Jump to content

Piscarius

Members
  • Posts

    2
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Feedback

    0%

Everything posted by Piscarius

  1. I apologize for the delayed response - had a banquet on Tuesday evening and another meeting last night. First time I've had time to sit down and study your replies. I knew it, I knew it......I just knew someone was going to suggest patience! I do sooo well with that! Odd Duck - no, not all the plants were installed at the same time. I tried to add new plants as I added fish. I knew to balance was not perfect, but I tried to keep it close as things matured. Guppysnail - it's ironic that you mentioned a siesta as I just read about that last weekend. Torrey - I was thinking about adding something to burrow in the sand. Years ago a friend had added a couple of freshwater mussels to his tank for that. I will get some trumpet snails. I have not heard of blackworms. I will have to research that. Really sounds intriguing. DavidR - the pump on my Easy Green malfunctioned and only spits out a drop on each pump, so I have been adding a scant teaspoon twice a week on Saturday and Wednesday. PROCEEDING: I will change my timer to include a siesta. I think I will leave both lights on the tank, but I will change one to moonlight (all blue) to run in conjunction with the other light. Your opinions on this? I will get some trumpet snails and look into adding blackworms. I do think that I will replace my current filter with the Shark ADV, unless someone has an insight as to why that is not a good idea. It is a little larger and it is easier to run multiple medias. Thank you all for your comments, suggestions and support!
  2. Hello my fellow piscatorial patrons. I have 1 or more issues going on that I can not pin down, and I have learned of 1 mistake I have to deal with. So I will give you the foundation, and then I have several questions that I will try to catalog in a logical manner. I was very active in the hobby years ago (my degree is in Aquaculture), but life, kids, 7 moves to 6 towns in 3 states, and the aquarium hobby has taken a hit. SETUP: I have a 55 gal tank that I sat up in April. My plan is to have a large tank with a lot of nano fish. I originally was thinking about Kribs, a pair of Apisto's, or a pair of Nanochromis, but I don't want to sacrifice my shrimp. It is sort of a peninsular arrangement and viewable from both sides because behind the couch was the only space available. I used black sand for my substrate (mistake 1 above), an AquaClear powerhead 50 (about 200gph wide open - which it is throttled down a bit) with the polishing attachment filled with a sponge filter and floss - basically a powered sponge filter, and currently a Green Killing Maching 9W UV filter which I want to eleminate. It is planted with: Ambulia, Water Sprite, Water Wisteria, Crypt Wendtii, Crypt Lutea, Anubias Nana Petite, Red Flame Sword, Red Melon Sword, Anubias Gold Coin, Java Moss, Java Fern, Apongeton Crispus/Ulvaceus, and some duck weed that I have decided to eradicate. It is scaped with local river rock, some cured local wood, and a large piece of Mopani Wood. It is currently stocked with 6 Threadfin Rainbows, 5 White Clouds, 3-4 Otto's, 4-5 Ammano Shrimp, 5 Nerite Snails, 40-50 red cherry shrimp (I started with 6), 1 SAE (which will be coming out), and a battalion of bladder snails. When I sat it up, I used 2 packets of Aquarium Coop root tabs, and have added about 20 more of API and another brand I don't remember the name of that look like dark rabbit pellets. I also use Easy Green weekly. Lighting started with 1 Stingray 2.0, but I added a second about a month ago. They are both on a timer and are on for 10 hours. I do not have a heater, but my temp stays around 72 - 75. Ammonia is 0, NO3 is10, NO2 is0.5, ph is 7.5, kh is120-150, gh is 80. No CO2. ISSUES: 1] I'm having a problem getting any height on my plants. I know that not everything I have planted is a tall variety, but it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the Ambulia, Water Sprite, Water wisteria has shown any interest in the upper reaches. I had thought that 1 Stingray fixture was not enough, so that is why I added a 2nd one. Right decision or some other variable I'm missing? Other plants that might work better? 2] My water is always cloudy/green. The fourth photo is looking from one end to the other - the length of the tank. It has never been "crystal clear." That is the reason I added the UV filter. Whenever I would add Easy Green, I would get an algae spike, but without it my Java Fern and Crypts would start getting holes in the leaves. My goal is to get enough plants going to out compete the algae, but see issue 1. DEDUCTIONS: I know that sand is not the best substrate, but it is not very thick and the plants seem to be rooting in it well. I had a Dwarf Red Lilly (Nymphae) but I took it out because it was sending up a couple of Lilly pads every 2 days such that they were covering the top and blocking all the light. The point is the root system was huge and covered the middle third of the tank. I'm really not sure what I have as far as lighting. Too much, too long, too little, wrong spectrum, ..... I think that I am really going to have to stay up on the root tabs...maybe. But how much, how often? But I also think that I may have too much fertilizer as evidenced by the algae blooms. I am thinking about switching the filter to a Sicce Shark ADV 800 internal filter (211gph max) with a couple of the refill cartridges stacked with bio rings - sponge - and floss. I'm not wild about a HOB because it would have to go on the end, I have a glass top that would have to be re-cut, and I like the quietness and obscurity of the internal filter. So, since I want to go with a lot of Nano fish and most of them like well planted tanks with lots of hiding options, what are your ideas, suggestions, critiques, scoldings? Thank you all in advance for your time, insights, and suggestions! May all your fish stay right-side-up!
×
×
  • Create New...