Humble and improving display tank

[blairgerman]

Just wanted to keep a journal for this tank. The hillstream are breeding in here so i've not been moving things too much recently.
I run a wet/dry sump, doser, anoxic reactor, co2 reactor, 2x165w black box lights, co2 controller.
Stock: Rummies, Lambchops, Cardinals, Hillstream, Ottos, Cherries
Plants: Cuba, M.Carlo, Nana pettite, xmas moss, D.Sag, Red Lud, 2 others unidentified - LMK pls
Substrate: Inert, eco complete
Routine: Co2 at 30-40ppm (kh 5.5, ph 6.6 - one point swing from 7.5)
Daily micros AM: DTPA Fe .325, MnSO4 .075, ZnSO4 .040, Boric Acid .035, CuSO4 .003, Ammonium Molybdate .002
Daily Macros PM: 3:3:1 (and :1 mag) N stays around 40. Phos at 1-2.
Weekly 50% wc (Very hard tap water - 13gh with has lots of calcium, i do not remineralize)

 

[hypnogogia]

Fine looking tank there. What size is it? What does the anoxic chamber do?

 

[blairgerman]

Fine looking tank there. What size is it? What does the anoxic chamber do?

Hi, that's a marineland 75g (280 liter) with an eshopps 20gal (75l) sump with hang on overflow. It is a very generic tank which goes on sale in our big box store here, petsmart, every christmas for $250 (207gpb). The build quality is good and it's a very good deal for this area. I like sumps cuz all the appliances can be out of view. I should have used the word anaerobic rather than anoxic, but I put a basic "two little fishes" reactor (phosban reactor) on the side of the sump with a pump moving water at a drip, filled it with seachem matrix. I figure the wet/dry is highly aerobic so it would be best to have something with less O2 and flow. btw, the "two little fishes" guy, Julian Sprung, is an amazing steward of the reefers. I once broke a part of this item after 6 years and walked into his shipping warehouse and he gave me a replacement part. The phosban is an affordable reactor made for tumbling media, but u can put anything in it. Julian says he's actually redesigned the top fittings after my failure with that part. Lot of stuff of theirs is useful for planted. I should note it is possible the chamber you asked about is doing absolutely nothing and I'm fully open to feedback!

 

[blairgerman]

July 4th update here, just for reference when i ask questions in other threads. Current challenges are: high NH3 in tap water, melting of large masses of xmas moss which previously thrived, lot of guesswork on calcium in my ambiguous tap water report, co2 inconsistencies due to poor circulation, continued changes of multiple factors at once (bad experimentation methods) in both micros macros diy mixes. And, finally, one unplanned, notable experiment: For 3 weeks i noticed very slow growth of all plants but no other changes, no algae, then realized my co2 controller power cord had come unplugged. Made me think i must be doing something right to have this amount of light with no algae outbreak after 3 weeks of zero co2. @Hanuman shared with me @GreggZ 's tank summary and I'll be using that to communicate statuses going forward. I'm applying @X3NiTH 's personally shared remin methods with MgCO3, KHCO3, and CaCO3. Massive thanks to all experts here for "spoon feeding" me (quote from @Hanuman in IFC thread) Best thing i ever did was move from planted tank forum to here. As you can see here, I've got a long way to go, but at least I don't have to do it alone.

 

[LMuhlen]

From your original post, I understood that those micros concentrations were added daily, but from your spreadsheet it looks like that is the weekly dose. I'm assuming then that you gave us the weekly dose, which is split into daily doses?

Lovely tank, btw, and very exciting to have hillstreams breeding.

 

[blairgerman]

From your original post, I understood that those micros concentrations were added daily, but from your spreadsheet it looks like that is the weekly dose. I'm assuming then that you gave us the weekly dose, which is split into daily doses?

Lovely tank, btw, and very exciting to have hillstreams breeding.

Ahh, yes, this makes sense, the target dose is usually shared / reported in weekly ppm targets, so my op was not clearly indicating that the target dose was being dosed daily (as opposed to opposite day micro/macro dossing for example), thus why the summary table is so crucial to reporting and sharing info and why i plan to use this going forward. (My micros go in just prior to lights on 7:45am, then macros go in just after siesta and before the second light phase, 2:45pm.) Thanks for the supportive comments, i'm thrilled about the hillstream too, the fish farm i got them from hadn't been able to get them to breed after importing, but I've seen Rachel Oleary (popular on youtube) easily breeding them. The tank has a lot to be done, i'm really just learning right now, then i'll try some type of actual scape instead of just random clumps of stuff.

 

[blairgerman]

I hate moving. This was the hardest i've done. Too much livestock. Too much broken stuff and loss. Too hard on my back.

 

[blairgerman]

Regaining stability. Lost the breeding female hillstream, plenty of young ones still around but very limited research on sexual maturity for these. Also lost handfuls of cardinals, rummynose, and lambchops. I'll miss Living Artwork Fish Farms in west Florida, Sarasota area, I was spoiled by their livestock, nothing like that here in north central florida. Weld On 4 is magic for acrylic, tank builders use it apparently - my application of it sucked but saved me $400 sump replacement cost. Also David at Green Leaf Aquatics here in the states provided helpful support for products i bought over 6 years ago, his regulator and 1l reactor are in perfect shape, he helped trouble shoot some issues caused by the move, unrelated to his products' quality. Highly recommend GLA - amazing products for ppl in the states. Thanks everyone here for your emoji support for my tough move.

 

[blairgerman]

Changed calcium carbonate to calcium sulfate on remin. Just got the frogbit for indicator, it's in quarantine. Haven't been able to replenish much livestock after the losses during move, rummynose and lambchops are no where to be found. Grateful for all the patient advice here.

 

[_Maq_]

too much potassium

 

[DeadFish]

Wishing I could steal all of that anubias.

too much potassium

Why too much potassium? Too much for N/P ratio?

 

[_Maq_]

Increased potassium relative to nitrogen is probably harmless, but too much potassium in relation to magnesium and calcium may be a source of nutrition imbalance.

 

[blairgerman]

too much potassium

Understood. I'm going to half it. Thank you for your help.

Wishing I could steal all of that anubias.

Why too much potassium? Too much for N/P ratio?

That anubias petit came from Florida Aquatic Nurseries near my old home in Davie FL. They are the best supplier in our country. I got it from jack watley in miami since they don't sell to public. There's a reseller of their stuff under 2 names on ebay, i've ordered from over the years - always highest quality, see below. I have some mini from another source never did as well. If i had like 2 extra seconds on any given day I'd try to get cuttings to you up there.

Security Measure

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The Green Planted Tank | eBay Stores

Welcome to The green planted tank store. We specialize in live aquarium plants. It does not matter if you are a beginner trying live aquatic plants for the first time or an expert preparing a tank for the next international aquascaping contest, we will provide the plants you need for your...

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[blairgerman]

Frogbit indicator is set up finally, sorry I'm late to the game on this. I was hesitant to have floaters due to maintenance.

 

[DeadFish]

Increased potassium relative to nitrogen is probably harmless, but too much potassium in relation to magnesium and calcium may be a source of nutrition imbalance.

Thanks. Not to hijack too much, but what is an ideal K+ / Ca or K+/ Mg ratio?

 

[_Maq_]

what is an ideal K+ / Ca or K+/ Mg ratio?

My perfect standard is K : Mg : Ca = 1 : 5 : 10 [molar], approx. 1 : 3 : 10 by weight. Quite often, you'll see that you don't have to follow these numbers too strictly, and majority of species will be fine. Especially if you support them with CO2.
Anyway, there should be always more magnesium and calcium than potassium in the water.

 

[blairgerman]

Thanks. Not to hijack too much, but what is an ideal K+ / Ca or K+/ Mg ratio?

My perfect standard is K : Mg : Ca = 1 : 5 : 10 [molar], approx. 1 : 3 : 10 by weight. Quite often, you'll see that you don't have to follow these numbers too strictly, and majority of species will be fine. Especially if you support them with CO2.
Anyway, there should be always more magnesium and calcium than potassium in the water.

My issue has always been unknown tap water. I will never have any clue about calcium till I go to rodi. Working on rodi reservoir to fit in my tiny condo cuz 36 gal water changes on a 100gpd rodi is... hard... and that's just display tank, total is 70 gallons w/c on my w/c day.
See Below Zeus' comment about "suspected, potential, guessing" Ca and carbonic acid, Kh affecting compounds. Maq, Hanuman, Zeus, Darrel, and Xenith have put in hours training me. It's pretty humbling. Even if I used guesswork to do remin right, the tap parameters would fluctuate and uncontrolled variables are not acceptable in this science.
IFC calc for water parameters

Your using the 'potential elements/compounds' from the tap water, which I didn't allow for - hence I was unable to get all the ppms matching

Zeus feedback

 

[_Maq_]

go to rodi

Using solely RO+DI water and performing complete mineralization with WC is actually another way to reach the goal which Tom Barr targets with his EI method - I don't have to measure the contents of individual elements. I regularly measure only temperature, el. conductivity, and pH.
I do have my problems and disasters, sometimes, but as for plant nutrition, my formulas work pretty well. With lean yet balanced dosing the plants grow rather slowly but without defects. I don't see any advantage in rapid growth, unless one is in producing plants for sale. Every trimming and replanting is a risky event for the tank.

 

[blairgerman]

Using solely RO+DI water and performing complete mineralization with WC is actually another way to reach the goal which Tom Barr targets with his EI method - I don't have to measure the contents of individual elements. I regularly measure only temperature, el. conductivity, and pH.
I do have my problems and disasters, sometimes, but as for plant nutrition, my formulas work pretty well. With lean yet balanced dosing the plants grow rather slowly but without defects. I don't see any advantage in rapid growth, unless one is in producing plants for sale. Every trimming and replanting is a risky event for the tank.

That makes complete sense. And more of a PPS-Pro regimen. I'm on my way, looking at AquaticLife 4 stage 100gpd cuz the cartridges are common / cheap. I am stuck trying to figure out a holding tank. In the meantime, k is down and I'm waiting to see how the frogbit indicator turns out. Thanks for all your help, you guys have made this place an amazing resource.

 

[DeadFish]

That makes complete sense. And more of a PPS-Pro regimen. I'm on my way, looking at AquaticLife 4 stage 100gpd cuz the cartridges are common / cheap. I am stuck trying to figure out a holding tank. In the meantime, k is down and I'm waiting to see how the frogbit indicator turns out. Thanks for all your help, you guys have made this place an amazing resource.

I wanted a cheap solution when I transitioned to full RO. I ended up w/ the Aquatic Life RO Buddy for $65. Sediment and Carbon lasted me about a year - just replaced them. I got 0 TDS for the first month or so, but it held about 5-6ppm all year. Only replaced carbon and sediment to preserve the RO membrane. Unless you’re using it for reefing, I think the DI is unnecessary. Remin to 120 TDS w/ Equillibrium.

Using solely RO+DI water and performing complete mineralization with WC is actually another way to reach the goal which Tom Barr targets with his EI method - I don't have to measure the contents of individual elements. I regularly measure only temperature, el. conductivity, and pH.
I do have my problems and disasters, sometimes, but as for plant nutrition, my formulas work pretty well. With lean yet balanced dosing the plants grow rather slowly but without defects. I don't see any advantage in rapid growth, unless one is in producing plants for sale. Every trimming and replanting is a risky event for the tank.

Switching to complete remin. and only dosing K+ and micros has found me much happier in the hobby. Never had any real issues w/ EI, but growth was absurd and color wasn’t always the best. Without any NO3/PO4 supplementation I still hit about 5ppm and don’t check phosphate. Just have been dosing ~1.8ppm K+ and micros it’s working fabulously. Not to discredit TB or EI, but the methods I’ve found here in UKAPS have proven more manageable and easier.