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Andy D - First proper attempt - name to be decided

Andy D

Member
Joined
27 Apr 2013
Messages
1,461
Hi All,

I have spent many hours reading the many great posts on this site and have now decided to start a journal on my first 'proper' foray into a high-tech planted tank. Hopefully I have got most of the basics right but I will ALWAYS welcome any feedback whether it be good or bad.

Let me start by saying that this tank has been set up to get to grips with everything. It does not matter if it looks terrible or if it all goes pear shaped as I have set it up as a learning tool.

The stats:

Tank - 30litre Fluval Ebi
Filter - stock internal filter with spraybar
Circulation Pump - Hydor Pico 650
Lighting - 11w PL light on for 5 hours per day
CO2 - 2kg Fire Extinguisher with ceramic diffuser set to come on 2 hours before lights on and off 1 hour before lights off.
Ferts - TNC Complete at 1ml per day. Will switch to EI at some point soon.
Substrate - Tesco cat litter
Hardscape - Lava Rock
Flora - Pogostemon Erectus, Hemianthus Callitrichoides and an unnamed stem plant
Fauna - none

The tank was initially set up with Eleocharis Acicularis but this suffered an attack from some green hair algae. The positive side to this was that I knew something was not right. I improved the flow with the powerhead and completed a pH profile and pH dropped from 7.6 to 6.7 by lights on and then a further 0.1 when tested an hour later so at present I am happy with CO2 levels. I upped the ferts and fingers crossed there has not been much sign of the algae since.

All of the current plants were only bought/planted today so time will tell how it all goes. The HC has been pearling which I am happy with but again we will see how it all goes.

Is a 5 hour photoperiod long enough?

Feel free to comment as you see fit! :)

Andy

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Looks and sounds like a great start, one thing to watch is the plants at the rear behind the rocks this is where flow will be very restricted, I had this problem in my 30l cube and my HM suffered,

Mark
 
This tank houses some Chilli Rasbora. Basically as you can see, wood, leaves, a few Crypts, Anubias, and some water lettuce along with some lovely tannin stained water which is actually darker than the picture shows.

I have another Superfish tank that houses some RCS (along with Endlers and Embers):

pysuheny.jpg


Although I do have plans to set up another shrimp tank.
 
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