# 135gal Planted Tank With Rainbows



## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

That is a killer setup. And I feel you can never overkill the filtration. Now you can stager maintenance and never worry about the bb. I do the same thing with a Fluval fx4 for filtration only and then a Fluval 306 for filtration, co2 and also inline heater. lol I also have the same inline heater. It works great. 


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

@clownplanted Thank you for the positive comments. Hopefully, I will be able to grow healthy plants and colorful rainbows!


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## abovo (Jul 27, 2017)

Nice work on the tank. I really like your plumbing setup. I'm currently fixing my 54 gallon that went in to disrepair. I have a new to me 100 gallon tank in the garage waiting for me to build a stand. Your build is similar to what I'd like to accomplish so thank you for posting. 


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Wow! I guess it's no surprise as soon as I read the title of the this thread I subscribed!

Very, very nicely done. Love the scape, equipment, fish, stand.....everything. And very nicely documented as well. 

I am really looking forward to following your progress. You are going to enjoy watching those Bows mature. And when those plants start filling and taking off, I think you are going to have something really spectacular there.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

@Greggz Thank you for the compliments and I am sure you will not be surprised when I say bulk of the inspiration for this tank came from your setup. Just a fantastic balance of colors from plants and fish!!

I have lost count as to how many times I have read and re-read your thread. And with each read I learnt more.

This is my first experience with Rainbows. When I first introduced the 2 Parkinsonis into the tank they went into hiding, kept to themselves..even during feeding time. This all changed when I added more Rainbows. What a view....the whole tank came to life. Fish swimming back and forth. Feeding time is very eventful..seems like they are starving!!

Just in a couple of weeks, I have seen a noticeable change in color.. especially in the younger ones. Definitely looking forward to see them mature.

As far as plants go, right now the main issue is dialing in the lights. They are only 5" from the top and with no ability to measure PAR, it is a trial and error game.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

OreoP said:


> @Greggz Thank you for the compliments and I am sure you will not be surprised when I say bulk of the inspiration for this tank came from your setup. Just a fantastic balance of colors from plants and fish!!
> 
> I have lost count as to how many times I have read and re-read your thread. And with each read I learnt more.


Thanks for the kind words. It's nice to know the journal was useful to you. Like I said, you are well on your way now, and I'll be keeping a close eye on this. As time goes by, I am sure I will learn some helpful things from you as well. I got to tell you, I'm a little jealous. I wish I had the space for a six foot tank, but five feet is all I could comfortably get into my space.



OreoP said:


> This is my first experience with Rainbows. When I first introduced the 2 Parkinsonis into the tank they went into hiding, kept to themselves..even during feeding time. This all changed when I added more Rainbows. What a view....the whole tank came to life. Fish swimming back and forth. Feeding time is very eventful..seems like they are starving!!


Rainbows are ALWAYS hungry. Try to resist over feeding them, as it's better from the planted tank perspective. 

I should take a video sometime of my daily feeding frenzy. Tank is a blur of colors darting all over the tank. It really is something to see.


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## markf (Dec 29, 2016)

Very nice setup, how do you like the sunblaster lights? Any updated Pics?


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

@markf Thank you for the compliments. I have nothing but praise for the Sunblaster lights. I have them on my 65 gal set up to. For me they were the only option for T5HOs - 65 gal is 36" and the 135 is 72". 

Have not taken any pics recently. I am struggling with a serious case of diatoms. As far as water chemistry and dosing is concerned, both my tanks are identical. The 65 gal has been set up for over a year and is crystal clear with almost no algae. Unfortunately, cannot say the same for the 135gal. The only major difference I can really point to is the PAR level on the 135 is much higher. My understanding of conventional wisdom was that high light was an enemy for diatoms. Guess not. Right now I am playing around with light times, and different T5HO tubes. Hopefully I will find the sweet spot soon!!

If you do opt for the Sunblaster, I would highly recommend that you shop around. I bought mine for about $30.00 but have seen them as high as $50.00.


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## sdwindansea (Oct 28, 2016)

I mentioned this on your other thread but I would just be patient with the diatoms and not change to much to in an attempt to solve them. Since you have a relatively new tank and are using So Cal tap water this is pretty common. I suffered through a terrible case of them and just tried to wipe them off as much as possible. Nerite snails will help and ottos will definitely help if they take to your tank. Eventually they will slow down and go away (the waiting is the hardest part).


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

@sdwindansea thank you...waiting is the hardest part!!. I do have a few Otto's and snails in the tank. It's a game of patience...went through the same issue with my 65 gal set up.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Is Oreo the name of the puppy in the photo?? My Mother adopted a puppy that looks just like that (They called it a teddy bear) and named him Oreo 12 days before she passed away suddenly. The joy that little puppy brought her in those few days is something I'll never forget. Yes the only thing keeping my Dad going. 
As to the tank I've been there... You just have to wait it out and treat the algae until it balances. I've got 4 Nerites and 5 Oto's in my 75 and I spot treated with hydrogen peroxide and metricide a couple times a week for several weeks. It looks great


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## Bleuwater (Aug 5, 2017)

nice!


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

The Dude1 said:


> Is Oreo the name of the puppy in the photo?? My Mother adopted a puppy that looks just like that (They called it a teddy bear) and named him Oreo 12 days before she passed away suddenly. The joy that little puppy brought her in those few days is something I'll never forget. Yes the only thing keeping my Dad going.
> As to the tank I've been there... You just have to wait it out and treat the algae until it balances. I've got 4 Nerites and 5 Oto's in my 75 and I spot treated with hydrogen peroxide and metricide a couple times a week for several weeks. It looks great


Sorry about your mother. Yes, that's Oreo, our 18 month old Havanese!! Just an amazing guy, full of life and gives me so much without any expectations. 

Thank you for the advice on the algae. I was expecting an algae hit when I first set up the tank, but not this bad. But hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel. As least I do not see tank maintenance as a chore..I actually enjoy it.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Been some time since my last post. As mentioned in previous post, I have been struggling with diatoms. Aggressive weekly cleaning helped a little but they just kept on keeping back.

Two weeks ago I uprooted all the plants, trimmed them and cleaned off the diatoms as best I could and replanted. Also added some additional plants and modified my micro dosing from 0.1ppm CSMB and 0.1ppm 10% DTPA Fe to 0.03ppm CSMB and 0.02ppm 10% DTPA Fe.

Since then I have seen a considerable reduction in diatoms - I would guess almost down by 85%. Whether the diatoms have naturally cycled out or the reduction in micros have depleted them is hard to tell but the progress is there in the right direction.











This FTS was taken at 5:00am with just the moonlight leds on.










Right hand side of tank.



















Left hand side of tank.


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## mbkemp (Dec 15, 2016)

Very nice!! Following. I love how this started 


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

With the bank of T5HO's only 5 inches from the water surface, water temperature became an issue. With room temperatures hoovering between 75F and 78F, the water temperature would rise to as high as 82F-83F couple of hours after the lights came on.

After reading several recommendations on the forum, I opted for a bank of aquarium cooling fans. (iPettie Aquarium Cooling System Fan Chiller - 5 Fan). They are very quiet and keep the water temperature at 76F-77F.










The lights are a group of 8 Sunblaster nanotech fixtures:










From left to right:

1. 6400K lamp that came with the fixture
2. True Lumen Flora
3. Aqua Medi Plant Grow
4. ATI Actinic Blue


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Larger tanks, especially in So. California where water is almost a commodity, pose an additional problem - water changes can not only be time consuming but also expensive and an environmental burden (especially if a family member is an environmental engineer.. :wink2::wink2:

My set up is most probably not original but wanted to share it: it consists of CPVC pipe, fittings, a water transer pump and a 50ft garden hose.










At water change time, I install a removable CPVC pipe into the tank. At the bottom of the pipe are a couple of fixtures to avoid substrate disturbance.










Outside the tank, the PVC pipe is hard plumbed through the wall to the outside










Outside the CPVC pipe is hooked up to the inlet of a transfer pump via a flexible hose pipe. 










A standard 50ft garden hose is hooked up the outlet of the pump. Initially, I tried 1/10 HP pump but did not work out. The pump I use now is a 120 Volt Portable Utility Pump (1525 GPH) from Habor Freight.


















I can pump out 50%-70% of the water in less than 10 minutes and use it to water my front and side yards.











To refill the tank, I simply remove the pump and connect the garden hose to the flexible hose and introduce the water slowly into the tank - takes about 20-30 minutes to fill it back. As the water fills, I add dechlorinator into the tank. I could fill up a lot faster but might run into temperature issues.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

Very nice. Now that is great Ingenuity.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Nice updates. This tank is getting better all the time.

Great mix of plants. Lots of colors and textures. And both the plants and the Bows look happy and healthy. 

Keep the updates coming. I have a feeling this will only continue get better and better. Very nice work.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

That Bolivian Ram is gorgeous! How old? I'm guessing the one I got is a female.. hasn't grown or changed appearance. I was hoping for the extensions and colors like yours. Rainbows, Bolivian Rams... all you need to add is some Apisto's and Emporer Tetras


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

@Greggz Thank you for the kind words. It has been a challenge to get the plants going. At times like these, I wish I had @burr740 magic fingers. But I know patience, perseverance and feedback from fellow TPT members will get me there. On the other hand, the bows are doing great....growing very fast and filling up with color.
@The Dude1 Not sure how old the Bolivian Ram is. I picked up 4 from the LFS two months ago. The store owner's best guess was that they were 6-8 months old. So I am guessing about just getting to about a year old. Unfortunately I lost one to a freak accident...it got caught in between the aquarium wall and intake filter. It was too late by the time I saw it in the morning. I have 20 rainbows, 3 rosaline sharks, 3 bolivian rams, 3 clown loaches and a couple of ottos. Will wait to see if I want to add more but your idea of Apistos and Emp tetras is definitely attractive.


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## Chizpa305 (Feb 13, 2011)

Nice idea to pump the water through the wall. Waiting for the plants to get bigger and fill that huge tank. Those lights will surely make their colors pop out like a rainbow explosion.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Looking great man! Thats a clever water change system. 

The plants seem to be doing fine to me. Im sure many folks reading this wish they had YOUR magic!

It's funny what we see. In my tanks I dont even notice the 50 species doing well, its always the 2 or 3 that are sucking I tend to focus on, lol


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

burr740 said:


> Looking great man! Thats a clever water change system.
> 
> The plants seem to be doing fine to me. Im sure many folks reading this wish they had YOUR magic!
> 
> It's funny what we see. In my tanks I dont even notice the 50 species doing well, its always the 2 or 3 that are sucking I tend to focus on, lol


Thank you for that burr!! And I totally get you focusing on the 2-3 not doing well...I do the same!!

Based on your experience, is there a relationship between micro dosing and algae/diatoms. I am not sure if the reduced micro dosing helped with the depletion of diatoms.


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

OreoP said:


> Based on your experience, is there a relationship between micro dosing and algae/diatoms. I am not sure if the reduced micro dosing helped with the depletion of diatoms.


Ive never seen a diatom response from micros, other types for sure though, gda, gsa, bba. Seen these all come and go from raising or lowering micros.

Ferts can definitely affect algae, but I think it all comes down to the health and happiness of the plants.

Anything that causes plants to stall/stunt or become unhappy usually brings some degree of algae along with it. Whether it be CO2, light, too much or not enough ferts, or something else.

On the flip side when the plants become happy again, the algae tends to go away. 

Assuming tank conditions are clean, imo algae always comes back to plant health.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Hey OreoP I saw this post awhile back and forgot to comment on it. 

It sure does deserve some recognition, as it is really coming along beautifully. Great mix of healthy looking plants and fish. Once it starts filling in more, you better sharpen the scissors! Going to need some regular pruning before long.

So really nice work there and great execution of your plan. Looking forward to the next updates.

EDIT: Oops, looks like I did comment on it earlier. Oh well, gives you a bump then!!:grin2:


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## sdwindansea (Oct 28, 2016)

Tank does look great and glad to hear you are able to keep the temps in check. Your water change system is way more elegant than mine (PVC, hose and open window into a trash can) but I do water our plants each week as well. Definitely do not want to waste any of it. Keep up the good work.


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## ProndFarms (Sep 3, 2012)

Following along on this thread - impressive looking setup and implementation and another inspiration resource for my rainbow build! 

I noticed you have tried DYI both types of reactors...do you prefer the RG style? Care to share your plans?


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

ProndFarms said:


> I noticed you have tried DYI both types of reactors...do you prefer the RG style? Care to share your plans?


Both reactors work equally well now but I am more biased towards the RG simply because it was the easiest to set up and get to work. With the Cerges I had couple of builds and had to play a lot more with flow rates and back pressure.

If you go the RG route, I definitely suggest at least a 3" x 24" PVC pipe. Also include a ball valve on the exit so that you can control the back pressure. The big box hardware stores did not carry any of these. I sourced all parts online and cost about $40.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Any new pics? Especially of that gorgeous Ram. I lost mine as a result of 5 days without power from Hurricane Irma.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

The Dude1 said:


> Any new pics? Especially of that gorgeous Ram. I lost mine as a result of 5 days without power from Hurricane Irma.


Sorry to hear about your Ram. Hopefully you have power now and things are looking up.


Had a situation with my tank. Was out of town for a week...had dosed the tanks, reduced light times etc. Came back home at about 1:00am on a Sunday and the whole house was smelling like a fish market. I have two separate power lines for the set up . For some reason the GFCI for the pumps tripped and basically there was no filtration for some period. The fish looked stressed...performed a 80% water change immediately and then another 50% the following evening.

Causalities: Lost one Roseline shark and one Irian rainbow. Plants not as bad as I expected...tons of algae so I just mowed everything and replanted all the healthy stems. I was lucky enough to win a ROAK from @sdwindansea so had plenty of healthy plants.

It has been 2 weeks and things are looking a lot better, including the rams. Plants could be a lot healthier but with some time I think they will kick back. Will post some pics soon!!


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## sdwindansea (Oct 28, 2016)

Glad your losses were not too bad, a power outage of some sort is always my fear as well.


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## clownplanted (Mar 3, 2017)

sdwindansea said:


> Glad your losses were not too bad, a power outage of some sort is always my fear as well.


For this reason I am looking at getting a generator for Christmas. Can get for pretty good prices now.


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## sdwindansea (Oct 28, 2016)

OK, you are really due for a tank update... 

Hope all is well. Ironically we just had a two hour power outage in Ocean Beach.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

@sdwindansea You are absolutely right...up date is long overdue. Funny how life takes priorities. But hopefully I will now be able to post more regularly. Basically in the last few months, have been struggling with algae and fish loss. Algae was just a matter of balancing the parameters which I will address in later posts with updated pics.

I was stupid enough to purchase SAE's from a know online retailer and introduce them into my tank with a very short quarantine time. Not only did all the SAE's die, I also lost 8 Rainbows and Rams...was really p***ed off at myself. I think I was too eager to battle the algae in the tank.

As on now, I am much happier with the way the tank looks - plants are happy and healthy although there is a spot of GSA here and there.

Here is a FTS from last night. I removed the driftwood - it was taking up too much real estate but am hoping to bring it back in the future. 










Tank looks like a weed garden...I just let the plants grow and trim on a weekly basis. Recently, one of the most appealing aspect has been "global pearling", a term coined by @burr740 I believe. About 2 hours before lights out, the tank basically looks like a large can of sparkling water.

In my opinion the key to zero algae is not only healthy plants but also super clean conditions. The latter became more apparent to me when I started getting paranoid of dead leaves and gunk build up in pipes. Regular removal of dead plant matter, vacuuming of substrate, cleaning of filter tubes and filters has proved that its not only about PAR, CO2 and fertilizers. Housekeeping in high tech tank is an absolute must.

Bump:

Bump:

Bump: Some more pics...


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

That's looking sweet! Everything is so colorful and happy.

And you're spot on about keeping things clean, makes a huge difference not only for algae but growth and plant health in general. Fish dont mind having a clean house either.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

OreoP said:


> In my opinion the key to zero algae is not only healthy plants but also super clean conditions. The latter became more apparent to me when I started getting paranoid of dead leaves and gunk build up in pipes. Regular removal of dead plant matter, vacuuming of substrate, cleaning of filter tubes and filters has proved that its not only about PAR, CO2 and fertilizers. Housekeeping in high tech tank is an absolute must.


Great to see an update on your tank. I was wondering what was going on.

Sorry to hear about the fish loss. It stinks, but it happens. You learn and move on and hopefully avoid it in the future.

And I gotta say, the tank looks outstanding! Very nice healthy looking plants and beautiful colorful presentation. Looks better than ever, you've come a long way. Of course, the Bows are the cherry on top!:grin2:

And your quote above is a mouthful. Should be included in every discussion with ferts/lights/CO2. Good maintenance can not be overemphasized. Sometimes that takes a while to sink in, but once you get it, it's a very valuable tool.


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## sdwindansea (Oct 28, 2016)

Thanks for the update. Obviously really sorry to hear about the fish losses. I probably shouldn't admit this in public but I'm always rolling the dice when I get new fish. We do not have the space for a quarantine tank so I've been lucky so far with my livestock additions. I'm completely aware that it will eventually bite me in the ***.

However, your tank looks incredible. I'm extremely impressed at how well everything is doing. Your photography skills should also be commended.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

sdwindansea said:


> Thanks for the update. Obviously really sorry to hear about the fish losses. I probably shouldn't admit this in public but I'm always rolling the dice when I get new fish. We do not have the space for a quarantine tank so I've been lucky so far with my livestock additions. I'm completely aware that it will eventually bite me in the ***.
> 
> However, your tank looks incredible. I'm extremely impressed at how well everything is doing. Your photography skills should also be commended.


Thank you for your kind comments. I do not have a quarantine tank...just used the 65gal as a transit tank.

I have absolutely zero photography skills - just used a cell phone camera with all lights expect tank lights off. Have a look at @Greggz pics - now those are professional!! One more thing I have to learn from him :grin2:

BTW...hopefully you spot the plants from your ROAK - thank you for those


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

OreoP said:


> I have absolutely zero photography skills - just used a cell phone camera with all lights expect tank lights off. Have a look at @Greggz pics - now those are professional!! One more thing I have to learn from him :grin2:


Ha it's mostly just perseverance and luck!

And you have half the battle already won.........good subject matter!


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## Stokely (Jan 9, 2015)

Excellent, following this! I'll be doing the same, moving from a 75g up to either a 120g or 180g (!) as I want that extra depth. Mine will be low tech though.

Like you, I am trying to go cheap on the substrate as that gets real expensive real quick. I'm going with Safe-T-Sorb and possibly some sand. Either way this is an inspiration!


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## sdwindansea (Oct 28, 2016)

I have seen @Greggz journal/pictures many times. His photoshop skills are really impressive >. I also recognize some of the plants I sent you although they look way better in your tank than they ever did in mine.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Pretty much satisfied with the P. Kimberly and Mermaid Weed. However, I do notice that there is significant loss of leaves on the lower part of the P. Kimberly stems. There is ample water flow and playing around with dosing has not helped much



















Bacopa colorata was a struggle initially - remained green instead of showing pink hues. Moved it from the center of the tank to the right rear end and changed the bulb from 6400K to a True Lumen Flora. This helped with the color. In addition to this changed the dosing schedule also. Instead of classic EI dosing, started to front load macros and does micros everyday. This helped with the color too.












Still not 100% satisfied with the color as only the top third of the stems have the pink hue. Time to look into PAR and dosing!!


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

OreoP said:


> Pretty much satisfied with the P. Kimberly and Mermaid Weed. However, I do notice that there is significant loss of leaves on the lower part of the P. Kimberly stems. There is ample water flow and playing around with dosing has not helped much


My P. Kimberly does the same. Bottom of stem thick as a pool cue tip but loses leaves. I think that's pretty normal



OreoP said:


> Bacopa colorata was a struggle initially - remained green instead of showing pink hues. Moved it from the center of the tank to the right rear end and changed the bulb from 6400K to a True Lumen Flora. This helped with the color. In addition to this changed the dosing schedule also. Instead of classic EI dosing, started to front load macros and does micros everyday. This helped with the color too. Still not 100% satisfied with the color as only the top third of the stems have the pink hue. Time to look into PAR and dosing!!


Mine looks similar to yours. Interesting you mentioned front end loading macros. Since I started front end loading, I have noticed the color moving steadily further down the stem. 

It seems like Burr gets the whole plant pink......but then again......he's Burr!:wink2:

And once again, really nice work. Plants look very healthy and happy.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Greggz said:


> It seems like Burr gets the whole plant pink......but then again......he's Burr!:wink2:


I think we should kidnap burr and hold him to ransom...get some of that magic potion he feeds his plants..:grin2::wink2:


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

6:00 am Saturday morning and this is the FTS:










Gave the plants a massive "summer cut" and re-scaped the tank. 7 hours later:












Essentially trimmed all the plant groups. Removed the small driftwood with anubias and brought back the larger driftwood with additional plants.










Added the following to the driftwood:

1. Buce - Super Mini Catherinae
2. Buce - Brownie Sugar
3. Anubias Nana Petite


On the left hand side added Myriophyllum Tuberculatum. Hopefully I can get it bright red!!!










So far satisfied with the results except for the Lud. Sp. Red - just cannot get it to grow!! Have tried to move it under different spots in the tank, have played around with dosing. Only thing left is PAR. Need to get my hands on a PAR meter. Hopefully it is that simple!!


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

For all the various problems I have growing plants, Lud sp. Red does not seem to be a problem. I fear I will never fully figure out why some grow and others dont.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Wow!! When you give it the summer cut you ain't messing around!!! 

Be sure to get some pics to document how it fills in. Should be fun to watch.

And plants are looking nice and healthy. Nice work!


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Greggz said:


> Wow!! When you give it the summer cut you ain't messing around!!!
> 
> Be sure to get some pics to document how it fills in. Should be fun to watch.
> 
> And plants are looking nice and healthy. Nice work!


It is unbelievable as to how much plant matter accumulates in about 10 days of growth.I recall from one your posts that you tried to go without a trim for 2 weeks but could not.

I am now able to spend more time with the tank so hopefully there will be regular updates. Next steps for me is improve on lighting and dosing. 

Are you still considering the auto-doser?


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

OreoP said:


> It is unbelievable as to how much plant matter accumulates in about 10 days of growth.I recall from one your posts that you tried to go without a trim for 2 weeks but could not.
> 
> I am now able to spend more time with the tank so hopefully there will be regular updates. Next steps for me is improve on lighting and dosing.
> 
> Are you still considering the auto-doser?


Yeah I couldn't go two weeks without a trim, but that's mainly due to having quite a few fast growing stems. But I like the way they look, and I don't mind the trimming too much.

Now I've never cut them down quite like you did there. I am guessing you will have a least a couple of weeks of rest after that. 

And yes, I am still considering the auto-doser for micros. Just need to figure out everything I need to order, how to set it up, etc. I like to have a picture in mind of everything before I get started. Will probably research it a bit more this weekend, and update once I have an actual plan.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

I am sure like me, there are many other TPT members who follow @burr740 's adventures into custom micro dosing. To me it was both fascinating and rocket science. The concept of rolling your own micros just sounded too complicated. And then @Greggz posted a step by step guide, making it look like child's play. With that in mind and with my current mix of micros running very low, I decided to jump into the mad scientists camp!!










I am basing my initial micro concentrations on @Greggz. I used two calculators - Zorofox and Rotolabutterly to come up with the amounts of each compound required. From a weight point of view (gm and mg), both were in agreement. But in terms of teaspoons Zorofox was a little wild - but this should not matter as I am using actual weight. Also for some reason on the Zorofox running totals, I could not get it to display Ni.

Following are my numbers:










Hopefully they are right and will be mixing later today and starting to dose tomorrow. Just as a side note, I am using a 1000ml dosing bottle with a dispensing chamber marked for 15ml and 30ml.


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

I'll be following your micro dosing. Still reading and learning from that thread!

As for the large trim, did you experience any issues with such a massive reduction in plant mass? Change dosing? 

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Grobbins48 said:


> I'll be following your micro dosing. Still reading and learning from that thread!
> 
> As for the large trim, did you experience any issues with such a massive reduction in plant mass? Change dosing?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk


Kept the same dosing. The only issue was some additional GDA on the glass - nothing significant. It has been just over 10 days since the large trim and most of the plants will be ready for another trim this coming weekend.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

OreoP said:


> The concept of rolling your own micros just sounded too complicated. And then @Greggz posted a step by step guide, making it look like child's play. With that in mind and with my current mix of micros running very low, I decided to jump into the mad scientists camp!!


Hey OreoP I'm glad that post helped you. I never know if anyone besides a few are following any of the craziness in my journal.

And as you found, once you spend a few minutes applying yourself, there really isn't much too it.

I checked your numbers, and they look good. Just pay attention to gm & mg. We already saw one miss that little detail.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

So just mixed up my first custom micros. Two observations:

1. milligrams of a powder is a very minuscule amount - just got me to check and double check and triple check that I had the correct measure.

2. the quantity of compounds purchased will last me multiple life times!!

Start dosing tomorrow and the adventure begins










Just a random shot of one of my "janitors"


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

One of the drawbacks of a 6ft long tank viz a viz T5HO light fixtures is that you have limited options if you want to maintain the same bulb length. When I first started looking at lights, my only options to cover the 6 ft length were either 2 x 3ft fixtures or a combination of 4ft and 2ft fixtures. The disadvantage of the latter was to have an inventory of 2 bulb sizes. Based on that, I opted for the 3ft length. Whilst this did not pose much of an issue, it did eventually become apparent that most T5HO bulbs are geared towards 4ft and 2ft lengths. 

Although I have no scientific basis, I am of the opinion that the PAR at the substrate is below 100. With this in mind and my want to explore more bulb types, I modified my lights. I kept with the Sunblaster Nanotech fixtures but this time used 4 ft and 2 ft fixtures.

Originally, I had a bank of eight 3ft fixtures. I updated this with the addition of two 4ft and two 2ft fixtures. I kept the strip of LED's as viewing lights.



















Left to right:

1. Giesemann Super Flora
2. ATI Purple
3. Power Veg 660
4. Sunblaster 6400K (stock bulb with fixture)
5. True Lumen Flora
6. Aqua Medic Plant Grow

I have wired the lights in banks of 2 rows and have been running for 2 days now. Running all lights for 8 hours. Hopefully I will see some positive changes to the plants soon....or back to the drawing board..:smile2:


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Nice light!!

Talking about how small the quantities of some of those micros are. You may have seen it in my journal, when I first bought everything I'd opted for a 1 lb bag of Mo.

I first started out with a csmb clone dosing my usual extremely low levels (an experiment that didnt last long). The Mo called for was like 5.4 milligrams or something ridiculous like that. It was literally 8-9 single grains of the stuff.

Just out of curiosity I figured up how long that 1 lb bag would last using that amount and it was twenty something thousand years! A couple of folks checked my math. 

Twenty. Thousand. Years. lmao


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

burr740 said:


> Nice light!!
> 
> Talking about how small the quantities of some of those micros are. You may have seen it in my journal, when I first bought everything I'd opted for a 1 lb bag of Mo.
> 
> ...


Thanks Joe!!

I actually measured and re-measured the Ni 6 times just to be sure. Even goggled "29.24mg to gm" just to make sure I was not stupid to think that it was as simple as 0.02924mg. And then the real task was to get as close as possible to 0.0292!!

20,000 years from now...quite the possibility that we will be swimming in planted tanks and fishes will be tending to our nutritional needs!!!


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Love the new fixtures and array of bulbs.

Looking forward to seeing if there are any effects.

Did you notice a change to the "look" of the tank? Both Bows and plants. You've got loads of color now.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Greggz said:


> Did you notice a change to the "look" of the tank? Both Bows and plants. You've got loads of color now.


The tank looks a lot brighter now and the colors on the larger bows are really showing now. Still too early to see what effect it will have on the plants. I am really hoping to get the reds to pop.

On a positive note - have not seen any algae growth


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

Parthiv, your journal is terrific ands I am sorry I missed it. But now I am right here!

As I said you privately, I really love your ARs and since my setup is very similar to yours (same substrate, same dosing, similar water, etc), I am really curious to know how's your light PAR. If you like, I could come over to your place with a PAR meter and measure that for you. I'd also love to see your tank for real!

One question: do you put any tabs or osmocote into the substrate? I know you haven't mentioned that, but I am just asking... also, is your pH drop still the same as you mentioned at the beginning of your journal?

Thank you for any info (and for the amazing plants you sent me!)


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

fablau said:


> As I said you privately, I really love your ARs and since my setup is very similar to yours (same substrate, same dosing, similar water, etc), I am really curious to know how's your light PAR. If you like, I could come over to your place with a PAR meter and measure that for you. I'd also love to see your tank for real!
> 
> One question: do you put any tabs or osmocote into the substrate? I know you haven't mentioned that, but I am just asking... also, is your pH drop still the same as you mentioned at the beginning of your journal?
> 
> Thank you for any info (and for the amazing plants you sent me!)


My PAR is at about 110 at the substrate. I do not use any tabs - just EI dosing with standard macros and rolling my own micros. pH drop is 1.3

One thing I found is that apart from CO2, lights and ferts, good housekeeping will also reflect on the health of the plants. Keep the environment as clean as possible, clean out filters periodically and also maintain a balanced bio mass. I get my hands wet almost everyday - removing loose/fallen leaves, trimming here and there etc. Filters are alternately cleaned every 2 weeks.


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## Little Soprano (Mar 13, 2014)

Beautiful tank!

I recently moved my large tank upstairs, and without the freezing basement to keep it cool, my lights (5 of the 48” sun blasters) are keeping the water at around 80 degrees - which is remarkable since I keep my house at 66. My heater hasn’t even kicked on since I moved the tank last week. Did the fans you added to your hood help? Mine are around the same distance from the top of my tank and I’m amazed at the heat they are putting out.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

OreoP said:


> One thing I found is that apart from CO2, lights and ferts, good housekeeping will also reflect on the health of the plants. Keep the environment as clean as possible, clean out filters periodically and also maintain a balanced bio mass. I get my hands wet almost everyday - removing loose/fallen leaves, trimming here and there etc. Filters are alternately cleaned every 2 weeks.


Great advice there. Maintenance plays a far greater role than most realize.

You are long overdue for a more thorough update and pictures. Curious to see what has been going on.

And the Bows must be getting really nice by now.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Little Soprano said:


> Beautiful tank!
> 
> I recently moved my large tank upstairs, and without the freezing basement to keep it cool, my lights (5 of the 48” sun blasters) are keeping the water at around 80 degrees - which is remarkable since I keep my house at 66. My heater hasn’t even kicked on since I moved the tank last week. Did the fans you added to your hood help? Mine are around the same distance from the top of my tank and I’m amazed at the heat they are putting out.


In summer, my water temperatures reaches as high as 82-84 without the fan. With the fan, I can easily maintain 78 consistently. The hood does get really hot and after lights out in the evening there is always "cracking" sounds due to expansion/contraction of the wood. Still have to find a solution for that.

Bump:


Greggz said:


> Great advice there. Maintenance plays a far greater role than most realize.
> 
> You are long overdue for a more thorough update and pictures. Curious to see what has been going on.
> 
> And the Bows must be getting really nice by now.


Gregg, as always your journal is an inspiration. The bows have grown and the colors are now showing. Plants are doing good too - am really happy with the way the Ld. Super Reds are growing - finally cracked the code to grow them in my tank by playing around with micros and dosing schedules.

Will definitely give a more detailed update and pics over the weekend.


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## Little Soprano (Mar 13, 2014)

That’s a great temperature drop with the fans. My experimental long light cycle is partly to blame for the heat issues, but I never dealt with it with the tank in the basement. My heater was running constantly. I don’t think it has turned on once even at night since the move. Fish and plants don’t care but I still prefer the tank at 77-78.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

OreoP said:


> Gregg, as always your journal is an inspiration. The bows have grown and the colors are now showing. Plants are doing good too - am really happy with the way the Ld. Super Reds are growing - finally cracked the code to grow them in my tank by playing around with micros and dosing schedules.


Thanks and be sure to detail how you cracked the code on the L. Super Red. I have an idea but what would like to hear your thoughts.


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

OreoP said:


> My PAR is at about 110 at the substrate. I do not use any tabs - just EI dosing with standard macros and rolling my own micros. pH drop is 1.3
> 
> One thing I found is that apart from CO2, lights and ferts, good housekeeping will also reflect on the health of the plants. Keep the environment as clean as possible, clean out filters periodically and also maintain a balanced bio mass. I get my hands wet almost everyday - removing loose/fallen leaves, trimming here and there etc. Filters are alternately cleaned every 2 weeks.


Thank you for the provided info, and I am glad you know your light PAR.

Well, I know well what you mean, I am removing leaves everyday as well and keep clean as much as I can, but still I have issues with some plants I see you can grow perfectly (AR first). My PAR at the substrate is a little bit less than yours, around 80, so that's the main difference I see... but I think there could be some difference in dosing and tap water. We live pretty much in the same area, about 1-2 hours drive apart, and if the report below is the one belonging to your location:

https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/...ence Report DWQR 2016 Web High Resolution.pdf

I see you have even more Boron than me from your tap (!!) 333 ppb as average vs 150 ppb in my area, that's a more than double. And I see you dose Boron in your mix anyway, whereas I stopped dosing that a while ago without noticing much difference... but if you can confirm me that that report is correct, and therefore you are adding even more B to your tank besides what you already have from the tap, that means that I could also try to dose more B without probably having negative effects... just logical reasoning. That's just a starting point, and then I could tackle the rest.

Fascinating to have someone with such a similar setup to mine being able to grow perfectly plants I can't.

I am eager to know your thoughts... thank you!


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Greggz said:


> Thanks and be sure to detail how you cracked the code on the L. Super Red. I have an idea but what would like to hear your thoughts.


Gregg, some of the major changes I made were an improvement of PAR, water flow, housekeeping and rolling my own micros. Whilst I cannot point to one single change, my $$ is on the micros. I started off with your formulation and tweaked it here and there. Also followed Joe's progress. In addition to this I also started to front load macros. Instead of the "normal" 3 x week, I would does 1/2 after water change on Sat, 1/4 on Tue and 1/4 on Thurs. Micros were dosed daily. 

Keeping the same formulation, about 2 weeks ago changed to front loading macros 100% after water change and micros 50% after water change and 50% mid week. The real positive observation I have made is that the L. Super Reds are a much darker/deeper red and the leaves appear to be bigger too. Other than that no significant change but still early days.

What were your thoughts on this?


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

OreoP said:


> Gregg, some of the major changes I made were an improvement of PAR, water flow, housekeeping and rolling my own micros. Whilst I cannot point to one single change, my $$ is on the micros. I started off with your formulation and tweaked it here and there. Also followed Joe's progress. In addition to this I also started to front load macros. Instead of the "normal" 3 x week, I would does 1/2 after water change on Sat, 1/4 on Tue and 1/4 on Thurs. Micros were dosed daily.
> 
> Keeping the same formulation, about 2 weeks ago changed to front loading macros 100% after water change and micros 50% after water change and 50% mid week. The real positive observation I have made is that the L. Super Reds are a much darker/deeper red and the leaves appear to be bigger too. Other than that no significant change but still early days.
> 
> What were your thoughts on this?


Great info, please, could you post your current micro schedule? Also, am I understanding correctly that you are dosing micros just twice a week now?

Thanks.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

fablau said:


> Thank you for the provided info, and I am glad you know your light PAR.
> 
> Well, I know well what you mean, I am removing leaves everyday as well and keep clean as much as I can, but still I have issues with some plants I see you can grow perfectly (AR first). My PAR at the substrate is a little bit less than yours, around 80, so that's the main difference I see... but I think there could be some difference in dosing and tap water. We live pretty much in the same area, about 1-2 hours drive apart, and if the report below is the one belonging to your location:
> 
> ...


That is the correct water report. I don't think 80 is too low of a PAR value. I would look at water flow too.


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

OreoP said:


> That is the correct water report. I don't think 80 is too low of a PAR value. I would look at water flow too.


Good point Parthiv. I have good flow, but sometimes too much mass which slows circulation a big deal.

Do you mind sharing your current micro schedule? I'd love to see it.

Thank you!


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

fablau said:


> Good point Parthiv. I have good flow, but sometimes too much mass which slows circulation a big deal.
> 
> Do you mind sharing your current micro schedule? I'd love to see it.
> 
> Thank you!


Fe: 0.2
Cu: 0.002
B: 0.04
Mn: 0.08
Mo: 0.015
Zn: 0.05

I dose 50% after water change on Saturday and balance 50% on Wednesday. Just out of interest, I have a 65 gal tank that I mess around with. In that tank I sometimes found that AR would not be as healthy if they were planted to close too each other or surrounded by larger stems or dense foreground plants. This was just an observation - nothing scientific.


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

OreoP said:


> Fe: 0.2
> Cu: 0.002
> B: 0.04
> Mn: 0.08
> ...


Thank you very much!

Is the value for Mo missing a zero, or is it really 0.015 ppm?

Also: Do you dose that amount calculated on your actual tank size (135gl), or more, or less?

About your observation, it may be very important indeed, I also have noticed they grow better when kept alone or not having too much "stuff" close to them. That's something I want to test myself more in depth, and I thank you for bringing it out.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

fablau said:


> Thank you very much!
> 
> Is the value for Mo missing a zero, or is it really 0.015 ppm?
> 
> ...


Good eye...it is 0.0015!!

My calculations are based on 115g. This more or less takes into account substrate and canister filter volume.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

OreoP said:


> Gregg, some of the major changes I made were an improvement of PAR, water flow, housekeeping and rolling my own micros. Whilst I cannot point to one single change, my $$ is on the micros. I started off with your formulation and tweaked it here and there. Also followed Joe's progress. In addition to this I also started to front load macros. Instead of the "normal" 3 x week, I would does 1/2 after water change on Sat, 1/4 on Tue and 1/4 on Thurs. Micros were dosed daily.
> 
> Keeping the same formulation, about 2 weeks ago changed to front loading macros 100% after water change and micros 50% after water change and 50% mid week. The real positive observation I have made is that the L. Super Reds are a much darker/deeper red and the leaves appear to be bigger too. Other than that no significant change but still early days.
> 
> What were your thoughts on this?


OreoP this is great stuff. 

We have some similarities with L. Super Red. #1 is PAR. When I reworked my lights a while back, I noticed a real improvement. Like you, I am at 110 PAR at the substrate. 

When you say flow, I am not sure what you did. In my case, wider gentler laminar flow has been working well for me. Either way, changing flow has not made much difference with that plant. 

As you may know, I have been front loading macros for some time now, so I was very interested to see you mention that. I do believe it has had a positive impact, and that's true for the whole tank. 

And no doubt custom micros were a game changer. With the super red, I've also notice it is quick to react to changes in micros. Our recipes are pretty close, and I think a little higher B and MO than I was dosing for awhile has helped. 

The one you didn't mention was P, and I have found it seems to love it. Again, pretty true for the entire tank. I'm at almost 10ppm weekly, and tank has never been better. IMO EI is not optimum for P (at least in MY tank).

Interesting to see you mention housekeeping, as it may be the least discussed yet most important topic.

And glad to see you active again, and your micro dosing schedule really caught my eye. Got to ponder that one a bit, but sounds like it is working for you.


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

@Greggz and @OreoP, when you blast your plants with 110 PAR at the substrate, for how long are you doing that? 3, 4 or more hours during the photoperiod? I imagine that's the peak, right?
@Greggz, about your mentioned dosed P above, it is clear that more P is working well for you. Is it right to say your NO3O4 ratio is around 3:1 right now?

Thanks guys


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Greggz said:


> OreoP this is great stuff.
> 
> We have some similarities with L. Super Red. #1 is PAR. When I reworked my lights a while back, I noticed a real improvement. Like you, I am at 110 PAR at the substrate.
> 
> ...


Gregg,

PAR: I agree that this could be a primary factor. A lot of us have seen deeper reds as the stems approach the surface. However, I did not see an immediate improvement after increasing the PAR. It was after playing with micros and dosing schedules that the deep red color really popped. I still cannot get the bacopa colorata pinkish red all the way through like Joe. But than Joe is Joe!!

FLOW: The primary flow in my tank is form the output of the FX6 canister. The spray bar output of the Hydor is via RG reactor, UV light, and heater and so does not affect flow that much. After introducing a power head and playing around with it, I found that most of my plants did better. Maybe this helped with nutrient/CO2 distribution???

My weekly dose of P is 3.5ppm. I have kept it at that for several months now - do not see any reason to change it. The 50-50 front loading of micros is still new so will just have to see how things progress over the next few weeks.

Again just from personal experience, house keeping should be at the top of the list for high tech tanks. I have several anubias in the tank and it was a real PITA after increasing the PAR. Widespread GSA on the anubias and GDA on the glass. There was a time when I was wiping down the glass every 2 days. I started to alternately clean the filters every 2 weeks (instead of 4 weeks) and withing a couple of weeks the GSA minimized - some leaves have a spot here and there. GDA is almost non-existent. I now wipe the glass at water change only and there is very little evidence of GDA.

Bump:


fablau said:


> @Greggz and @OreoP, when you blast your plants with 110 PAR at the substrate, for how long are you doing that? 3, 4 or more hours during the photoperiod? I imagine that's the peak, right?
> 
> @Greggz, about your mentioned dosed P above, it is clear that more P is working well for you. Is it right to say your NO3O4 ratio is around 3:1 right now?
> 
> Thanks guys


Although I have the option to turn on and off banks of lights, I run all for 8 hours


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

OreoP said:


> Gregg,
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Wow, 8 hours at 110 PAR.... then our tanks are more different than I thought because I blast 80-90 PAR at the substrate just for about 4 hours, the rest is around 50-60 PAR. I bet you have problems with Anubias, I am having similar issues as well since I increased light. I am trying to play with micros there, I am convinced that the right dosing for Anubias is key (I could control BBA on Anubias by tweaking with traces, more and more times, and I am convinced GSA is not that different). I will keep you posted on that.

About water distribution and flow in your tank, I’d love to have a video showing it. Would that be possible?

Thanks.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

fablau said:


> @Greggz and @OreoP, when you blast your plants with 110 PAR at the substrate, for how long are you doing that? 3, 4 or more hours during the photoperiod? I imagine that's the peak, right?
> 
> @Greggz, about your mentioned dosed P above, it is clear that more P is working well for you. Is it right to say your NO3O4 ratio is around 3:1 right now?
> 
> Thanks guys


Same for me 8 hours 110 PAR.

And yes, about 3:1 N. As always, is working well in MY tank, but your mileage may vary.

Bump:


OreoP said:


> I started to alternately clean the filters every 2 weeks (instead of 4 weeks) and withing a couple of weeks the GSA minimized - some leaves have a spot here and there. GDA is almost non-existent. I now wipe the glass at water change only and there is very little evidence of GDA


Once again interesting to hear you say that. I have increased my filter cleaning schedule as well.

It's really not that hard or much trouble, and it has made a bigger impact than I ever would have imagined.


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

Greggz said:


> Same for me 8 hours 110 PAR.
> 
> And yes, about 3:1 N. As always, is working well in MY tank, but your mileage may vary.
> 
> ...


Are you saying that you could get rid of GSA by improving filter-cleaning routine? That sounds so easy...:surprise:


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

fablau said:


> Are you saying that you could get rid of GSA by improving filter-cleaning routine? That sounds so easy...:surprise:


Yeah, it's not that hard, and the results ARE surprising.

Glass is uber clean all week. 

In general less algae of any kind and happier plants.

It's part of my regular routine now.


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Greggz said:


> Yeah, it's not that hard, and the results ARE surprising.
> 
> Glass is uber clean all week.
> 
> ...


Agree 100% with Gregg!!


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

That's great to know, After so many years, I never thought GSA could be controlled that way. Only BBA was in my mind linked to organics and such... not GSA. But, hey, if it works for you, it'll work for me!!

Thank you guys


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

It's been a few months since I have really updated this journal. During this time, I have mainly played around with fertilizer dosing. No change in lights or CO2. I have taken the plants from looking reasonably good to looking at their worst. The latter occurred after I started front loading micros - 50% after WC and 25% twice during rest of the week. This was definitely a bad idea - unhealthy plants and alge build up - especially GDA on the glass.

Eased up on the micros and then noticed what looked like Mg deficiency on the anubias. Per the water district tap water Ca and Mg levels are 24 and 6 respectively. To maintain a ration of 3:1, I was adding 2ppm Mg at water change but this did not help. Increased it to 6ppm and still no major change.

Got hold of API Ca test kit and got a reading of 30 ppm (close enough to water report). With a measured gH of 7, the calculated Mg is 12. On top of this I was adding 6ppm. Just does make sense.

Last weekend "mowed" down the plants and changed 80% of the water and started a new dosing level:

N: 25 
P: 5
K: 18 (down from 30)

Adding 3ppm Mg to give a Ca:Mg ratio of 2:1

The above dosing is based on what I have read on @burr740 journal.

First major observation on the first day of the new dosing level: approx 2 hours before lights out, the plants were pearling like crazy...and I mean CRAZY. I have never seen so much pearling. So hopefully this is a good sign.

As of today - day 6 - plants look healthy, same amount of pearling and almost no sign of GDA

FTS:










Assorted pics of tank taken today:


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Very interesting!

So are you going back to 3 equal doses for macros? What are your micros now and before you eased up on them?


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

burr740 said:


> Very interesting!
> 
> So are you going back to 3 equal doses for macros? What are your micros now and before you eased up on them?


Dosing macros 50% after WC and then two additional doses of 25% during the week. Current micros are: 

B	0
Cu	0.008
Fe	0.8
Mn	0.2
Mo	0.006
Ni	0.002
Zn	0.16

There is plenty of B in the tap water. My total weekly dose is 120ml. I dose 30ml after WC and then 15ml everyday for rest of the week.

Prior to this I had a small amount of B and Fe was at 1.2. I dosed at similar levels to macros (50%, 25% and 25%).


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## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

Good to hear you seem to have a handle on the issues - tank pics above look great! Hopefully things continue to improve. I just switched to more of a front load on the macros (NO3; 15, 5 and 5 for a total of 25ppm weekly).


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Really glad to see an update. It's been too long since we saw the tank.

Glad to hear the new dosing scheme is working well. Tank sure looks great, that is for sure. 

Of course, I am a bit biased. Plants, Rainbows, Clown Loaches, Roseline Sharks.................as you can imagine I love the entire presentation!:wink2::wink2:

Keep the updates coming. It will be interesting to see how things develop from here, and to see the plants fill in/get taller.

And the Rainbows are looking great and filling in nicely as well. What species are you keeping now?

Once again, very well done.


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## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

new favorite!


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Greggz said:


> Really glad to see an update. It's been too long since we saw the tank.
> 
> Glad to hear the new dosing scheme is working well. Tank sure looks great, that is for sure.
> 
> ...


Thank you Gregg. Have the following:

Parkinsoni
Boesemani
Irian Red
Kamaka
Picta
Goyder River Trifasciata
Turquoise
Praecox

Bump:


Immortal1 said:


> Good to hear you seem to have a handle on the issues - tank pics above look great! Hopefully things continue to improve. I just switched to more of a front load on the macros (NO3; 15, 5 and 5 for a total of 25ppm weekly).


I think several others have seen the benefits of front loading. Also I think @burr740 is onto something with the whole lower K and higher Mg dosing. Just this small change in dosing and I saw a miraculous result in a few hours.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Very lovely tank. I especially live the anubias driftwood arrangement but I'm biased-love anubias!


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

Looking quite beautiful! Very nice work!

And thank you for sharing you experience with the micros and macros- seems many of us are trending toward lower K recently, and even higher Mg. Always good to learn from what others are doing.


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## Ken Keating1 (Nov 22, 2017)

OreoP said:


> It's been a few months since I have really updated this journal.


Thanks OreoP for starting to post again. Beautiful tank, plus I really like the brightness of the colors, something not normally seen.

I'm subscribed!!!


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Yesterday was the first WC after starting the new lower K dosing and Ca:Mg ratio of 2:1. 

Already seeing promising results - happy healthy plants with good growth and colors popping. The best result for me has been L. Aromatica. Notice the pathetic condition of the lower part of the stems. The new growth after the new dosing looks a lot better. The leaves are bigger, greener and healthier.










Some more random shots showing healthier plants and better colors too. I am in particular impressed with the B. Colorata, P. Kimberly and R.wallichii.























































Now have to learn how to take better pics that are for true in color!!


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

Looking really good! What do you use to take photos? A few months back we had lots of discussion on using pro mode on the newer phone cameras. Can get some pretty awesome results from it (ISO, Shutter Speed, White Blalace, etc.).


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## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Plants are looking great!


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

Another great set of pics!

Good to see you back, and the tank is really looking fantastic!


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## OreoP (Aug 12, 2016)

Grobbins48 said:


> Looking really good! What do you use to take photos? A few months back we had lots of discussion on using pro mode on the newer phone cameras. Can get some pretty awesome results from it (ISO, Shutter Speed, White Blalace, etc.).


Use my cell phone - Motorola G6. Will search for the discussion to look for pointer. Thanks

Bump:


burr740 said:


> Plants are looking great!


Thank you Joe - most of them are from you!!

Bump:


Greggz said:


> Another great set of pics!
> 
> Good to see you back, and the tank is really looking fantastic!


Thank you Gregg!


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## yusufsarac (Feb 20, 2017)

OreoP said:


> Yesterday was the first WC after starting the new lower K dosing and Ca:Mg ratio of 2:1.
> 
> Already seeing promising results - happy healthy plants with good growth and colors popping. The best result for me has been L. Aromatica. Notice the pathetic condition of the lower part of the stems. The new growth after the new dosing looks a lot better. The leaves are bigger, greener and healthier.
> 
> ...


Am l the only one who can not see the pictures ?


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

yusufsarac said:


> Am l the only one who can not see the pictures ?


Yes.

The pics are even in the post you quoted in your post.


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## fablau (Feb 7, 2009)

Great pics and super healthy plants! Great job 

I will be curious to follow the development with the new regimen.

Thanks for sharing all this!


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