# 1st attempt at (low tech) 55gal



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

OK OK oK....Ive also been a lurker on this forum for a few months and I gotta tell you guys I'm very impressed with the know how and tips found on here. This place should have existed when I was 9 and had my first big FW tank. Gawd I love the internet.

Anyway I'm trying my hand at some stem plants and its day 3 of my setup and things look OK, but I've never used Excel before or any fertilizer sched. So Im looking to all you fishie nerds for some help.

Ive gotta wait for my human tadpoles to be in bed b/4 getting some pics posted so please be patient.

Setup as of 7-21-10
TANK 55 gal (Ive had it since i was 9 and please bare with the scratched glass)

LIGHTS 3 T5 NO with 6700-10000 on for 4 hrs off for 3 hrs and on again another 4. Iim experimenting with this right now and have really good results with getting rid of GSA.

FILTRATION geriatric magnum 350--still kickin but I have a back ordered new Marineland 530 ---any thoughts on this one Ive never tried a canister filter with media trays, I come from the old school VORTEX diatom era (yes it still runs AND i STILL use it) its still THE best water polisher I can find out there. 
Ocellating powerhead attached to a UG filter-- tank has been up and running for 5 yrs with fish only and I can hear the groans via cyberspace, BUT I just can't tear down and redo right now.

Substrate 2 inches of original pea gravel, 2 inches Eco Complete.

Ferts
Root tabs ONLY from 1-10-10 then just this week started adding NPK and Micros, dabbling in Excel, but Im very conservative about adding an embalming ingredient (Gasp) to my tank.

Hardscape 
I come from a dairyfarm originally and anyone on here who farms knows what rock pickin is.....20 yrs plus of it-- i GOTTA rock pile to make a geologist giddy.
Malaysian hardwood x 2
regular hardwood x 2
Also, grandpa Reggie lives on a lake....so i have a spectacular bog wood curing out on the deck IS THIS SAFE??? will i kill my critters with Minnesota lake wood?? Im tempted to do a very weak bleach dip. and let it cure another week or two with a fresh supply of water.

water changes USED to be once a month, of 15 gal (25%) but Im very nervous about these new plants and that Excel stuff and so now its once a week 5 gals (9%). 

Water parameters TODAY via Quick Dip test strip
Nitrates < 20
Nitrite 0
GH 150
KH 80
pH 7.2

Green Critters

purchased 1-10-10
Cryp wendti -- thriving--anybody need some???
Tripical hornwart -- filler plant, but I find its a really good indicator of need for ferts.
Anubas from lfs (maybe nanna petite?) 

hitchhiker plants of questionable pedigree 
is there a "micro" java?? I have a bunch now
some sort of java fern possibly a christmas fern.

Purchased 7-15-10
Hygrophilia angustifolia
Rotala Indica
Spiralis
Hygro Temple, Narrow Leaf 
Java Fern 
unknown mystery plant that came bright red, and day 3 leaves are dropping and turning yellow--so sad.

Swimming Critters

10 Australian threadfin Rainbows
5 ass FEMALE ONLY platties--- I find that if I buy them immature and small then I have no problems with hyper reproduction.
1 female American Flag fish (gotta trade her in for another immature one, shes not doing her algea munching job)
Mated pair Pearl Groumies
1 Pygmy pleco--(nicknamed grumpy by the Two year old)
2 corys ( Steve and Carl---also the two yr old's favorite)
gabillion red ramshorn snail..."mate like rabbits'"more like mate like snails.

Ive had my eye on some Rose line sharks for a while, but Im very attached to current critter population and don't really need to stock heavily.

Hopefully tonight hubbie and I can take some tank shots and get them posted.
I would love to get input on this tank....If I get good at navigation this site I might try and put it on the "tank journal" thingie.

Anybody..
AM I DOING ANYTHING WRONG???
this is my major stress relieving hobby and has been for 20 plus yrs and Id be absolutely crushed if it became a disaster. Not to mention having to eat crow with super smart brainiac husband around.

I dont have the time for the CO2 injection thing, my family is ultimately the limiting factor in this hobby right now and this tank must remain LOW TECH.
This is also a philosophical thing with me...ideally I'd have a tank that would mimic nature without fertilizers, and just the massive water changes but, for now Im somewhere in between.

All for now
Frau.


----------



## jwm5 (May 9, 2010)

so far so good I would say. I am not familiar with the Rose line sharks, but I have two rainbow sharks and they are aggressive/territorial, so be aware of the typical behavior of the shark you mentioned before you put something in that may bully your other fish.

also be careful with the bleach and the driftwood, you wouldn't want any traces leeching back into your tank.


----------



## seadreamer (May 6, 2007)

Human tadpoles...LOL! I love that.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Sounds like a good setup to me!

If your new driftwood will fit in the dishwasher, I've found that running it through there with no chemicals on the "sanitize" cycle is really easy and effective for cleaning, tannin stripping, and helping waterlog driftwood.

I'd add some more Cories to your tank- you've got room for them, and Cories do best kept in schools. I'd get around 5 or so, personally.


----------



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

Whew!!! thanks fellow fish nerds!!!! 

Lauralee--- thanks for the dishwasher tip, i already do that with plastic kid toys to my anal mommy friend's dismay How manny cycles do you think id need to get it fully water logged??? its been in a covered tub for about a week and still not logged---but very smelly. so i changed the water out this morning and am peeking in on it every day or so.

will get more cories too later on but I just added 4 new fish this week so, Im a slow mover and don't like disease, already had one bout of ich this year (sigh)

Jwm5
I think they are Putnius denisonii...theyre somewhere from SE Asia they look like a longer barb but are related to the SE algea eaters, but not as naughty.
hubbie has agreed to help with fancy photo nerd session. (Im kinda pumped to spend some tadpole free time)


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I strongly recommend you get a separate small tank setup to use as a Quarantine tank when stocking, and to keep on hand for a hospital tank if needed. I see completely 10gal setups on craigslist all the time for around $25 or so. I got my own 29gal complete with light, filter, heater, decor, and misc supplies for $20 off of Craigslist a few years ago.

No way to predict how much longer your driftwood will take to sink- my Manzanita wood took I think 6 weeks.

LOL @ tadpole-free time


----------



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

lauraleellbp said:


> I strongly recommend you get a separate small tank setup to use as a Quarantine tank when stocking, and to keep on hand for a hospital tank if needed. I see completely 10gal setups on craigslist all the time for around $25 or so. I got my own 29gal complete with light, filter, heater, decor, and misc supplies for $20 off of Craigslist a few years ago.
> 
> No way to predict how much longer your driftwood will take to sink- my Manzanita wood took I think 6 weeks.
> 
> LOL @ tadpole-free time


Yeah i have a 10 gal with HOB and dedicated equipment that gets a 1/20 bleach treatment between batches of fish...so far where I went wrong this year on the Ich was a bad batch of Cardinals that spent 2 wks in quarantine and then as i dropped them in the show tank I noticed ONE had one little bit of it---too late by then, had already contaminated the tank. (everything else survived )except the re-netted cardinals that went back to the "Death tank" nick named by hubbie. once fish are out of it I do a complete tear down, beach, full rinse of clean tap water, and then store it dry, using only cheapie plastic plants and old nets.


----------



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

added photos new tank


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Looks awesome! roud:


----------



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

You realy think so Lauralee??? I kinda miss my old plants---But I think these plants are more advanced than the previous set up and so im nervous.

When should I start to see roots on my stems? 
And how do I get this cute little Rotala to stay in my gravel? the gravel is rather coarse and so I keep breaking off stems-- I gave my sister about 150 stems because I got frustrated with it but its really thriving and very pretty now (regrets) and lessons.
Gotta go got a two year old in time out who is in a phase one tantrum ---phase 4 eminent.
Frau


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Are you using tweezers to plant your stems? If you can get about 1.5" or so down into the substrate it usually stays put. Or if the stem is too long so it keeps catching in the current you may need to trim it down- cut it in half and plant both halves.

If you've got cories or other catfish in the tank, that may be the problem- they're like bulls in china shops LOL


----------



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

Just went to work yest and got a long pair of tweezers, gonna try that, I'm not happy with the scape right now but im sitting on my busy hands waiting for this darn driftwood to cure... thanks for the dishwasher tip....used it and passed it along to another poster in the same position.

I feel like I need more substrate on the bottom, Dr fosters smith having a sale right now and off i go......to spend some green.


----------



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

*2 week woes*

55 gal update---problems 
2 weeks since I introduced new low- med light plants and I have some problems.
STATS via quick dip
nitrates< 20
nitrites 0
GH 75-150
KH 80
pH 7.2

Excell every other day (1/2 cap full)
NK only 2x week (dosed P every other week) micros including iron 1x week. wc 20% once a week.
1) My willow hygro is dropping its leaves BUT there is some new growth from the nodes that leaves are dropping, also the stems seem to be much softer than when the plants arrived from Dr fosters and smith (1st time ordering plants with them) secondarily it looks like the part of the stem in the substrate is rotting off on this plant so it is constantly floating to the surface.
My other new plants all seem to be doing well, even the plant that is an unknown possible rotala that dropped its leaves when first arriving is growing new leaflets and roots. 
2) My crypts are also melting more than prior to the new plant acquisitions and they were absolutely fabulous ( they get root tabs 2x month)

what am I missing?
more light? more secret green thumb experience? nutrient deficiency? or just impatient and needing more time for this plant to acclimate?

feedback wanted please.....I need some pointers on how to take a good photo too, and how to upload for a NON-techie, non- computer savvy use. so that i can try and get this up on the tank journal 
Frau


----------



## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

most commercially grown plants are inn their emmersed state. it can take some time for them to change into their submersed state. that sounds like what is most likely happening here. give them some time. low tech tanks seem like transitions take longer. the crypts might melt all the way down to nothing before they bounce back. i also noticed that when i was dosing excel that it works best when dosed daily.


----------



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

Thanks Old Punk78---Im a 77 myself lol...... that would explain why ALL of the plants i got from Drfostersmith clearance sale were a bargain......but maybe in the long run a better purchase could have been made elsewhere.

all this info and counter info on Excel has me nervous, how much were you dosing per gal?, I have some pretty hardy low mnts fish so Im thinking of upping my dose b/c i have noticed an increase in varieties of algae uggg. and from what Ive gathered about it, it s NOT an algaecide? JUST a carbon source right????

there should be a thread posted for just excel on here i swear!!!!


----------



## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

If you follow the instructions provided by Seachem concerning the Excel, then you'll be fine unless you have some very sensitive plants (vals, for one). At the recommended dosage, Excel will mainly be a carbon source for the plants. At double the dosage it will provide carbon and help eliminate algae (you'll still likely need to find the root cause for the excess algae if you wish to rid the tank of it).

Excel lasts one day within the tank so I don't see the reason for not dosing it seven days a week.


----------



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

dj its more of a time thing with me.....i just sometimes forget to do it early in the am when my kids get up. I never had algae issues until my old t8s burned out and ive replaced with t5nos at 120watts. and that happened in march so now ive tried dosing with excel for the plants (discovered this site around june) and decreased my photo period from 12 hrs down to 10, i might cut it back to 8, and get a group of otos this week so maybe that will help.

this is really fun on here, hanging with other aquarists and doing a hobby again, ive been out of fish keeping and am just getting my algae points again.
thanks to all the great smart people im getting all the answers
frau


----------



## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Frau Frankenstein said:


> nitrates< 20
> nitrites 0
> GH 75-150
> KH 80
> ...


Wow!! Fantastic layout. Plants seem to being fine. Amazed all is growing well with hard water an limited addition of Co2. This is a rare find so expect plants to go through and adjustment time and loose some leaves. I just think you need something long on the left side like the java fern on the right side. Perhaps hygrophilia willow or more java fern. I would post this at http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/low-tech-forum/99729-low-tech-tank-show-tell-new-post.html


Frau Frankenstein said:


> I never had algae issues until my old t8s burned out and ive replaced with t5nos at 120watts. Decreased my photo period from 12 hrs down to


Lights are the engine. I would decrease the lights to 3hr 2xs with 3hr siesta 1st week. Second week 3hr 2xs with 3hr siesta. Finish with 5hr 2xs with 3hr siesta. Also dose at least 2ml of Excel daily for a week. Having a siesta period helps some, as myself, deal with algae.



dj2005 said:


> Excel lasts one day within the tank so I don't see the reason for not dosing it seven days a week.


I get by dosing it weekly in my tank. I wonder if that is because I have reptile coconut bark in my tank.


----------



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

Wow!! Fantastic layout. Plants seem to being fine. Amazed all is growing well with hard water an limited addition of Co2. This is a rare find so expect plants to go through and adjustment time and loose some leaves. I just think you need something long on the left side like the java fern on the right side. Perhaps hygrophilia willow or more java fern. I would post this at http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lo...-new-post.html

Quote:
Thanks Hilde!!! I tried that whole siesta thing and thats when i noticed the leaves dropping, so now ive got it up to 8hrs straight and am gonna go get some algae otos cookin in quarentine. I have a new scape in mind with willow hygro on the L side and grouping my new java fern on the R....BUT i have a MASSIVE MN bogwood curing on the deck so maybe next week to 2 weeks more like 3 with my time schedule. time I'll have new pics and post for this tank. I really am a first timer at this. all in all its going well except my crypt wendti have started melting since i added stems and mucked about in the substrate. they were the glory of this tank at 12-14 inches mature. now a spindly little 5-6inchs : (.... that link you sent for the forum is it needed in the lighting section??....Im sure someone else has had this problem before, i went from 1.5 watts/gal to 2.2 with the T5s so im not surprised about my algae boom.


----------



## dj2005 (Apr 23, 2009)

Frau Frankenstein said:


> decreased my photo period from 12 hrs down to 10, i might cut it back to 8


Eight hours is a good idea, IMO.


----------



## Frau Frankenstein (Jul 22, 2010)

Update....My driftwood curing for about 21/2 weeks rotted in the backyard, despite the dishwasher sterilization technique x 3.  Anyway Ive rescaped and added a few plants too but Im disappointed in the driftwood smelling like rotten veggies. I even bleached it and then ran it through a clean water rinse---still stinks 1 week later in clean tap water.

DAREST I put it in???


Plants added
Brown/rust speckled lotus

Fish added
2 electric blue rams
1 pleco 
1 flying fox -- I was talked out of the otos and I dont really see him working on the small bunches of algae (hmmm)

equipment update 
just installed a new magnum c360 and put the old one out to pasture.
Looked at my lighting fixture and it appears I have T8s...not T5 NO.

questions.
1. If I just cap off my UG filter will my plants eventually have problems with their roots draping in the grunge underneath? mind you there is about 5 yrs worth of grunge and i currently having a powerhead hooked directly up to it and so its still pulling. 
if so, I might have to do a total tear down and redo soon, 
2. Why are all plants thriving except for this giant hygro that is supposedly easy? anyone have experiences or tricks? I have it in various places in the tank with different lighting exposure, and nothing seems to work where ever i put it-- it rots off 2-3 inches, despite having new growth.(maybe i just have bad juju with this species and should give it a dirt nap???)
3.do flying foxes do better in schools-- he seems lonely and is trying to school with my threadfins.
4, since i have 120 watts of t8s, is this the same as 120 watts of t5s? I have 2 6500 k and one 10000 k bulbs running at 12 hrs a day. I tried 8...no good, plants dropped leaves, I tried 10 for about a week and also no good. Im dosing excel right now every day to beat the algae.
Macros 2 x week, and micros 1xweek.
root tabs under root feeders 2xmonth.
any ideas????


----------

