40g Breeder Journal

[dundadundun]

my fault... caught me skimming...

i would:
pack that tank the best you could with plants, floaters... fast growers that can create shade...
shade some of that light a bit
stay diligent with cleaning out the algae and filters
keep up with what you're doing

gh looks good
kh looks good
nitrates look good
phosphates don't really alarm me


2 55 watt pc bulbs over a 45gal almost demands a tank be packed with light loving plants... especially at the beginning when the plants are still acclimating to your tank. 4 - 6 hours a day doesn't seem like a bad idea, actually.

i think you'd be fine skipping some phosphate doses but i don't think they'd hurt either... i could be wrong.

112ppm seems awful high for co2. if it is that high i'd assume it's awful tough to keep it stable there, idk.

you could always throw some excel at it to help your chances/speed it up.

i don't see anything wrong with r/o either if you're going to re-constitute. could rule out possible contaminants from your water supply.

also... many snails do just fine in a ph that low. i have some pretty nice ramshorns living in lower (without co2).

 

[phreeflow]

Yeah...I skimmed this post real quick as well so forgive me if I'm off point. At work so I can't take too much time . However, at first glance, without even looking at all the parameters too closely, the one glaring issue is that you don't have enough plants to start that tank properly given amount of light and co2. I agree 100% with the poster above me....pack that tank with some quick growers to act as a nutrient sink and drop the co2 levels.

 

[myswtsins]

Thank guys. Co2 is only this high because I was increasing CO2 as advised, I normally wouldn't keep it that high. And I caught you both skimming because the light is 26.5" off the substrate making it pretty low light @ only 25 micromols & they are only running 5 hrs now (was 6hrs). I know it is hard to reread an entire thread every time it is bumped & I TRY not to make long posts that include every detail so that you don't have to reread the whole thing but they are long anyways. I just appreciate your responses!!

I have been waiting 2 weeks for someone to ship me some floaters (you know who you are!) & it took me a while to work out picking up some other plants but yes I am trying to get more plants in there.

I was busy during the brief 5 hrs that the lights were on so I will try to get some pictures tomorrow.


While I am here though, I just bought 30 ember tetras & 12 panda cories for future residents of this tank, YAY! They won't be going in for a long time but I figured I'd let you guys know that I decided on fish.

 

[fishycat]

30 embers? :thud: where are you keeping them all?? Very excited about your cories & tetras!

I cannot help much with your algae problem except to say :yuck: that's a bit too swampy for me. do you have enough water movement? Seems to collect on your substrate & lower right side a lot...

 

[myswtsins]

They will go into a 30g for QT until the 40B is ready for them. I have 4 QT/grow out/hospital tanks going right now plus my 4 display tanks, what is wrong with me!? It only equals about 270 gallons but it seems like so much more!

I have about 380gph running through there right now between the fluval 303 & power sweep 214. It does collect oddly though. Today I noticed a spot (deadest spot too) that had NO algae in it.

 

[fishycat]

Too much flow? :crazy: ha, I dunno. I wish you the best of luck, m'dear! Don't be a stranger!

 

[myswtsins]

More flow=more nutrients, the algae is just growing where the nutrients are. I don't think I can get any stranger but I'll make sure I don't. I am plenty corny enough already too!

Algae has slowed down but is still growing. Floaters will be here any day!

 

[Chrisinator]

I have the same problem with keeping my lotus in the substrate. I usually take out the growing plants so they can establish a root system.

 

[myswtsins]

Well my tank seems to do better when I am not near it because I went away last weekend and when I got back about 30% of the algae had died back. I cut the lights to 4 hrs (26.5" above substrate) with co2 coming on 1 hr before lights on & off 1 hr before lights off & of course no dosing. Seeing the improvement I decide to keep these settings for awhile. Well here is the tank yesterday before my WC (NO algae was removed for this photo).

After WC, trim & arrangement (trying to shade anubias a little because of new BBA)

Brief summary of situation

• Not dosing - less algae no effect on plants (still stunted and deformed)
• Less Light - Temporary to get algae under control then will slowly increase
• BBA - UGH!
• Java fern - old leaves dying but new leaves seem to be adjusted
• Red Lotus - went nuts, big trim! Getting a nice red tone
• Fissiden fontanus - loaded with algae but still hanging on
• Anubias - new growth is doing great, growing fast
• Willow hygro & crypt - good steady growth
• Misc unknown plants - stems in back right & left (same plant) still deformed, pale & the bottoms are completely rotting away, couple straggling stems behind blyxa are struggling but new growth is better.
• NEW blyxa - newer growth already seems to be greening up but it still very new
• NEW Red root floaters - a PITA, the current pushes them under the water and they are getting caught in everything & then die of course

In conclusion for this update - I am not impressed with the magic mineralized top soil. I am seeing the exact same results from my previous tank except that the unknown stems are struggling (which they didn't in the previous tank) but the algae cycle & solutions are the same.

BTW the tank looks even better today, nearly no algae left on substrate!!!

 

[myswtsins]

Some photos of the future residents can be found HERE.