90L Dirted Planted Tank

[gwand35 152]

Results are in
View attachment 357665
I will admit I thought the Nitrate would have been lower. But at least it's not dangerously high levels. I make it out to be between 10-15ppm?

It looks like the ammonia level is .25 ppm. That is not good. Maybe it is just the way it looks online.

 

[MattW35 151]

That is the only other pic I got of the test tube sadly

 

[CassCats11 1]

Looks more 0 to me, at most could be 0.25pp but it's barely even there if at all.

 

[MattW35 151]

Well, that flew by​

The tank is now a year old since setup.

 

[MaloK]

Outstanding ! I love it.

 

[MattW35 151]

I don't think I ever showed a video of them at feeding time, so here it is. On the menu Fluval bug bites

 

[MattW35 151]

Well, another little update.​

First plants. I removed the failing Rotala on the right and moved around/added stems in its place. So now all the Hygrophila and Ludwigia are on the right along with some new Bucephalandra Theia Red & Lamandau in front. I added some young Crypt undulatus into the terracotta pot which seems to be doing well. The Rotala indica seems on its way out too so I'll either find a replacement or allow the crypts to spread there. Next, I've added L.sessiliflora along the back wall where possible and have allowed it to grow and spread across the surface of the water and mix with the terrestrial plant roots and some new floating plants (Hornwort & Hydrocotyle tripartita). Now onto the left side. I have added Mermaid weed and Pogostemon Q. 'Octopus' behind the Anubias and rocks which have given the tank a proper jungle look. Will be even better when fully grown

Now onto an equipment addition. Some will know I've been battling CyanoBacteria for a while, especially in the substrate on the right side. I've done some form of a blackout, reduced lighting and fertiliser and still had no improvements. So the only cause I can think of is lack of flow. I added in a little pump with a flow director pointing to the bottom right corner. I've had it running for about a week and have seen a small decrease in CB on the right side. So I will keep it running and see if it can reduce it significantly over time.

Onto the stocking. No changes to the numbers at the moment. I did see a group of eggs on some water lettuce the other day which is a good sign but the survival rate of an egg or hatched fry is quite minimal in that tank. My oldest amano shrimp from the original trio I got back in 2021 is still going strong! You can actually see her fighting over an algae wafer at the start of the video on the rock. I had been thinking of adding in another species of some sort in low numbers of course but can't seem to find anything that would fit the tank well yet. I will continue to search for potential candidates over the coming months.

 

[connorlindeman33 34]

I always like a top down shot of a planted tank.

 

[MattW35 151]

Snails & Algae​

So I have barely touched this tank recently apart from feeding and Water top-ups every 2 weeks. Thread algae has taken over again, which is great. It loves mixing with CB and this red-looking thread algae, which could also be some form of CB. I know its causes are high lighting and excess nutrients, so starting today, I'll be stopping any dosing and reducing feeding to once a day again and having a look at the lighting. It seems to enjoy growing amongst the pothos/hemigraphis roots, which is good and bad as it creates shelter for the fish/shrimp, but it does look a tad ugly.

My ricefish bucket has become home to a growing group of Ramshorns. I fished some out to add to this tank. The current snail population in the 90L is very low, with even the original bladder snails dying out. So I'll reboot the population with these guys to help with the green spot algae and leftover food.

Also caught the amanos this morning. Not seen this behaviour in ages.

 

[MattW35 151]

Eggs & Plants​

Captured this the other day. Must be a good sign since it's the first time I've ever seen this! It will make great fish food when dropped

Just remembered I was supposed to do an updated plant list. So here it is

Aquatic Plants

• Cryptocoryne undulatus
• Cryptocoryne nurii
• Cryptocoryne wendtii brown
• Cryptocoryne parva
• Staurogyne repens
• Crinum calamistratum
• Nymphea Tiger Lotus red
• Water Lettuce
• Hygrophila polysperma
• Bucephalandra Lamandau
• Bucephalandra Theia Red
• Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
• Marsilea crenata
• Micranthemum Monte Carlo
• Pogostemon Q. 'Octopus'
• Proserpinaca Palustris 'Mermaid weed'
• Ludwigia repens
• Hornwort
• Anubias Nana
• Anubias congensis
• Anubias Coffeifolia
• Limnophila sessiliflora
• Vallisneria spiralis Rubra
• Schismatoglottis prietoi

Emergent plants

• Hemigraphis repanda
• Epipremnum Pinnatum Aureum

 

[EmmaS]

What light you using on this aquarium now?

 

[MattW35 151]

What light you using on this aquarium now?

I have this light (B60) and also the B30 on my other tank. Great lights for the price IMO, app is decent too. I only have mine set to 25% intensity now which is more than sufficient for my tanks at the moment. There definitely are better lights out there but they do the job I need. Are you thinking of changing the lighting on your tanks?

 

[EmmaS]

I was thinking about it. If I do I will probably go for another Fluval aquasky 2.0 as they are lower in price these days due to newer models.

 

[MattW35 151]

Algae problem solved for now..​

After a few weeks of barely touching this tank, it has somehow fixed the algae issue on its own without manual removal. The hemigraphis and pothos roots are clean of thread algae. I haven't cleaned the glass in over a month, as the Ramshorns are doing wonders with surface algae. The Crinum has basically no BBA algae on it, and there is little algae amongst the other plants. Im thinking that the decline in algae was down to a bunch of factors. I left this tank alone for a week with no feeding + dosing of ferts, as I was on holiday. Lighting intensity was reduced, and more Ramshorns were introduced. I also think that the faster-growing plants in this tank help massively in nutrient control.

I am still battling the CB in the substrate, but I think that's a battle I can't win unless I gravel vac. Which is a big no-no in a dirted tank.. As long as it stays below the top of the substrate, I'll tolerate it.

Tubifex spaghetti Oh and the female Amano has eggs again!

 

[EmmaS]

Looks like the amano is weaving.