My "Freshened Up" Red Sea 130

Looks very, very nice!

 

Thanks guys...really starting to enjoy this hobby.

Hopefully have a couple more plants coming next week.

Thanks Broder. Ya I bought some Prime end of last week as I found out the Rainbow product doesn't remove the chloramine...and did a water change with dosing it for the first time last weekend.

Have noticed it seems to be taking longer for the tannins to saturate the water after each water change so hopefully within a couple of months it will be clear. Although it doesn't look all that bad, it does taint the appearance of the plants colours a bit from head on.

 

New plants arrived...starting to look like a jungle :huh:






also added 4 sparkling gourami...love these little guys!

 

Rather cool - I soooo like pics of tanks and progress, thanks for posting them.

Later Ferdie

 

Looks great Mark. Good to see that you haven't been overrun by algae yet. That's how I usually start

 

Thanks! I have been following your tanks for a while now...I see you like to post pics as well!

Thanks Broder...lol I did get a bit of GHA start growing on the vertical piece of drift wood...I started to panic and was looking into algae eaters etc and ways of eradicating it...and then it just disappeared. Assuming the plants are out competing it for nutrients.

 

Yeah.. Looks as if you have the Midas touch. It took me 3 attempts to get to where you are now. Keep those pics coming.

 

very nice tank

 

Its looking beautiful!! Well done.

 

Thanks guys!

lol thanks...I would assume that with a fresh water planted tank it works the reverse of a marine tank... ie. a smaller and more heavily planted tank would be easier to maintain than a larger less planted tank?

 

Nope... It's the same as in marine tanks. The more stable the water parameters, he better. Constant fluctuations, especially CO2 usually result in an outbreak of the dreaded black beard algae.

 

But parameters are easier to control than in a marine tank.

 

Yes agree with you on that...my wording probably was not correct in what I was trying to say...I meant a smaller tank that is heavily planted would would mean phosphates and nitrates that GHA needs to grow would be consumed more efficiently than in a larger tank that was not heavily planted thus allowing more chance for GHA to grow...or something like that.

 

Yup.. The trick is to get the balance of macro elements (NPK) and trace elements correct. Plants can only take up as much nitrogen and phosphate in the ratio that they need them. So if you have an excess of nitrates, but a shortfall of other elements, the other elements will limit how much nitrates are consumed. Algae isn't fussy about this, so and imbalance will favour an outbreak.

 

thats very useful info, thanks! So if I am using seachem matrix and once they are operating and my nitrates are reduced would this in turn limit the amount of phosphates that are taken up too?

 

Seachem Matrix is just a biological media, so limited to sustaining denitrifying and nitrifying bacteria. Nitrates, as in marine systems, need to be diluted. In marine tanks, deep sand beds sustain anaerobic bacteria which kick nitrate ass, but these don't seem to be used in freshwater tanks. I haven't researched this, other than knowing from experience that hydrogen sulphide seems to develop über-quick in freshwater systems.

The most popular way to balance nutrients in a freshwater system, is with the estimative index(ei) system. In a nutshell, you overdose all macro and trace elements to ensure that there are no limiting factors to the plants requirements. This obviously includes light and CO2. The heavy dosing does require 50% weekly water changes to prevent any excessive nutrients building up in your tank.

 

i was under the impression matrix was a similar product to bio cubes/pellets...basically giving denitrifying bacteria surface area to multiply? Or am I wrong in this thinking?

I will do some reading up on the estimating index system, but basically if I carry on dosing seachem excel and trace elements weekly along with my water changes I should be fine? My bulbs for my lights are brand new and strong enough for sps so should be good on that side...

 

Matrix is just area for bacteria to populate.

Aerobic and anaerobic. In low flow there will be a little oxygen so anaerobic bacteria will take over. Anaerobic bacteria is converts nitrate to nitrogen

Same as a DSB. At the bottom of the sand there is very little oxygen. So the anaerobic bacteria populates there. That's why DSB's are a form of nitrate reduction

 

Nope... 100% correct. Denitrifying bacteria feeds on nitrite and produces nitrate waste.

 

Yes, your dosing sounds good. Everything looks great in your tank. Didn't mean to sound as if you should change anything.