New beeg planted tank , early days..

@Trevor Pleco

Stop using Excel if you using Press CO2. Excel is a liquid carbon additive, not a fert.
Seachem Trace is a good fert, however DSD may be more economical long term.

Your kH is worrying me a little. You need to remember that kH is ultimately the water's ability to buffer pH. The lower the kH, the more your pH can swing... and with a kH of 2, and Press CO2, you could have a pH crash VERY QUICKLY. @Marco to confirm this please.
I would really suggest you get in contact with the prof, chat to him about his products for raising your kH, because ultimately I think you want 4dkH , and 4dgH as well. I've also heard of people using sea shells in their filter to raise kH... might be an option... but do some research first.

 

Thanks Ashley, will bug the Prof, it was he who suggested the well point/tap mix originally. Good call on the Excel, seems I perhaps need some potasium...

 

Hey Trev, your setup is looking epic, our friendly LFS said you had a leak...is that true ? hope not after all your past challenges

BTW what are the broadleaf plants on the left and right ?

 

very pretty!!

 

Hey Milsky, good to see you have surfaced, was beginning to worry, lol.

Yip, don’t mention that word leak, had serious dramas several weeks back when both my two beeg tanks started within a week or two of each other, so was chaotic as you can imagine with having to find temporary housing for volumes of prized plants and the fishies of course, thankfully no casualties !

Currently doing a two week drip test on the new tank, after the import agents rushed over in a squad to reseal it. Check out the previous ''snap'' thread - http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?7626-Discus-Tank-Leak!!!!&p=104062#post104062

Anyway I was in the process of converting over to high tech, so the forced change was quite well timed I guess. I’ll post new pics as the new scape gets under way, I sadly need too move most those giant Amazons, as they were beginning to dominate the tank with little space for anything else. Going the potted route really helps.

Let me know when you are next at our ''our friendly LFS ''

 

Good to hear from you, very impressed by your new tank setup, seems like you have da green fingers. I have to say that I got myself into all sorts of trouble with my 400l Aqua H2o, was far too keen to get plants in without too much focus around sanitising them before planting, net result was a plethora of different algae that returned my tank to a green soup !! That was the beginning of the downward spiral and in spite of blockout and a host of different attempted remedies to finally just losing interest. I broke the tank down and it is sitting in the garage waiting for a buyer or some inspiration to start all over.

The big learning here was, be ruthless with the plants I intro into my tank, any plant coming from a grower or LFS is indiscriminatley harboring host algae, why this has not been made clearer on the forums is strange !!! It is pretty obvious on the other hand though as many growers are not really concerned with their growing area and more concerned with pushing out the largest fastest growing specimens which will obviously include their own colony of algae and the LFS the same. I have now resorted (and will not change) to stripping and washing off all new plants of all gunk then a good soak in water with a relatively high dosage of bleach. So far so good !!! This means I have a level of losses intially but well worth the effort and shrinkage vs having to go through the endless nightmare of battling algae on an ongoing basis....

Do you have any experience with this ? What is your regime of new plant intro, I have been dabbling with the idea of a seperate growout tank with strong lighting but also as somewhat of a quarantine for the algae. Also thinking of keeping this dosed with Crystal that I bought online from one of the sponsors which is supposed to help in getting rid of the green dread !!

Hows the CO2 coming along, I have to say that my Ebay reg and diffusers have operated 100% for over a year and I am very happy, got my first refill and it is running in my Jewel 180 at abt 1bubble per 2 seconds, which is much lower than where I have read elsewhere but has been outstanding. Results are super with huge growth in almost all plants.... the Crypts, vallis, moss, annubias have been out of control ... just the swords have strangely been slow in getting there...dosing with low tech Dirk druppels and added pottassium and iron so all good for now, when Im finished this batch of druppels will go for the high tech option, which I seriously recommend.

Let me know when you are around and we can grab a cuppa..... trade some plants ?

 

Why would you stop using excell? I know Algae Wizard still uses Excell, even though he runs pressurized Co2.

 

excel can also be used as a mild algacide too.. but if u only using it as a carbon additive and you already have co2 then just use co2

 

your tank is looking awesome!

it is very hard to include swords in a layout and have them look like they belong there without overpowering everything else, you have done a great job with this!

 

Thanks bud, coming from a planted tank doyen, I’m humbled!

Yea, those A’swords reach massive sizes, which does not really come across in the pic. To give you some idea the two large ones stuck together would cover nearly half the length of the 1.8m tank! In my new forced upon scape I think there will only be space for one and I might include a melon sword which is waiting in the wings and eagerly wanting to make an appearance.

Milsky, I agree it’s no easy game this plant thing and it’s certainly a rapid learning experience. I guess the art comes with finding the correct balance between the plants, volume of light, ferts, water parameters/condition and the fish of course. To give you an example, I have a small 50 litre tank currently holding many of my more prized high light plants. The tank is on the floor in front of a glass sliding door getting direct sun for say three hours a day and then strong non direct light for the remainder. I am also using a small 12w tornado daylight bulb for really dark days. I’m adding a range of the prof’s ferts and Co2, the tank is heated and has a small internal filter for co2 dispersal. The plants are growing big time and many are bursting out of the water surface. The remarkable thing to me is that five weeks down the line there is hardly a spec of algae on the glass or the plants, which surprises me and I am not using Excel either. Presumably some kind of balance has been reached, unintentionally I might add, that keeps the algae army at bay.. .. ?

 

Very nice tank!

 

Thanks bud, now she's empty thanks too the dreaded leak, so starting again with new ideas, but have kept some of the Java and moss mopani sections which have now matured and really grown, so cant see anything of the wood anymore.

 

Sorry to hear about the leak the start looked O so promising.

 

Mega journal of high tech rebirth coming - watch this space....

 

Side note the plecos are still doing awesome have you still got.

 

looks wow!!!!

 

Incredible tank!

 

i think this tank looks so awesome.. the growth on your plants is phenomenal!