tim Harrison]

Coming along nicely

 

[Henrik J.]

Really like the journal and the scape i love the mosses - look very natural! Will follow with interest.

I had a mini power head on mine to improve the flow but couldn't stop the substrate getting moved about so after much deliberation I changed the filter, I think I could have worked it out in the end but panicked with a BBA outbreak after adding the power head (still trying to get rid of it) but in hindsight I just got the balance of CO2/lights etc and power head strength wrong... still working on it!

I had a hydor pico powerhead on first, it shifted the sand a lot more. The one I'm currently using, the one in the picture is actually putting out more l/h, but does it more gently because of the 'open' propellerhead. I think I might be collecting more debris and stuff in the aquarium because of this, but I am hoping that a strict maintenance regime will resolve that.

You like the moss' look? Both of them? Because I am thinking about trimming the spiky moss.

 

[SuperJam]

I like the look of it as is but I actually really like moss full stop (moss mad perhaps!) I know the general advice is to keep trimming as it should grow back thicker and attach to surfaces better so is that the same for spiky? I have Phoenix and it definitely grows better when it's been trimmed

I had a tunze nano also open head type, excellent power head but couldn't make it work

 

[Henrik J.]

I like the look of it as is but I actually really like moss full stop (moss mad perhaps!) I know the general advice is to keep trimming as it should grow back thicker and attach to surfaces better so is that the same for spiky? I have Phoenix and it definitely grows better when it's been trimmed

I had a tunze nano also open head type, excellent power head but couldn't make it work

I'm a moss lover too! I want to do a complete moss scape at some point. Regarding whether the spiky will crawl and attach to the branch it's already on, I'm thinking the amount of flow has something to say. So in my tank I don't think it will crawl and attach very well because of the relatively high flow. I think I'll trim it soon and then see what happens.

Have a nice day!

 

[Rodgie]

This is a lovely scale!

I was excited to see the very beginning part that it was gonna be a Non Co2 tank. I was hoping everything was gonna go well. What made you change your mind again?

But, overall I like how it evolved.

Great job!

 

[Henrik J.]

This is a lovely scale!

I was excited to see the very beginning part that it was gonna be a Non Co2 tank. I was hoping everything was gonna go well. What made you change your mind again?

But, overall I like how it evolved.

Great job!

Hi Rodgie

Thanks for the reply. Regarding the Co2, I wanted the plants to really take off. And they did. For a while, but then during the summer holiday I was away from the tank for periods of time, and the balances, co2, ferts etc. got twisted, and it turned into an algae party. I have spend some time restoring the tank, partially by removing algae mechanically, partially with the help of a few Neritina snails and a couple of Crossocheilus reticulatus. Fantastic fish, really lively, great at eating algae and also peaceful enough to have around other fish. I am now back to non Co2 and I am really enjoying the tank, although it's a slow grower. Water changes are just top offs with the ocassional regular water change. Seems to work very well.. The valisneria Nana have really taken off and is filling out the background. I had to remove the phoenix moss, after the algae outbreak and have decided to do without moss for now... I am considering what to do with the foreground, I had to remove a lot of the Helanthium tenellum because of algae...

Again, thank you for showing an interest in the tank and this journal...

Here's a pic of how it looks now:

 

[Rodgie]

Oh that's awesome you stocked with it. I think the tank is getting more balanced as days passes by. It's cool to know too that this is now back to low tech. How long is your photo period ATM? Where did your frogbits go?

I love how you styled those individual woods! Great job on that!

Maybe get some Crypt Parva for your foreground.

 

[Henrik J.]

Oh that's awesome you stocked with it. I think the tank is getting more balanced as days passes by. It's cool to know too that this is now back to low tech. How long is your photo period ATM? Where did your frogbits go?

Maybe get some Crypt Parva for your foreground.

Hi Rodgie

Photoperiod is still only 6 hours, maybe I should turn it up to 7, but on the other hand, tank is doing with 6 hours... I also have to change the light bulbs soon, and that will increase the light strength, so maybe I should just stay at 6 hours, change the light bulbs, and if the tank is doing fine, despite the new bulbs, then turn it up.

I took the frogbit out, it clogged the inlet pipe completely sometimes... I would love to have som floating plants, but not frogbit again, too much a hassle, although I like how they look in a tank.

Crypt Parva is actually not a bad idea. I like crypts. Thx for the idea.

Best regards,
Henrik

 

[mort]

Really lovely scape. It's something I'd love to do but mine always tend to become over planted. Wish I had your self control as the open spaces make the look.

 

[Henrik J.]

...mine always tend to become over planted. (...) ...the open spaces make the look.

Hi Mort

Thank you for the reply. I also think this tank looks good right now. But only a few weeks back it was completely overplanted, the valisneria was running everywhere, a huge wisteria was soaking up all the light and so on... so, the open space only just came back... I hope I can keep it this way though... I would actually like the jungle look and would like to try for a over planted tank using just 1-2 plant types. I think it would look great.

Have a great sunday, best regards

Henrik

 

[Rodgie]

Hiya,

I think open space can still be achieved with any forground (carpeting plants).

I have a question about your Frogbits,
Where they okay being moved around a little with some surface movement?

 

[Henrik J.]

Hiya,

I think open space can still be achieved with any forground (carpeting plants).

I have a question about your Frogbits,
Where they okay being moved around a little with some surface movement?

Hi Rodgie

I never had amazon frogbit in there, I got the plants mixed up when you asked me a few questions back. I had duckweed in there. And the duckweed grew a lot despite the 1000 l/h filter and the Hydor Koralia powerhead which puts out 900 l/h. I used to have some spiky moss on the wood branches just under the surface and a lot of the duckweed would cling to that and form small islands of frogbit. It might have been therefore that the frogbit grew as much as it did. But eventually I had to remove it, it got stuck all over the inlet pipe and to the powerhead as well. I have tried pistia as well, but they just melted, I guess they didn't like the current and being moved about. I have yet to try amazon frogbit but am planning to do so, I really like how they look.

Best,
Henrik