Supercoley's First Planted Tank Adventure

[scouse_andy]

Hi Andy,

I had a good read of your planted journal from start to finish today. Quite a rollercoaster you have been on. So sorry to hear of the CO2 problems. Glad to read that you have kept with it and good luck for the future. You have grown some really nice plants there and given me some good ideas for planting my tank. I especially like the java fern you got from AM and the way you attached it to the bogwood. It looks so cool. I've just ordered a load of fast growers from Greenline and the rhinox diffuser and gamba bubble counter from AM you recommended to me in one of my threads. I will have to set up a journal of my own when it all arrives.

Keep this journal up, it is a good read.

Andy.

 

[john starkey]

hi andy just read this from start to finish i can imagine how you felt when you lost all your fish you must have been gutted, well all i can say is fair play to you keep going this is a good read and i wish you all the best with this setup regards john.

 

[SuperColey1]

Thanks for the nice comments Andy and hope all goes well with your project.

I noticed that I haven't updated the pics for a while (although with this crappy camera it is hardly worth it)

The Ludwigia Repens as per previous experience has really shot up and the Alternanthera Reinecki is starting to get it's emersed leaves, but the Rotala Rotundifolia is much slower than I expected it to be.

The lighting is up to 6 hours on max now with 3 hours of subdued lighting either side, and am back on the Nutrafins at the moment until my needle valve arrives at which point I will get another 2 disposable bottles.

Also I am going to get 4 Ottos tomorrow to re commence life in the tank and clear up some green hair algae that is colonising some parts of the Mopani. Do they go for green hair algae?

i will post a pic of subdued lighting later maybe a little clearer.

Andy

 

[Liam]

It looks like the plants are doing really well Andy, the photos don’t do it justice. The anubias look great on the little rounded stone and really nice wood you got. You could try taking the photo more from below, that can stop the light washing out the colours. A dark background can improve the light in the photos too I think.

The ottos wont do much for established hair algae, they are good as part of an anti-algae crew, and very likable little fish, I guess they may eat it before it gets established. Shrimp are best for hair algae, you can always scrub it off any parts of the wood that have no plants.

Glad you are continuing the journal despite the setbacks .

 

[SuperColey1]

Just thought I'd add the pic I said I would of the tank in its subdued lighting so that the crappy camera doesn't get overpowered by the PC light being on.

Thanks for the camera advice Liam. I guess mine is just far too out of date and not a good enough quality because it doesn't matter which angle you take from, what white balance or exposure you use every pic looks the same, so I now just leave it on auto and try and alter the pic back to what the eyes see in photoshop.

Here it is subdued dusk/dawn lighting (0.6WPG) not touched up by photoshop:

Hope its a little clearer

Andy

 

[Themuleous]

Looks quality mate, stick at it

Sam

 

[SuperColey1]

Thanks for the nice comments people.

I am just postin a couple of new pics as the otos are in. I bought 4 but unfortunately I found 1 dead the next day. The other 3 are doing very well and are continuously buzzing around cleaning glass, leaves, and anything else they can find. They are so cute that I am thinking of buying 3 more to go with them next week.

As for co-habitants. I have reluctantly decided against the WCMM and Dwarf Frog, due to temperature as the WCMM might not like the water in the summer when it naturally rises and the ADFs from what I read prefer higher temps anyway.

Therefore I will be getting 4 pitbull plecs and 15-20 Neons and that will be it.

Picture of Riccia pearling (hugely satisfying seeing so much at lights out)

An Oto 'bending over backwards' to clean a leaf

Another pic of an Oto 'paparazi style'

More updates to come next week as the plants are realy filling out now, although the Rotala Rotundifolia is still taking its time to become visible behind the slate

Thanks for reading
Andy

 

[john starkey]

hi Andy glad to see you have stuck at it, i think you deserve a pat on the back for your determination, great looking setup regards john

 

[Squirrelbuddies]

Hi Andy -- I've been away for awhile and I'm catching up here. Sorry to hear what happened earlier. Things are looking great, though! I love the java fern -- so healthy and green. Cool little otos you have there, too! --sondra

 

[SuperColey1]

Its been a busy weekend do far and much has been done to get the tank into the final layout I want.

I am still waiting for the Rotala Rotundifolia to grow to the height I want it but it is starting to shoot up now. Maybe it’s settled in a little but it is still only a third of the way it needs to be to start showing itself above the slate mountain.

The Ludwigia Repens continues to be the clear winner in this tank and has taken over the central background spot very nicely and continues to grow at an alarming rate. I have decide to prune it so that it only reaches half way up the tank rather than the water’s surface and therefore will provide a plant at a different height to the 2 either side of it.

The Alternanthera Reineckii which had been suffering from a crypt like melt is recovering and the leaves are starting to grow out into nice long smooth leaves in a delightful pink but as yet the plants don’t seem to be growing upward and after all this is supposed to be the rear left background.

There is also Cryptocoryne Balansae along the back left of this half of the tank and after the usual crypt melt it has recovered and will hopefully start to gain in height now and look like George’s gorgeous specimens.

I also have received 2 portions of 6â€x 6†Taiwan Moss from Aquatic Magic, which is quickly becoming my favourite source for plants and equipment alike. I also bought a mesh moss wall kit from them which was advertised as 12 pieces of 12†x 8†mesh, which when sandwiching the moss in the middle would cover 576 square inches.

When it arrived I found it was 18†x 12†and therefore I have been able to cover the whole of the back of the tank with plenty to spare.

I have cut holes in the mesh so that my spraybar, inlet and ceramic diffuser can sit in front whilst the suckers are behind the mesh.

With only ordering and receiving 2 portions of 6†x 6†Taiwan Moss I have spread it very sparingly and at the moment the mesh is incredibly dominant at the back of the tank but I am assured that Taiwan moss is a fast growing moss and therefore should fill out the back reasonably quickly (At least I hope)

On the whole the tank is starting to come together nicely and as I wanted it to look although at the moment while I am waiting for several of the background plants to fill out it is looking decidedly patchy as the left side and centre of the tank has filled out nicely whilst the Rotala is taking its time on the right and making the tank look a little unbalanced left to right

I think timing wise the whole look I am after shouldve grown through in time for the PFK competition and after a little pruning and tidying up mainly of the Ludwigia in the centre it should look good, although I don’t expect to be very successful in the competition as the tank is a bit of a mish mash of different plants which aren’t really strategically planned.

My final layout before photos (with hopefully a better camera than the one I have now) may involve swapping the mini Pellia for the Riccia on the cave roof and filling out the floor a little more with Riccia as I have plenty of Riccia, Slate and hairnets. This will hopefully set the colours off a little better because I love the colour of Riccia and also love the pearling it gives off.

New pic of tank

Thanks for reading
Andy

 

[JamieH]

New pic of tank

Thanks for reading
Andy

Wow.... well done mate.

Looking BRILLIANT

*Edit*

Just read through the whole thing.... well done (again) seems like all your thought and hard work is paying off.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Very impressive Andy. Just sat for an hour reading your whole journal as I am beginning to embark on a similar journey, can't believe where the time has gone. I am very worried about the expense a trouble of CO2 injection so at the moment have gone for just under 2wpg in my 33 gallon and will just stick to dosing with Seachem ferts. Has to be said that considering you are willing to spend 1000 pound on your tank a 100 pound on a decent camera wouldn't go amiss My phone takes better photos I think! I would recommend a Canon Powershot of some description. Takes great pictures + you can buy closeup lense attachments for it as well, great birthday present.

 

[SuperColey1]

The problem is really that I have spent close to £1000 on this tank in 6 months. I worked out earlier today that approx £300 was wasted money as I went through the stages of upgrading and a lot of items like filter pads, cheapo heaters, nutrafin kits etc are all now back up or obsolete.

The £1000 is everything from buying the tank to fish food and including livestock (so there was £80 or so lost just from the CO2 disaster) I'd guess that the planted side of things has cost in the region of £500 for the setup I am using now and including the weeds I used at first to combat the algae problems, and the rest is normal expenditure like buying the tank, fish, foods, meds etc.

The problem with my CO2 was me using a cheap second hand needle valve which has now been replaced by a good quality brand new german one. Won't get it running for a few weeks though because I've just bought one of the new Vecton Sterilisers UV200. These are apparently better than the old UV8 which was damn reliable so heres hoping. Next week I buy the remainder of my fishload and the week after I have to buy a new inline heater as the second hand one I bought off ebay broke after a few days (the problem quite often with ebay second hand goods). Then the week after I will get 2 more cannisters and get this pressurised going again.

Thanks for reading though matey.

Always nice to see people are interested enough to trawl through the mistakes and often downright stupidity of others, but thats what I did and I guess I would've made more mistakes if I hadn't.

Will update this thread hopefully at the weekend and then the week after pics of the new fishload hopefully.

Andy

 

[JamieH]

The problem is really that I have spent close to £1000 on this tank in 6 months. I worked out earlier today that approx £300 was wasted money as I went through the stages of upgrading and a lot of items like filter pads, cheapo heaters, nutrafin kits etc are all now back up or obsolete.

The £1000 is everything from buying the tank to fish food and including livestock (so there was £80 or so lost just from the CO2 disaster) I'd guess that the planted side of things has cost in the region of £500 for the setup I am using now and including the weeds I used at first to combat the algae problems, and the rest is normal expenditure like buying the tank, fish, foods, meds etc.

The problem with my CO2 was me using a cheap second hand needle valve which has now been replaced by a good quality brand new german one. Won't get it running for a few weeks though because I've just bought one of the new Vecton Sterilisers UV200. These are apparently better than the old UV8 which was damn reliable so heres hoping. Next week I buy the remainder of my fishload and the week after I have to buy a new inline heater as the second hand one I bought off ebay broke after a few days (the problem quite often with ebay second hand goods). Then the week after I will get 2 more cannisters and get this pressurised going again.

Thanks for reading though matey.

Always nice to see people are interested enough to trawl through the mistakes and often downright stupidity of others, but thats what I did and I guess I would've made more mistakes if I hadn't.

Will update this thread hopefully at the weekend and then the week after pics of the new fishload hopefully.

Andy

It does mount up... just realised that i've spend £100 this week on my tank... new eheim 2217, new heater, and £10 on new life spectrum flakes.

lol. must be nuts.

 

[rsands]

must admit amazing journal. i take the valve gave in and released alot of CO2? Surely the diffuser would have slowed it down a bit? I think i will go and invest in a CO2 bubble monitor.

Halfway through the journal and seeing the magic of loads of plants...logged onto greenline and bought a load of plants! keep us posted