Delapool's 150 gallon tank

[Delapool 53]

Thought I'd post this here for interest for those in QLD. Replanting a high tech tank at Easter hopefully.

 

 

 

Hopefully the picture makes sense. Looking at a tank re-do buying some more plants and using some existing ones. Any ideas welcome.

 

Thinking of a front hedge of narrow leaf Java Fern, back-Right side will be crypts mainly, back-Left side will have red and green stem plants. Back behind central ornament will be aponogetons (this is the flowing one I have that gets 2ft leaves). Around the central ornament - maybe some swords?

 

Trying to make this more plantation style rather than a jungle. Specific areas for each plant and not so crowded (hopefully). No fine leaf or plants that spread by runners (will miss the val but not the ambulia!). And less work as well (if such a thing is possible).

 

Same old tank ( ) so 4ft x 2ft x 2.5ft high and high tech light/CO2.

 

 

 

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[Delapool 53]

Found some spare root tabs in amongst the bags of ferts so planning to start re-planting this weekend and get the Java Fern front hedge sorted. And maybe shift the crypts.


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[Delapool 53]

Went off to shop to check out plants and came back with more than I thought. As usual I've got to go back to find out the names but did get some more crypts. Cleaned just about all the plants out of the tank, added root tabs and sorted through what I wanted to keep. Was going ok, tank a little murky but pretty quick on mainly getting the narrow leaf Java Fern cleaned up for re-planting.

The melon sword has taken a turn for the worse but left it in there in case it comes back.



Then I thought I'd remove the crypt at back of tank I'd seen a leaf poking out. Turned out there there was a jungle at the back and almost fell into tank trying to get them and their long roots out of tank. This also made the water murky as clay tabs were pulled up.

Removed most water from tank and got the glue out to make sure some driftwood doesn't shift. Must of been several hours at this point. I used the gravel vac over the top inch of gravel and cleaned up a fair bit of muck so that was good to get rid of.



Into re-planting. Mild panic that all the plants I wanted wouldn't fit in but I think ok. Managed to keep a small space for stem plants. The water was still pretty murky so I'm hoping it will clear tomorrow so I can see what I actually did.




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[Delapool 53]

Decided I'll leave everything where it is for now. Run it as a bit of an experiment and see what grows.

Tank is still clearing. I adjusted a few plants and checked I left some room at back for more Aponogetons.

And it looks pretty boring.
 
Most of the Java Fern has cleaned up ok and should go fine as a front hedge. Hopefully will have some progress in a month.

Back:   Aponogeton Crispus.
Back: Bolbitis heudelotii (African Water Fern) - not sure I like this after all.       
 
Front:   Java Fern (narrow leaf).
Middle:   Anubias (Petite).
Middle:   Bucephalandra (Wavy Leaf).
 
Right:   Cryptocorine Balansae.
Right:   Crypts (assorted).
Right:   Melon Sword (if it survives).      
 
Left:   Crypts (assorted).
Left:   Ludwigia Reopens (Rubra).
Left:   Hygrophila corymbosa (Giant Hygro).
Left:   Marble Sword   





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[Delapool 53]

Hmmm,

Old nitrate test - 5 (maybe 10)ppm.
New nitrate test - 0ppm.

(Won't throw out old test just yet).

Phosphate - 0.5ppm.


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[Delapool 53]

15/4-- The old nitrate test read 10ppm and new 5ppm while phosphates at 1ppm tonight. Looks like finally getting an increase in readings.--

Well, 4 days later and I've spiked nitrates again to 40ppm (maybe 80 since I can't tell the colours). Had been getting impatient but last time was the same. Nitrates wouldn't shift up, then they spiked and took ages to come down.

Tested the nitrate ferts in a test bucket made up just in case (they are just labelled EI) and definitely nitrates. So no nitrates dosing for rest of week


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[Delapool 53]

Terrible shot of the betta and Java Fern (which is not really happy but surviving).

 

[Delapool 53]

Having food nicked from under you? Could be a yoyo loach problem...

Can't grow delicate grasses? That would be the catfish rhinos.




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[Delapool 53]

Below is aponogeton from this morning:



And tonight:




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[Delapool 53]

Test results:

API nitrates 20ppm and phosphate 1ppm. Noticing more GSA so increasing phosphate to see if that helps.

Noticed a lot of muck on the edges of the PAR meter window so got some cotton buds and cleaned it several times. Seems to have helped!

Early Jan - 139 (at surface, under T5HO).

Late April - 110 (at surface, under T5HO). (which would give ~80% drop in 4 months if I believe this set of numbers).


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[Delapool 53]

Slow growth but some signs of progress.
14th May.


4th April.



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[Delapool 53]

Finally caught the betta (in small tank) taking pellets that made it to bottom of tank. For months he has been trying to convince me he doesn't see any of these and needs more floating ones. (And that these are hard to spot as well - only betta I've had that seems to stalk food pellets as well before a final rush).

He shot up to his feeding corner but too late!! Now I know he can find them.


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[Delapool 53]

Some shots of the bumblebee catfish (I think this is the second set of half decent photo's I have managed to get this year). Tried to get his or her good side where not looking so fat






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[Delapool 53]

The double flower isn't working out One looks great, the other is hardly doing anything. Oh, well - another stem on the way up. They just don't like water changes unfortunately.

 

Nitrates - 5ppm API

Phosphate - 2ppm

Kh - 72ppm (4)

Gh - 143ppm (

Calcium - 72ppm API

 

 

And came across this:-

 

 

http://aquascapinglove.com/basics/takashi-amano-creator-nature-aquarium/

 

 

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[Delapool 53]

In other (late) news the buce plant that vanished off the disc has reappeared and actually doing well. Only an inch still but roots are almost an inch long and leaves not too bad + floating around right way up. Then I got the net and it had vanished so hoping it shows up again!


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[Delapool 53]

Looked at the new nitrate test kit - read the 'simplicity in action' header. Got up to step 3 and then got a little lost. Think I have it to try tomorrow.

Takes 15 minutes just on letting different reactions and colours. Would do it over coffee but the warnings on cadmium seemed very strict so going to be very careful. Possibly gloves and face mask.

Also saw this little double flower today while cleaning tank.





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[Delapool 53]

Nitrate test results are:

JBL - 40ppm.

API liquid/vial - 5 or 10ppm.

CHEMets - 22ppm (somewhere around that). The CHEMets comes with 30 tests, after that you need to buy more. I think a photo-colour reader can be bought for them which would be useful as I had to ask the family to check the colour but significant extra cost so I think only worth while if using for a business. And for my needs there isn't that much difference between each colour standard. Using the cadmium is slightly worrying though, the powder seems easy to use but yeah, wouldn't do it drinking coffee.

I've wondered for some time if my old API nitrates test kit read a bit high (almost empty but not expired) compared to the new API test kit which just feels like it reads low somewhat.

[Delapool 53]

Latest tank shot (little messy). Starting to prune everything except the swords pretty regularly now. The bolbitis seems to be getting a little more height so just trying to tame it from spreading too much and burying the crypts.

Did a graph of PAR decline and it came out at about 5% bulb decay per month. Since that was on all of three readings, did another PAR reading today and it spiked back up so I give up. I need a little selfie stick or something so I can set the PAR meter at a set distance under water but parked for moment.

Just looking at pictures it seems to have filled in more. I've noticed the catfish starting to have to bash their way through the plants so think it is getting pretty well filled out at substrate.

15th July

5th June

14th May.

4th April.

[Delapool 53]

Experimenting with loading photos to Tapatalk rather than photobucket. No idea if there is a limit.

 

Sorry, this has too much light. I'd love to have the hood back on the tank but too much work taking on/off.

 

 

 

[Delapool 53]

One of the flowers. Seems to have survived the water change (they seem to hate those). I've left this one as it found a gap by itself in the tank covers. It gets even weirder as once one stem finds a gap, the rest will follow (maybe I'm over-reading it).

[Delapool 53]

Java fern is still looking nice on the cut edges. Pretty happy so far. And enough pieces missed getting cut that it still looks somewhat natural.

Quick water change today so I can clean up the stem plants. With a week off, I thought about shifting the bolbitis to poke out of the central plane ornament. Eventually decided that would take up too much room so it survives up the back another day (plus seems happy where it is).

Also checking one of the heaters still works as couldn't see led light coming on.



And a third flower has found a gap by growing along the outlet pipes, ducking under the inlet pipe and up the 1cm gap. Hid all videos of 'day of the triffids' just in case. Will see how they handle the water change - that's their kryptonite.

[Delapool 53]

Ninja shrimp photos (the iPhone was struggling). Bit more colour and maybe some banding. Very tiny but very busy!

[Delapool 53]

Results record:

Gh>
JBL - 7
API - 6

Ca>
API - 3

KH> still to sort out.

Nitrate>
JBL - 18ppm
API - 10 to 20ppm

[Delapool 53]

I confess I think I over-stocked the tank on these spanner barbs. Looked much smaller in shop... Very stocky, actually dwarf the angelfish a bit. And if the tank was a boat, they would be tipping it to one side as they rush to follow anyone coming into the room. They kind of remind me of goldfish but I think goldfish have more manners.

[SantaMonicaHelp 15]

Good work so far, Delapool. I'm liking the progress I'm seeing.

-Kamran