First attempt at a planted tank

[Ronoh]

Hello all,

As the (not so imaginative) title suggests, this is a documentation of my first attempt at an aquascape. I've been keeping fish for a few years now and have had plants here and there, but I never really knew how to keep them alive. It's something I've wanted to really have a go at for a few years, and over the last couple of months I decided to have a proper crack at it.

My hope for this journal is to document my entire process, giving me something to refer back to what worked and what didn't. I also think it's another fun way to interact with the hobby.

For anyone who may be reading this, I absolutely welcome comments and suggestions about what I'm doing wrong or right. This is so new to me, I've already encountered many issues and learned a lot so I would deeply appreciate any feedback to help me continue learning.

This tank has been running for about 2 years with only fish and a roughly thought out hardscape. But just about 2 months ago (23/Sept) it became a planted tank. This entry of the journal will speak about the initial set up, stocking, problems encountered and my immediate thoughts after set up.

Aquarium - Nacd, 300 litres, 120cm x 50cm x 50cm. I'm kicking myself that I didn't get one of the more expensive Optiwhite tanks, but hey.
Light - Fluval Aquasky LED 2.0 33w. I got this when I first got the tank. I'm aware it isn't the most powerful light, but I think it's okay for what I need?
Filter - Is an All Pond Solutions 1000EF. I got this when I first got the tank and it's high on the list of things to replace. Although what I'll probably do is just add a second, more powerful filter.
Co2 - 2L fire extinguisher with FZONE single stage regulator and Co2 Art inline diffuser
Wavemaker - 3000L wavemaker from All Pond Solutions. I got this as I was concerned my filter wasn’t powerful enough to evenly distribute the Co2 around the aquarium. I hoped this would help if positioned beside the filter outflow.

Livestock
1x Oscar
2x Nicaraguan cichlids
1x Electric Blue Acara
1x T-Bar cichlid
1x Royal Pleco
4x Nerite snails

I had been gathering references for a few weeks prior to set up, and I knew I wanted to take a dual island approach. One thing I've always struggled with is adding enough height to my hardscape, so after seeing MD Fishtanks add filter media bags full of substrate to the base of his aquariums, I decided to do the same thing.

I added 10x bags of an old black gravel I had(grey rectangles), with the aim of adding height to the hardscape. I also added 2x bags of Fluval Stratum substrate (brown rectangles) that I had left over from another tank. I roughly knew where I wanted to plant and so I thought these would help. During the planting process I came to realise I hadn't really placed the filter media bags in an ideal location, but I will get back to that shortly

I then added 4x root tabs(I think this probably wasn't enough), and covered everything up with 30kg of the Hugo Kamishi Fine Natural Gravel (again I think this wasn't enough).
I previously had some black lava rock, but it wasn't enough to make two islands, so I got some more from Aquarium Gardens. The wood is a mix of some different pieces I had collected over the last few years. Once I was happy with the hardscape, I added some Dennerle Rio Xingu gravel for details.

In regards to planting, the extent of my plan of action was that I knew I had to add fast growing stems, I had some Cryptocorynes in another tank I wanted to add, and I really wanted some Bucephalandra. I got some of my plants from my local Maidenhead Aquatics, but got the bulk from Aquarium Gardens. Looking back on this, I should have had a more considered approach to planting, but I think what I have is okay.

Here is a planting key, hopefully it makes sense

1.) Hardscape
2.) Anubias Heterophylla
3.) Amazon Sword
4.) Limnophila Heterophylla
5.) Bacopa (not sure which one)
6.) Bucephalandra Red
7.) Cryptocryne (I think Nevellii)
I've also got some Spider Grass growing emersed, although I might replace this with Pothos.

The first issue I had was the lack of substrate depth for planting. Because I had laid the filter media bags along the back panel, I didn't have enough gravel to plant the background stems. I remedied this by adding more of the Dennerle Rio Xingu gravel, but this really isn't ideal because that gravel is so coarse. If I had my time again I would have only used the filter media bags under the rocks, and laid a thick base layer of cheaper substrate capped with the more expensive decorative gravel to give myself ample planting space. This really was a big mistake. I encountered a similar issue when planting the Cryptocorynes. I didn't have enough planting space due to the media bags with the Fluval Stratum substrate. I feel the media bags only really work if you are covering them with a lot of gravel or sand, other than that I would have just laid it loose. Again, big mistake. I may buy more of the Hugo Kamishi gravel in the future to give myself more planting space.

Another issue I had after planting was how similar the Anubias Heterophylla looked to the Amazon Swords from afar. It gave the appearance that there was a really clear divide between the background and foreground plants with nothing really in between. If I could redo this I definitely would have gone for one of the smaller Anubias.

This is essentially the set up process and my initial thoughts and concerns. I am writing this 2 months on and will be updating shortly.
Again, please do feel free to comment on what I could have done better or even what I might have done right, all insight is incredibly valuable.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

2x Nicaraguan cichlids

Those are gorgeous. Your Oscar looks in top condition as well.

Co2 - 2L fire extinguisher with FZONE single stage regulator and Co2 Art inline diffuser

I'm not a CO2 user, but I just wouldn't / couldn't with your fish <"CO2 Disaster">. If I kill any fish by carelessness it really effects me, but I would be beyond upset if I found I'd asphyxiated yours accidentally.

cheers Darrel

 

[Ronoh]

2 months on and I feel there are a few different things to address.

Firstly, and perhaps the elephant in the room; livestock. Anyone who says you’d need to be an idiot to keep an Oscar in a planted tank, I’ve got one thing to say to you; you’re probably right. It doesn’t matter what I think looks good, he always has different plans. I regularly have rocks moved and plants uprooted. To be fair it isn’t that bad or too often, just a little bit annoying. But to add to that point, and something I never really thought of beforehand, is that I have cut down on his swimming space. Of course Oscars are a very fast growing cichlid, he is over a year old now so I’m hoping his growth will slow down considerably. I may look to rehome, but I’ve grown a bit attached.

All the other fish seem really happy, and I love watching them swim in and out of the different spaces. As you can see in the pictures above, there is quite the size difference between the Oscar and the other fish. Despite being about 2 years old, the T-Bar and the Electric Blue Acara (both female) are quite small so I’m not too concerned about them outgrowing the tank anytime soon. The Nicaraguan’s are still young at only a few months old, but from what I’ve read aren’t that fast growing so I’m not too worried about them either.

The next thing to touch on is algae, because it’s most certainly giving me hassle.

Perhaps the worst form of algae I’m dealing with is BBA, which has formed on a number of plants and pieces of hardscape. I’m aware people say this grows in areas of high flow, and the worst effected area is indeed in high flow, it is also growing in areas of lower flow so I’m really not too sure. But it’s very disheartening.

The second and not so prominent type of algae is brown algae which is growing mainly on the plants, but also some hardscape. The plants with the worst growth are the Anubias Heterophylla (also experiencing BBA) and Amazon Swords. I take the Anubias out every two weeks or so to wipe them down but the algae grows back incredibly fast. I’ve actually had to trim off quite a few leaves, leaving the plant look a bit miserable. Again, very disheartening.

The Bucephalandra too has some brown algae growing on the leaves. I know this can be common with slower growing plants, but I’m not sure how to combat it.

The Bacopa and Limnophila also experience brown algae growth on the lower portions of the plant, I’ve since given them a big trim to promote some healthy new growth.

This brings me nicely to my next point; plant growth.

Initially the Bacopa and Limnophila took off incredibly well and reached the surface of the water quite fast. I gave them a big trim two weeks ago but since then they’ve been very slow to start growing again, is this normal? Another possibility I thought was maybe due to the colder temperatures, they are growing slower? I don’t have a heater as I live in an apartment and it’s just as easy to heat the room, but generally it was a lot warmer initially after set up than it is now. This leads to another thought; because I trimmed my plants, is the algae now more likely to grow as there is essentially less plant mass soaking up nutrients?

Another thing I’m unsure about is when trimming stems, do you generally uproot the old stem and plant the newly trimmed stem? Is it different for different species of stem? You can see I really have a lot of questions, and a lot to learn about plant growth. For the most part I tried to replant the newly trimmed stems in to the substrate, but have been struggling due to the lack of planting depth as mentioned in my previous entry.

In general I think the Amazon Swords are doing okay as the look to be growing. Some leaves are certainly damaged and others overcome with algae. I’ve never kept this plant before so I’m still trying to feel out what is considered normal.

The Cryptocorynes have experienced a lot of die off. I’m aware of “crypt melt” but it’s been two months and they aren’t looking so hot. Is this normal? There are a few new leaves growing but it appears very slow. Should I trim the older ones? It’s worth noting these are a prime target for the Oscar when we decides to remodel.

The Buchephalandra as mentioned earlier is falling victim to algae, but I am seeing some new growth albeit very slowly.

In regards to fertilisation and water changes, I dose the tank with 20ml of TNC Complete every day. To be completely honest my reasoning for choosing this number isn’t completely sound. To reach my EI daily goal, the calculator says to dose 37.5ml daily this of course should be done alongside weekly 50% water changes, but I thought if I did a water change every 2 weeks, I could half (pretty much half) the dose, and dose 20ml a day. Moreover, I don’t believe I was very consistent with my water changes, I was working away a lot over the last two months so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was three weeks between some water changes. Now I’m totally aware this very well may have contributed to my algae problems, so I’ve decided to clean up my act. I’ve bought a water pump to help with my water changes, which has made them so much easier. And for the last 3 weeks I have done a 50% water change every Sunday. I’m making this a non-negotiable. Hopefully this consistency will help!

I’m still dosing 20ml of TNC Complete a day as I’m quickly going through bottles and the cost adds up. I’m planning on switching to dry ferts so I can hit my actual EI daily goal, but I just need to pull the finger out and get it done. Also here is a link to my local water report for anyone who may be interested.

This, in essence is everything to report from the last two months after set up.

 

[Ronoh]

A quick update:

My diatom and BBA situation seems to only be getting worse.

I'm going to attempt to deal with the diatoms first because I feel that's the biggest visual issue. They are covering a lot of the leaves and it's absolutely miserable to look at. First thing I will do is switch from TNC Complete back to TNC Lite. I was using Lite for the first month or so and the tank looked really good. I have high nitrates straight out of my tap so I'm wondering if using the Complete version is causing the diatoms to go crazy because of the added nitrates.

In regards to the BBA, I know the two issues commonly attributed to BBA growth is high flow and Co2 imbalance. I'm thinking to only turn my wavemaker on during the night to oxygenate the water when the plants aren't photosynthesising. I currently have it on 24/7 and it is strong. I've also noticed that recently my drop checker isn't registering the Co2 levels as high as previously. I'm not sure why. Today I took my Co2 system apart and put it back together again to see if that helps.

I feel a bit overwhelmed by the all the potential reasons for the algae growth, and a bit disheartened by watching the aquarium fail. Hopefully I will see some results soon.

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi Ronoh
Firstly, I would ditch the Co2 it's not needed for this aquarium....all the plants you have will do perfectly well in tap water!
When was the last time you cleaned the filter?

 

[erwin123]

In regards to the BBA, I know the two issues commonly attributed to BBA growth is high flow and Co2 imbalance. I'm thinking to only turn my wavemaker on during the night to oxygenate the water when the plants aren't photosynthesising. I currently have it on 24/7 and it is strong. I've also noticed that recently my drop checker isn't registering the Co2 levels as high as previously. I'm not sure why. Today I took my Co2 system apart and put it back together again to see if that helps.

In UKAPS, I learnt that flow is king. Without good flow, nutrients and CO2 will not reach your plants at the substrate level. That is usually the hardest to achieve. As you have a wave maker, you are getting good exchange at the water surface which is great. But you still need to check whether the wavemaker is able to push the CO2 mist to the substrate level or is most of the energy 'lost' in making surface waves.

You can use a laserer pointed with the aquarium lights off to look at the density (or lack of) of the CO2 mist in various parts of your tank and at the substrate level to see if you have good flow.

 

[MichaelJ]

In UKAPS, I learnt that flow is king.

Right on @erwin123 ! I learned it here on UKAPS as well... and it applies equally to low tech tanks. Having a couple of Pat Mini's mostly directed towards the substrate level is probably making more of a difference in my 2 densely planted 150 L tanks than most other things I am concerned about with my tanks.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[PARAGUAY]

The fish you have contribute a lot of waste, the light looks like it should be brighter for your aquarium., l would try to manually remove as much algae as possible ,as said keep mechanical media clean in filter, and filter seems a bit "underpowered" for a fish like Oscar, water changes need to be regular ,two a week at 40% seems a good starting point, Large fish so a couple of SAEs will help with algae issue, Adding a lot of fast growing stems is the usual way to combat algae but can see the dilemma with the fish you have This is just what l would try

 

[_Maq_]

I rather believe BBA has always something to do with organics in water, either diluted or in the form of micro particles.
I also believe that you'll have to choose who's the boss of the tank. Do you love your oscar (or other big cichlids)? Then take it with the fact that plants will never thrive in its presence. Look around UKAPS: a strong, very strong majority of plant enthusiasts keep exclusively small fish species which (1) do not harm plants directly, (2) do not create too much organic waste. That's no coincidence...

 

[Le duke]

I rather believe BBA has always something to do with organics in water, either diluted or in the form of micro particles.
I also believe that you'll have to choose who's the boss of the tank. Do you love your oscar (or other big cichlids)? Then take it with the fact that plants will never thrive in its presence. Look around UKAPS: a strong, very strong majority of plant enthusiasts keep exclusively small fish species which (1) do not harm plants directly, (2) do not create too much organic waste. That's no coincidence...

Or, alternately but along the same lines: keep those larger fish in a gigantic tank where their contribution to organic waste accumulation will be smaller, relatively speaking, than it would be in a smaller tank.


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[MichaelJ]

Or, alternately but along the same lines: keep those larger fish in a gigantic tank where their contribution to organic waste accumulation will be smaller, relatively speaking, than it would be in a smaller tank.


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Right. The bio load in this scarcely planted tank being only 300 l is huge with those cichlids. Stable water parameters are essential in order to achieve an algae-free tank. I would think between each water change your tank probably experience wildly fluctuating parameters due to fish- and food waste accumulation. I doubt a weekly 50% WC will be enough. 2x 40-50% weekly and more fast growing plants as suggested by @PARAGUAY sounds appropriate.

Cheers,
Michael