Hi,
Have read the forums and can't find the answers to a couple of questions. Here's hoping that you can help.
I have set up a new tank;
200ltr capacity
5ltr Colombo Flora base
11ltr Akadama
Cap of 1" of standard aquarium sand
Co² FE through JBL spiral diffusor, lime green drop checker
Fluval G6 filter (running at only 50% flow, but that's on another to do list) standard mech filter, no carbon, intake behind 3D background panel rhs, output using single spray bar across lhs
300W heater running at 28°
2 x 39W T5 HO with Accadia reflectors sat on glass top, 1 lamp 840 (warm daylight) the other 865 (cool daylight)
Hardware consists of wood, soaked for three weeks in dustbin prior to tank arrival. Negligible tannins if any,
The tank was filled and ran for one week before being planted, without light, to bring up temperature from RO and rainwater with 10 gal of tap water. My aim is to keep a couple of Discus so wanted low KH/GH from the start. At the end of the week I put in my plants, LFS stock from AquaFleur;
5 Vallis (appears to be a short version Asiatica)
2 Crypt Bullosa
1 Echinodorus Ozelot (red spots?)
4 Anubias bonsai
1 Aponogeton Crispus
3 Rotala wallichii
2 HC
5 pads of christmas moss
Dosing using aquariumplantfood all-in-one (a TPN type product)
Week 2 I had some very soft hair algae on the wood directly in the flow of the filter outlet. Added two SAE from another tank and noticed a dozen hitchikers, snails off the plants moving around. Water still showing a very slight cloudiness, a milky haze. Fish doing okay, lots of poo! Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates to 40ppm. GDA appearing on wood and glass. Stopped dosing daily and dosing alternate days, added extra 20ml micros.
Week 3 Vallis is spreading, crypts have added new leaves, Echi has added two nicely coloured leaves, the rotala has finally started growing its submerged leaves and is growing, the HC is spreading but the leaves have got a lot smaller than when put in (submersed leaves?). Overall its maturing nicely. Added 3 Otto's and five shrimp yesterday to help out the SAEs. All very busy and even more poo! Will be doing a 20% water change this week. Milky haze very slight.
My questions are, firstly, will the substrates be adding any nutrients which could cause me problems with overdosing? Secondly, am I just being paranoid because of the GDA which is now getting very dark on the wood. I know I have to wait for it to be at least two to three weeks old before removing it. I'm convinced that paranoia is creeping in, I'm confident I can get the tank running cleanly as my other tank (110ltr) hasn't had any algae problems in the last three years since setup.
Well, add your twopenworth and put an old mans mind at rest, please......
Have read the forums and can't find the answers to a couple of questions. Here's hoping that you can help.
I have set up a new tank;
200ltr capacity
5ltr Colombo Flora base
11ltr Akadama
Cap of 1" of standard aquarium sand
Co² FE through JBL spiral diffusor, lime green drop checker
Fluval G6 filter (running at only 50% flow, but that's on another to do list) standard mech filter, no carbon, intake behind 3D background panel rhs, output using single spray bar across lhs
300W heater running at 28°
2 x 39W T5 HO with Accadia reflectors sat on glass top, 1 lamp 840 (warm daylight) the other 865 (cool daylight)
Hardware consists of wood, soaked for three weeks in dustbin prior to tank arrival. Negligible tannins if any,
The tank was filled and ran for one week before being planted, without light, to bring up temperature from RO and rainwater with 10 gal of tap water. My aim is to keep a couple of Discus so wanted low KH/GH from the start. At the end of the week I put in my plants, LFS stock from AquaFleur;
5 Vallis (appears to be a short version Asiatica)
2 Crypt Bullosa
1 Echinodorus Ozelot (red spots?)
4 Anubias bonsai
1 Aponogeton Crispus
3 Rotala wallichii
2 HC
5 pads of christmas moss
Dosing using aquariumplantfood all-in-one (a TPN type product)
Week 2 I had some very soft hair algae on the wood directly in the flow of the filter outlet. Added two SAE from another tank and noticed a dozen hitchikers, snails off the plants moving around. Water still showing a very slight cloudiness, a milky haze. Fish doing okay, lots of poo! Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates to 40ppm. GDA appearing on wood and glass. Stopped dosing daily and dosing alternate days, added extra 20ml micros.
Week 3 Vallis is spreading, crypts have added new leaves, Echi has added two nicely coloured leaves, the rotala has finally started growing its submerged leaves and is growing, the HC is spreading but the leaves have got a lot smaller than when put in (submersed leaves?). Overall its maturing nicely. Added 3 Otto's and five shrimp yesterday to help out the SAEs. All very busy and even more poo! Will be doing a 20% water change this week. Milky haze very slight.
My questions are, firstly, will the substrates be adding any nutrients which could cause me problems with overdosing? Secondly, am I just being paranoid because of the GDA which is now getting very dark on the wood. I know I have to wait for it to be at least two to three weeks old before removing it. I'm convinced that paranoia is creeping in, I'm confident I can get the tank running cleanly as my other tank (110ltr) hasn't had any algae problems in the last three years since setup.
Well, add your twopenworth and put an old mans mind at rest, please......
