filling tank - full on from the off?

[fourmations]

thanks clive

i will implement your suggestions and report back

whats the best idea for trying to save my hc
i have uprooted it while cleaning off algae
and its just floating at the moment, will it go leggy?

as mentioned, i had to mail order my hc
and would rather avoid the expense again
recession and all that!

also, would it be logical that running the tank half empty
would help me saturate the water with co2
is there any need to be running the tank full at the moment

rgds

4

 

[ceg4048]

Hi 4,
Since your problem appears to be CO2 you could try adding a Carbon supplement such as Excel or Easycarbo which are also mild algecides. If the floating bits don't deteriorate while at the surface then leave them there for the time being. I don't see any reason why they would go leggy. If they are floating then they have greater access to CO2 although they are also closer to the lighting.

Dropping the water volume will help to saturate the remaining volume more quickly but won't the return water splash as it enters the tank? This will tend to drive off CO2 so if you have a way to mitigate this then it might work. You'll also have half a tank volume in which CO2 will escape and fill so there are a combination of things happening, some good, some bad. It's best to just max out your injection rate I think.

If all you have in the tank is HC then why not just take all the water out and return to an emersed setup? Then you can just wait a month or so and start over again.

Cheers,

 

[fourmations]

hi again clive

the makeshift spraybar i made can be placed as high or low as i like
(which is more than i can say for the one on my tetratec!)
the tank is currently half full as i had a slight concern
to the stability of the counter it is on (it sunk a bit!)
which got me thinking about the half full issue,

re: starting again immersed,
I have lots of hairgrass in there which is doing okay and i have planted lots of vallis and swords
and another unknown plant to up the biomass,
I would rather not start again as I'd never hear the end of it from the wife,
i had enough effort to convince her to put a tank where I did,
and basically flashed here a few amano tank photos and said it would look like that in 3 months!

thanks again for all your help
i cant help feeling i would be peeing against the wind and probably scrapped the idea
if not for the help i have received here

rgds

4

 

[ceg4048]

OH....wow....3 months huh? That's a tall order even for our resident X-man superhero mutant, zig - no doubt.

Well in that case it's just as easy to burn the midnight oil on the regulator needle valve. just crank it open until it sings mate...

Cheers,

 

[fourmations]

cheers

zig just lives down the road from me here in sunny dublin,
i might break into his house and peel up all his cuba carpet
or maybe i might just pop in a rug of astroturf!

rgds

4

 

[fourmations]

hi clive

heres me reporting back!

i have the co2 running yellow and have planted lots more
hairgrass and cuba and some stems, and am ei dosing

i am still getting brown algae but its easy enough to clear up

i am running 40w of t8, and as suggested laying off the stronger compacts

i was wondering what the next stage is
i have never known exactly where to go from here
you suggested slowing down and getting the co2 right,

i have the co2 levels high as suggested but growth is still very slow

still no fish, i have 5 fat ottos ready for the tank

what next?

rgds

4

 

[ceg4048]

Hi 4,
Have you been doing the multiple water changes per week? How about Excel, have you been adding that? You could also try a 3 day blackout to kick the algae in the shin.

Cheers,

 

[fourmations]

hi clive

i dont have excel but will try get some,
i'm really out of funds and pretty sure it would be a mail order for me

i am not keen on a blackout for lots of reasons
but will do one if thats the only answer

am i right to assume the brown algae will be ongoing until the plants are fully established,
should i beat the algae before i add any fish, even my ottos?

just tonight i noticed what im pretty sure are traces
of bga trying to creep back in after staying away for weeks

is there anything i can do to nip this in the bud as it scares the hell out of me!
Seeing as my smaller tank suffers from it and i know how rampant it is!

Flow is good in the tank but the filtration is in all honesty is probably inadequate,
again funds have temporarily shelved the ex1200 and i have a 1200lph internal on a spraybar
with 2 powerheads off tiny internal filters providing flow to the substrate surface,

is this normal teething for the planted tank newb
or am i having a hard time? just curious



regards

4

 

[ceg4048]

i am not keen on a blackout for lots of reasons
but will do one if thats the only answer

Well, blackouts are among the most effective methods for ridding the tank of algae. It's predominantly light that influenced the blooms in the first place...

am i right to assume the brown algae will be ongoing until the plants are fully established, should i beat the algae before i add any fish, even my ottos?

This is not necessarily the case with diatom algae - if that's what you have. Diatoms usually go away after a while but the more pressing issue is why the plants are slow growing. Ottos are known to eat this type. Again, if you are getting BGA as well as the diatoms AND poor growth then this is an indication of (any combination of) dirty filters, poor dosing (low nitrates), poor distribution or too much light.

is this normal teething for the planted tank newb
or am i having a hard time? just curious

Different folks have different issues based on the fidelity of their technique. As I said, blackouts, shorter/less intense photoperiods, water changes and tank cleaning are cheap solutions so these are things to focus on if the more expensive treatments are out of reach...

Cheers,

 

[Dave Spencer]

If you are struggling with the HC, here is what I do.

I find that the combination of transition from emersed growth and the grief of being pulled apart and planted is a bit too much for the HC to take. So, I leave the HC in the pot for the first two or three weeks of being immersed. Some nice trailing growth develops that is adapted more readily to life under water.

This is when I pull the mass in to individual plantlets, which are buried fairly deep in the substrate. This seems to give it a good head start.

dave.