70L planted - first tank

[LFNfan]

Similar story four days on from the last post: new growth looks ok, old growth melting (we know that's not going to stop at this point).

Added another light yesterday, 6500k, to add some blue photons alongside the red ones put out by the existing 2600k light.

Allpondsolutions do a light that fits my tank and is not massively expensive. I will take stock in a month or so.

Separately, the anubias is putting out a new leaf. Always exciting. I hope its not variegated.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

new growth looks ok, old growth melting

Looking at the Water Lettuce / Nile Cabbage (Pistia stratiotes) the new leaves look healthy <"and more compact">, so I think you are definitely going in the right direction. The Salvinia looks better as well.

cheers Darrel

 

[LFNfan]

file note - GH around 9, KH around 5 after second 20L:5L water change

 

[LFNfan]

We are making progress with the Pistia and salvinia. Definitely on the right track.

After today's water change GH still around 9 and KH around 5, maybe a smidge lower. Still some work to do there. I may go full RO for the next couple of changes if I'm targeting 5 and 1-ish.

In other news my fin rot Bentosi made its final reappearance, at the top of the tank, white and floating. A bit gruesome. It always kept out of sight but I had not even glimpsed it for a week or so, so I was expecting the worst at some point.

One of my ottos also died, yesterday. It had been spending a lot of time on the gravel these past few weeks so I thought something might be up. Still, it seemed to be feeding fine. Well, obviously all was not well.

I tested ammonia and nitrite after removing the deceased and before changing water - both were zero.

Other livestock good.

 

[LFNfan]

Floating plants looking better and better. Was it the water, the lights or the ferts? 🤷‍♂️ Probably some of all of them. This feels like something of a landmark moment.

GH is showing I need a new test kit, KH is 4.

 

[LFNfan]

Yep, floaters thriving. This shot after some thinning, particularly the pistia.

The siamensis has become quite 'toppy' - just stem coming out of the substrate to a height of 20cm or so, then lots of leaf and mid-stem roots. I will need to do a big trim and replant session now the (dying) floater issue is resolved..

GH still around 9 and KH around 4. Will keep plugging away at that.

 

[LFNfan]

Well, I did the 'trimming' - so much siamensis came out.

But the replanting did not quite go to plan - kept floating up (last replanted stem came unmoored today). I have some lead plant weights but lead poisoning?

I quite like the tank's new look. I mean its not an aquascape but its a start

 

[LFNfan]

The single piece of frogbit that came in with the pistia six weeks ago or so has grown fat. When is this monster going to start giving me some baby frogbits?

 

[LFNfan]

Well it ain't looking so clever now...
Went away for a few weeks and came back to salvinia smothering the tank, red roots out-competed pistia unhappy and the frogbit very unhappy albeit finally giving me some plantlets. Nerites had polished the glass spotless. One missing Bentosi, presumed deceased.

Ive done a few water changes with epsom salts in the week since being back, and upped the macros from N1 to N1.5. Don't want to go back to N2 yet as I think N2 might have been killing off the snails. Hopefully things will recover.

In other news I'm planning on a (re)scape as I think I can keep plants alive now, and the overall look is currently a bit too random.

When I first got into this hobby nearly a year and a half ago, I bought some glimmer wood rocks because who doesn't want rocks that glimmer. But in hindsight I might have preferred a more natural looking scape (whilst avoiding kitsch of course).

I'm not sure I have enough glimmer to pull off a decent hardscape so my dilemma is: bench the glimmer and go 'river', or double down on the glimmer and go mountainous / Mordor with a glimmery twist.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Well it ain't looking so clever now

Ive done a few water changes with epsom salts in the week since being back

Looking at your Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) it looks like it has been through <"iron (Fe) and / or magnesium (Mg) deficiency">, but is <"now recovering">.

cheers Darrel

 

[LFNfan]

Rescape Day.

Took half a day off today to do the rescape and tick off some tasks around the house.

Well, the rescape got done anyway.

What a lot of work!

Fish survived - I counted them all out and counted them back in again. SAE was a doddle surprisingly, corys played dead which amused me...now I was expecting it, and the bentosi - lively beggars!

Will do a tank shot tomorrow when the lights are back on.

A bucket of green. That spider plant is living its best life

Lights out.

Ran out of containers so went for the 'pile it up on one side' approach.

 

[LFNfan]

Updated look. I have managed to create more or less what I had in mind, which is an achievement I'm pleased with in and of itself. Plenty of inspiration on ukaps for the next rescape 18 months from now.

 

[_Maq_]

To my eyes, your tank is rather short of plants. More plants would improve the environment, make the tank more stable.

 

[PARAGUAY]

It's your aquarium of course and what your happy with is all that counts but have to agree with more plants as taking it up to another level Some easy foreground plants maybe

 

[bazz]

I would also do plenty of water changes for a week or two after disturbing the substrate to that degree.
Cheers!

 

[LFNfan]

My wife said the same thing re the plants!

I have siamensis 53B all along the back so I'm hoping that will grow up and fill out nicely.

Any recommendations for easy foreground plants?

 

[LFNfan]

About a week on from the 'upheaval' and all going fine. Sessiliflora bushing out nicely.

Would E. parvula be a good candidate for an easy foreground plants to add to my low-tech tank? Saw it here.

 

[_Maq_]

Would E. parvula be a good candidate for an easy foreground plants to add to my low-tech tank?

I've come to hate all Eleocharis because once you introduce them into a tank, you can't stop their proliferation. Low-tech.

 

[erwin123]

I've come to hate all Eleocharis because once you introduce them into a tank, you can't stop their proliferation. Low-tech.

How to grow Hygrophila sp. chai

Hygrophila sp. chai is a mutation of Hygrophila araguaia that occurred in South Island's farm (Singapore). It takes on a distinctively pink coloration, with occasional white streaks. This is a detailed guide on how to grow Hygrophila sp. chai, including how to overcome challenges in keeping this...

www.2hraquarist.com

Have a go at Hygophila sp-chai

 

[_Maq_]

Have a go at Hygophila sp-chai

I'm of the opinion that this cultivar features low chlorophyll and is therefore unfit for low-tech. Similarly, I do not attempt to keep Ludwigia White.
But I do have some experience with "ordinary" Hygrophila lancea and Ludwigia inclinata ssp. The former grows slowly yet steadily to me, the latter can be trimmed if needed.