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「R.I.P」My First Planted Tank

12K views 102 replies 22 participants last post by  NanoDave 
#1 · (Edited)
It has met its end.....


The rescape however is here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=465753

Also, I must have accidentally deleted the last pic before tear down.......oops



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Hi everyone!!

This is indeed my first planted tank, and just to say, I already mastered fish-only tanks, time to move on!!!


The main goal of this first tank is not to immediately try to figure out everything, but to slowly develop a feeling for a planted tank.

This means that this would be a planted focused tank, not so much focused on the aquascaping part.

But just to say, I have been practicing hardscaping recently with my tank, so at least there would be some art :).



Will be beginning to get the final hardscape soon and planning the planted would be next.


So far the only picture I have now is a empty tank with aquasoil (its blurry i know, to lazy to get out my Nikon):



This is my first picture that I posted, so bear with me if it looks awkward.

I will list my supplies soon, I thought it would be a boring way to start a journal with a list.


I hope everyone can help!!
 
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#52 ·
Ah, pics :). I will say I rushed them so some stuff are out of focus :icon_redf. Enjoy my algae tank!!!!


FTS



Green water and dirty tubes



My lovely tiger barb :proud:, but is out of focus :icon_mad:



Rotala propagation :). I am actually confident that they would one day make a beautiful background :bounce:!!!



Crypt Tropica



Crypt Green has finally come back!!!!



Nothing to say but patience



Viral glosso.....



Glosso on day 1



Need to clean.....



Everything after a HUGE water change on Saturday will be better!!!!

Anubias barteri nana flower pics coming up!!!!


PLEASE LEAVE SOME ADVICE, COMMENTS, CRITICISM, etc.
 
#54 ·
I had no idea why I got all the algae, so I decided to clean the filter. The filter media turned the water pitch black and I almost puked :(. I took out half the carbon and added in one whole bag of Ehfisubstrate or whatever you want call it. Hopefully this would solve a big part of the problem *fingers crossed*.

I also think I found another for the algae: CO2. When I added the fish I forgot to turn the CO2 back up after they got acclimated :icon_roll.

Meanwhile here are some pics of the anubias flower which I hope gets to seed.
I was a bit late on the emersed flower picture, it dried up :(. I used Q-tips to attempt to pollinate, will think of a method to capture the seeds if there is any.
 

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#56 ·
Good luck with your anubias!!! Well, mine is 2-3 years old and this is the first time I was able to record flowering. I read somewhere that they flower when more you add more PO4, you could try that :).

As for the algae, I am waiting for things to stabilize since I changed over 70% of the filter media a few days ago. The green water probably was caused by an ammonia spike from the lack of nitrifying bacteria since I accidentally used tap water on the filter media :(. I would try the blackout method if everything else doesn't work since it does kill plants too and my plants are in a vulnerable state.

Well, what can I do but to wait; would try to get some otos as cleanup crew when ammonia goes down.
 
#58 ·
Here is the tank now after a 90% water change. If you compare this to previous FTS's, you can see how much clearer this is because of the 3-day blackout.
 

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#59 ·
Look who is here :)





On the crypts. They actually have very long poop strands :hihi::


On the crypt green:



I originally wanted 7 otos, but since the Petsmart has 9, I took all of them since the others left would be lonely :). 9 otos should be more effective in algae cleaning anyways :D.

They were actually really unhealthy in Petsmart, they are safe now in algae heaven :angel:.
 
#60 ·
I present you the snail :p

It was crawling under the surface of the water.


Meanwhile the tank is going okay; almost all the rotalas died; the hemianthus recovered; crypts just slowly growing; and glosso being ever so invasive. This Saturday the glosso and the HM is going to get a good haircut. The water is crystal clear and the tank still follows EI dosing.

I need some advice on trimming so PLEASE GIVE ME TIPS!!!!!
 

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#63 ·
What fry are those? Your barb is so pretty!
I always thought they were gorgeous, but they are fun nippers so none for me...
Plants are looking great!
Thanks for the compliments and the post! Starting to get lonely updating things for myself :icon_sad:.

I am not sure what you mean by fish fry....

P.S. The Tiger barb is about 6-7 years old
 
#64 ·
I think that when LyzzaRyzz asked about the fish fry. LyzzaRyzz was thinking that the fish in the bucket were fry. At first I even thought they were fry until I seen the next pic of the oto.

The fish in the bucket are otos right?
 
#68 ·
Okay, here is the update for 1-29-13!!

FTS and side view




As you can see, the water is crystal clear and algae non-existent :thumbsup:
You can also see all that vacant space, which was once filled with rotalas. I am going to try again with rotalas. This time with experience and knowledge of how to plant them :thumbsup:


Crypt Green finally growing as I wanted it to. The only problem is that it is not getting the vibrant green that I want, but we'll see what will become of this.



Crypt Tropica. Normal and growing properly :icon_cool



The glosso after the trim is recovering REALLY FAST; so many new leaves and finally horizontal runners :icon_bigg



The hemianthus was really healthy this time:



As you can see, I temporarily removed the wood. The reason is that the nails which supported the wood from falling wasn't stainless steel, so it rusted. I will tie a stone this time to the wood to anchor it.


Just a nice angle :)




Just as a side information, I currently spend about 4 hours a week on this. Most of it is just the water change, trimming doesn't take to long.

My next project: Build a DIY surface skimmer and start my EMMERSED PLANT "FARM"!!!!!!!
 
#70 ·
I had fun is all I can say :bounce:







Now to get on with the emmersed setup :)

you need to rehome that tiger barb. they do best in schools of 7+ and 7 of those will get too big for your tank. this lone guy may start harassing other fish.
I understand that tiger barbs need 7+ of their kind to avoid damage to other fish, but he has been alone for about a year now, and there is no sign of nipping or aggressive behaviors. He is tamed and is calm; you can hand feed him and play with him. He sometimes even play around with the decor and equipment :). He has been through harsh treatment for 6 years under my inexperience as an aquarist, but now I know he is happy in a planted tank :proud:.
 
#71 · (Edited)
WOW,

Your tank is looking very good!!! The Gloso is spreading very well and the crypts are sweet!!!

The Tiger Barb is looking Happy! They are TOUGH FISH!!! It is good to see them when they get full grown and their adult colors are cool! At the age he is I doubt you should have any problems with aggression! The rest of your fish look very happy as well!

The DIY skimmer is a good idea, but when the water evaporates it will go out of adjustment. I would get one of the Fluval surface skimmers that is attached to your filter input. I have used them for years, and they work VERY WELL! The skimmer floats, so it will adjust for evaporation, and it pulls water from the top and middle of the tank too, so it does a good job of removing waste! They are pretty cheap to IIRC. I think the last one I got was around $12. But that has been 6 years ago, so it might have gone up like everything else!!! GRRRRRR

Anyway keep up the great work, and I really want to see the rest of the tank fill in!
Drew;)

p.s. Are your lights HO(high output) or Normal output? I am asking because I have a 29g that was given to me, and since you are getting great gloso growth with your light setup, I was wondering! Thanks
 
#72 ·
WOW,

Your tank is looking very good!!! The Gloso is spreading very well and the crypts are sweet!!!
Thank you, it really means a lot to me! I worked hard to get these results.

As for the skimmer, I only use it for about 10 minutes in the morning to clear things up for the rest of the day, then I take the cup out or else it will start to fall apart (it's paper). It is not a permanent piece of equipment.

p.s. Are your lights HO(high output) or Normal output? I am asking because I have a 29g that was given to me, and since you are getting great gloso growth with your light setup, I was wondering! Thanks
DON'T REMIND ME OF THE DAYS OF CHOOSING LIGHTS!!! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Just kidding ;)
My light fixture is a Hagen Glo 36 inch Dual-bulb T5HO fixture with the bulbs being Giesemann Aquaflora and Midday both being 39 watts.

This is where all my light problems came to an end: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1951661#post1951661

Thank you Hoppy!!!


There is a chart that shows the PAR measurements of common fixtures, which is what I used to pick my light. It may not seem like it but my tank is considered a "low light tank" according to the chart. I don't have enough experience to say too much about why I am getting good growth, but I have to say when I got my CO2 down and started sticking to a good fertilizer regime lots of things were fixed. Good luck on that 29g!!!!

I might halt the rotalas for a while since we are getting a dog; things are gonna get hectic here :help:
 
#73 ·
I encountered a problem with the glossostigma a few days ago.

I apparently didn't plant the glosso very well in the first place, which led to its runners not staying on the surface or under the surface of the substrate. This means that every time I trim I basically kill everything.

Solution: Pull out the glosso and replant it.

Was back-breaking

Here is a pic 2 days later:


After the middle area stabilizes, I will move on to replant the back and some other parts too.


Some other good benefits: I was able to suction out LOADS of crap from under the glosso from my last trim. Plus I really crippled the snail population; those snails....
 
#74 ·
Tank is currently in a mess.......
Until things get organized here I can't take pictures :(


BTW I got shrimp for the first time ever; so interesting critters :D. They were marketed as amano shrimps but I don't really think so.....nonetheless, blue shrimps are cool :icon_cool


Sadly, there was a catastrophe......my 7 year old tiger barb and some other fish died overnight. Cause: forgot to add dechlorinator :icon_redf:frown:
Never thought that it would make that big of a difference when not adding dechlorinators.....

THERE DEATHS WILL NOT BE IN VAIN. THEY WILL SAVE COUNTLESS FISH IN THE FUTURE FOR I WILL NEVER AGAIN FORGET TO ADD THAT BOTTLE OF SEACHEM PRIME.
 
#75 ·
Finally, update!!!

I will start by saying that I took out all the glossostigma, took away all the dead parts, and with the patience of a snapping turtle I spent 8 hours over 4 days planting them individually :eek:. I think I worsened my scoliosis :help:.

Anyways, here is the glosso as of now:


I am putting special attention to the glosso, hopefully it would pay off by it growing horizontally.


I also found some Ludwigia arcuata from Petsmart in Topfin packages, still trying to cultivate them:



The Hemianthus is growing like a weed, I will trim it next week:



The crypts are finally growing the way I want them to, which is to have big broad leaves, though the right corner needs more time:



Found some Cladophora last week and quickly removed it :proud::



The shrimp pictures that I promised-

Amano:


Unknown, anyone want to take a guess?




FTS and angle shots:






Can't wait until glosso fills in properly :). Still trying to source some more Rotala rotundifolia's.....

Currently no sign of algae and everything is growing at its best! CO2 at about 4 bps. Normal EI. About 65% water change once a week on Saturday. I did lower the light by an inch to increase growth.

I also finally got the filter output and the CO2 venturi at the right places to minimize CO2 loss and waste.

Now the hard part: PATIENCE FOR THINGS TO GROW.......


Enjoy!!!
 
#76 ·
I present you.....An Update!!! 3-10-13

First of all I spent 5 hours doing a "spring cleaning" on everything: Cleaned filters, trimmed, wiped the glass, etc. The filter was in a disgusting state when I opened it, now I know that I have to clean it more often. I also added ADA Bio-Rio, for that reason the tank's water is a bit cloudy, but should clear up in a few days. Other than that, time to talk about the tank:


I am starting to get that nice glosso carpet, the trick was careful trimming :icon_smil.







Amano shrimp :cool:



I took a few shots yesterday morning when I realized that there was a bit of sunlight leaking through our windows into the aquarium. Enjoy!


I never noticed how much texture and detail this rock has until yesterday :hihi:



Usual FTS and another angle:





You probably noticed I did some stuff :icon_surp

Basically I mowed all the crypt's crowns. I was simply curious how they will grow back since they are not really growing into the form that I expected, so probably a restart method is good. I know it will take probably a few months for it to grow back but it should be worth the wait.

Also, I did not take out the hemianthus, just trimmed it REALLY short. This was my first time truly ever trimming a well grown bunch of stem plants, so I just kinda want to see what happens if I trimmed it low.



I know everything looks bare now, but the point of this aquarium is to experiment and experience planted tanks, to learn how things grow and react to factors such as increase in nutrient dosing (yeah, did that too).

What do you think everyone? Anything I need to change?
 
#78 ·
Well, my dad just came back from Taiwan and got me a little something for a surprise:






It is a (not broken) Mr. Aqua Spiral CO2 diffuser. They are actually REALLY good for $20; making extremely small bubbles that don't rise to the surface easily. The reason that they get horrible ratings in stores like MarineDepot is because they always get broken during delivery. So lucky me :hihi:!
 
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