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Transitioning Phase... (Unknown Weeks) Transitioning into a Journal

I saw the rams the week before and they had quite a few. They only had three, one didn't look too good and the other one was too fat for my liking.

What do you tend to feed GBRs? I watched the YouTube link from the other thread with the breeders and they use the Tetra granules. I was thinking of purchasing the Tetra Prima granules for the GBR. I tried feeding it today with the flakes that I use but that didn't work. It also didn't go after my Bristlenoses Algae Wafers which evey inhabitant in the tank fights for.
 
My ram eats everything and is trained to eat from the top half of the tank first but then goes to the bottom to feed. Very aggressive when feeding with pentazona barbs around, great to watch them being herded :lol:. I feed them the prima granules, tetra crisp range (algae, energy, colour), fluval bugbites, hikari shrimp and algae wafers and frozen food.
 
I'll train the ram to eat from the top half. It needs to start eating before it gets hungry and begins snacking on my shrimp one day.

My Twinstar dimmer should finally arrive later this week. Currently my lighting period is 5 hours at 100% intensity. I plan to keep this as plant growth has been nice and slow with very minimal signs of algae. I would like to extend my lighting period at an intensity that will have minimal effect on plant growth. It could be called a viewing period, any suggestions of what the intensity would be to achieve this? For those that haven't read the previous pages, the light is a Twinstar S.
 
It needs to start eating before
This in combination with the shyness you mention, makes me wonder if it is stressed - you might call the shop and see what they feed

Try some frozen bloodworm or brine shrimp - if your ram doesn’t come out and eat, I’d consider treating the fish (was it active and out front at the shop?)

What is tank temp?
Other livestock?
 
(was it active and out front at the shop?)

What is tank temp?
Other livestock?

The fish was active in the shop. Tank temp is 24 Celsius. Other tank mates include 1 bristlenose pleco, 6 ember tetras, 2 rummynose tetras, 1 cardinal tetra and 11 'kitty tetra' plus a load of shrimp. I managed to feed the ram today, he was interested in the Tetra min flakes but was waiting for it to drop to the bottom. By that time the tetras ate everything. The ram the leftovers of the algae wafers and was sifting through the sand. I presume I need a type of food that falls to the bottom. The ram has white poo with a hint of green (it's not long and stringy, might be the lack of food as I do not feed my fish every day). The Tetra prime food will arrive on Friday. I purchased the Dennerle complete flakes which was rejected by all my inhabitants.

My stainless steel inlet and outlet pipes arrived. The quality was good. The inlet pipe is a bit thicker than I wanted it to be and I also cut the filter pipe short so I can't make it higher.
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The ram looks fine in this photo

I’d feed some frozen brine shrimp, bloodworms to make sure he’s getting enough suitable food - that should clear up any digestive issues (the green tint sounds as if he’s getting too much plant matter and not enough protein) - & hopefully he’ll grow more bold
 
What signs do I generally have to watch out for with rams as they're prone to parasites?

Also, are there any plants that give a vine like effect on wood? I was thinking of gluing some monte carlo onto the manzanita for it to drape down.
 
Watch for
- reduced activity,
- increased shyness (though I’ve had some ram groups gradually become more reclusive, preferring to play least in sight amongst the plants and hardscape - but they still feed quite excitedly and are active and still playing their “ram games” throughout the tank if I sit back quietly, just immediately disappearing as I approach the tank etc),
- “stringy pooh” (this is often triggered by stress and poor water quality, especially when accompanied by lower water temperature),
- altered breathing (one can get very focused on this o_O),
- hanging near the surface is a bad sign with rams as they are a bottom oriented species (sifting through substrate, inspecting any carpet plant areas etc ),
- consistent pale colors indicates stress (more difficult to judge in the colour morphs as they lack body markings etc),
- clamped fins (again this is a stress signal, but may also be an indication of external parasites)

CO2?
MC grown as an epiphyte is more sensitive to water column fertilizers (including CO2)
H tripartite is relatively more forgiving when grown as an epiphyte
Various mosses have more/less upright growth
 
It is slightly difficult to feed the ram as the tetras and the shrimp eat/run off with everything before the ram gets there.

I am injecting co2 at a low rate to keep plant growth at a manageable rate. How large are the leaves of the Hydrocotyle Tripartite?

The tank is now 3 weeks old. I ran out of co2 and didn't realise until a day and half later. Algae has been minimal. I will remove the Eco Pro next week as the Ultramax will have been running for three weeks.

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4 weeks in now and I noticed bba on my S.Repens, Cryptocoryne (on two leaves). I also noticed Green spot like algae on some of my dragon stone which I quite like. The plants that were affected were the existing plants which went from Co2 in the old tank, to a box with no co2 and then into the current tank. The bba was also only on the damaged leaves of older growth. I trimmed most of the S.Repens.

I believe I made one too many changes for a set up which had not yet reached 4 Weeks. The following occurred within the past 10 days:
1. Co2 ran out for 1.5 days
2. Co2 bubble rate reduced from 3 to 4 bps to 1 to 2 bps as the drop checker was constantly lime green. The fish are now more active although the drop checker no longer reaches lime green but plant growth is still good.
3. Filter outlet flow direction changed from hanging on RHS to LHS. The existing area where the outlet was placed was a dead spot and detritus kept gathering. This has removed the problem however I've had to reduce the outlet flow from 3/4 to 2/3s of the speed setting as the fish would find it difficult to sleep (if they sleep) due to the additional flow created from the more even distribution
4. Feeding nearly every day and a larger quantities to ensure that the GBR receives enough food (Tetras eat everything)
5. Reducing amount of water changes from 4/3 30 to 35% changes a week to 3, 20% changes.

Update pictures below, need to conduct a water change today plus trim the rotala to increase plant mass at the back. I've ordered Hydrocotyle Japan and Hygrophila Pinntafida to add to the tank. I've removed the existing eheim filter today as the ultramax has been running for 3 and a half weeks.
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Now that i have a male and female ram, also 6 gouramis means means i had to adapt the way that i feed them without the tetras eating everything. What i do is:
one day feed them one of the variety of the tetra crisps. I put them in a egg cup and add a tiny bit of water so they sink straight away. I turn off my filter/pumps for feeding so food doesn't fly everywhere and i make sure crisps fall into my designated feeding area (beach area) before turning on the filter/pumps.

That way the tetras get some on the way down and theres enough for my rams and gouramis. The tetras still scavenge from the substrate so they will eat more than enough regardless.

The next day (after crisps) i'll feed some sort of pellets, like the hikari shimp pellets or algae wafers so they sink to my feeding area for my rams and gouramis. The tetras will eat bits floating about from the other fish and don't seem to be that interested in the pellet itself.

I keep repeating this cycle apart from when i add frozen food or veg like peas.

Seems like the best way to make sure my rams and gouramis are well fed.
 
I will try this with the spare tropica pots that I have. I'll put a hole in the bottom to make sure it sinks. The other problem I have is that any food that hits the floor is usually taken by the shrimp who run off it with it.

Which part of the tank do the honey gourami occupy?
 
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I will try this with the spare tropica pots that I have. I'll put a hole in the bottom to make sure it sinks. The other problem I have is that any food that hits the floor is usually taken by the shrimp who run off it with it.

Which part of the tank do the honey gourami occupy?

What do you mean about tropica cup? Basically what i mean is:
1) turn off filters and pumps
2) get a tropica pot and put a bit of food in there (flakes, pellets, crisps)
3) put a tiny bit of tank water into the tropica pot and let it soak in the water for like 30 secs
4) tip the food into the tank (not the pot) in the area you want to feed the rams
5) make sure some hits the bottom "feeding area" then turn filter and pumps back on.

That's the way i do it, but ensures rams and gouramis get a fair chance, because tetras will still go feed at the substrate regardless. I would say my way of feeding by rotating the type of food is to technically feed the tetras a full meal every other day, while making sure my rams and gouramis get a full meal every day.

The gouramis in general actually chill out more in the middle and lower parts of my tank because they like to sift through the sand looking for food. They do swim in all areas of the tank but maybe not as much at the top as theres less plant cover and the flow probably has a lot to do with it. But they do sleep/rest near the top parts of the tank, but to be fair each has a different sleeping spot at lights off.

The "goldens" seem to hang about the more in the darker denser areas where as the "red robins" seem to just love swimming about the front and in the beach area and are a lot less shy.
 
Wow mate that is a lot of change in a immature tank I'd be a little scared if I was you to be honest the amount if water changed is worrying for a start 20% 3 times a week ? By now you should be at 1 water change of about 50/60% or more to reset the whole tank weekly

Fluctuating co2 levels is one of the main courses of alge unsettling the balance of the tank allowing alge spores to grow faster why have you dropped half the amount of co2 going in if the drop checker was lime green that is exactly what you want running out for a day or 2 isnt so much of an issue depriving the plants of it through photosynthesis is a major issue and the plants will not stay health for long your increasing.your plant.mass with the 2 new plants your adding and with new growth but reducing one of the 3 main sources of energy

What are your lights on now

4 weeks in and you have bba on a new tank can you imagine how it will be in 8 weeks if you dont get the balance right that should have been tweaked and sorted by the first 2 weeks

You really need to be patient and stop.changing things
Of course this is all just my opinion
 
I suggest transferring the Eheim bio media to the new filter - with low bioload in the tank, it’s possible that population of the new filter media will be slower than expected

If you want to use the Eheim on another tank, there will still be sufficient bacteria in the mechanical media (sponge etc) to “seed” the new tank

I’d also wait for more robust growth before trimming the Rotala

To add some fast growing plants you might just place some pots in the front sand area - as shown in this new Tropica video


(I know I’m a shameless promoter of Tropica and GF et al :angelic: )

If you watch the previous week video, you can see how much the L sessiliflora has grown
 
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To respond to the replies in chronological order:

1. @Sammy Islam Thanks for clarifying. I tried your method today and it worked. The GBR now joins every other fish and shrimp in attempting to my Bristlenoses algae wafer.

2. @Jayefc1 I agree and I will learn from this mistake when setting up in future tanks. I cleaned the co2 diffuser today as it started making a hissing nose last night to ensure the diffusion is as it should be. Increased Co2 to 2bps and changed the drop checker solution. I had to blow into the solution for 5 minutes to get it to become dark green just to see if its working as it should. I also increased the flow nearly back to what it was. My plan for the next week is to reduce the water changes to two 30% weekly changes for a couple of weeks. There won't be further changes as I plan to monitor the tank. Its still only affecting a very small localised area and is currently visible on three or four old leaves. I probably will remove the S. Repens if it continues to be affected as the growth is too thick and congested. I have cryptocoryne Balansae, Rotala H'ra and Java Fern right next to it and they have had no issues although I purchased these plants when I set the tank up 4 weeks ago where as the S.Repens went through the transition and only the older decaying growth is affected. Lighting period is 5 hours at 100% intensity. I did order a dimmer which was supposed to arrive 3 weeks ago. I use TMC complete 4 times a week at 3.5ml per dose. I'm not at home for 7 days hence why I only dose 4 times a week.

@alto I sadly do not have the space for another tank. I plan to use the eheim as vacuum for the weekly maintenance or to just assist with water changes. I want to avoid purchasing any further plants as I'd only end up throwing them away. I could probably try potting the rotala and placing it on the sand when the trim does take place.
 
Hydrocotyle and the Pinnatifida have been added to the tank. I also took a picture of the bba (might be staghorn algae). I could only visibly see it on two leaves which is good. Both leaves were decaying and look like old growth (possibly emerged). I gave the Rotala Yaoi Yai a trim as some stems were quite high. I've left the H'ra to grow in for another week before a trim. In the last image, I used an old piece of spiderwood which has a very rough texture (it was boiled) consisting of black dots. Anyone know what it is?

Pictures below
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I've decided to continue the Transitioning Phase within the Journal section. The beginning can be found within this thread
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads...oning-into-a-journal.59748/page-5#post-589495.

The tanks is a Co2 injected Aquascaper 600 consisting of the following:
Lights: Twinstar 600 S
Ferts: Tnc Complete
Hardscape: Dragon Stone, Manzanita Wood and two pieces of Spiderwood
Substrate: Tropica Powder Soil and Ada Colorado Sand
Plants: Rotala H'Ra
Rotala Yaoi Yai
Rotala Bonsai
Rotal Macrandra (deceased)
Vallisneria Nana
Cryptocoryne Balansea
Cryptocoryne Wendtii
Cryptocoryne Beckiti
Cryptocoryne Parva (deceased)
S. Repens
Marsilea Hirsuta
Flame Moss
Taiwan Moss
Java Fern Petite
Java Fern (Unknown)
Hydrocotyle Tripartita Japan
Hygrophila Pinnatifida
Bucephalandra Serimbu Brown
Bucephalandra Mini Needle Leaf
Anubius Nana
Anubius Coffee something
Filter: Aquael Ultramax 1500

Images of week 1
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Images of Week 5 (latest)
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During the past week, I had a red cherry shrimp and a kitty tetra jump out and die. I also found a big spider dead on top of the Twinstar. I've reduced my water changes to twice a week now (Friday and Sunday after the co2 goes off). Last week I introduced Hydrocotyle Tripartita Japan and Hygrophila Pinnatifida which my Bristlenose Pleco decided to remove from the Manzanita. My current lighting period is 5 hours (100% intensity). The dimmer I purchased has finally arrived after 5 weeks. I am planning to reduce the lighting intensity to 90% for reasons mentioned below. I also plan to add a 15 minute ramp up time to the 90% intensity and then a 15 minute ramp down time. I will implement this tomorrow. Any suggestions on what I could grow on top of the sand?

I also previously had algae issues with Staghorn Algae/bba and Green spot algae which I thought arose from making too many changes. The Staghorn/Bba has now been removed by increasing the output rate on my filter which is presume led to a better spread of Co2 and nutrients. Although, the green spot algae persists. Something is out of balance and it might be that my light intensity is too high or should I wait it out? The last image shows my algae problems.
 
Something is out of balance and it might be that my light intensity is too high or should I wait it out? The last image shows my algae problems.
I think it is your light but now you have the dimmer I'd drop it to 80% for 5.5hrs with the 15 min ramp up/down to make it to 6 hrs although I have my ramp down to 10 from 50 then have it set at 10% for an extra hour so I can just enjoy the tank in the evening before bed
 
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