• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Rio 300 plans

I think your tank is going to be awesome when it's grown in. If you get problems with hydro, you could try a low crypt there instead or eleocharis or a marsilea species.
 
Hmm i believe i changed the Hygro for something else but at this moment it escapes me what. I am getting majority of my plant order tomorow...

is it normal to be this excited about a fish tank? :?

Howard
 
Ok, so the plants came today. All from AE, Tropica plants. this is my first experience with tropica and you can see, as soon as you open the box that the quality is so much better than any other plants i have bought, well worth the extra.

I spent about 3 hours trimming them down, separating and finally planting. Plants are (l-r) Rotala Macrandra, Het. Zosterifolia, E. Parvula, Vallis Spiralis, Vallis Nana, Bacopa Monnerii & Hydrocotyle Verticillata.

Heres an up to date (even if a bit rubbish) photo:
DSC00050.jpg


Left side:
DSC00051.jpg


Right side:
DSC00052.jpg


I am still waiting on some Glosso, Ech. Tennellus & Hemianthus Micranthemoides to fill the front and left space.

How would people recommend starting the dosing? Start with half doses as of tomorrow? Or go with full dosing?

C&C welcome as usual :D

Thanks, Howard
 
Just been looking at this and really like what you're doing. The rocks look much better now since you've moved them.

What's the plant on the right hand side of the "Left Side" photo? It's quite short but with ribbon type leaves, looks interesting.

Incidentally, that AGA photo you posted up is a nice one and I don't really agree with the comments the judges posted. One of them said that it lacked focus and there should be something in the middle, but to my mind the fact that there isn't a big focal point is the focal point i.e. the emptiness is the focal point. Does that make any sense? Personally, I don't they know what they're talking about.... :?
 
Morning beeky, its been a while since i have updated on this so you commenting will encourage me to go get some photos!

The plant that the 'left side' picture shows is Heteranthera Zosterifolia. That was literally just after i planted the top part of the stems i received. It is now a proper bush and is growing fantasticly well.

I have also since planted some Eleocharis Parvula, glossostigma elantinoides & echinodorus tennelus. I will post pictures this afternoon.

I have been dosing fully but i do seem to have developed some hair algae and another type on some leaves. I introduced 8 amano shrimp last week who have done a mint job of cleaning up, except they dont seem to have a taste for hair, so right at this moment i am acclimatising 3 otto affinis to clean up.

Thanks for your comments, much appreciated...i just hope i can make it half as stunning as some of the tanks on here

Howard
 
Hiya, i'd be careful about dosing full ferts this early on, you have a very small biomass, ie. not enough plants to take up the nutrients, algae will generally occur in this situation. I always start on half dosing unless it's packed out with plants from the start.
 
Sorry for no update the other day..my water decided it was going to turn into a pea soup. I changed 50% of the water and havent dosed or had lights on for a few days...this was in waiting for my new filter (eheim 2078) which arrived and is now set up (see another thread) once this has cleaned up with another water change today and thursday and back to normal dosing i will post updates with photos. i will feed your imagination by saying the parvula is growing like wildfire, and the glosso is spreading brilliantly, carpeting and not growing upwards.

I removed the hydrocotyle and it just didnt settle in, and after 3 weeks or so just didnt look any good. when i pulled it out it hadnt produced any roots at all so wasnt too fussed. Dont know what to put there at the moment...probably pogostemon helferi if i can get any cheap :rolleyes:

Well, like i say, i will update with photos hopefully over the weekend or maybe thursday if your unlucky.

Thanks, Howard
 
OK, after many a delay my tank is finally suitable to be showing on here....clarity-wise anyway. After suffering about a week with green water i did a 50% change yesterday and i wake up today to find it is almost totally clear :D

DSC00059.jpg


That is from a distance. As you can see the heteranthera is growing so fast. There is Rotala Macrandra behind it but it just doesn't seem to working (it was only an experiment anyway). I am probably going to remove it if it doesn't pick up and order some cyperus helferi to fill the corner.

DSC00060.jpg


The Ech. tennellus seems to be growing in nicely and trimming the surrounding offshoots seem to be helping it keep dense in that corner.

DSC00061.jpg


The glosso carpet is filling in very nicely and i am really pleased with it, I continue to prune the offshoots in the hope they spread outwards, fingers crossed.

Also, as you can see from the first pic, the right front corner is totally bare. The hydrocotyle died a death and so i removed it. I was thinking pogostemon helferi? any other ideas?

sorry for the rant, i hope you've got this far.
Thanks, Howard
 
Tank is coming along nicely Howard :) that will look great when the carpet fully covers the gravel, tank that size will look even more amazing in person, just remember once it fills in to keep triming the glosso and keep it low, otherwise it will rot underneath. Congrats on the great work :)
 
This in an interesting thread for me as the tank is very similar dimensions to my latest addition.

It's quite scary how much coverage - both hardscape and planting, is needed, particularly to get the most of the tall nature of these tanks.

Your aquascape is progressing nicely, but to improve it further I'd suggest more dominating rockwork, as they'll be lost once your plants grow in fully.
 
Thanks for the comments, really appreciate them :D

I know its in the early stages but as my first ever high tech set up i am so pleased with how its coming along, with only a few minor snags along the way!

Il probably do an order from AE sometime this week so i could possibly put in for some more rock. The only problem is you cant pick your own, and with living so far from any decent fish stores i find it hard getting decent rock, in terms of size and shape.

Also, some help might be needed. In the back right corner there is vallis (both nana & tiger). Neither of these plants seems to have grown and most leaves show some sign of dying (withering at the ends of the plant). It seems unusual as my water is hard, and when other hard species such as the glosso is growing so well, i am hard pressed to find any reason.

Any help is appreciated, as well as C&C as usual :)

Thanks, Howard
 
Dan Crawford said:
Hiya, i'd be careful about dosing full ferts this early on, you have a very small biomass, ie. not enough plants to take up the nutrients, algae will generally occur in this situation. I always start on half dosing unless it's packed out with plants from the start.
Dan, I might be wrong here, but doesn't Barr rule #1 say that nutrients do not cause algae?
If the rule stands, Howard could easily dose full amounts without algae danger.
 
i think you still need the plant mass for full dosing. you wouldst dose an empty tank would you ;) hence the steady ferts in a tanks early days. i might be wrong though.
 
Of course you wouldn't dose an empty tank. :) But the theory says you will not get any algae if you would... You just waste nutrients (add them and then remove them with a weekly WC). What confuses me a bit is that he talks about a "fully planted" tank in his EI article:

I truthfully do not know what levels of NO3 and PO4 (for example) cause problems for plants or induce algae in a fully planted tank. NO3 levels above 40ppm can cause fish health issues. PO4 at very high levels can influence alkalinity (KH) above 5ppm-10ppm.

Clearly these are far beyond the needs of plants and the range makes for a very large target to dose even if the aquarist is off by a factor of 2X.
...
An important aspect of this method is the knowledge that excess nutrients do not cause algae blooms as so many authors in the past and many today still maintain without having tested this critically in aquariums with a healthy plant biomass. It is a welcomed relief knowing that “excess” phosphate, nitrate and iron do not cause algae blooms.

Howard, sorry to hijack your thread... :rolleyes:
 
Hi everyone!

It has been a while (too long) since I posted on this site...mainly as I have been embarrassed by my attempts over the last year or so!

I have recently decided to turn things around and put a bit of effort into my tank again.

The setup is the same as before...

Rio 300 tank
Tetratec Ex1200 & Eheim Pro 3e filters
Overhead luminaire from a LFS - currently running 2 x 54 w bulbs.
Tetra complete topped with play sand.
Ferts: While i settle back into a routine I am dosing 5ml easy carbo and 10ml Tropica PN+ daily - 6 days a week.

Here are some photos (i apologise for quality they were done on a phone)
IMG_0702.jpg


IMG_0703.jpg


IMG_0704.jpg


I am intending to get some Glosso to cover the front space as the hemianthus that i have hasnt settled in very well.

I am going away for 4 days tomorrow and will check how it is when I get back but likelihood is i will be replacing with glosso (i managed to grow it before so hopefully will be able to again!)

I would be really pleased to get feedback (good or bad).

Thanks for looking,
Howard
 
Back
Top