Calzone's new 120x60x45 optiwhite tank build

[Antipofish]

I've taken the scrunchy out. I reckon its not needed. Plus its just a dirt magnet.

Re the HC, good idea, I might try that one more time before binning the idea. I also tried replanting various stems which is very awkward in a 60cm deep tank, but the damn things just kept coming right back out, or worse, they'd stay in but dislodge 3 more established stems!!! There was some blue language.

How far in are you pushing the stems Nick ? I found that I was not pushing mine in enough. Are you planting two or three stems in at a time also ?

 

[Aqua sobriquet]

Tanks looking good but I agree about your earlier comments regarding the green/grey Ehiem tubing. Have you thought about using clear Acrylic?

 

[Calzone]

How far in are you pushing the stems Nick ? I found that I was not pushing mine in enough. Are you planting two or three stems in at a time also ?

If the stems are trimmed from the tops of the plants, I'm removing the first 2-3 sets of leaves, and putting them in 2-3 stems in a bunch about 1-2 inches into the substrate. The problem is these are smooth stems only about a mm wide, so there's really not much holding them in, and I have enough flow to wave the plants about, so probably the only solution is to hold them down somehow, possibly by wedging them in against the other stems. The real devils are the hygro polysperma and ludwigia repens are these have big leaves that act like sails in the flow.

I also have trouble with the pogostemon erectus, part of the problem here is the accessibility of where they are planted as its at the back, deep in the tank impeded by the wood.

As an aside, my java ferns, which suffered badly when planting as I'd put then on the wood first, and they dried out, have started to srout new leaves. and indeed some of the more damaged leaves that I left on have got babies growing on them. I know on a healthy plants this can be a good sign and in a damaged plants its a sign of distress, but at least is shows they are still alive and ought to recover is give decent conditions.

 

[Ady34]

Hi,

The problem is these are smooth stems only about a mm wide, so there's really not much holding them

pop them in at an angle, theyll hold better....... perhaps easier said than done in tight spaces i know, but it definitely improves holding!
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Antipofish]

Hi,

The problem is these are smooth stems only about a mm wide, so there's really not much holding them

pop them in at an angle, theyll hold better....... perhaps easier said than done in tight spaces i know, but it definitely improves holding!
Cheerio,
Ady.

Will they then grow at an angle or rise vertically ? Nick I dont have a problem with my Hygro it seems to be the one stem that stays in for me. One thing I found though is that the tweezers I have are quite broad and this can be a problem as when I pull the tweezers out the stem comes out with them. So I give them a little wiggle and the sand around them starts to infil as I slowly withdraw the tweezers. This seems to ensure they are a little more secure in the substrate. DEFFO 2" rather than 1" though, esp with your flow (well the flow you have NOW as opposed to last week, lol)

 

[Ady34]

Will they then grow at an angle or rise vertically ?

they will then grow vertically.
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[curefan]

Hi Cal...Please help....Im having trouble priming my filter for the first time. Been ages at it and cant get it running and am getting very angry
When you mention the prefilter, i assume that is the tray with the blue foam?

I seem to have air lock on my 2 intake pipes. I opened the filter and it seems to be full, but i still emptyed the tray with blue foam(prefilter) and tried prime it again but no joy (how do you take the top/head that 4 clamps hold on, off the filter without spilling water everywhere???).

Do you prime it unplugged with both intakes submerged? Is the spray bar over or under water?

Any suggestions?

Thanks, Dave.

 

[curefan]

....the only time i get flow from the spray bar is when i hold in prime button!

 

[Calzone]

....the only time i get flow from the spray bar is when i hold in prime button!

I have replied in detail to your post in the filters subforum.

Long and short of it - make sure the filter is empty, completely. Inlets under water, outlet above water with no spraybar fitted.

Open valve and pump the primer as hard and fast as you can. It can take a lot of effort but will eventually work.

If after all that you just cant get it, your best option is to suck the air out!! Nightmare I know. Pretty sure your primer button will work eventually, but its surprisingly a lot of effort first time, almost scarily so. But you are essentially pressurising 24 litres of bucket.

Re opening without water getting eveywhere: you can't. End of discussion. Invest in towels, or take it outside every time. Or get some sort of deep large plastic tray. You can minimise, by lifting it off the filter but holding it over the filter in line until the drips minimise. then don't tilt it until its above a bucket.

And if you are getting nervous with hundreds of litres of pressurised water around you, dont worry, you are not alone. That's healthy. Just take your time and double check.

By the way, i was filling my tank the other while fiddling with something and forgot - spillage!! Jesus, that was the fastest I've moved in years. luckily the water mostly ended up on the carpet and not the plugs.....

 

[curefan]

....cheers....right, i think i will empty my filter completely and try again as I only empty the pre filter!

 

[Calzone]

Tanks looking good but I agree about your earlier comments regarding the green/grey Ehiem tubing. Have you thought about using clear Acrylic?

I went with Eheim installation set for the spray bars. Quite like them - smoky grey and very convenient. On the inlets, they're mostly hidden so far so not a big deal. I might go installation kits there too as cleaning hoses much easier.....

 

[curefan]

Hi Cal,
Do you have a link to where you bought the Eheim installation set ?
Not too keen on the green spray bar myself!!

 

[Calzone]

will send you a pm as dont want to offend the sites' sponsors!! (thought it might have been one of them....)

 

[Calzone]

Quick Update...

Been very busy lately at work on away at weekends, been difficult to work on the tank. Growth is good, think I am finally getting the CO2 back into shape after the last month of trials with the poor flow etc.

Over the weekend, I was away. Before I went I adjusted the electronic plug timers to slightly shorten the photoperiod. I am using the ones with LCD screens and setup buttons etc.

However, I made a mistake: I adjusted programme one time on, all good. I adjusted programme one time off, all good. I then accidentally ended up setting programme 2 time on to midnight. There's no way obvious to delete this setting once its done. I didnt notice. And worse, I didnt set programme 2 time off to 12:01. So I then went away over the weekend.....

Came back late last night, and noticed one set of lights come back on at midnight, and not turn off....... so then I sawy what I had done: my lights come on at 1430, off at 1730. The second set of lights come on at 1730, then off at 2130. Then the first set of lights came back on at 2400, AND THEN STAYED ON UNTIL 1730 the next day!!!!

Oops.

So in case you're wondering, yes, running like this for two days (and note the CO2 still only comes on at 1300 off at 2100) does cause algae. A lot of algae. Mainly black hair algae, and some fuzzy black beard algae. plus a whole lot of green spot algae on the glass. Plants doing ok, apart from the ones now affected by algae.

So, big water change, scrub the glass. will get round to physical removal of the BBA and hair algae. Have obviously changed the photo period and will actually have a much shorter one today until I can clear out the physically removable algae tonight. And chop down the enormous stems which grew 6 inches over the weekend.

Fish are alright, though another danio committed hari kari last night by jumping out of the tank. My water level is within a centimetre of the top, and though I have cover glasses, there are 3 inch gaps on each side. think I will leave at least an inch at the top going forward.

 

[Ady34]

at least you know why the algae appeared and can practice eradicating it!
Cheerio,
Ady.

 

[Calzone]

always look on the bright side of life eh?!!?

true. Hopefully, fixing the causes that I think I know, should give improvement. The algae also tells me something. it only appears on vallis especially where the ends are cut, java fern (which are recovering from drying out during planting), wood and stones. So this tells me which plants are not entirely happy.... I confess, that I think the vallis are not long for this world: they grow so fast that cutting them is the only viable option, but if they're just going to become algae factories, I may prefer not to have them full stop.

 

[Antipofish]

always look on the bright side of life eh?!!?

true. Hopefully, fixing the causes that I think I know, should give improvement. The algae also tells me something. it only appears on vallis especially where the ends are cut, java fern (which are recovering from drying out during planting), wood and stones. So this tells me which plants are not entirely happy.... I confess, that I think the vallis are not long for this world: they grow so fast that cutting them is the only viable option, but if they're just going to become algae factories, I may prefer not to have them full stop.

Why not go for Echinodorus Vesuvius or Cryptocoryne Balansae or Aponogeton Crispus instead mate. More texture to them but still give the height.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I confess, that I think the vallis are not long for this world: they grow so fast that cutting them is the only viable option, but if they're just going to become algae factories, I may prefer not to have them full stop.

I think you are right, I don't think Vallis responds very well to having its leaf tips cut off. I think you have to prune the whole leaf off at the base to avoid die back. The cut ends will leak all sort of interesting substances,which is probably why they have the algae on them. I find this with Java Fern in some of the tanks, that as the old leaves become tatty they develop Stagshorn on the tatty bits.

cheers Darrel

 

[Calzone]

Staghorn.... think that's what this is. Question: if I remove most of it by hand, will it go away if I get CO2 and flow sorted out and steady, or am I stuck with it?

Re vesuvius - I have some in the tank already. But its not clear to me that its going to survive. Most of it has melted, and not entirely sure its going to come back. Similarly Echi Reni doing nothing much. I know these plants are hungry but I've never been successful with Echinodorus for some reason.

Think I will remove the vallis eventually, not sure I really like it......

 

[Antipofish]

Staghorn.... think that's what this is. Question: if I remove most of it by hand, will it go away if I get CO2 and flow sorted out and steady, or am I stuck with it?

Re vesuvius - I have some in the tank already. But its not clear to me that its going to survive. Most of it has melted, and not entirely sure its going to come back. Similarly Echi Reni doing nothing much. I know these plants are hungry but I've never been successful with Echinodorus for some reason.

Think I will remove the vallis eventually, not sure I really like it......

Have you tried putting fert tabs by their roots ?