Hello all,
This journal will follow the redo of my 40B that i've had up and running since March 2016. This tank is where I pulled the training wheels off and stepped into the high tech realm for the first time.
A little background for you all before I bore you with the tank specs. For the the first 6 months the tank did surprisingly well with very few issues. well then September rolled about and I got hit with BBA and a lot of the plants just weren't doing so hot. I had forgotten when I originally set this tank up I had a bag of Eco Complete laying around that I mixed in with about 70 pounds of blasting grit. The only thing i could think of was I had a build up of micro nutrients and i'm blaming the Eco for it. So 2 weeks ago I tore the whole thing down and replaced all the substrate.
I would like to give a special thanks to @burr740 and @houseofcards as they've helped me quite a bit through the first 8 months of this venture.
Equipment
Tank - 40B
Heater - 150w Eheim Jäger
Powerhead - Koralia Nano 240
General tanks specs
Ph- 6.8 degased, 5.9 at peak co2
Gh - 6
Kh - 4
Filtration
- Eheim Classic 2217
- Eheim Skim 350
Lighting
Front light - Beamswork 42x1w led
Rear light - Fluval Fresh and Plant 2.0
CO2
Regulator - Airgas Y12-244D, Burkert 6011A solenoid and a Swagelock SS-SS2-VH metering valve
Diffusion - Cerges reactor
Substrate
The best substrate around, 20/40 Black Diamond blasting grit
Fertilization
EI based and dosed per Rotala Butterfly dosing calculator for a 35 gallon tank
Plants
- Pogostemon Erectus
- Pogostemon Helferi
- Ludwigia sp. Red
- Ludwigia Arcuata
- Limnophila Aromatica
- Blyxa Japonica
- Java Fern
- Hygophila Corymbosa Compact
- Alternanthera Reineckii mini
- Staurogyne Repens
- Micranthemum Monte Carlo
- Anubias Nana Petite
- Hydroctyle Tripartia
Fish & Inverts
- 15 Green neon tetras
- 10 Ember tetras
- 7 Rummynose tetras
- 5 Orange laser corydoras
- 5 Otocinclus catfish
- 1 L182 Starlight pleco
- 1 pair of Apistogramma Erythrura mamore
- 1 pair of Apistogramma Borelli yellow face
- 8 Amano shrimp
- who knows how many Ramshorn snails
Let's hope this go-round turns out better for the long haul. I've learned so much within the past year and it's a constant learning learning experience which i'm sure won't end.
Pictured below is a shot from a bout 2 months ago when things were doing pretty good. Also a few shots of the tear down process and some corydoras digging the open area to play around in.
This journal will follow the redo of my 40B that i've had up and running since March 2016. This tank is where I pulled the training wheels off and stepped into the high tech realm for the first time.
A little background for you all before I bore you with the tank specs. For the the first 6 months the tank did surprisingly well with very few issues. well then September rolled about and I got hit with BBA and a lot of the plants just weren't doing so hot. I had forgotten when I originally set this tank up I had a bag of Eco Complete laying around that I mixed in with about 70 pounds of blasting grit. The only thing i could think of was I had a build up of micro nutrients and i'm blaming the Eco for it. So 2 weeks ago I tore the whole thing down and replaced all the substrate.
I would like to give a special thanks to @burr740 and @houseofcards as they've helped me quite a bit through the first 8 months of this venture.
Equipment
Tank - 40B
Heater - 150w Eheim Jäger
Powerhead - Koralia Nano 240
General tanks specs
Ph- 6.8 degased, 5.9 at peak co2
Gh - 6
Kh - 4
Filtration
- Eheim Classic 2217
- Eheim Skim 350
Lighting
Front light - Beamswork 42x1w led
Rear light - Fluval Fresh and Plant 2.0
CO2
Regulator - Airgas Y12-244D, Burkert 6011A solenoid and a Swagelock SS-SS2-VH metering valve
Diffusion - Cerges reactor
Substrate
The best substrate around, 20/40 Black Diamond blasting grit
Fertilization
EI based and dosed per Rotala Butterfly dosing calculator for a 35 gallon tank
Plants
- Pogostemon Erectus
- Pogostemon Helferi
- Ludwigia sp. Red
- Ludwigia Arcuata
- Limnophila Aromatica
- Blyxa Japonica
- Java Fern
- Hygophila Corymbosa Compact
- Alternanthera Reineckii mini
- Staurogyne Repens
- Micranthemum Monte Carlo
- Anubias Nana Petite
- Hydroctyle Tripartia
Fish & Inverts
- 15 Green neon tetras
- 10 Ember tetras
- 7 Rummynose tetras
- 5 Orange laser corydoras
- 5 Otocinclus catfish
- 1 L182 Starlight pleco
- 1 pair of Apistogramma Erythrura mamore
- 1 pair of Apistogramma Borelli yellow face
- 8 Amano shrimp
- who knows how many Ramshorn snails
Let's hope this go-round turns out better for the long haul. I've learned so much within the past year and it's a constant learning learning experience which i'm sure won't end.
Pictured below is a shot from a bout 2 months ago when things were doing pretty good. Also a few shots of the tear down process and some corydoras digging the open area to play around in.