Two Islands

[Reuben]

All growing in okay, apart from my P. eustralis which has died off. Not sure why it was a bit shielded from flow and light by the Java fern so I suppose that could be it? The amano shrimp are doing well. The photo below is of one of the crypts. I love this plant, it's looking really nice at the moment. The leaves have a sort of waxy look, and the colour is a mix of green and purple, but with a metalic sheen to it. I find if I get the Co2 wrong this plant loses the 'waxy' appearance before any others start to suffer so I use it as an indicator of how things are doing. That didn't work to well for the P.eustralis mind!

 

[Reuben]

Here's one of the Cherry shrimp too.

 

[Reuben]

I have increased my light intensity to 45% (from 35%) and upped the photo period to 7.5 hrs (from 6)

The reason I've done this is because I want faster growth, and all of the plants have now fully transitioned and started growing and old emmersed leaves been removed in pruning. I'll keep a close watch on things and retreat if I spot trouble.

 

[Reuben]

Long overdue an update really, been busy...

Well I had a few problems with Co2. UP atomizer kept stopping, so I'd open up the needle valve some more and it would get going again. I'd get it set just right only to find it had stopped again an hour or two later

One of those problems that drive you mad, hunched in cabinet with gritted teeth trying to figure it out! Tried a new UP and problem seemed fixed, but then the next day the same thing happened! Stripped down and reassembled regulator increased working pressure to 8bar!! Still was not working....

Ended up being a fault with the steel check valve! Binned it. I now just have the regulator connected to the UP with nothing in between (I can't see the point of a bubble counter as the bubbles are too fast to count!).

Anyway this problem had been going on for about a week, I though everything was fine but then a few day after various plants started to melt a bit, lower leaves going transparent etc... and a bronze coating (diatom) crept on everything! Arghhh!! I dropped the LED (TMC grobeam 600s) output to 20% (from 60%) sorted the Co2 etc. The melt has stopped but I still have the bronze dust on leaves hard scape. I never get any algae apart from diatoms. I wish I had something else, nice green threads perhaps, this brown gunk is so annoying! Why always diatoms?...................

I hope I have things in check now. This low light is fine, but the growth is a bit slow really, I'd like to speed the whole thing up with megawatts of powerful light, but am too scared So i'll play it safe for now.

 

[Iain Sutherland]

Sorry to hear your troubles but I'd be careful with no check valve as water can run back into the reg and solenoid causing more problems.
I'm sure you will get it sorted.

 

[Rob P]

Looks lovely Reuben, really nice

 

[Reuben]

Well, things all went a bit wrong, BUT.... I have learned from the experience . 1st, Diatoms love me and my lights. 2nd, Co2 is the key (again!!)

Anyway here's how it's looking;





Not how I 'planned' it would look, but I have enjoyed watching it grow, even with a few setbacks along the way. I have been experimenting with plants and seem to do well with plants that have larger leaves!? Anything with small leaves doesn't tend to fair well, or so it seems to me.

Fancy doing a layout with lots of Echinodorus, cryps, anubias etc.. not ground breaking but hey! There's a thread on here titled something like 'my five tanks' in the journal section - really like some of those (the bits below the waterline!)

Thanks for looking.

 

[stu_]

Looking good
Still got the LEDs at 20% ?

 

[Rob P]

Looks healthy Ruben, wondered where you'd been my fellow TMC user lol

 

[Andy D]

Looks good!

 

[Reuben]

Looking good
Still got the LEDs at 20% ?

Cheers mate. No, actually i cranked them up to 100%

That's not quite how it sounds actually! I did re read advice I got given by Clive, made sure my Co2 was optimal for a couple of weeks, got Sanj to get a PAR reading of these LED's and only THEN, did I adjust! Maybe over cautious, but there we are. Any diatoms I had are going plants are good (healthy) but I'm keeping a close eye on it.

Rear set at 100%, Front set at 25%. I have anubias at the front which don't 'need' much light and there's some light spill from the rear LED's anyway.

Looks healthy Ruben, wondered where you'd been my fellow TMC user lol

Hi Rob, yep I've followed your posts with interest, I feel like I might be okay with my TMC 600's now, but then I've thought that before...

Looks good!

Thanks Andy!

 

[Rob P]

Hi Rob, yep I've followed your posts with interest, I feel like I might be okay with my TMC 600's now, but then I've thought that before...

Ha, I'm up to the dizzy heights of 27% with mine lol. Out of interest, what were the par readings like?

I've killed more with bleach than light lately

 

[Reuben]

Out of interest, what were the par readings like?

Not that high!
Here's what Sanj said:

The one I mentioned has one single grobeam 600. It lights a 76cm x 30cm x 38cm high tank. The PAR readings:

• Normal position 58cm from substrate: 16-18 micromols
• 40 cm from substrate: 35 micromols

They are not that powerful, but 35 is a good level for most plants. I grow some plants fine, but slowly in low tech mode at <20 micromols at substrate, which is fine for my breeding tanks

 

[Rob P]

Good shout on raising the levels differently on different channels, never even thought to try that...

 

[Reuben]

Okay, so short update. All running fine, plant growth good, some Anubia have bits of BBA on them, I've cut those leaves away and it isn't spreading. Run both lights at 100% for 8hrs a day now but with a 50min fade in/out. This gives a nice plant growth.
Main reason for posting is I've been learning some new video software and was fafing around doing a film of my tank just to grasp the basics. So do excuse the drifting focus, rainforest sounds and other misdemeanours...

 

[Reuben]

Update time!

Have added a new plant didiplis diandra which I got off member Hogan53. It's a lovely plant and is growing pretty fast at the moment, but hasn't got quite as nice a red colour as it did when I got it, though I guess it might as it gets toward the water surface.
Anyway photos;

I much prefer this side of the tank

A male Black Phantom tetra

and a female

From above

odd angle!


I'm thinking that I'll have a re arrange soon, maybe not have the sand path thing going on (though it does provide open swimming space) as I now see it as prime real estate for more plants! I tend to think the left side of the tank doesn't look quite right but not sure what would make it better!

So with that in mind any suggestions about possible changes very welcome. I think Ideally I'd rather make gradual changes that totally rip it out and re-do it but that could change. What do you think?

Thanks
Reuben

 

[Lindy]

I'd have something growing along that wood ''bridge''. You could always plant up the path behind it.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[Four50]

super photos and really liking your bridge between the two islands think i agree with ldcgroomer above, i could not resist growing something along that bridge

 

[Reuben]

I found a brilliant tree root which is just crying out to be used, it will mean totally replanting (using the same plants) this setup though.

 

[Ady34]

Will look forward to the new root