3rd Attempt With 5 Gallon Hex

[Homer_Simpson]

I am shaker and a doer and not a quitter. I always try and learn from my mistakes, so this was my attempt at setting up a 5 gallon low tech, low light hex tank. Keep in mind that this was my third attempt. The first attempt was with 23 Watt Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb, DIY c02 injection, and fluorite substrate. That proved to be a disaster as all the plants and everything else in the tank died, the water turned a brown murky color that no amount of water changes could resolve. The second attempt was a Diana Walstad Type Natural Planted tank approach with 10 watt compact fluorescent corallife colormax supplemented with indirect sunlight. Again, the results were disasterous. A Betta that got fin and tail rot and died despite being medicated. The tank reached a point of no return. Plant growth went from bad to worse and nothing seemed to survive in the tank(ghost shrimp died within a matter of days, and endler's live bearers dropped like flies) even though ammonia and nitrites tested zero. Only the ever increasing population of snails seemed to do well. This forced me to tear the tank down and start over.

The third attempt was a low tech low light setup as per Tom Barr's suggested Method with some twists and variations.

Lighting: 14 watt compact fluorescent 6400 K - Split Photoperiod 4 hours of light with 2 hours off and 4 hours light again.

Substrate: Thin layer of Schultz Aquatic Soil mixed with a dusting of garden peat moss, leonardite, and pieces of finely crushed up Seachem Fertilizer Tablet, capped with Seachem Onyx Sand and thin layer of pool filter sand.

Plants: Cardamine lyrata,Anubias barteri, dwarf sag, java fern, ambulia, Cryptocorne Wenditii red, and onion plant(Crinum thaianum), and tiger lotus.

Fertilization: Pinch(like in pinch of salt) of nitrates, potassium, phosphates, nitrates and a few sprinkles of magnesium and calcium sulphate with every weekly 50% water change. Daily dosing of Excel for carbon: approximately 5-7CCs as measured using a syringe.

Inhabitants: Started with a single zebra danio but had to get rid of him as he was too agressive towards the otocat. 1 otocat, 2 cherry shrimp, and 2 amano shrimp.

Tank Temperature: 30 degrees celcius.

To date the cardamine and dwarf sage have all but melted and I am not sure if this is due to the Excel dosing or high tank temperature. The anubias also developed a hole in its leaf which may indicate a potassium deficiency. Otherwise all the other plants(onion plant, tiger lotus, and ambulia) are growing like weeds. The only other issue was a diatom algae bloom a month after the tank was setup that the otocat made short work of.

Here is a picture of the tank one month after it was setup. I apologize in advance for my poor camera/picture taking skills. However, I make no apologies about the aquascaping. The main goal is to set up a "healthy tank" with healthy(doesn't matter if it is slow) algae free plant growth with healthy fish/shrimp.

FWIW, it is too early to say how this tank will pan out. My guess is as good as anyones and I ain't guessing. One thing is for sure, if this does not pan out, there will be a 4th attempt using a aquasoil or a combination of Aquasoil and Eco-Complete. Like I told you folks I am not a quitter and don't take failure lightly, although I consider any failed attempts as learning opportunities.

[nate_mcnasty]

good to see someone thats not a quitter and a learner

[NeonShrimp]

Great attitude, that will get you far in just about anything. I like the look of your tank, I have a nano hex myself and I use it to just as a plant tank.

[Homer_Simpson]

Originally Posted by nate_mcnasty

good to see someone thats not a quitter and a learner

Originally Posted by NeonShrimp

Great attitude, that will get you far in just about anything. I like the look of your tank, I have a nano hex myself and I use it to just as a plant tank.

Thanks, I appreciate those kind words. I find that there is sometimes a lot of contradictory information on this and other forums posted by members. It seems that different strokes work for different folks. I figure the best way to find out what works best for me is to buckle down, get my feet wet, be prepared to take any risks and accept the consequences good or bad. Perhaps if I share my failures and successes with others, they may benefit from my experience(s). At the very least, as I gain experience about what setups(plants,fish, substrates, fert dosing) work best for me I can put that integrated knowledge to use to setup a tank that I know will do well.

[lauraleellbp]

That's looking really nice, Homer! Glad you found something that seems to be working for you at least ATM

[Homer_Simpson]

Originally Posted by lauraleellbp

That's looking really nice, Homer! Glad you found something that seems to be working for you at least ATM

Thanks lauraleellbp Don't know how well this works, but hopefully it will work as it is modelled(albeit a few differences) after a 5 gallon rectangular tank where the same approach was used and that tank has held up pretty well.

My main concern is setting up a planted tank where the fish/shrimp remain healthy and prosper over the long run. Plant growth is also important but I am more concerned about having healthy inhabitants as the main reason for doing this is to really give the fish/shrimp a better home and not a death bed.
I don't mind removing/trimming dead plants and that is to be expected as part of routine maintenance just as it would be expected in a normal garden. However, it really pains me when I lose fish, especially where I cannot pinpoint the cause of their deaths and the deaths sometimes defy all logic and reasoning.

[Homer_Simpson]

Just a little update. The tank 2 months(May 4 2008) after it was setup. Yeah, I know it needs a trim, but I purposely left it untirmmed to show the true level of plant growth. Also I am far more concerned about healthy plant growth and health of inhabitants than aquascaping.



Ambulia is really tanken off, the rest of the plants appear to be doing well, dwarf sag and cardamine lyrata have all but melted, the two amano shrimp and two cherry shrimp are alive and kicking, the otocat has grown lethargic and I suspect that he is not handling the 30 + degree celcius temperature well. I thing that if there is a 4th attempt with this tank, I am really going to have to consider going topless to keep the tank from running too hot.

[BiscuitSlayer]

Homer -

Looks like you have something working there .

Two questions for you:

1. What are you doing for a filter?
2. Why is the tank running so warm? Lighting?

[Homer_Simpson]

Originally Posted by BiscuitSlayer

Homer -

Looks like you have something working there .

Two questions for you:

1. What are you doing for a filter?
2. Why is the tank running so warm? Lighting?

Thanks BiscuitSlayer

(1) I left the biowheel intact. I know some suggest removing it off as it is implicated in removing whatever c02 is left. I spoke to a few members who have had success with this type of tank and they both told me that they saw no adverse effects leaving the biowheel alone. Instead of using the filter catridges made for the tank, I lined the filter tray with pantyhose containing one Tablespoon Seachem Purigen and overlaid that with Polyfloss, split two ways. The polyfloss only gets rinsed once a month and only part of the polyfloss is replaced. The seachem purigen in the pantyhose gets replaced with new granules once a month. Otherwise, 30-50% water changes weekly, only because I have shrimp in there and dose the tank with a pinch of phosphates, nitrates, potassium, and seachem equilibrium plus 1/2 tsp yamato green.

(2) You hit the nail on the head. The tank is running hot because of the lighting combined with a tight fitting canopy that leaves little room for air circulation. The weather where I am is pretty weird right now, super hot days one week and snow today, so I don't want to mess with the room temperature too much as I fear that if the aquariums experience temperature swings that may be even worse for the fish. Leaving the feed flap open does not seem enough to cool the tank. I have a couple of options. Rig a fan in the canopy to provide cooling. I am not much of DIY type of guy and I don't know if having a fan so close to water(given possiblity that it could become subject to water splashes and condensation) is such a good idea. I could reduce lighting, but am not sure how well the plants will grow. I tried a 10 watt coralife colarmax when I had this tank set up as a natural planted tank and even with indirect sunlight hitting the tank, there appeared to be insufficient light to spur any growth. Since the lighting is off at night, I am going to leave the canopy off to cool the tank. If there is a 4th attempt, I am going to go topless, remove the stock filter and use a Aquaclear 20 or Mini HOB, canister(zoomed 501 or Tom Rapids) and shine an adjustable desk lamp with 15 watts over the tank.

[BiscuitSlayer]

Homer -

Is the canopy open on top at all? It might be advantageous to have a small opening so that rising heat can escape. Maybe even a small DC fan pointed out to suck the heat away from the canopy. Having a way for the heat to escape can make a HUGE difference alone though with regards to heat buildup.

I have a coralife fixture in my 29 gallon open back canopy and the fixture gets HOT. Because of having the open back on the canopy though the heat is able to escape and have very little (if any) affect on the water temperature of my tank.

[Homer_Simpson]

Originally Posted by BiscuitSlayer

Homer -

Is the canopy open on top at all? It might be advantageous to have a small opening so that rising heat can escape. Maybe even a small DC fan pointed out to suck the heat away from the canopy. Having a way for the heat to escape can make a HUGE difference alone though with regards to heat buildup.

I have a coralife fixture in my 29 gallon open back canopy and the fixture gets HOT. Because of having the open back on the canopy though the heat is able to escape and have very little (if any) affect on the water temperature of my tank.

Thanks for those great suggestions BiscuitSlayer. There are only two very small holes in the plastic behind the filter, otherwise the canopy is pretty tight fitting, with the only way to increase additional circulation is to leave the feed flap open. I tried this but to no avail. I did leave the light canopy uncovered at night and did adjust room temperature down, and the temperature took a wild swing from 30 degrees celcius to 26 degrees celcius. I suspect when the canopy is replaced and the lights come back on, the temperature will again swing back up to 30 degress celcius. At least, now I will not have cooked otocat and shrimp, but fear that too many of these temperature swings, unless I figure out how to keep the temperature constant may well do the otocat and shrimp in.

[BiscuitSlayer]

Homer -

Can you take the canopy off and take pictures of it and the tank.

Man, if we lived a little closer (like in the same country) I'd build you one and ship it to you. I guess I still could. Just not sure about customs, etc.

Another member, customdrumfinishes, just finished a small stand and custom canopy for a small hex aquarium. He has some great pictures of it here:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/di...tand-hood.html

If built correctly, I think that heat buildup from a canopy wouldn't be an issue for you and you might even have to add a heater to keep the temp consistant.

[Vonzorfox]

Excellent post Homer. This gives me hope for my 55 I just went low tech with. After reading Tom Barr's post I see I need to increase my plant mass asap. It's definitely working for your tank, it looks like it's doing great.

[Homer_Simpson]

Originally Posted by Vonzorfox

Excellent post Homer. This gives me hope for my 55 I just went low tech with. After reading Tom Barr's post I see I need to increase my plant mass asap. It's definitely working for your tank, it looks like it's doing great.

Thanks for those kind words. Despite the heating issue, I can honestly tell you that I am quite surprised by the level of plant growth, considering there is only 14 watts 6400 K dalylight cfl,no c02 injection into the tank, although I am dosing Excel daily and using ferts once a week including Yamato green at 1/2 teaspoon. The other interesting thing is the way some of the plants are rooting and forming thick roots deep into the substrate, something that I never saw when I had this tank set up as a Natural Planted Tank with Top Soil and pea sized gravel cap. I also never saw this level of root formation and dispersion where I set up another tank with fluorite only, DIY c02 injection,EI dosing, and 30 watts cfl. The Seachem Onyx Sand is pretty dark so it is hard to get a good picture to show the deep root dispersion. I have a theory about all this stuff but not the Science to validate it. It is said that Leonardite unlocks nutrients in the substrate and makes those nutrients more bioavailable and accessible to the roots and this may explain the deep thick root formation and dispersion. I think that if there is some truth to this, everyone may benefit from a dusting of leonardite under fluorite, whether high tech, low tech, or something in between. And perhaps I am just dreaming when I say this, but using a leonardite underlay under a substrate like fluorite may infuse the fluorite with Aquasoil type qualities by unlocking and making the nutrients in the fluorite more accessible to roots.

[Homer_Simpson]

Originally Posted by BiscuitSlayer

Homer -

Can you take the canopy off and take pictures of it and the tank.

Man, if we lived a little closer (like in the same country) I'd build you one and ship it to you. I guess I still could. Just not sure about customs, etc.

Another member, customdrumfinishes, just finished a small stand and custom canopy for a small hex aquarium. He has some great pictures of it here:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/di...tand-hood.html

If built correctly, I think that heat buildup from a canopy wouldn't be an issue for you and you might even have to add a heater to keep the temp consistant.

Thanks for that really gracious offer BiscuitSlayer. I think what I will do is leave the canopy off at night and put it back on in the daytime and see how things go. If that does not pan out and I have to redo the tank again, I will leave it topless, see how the temperature is(if too low, I will add a low watt heater), and just add a good filter. At least this is teaching me what I need to do(fert, substrate, and excel wise) to get good healthy plant growth and that is half the battle.