Day 70:
Reading some of the threads here. I see that some people consider my tank as high tech! Apparently because I am adding Dennerle Carbo Elixir BIO this makes it high tech. I think I will just call it a tech tank.
Bit of a long one today. I hope that this is helping some of you. I hope the data and daily pics at least give people a datum regarding progress and cures for when it does not go as planned.
When I used to keep fish, I just had terrible troubles growing aquatic plants, so this is an achievement to have healthy growth for this long. Thanks to all those people out there who have put me on the right track.
Wildlife:
LUMBRICULUS: I finally saw them! About 11pm after lights off (lights on 12noon lights off 8pm) I shone a torch into the tank. As I slowly swept it around, there they were sticking up head first out of the soil, darting back down their hole as the light hit them.
BLADDER SNAILS: Have taken to riding around in clumps of up to 4 on each others backs. I wonder what they could be doing!!!
RAMSHORN SNAILS: Getting bigger and bigger. One has taken to water sky diving. It lets go from the spray bar and fly's around the tank in the current. After 15min or so another water sky diver, It looks like the same one!
CYCLOPS: Seems to be fewer now. Maybe because I don't notice them so much with everything else so active.
CRANGONYX: The adults are now out all of the time. When I was cleaning the tank today and doing the 33% water change, one was following the siphon and jumping on anything that got washed up. I wonder if I should start feeding them? What with, anyone know?? Just wait until I finally get some fish (If I ever do), they won't be so bold then.
Water:
| Ammonia | Nitrite | Nitrate | PH | Carbonate hardness | General hardness |
| NH₃ | NO₂ | NO₃ | | | |
| Date | mg/L or ppm | mg/L or ppm | mg/L or ppm | | dKH | dGH |
| Tap water from supplier | | 0.25 | 12.65 | 7.58 | | 6.21 |
| Tap water measured | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.50 | | 8.00 |
| | | | | | |
| 28/08/21 after 7 days | 0.50 | 0.50 | 10.00 | 7.50 | 3.00 | 5.00 |
| 04/09/21 after 14 days | 0.20 | 0.25 | 7.50 | 7.20 | 2.00 | 5.00 |
| 11/09/21 after 21 days | 0.50 | 0.25 | 5.00 | 6.75 | 1.00 | 5.00 |
| 18/09/21 after 28 days | 0.10 | 0.25 | 5.00 | 6.75 | 1.00 | 4.00 |
| 25/09/21 after 35 days | 0.00 | 0.13 | 0.25 | 7.25 | 1.00 | 5.00 |
| 02/10/21 after 42 days | 0.00 | 0.50 | 7.50 | 7.00 | 1.00 | 6.00 |
| 09/10/21 after 49 days | 0.00 | 0.25 | 5.00 | 7.00 | 1.00 | 6.00 |
| 16/10/21 after 56 days | | | | | | |
| 23/10/21 after 63 days | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.50 | 7.00 | 2.00 | 8.00 |
| 30/10/21 after 70 days | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 7.00 | 2.00 | 8.00 |
Looks like Hardness has stabilised. Think I will stop doing that test weekly and maybe only monthly just to check it has not gone mad.
Bit worried that the Nitrate NO₃ is still swinging between 5.0 and 7.5. Nitrite NO₂ has finally settled down.
Plants:
All doing well. At the beginning of the week I upped the daily doses of TNC complete from 0.6ml to 1.2ml and Dennerle Carbo Elixir BIO from 0.6ml to 0.8ml. The plants seemed to be enjoying this.
Since the members here said that I should be dosing 3ml of TNC complete a day, I have been upping the dose each week by 0.6ml. so today I dosed 1.2ml. Dennerle Carbo Elixir BIO is going up to 1ml per day. Lets see what that does to the plants and wildlife!
I have moved the stone with the moss in ........ anticipation of getting some ALTERNANTHERA REINECKII MINI to put at the back left.
Pics:
