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Andy D's Splendid Tank

That's weird, although my knowledge of science is junior school level my guess would be that something in the tea is affecting the test results.
It's quite possible I'm entirely wrong but I don't see how tea can remove minerals to effect the kh... Happy to learn something here though.... Darrel/Clive...
 
Everything of the same sort I've tried like alder cones, almond leaves, etc,...affect the Kh first and then depending how lot it gets it, can drop the ph too, just didn't do it as fast as the rooibos tea. So I don't think its weird, its the acids in the tea that affect the buffers, neutralize some of them. It obviously wouldn't drop the mineral content which is measured by general hardness.
 
I have removed a lot of the Salvinia Natans from the tank and replaced it with more Water Lettuce. I have also added some Frogbit.

I have also bought an Anthurium to balance out the external left side of the tank.

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sciencefiction said:
You know that anthurium to the left loves growing in water ;)
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Yeah! :)

I originally considered this but as with the plant on the right (whose name escapes me as I type this) it is just too big.

Maybe I'll see if I can take some sort of cutting...

Edit - Calathea. :)
 
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Hi all,
The addition of organic acids etc from the Rooibos or green tea etc will effect pH, dKH and conductivity. All humic substances tint the water and are able to chelate multivalent cations.

It is back to the active clay substrates and cation exchange capacity (CEC), the organic acids do this because they have negatively charged sites on the molecule surface (CEC) that bind to multivalent cations, such as iron (Fe+++), calcium (Ca++) and magnesium (Mg++). Monovalent cations will only be bound to a very small degree, with ions bound according to their order on the Lyotropic series <http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/robert.fuller/370%20Files/Week5Ion%20Exchange/Lyotropicseries.htm>.

Because H+ ions are lightly bound they will be replaced by Ca++ ions etc. taking these out of the equation.

Your dKH test is actually measuring alkalinity, and not just HCO3- ions, and you've added H+ ions lowering the alkalinity. There is a good explanation here: <http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/alkalinity.html>

Have a look at <http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/humic-acids> & <http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/chelation> for some more bits on humic substances.

cheers Darrel
 
Yesterday I managed to get the other light suspended. Not having the bar obstructing the view of the Peace Lillie's was great but the back of the tank under the caddies lost a lot of the light it was getting before.

Therefore I have gone back to using the rim mount for it. Perhaps I should have used an alternative method for the Peace Lillie's. Oh well, I don't mind it to be fair.

:)
 
Not a great deal has changed. I added 20 RCS a few days ago and they seem to have settled in well. I have seen quite a few moults.

The water lettuce is slowly making its way across the surface. As well as the usual benefits this brings the roots are doing a good job at covering up the planters.

Here are some (poor) shots:

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Iain Sutherland said:
Whats the secret to the lileaopsis andy? just dies in my low tech.
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Neglect I think. :)

When I gave the Walstad method a half-hearted go this plant did well. When I knew I was taking the tank down I just left it to its own devices. All the plants in the tank finally gave up except this.

Basically I don't do anything but plant it and leave it to get on with it.

Iain Sutherland said:
Think we buy our lower pot saucers at the same place pal.
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Yeah posh aren't they! :D
 
I took an overhead shot today. I would have preferred to get more height for the shot but it will do.

You can see the new leaves as they have a very waxy look, more so than new leaves on plants grown in soil. I wonder if this is due to how they are grown?

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On the 5th October I turned 37. Seeing as it was my birthday I decided to be a bit extravagant and have paid more than I rightly should have for two Do!Aqua plant cubes - http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/shop/wabi-kusa/plant-glass/cubes/doaqua-plant-glass-cube-1520

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Yes they are basically vases but I could not find any others for the size I wanted that were any cheaper than these. As I am sure most of you know they are designed for Wabi-kusa (http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/articles/tips-techniques/wabi-kusa) and whilst this is something I may try later I have bought them to go either side of my tank to replace the plants that are there.

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The plan is to have some Spider Plants growing emmersed like the Peace Lilies in the main tank and the cubes will be decorated in a similar fashion (subject to change ) to the main tank.

I still have a few bits to get together, namely some decent but cheap clip on lights to attach to the main tank to shine over the cubes. Currently considering some clip-ons from IKEA- http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/10214213/.

I am also considering removing the black background on the main tank to let more light is as it is pretty dull.
 
The darkness in my tank has been bugging me and I had been considering getting an Arcadia Classica Stretch to sit on the tank rim just above the water line.

Fortunately before shelling out £48 I came to my senses! and I have simply lowered my current light. At the moment it is suspended but I am hoping someone who has an Arcadia Stretch can donate their plastic rim clamps.

Finally I have the light level I have been after! :)

Here are some shots:

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Hi Andy, The tank looks fab healthy plants too.What moss is on the wire?? If you put it in a damp plastic box on a window sill.It will grow into a nice thick mat in about a month or so ;) I love the W-K planters.They look great with the small DW pieces and sand in. What plants are you thinking of using ?
 
Thanks! :)

It's Java moss. I'll give you suggestion a go at some point.

The plan for the W-K glasses is to grow some Spider plant plantlets in them. I did not realise how chunky their roots can be until recently so the plan now is to leave the wood and sand and add some leaf-litter. I have some Ramshorns to add as well. I have some eggcrate on order that will rest on top to support the plants and this will hopefully be obscured as they grow.
 
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