Tank Makeover - Amano Style- *complete*

[kenneth_kpe]

i just wanted to comment on the tweezers you used !!

i also tried using that before!! it was wayyyy too hard!!

 

[paulioo]

The Glosso should cover most of the substrate within a few weeks, but if or more likely when, algae decides to pop up then i'd expect that to seriously hinder the Glosso.

I've been reading up of Tom Barr's methods for controlling algae so when it does arrive hopefully my Glosso will survive it.

Lighting is currently 2.6 wpg. A bit on the low side for growing Glosso but i've been assured it can be done with 2.1 wpg. CO2 is maintained between 40-30 ppm.

Not much has changed in the last few days except the water has cleared and is now crystal clear, the plants that are in are pearling away quite nicely.

Not much ahs changed to the Glosso, my cory's keep digging it up!! Not too chuffed about that.

I took the Juwel filter out because it was too loud. You could hear`it vibrating all over my house. If my tank takes off then i'm going to buy an external filter and a pressurised Co2 system with a tiny diffuser. I'll need to wait until i save up more money. My girlfriends already jealous of my fish because i spend all my money on them.

I should get my dry fertiliser through the post Monday or Tuesday. I'm off to read up on the EI method.

Paul.

 

[George Farmer]

I took the Juwel filter out because it was too loud. You could hear`it vibrating all over my house.

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You must have had a duff one - mine is silent. Pity because they're far superior to the Fluval you have.

Externals are by far the best option, easier to maintain and the flow can be adjusted to suit, spray bars are ideal as this gives a gentler flow all over rather than a concentrated one that the internals produce. IME most internals provide far too much flow for a heavily planted tank. Also with an external you can diffuse the CO2 directly into it, which is more efficient than standard ladder type diffusers and saves on space inside (and aesthetics) the tank.

It's good to see you plan on using EI. With your good CO2 and light you should stand a good chance of success. One final point the 2.1 WPG you mention worked on a 55G where the WPG rule is more leanient. I would consider 3 WPG a minimum in your size tank and height (20" is tall). You may be fine though with 2.6 if you keep your CO2 constant at 30ppm+ and dose ideal nutrient levels.

Good luck.

 

[paulioo]

Well today i got my hands on some amano shrimp. My LFS only has two left but they're getting more in on Wednesday and will be on sale on Thursday.

My fish thought they were food when i first put them in!! I have to say they give me the creeps. They've just got too many legs.

My Glosso seems to be spreading out, or maybe its just wishful thinking.

Algae is starting to appear, so hopefully when i get some more amano shrimp they'll keep most of it at bay. Im also being careful to keep my fertilisers in the ration of 10-1-10 with regards to NPK. So fingers crossed algae is kept to a minium and my Glosso keeps spreading horizontally.

Paul

 

[accidentaldog]

I don't mean to sound negative about your scape, but I am worried that you might run into height problems. The stone you have picked are quite tall and I think that it might be drawing the eye more vertically than you will want it too. I realize it may be too late, but I wonder if you could try to move the stones lower in the substrate. This may be a moot point because with your lighting it looks like your glosso will grow in taller than a high light tank and this may compensate for the height of the rocks, but I am still worried that the eye will be drawn too far up.

I suppose that it could be your temporary stems that are also tricking my eye, but regardless I would try to get more substrate around the base of the rocks so that the glosso can reach higher on the rocks. I hope that came off more helpful than critical, because that is the way that I intended it. I think this could be a really great scape and I just thought that I would share my opinion.

 

[paulioo]

I'm wanting to wait and see if my Glosso grows before i rearrange the rocks again, but i'm hoping to get some christmas moss to cover the lower sections of the rocks and add some smaller rock fragements also wrapped in moss, at the base of the larger rocks.

The hope is that it will take away the look that the rock looks un-natural by having a rocky/mossy base around the rock. If you can understand what i mean then you deserve a medal

Would this work do you think?

And your comments are very welcome, i need all the advice i can get.

Paul

 

[George Farmer]

The hope is that it will take away the look that the rock looks un-natural by having a rocky/mossy base around the rock. If you can understand what i mean then you deserve a medal

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I know what you mean Paul. Amano calls it "wabi-sabi" and it means more natural looking. The belief is that plain wood and rocks look too clean thus unatural. Dressing them with mosses and ferns softens the look and creates a more natural feeling.

I say go for it - Christmas moss is better than Java moss IMO and should look great. Good luck with it all - including the algae, I hope your shrimps help.

 

[accidentaldog]

The hope is that it will take away the look that the rock looks un-natural by having a rocky/mossy base around the rock.

I think this is a great idea. My point about pushing the rocks further into the substrate was to try and create a more natural feel to the scape. I am by no means an iwagumi expert, I was just trying to say something before your tank got too far along.

Your plan sounds great and it will create the same desired effect that I was suggesting by sloping the substrate onto the rocks more. I was worried that your scape would look more like rocks had fallen onto a patch of glosso, rather than glosso had grown around a group of rocks (which IMO is what Amano is best at achieving).

I can't wait to see the bushiness of the christmas moss with the glosso. I don't think I have ever seen this combination and I think it has great potential. Good luck and keep the pics coming as it grows.

AD

 

[RedShark]

I really wish there was a miracle grow for this stuff

 

[George Farmer]

I really wish there was a miracle grow for this stuff

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EI, CO2 and good light. As near as a miracle as you can get!!

 

[Tangerinefizz]

I just wanted to say that I think your old tank was lovely, and that this one looks like it is going to be along the same lines if not a tad nicer!

Thank you for sharing your experience with us, especially for a bit of a fish noob like myself it was very educational and interesting.

Would love to see updated pics as/when it's growing in. And you are right, your glosso looks like it is beginning to sprout, I see some offshoots in that pic.

 

[paulioo]

Ok bit of a disaster... arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I started dosing my dry ferts using the EI method, and silly me i didnt have a PO4 (Phosphate) test kit so i guessed that my tap water would be around zero.

I woke up the next day with GREEN WATER !! So i immediately did a blackout, adding 10ppm nitrates and feeding the fish before hand.

3 day Blackout ends on Tuesday, so i deicded it would be sensible to go and buy a PO4 test kit and sure enough my tap water has a reading of 2.0 ppm.

Does this Phosphate reading straight from the tap mean that i should buy a Phosphate remover pad or something similar? Or should i just keep everything in balance i.e.Nitrates at 15ppm, Phosphates at 2.0ppm and Potassium at around 15ppm.

I'm gutted. I was speaking to the couple (Birgit and Wolfgang) who created the tank that i am more or less trying to copy, and they suggested that i should buy some Riccia and float that in the tank to help with algae, they had the same problems when they created this type of tank, but said once the Glosso grows it will be easier to strike up a balance.

Now it looks like my Glosso might die due to the blackout and i'll need to re-plant it

So again my main question is regarding my Phosphate levels from my tap water. Should i buy a phosphate remover or just maintain the correct balance of nutrients?

The green water came about (i guess) because i dosed 1ppm of phosphates which would increase the levels in my tank to 3ppm.

Paul.

 

[paulioo]

Edit : Double post

 

[Yenko]

From what I've read, a critical first step in the EI method is to call your water company and ask about the nutrient content of their water.

 

[paulioo]

I did and they directed my to their website where they publish all their information, due to the freedom of information act.

I read the water report and it doesn't state any specific water parameters, it just tells you whether they are within the suggested safety limits.