EndorFeena 300L planted aquarium

[dmachado]

This week I terminated my almost 4 year 150L project:

...and moved on to a bigger planted aquarium for discus, with mineralized bonsai soil substrate, calcium carbonate rocks and LED lighting, here are some photos:

I used water from the smaller aquarium as well as "dirty" filter media to get the new filter started. The aquarium is a 300L Jebo and the filter is a JBL 701e 901e. At the time of the photos there was a slight cloudiness to the water, that's completely gone now.

4 days after setup all the fish went in the tank, and everything is fine. The blyxa is already turning bronze and pink on the new shoots!

The lights have 3 levels to prevent full power on prison like spotlights scaring the hell out of the discus, I'll post the sequence later.

Regards from Portugal

 

[fish fodder]

Looking good

 

[sanj]

I would think calcium carbonate rocks would harden the water quite a bit?

 

[dmachado]

I would think calcium carbonate rocks would harden the water quite a bit?

Hello sanj, I'd think that too, for the time being just before the weekly 50% water change, KH and GH were both 6, in fact lower than my previous project (I added Epsom Salts and baking Soda to that aquarium, and many times went over 10 on both).

I had serious Ca deficiency in that other aquarium, planorbis shells damaged etc., lets see how this one does. For now I am adding Epsom Salts, besides micro, and the planorbis shells are shiny and new.

For the time being light has been reduced to 40W only (!!!!!), and the CO2 has been increased, I had a few leaves melting and some new shoots too yellow.

Here's a photo showing 40W worth of leds:

Blyxa going bronze/pink:

Cheers.

 

[sanj]

Thats interesting, is your water soft any way? perhaps it is not an issue then.

 

[dmachado]

I am keeping a close watch this first month, but I think the rocks (even though they are travertino rocks pure CaCO3) are not having such a big impact on water hardness. Anyway I have to add Mg, so GH will rise maybe to 10-12 as before.

The planorbis shells are my index system for Ca.

Cheers.

 

[dmachado]

So pH 7.0 GH 5.5 KH 5.5, plenty of nitrate and phosphate, the CO2 was the limiting nutrient for a few days till I got it stable - DIY 2l coke bottles, in parallel and changed every two weeks, each bottle runs for about 4 weeks.

An update:

The sunset:

Lack of CO2:

My Ca index, you can see the before and after:

The plants are staring to grow and show their colors again:

And the discus are feeling at home:

Cheers.

 

[markj]

looks great

 

[sanj]

Lovely healthy looking discus.

 

[Kogre]

Looking great. How're you finding cleaning the substrate? Are you simply vaccuming slightly above the surface?

 

[jy_oc_hx]

Looks great. If you don't mind me asking, what is your recipe for the 2l CO2 bottles.

 

[Francis]

Looks very nice indeed

 

[dmachado]

Looking great. How're you finding cleaning the substrate? Are you simply vaccuming slightly above the surface?

Hello, this type of sand is not requiring any vaccuming, it doesn't seem to hold any dirt, between the corydora team, the ancistrus team, the tiger loach flying solo and the planorbis after party cleanup crew. I do recall with the black gravel on the other aquarium, some vaccuming was needed.

Looks great. If you don't mind me asking, what is your recipe for the 2l CO2 bottles.

Hello, I got the jello recipe going for about 6 weeks, 2 packs of jello, 400g sugar and one teaspoon baking soda mixed in it, with about 1 liter water, then warm-ish water up to 4cm from the top of the coke bottle, with 1 coffee spoon of wine yeast and 300g of sugar. Also, 2-3 table spoons of uncooked rice, it seem to get the CO2 going for a longer time.

On the other hand, one bottle with 400g sugar 1 coffee spoon of wine yeast 1 teaspoon of magnesium sulfate and 3 tablespoons of uncooked rice is going strong after 3 weeks, and is a lot less messier to make, so the "standard" recipe, with shorter runs between bottle changes and steadier CO2 may be a better solution.

I also got a bioball CO2 "reactor" that handles a lot of CO2 and assures near 100% dissolution, so I expect some improvements over the next weeks.

 

[krazypara3165]

Could i ask what temperature you tank is at? i struggle with my discus tank as the temperature is so high.

 

[dmachado]

Hello, I try to keep them around 27.5ºC, never had a temperature related problem that I could recognize as such...

During the day the heat from the leds (funny warm light, really) rises temperature to 28º, 28,5º, no more than that.

 

[dmachado]

I want to let everyone know that after reading so much in UKAPS about 10x turnover, proper water flow, etc etc I got a friend to help me this weekend in reconfiguring my filter outflow and powerheads locations, including the CO2 diffusing one. I now have spary bars running almost the full length of the back of the aquarium.

In just 3 days, I noticed a difference in both water clarity and plant health, I can't wait to see what will happen in a couple of weeks. This week a good vacuuming of the sand and a water change will also contribute to get even better results.

Here is a video of the new water flow. The light shimmer is from the LED system

I have also installed two weeks ago a DIY CO2 system with powerhead diffusion and night storage capacity of 1,5 liter (it is now installed on the other side, but it's the same configuration except for the bioball reactor - I left it off and ):