Tank progress

[PerenGee]

So here's a little update on my tank...

I got my paycheck on Friday and it was a killer week so I figured I'd splurge a little and get some stuff for my tank. I set up all the plants last night and I tried to get my DIY CO2 system up and running but the thing still isn't making bubbles. I'll have to redo it again. But yeah here's a pic:

Now to be honest I don't recall all the real names of the plants and all I have is the receipt but here's what I think I have:
Microsword (ground)
Amazon swords (tucked in the back right)
Myrio
Red Nesea
Pagota (?)
Baby tears
and some Riccia which is floating above the amazon swords, my task for today is to tie it down to the wood.

And yes, no fish yet, just the snail and a shrimp, but that might also be on the list of things to get today. Anyways, hope you guys like it!

 

[MadridKid]

WOW. That is a great looking tank. keep it up.

 

[misterking]

Nice tank! Really well set up. If the amazon sword does well it could be a bit of a tank buster though, but it will look really good when its grown. What fish you thinking of having?

 

[PerenGee]

Hey, thanks!

I just tied down the riccia, so it's sort of messy looking right now. I also just added two Cherry Barbs, but they're sorta freaked out right now and they're hiding.

I'm not sure what else I have my mind set on. Maybe a dwarf Gourami. Any suggestions?

 

[ncspuppy]

looks really nice

 

[sombunya]

That is a great looking tank.

When I vacuum my tanks the (fake) plants get uprooted and moved all over the place. How do you keep your tank in order when doing maintenance?

 

[jo3olous]

nice tank man

 

[ishar]

Now to be honest I don't recall all the real names of the plants and all I have is the receipt but here's what I think I have:
Microsword (ground)
Amazon swords (tucked in the back right)
Myrio
Red Nesea
Pagota (?)
Baby tears
and some Riccia which is floating above the amazon swords, my task for today is to tie it down to the wood.

Hope this helps:
Microsword : Echinodorus tenellus
Amazon sword : Echinodorus amazonicus
Myrio : my guess is Myrio pinnatum
Red Nesea : no idea
Pagota : also no idea
Baby tears : Bacopa monnieri
Riccia : Riccia fluitans

The tanks looks good!! Just watch your swords, as already mentioned, they will grow very large for the tank. Other than that I would say you have something good going on

 

[bunker_1]

Very nice looking tank!

 

[emmanuelchavez]

*thumbsups

I love it!

 

[PerenGee]

Hey thanks everyone! This is what it looks like with the riccia tied down

And here are the other inhabitants:

The quality of these aren't so good. I took these with my girlfriend's DSLR and I don't really have a good grasp on how to use it. Sorry about that!

sombunya - Well I JUST put those plants in so I guess we'll see how it goes by the end of this week when I need to do a water change. I think I read somewhere that if you're heavily planted enough you don't need to mess with the substrate. Also, and I could be wrong in my hopes, but if one were to create a semi-balanced ecosystem with fish and plants and whatever else, there shouldn't be too much interference from an outside source except for changing water and making sure things stay constant. So maintenance like stirring up the substrate wouldn't need to be necessary unless there's a problem. I mean, creating an ecosystem is sort of the goal right? I'm still very new to all this so maybe some one could clear that up if I'm wrong.

ishar - thanks for the info! Yeah, I got the swords before I knew anything really about plants. I might trade them out with a friend who has a bigger tank but I'm not sure.

Also, I've been trying to get my DIY CO2 system working but either I have a leak somewhere or my yeast isn't doing what it's supposed to be doing but I've got nothing so far. Does anyone know how long these plants will continue to look good without CO2? I'm just afraid that they're going to die and I wouldn't want that after all the money I spent. I eventually want to start a carpet going but I'll do that after I get a good source of CO2.

Anyway, I really appreciate all the positive feedback, thanks everyone!

 

[bunker_1]

The quality is pretty nice. I wish I could get pics like that!

 

[ishar]

Also, I've been trying to get my DIY CO2 system working but either I have a leak somewhere or my yeast isn't doing what it's supposed to be doing but I've got nothing so far. Does anyone know how long these plants will continue to look good without CO2? I'm just afraid that they're going to die and I wouldn't want that after all the money I spent. I eventually want to start a carpet going but I'll do that after I get a good source of CO2.

Anyway, I really appreciate all the positive feedback, thanks everyone!

Well the need for CO2 comes from a balance. I am going to refer you to a big and informative post I put up a while back. Take a gander. If you don't learn what you need to know from the post directly then it will point you in the right direction for research .

READ THIS THREAD

Basically, it depends on the amount of light and fertilizer you have. So that information would be very helpful in knowing if CO2 is needed or not.

 

[type11966]

Nice looking tank.

 

[PerenGee]

bunker_1 - haha thanks, but her camera can definitely churn out much better pictures. I'll have to practice some more or something. If I succeed I'll share more with you all.

ishar - Ooo thanks! That was quite informative. I've only had a basic understanding of the info in that post. As for info about my tank, I have a 40 watt power compact for the tank (10g) so it's definitely a good amount of light. The substrate under the gravel is Flora Base by Red Sea. I've just been using Flourish but after looking at that it looks like it's only adding the micro-nutrients back in. Also I'm using RO water from my LFS. The guy working there threw some Neutral Regulator onto my pile of goods and said it was for adding some of the nutrients back into the RO water, although after looking at the label more carefully I'm not sure if that's what it actually does.

Anyway, I'm thinking I'm short on the macro-nutrients and definitely on the CO2. I can't afford compressed CO2, not for a while. I guess I'll have to figure out this yeast bit.
I think, if I have time tomorrow, I'll pick up some NPK stuff.

But I do have a question for anyone who can answer it: I believe my filter media has activated carbon in it and I remember a LFS worker mentioning that the carbon would just eat up any ferts that I add to the tank. Is this true? If so, what should I do about it?

 

[Kalavek]

This might not be an answer, but I've just come back from a couple hours of poking around various posts and sites talking about the use of carbon. Based on that it looks like activated carbon can indeed eat up nutrients used by the plants. Some plants may be more sensitive to this than others.

But that is just something I read on a few websites.

It seems there are a couple attitudes towards carbon. Some people swear by it and use it all the time (unless they have plants I think), some people only use it at certain times (removing medications), and some people refuse to use it at all (even if it means doing a lot of water changes).

Carbon looks like something that should probably just be used in moderation, but I don't know how much to use or how often to change it. It can remove color caused by driftwood, and it is supposed to remove odors. It can also remove phosphates and ammonia, though I don't know how much it removes. On the other hand, these are all things that you can remove from your tank with regular water changes. Carbon is common, but completely optional. I have driftwood, and I don't want a smelly tank - so I'll risk being called lazy and keep using carbon for now, especially since I have not spotted a good test for phosphate in the LFS yet.

One of the downsides I've seen suggested is that if you leave it in the filter system too long, it can supposedly start *releasing* the stuff it's supposed to collect. I have not seen very many references to this, can anyone verify it please?

I'm still on the fence about the whole issue - on my next water change I'm planning on putting a fistful of carbon in one of my filter cartridges, and a fistful of biomedia in the other (dual cartridge filter). If my tank starts to stink or looks like someone peed in it, I'll know I've done something wrong.

Hopefully someone here will offer their personal experience in the matter, as I don't have any.

 

[ishar]

Anyway, I'm thinking I'm short on the macro-nutrients and definitely on the CO2. I can't afford compressed CO2, not for a while. I guess I'll have to figure out this yeast bit.
I think, if I have time tomorrow, I'll pick up some NPK stuff.

But I do have a question for anyone who can answer it: I believe my filter media has activated carbon in it and I remember a LFS worker mentioning that the carbon would just eat up any ferts that I add to the tank. Is this true? If so, what should I do about it?

You need your NPK ferts before you get your CO2 set up. CO2 without the proper nutrients is pretty well useless- too useless for the cost of setting it up anyways. So my suggestion would be to figure out your NPK+Trace dosing first, then worry about your CO2. 4WPG on a 10G tank is not overly high, as the WPG rule sort of breaks down at this level of tank size. You are likely sitting at a good moderately lit tank.

As for your question, it is, as far as I have read, sort of an unresolved issue whether or not this activated carbon removes fertilizers or not. I am of the opinion that activated carbon is never needed for a tank unless you need to remove medicine, so why have it in there and risk absorbing your fertilizers? You pay money for the activated carbon so it will absorb more money in the form of fertilizer? Seems silly to me *crazysmil

If you want to remove it, use the link to this post here, another sort of lengthy one by me, explaining how to cost effectively run a standard HOB filter. When you rip off the existing filter floss, just dump out your activated carbon into a ziploc bag and save it for a day when you need to remove medicine and you forgot to buy any activated carbon .

I hope this is all helping, and that I am not overloading you with information . I am just trying to let you know the information available- you can do what you want with it .

 

[Kalavek]

If you want to remove it, use the link to this post here, another sort of lengthy one by me, explaining how to cost effectively run a standard HOB filter. When you rip off the existing filter floss, just dump out your activated carbon into a ziploc bag and save it for a day when you need to remove medicine and you forgot to buy any activated carbon .

I actually came across that post recently. I'm guessing the floss was glued to your frame - there's none of that with the ones I'm using right now. The floss is a flat sleeve that slides up over the frame, toss whatever media you want inside of it. Ripping and tearing at used floss sounds pretty aggravating!

 

[PerenGee]

Oh no no, not an overload at all. I find it very helpful to get all this info in one convenient place. I'd rather have the info than not at all. I really appreciate the help! I'm sure I'll run into more questions over the next few days as I make my changes and progress further. I'll keep you all informed...

 

[sombunya]

I think I read somewhere that if you're heavily planted enough you don't need to mess with the substrate. Also, and I could be wrong in my hopes, but if one were to create a semi-balanced ecosystem with fish and plants and whatever else, there shouldn't be too much interference from an outside source except for changing water and making sure things stay constant.

I was talking to a fellow at the LFS and he said that a properly planted tank will keep Nitrates way down. The only water changes needed are very occasional because of the build-up of hardness, or something like that.

Again, nice looking tank.