Gaia: High-Tech 20L Journal- Post vacation pics 8/16/09

[@marko@]

ok, i got my plant order from aquariumplants.com and the tank is now planted pretty much like i planned on.
the r. macrandra came in worse shape then i had hoped, and the d. diandra wasnt too great either. but i got a load of healthy hornwort (too much actually), and good glosso, and healthy r. wallichi (uncolored, but healthy).
i also added a tiny bit of wood next to the micro sword.
here are the pics (btw, i didnt resize them this time, they are a bit big):

[chase127]

i like how its coming together cant wait to see the progress

[@marko@]

thanks.
it will look much better when i have the riccia in there, and an erio to fill that empty spot to the left. and the plants grow in. the d. diandra is a mess right now. i just planted it in a way i think it will grow fastest. later when its taller ill rip it up and plant it in a circle so i can start to shape it like a bush. same with the r. macrandra.

[ZooTycoonMaster]

How do you like the Eheim Ecco?

[Characins]

Looking good Marko!

It's going to look fantastic when the foreground fills in! I can't wait!

[@marko@]

i love eccos. i had it on the previous scape. and i have one on my reef (with carbon instead of bioballs). and one more in the closet that i pretty much use for spare parts. it was initially on my 10 gallon, but then i took that down, and it just sat in the closet so i use it for part when i occasionally need to.
eccos arent as good as classics media-wise (if i remember right), but their priming mechanism is better.

thanks.
ill post updates on wednesday.

[@marko@]

ok updates.
got some riccia. i got a ton, actually (and it looks great), if anybody needs some, look me up by saturday.
R. wallichi is growing. nesea is growing. r. rotundifolia is growing. glosso is growing.
crypts are melting. R. macrandra is doing nothing, hopefully it will start to grow soon.
i also have algae. thread algae and some brownish kind of thread algae. i have some pics, if anyone can tell me what they are, id be grateful.

pics (algae and plants):

[chase127]

i think your brownish thread algae is diatoms. that goes away with some fat otos.

looks good so far

[mizu-chan]

Wow, looks great. I can't wait for it all to grow out.

[ZooTycoonMaster]

Is it pressurized or DIY CO2?

Tank's looking great!

[@marko@]

co2 is pressurized. its controlled with a ph controller, but i may switch to a timer if the kh keeps dropping so much, because it doesnt go bellow 5, and at 5.5 my drop checker was blue.

yeah, im planning on adding a few amanos and a school of otos in there this weekend.
my ammonia and nitrites are both 0 already.
the ph is pretty low however, down to 5.5 at night. my dad doesnt think they will make it, but from what i read, so long as the ph is relatively stable, the otos will be fine. idk about the shrimp. any ideas?

[@marko@]

algae is growing. a lot. i need help.
tomorrow im going to go get some cleanup guys. amanos, and otos. maybe a SAE instead of the otos (they uproot a bit, so i was hoping to wait a bit before adding one).

here are some pics on algae. any info on it would be great.




and on a better note:

[ZooTycoonMaster]

All the algae I can see is hair algae and diatoms...get some Amano Shrimp (hair), Excel (hair), Otos (diatoms), and Nerite Snails (diatoms).

[@marko@]

id preffer to get a small SAE with some amanos, since they can do wonders for hair algae, and will eat all other true algae. otos are an option. and i will almost certainly get amanos.
im not sure about nerites. arent they tidal? i dont want an animal that must be thrown back into the tank each day.

also, any ideas on the root cause of the algae problem?

[ZooTycoonMaster]

Originally Posted by @marko@

id preffer to get a small SAE with some amanos, since they can do wonders for hair algae, and will eat all other true algae. otos are an option. and i will almost certainly get amanos.
im not sure about nerites. arent they tidal? i dont want an animal that must be thrown back into the tank each day.

also, any ideas on the root cause of the algae problem?

Oh yeah I forgot about SAE's

Sometimes Nerites escape from the tank, but only if there's no cover and/or if there's no more algae for them to eat. PM Arakkis for more info about these little guys.

From what I've read, diatoms are caused by the sillicates in the glass in new tanks and/or lack of light. And thread/hair algae is caused by low CO2 and low nutrient levels This and this are great articles on algae