72 Gal Treescape Dry Start

[Craigthor]

And if it doesn't work you can send it my way. LOL

[jkan0228]

Originally Posted by Jeromeit

Also what do u guys suggest for photoperiod? I'm doing an 8 hour photoperiod right now with 6 hours of light at full blast. I have a tek lamp 4 bulbs at 54 watts each. Ideas?

Maybe 3 hours with 2 bulbs, 2 hour with 4 and end with 2 hours with 2?

I did something like that before and it was pretty nice. Of course you can adjust your photoperiod as you go.

Is that anubias nana petite? I'll take'em if you don't like them. Craig has enough plants already

[Craigthor]

Originally Posted by jkan0228

Maybe 3 hours with 2 bulbs, 2 hour with 4 and end with 2 hours with 2?

I did something like that before and it was pretty nice. Of course you can adjust your photoperiod as you go.

Is that anubias nana petite? I'll take'em if you don't like them. Craig has enough plants already

Never!

[Tyger]

Absolutely beautiful tank - finally filled :-)

[chad320]

I would stick to the photoperiod that you've got and adjust it as needed from there. If you start to get a bunch of algae either raise the light or shorten the photoperiod. If you dont have many problems after a few months you could always lenghten it a bit too. Red plants really like a long photoperiod but I would assume you have some algae battles to fight first with a new tank.

[Jeromeit]

So I'm at a loss. My plants seemed to be doing fine last week but this week I've seen a lot of melting. I can't seem to keep co2 levels up even when I'm blasting co2 into my carbondoser ext500 reactor. First the stauro porto Velho started to fade.. Then a patch of ug it was touching. Should I trim all the dead spots away? Is that what is causing this chain reaction? I've started to see some bga here and there and some brush algae.. Ive increased flow in the tank to address that.. Added 5 Amano shrimp to try to keep the decay at bay. Should I add more? Anyway I've also started dosing EI and stem plants seem to be doing very well. Temp is at 77f.. My gh and kh are pretty high according to my test kit 12dkh gh and 9dkh kh.. Ammonia is 0 and ph is at 6.48(right now at least) in the beginning, the ph would go as low as 5.8 but for some reason I'm not getting any of that anymore.

Someone please enlighten me..
Here are pics of the melting plants...


Best,
Jerome

[Craigthor]

Double up on your Nitrates should help with the BGA, if it is fishless this moment double all your dosing and keep the co2 cranked. Several plants will under a shift now that you got it submerged and it can take a couple weeks to see the change. Sit back, grab a cold one and enjoy the ride. Give it a few more weeks to really settle in and keep up with your dosing you'll be golden.

[Jeromeit]

Man I wish I didn't add fauna already but I did.. For some reason I can't even get the drop checker green even at 4bps in a carbondoser ext500. How should my strategy change now?

[Ashok]

This looks very promising, can't wait to see it filled in and matured!

[Craigthor]

Originally Posted by Jeromeit

Man I wish I didn't add fauna already but I did.. For some reason I can't even get the drop checker green even at 4bps in a carbondoser ext500. How should my strategy change now?

Don't worry about the drop checker watch the fish and slowly turn it up until you see the fish at the surface then back it down a bit, make sure you are home when you do this so you don't gas them out. Double dosing ferts won't hurt the fish just don't skip your weekly 50% water change.

[jcgd]

I wouldn't stress over the melting. The plants need to adjust from emmersed to immersed growth.

[Tyger]

In all honesty, I think that you have to remember that you have created a radical shift in the environment moving from a ideal air-based environment to a unstable water-based environment (unstable, not because you are doing anything wrong, but filling, adding fauna, and natural tank adjustments following first fill). I think that the worst thing that you can do now is - panic.

First, I think that you should remind yourself that all tanks undergo a period of adjustment and cycling during the first 2-4 (sometimes 5) weeks. It is normal. Plants, especially finicky ones, are going to react... just as you are seeing. Second, given the major environmental shift (atmo to hydro plus parameter shifts), I think that the best thing you can do is provide a stable environment - meaning decide, based on your knowledge, what you believe would be a CO2 and Fert rates for your size tank and species, and stick with it! Third, I think that you should not panic. Fourth, BGA is something to keep an eye-on though, once the tank stablizes, it might just go away. Fourth, don't panic. Fifth, I think that you can trim-off/remove dying and decaying plants to help stablized the environment and you can watch the parameters, but only watch the parameters, if they do not make you stress/panic! Sixth, don't panic. Seventh, rather than looking at this as a CO2 and fert issue, have you considered water flow - what is the water flow like in the tank in general, in the spots that are struggling, and it is one of the easiest things to change and should help with the cycling (and might help w/BGA) - improving waterflow, especially in dead-flow spots, can make a big impact, especially in large tanks where water flow can be a big issue, and does not involve chemical adjustments that can destablize the environment in serious way. Eighth, and really important... relax and observe make some notes and learn from the experience... it's going to be a 2-4(5) week period of adjustment - don't miss the opportunity to learn.

In most case, I think that your plants, especially those with a good root system, will bounce back ... after melting away and such. In some cases, you might loose a species or two as differences in air and water environments might be different enough that your water environment is a little too different. If so, look at the additional space, as room to explore and try something different.

Dry-starting an aquarium comes with some nice benefits, especially, in terms of building nice growth and rooting; however, the shift from emmersed to immersed environment involves a significant transition and shock to the tank - it's a natural part of the process. In summary, I suggest that you don't panic, decide on rates-levels (CO2 & ferts) and then strive provide as stable an environment as possible (resist the urge to tweek or adjust), take a serious look at water flow in tank and in rough spots, trim and remove as appropriate, and observe and learn and, in the event of space opening-up in a few spots (after giving 3-5 weeks to see whether life returns, look at it as a chance to try something new :-). Panic - no, stable environment, good waterflow, and allowing things to adjust naturally - yes.

Now, take a breath and relax... remember it is a hobby to enjoy.

[Jeromeit]

Lol thanks for your reply guys.. More news...

Okay so it seems to be gettin worse... More and more of the carpet is fading here are some pics

last week
this week

I have no idea what to do... All other plants seem fine!

[rockwood]

Maybe a water flow issue in that particular spot? Is it in the center of the tank or off to one side? I have a center spot that's about 4 inches wide in the direct center of the tank that consistently gets BGA. It's definitely a flow problem, even though I've had a Koralia pointed directly at it before. No where else in the tank has that particular algae.

[Jeromeit]

I thought that too.. but it cant be.. I have 3 powerheads 2 at 425gph and 1 at 500gph plus 2 eheim 2217s running