Hi all
After being around for a while and seeing some nice 60P tanks i have decided to pull the plug and acquired an ADA 60P.
Day 0: 30/04/2019
ADA 60P 60x30x36 (~60L)
Light: Twinstar 600EA + 450EA 100% 8h/day.
Filtration: Fluval 106, lily pipes with skimmer (Filter was previously cycled but still i added Seachem stability daily for a week).
Fertilisation/CO2: NEO diffuser and ISTA CO2 bottle -> Exchange for an Qanvee M2 inline. Added some capsules of Tropica on the back of the tank for the stem plants. Changed from PPS-PRO to EI (macros) and 3/4 EI (micros).
Heating: JBL pro 50W -> changed to inline EH-300.
Extras: Twinstar nano + with chihiros reactor
Hardscape: Wood and rocks locally collected.
Substrate: Tropica Soil
Fauna:
Flora:
Parameters: need to measure again but tap water here is very soft (kH 1-1.5; gH 4-5, if i remember well)
Parameter reported from water company (December):
Total residual Cl: 0.01 - 1.87 mg/L
NH4: 0 - <0.1
Conductivity (µS/cm, a 20ºC): 48 - 192
pH (Sörensen scale): 6.7 - 8
Nitrates (mg/L NO3): <2.2 - 16.2
Nitrites (mg/L NO2): 0 - <0.04
Calcium (mg/L Ca): 7.9
Total hardness (mg/L CaCO3): 42
I basically have not done fertilisation in the past 2 weeks. Only added once or twice Seachem flourish advanced. I did notice, however, the appearance in the last days GSA over the rocks and S. repens. Probably the photoperiod is way too long (8 hours 100%). I should have started with 6hours/day, even though this light is not extremely bright. So today i exchange it to 6 hours and will see how everything reacts. I also started today liquid fertilisation PPS-PRO (1ppm NO3, 0.1 ppm PO4; 1.33 ppm K; 0.1 ppm Mg; 0.05 ppm Fe).
Still regarding light, if i had to purchase it from scratch i would have went with the 600S, but i already had the 600EA and an 450EA in house, so i decided just start with the 600EA. It does not seem too much light for a planted tank, specially to bring the bright reds and make monte carlo leaves small. I was afraid of starting with both (600Ea and 450EA) since it probably was overkill for the early days when plants are still rooting or adapting to the new environment. What are your takes on this? Did i proceed well in waiting to add the extra fixture? i think adding it from the start it would only make the GSA worst.
Any suggestions for these GSA? I have started fertilisation today, added 1mL excel equivalent, and will keep with frequent water changes. I also reduced the photoperiod from 8 to 6 hours. Would it help adding extra phosphate from PPS-PRO?
i believe the GSA come from the imbalance between NH3 and PO4, since probably the tank was lacking on PO4 and K due to no fertilisation but there was plenty NH3 (leakage from substrate and fish waste). I bleieve excess of micros also is responsible for that.
I will also be adding more cleaning crew (amanos and otocinclus)
the background film is just temporary since i think black does not make it justice and makes everything rather dark. I probably will go with just plain frosted white. i like black backgrounds but somehow i think in this tank it does it no justice.
As i mentioned earlier i would lie to add a centre piece specie that would stand out (I was wondering between Iriatherina werneri ou P. simulans). it should be a less shy specie that adds extra contrast and colour, but also that does not eat all the shrimps. the problem with Iriatherine is that they supposedly don't like to bright light and that can pose a problem on a planted tank. I could eventually solve that issue by adding floating plants like Limnobium laevigatum later on, but only after monte carlo has fully carpeted.
Any advice or suggestions?
After being around for a while and seeing some nice 60P tanks i have decided to pull the plug and acquired an ADA 60P.
Day 0: 30/04/2019
ADA 60P 60x30x36 (~60L)
Light: Twinstar 600EA + 450EA 100% 8h/day.
Filtration: Fluval 106, lily pipes with skimmer (Filter was previously cycled but still i added Seachem stability daily for a week).
Fertilisation/CO2: NEO diffuser and ISTA CO2 bottle -> Exchange for an Qanvee M2 inline. Added some capsules of Tropica on the back of the tank for the stem plants. Changed from PPS-PRO to EI (macros) and 3/4 EI (micros).
Heating: JBL pro 50W -> changed to inline EH-300.
Extras: Twinstar nano + with chihiros reactor
Hardscape: Wood and rocks locally collected.
Substrate: Tropica Soil
Fauna:
- 3 Hyphessobrycon amandae,
- 3 Celestichthys margaritatus (plus 7 growing in the maternity)
- 5 Boraras merah
- 1 Trignostima hengeli (the sole survivor from previous aquarium),
- 3 Otocinclus affinis;
- 4 Caridina multidentata (Amanos),
- Plenty Neocaridina davidi var. yellow neon/fire?
- 2 Vittina turrita
- 10 P. innesi (Neon tetra)
- 4 P. simulans (by mistake) (green neon)
- 6 Iriatherina werneri
- 1 Trichogaster chuna (sunset)
Flora:
- Eleocharis acicularis “mini”
- Micranthemum “Monte carlo”
- Lilliopsis brasiliensis (here and there)
- Alternanthera reineckii mini
- Ludwigia repens “mini super red”
- Ammania sp. Bonsai
- Nymphea zankeri lotus
- Staurogyne repens
- Myriophillum matogrossense green
- Myriophillum tuberculatum
- Rotala Vietnam Hra
- Pogostemon erectus
- Rotala macrandra
- Hemianthus micrantemoides
- Microsorum pteropus trident
- Microsorum pteropus
- Anubia nana or petit?
- Bucephalandra lamandau mini red
- Vesicularia montagnei (Christmas moss)
- Riccia Fluitans (removed)
- Fissidens fontanus
- Monossolenium tenerum (Pelia moss)
- Heteranthera zoterifolia (few on the back)
- Pogostemon helferi
- Hygrophila pinnatifida (not sure it survived transitioning from emmersed to immersed)
- Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata pantanal
- Ludwigia white
- Ammania pedicillata golden
- Bacopa sp "colorata"
Parameters: need to measure again but tap water here is very soft (kH 1-1.5; gH 4-5, if i remember well)
Parameter reported from water company (December):
Total residual Cl: 0.01 - 1.87 mg/L
NH4: 0 - <0.1
Conductivity (µS/cm, a 20ºC): 48 - 192
pH (Sörensen scale): 6.7 - 8
Nitrates (mg/L NO3): <2.2 - 16.2
Nitrites (mg/L NO2): 0 - <0.04
Calcium (mg/L Ca): 7.9
Total hardness (mg/L CaCO3): 42
I basically have not done fertilisation in the past 2 weeks. Only added once or twice Seachem flourish advanced. I did notice, however, the appearance in the last days GSA over the rocks and S. repens. Probably the photoperiod is way too long (8 hours 100%). I should have started with 6hours/day, even though this light is not extremely bright. So today i exchange it to 6 hours and will see how everything reacts. I also started today liquid fertilisation PPS-PRO (1ppm NO3, 0.1 ppm PO4; 1.33 ppm K; 0.1 ppm Mg; 0.05 ppm Fe).
Still regarding light, if i had to purchase it from scratch i would have went with the 600S, but i already had the 600EA and an 450EA in house, so i decided just start with the 600EA. It does not seem too much light for a planted tank, specially to bring the bright reds and make monte carlo leaves small. I was afraid of starting with both (600Ea and 450EA) since it probably was overkill for the early days when plants are still rooting or adapting to the new environment. What are your takes on this? Did i proceed well in waiting to add the extra fixture? i think adding it from the start it would only make the GSA worst.
Any suggestions for these GSA? I have started fertilisation today, added 1mL excel equivalent, and will keep with frequent water changes. I also reduced the photoperiod from 8 to 6 hours. Would it help adding extra phosphate from PPS-PRO?
i believe the GSA come from the imbalance between NH3 and PO4, since probably the tank was lacking on PO4 and K due to no fertilisation but there was plenty NH3 (leakage from substrate and fish waste). I bleieve excess of micros also is responsible for that.
I will also be adding more cleaning crew (amanos and otocinclus)
the background film is just temporary since i think black does not make it justice and makes everything rather dark. I probably will go with just plain frosted white. i like black backgrounds but somehow i think in this tank it does it no justice.
As i mentioned earlier i would lie to add a centre piece specie that would stand out (I was wondering between Iriatherina werneri ou P. simulans). it should be a less shy specie that adds extra contrast and colour, but also that does not eat all the shrimps. the problem with Iriatherine is that they supposedly don't like to bright light and that can pose a problem on a planted tank. I could eventually solve that issue by adding floating plants like Limnobium laevigatum later on, but only after monte carlo has fully carpeted.
Any advice or suggestions?
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