The lady in red.

I finally got a batch of the coveted Limnophila aromatica, as well as some Ammania gracilis, the latter being a new acquaintance to me. I filled the left side of the tank with the L. aromatica and the right side with the A. gracilis. Now all I can do is wait and see if they'll get a nice reddish hue, or melt away into oblivion. The A. gracilis looks like it would require a proper trimming to get it going, but I'll give it a few weeks and see how it develops.

Plantman!

While surfing the virtual wave, I came across this very enlightening thread over @ Aquatic Plant Central. Go read it, then we'll talk some more!


This is something I've been already doing, but I think I'll step it up a notch. I've been planting the cut tops back to get more plant mass to the tank, but I think I need to prune the plants even more. It's a bit of a balancing act between getting a tank that looks like it's growing now, and having a tank which looks a bit bare but has lots of new growth that will flourish in the future. Ceratophyllum demersum & Heteranthera zosterifolia, meet Mr. Scissors!

Only the good die young!

I've got some good news, and some bad news. Let's start with the bad ones. There was a casualty in the tank - one of the Gymnocorymbus ternetzi now swims in the heavenly pond. I don't really know the reason for its demise, it had no visible marks of disease or anything, it was just floating around in the tank lifeless. The fish in question was a lot smaller than the rest of the school, so I'm thinking it had some defect from the get-go which lead to this. Label this under "such is life" for now.

The good news is that after tweaking my fertilizer dosing rate, I'm seeing positive results in the plants. I've been puzzled a bit by the lack of plant growth, as well as the appearance of the brownish algae. The light is there, as well as the CO2, so I decided to increase the amount of fertilizer to see if that was the limiting factor. I'm using Easy Life ProFito as my choice of liquid fertilizer. I was dosing 10ml twice a week, now I'm adding 10ml 4 times a week. I'll try to stick with this regimen for a few weeks and see what the long term effects are.

Usually, when plants do poorly and algae thrives, there's a deficiency of some sort which inhibits plant growth and thus leaves the algae to suck up the nutrients. The tank is still rather new, so that is also a factor which I have to keep in mind. What ever the reason is, there was a significant change in plant growth, so maybe this will be a break for better things!

Ain't no sunshine...

A quick word on the small algae problem I'm experiencing. There's some brownish algae growing on the glass panels, mainly on the front and back. I'm almost 100% positive that the biggest reason for this is direct sunlight. The reasoning being that the area infested by the algae stops in a really straight line 1/3 from the top of the tank. The same line continues on the filters too! It seems I have to be more careful with the curtains, as the warm spring sunlight obviously hits the tank at some point of the day.

I'll scrape the visible algae off next time I change the water. That way the fluff wont remain in the tank and mess up the sand.

I also fiddled with the direction of the flow once again. Now the right hand side filter points left, a bit to the back glass and slightly down. The left hand side filter (U4, lower nozzle) points diagonally up and to the right. The CO2 contraption shoots to front and right, and is pointed to the lower part in the middle of the front glass. I'm hoping to get good circulation all over the tank, at least there's plant movement in all areas so there's hope that CO2 and nutrients are spread, if not evenly, at least to all corners of the tank. There's also sufficent surface agitation, so the exchange of gasses should also be in check, but without the fear of losing too much CO2.

Right here, right now!

Ok, so now we have a tank full of water, sand, gear, flora and fauna. Nothing has died, and the plants seem to grow slowly but steadily. The fish have been enjoying their stay for a few weeks now, and have shown no signs of poisoning of any sort. I also installed the Tunze diffuser, and modded it a bit with the small powerhead I had running the CO2 duties before.

I added a bit of Hydrocotyle leucocephala and Hygrophila difformis to the tank, the latter resides in the left corner, and the former sits in the middle and right hand side. I also added a school of 12 Gymnocorymbus ternetzi and another juvenile Crossocheilus siamensis to the mix. The fish quota for the tank is quite full for now, so no new additions are planned. The Botia kubotai have been exploring the tank, but have been a bit shy. Hopefully the addition of a school of fish will encourage them to be even more visible, as they use other fish as an indicator whether it's safe to show their loachy faces around. The Kuhlii loaches really come out only when it's dark, but I'm hoping that they'll gain some courage too. They've set up camp under a drifwood on the right hand side of the tank while the Kubotai favor the left side.

I had to scrape a bit of brownish algae from the front glass, but so far I've been able to keep the dreaded algae infestation at bay. There's a bit of the same stuff on the rear glass, which I'll clean when it's time for the next water change. I've also trimmed the plants a bit here and there, so that I'll get bushier growth to fill the space better.

The Lilaeopsis brasiliensis show small signs of growth, so I'm hoping I might fair better with it this time. I've still haven't been able to source the Blyxa japonica I crave, but I'm certain some will fall into my tank in the near future.

Cyclorama!

A few words about cycling a fishtank, if you may! Like some of you know, when setting up an aquarium, one just can't simply fill it with water and throw the fish in there. This will, in most cases, result in the fish becoming, well, very dead fish. The reason for this is, again in most cases, ammonia. The very basis of a well run aquarium is understanding how the aquarium nitrogen cycle functions. A quick google search came up with this explanation from Fishlore.com, which works as a quick introduction to the subject. Go read it. Really!

For my cycling option, I chose a relatively new and interesting product called the Prodibio BioDigest. A pack of glass ampules containing live bacteria, which help to kickstart the nitrogen cycling. I boosted the effect by using a running filter (the Fluval U4) and some driftwood from another tank which already contain a dose of the same established bacteria.

 I do have a confession to make, I have done absolutely no testing of the water what so ever. I rely on the promise of Prodibio and its customer testimonials from various sources, as well as the maturity of the filter and driftwood. I also rely on the signals given by the fish, as they will react if something is wrong. This might be a cold blooded way of doing things, but I have strong confidence in how things will work out.

So, I filled the tank, and threw in the recommended amount of bacteria. Then I waited. Later that evening, I added a bit of fishfood to feed the ongoing process. The next day, the water had a bit of a sulphurous scent,
obviously due to the nitrification process.The water was a bit cloudy as well, which should be a sign of propagating bacteria. I did a slight water change, and added some more of the Biodigest-stuff.

Next day the tank smell had evened out, so it was time to bring in the fish. The 1st pioneer to go in was my lone Poecilia sphenops, a remainder from the 450-liter tank. I had a swarm of those guys as pioneers with that tank too, so it was in a way fitting to get a bit of a tradition going. He (yeah, he has the equipment to be classified accurately) will be the last of his kind, as the Mollys were breeding like rabbits... After several hours, with the Molly showing no signs of ill effect, I took the plunge and filled in the tank with 4 Pangio kuhlii, a lone Crossocheilus siamensis and 5 of my favorites, the Botia kubotai. Then all I could do was to monitor the progress and hope that the bacteria would work as advertised.

Several days passed, and the behaviour of the fish seemed normal, I was beginning to enjoy a slight feeling of relief, this might work out after all! I would highly recommend testing the water even when utilizing the modern bacteria products, but, alas, I did not follow my own recommendation. Bastard!

Here comes the flood!

Now that all the pieces of the puzzle were laid out to their corresponding places, the only thing left was to add water. I added a plate to even out the flow, so that the sand wont fly all over the place.

I filled the tank almost all the way up, and then emptied it in order to get rid of some of the tiny dust that was floating around. This was my clever way of cheating my way out of having to wash the sand. Then I filled it again, but just enough for the sand to be submersed. Then it was time to plant the Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis.

I also added the Ceratophyllum demersum to the background, as well as the Microsorum pteropus, Heteranthera zosterifolia and a touch of Cryptocoryne wendtii "brown'. Then it was time to fill 'er up!

Gear, gear, gear.

After the planning stage was done, and the hardscape was set, it was time to install all the gear needed to run the tank. For filtration, I had the built-in Juwel Bio Filter in the right corner. A typical glass rod -type heater was also placed inside the filter case. I also installed a Fluval U4 internal filter, which had served me well in my previous tank, to left hand corner. The U4 had been running in a small temporary tank, so it had some bacterial content. Ideally, an external canister filter would be a better fit, as it would save some space inside the tank, but for now, the U4 was an obvious choice, especially with (hopefully) all the bacteria which would help kickstart the tank.

I also installed the CO2 equipment, and the canister fit really nicely inside the cabinet. I secured it with a nylon strap, and attached the solenoid to the cabinet wall. A simple timer was set to open the valve an hour before the lights turn on, and shut it an hour before lights go out. As for the in-tank reactor, I knew I had a Tunze CO2 diffuser somewhere around the house, but as it wasn't used after I packed it when we moved I had no idea where it was! I made a temporary solution from the powerhead of a small cheap filter. I also placed an order for a new Tunze diffuser online, as all the trails ran cold on the whereabouts of my previous one. CO2 plays a rather important part in a planted tank, so I'll dig a bit deeper on the subject later on.

As for the lighting, like I previously mentioned, the tank came equipped with a lighting hood which houses two 45W T5 tubes. This gives me 0.5W per liter, which should be adequate for a plethora of plants. Normal 850mm tubes are 39W, so with the Juwel 895mm ones you get a bit more punch for almost the same lenght, but at the same time, the choice of tubes is a bit more limited. Both tubes are labeled "Day", and sport a 9000K color temperature. I might replace the older one with a tube with a bit more color, as the tank seems a bit sterile with this combination. Juwel offers 45W tubes in temperatures of 4100K and 6800K, so I might try one of those.

As the amount of light drives the rate of growth, it's important for the lighting to be balanced to all the other factors related to plant growth. More light does not equal better growth! It just accelerates the uptake of nutrients, and can lead to all sorts of problems. Also, I'm aiming for a tank that doesn't require trimming the plants every few days, or a ton of fertilizers, so a moderate lighting is fine by me! That said, I might pony up for some reflectors later on, if it starts to look like the plants could use a bit of a boost. The lights are also timed, and I'll start slowly with 6h of lighting per day at first, and then boost up the time as the tank matures.

And the vision that was planted in my tank, remains to be seen...

Now that I had my hardscape in good order, it was time to add some green into the mixture. I had a general idea of what kind of plants I'd like to use, and came up with a rough sketch:

The game plan was pretty simple: Shorter, grass-like plants to the front, medium plants to the midground and around the driftwood, and taller stem plants to the back, with some red accents. I would try to source the plants from private sellers, as the quality/price ratio is usually a lot better than what you get from the store. As the stores get the plants from big nurseries, and grow some of the plants emersed, the change when planted in a domestic tank sometimes takes its toll on the plant. But when you get them from someone else's tank, they usually do better from the get-go, as the conditions are more similar. The biggest problem with buying from other aquarists is the winter! Shipping plants around when it's -20C isn't such a hot idea. Also, some plants are just not available, and have to be special ordered from the store.

I chose Lilaeopsis brasiliensis for the front, as I had some experience with it earlier. It wasn't a total success last time, so in a way I wanted to see if I could get it to grow better this time. One factor that led to some problems last time with this plant was that I probably planted it too densely. The trick is to take the pot and divide it into several small patches and plant them in a checkerboard pattern. I will keep this in mind, when it's planting time! Luck was with me, as the Local Pet Store had a few pots of this plant, which was a welcomed surprise, as I was prepared to order a bunch of it online.

I also had access to some Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow' (I'm not 100% it's the "Narrow" variant), which will be planted to the driftwood for some accent. Same goes for Cryptocoryne wendtii ''brown'', which will go to the right hand side, next to the filter casing.

The middle of tank was reserved for Blyxa japonica, which is a favorite of mine, and did well in my last tank. I still haven't been able to get my hands on it, so for now, the middle is waiting...

For the reds, I'm thinking Limnophila aromatica, also a nice taller plant I'm familiar with. Sadly this one has also eluded me for the time being. I'm pretty confident I'll be able to source some from a fellow aquarist.

I received a few stems of Heteranthera zosterifolia, which hopefully will propagate and fill the right side of the background. In the same shipment, along came a bunch of Ceratophyllum demersum, a fast growing plant, which will hopefully help to keep algae at bay with my fresh tank.

Visions, Delusions, Tragedy!

I'm a pretty lazy guy, I have no problem admitting it. I also get excited quite easily, when it comes to certain things. Working on my aquarium happens to be one of them, and combines the laziness in way that I'm in a hurry to get to the point where I can just do nothing! Sometimes it would be beneficial for me to slow down a bit, as I was reminded when I was working on getting stuff into the tank. But before I go into that, I'll start from the bottom, har har!

Now that I had the frame, could start the actual painting! In my previous posts I mentioned the choices I had made with my first tank, and the first choice I made brought upon a change. I'm talking about substrate, and the size of the grain of sand, to be precise.

Previously I had used sand with the grain size of 0,1-0,6mm. Even though I had plenty of malaysian trumpet snails in the tank to stir the bottom, I think it got a bit too clumped and cloggy, and this resulted in poor conditions for the roots of the plants. Using sand as the bottom substrate was pretty much given, as the Botia kubotai like to graze on the bottom, so I made the choice to try a bit larger grain, 0,5-1,2mm, and see if things would go a bit better.

Before the sand went in, I filled the bottom of the tank with a healthy layer of Tetra Complete Substrate, hopefully it will keep the roots of the plants happy and nourished. Last time I had used Tetra Initial Sticks, so a case of change was present here as well.

Next was the hardscape. I had a bunch of mangrove roots sitting about, and I decided to supplement them with a selection of stones. I didn't want to pay a lot of coin for some "designer" stones from the aquarium stores, and the heavy snow cover on the ground made it impossible to source them from the nearby woods. So what did I do? I headed to the sauna! Olivine Diabase stones are used in the stoves of saunas, so the answer was obvious. I didn't actually take the used stones, but bough a 20kg box for dirt cheap. I hand picked the most suitable ones and left the rest to wait their turn to be placed into the stove.

I set the mangrove roots and stones on the sand, tweaked, stared at the tank, tweaked some more, and presto! Heres's how it turned out:

So where's the tragedy I mentioned in the beginning, you say? Well, the sand I chose came in a 25kg bag. I planned to lift the bag into the tank and stab a hole in the side to get the sand out. It went well to the point where I had the bag halfway in the tank. The only problem was that I hadn't moved the lights from the way properly! Of course the bag hit the front T5 tube and shattered it to pieces. Stupid me! Of course the tubes are special tubes, Juwel T5 45W 895mm ones, so a regular tube wont do. I didn't want to order a tube online and wait several days for delivery, so had to pony up the cash at the Local Pet Store, which is far from cheap, even for regular customers. Live and learn...

Visions, Delusions, or something in between?

When the time was right to start planning for a new freshwater setup, I had a short list with a few key points I tried to adhere to.

The previous tank was ~450 litres, this time I wanted something smaller. While a big tank has that certain wow-factor, it takes more of, well, everything! I wanted something that wouldn't require dosing gallons of fertilizers, but also, something that was big enough for my beloved Botia kubotai to live in. Also, the spot I had reserved for it in the living room stated that it had to be no longer than 120 cm, and even that was pushing it a bit.

I started looking for used tanks in the 200 liter range, give or take. Yeah, I went 2nd handed, because in this trade, there's always deals to be had due to people moving on to bigger tanks, giving up on the hobby for various reasons etc.

I also wanted a tank with a decent stand, something that I'd be comfortable placing in the living room. The stand also had to have cabinets where I could store aquarium related stuff, especially the CO2 setup.

I ended up with a Juwel Rio 180, in fashionable black, with the corresponding stand. It was barely used, and I even got it delivered to our house. Like the name indicates, it holds 180 liters of H20 and measures in at 100x50x41cm (LxHxW). The stand was the older model with wider doors, but it was also in immaculate condition. The set came equipped with a 2x45W T5 lighting hood, a built-in internal filter and a heater. I'll dig a bit deeper into the geary side of life on a later date!

Here's the set, awaiting further attention:


Next time I'll let you in on what kind of plans I had for the stuff that goes intside the tank!

My first Sony... err tank, I mean.

Before I dive deeper into my current aquatic affair, I'll briefly shed light to my previous endeavor.

The tank was ~450 litres, with quite a lot of vegetation and a reasonable amount of fish. I wont spend too much time with the details of the setup, let's just say it was a rather nice tank, and pleasing to the eye.

I sold the lot before we moved to our current place of habitation, but some of the gear and finned ones inhabit my current tank; the CO2 setup, internal filter and Botia kubotai to be exact.

As it was my first attempt at a planted tank, it was far from perfect. Some choices turned out to be not so satisfactory, but even though the results were not what I had hoped for, plenty of lessons were there for the taking. Some of these lessons were indeed used in designing my current setup. Choices of B's instead of A's, moderation instead of volume, and so forth. Time will tell whether the choices have a higher success rate this time, or is there a factor in the equation I have yet to realize. Perfection through iteration, I'm hoping.

Ready, aim, blog!

Yes, you're correct, this indeed is yet another freshwater aquarium related blog in a vast sea of aquarium related blogs. A modest one at that, I might add. More like a 5 gallon jar than a 300 gallon self sustained ecosphere. A mere drop in an ocean of blogs. But if you keep on reading, you might learn that even a small thing like, say, an ant, can teach you something. Well maybe an ant can't really teach you anything else than if you have an army of a million, the world can be an ok place, but that's neither here or there. So without any further ado, here's the deal:

Having been on a hiatus for a year or so, I just got back into the semi-serious freshwater aquarium game. This time I wanted to create a place where I can collect a journal of some sort, as well as throw around random thoughts of fishy sorts. Whether this will be a placeholder for a story of great success and fulfillment, or just a grim tale of a tank gone bad, either way I'm sure someone out there will be experience richer after reading this. And that someone might very well be You!

Yours,
-AGW