Si's Low Tech Tank Journal

[PDSimon]

Adding 2 bolivian rams and 8 kuhli loach.

Now I can properly start dosing ferts and liquidc02 because I was doing so many waterchanges at the end it was pointless adding the ferts.

Going to start with 1ml a day of TPN+ and 2ml of easycarbo a day to start off with

 

[lljdma06]

You will need more ferts than that. I'll give you an idea, though things will vary based on your own specs. My 36g currently takes 10ml of TPN+ every other day (when I feed the fish) and it could probably handle more. And that's a tank without any form of CO2 addition (no easycarbo or anything). My 8g with CO2 gobbled 8-10ml a day at the height of the scape.

That being said, the new additions look great.

llj

 

[PDSimon]

I just thought you were meant to gradually increase it to avoid algae?

I've noticed 2 new leaves on the sword and 1 on the ech. ozelot

edit: one of the pieces of bogwood has been sitting in a bucket of water for a few days and I swear its actually grown without heat or filtration!

anyway its back in the tank now. Lights are currently on 6 hours a day, please advise if this should be increased.

Thanks

 

[lljdma06]

Stay with 6 hours for now.

 

[PDSimon]

Here was my initial sketch. I should've added it earlier

Quite a bit changed with it though... its pretty close to the current design though! No driftwood yet, or HC(was going to put bacopa australis anyway)

 

[PDSimon]

Added some amanos, the hygrophila difformis in the picture has finally stopped looking so limp and some of the bigger stems are growing. Just waiting for the eleocharis parvula and the spiralis to grow now. The ends of the parvula are going a bit yellow, probably not a good sign. The spiralis probably won't do to well because of my soft water. Might add some more swords or something with better coverage

 

[PDSimon]

Whats the best method for trimming a hygrophila difformis?

The problem I have is that my difformis is dying on its lower leaves, but the lower leaves are quite high, so if I take them off its just going to be a long stem mostly... shall I cut the stem and wait for the top to grow taller? I just didn't want to cut the stem because I want it to be taller!

 

[lljdma06]

You can remove the dying leaves and just keep the stem as it is for a spell, until it reaches a height that you are satisfied with. The plant is shedding the emersed growth, no?

 

[PDSimon]

I think its just the old leaves that its shredding, because its growing new leaves at the top...

so just rid of the dying leaves for now until it reaches a good height?

 

[PDSimon]

My eleocharis parvula with my bolivian ram eating bits from around it. The parvula is starting to grow roots with little individual grasses coming out. I noticed and you can see in the picture too that the ends are a bit yellow so not sure what that is about.

One of my kuhlis

They're excellent at cleaning the substrate, better than the amano shrimp I've got!

 

[PDSimon]

Since adding the shrimp, the tank has become such a mess, I'll do a 25% water change and sand syphon and the next day there is shrimp poo everywhere again. There just seems to be this horrible mulm gathering over my plants very quickly which seems to ALREADY get stringy mess coming off a couple of spots, which I imagine is algae - just great.

So I've ordered a battery powered cleaner to hopefully deal with this.

On the bright side, there is new leaves/growth on everything but the spirallis now. The ech. ozelot has some leaves growing of one of the bigger shoots and also is growing approx 4 shoots (not leaves) which I assume are the same thing? I will be able to take of once they're grown a significant amount of leaf? and the java fern has LOADS new plants growing, probably 10 if not more.

The new leaves on the difformis are much bigger than the old ones, and most of the old ones seem to be dying. Maybe because they require more light so they've made bigger leaves?

May post pics later.

 

[PDSimon]

Small rescape, also added the echinodorus 'rubin' on the far left infront of the filter. Moved the spirarlis to the right a bit because they are boring me Also moved around the java ferns splitting them up a bit.

This is how it started

Everything is very yellow, tannins coming out of the bogwood a lot. 25% w/c later.

 

[PDSimon]

Any opinions will be much appreciated. My first tank so any ideas on change abouts or something would be great

 

[ian]

do you want it tannin looking? If not get some carbon in that filter, it'll soon be gone. I'm not a big fan of tannins in a tank. It would be good to see some more larger plants at the back, the middle looks quite bare.

 

[PDSimon]

I'm waiting for the difformis to grow higher, still lots of little plants at the bottom growing but not high enough yet.. and the vallis doesn't seem to be doing anything! Might get something

I don't mind the tannins, there is too much in that picture but there is less now

Do you know anything about echinodorus ozelot? Mine has two black spots on one of the leaves and one of the big stems has 2 tiny leaves growing on the end which I assume you can take of when they're big enough? Problem is though that half way along the stem its going yellowy! not a good sign?

cheers for the input

edit:
yellow stem and new leaves

black spots

new leaves