My planted tank

[jessonthenet]

Been a bit quiet for a while and thought I would update on my tank. Have been a bit lazy with maintenance and plants could do with a feed as a bit yellow. Need to do more water changes tidy up a bit. Problems with BBA and I think the wispy stuff growing on the vallis is staghorn but mostly the BBA is my problem. Not sure whether to go CO2 as thinking it may make any current problems worse. Here is an up to date pic:

 

[FF MkII]

very nice.

 

[bigbird]

wow that looks great. i would move in. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
I agree with the others, it looks really good. Personally I don't like CO2 and I'd just feed the plants a little bit, if you start by trying just KNO3 (potassium nitrate) to give about 6 ppm NO3 and 4ppm K,and see if they green up any.

There is a dosing calculator here: <http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/calculator.htm>.

If this doesn't work you could try a complete fertiliser solution, I'd buy from our sponsor John "Aquarium Plant Food UK" at <http://www.aquariumplantfood.co.uk/>.

I like to keep the plants fairly nutrient depleted and feed only when they need it (rather than using a formula like EI), this does limit growth, but it makes the tanks more stable and resilient. I'm not convinced by the "fluctuating CO2" argument for BBA.

cheers Darrel

 

[Doodles]

Does look good:clap:

 

[phoenix44]

Nice! I love how well stocked it is! It's amazing!

 

[Mooo]

One word......Stunning...

 

[jessonthenet]

Thanks for the kind words regarding my tank so far. I have tried to keep on top of the maintenance and as yet have not added anything to boost my plants other than water changes. T8's seem to be doing ok for what I have in there and I keep them on for 12 hours every day, I wouldn't have them on any more. Not sure if I need even 12 hours but it works.

I have naughtily added some angel fish, on my own head be it. So far they have been fine, looked at a few cherry shrimp a bit bemused but left them alone. No fighting or bullying yet. Surprisingly none of my tetras have nipped at the angels and the angel pecking order has been sorted quick without much fuss. Time will tell.

Here is an updated pic:

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Still looks really good, I think that your water changes are probably acting like dilute liquid feed, as a lot of tap water in the UK has a lot of NPK in it. All the time the plants look healthy I'd just carry on the same.

I think your Angels will eat the shrimp, but if you've got a lot it may take them some time to eat them all.

cheers Darrel

 

[zeebo]

beautiful ! :clap: thanks for sharing !
georgie

 

[Art_Gal]

Just breathtaking <3 I love how the Vals (I think their Vals) sweep along the top and create an underwater canopy. And shhh about the algae, the tank is so pretty you don't even notice it.

 

[jessonthenet]

Thanks

Yes straight vallis. I started with just a few strands I bought from a local fish store about 5 bunchs 50p each and have let it fill out. Got so out of hand sometimes I have removed a good carrier bag full before and can block out the light so I have to cut it back now and then. I do like it when it grows across the top. Crypts were started from one Tropica plant and seem to love the conditions. Managed to plant out 2 other tanks with some.

All the plants in my tank started from a tiny plant I refused to buy lots of them to get a quick effect. Gives me something to do and I am able to keep a photographic diary of how it is coming along.

Have toyed with the idea of adding specialist stuff but have resisted in fear of messing the whole thing up. The plants are as much a feature in my tank as the fish and need a certain amount of care.

Always found it difficult to plant a bigger tank with it being quite tall, that is why I let the vallis grow to fill in the height of it.

I only wanted one type of big fish in the tank and was looking at discus which I love but though it might be too much of a problem so went for some angels. I know can be aggressive but fingers crossed I wont have too many problems. I am not mixing any other big fish with them maybe some more tetras but ones that wont be small enough to eat when the angels grow.

I doubt the plecs will bother the angels, only problem will be the size of a couple of plecs which may have to be moved on if I want to keep planted and fill the tank with lots of small plecs.


Thanks again for the comments. I will update if there are any major changes to the tank.

 

[Art_Gal]

I started my first tank almost 10 years ago and I started with tetras. Now I have angelfish and I've had them for about 5 years. Every now and then you may run into one that is really aggressive, but they're usually fairly calm until they get ready to spawn. Then they become very territorial. A planted tank is a great environment for them as it gives them some added hiding places. The only negative that I have against angelfish (and I would have felt the same way about discus) is that when they get sick, good luck. I live in fear of my angelfish getting sick. They're a bit more sensitive to changes (ph drops, CO2, temp changes) and I've found that when they get sick, they're difficult to cure. But maybe that's just been my experience with them.

 

[Stan]

I think the tank looks awesome! Thanks for sharing it!

 

[Mooo]

Yep the Angels will eat your shrimp, in a heart beat..:/
I breed the odd Angel, & have had to thinned my lot down to just the one pair(I had 7 in a school) they lived in my 5 foot com tank & cause all sorts of stress, every other week when they spawn..The two left, are enough drama for their tank mates..these are large adults btw..not juvies..I'm actually rethinking them now..they might need relocating yet..:/

 

[jessonthenet]

The black widows already eat the cherry shrimp that are in there. I should take them out really but I already took all of them out , I thought I did. A few hid and started breeding and I have more so if the angels eat them then not so bad as I never put the cherries there they bred. I will net what I can see out and put them in my tank in the kitchen, those are starting to breed but if I don't put food in for a while the amanos eat those ones.

The angels are doing really well. As soon as they see me they follow me around along the front of the tank. Quite greedy though and have grown a bit.

 

[jessonthenet]

tank update 25th nov 2011

just an update of its progress:

 

[IanB]

Very nice..

My Angels are the greediest fish I've ever seen, totally ridiculous.

Even when I chuck food in late (for the L114), they're still scoffing.

 

[jessonthenet]

My L114 will only come out close to midnight to feed and the l191 will only feed if it is dark, never see it. I feed before I go to bed. Place flake or frozen live food in for angels and tetras. I put them straight in as frozen blocks, doesn't do them harm and keeps them occupied for long enough that they ignore the wafers I place in for the plecs. I put algae wafers in the middle and some earthworm pellets in the corner where the L114 lives then switch the lights out. Royal plec will come out from the arch in middle for algae wafers and L114 for pellets. If I look in with a torch doesn't seem to bother any of them and you can see them all feeding. I don't forget some pellets or wafers on the left placed next to the albino BN's cave as he always has babies and won't travel far. He gets his own stash of food and gets left alone. Occasionally I put a bit of liquidfry in for the fan shrimp.

The system seems to work and nobody gets left out. Angels patrol the top particularly the one biggest angel same time every night and have taken a liking to the sword plants , mainly the largest one on the right.

Do need to top up the water and trim some of the vallis so the tank can get some light. Vallis is finding its way to the front of the tank and everything is well rooted in.

I did shift some crypts around lately and when I lifted them up it really smelt strong like wet compost more than ever so not sure if that is good or bad for my tank? I only occasionally stir the bottom up like every few months and not all of it just patches where I move plants around.

I have now and then been adding some water from a tub that has had some cattappa leaves soaking in it for a year, going to fill it back up again as seems to do my tank good. Some of my corys had a little bit fungus and it has kept it under control. Stinks of soil mixed with strong dettol.

When I do large water changes the sterbai lay eggs on the plants may move the corys some time but they are happy and don't want to kill them in an attempt to breed.

Didn't know what the albino BN male was up to until I saw a tiny albino baby sitting on top of the vallis. I don't take that much notice now plus all the crypts hide most stuff anyway.

 

[IanB]

The Royal we had in the mid-90's was out all the time, never hid.

I saw the L114 last night, briefly.. about 3 seconds. He'll pop out any time from about half 10, depending on who's still up.
Nobody (else) understands what I get so excited about. Looks like he's grown a good inch too..

The Angels feed on every level, nowhere is safe.. but I do throw in whole (shelled) king prawn and mussel for the 114 (and the BGK rags it like a dog with a rabbit - he's very funny)..

I may have to cut back the Angel numbers, it's getting on me nerves.

I only have half the thread on preview here and I forget.. do you dose with ferts or anything?