Newman's 10 Gallon Journal

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#121
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#121
yea I know anshu, thats a great way but I don't add salt to this tank anymore (since the KH, GH and pH are already fairly high...14KH, 40GH, and 8.2 pH is pretty intense for a planted thank like this, plus I don't do water changes on this one :0)

@ Unwritten Law: That's what I plan on doing once the tank is complete. I'll take one full clean shot of it once its finished and will remove just about everything that's not part of the scape. For now though the tank is still in progress ;)
 

anshuman

anshuman

Large Fish
#123
Nov 16, 2009
686
0
0
Mumbai India
#123
Newman, you are the man :D

I really have the same urge to create a tank like this , have placed advance order for a second tank but its 23 G tall tank ( as allowed by the space where i am permitted to keep ) , Can you keep updating this thread on maintenance and time needed to take care of this setup? like pruning, cleaning, dosing, etc. and the adjustments you will make to this tank as it continues to establish , like co2 dosage, any other nutrients, Light , amount of light etc. Will be helpful . :) i am doing same for the 30G tank and the new plants i added, its been fun so far :) now i want to create a java moss wall .
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#124
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#124
Ok upon request:

Dosing-
Excel every other day (half-capfull)
Flourish three days a week (half-capfull)
Nitrogen once a week (half -capfull) dosed becuase my tank is constantly at 0 nitrate
Potassium not dosed yet...
Phosphorous not dosed yet
Iron once a month at most (tiny amount, less than half-capful)

Lighting-
48 watts total
T-5 bulbs(2x) HO Reflector
Schedule is from 10:00am until 7:00pm

Weekly maintenance-
Water topped off once (I strongly suggest changing 25% water instead)
Green Algae scrubbed off glass with Mag-float

Monthly maintenance-
Replace contents of DIY CO2 Reactor
Pruning takes place every 1-2 months. Now I mostly prune only the leaves that either get covered in diatoms or dead clear leaves.

Future Adjustments-
Excel and Flourish dosing will probably increase not in dosage but in frequency.
Nitrogen, Potassium/phosphorous, and Iron dosing will probably come to play as the tank completely fills in.
Photo-period will ultimately be increased to around 12 hours a day when things are complete.
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#125
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#125
This tank has been neglected big time...
since the above dosing did not work out I now only dose Excel whenever I find the time to. usually 1-2 times a week.

the tank has become what I call "Algae-topia"
A truly nice scape composed of all sorts of algae!
I have no good update pics, but this one:

as you can see the male sword has grown nicely. he is 4.5 months old now
 

anshuman

anshuman

Large Fish
#126
Nov 16, 2009
686
0
0
Mumbai India
#126
wow. this got algae attack :( too bad. this tank was stunner and small too.

I am worried i may go down same path too, I will be having 46 G in main hall with goldies and i am planning to setup the 29 G just for killies in my room , i want to keep it simple for this reasons, I dont want the tanks to go bad and really HOT summer is on its way, tough 3 months now for me regarding this fishes.
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#130
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#130
there are no nitrates lol. there have been no nitrates even before all this showed up.
I don't find it nasty. I kinda like Algae-topia :p
I think I'm going to try to wait this one out and find the balance between fertilizing, fish waste, light and all that jazz.
This algae is not stopping anyone in my tank from living their life lol. the livestock loves to hide in it.
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#131
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#131
Well, algae is just another kind of plant, right? If it isn't harming your fish, you don't mind how it looks to you, and it's kinda interesting to watch, enjoy your Algae-topia and let us know what transpires!
BTW - what kind of algae do you have there?
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#132
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#132
rofl
you're just trying to make me feel better now that my iwagumi scape has been destroyed :p

I know I have a lot of staghorn, hair, and fuzzy algae going on in there, but I have no idea when this will blow over. and I hope it does because all the HC I have growing under this algae mat is nice and GREEN! basically my plants here are still alive. The shrimp, nerites, and the otos- they think this tank is heaven! I must have 40+ shrimp in this tank by now... again lol
 

Last edited:
lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#133
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#133
Hey, everyone's idea of heaven must be a bit different, no? ;)
Of course it's a shame that your landscaping has been compromised, but as you say, maybe the algae issue will rectify itself and your plants will still be okay.
I don't know why I can't remember what HC stands for . . . .
And one more question: what is the difference between iwagami and amano styled aquascaping? They seem so similar to me . . . .
 

anshuman

anshuman

Large Fish
#134
Nov 16, 2009
686
0
0
Mumbai India
#134
HC = popular name Baby tears or Cuba.

And...damn...the tank... it will soon take all the nutrients and devoid the plants from growing which will die.

You have choice. algaetopia or your plants. lol.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.