Horror show update
First of all, let me list you the problems and mistakes I’ve ran into/made with this scape, I’m not sure why I haven’t torn it down at this point. I believe journals shouldn’t be a highlight reel, I’m showing you the bad. Here it is in order of occurrence.
• My filter started leaking at 1 gallon per hour, 2 hours after the first filling, no local places had a replacement, so I had to order online and stay awake 48 hours scooping water out of the baking pan it was sitting in until amazon brought me a new one. (after staying awake 24 hours for the scape (started at night), I admit I was losing it a bit)
• 2 days after scaping, planting, and filling… about 12 hours after putting in the new filter, the main stone collapsed and caused all the others to do so as well, completely destroying the scape and burying all the plants I spent 12 hours planting.
• Now, after staying awake for nearly 72 hours, I had to sift through the aquasoil to find all my HC and Eleocharis ‘belem’ (which I had to have shipped from Portugal, not an easy plant to find in a hurry).
• Approaching 80 hours now, nearly a dozen cups of coffee, I start the complete rescape. Most of the plants were destroyed by the stone catastrophe, I knew my planting might be in vein. This all took 6-8 hours.
• I get everything done, I’m nearly delusional from lack of sleep for almost 4 days, and I find I don’t have any RO water left (my tap water cannot be used, pure silicates). Now I have to stay up spraying the plants every 10 minutes while my RO filter painfully slowly fills it up to keep them from drying out; they were already in bad shape.
• Approaching the 96-hour mark, the water is finally passed the highest plant, I can sleep.
Now things seem to go smoothly for a few days until I find that the replanting of the HC was too stressful on it, I had to plant them in bunches of 5 stems, one stem at a time, no roots left (had to sift them out of aquasoil).
Now, my mistakes.
• I use 100% RO/DI water to avoid diatom plagues. The huge mass of seiryu stones usually provides plenty of GH. I was assuming, and I was wrong. Too many massive water changes, the rocks couldn’t keep up, huge growth stunt due to 0GH. At this point I go to the LFS and start planting more HC.
• I determined that the rocks were only seeding enough calcium due to their calcite veins, and not enough magnesium. Dose Epsom salts, problem solved instantly.
• Finally, everything is going smoothly, even at a 10 hour photoperiod and more dosing than I should have (I’m dumb). Eleocharis ‘belem’ starts going crazy.
• Like an idiot, I’m out one day and call my buddy and ask him to do a water change for me, it needed it and I wasn’t around. I fail to tell him to use the RO water. Next day, Diatom soup, my well water passes through a layer of sand, silicates galore.
• Day later, phosphates at 0ppm. Accidentally dose 10ppm’s without knowing it, diatoms have a field day.
At this point I’m fighting the diatoms with RO water changes, but the only place I can set up my RO filter in my house (upstairs) started leaking; water damage in the ceiling of the first floor. So, I’ve been buying 14 gallons of distilled water every day since then. Keeping in mind this tank is still not cycled, riddled with nitrItes.
Prior to every distilled change, I clean all the diatoms out, plants, stones, everything. They’re (diatoms) dying, but not fast enough, something is wrong, some are still even growing. Yesterday I came to the conclusion that I’ve been brushing silicates off the stones, feeding the diatoms… It's the only answer, the tank water is essentially RO water with a GH of 4, some K, and some nitrItes, absolutely no food for the diatoms.
As of today, the plants are starting to fight back, and things are back on track… somehow. I also placed some Rotala ‘green’ behind the stones to help suck up some nutrients. I also think it might end up looking good there. So, here’s the shameful photos… I can't believe how many things I've let slip, I guess 2 years out of the hobby can do that to you (and a bit of a cockiness). Quickly taken, no care at all, horrible shots of an at the moment horrible tank.
The Rotala 'green'
I'm either going to have to replant more HC once these diatoms are gone, or do a lot of trimming, as I do see healthy growth coming up from under the diatom infested growth. I really wish I could start this scape over, it's going to be a huge challenge to get this to look half as nice as I want it to.