Mad Max Nano

[Mad_Max]

Hi,
Had a 58l nano sitting in the garage doing nothing. It was my first SW tank, but upgraded to a bigger one.

The tank is a standard Boyo TL450. It has a rear filter chamber with 4 compartments.
Compartment 1: Overflow with filter floss, activated carbon and 2 bags of ceramic rings.
Compartment 2: Small protein skimmer pump with bioballs. Only the pump, not collection cup.
Compartment 3: 100W Heater
Compartment 4: 800l return pump with filter sponge. The pump has a outlet connected to a spray-bar with a sponge covering 4 of the 6 holes. Without it is makes a strong current. The spray-bar is set upwards to make riffles on the surface water.

2 X 18W 50/50 PL lights (10 000K)

Substrate is 2 bags fine black gravel mixed with 1 bag course black gravel. It is in total about 6cm - 4cm deep sloping forward.

Dossed Seachem Stability since beginning with 10% weekly water changes. Added 1 small piece of fish to get some ammonia going.

Soaked a piece of drift wood for 1 week and placed in the tank. Mmmm, should have kept it longer longer as the tank has a yellow color now.

Added 4 pot plants and 3 strings of floating plants. Started dossing bio-elite and added root tablets.

Tested the water last night (been cycling now for 3 weeks)
Ph: 6.8
Kh: 4
Nitrite: Undetectable
Nitrate: Undetectable
Ammonia: Undetectable
Temp. 29 (I will have to do some in DIY PC fan in the hood, or keep the feeding lid half open)

There is some long strings of algae growing and 2 of the plants have some leaves turning yellow. Any one know why? Might be the slightly high temp.

Stocking Idea:
1 or 2 kuhli loach
Male and female Dwarf Gourami
Maybe 3 or 4 tetra's (neon, lemon or glass)

Upgrade ideas:
DIY CO2 yeast bottle

Please feel free to comment on any of the above.

M

[shihr]

show us a pic!

[Kat]

Yes a pic would be good

[Vis]

Hi Max

Your temp is to high, drop it doen to 25C

Pics will help identify the palnts and if they are aquatic.
Dosing bio-elite and root tabs with little plants will have your tank green in now time.

How long do you have your lights on for. I think yellow leaves are a iron deficiency.

Also add e more kuhli loaches as they like to be in groupes.
Gerhard

[Mad_Max]

Hi Max

Your temp is to high, drop it doen to 25C

Pics will help identify the palnts and if they are aquatic.
Dosing bio-elite and root tabs with little plants will have your tank green in now time.

How long do you have your lights on for. I think yellow leaves are a iron deficiency.
Gerhard

The only way I can drop the temp will be to get a PC fan in the hood, or replace the magnetic ballast (2 of them) with electronic ones. They are the main heat source in the hood. I have to make some time to do this.

I have been dosing for 2 weeks now, only half what is said on the bottle. Will cut down if water starts turning green.

Lights are on from 7h00 - 18h00, so a 11h photo period.

[Vis]

Cut your light back to 8hours untill you got the tank well planted.

[Mad_Max]

Cut your light back to 8hours untill you got the tank well planted.

May I ask why, what benefit will it have? Control algae? Lower temp? Or is 8h photo period optimum for a planted community tank

I will take a few pics tomorrow.

Thanks for the response, seems I have lost touch keeping FW.

[shihr]

for less heat and for less algae

[f-fish]

Hi Mad_Max ...

I have the slightly bigger 550 - this is what I have done to increase the filter capacity:
Compartment 1: Overflow with filter floss, and big filter block.
Compartment 2: Filled with bioballs and heater
Compartment 3: Filled with ceramic rings
Compartment 4: pump

Removing the protein skimmer allowed to create more filtering space. Those 10 000k are not ideal for tropical since this is a marine tank but reduce the light cycle - maybe run 2x 3-4 hour with a hour interruption midday.

BTW are you sure it is true aquatic plants that has the leaves turning yellow?
How much and how often you feeding the fish?

Later Ferdie

[Mad_Max]

Hi Mad_Max ...
BTW are you sure it is true aquatic plants that has the leaves turning yellow?
How much and how often you feeding the fish?
Later Ferdie

No fish jet. Taking it slow. Will probably add some this weekend based on water parameters.
Regarding the yellow leaves. The plants were bought from Animal Kingdom in PTA. They are not my preferred store. i was there this weekend and did notice the rest of the same plants I bought were pretty much turning to mulch (yellow and dissolving).

Here are some pic's. Please have a look at the plant in question.
DSCF4474.jpgDSCF4454.jpgDSCF4446.jpgDSCF4443.jpgDSCF4442.jpg