Grace's Garden - A RTBS Planted Tank

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 11/19/2023 at 5:19 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

One of the main things is that one will thrive, the other can struggle,

That’s what I’ve always heard. I know I can crush Neo’s out of my tap, but I’m super curious about Caridina. My water is soft, lower pH, and very little buffer. Maybe one day I’ll give it a shot. I also don’t wanna drop a bunch of cash on shrimp and take that gamble, though. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/19/2023 at 7:06 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

That’s what I’ve always heard. I know I can crush Neo’s out of my tap, but I’m super curious about Caridina. My water is soft, lower pH, and very little buffer. Maybe one day I’ll give it a shot. I also don’t wanna drop a bunch of cash on shrimp and take that gamble, though. 

Just watch MST for a month or two, dive into his caridina stuff. He's got a video on all of them you can think of.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

I think the orange eye blue tigers are rad. 
 

If I ever attempt a Caridina tank I’d probably go with those. I need to quarantine the new fish I have coming in, and donate these Bristlenose juveniles I have. If I do that, I could potentially have an open tank while still having a quarantine tank open. 🤔. Uh oh, lol

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/19/2023 at 8:54 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

If I ever attempt a Caridina tank I’d probably go with those. I need to quarantine the new fish I have coming in, and donate these Bristlenose juveniles I have. If I do that, I could potentially have an open tank while still having a quarantine tank open. 🤔. Uh oh, lol

I get it.... There's a lot of really, really unique caridina out there.  I can send you a source here that has some really unique ones, someone recommended to me, and I've watched them add more and more strains (of their own creation) as time moved on.  Really fun to see.

Just sayin....
 

 

 

[nabokovfan87]

Water Testing results are a bit of a frustration.

11/21/2023 Water Parameters:
Temp: 71.2 degrees (heater is set to 74)
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 25-30 ppm
TDS: 353 ppm
GH: 16 degrees
KH: 5 degrees
Phosphate: 0.25-0.5 ppm (added phosphate pads just to use them and help if it's an issue, they won't be in there long)

The frustration is because I didn't test the GH before, I reacted to what was going on in the other tank.  I lost an amano shrimp and it was a molt issue.  My shrimp tank had the issue of GH crashing and too big of a water change happening.  This tank has more water being changed because it's always been run this way.  I assumed the exact same thing was going on.  Let's just say I am pretty confident it was, but I'm absolutely frustrated with Seachem's directions and things not working as intended.
 

Quote

To raise mineral content/general hardness (GH) by 1 meq/L (3 dH), add 16 g (1 tablespoon) for every 80 L (20 US gallons) when setting up an aquarium or when making water changes (add to new water). For optimum solubility we recommend mixing with 1 L (1 qt.) of water (the resulting mixture will have a white opaque appearance). When this mixture is added to the aquarium it will impart a slight haze that should clear within 15–30 minutes. HINTS: Do not use Equilibrium™ when replacing evaporated water. This dose is based on DI or RO water; for other water, measure hardness (GH) first, then add according to need. For precise dosing, use the Seachem Digital Spoon Scale.

So I had a GH of anywhere from 5-8 (very normal) and I added 2 TBSP of the powder into the tank.  This is a 75G tank and should basically barely add any GH to the tank.  So from a normal range of ~8 (was likely less) we're up to 16!!!!

I haven't done water changes because I assume the GH is lessening in the pipes and I want to control that GH right now.

....so now we're back on the opposite end and I will end up doing a WC and flipping the tank back the other direction. 

Using buffers isn't hard.  Testing water isn't hard.  Why is it so hard for the product to work as it says on the box!  I'll keep working on things and go from there, but all I can do right now is wait and see what the changes are over time.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Sorry you’re going through this, my guy. This is the exact reason that, outside of the ACO test strips, I’ve never tested gH or kH and instead focus on consistency. Consistency in feeding and maintenance has gotten me excellent results over the past 3 years, and using buffers and “making” water just seems like such a pain. 
 

I also know myself, and I would drive myself crazy trying to get things to be perfect. Instead, the usual water out with the usual water in alongside some Easy Green and root tabs when I need them seems to work. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/21/2023 at 5:20 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

Sorry you’re going through this, my guy. This is the exact reason that, outside of the ACO test strips, I’ve never tested gH or kH and instead focus on consistency. Consistency in feeding and maintenance has gotten me excellent results over the past 3 years, and using buffers and “making” water just seems like such a pain. 

That's the thing... every few weeks my tap changes! I used to have the same water for ~8-9 years with this tank.  Year 9-10 and things start changing... 600+ ppm down to 80. not right away, but over time... slowly.

We'll see what happens the next couple of weeks. 🙂

[nabokovfan87]

Today was the bigger clean than the last few.  I moved the hardscape around, checked on plants, tried really hard to siphon well enough to "feel good" and that resulted in a few things.  First of which was trying to get the substrate levels balanced and trying to get rid of some of the bba substrate.  Everything is mixed, so that just means my plan of removing the top layer might not be possible.  The front edge and sides are where it's happening the most, but the real concern is if mixing the substrate just caused the algae to spread, gas pockets, or causes it to die off.  We'll see.

I took apart the canister and cleaned that out. I did the bottom tray (mech) as well as all of the sponges.  I measured what I needed to for cutting some of the fine foam for future use.  We'll see how that goes when it comes time to add it to the tank.  The 407 is such a weird layout.  It really, really is.  I'm getting more comfortable with it and learning the small details, but it's just something where I need more time to feel confident in it's use and care over time. 

I got all that done, dosed the tank, and I'll check on all of the parameters tomorrow.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/21/2023 at 8:00 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Phosphate: 0.25-0.5 ppm (added phosphate pads just to use them and help if it's an issue, they won't be in there long)

I still have PhosPure from Dr. Foster & Smith. I would like to reduce phosphate too because the hair algae in the shrimp tank tries to run rampant. I’ve been keeping it at bay by keeping the lights off. I read that PhosPure is rust! I wonder if that’s true?  That sounds like a terrible idea, no?.. adding metals (essentially) to shrimp tank.. and yet the product claims to reduce heavy metals so.. idk, I would need to research further before using this again. I know it is ok with fish though.

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/26/2023 at 3:58 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I read that PhosPure is rust! I wonder if that’s true?  That sounds like a terrible idea, no?.. adding metals (essentially) to shrimp tank..

I add iron... not sure what really would be in their mix in terms of chemical compositions to bind the phosphate.  Seachem has the little phosguard bags too, marineland has some stuff too.  Interesting question.

A few of the plants are pretty unhappy with me and we'll see how things go.  I may end up just turning the light on, but I did question the phosphate pads as contributing to the issues.  My gut tells me it's due to light or nutrients, but it's that battle of getting the plants to do one thing and the algae to stop being crazy.

On 11/26/2023 at 3:58 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron(III)_oxide-hydroxide

Iron(III) oxide-hydroxide or ferric oxyhydroxide[2] is the chemical compound of iron, oxygen, and hydrogen with formula FeO(OH).

It seems perfectly safe to use! I add iron, it's just iron. Shrimp should be ok with it as long as it's not a huge dump of metal.

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/29/2023 at 1:29 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Sometimes she will peek out....

She's "nano fish sized" if you get a big enough tank. 😉

Water Testing Results AFTER the water change:
GH: 14 deg (was 16 deg)
KH: 5 deg (was 5 deg)

Tap Water Testing Results:
GH: 5 deg
KH: 4 deg

[nabokovfan87]

 

I know... It's not the best photo, but it is indeed setting the tone. Just noticed, sort of funny how crooked the light looks in the wide angle lens, but it's pretty good in person.

Anyways, after a pretty trying day, week also, it's just that moment when I want to sit and watch the tank and see what on earth I see. Bonus points if you see anything in the photo!  First thing I noticed was one of the corydoras hanging out on the sword leaf about midwater. It's pretty tough to really see, but I moved all the swords to the far left end of the tank (low flow) and tried to give them a break from the end glass where the flow was causing a bit of algae. Once I moved one, I wanted to move them all. That's one thing I wanted to check was just to sit and try to appreciate the new look and what it is.  I tossed all the rock to one side, I'm happy with the wood for now, but it's all going to be torn apart of I can get my hands on some substrate and something to remove the base layer in this tank and get rid of the iron heavy fluorite. I don't know that it much matters, but the BBA loves fluorite.

I go to clean the glass because there is some spots where I was trying to admire the corydoras and she immediately swims away from the gentle movement of my hand wiping the glass off.  Grace pops forward and she's probably done 50 laps while I type this with her, "hey dad look at me go!" mindset as she tries to see what on earth this weird alien is doing outside of her domain. It's fine, it's all yours! I'm just visiting for a little while. 🙂

She swims in the flow and then gets a bit freaked out and darts off. She grazes on the biofilm and all of the little aufwuchs and you can see her "lips" grinding the small foods off the glass right now.  She's such a fast swimming fish and covers the entire front of the tank in what seems like one flash of her tail.  Because all of the stuff is moved, she's been hanging out in the middle of the swords and under the intake sponge. Crap.... Just remembered I need to clean it, long story. I'll get to it in the morning as I have the cleaner on my hands right now.

Basically, this slime stuff showed up and I took apart some stuff to try to make sure there wasn't a fish stuck behind the moss wall or anything like that. I fixed it because there was a misalignment when I zip tied it the first time and I did see a shrimp or two get in there and get stuck. That's solved. Suss is growing in, pushed those vertically.to the right side so the swords and equipment don't block them out.

I wanted to also try to count fish and make sure everyone is here, especially my 3 otos.  I see some of the cull shrimp in here and did see the blue buddy doing well. They love, shrimp, the night time freedom to go anywhere in the dark. It's very fun to watch them at night and see them do things they don't normally do. Especially when you can turn on the red LEDs and get them to pop or use a colored flashlight to highlight them.   I also see reddish BBA under the blue LEDs and I can check what it's doing to the plants. Night time with the tank is a pretty helpful moment sometimes!

New food for these guys tomorrow and I swear I've been waiting a year to try it out. (Krill pellets, I believe no shark as well)

I am moved one of my plants and it's really fun how it's growing now that it's dead center right under the light. I think it's Brazilian pennywort which is also a hydrocotyle species. It was growing vertically to get light, extremely compact, but now it's horizontal and happy and it's just cool to see it. I had an idea, it worked. Don't just be the fish, but be the plant!

 

Have a good week everyone!

[nabokovfan87]

Had a weird day, watched an amazing movie, and started to get to bed thinking a whole lot about a few things that matter in life.

I was a bit frustrated, seems fine... So no concern there for right now, and I just need to keep an eye on fish behavior and how the fish are doing.  I went ahead and turned the lights on so I could check them tonight before bed.

The pups are tucked away and all the stuff done and I look into the tank.  All of the floating plants definitely didn't make it and they are all dead, not surprised at all.  I went ahead and checked the fish, they seem ok. Grace was up front and in my face trying to get attention.  Water change is tomorrow, so I can do a good clean and check everything again. I'll be out of the house helping with some stuff and so it'll be a long day. The cut on my finger.... Might just put things off and only clean the sponge filter.

(Yep, these are the things that we all think about before bed, right!?)

There's very few things I know for certain, but universally speaking one thing I have learned and feel is a pretty solid lesson is that: you don't get to choose how you learn.

Needless to say you might learn something and you're never going to be ready for it, expect it, or be able to fully understand it in the moment. Sometimes it could take a few weeks to fully grasp something, other times years.

The main theme of tonight's movie was to understand what you want, to hope for it. If you don't know what you want, then you can't ask for it.... Among other things.

So what do I want right now? Some plants to show up that are delayed. Fish to be healthy. Fish to be happy. The tank to be thriving. There's a lot of things I could hope for.

A few days ago I woke up and had a single thought. I was working on the tank the day before and it was day 2 of sitting and staring. It was that moment where you stare at the tank, at the scape, and where you just try to understand if it's good, good enough, or needs some love. I woke up and I just felt really happy with the tank. It had taken 3-4 attempts to get some plants moved and it's not complete, but I'm actually happy with the style and setup. I've never done a triangle layout and seems to be the way the tank is speaking to me. I love having an open area for the corydoras again too.

So what do I see when I check in the tank? It seems they're ok with it too. A bit late on their yearly adventures, but I'm quite ok with it and happy to see it.

I'll check on things tomorrow. I get the feeling they just started this afternoon.

 

[nabokovfan87]

Eggs moved this morning. It'll be the first time I give the shrimp a go at raising them for me. I added some mulberry leaves to each tank (they smell pretty amazing).  I ended up swapping the heater in the shrimp tank before I took off for the day.  It was running a bit cool and I'm not sure if it's the heater or if it's the flow. We'll see!

I did leave all the eggs on the bottom of the sword plants, thank you again @AllFishNoBrakes, and they will do their thing. I love colony breeding the letting the eggs and parents raise them. They really, usually do a good job. This also might be one of the last times for Grace to raise up more corydoras fry for me.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Woo hoo!  Baby cories soon! 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Glad you’re still happy with the Swords!

When I was feeding last night I noticed a new tiny Pygmy Cory. The Pygmy’s have been the only ones to colony breed for me, which makes sense cuz the other tanks have Tetras and other fish that will eat the eggs. 
 

Here’s to hoping for some surprise Cory’s for you! Excited to hear how the shrimp do with the eggs you pulled. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/9/2023 at 11:18 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Woo hoo!  Baby cories soon! 

🤞

 For sure hoping!  I am anxiously awaiting to add to the herd. It'll be a new one for me to see how they do with the shrimp. There is a ton of little critters in there and I sat there one night and watched them crawl all over the wood, purely ignored by the shrimp.  Always so interesting this tank seems to be.

On 12/9/2023 at 12:26 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

When I was feeding last night I noticed a new tiny Pygmy Cory. The Pygmy’s have been the only ones to colony breed for me, which makes sense cuz the other tanks have Tetras and other fish that will eat the eggs. 
 

Here’s to hoping for some surprise Cory’s for you! Excited to hear how the shrimp do with the eggs you pulled. 

Pretty sure one of my female amanos spent all day checking every sword lead for eggy snacks. 😂

[nabokovfan87]

I spent a bit of the night before last looking for baby corydoras and just examining the tank.  I see bba on the glass being a bit of nuisance and algae setting in on the swords.  I am trying to keep that stuff in check, move plants around right now, and plan for propagating things out.  The SRep has been hit pretty hard and I need to get something that grows fast to choke out the bba a little bit. 

I've gone ahead and put in the request via the bank for the refund on my plants order.  3 months, 3-4 emails, I'm just done waiting.  I'll report back when that stuff is resolved, but fingers crossed it's a smooth resolution.

Once that stuff is done... I am thinking it's going to seriously be time to add some fish into the tank that aren't bottom dwellers.  I'm worried about what might get stuck behind the mesh on the back wall, but we will cross that bridge when need be.

It's been a week.  I need to dive into the tank(s) and just get work done. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/28/2023 at 11:34 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I found this...

And this....

The style of layout is called a Ryoboku and it's a new term to me.  I enjoy the hardscape that he did, especially the first one.  I like the amount of open floor space for the corydoras as well as how dramatic the wood feels at first glance.  the more you sit and watch, the more you see the fine details.  It is something for me to research and the first time I've heard the word, despite having seen many tanks of this style (plants+wood as a main focal).

 

[nabokovfan87]

Good news...

Thanks to an amazingly kindhearted friend I have some amano shrimp en route, first or second week of January they should ship out.  ( I was also this close to getting some snail friends, but I am worried they'd get trapped behind the moss wall. )

Bad news....

I really didn't get anything that would help in terms of setting up the 20L / plant only tank or substrate replacement in the big tank.  Please don't take this as a complaint or anything because I am immensely grateful for anything I do receive, especially this time of year.  I am waiting for the whole refund thing on the plant order / bank claim and then I have to try to figure out if I can still use that gift card or not.  I've emailed them and explained that it's been 3 months and I'm done waiting (no surprise, no reply) and I am waiting for the bank to rule on the claim. 

I'll grab at least, hopefully, one bag of substrate that way and that should at least allow me to get a plant farm going on that side of things or finish up everything I need for the 75G. 

Good news....

I got a co-op order in and I have ferts and all that coming with the new pump head.  I chickened out on getting a ziss box for now, but I DO have one plant coming as a part of that order and it's definitely one of my favorites. 

Bad news....

I woke up and the corydoras were playing soccer with one of the bulbs. 😂

Good news... it's fine, just relocated. Plant is rooting in and all the bulbs are looking phenomenal.  Cull shrimp are cleaning the tank like crazy and I can only imagine what a new army of feisty amanos will accomplish 🙂

Bad news....

They knew I had a planted tank and tried to get me a cool gift. I think I can use them in the QT setup.

***

I sincerely hope everyone had a wonderful, peaceful, joyous, and happy day with their family and loved ones.  It's important to let that feeling linger on your heart as we close out the year.  Keep that smile on for just a little longer, as long as you can.

Cherish those around you and focus on bringing them joy. 

 

Quote

We were all meant to shine as children do.
It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by nabokovfan87
added photo

[nabokovfan87]

Bulb check:

I was waking up and see what looks like 3-4 new leaves popping up right away. So far these plants absolutely love a good amount of light.

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/25/2023 at 11:54 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I chickened out on getting a ziss box for now, but I DO have one plant coming as a part of that order and it's definitely one of my favorites. 

2 new plants incoming.  Going to be pretty epic if both of these work out. 😁r

Edit: First one done, came today...

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[nabokovfan87]

I am not sure when the last time was, but the canister filter got cleaned out today.  I am watching the sword get caked in BBA and while I surely can grow some new leaves, it's not a good solution long term.  Shrimp are going to town on that algae (or something forming on those leaves), but I don't expect to see much change until things are dialed in. 

I swear I've said is every other post about how there's just this one tweak and then things will be "dialed in".  I still need to change the tubes, still waiting for tubing to come in stock.  I am still waiting for 1 plant to arrive for certain, but hopefully more show up in future.  I am planning to remove some things and increase aeration on the substrate level as well as slightly adjust the fert method going forward.  The ludwigia I plan on growing will be the first medium-high demand plant and it'll give me a good indication on what I need to do with the lights.  Getting the microsword to carpet will boost the plant mass and tremendously help fight off the BBA. 

I was also checking water change method using a calculator this week and I am pretty certain that's been at play too with things not being "dialed in".  Either way, keep pushing forward and adjusting as we can to improve the situation. Substrate is on the way, just hit the button.  I'll have to tab the tank once I get that in there too and plants in final locations.

I put the background on the 20L today, so that will also be ready to go.... if there's enough substrate.  If not, it'll just sit there on the stand until I sell some stuff.  Not really worried about it too much, honestly.

I moved the rock work today, a few plants, as well as a light siphon.  The rocks were upside down to try to black out the BBA, which didn't work, and it's still there being a pain.  I have the sluggish bulb over next towards the ones that is doing well, hoping it sees the one next to it doing well and the similar setup helps.  I am pretty excited to wake up and see what it looks like.  I think the layout makes sense and it's close to being done.

I'll test things tomorrow on all of the tanks and adjust any buffers I need to.

It's been a busy two or three days working on the fish tanks and it has been fulfilling to see progress.  More to get done in future, but now.... enjoying the moments.

From the picture after planting the microsword...  You can see that bba on the granules of the substrate.  No real rhyme or reason, but it's all over the tank.

[nabokovfan87]

Rapid breathing and some freaked out fish for sure right now, but I think the difficult part is "done."

I'll figure out the rest later, but right now I had to just let the filter run so I can visually count fish and shrimp.

The plants are in a bucket. Wood is gently added to the tank. What a bit of a mess. I'll have to test parameters tonight as well.

De-stressing now, but I was really concerned because as soon as I added the first bag the corydoras freaked and it was seemingly like the tank lost all oxygen.  They were darting up to the surface for air and I was trying to gingerly move things around in the dark and kept accidentally grazing them (and Grace).  Just want them to be ok and for things to be doing good.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Dang! Excited to see what it comes back like!

I’ve been contemplating redoing the Pea Puffer tank. Or, at bare minimum ripping out the sand in the middle and replacing it with gravel. I’m undecided, though. 
 

What was the tipping point that made you decide you were taking it all out?