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Kayen's 12G Long "Tranquil Valley"

5K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  Kayen 
#1 ·
So i've been here on TPT for a number of years and crunching through a bunch of tanks halfheartedly never having the proper funds to do a tank, or having all the equipment I wanted in a tank. Well that changes here. I recently graduated from university. I got an amazing deal on the tank and got it set up back on January 6th, 2015.



Here it is right after set up:


Sort of plain. I used a left over filter. Left over substrate. Left over plants from a friend. Left over heater. Left over rocks (if you click on the 5 gal Chi journal you'll realize it's the same rocks) . You get the idea. Kept bothering me for awhile. CO2 couldn't be hooked up yet.

Couple weeks later:
January 30th, 2015


Bam hair algae & diatoms galore. Did some dosing with flourish but to no avail. At this point i've upgraded the filter, swapped a new bulb into the fixture (haha a 4 year old t5ho bulb is useless), added pressurized CO2. Still bored of how it looks. Oops.

Time for a reset!

Got some ohko stone. Threw it together quickly (i suck at scaping), and ended up with something like this the next day:

January 31st, 2015


Okay, time to start planting!



Now as of today: February 9th, 2015, i'm at a bit of odds as what i want to do!!


My carpet was initially just HC, but i got some Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo', and added it and will be a mixed carpet. Let them compete it out for carpet supremacy.

Filter: Cobalt EXT Pump w/ API Nexx Filter (custom media set up, sponges on the top basket, and in the chambers is purely bio-rings).
CO2: 5lb Aluminum Cylinder w/ CO2Art Single Stage Reg via UpAqua inline diffuser.
Light: Hagen Glo, 1x39W T5HO w/ Sunblaster 6400k bulb. 8 hours a day.
Substrate: Mix of Fluval Stratum (both shrimp & plant), Seachem Flourite Black and ADA Amazonia II.
Fertilization: EI via dry ferts &CSM+B


Flora: Blyxa Japonica, Hemianthus Callitrichoides, Glossostigma Elantinoides (back right by filter intake), Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo', Eleocharis Belem, water lettuce (temporary till other plants establish more), Staurogyne Repens.

Fauna: Pond snails, ramshorn snails. What should I stock?


Starting to get some diatoms, green spot algae, and hair algae (brown filamentous algae). Any advice guys?
 
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#6 ·
Started dosing... i have mixed dry ferts.

So I dose KH2PO4 / KNO3 / K2SO4 on M/W/F, and CSM+B on T/R/St with a 50% WC on Sundays. (I've been doing daily 2 gallon WC's as well to help out with algae).

Light has been raised. It is currently 13 inches off the substrate (as high as I can go for now).

Green spot algae and diatoms and brown hair algae currently.
Ammonia, nitrites test @ 0.
Nitrate testing at... below 5 PPM as well... only form of nitrate being added is KNO3, so i'm going to need to add more nitrate to battle off BGA. Perhaps time to stock some algae eating critters coming up soon!
 
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