Planting Barb tank

[GlassWalker]

This is the tank I'm looking to improve from being on this forum. It is a Fluval Vicenza 260 bowfront tank.

Lights: 2x Aquabeam 600 Ultra Marine White (12W each, 14000k), Interpet 4ft x3 LED bar (18W). Currently on 10 hours a day.
Filters: Aquamanta EFX 1200, APS 1000 EF+
Heater: Hydor 300W inline
Substrate: fine black aquarium sand (Unipac)
Water: originally filled with (hard) tap water, with changes being made with remineralised RO with a long term target lowering the carbonate hardness to 4 dKH with corresponding reduced pH, although I might reconsider this when I go CO2. Target water change of 60L/week although my last one was only 40L as I ran out of RO...
Fertiliser: 1/3 dose of EI per week
Carbon: none added. Tank CO2 estimated to be around 5ppm in daytime based on current pH 7.6 and 6 dKH.

Plants:
lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae - looks like grass so put in foreground. Almost had to plant it blade at a time! A fair bit of it refuses to stay planted though.
pogostemon helferi - interesting leaves, trying this as middle-ground carpet.
didiplis diandra - thin leaved stem plant. Looking at old notes I tried this before and it never survived.
anubias nana - trying this one planted as opposed to stuck on bogwood.
hygrophila ??? - I had three different types, perhaps only one survived and I'm not sure which one it is. Almost impossible to kill this one.
microsorum pteropus "java fern" - got tons of this on bogwood
aponogeton crispus - used to grow massive, but plant still looking very poorly now. Think it did best under liquid carbon in another tank without vallis and wasn't the same when I stopped.
cryptocoryne beckettii - one of my oldest plants, grows slow but steady and took over an older tank. These are some baby plants taken from that one.
vallisneria ??? - not sure which variety it is, but it grows long. My record being about 3ft in a tank that wasn't even 2ft long!
And finally, a plant that may be either lysimachia aurea or rotala indica, or neither. According to my notes those are plants I had in the past, but the one I have isn't a great fit for images of either when I look them up. It is a stem plant with small round leaves, and slow grower (in my tanks).

Hmm... I had cabomba previously, that grew like a weed but I think it all disintegrated during the last major tank shuffle and I don't see any in any of my tanks now.

Livestock (numbers may not be 100% accurate):
2 arulius barbs
19 tiger barbs (assorted colour variations)
17 odessa barbs
6 rhomb barbs (were mis-sold as juvenile arulius barbs which I wanted to keep my others company)
8 glass catfish
I've also tried seeding the tank with Malaysian trumpet snails but they don't seem to be taking to this tank.

Near term "to do" list: I want to go CO2 with this tank. I've identified a local supplier of 2kg CO2 FEs which basically work out a tenner a time. I've got another lead on CO2 kit with someone else selling their near complete setup (just add timers).

A harder decision for me is what to do with the existing plants in the tank? See how they go, or start rearranging them now? I don't have any specific rescape plans at the moment.

 

[GlassWalker]

Here's the tank today after I trimmed the hygrophila. Maybe I should have trimmed the vallis too... it has been running with ferts only. I'm almost wondering if I need CO2 at all, but I have the kit including a new regulator will see how it goes.

The carpet plants I tried to put in the open space in front-right kept getting pulled up by the fish so I have given up on them apart from the few bits on the margins they left alone. If they're any good at self propagation then maybe it'll sort itself out anyway.

Algae wise I am seeing a bit of red dust on some plants and bogwood. I assume this is a covering of diatoms although I've only seen brown ones before. Doesn't seem to resemble cyano otherwise.

And finally, the tigers are playing up again. Seems the plant trim was enough change to trigger a new round of fighting for pecking order.

 

[Sacha]

Looking good!

I'm sure you could get away with no co2 in that tank. You don't have any extremely fussy plants. Which carpets did you try? Take a look at Staurogyne Repens, might fill that space nicely.

 

[GlassWalker]

I tried lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae in the front, but they pulled out very easily as the fish scavenged for food. I also put some pogostemon helferi further back but they also got pulled out. Having planted them twice now, I'm not going to try a 3rd time and moved them to another tank. I have patches of both left around the borders where they're close to other plants so I guess the fish don't swim as close to them.

It was running ok without CO2 in the time I've had it, but it did seem most carpeting plants are stated as preferring high CO2 and light. Once I have that sorted out, then I might look at those "extremely fussy plants"

 

[GlassWalker]

Today is going to be the first full day of CO2. I haven't adjusted levels at all but will obviously start low. Actually, I *still* need to install the drop checker... since I went out to LFS 1st thing, lights were already on before I manually turned on the CO2. pH was 6.85 then, and after about an hour is now measuring 6.70.

Was in LFS earlier today to check out their new shrimp rack with the thought of getting some to try. Well, they have about as much luck I did with cherries, and of a delivery of 80 they had perhaps half dozen survive. I did look at the plants and got some bunches I need to identify later. One of the plants is red so hoping that'll love the CO2 I now have. Also got some marine stuff I need to sort out first before I get back to this tank.

 

[Sacha]

Crank it up!!
The red plant might be Alternanthera Reineckii. Do you have photos?

 

[GlassWalker]

pH dropped to 6.23 before I manually turned CO2 off. Fish look ok. pH has risen to 6.32 since then. Need to set up a time for tomorrow next.

The plant is similar to, but not cabomba. It comes in a green version too, which I also got. Too late for photos now as lights are off, forgot to get some earlier.

 

[Sacha]

Might be a Myriophyllum from that description. We shall see...

 

[GlassWalker]

Just checked images, that's the one.

Oh, I *still* haven't set up that drop checker... will do that now before I forget again. So many things to do, so little time... referencing back to the other thread about pH and CO2 measurement considerations, mine would be >50ppm if tables were correct.

 

[GlassWalker]

Half a week into CO2 injection, I finally got round to installing the drop checker. That was yesterday. Today when I got home from work, I saw it was a kinda turquoise colour. I knew I was low dosing, but at least I have some indication how much to turn it up. I think plants are growing faster regardless in that a little is still more than none added. In particular, the aponogeton crispus has sent out a flowering stalk (don't know the correct name!). It had done this in the past, and I even got plantlets from the seeds that eventually formed although I never managed to raise them. If I get another load, I'll give it another go for sure.

Fish have uprooted most of the new plants I put in last weekend, so I'll try and put them in again next weekend. I find they're ok if given a little time to spread their roots, just gotta hope they stay still long enough to do that.

I know I have been told many times the flipper is rubbish, and I can really see it now. If I increase CO2 flow beyond a point, it doesn't hang in tank long enough and just escapes. Having had another look at the inline unit I got, I'm not sure it's that great and am looking at an atomising one from CO2Art instead. The unit I got looks like a pipe into a bunch of plastic bioballs, so there isn't any atomisation going on. If I'm going through the effort of draining my filter pipes and fitting something inline, I want to be sure it's a good one.

Having been to a local FE place to get another one, can use the less than great parts on a 2nd smaller tank where efficiency may be less important...