maximumbob
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Hurrah….
Welcome back Ste!!!
Hope you are on the mend. I went to wiagn on sunday with the family. Unfortunately the indonesian delivery didnt come… but its due in before xmas!!!! I may get some males for my ladies quite soon!
Speak soon
Simon
A quick snap before bed time
Its a 12 litre (approx) plastic rectangular tank – it cost me less than £7. It has a really small heater and a air powered sponge filter in it. I bought 2 set ups as they were quite cheap. They sit alongside my 60 litre planted tank in my study.
The sponges from the filters are taken off and matured in the external filter which runs the 60 litre tank (eheim 2211).
Inside the tank is a spawning mop, as described in my initial set up thread and a few young small java ferns which I got during my main tank rescape. (the fish are in the right tank… a lot of spare plants and red ramshorm in the left.
Off to bed now guys… i’ll try some more shots another time.
I just got my 10 grade a+ indian almond leaves.
I’ll be trying them in my gourami tank to see what happens.
I’ll bring some over for you to have a play with on Sat Ste… the missus has let me out for the morning!!!!!
pic below! (1p is for sense of scale)
I’ll phone ya l8r
Here is my scape as it stands last night.
The plants floating on the right are anubias. I still have to tie them to the bogwood. I’ve left it for a few days to let the fish settle down after their stressful move out and then back into the tank.
I’m hoping for a crypt balansae tall curtain on the right, with a small carpeted area of pogostemion helferi below it. The mossballs on the left will eventually be taken out as I think they dont suit the scape. I’m considering putting a mossy piece of wood I have in the centre of the picture (not sure the centre is the best Idea though.) between the java ferns – i was also going to get a half coconut shell and attach it on the back to make a cave structure.
All in all I think its a decent start.. the plants just need a bit of love for a while.. the stress of the move has damaged some leaves.
It was a plant made famous by Takashi amano.
Its a bit of a nitrate sponge so to speak, but given the right conditions grows well as a carpet.
If you actually get the conditions correct it can almost take over the tank!
I generally have quite normal plants.. the rarer ones I have are fissidens moss, the petite version of anubias, and maybe pogostemon helferi.
you can use this software to calculate your dosing
http://www.cherniaksoftware.com/homepage/Data/NutriCalc.exe
its quite good!
Cool.. you’re a chemistry dude. I may have a few questions for you
The estimative index is a simple method which tries to avoid a lot of complexities and testing of tank water when growing plants.
Its main proponent in Tom Barr, who in a similar method to Diana Walstad, has used scientific methodology to explore the management of a planted aquarium.
An introduction to his method is here
But basically his theory is if you supply nutrients in excess to the plants they will grow unhindered and out compete algae for resources. This excess of nutrients is kept in check by large volume water changes.
hope this points you in the right direction …The pH tests for aquariums are not very accurate. I would leave the tap water 24 hours in a glass jar before testing it. A lot of variables can alter how the test works immediately coming out of the tap.
I do not buffer against pH change and my water is very soft. I have read that buffering is only necessary when the kh is less than 3 degrees. This is one of the reasons that the EI (estimative index) is so good for plants. It negates may problems by doing weekly 50% water changes.
I dont personally run EI on my larger tanks, but closely monitored pH when I introduced CO2. I find a comparison of measured pH and using a drop checker proves an excellent combination of information.
Measured pH will tell you the tank parameters – i use a digital pH monitor I got off ebay, combined with a drop checker to give me a good idea of CO2 levels.
As regards your worries about Ph crashes.. if you use a fermentation CO2 it is almost impossible to overdose your aquarium – the safest way to preclude this is to wait the 24hours after making your solution before plugging it into the aquarium – as described above.
If you get into the chemistry of water pH it gets extremely confusing – especially if you get into the realms of discussing substrates which effect cation exchange capacity. I avoid a lot of that by introducing things slowly and monitoring closely.
This is very similar to the one I have made.
I use a 2 litre fizzy drink container. One additional thing I would use is some blue tac around the top of the bottle lid to help give an airtight seal.
The mix I use is 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 tsp of bakers yeast (you can also use brewers yeast)
I pour out 500 mls of boiling hot water, mix in the 2 cups of water until dissolved, then add cold water until it reaches 1000ml and then leave to cool to room temp. I then add the yeast and leave open over night. When you first get the CO2 there is a huge boost for the first 24hrs or so, and its best to leave it out of the tank as the rapid change in ph could stress your fish.
You can use a limewood diffuser or even a ceramic diffuser – personally I recommend the rhinox diffusers. I use them on both pressurised and DIY systems with good results.
Hey ste,
here are the links to the diffusor you liked:
http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=645
there are 3 types depending on the size of the aquarium.
yes.. i have some floating plants and a couple of java ferns to soak up any nutrients… i duno what happened
DISASTER!!!
I’ve had a bizarre ammonia spike in my breeding tank. My four fry died!!
I’m seriously gutted.
I haven’t a clue what happened to cause the spike. I have transferred the fish into a small tank, but the water and filter were the same.
I cleaned the new tank big time. I even sterilised it with a steam cleaner! (no additives obviously)
I think i’ll be investigating a little more before I try again
one of my livebearers got stuck when having fry. She was a bit constipated.. a few shelled peas later and she was fine!
Another thing to bear in mind
