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my juwel rio 125l aquarium- what can i do to make it better?

fishkeeper

Member
Joined
2 Apr 2008
Messages
198
Ill just show some of my tank shots of my 125l after being set up for about 2 1/2 months. Ive got a problem with different types of algae, some is hair (kind of looks like cheato algae for those of you with marine tanks) and some other brown algae (there is a pic).

The current stock is:

1 platy
8 cardinal tetras
3 rummynose tetras
3 harlequin rasboras
4 bronze cories
1 albino rainbow shark (not aggressive at all)

im hoping to get
3 rummynose tetras
3 harlequins
a pair of rams

I'm going to be trimming down today so thats why the pics are a little messy, its amazing how much growth i get in 2 weeks (well i think it is)

Please tell me how i can improve it. My lighting is the juwel nature and daylight t5 tube (28 watts each) and i dose tetraplantamin and i use a hydor fermentation set for my CO2.

Pics:

RIMG0079Medium-1.jpg

FTS

RIMG0080Medium-1.jpg

And again

RIMG0081Medium-1.jpg

My favourite fish by far in the tank

RIMG0082Medium-1.jpg

Tiger lilly? There used to be about 10 stalks but ive had to cut them down so ther eis only 1 now. Should i keep the stalks?

RIMG0083Medium-1.jpg

2 of my cories, these are the 2 that are always rubbing each other and seperate from the group and stay together, could they be a pair?

RIMG0084Medium.jpg

The brown algae i was talking about further up in the post

Please share your views, i would like any critisism to make my tank better.

Thanks

Will
 
I don't think it is to bad, post a pic up after the trim because as you say it is a little messy to see things. The brown algae is because the tank is new, it shoulld go in a few more weeks, the hair algae may be low or fluctuating CO2. You have a good tiger lotus, how about surrounding that with some crypts?
 
well ill egt a new pic tomorrow. I trimmed a lot! You can now see the back and a lot more of the tank generally. Now ill wait for it to grow again, probably 2 weeks :D
 
I agree with Aaron about the CO2. It's very hard to get consistent levels with fermentation methods. Investing in a pressurised kit soon will help that. You also might want to look into dosing some macro fertilisers too to help the plant growth.

I think it looks good, a nice jungle of plants. Look forward to the post-trim pics.
 
Got the new pics. It may nto look that much of a differenc ebut i think its a lot nicer to look at.

RIMG0077Medium-1.jpg


RIMG0078Medium-1.jpg


RIMG0079Medium-2.jpg


I would really like to include some rocks in there but i think that the plants i have (came froma big pack from greenline) restricts me from having these and therefore means i need to ahve woods. Even then, i dont think my wood looks great in there. I think rocks suit mosses and small plants better?

Please give comments on how i can improve.

Thanks

Will
 
I think you need less different ypes of plants in larger groups. Using some that have smaller leaves will also make the tank look larger as they deceive the eye into thinking everything else is larger. I like the lily and it's position and would maybe try some branchy wood behind it pointing towards the right and larger, more solid blocks of plants behind with a carpet of plants at the front. But that's only one idea! Have a look at some of the tanks on here and copy elements you like in your tank!
 
the problem i ahve is that quite a lot of the plants have rooted quite well and if i pull them out then i will pull out most of my gravel and the substrate underneath. Shoudl i jsut cut the stems and leave the roots?

Thanks
Will
 
will roting roots cause an ammonia spike? Is it bad to leave roots rotting?
 
Hi,
Anything that rots produces ammonia. As they are submerged in the sediment the risk of an ammonia spike in the water column is minimized - unless you disturb the sediment. More importantly, the risk of anaerobic activity is higher and this is not good generally. Living roots de-toxify the substrate, adds oxygen and generates high bacterial populations which removes ammonia. Dead roots toxify the sediment. My personal policy is to remove any dead roots, but it's not necessary to go rummaging around the substrate looking for dead roots. If you are aware of their location and if they are easy to retrieve, then yes remove them but otherwise leave it.

Cheers,
 
hey guys, i got another update of my tank so here it is. Ive cut down a lot and i have fewer species of plants but it still looks good (well i think it does :D )

ive just got a snail infestation of 2 different types but they dont seem to be eating any plants but they look silly. If anyone has any tips how to get them out other than picking them out at water changes then please say :D

RIMG0138Medium.jpg


Will
 
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