# low tech 55 update need help



## Bigga514 (Nov 2, 2011)

next wc use your hand to dust off the moss then siphon water to get sediment out...
i get the same issue in my breeder tank... the moss gets sprayed by my co2/powerhead and basically collects alot of "dust" take a look.


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## speedglas (Jan 18, 2011)

yeah I try to do this ,I also try different nozzle set up on my vaccum hose to syphon the moss with out suck it all haha

I was thinking about redoing the moss on some spot 

thats the green algua that concern me the most ..

this tank is just way harder to keep clean than my other 55 with no live plant ,are planted tank really suppose to be easier to keep clean than non planted or its just a mhyte?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

According to Homer_Simpson some thanks do fine for about 3 months and then start having problems. I think you problem is you don't have enough carbon in the water to balance with the light. Good sources of carbon are Seachem excel, API Co2 booster and Cidex 2%. The cidex 2% can be dilluted to 3:1  solution. I get cidex for $25 on Ebay.

Also thinking a siesta period would help. Like light on 4hrs/ off 2hrs/ on 3hrs. I don't why but it helps me keep my algae under control. I had BBA that destroyed all of my plants.


speedglas said:


> Are planted tank really suppose to be easier to keep clean than non planted or its just a mhyte?


I think they are. I started it for didn't want to do weekly water changes. I dose weekly with Seachem Discus and Seachem Equilibrium. I do water changes monthly. Also when I leave town for a week I don't worry about feeding them, for I know they will find something to sustain them.


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## speedglas (Jan 18, 2011)

I have a brand new bottle of exell but I read that it don't do well with java moss so i stop using it ??

the siesta is an idea !

I couldn't believe doing 1 wc every month !!, 3 day after a wc it get full of crap on sand and window need weekly cleaning also .

If I feed my solo 5" sanchezy every day some time 2-3 time a day with minimal uneaten food (pellet are 1/8" large and he usualy eat about 25 out of 30 )

what kind of bioload it is for this 55 ?

thanks


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

speedglas said:


> I have a brand new bottle of exell but I read that it don't do well with java moss so i stop using it ??


 Oops:icon_redf Forgot about that. Then something like Brightwell aquatics FlorinAxis would work. Then there is diy Co2 you could try.


speedglas said:


> If I feed my solo 5" sanchezy every day some time 2-3 time a day


Well that is 1 of your problems. You are overfeeding your fish. When I did that my nitrates got very high. What are your nitrates? I feed my fish every other day. I have Tetra though. I don't know anyone whom feeds their fish that much.


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## Bigga514 (Nov 2, 2011)

speedglas said:


> I have a brand new bottle of exell but I read that it don't do well with java moss so i stop using it ??


:icon_redf:angryfire

Some things i noticed make sense now!
Good bye excel...


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

It hasn't affect my Taiwan moss.


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## speedglas (Jan 18, 2011)

I only use exell like the 2-3 first weeks , it collect dust since , the reason I feed him lot is the pellet are too small for him and he can eat lots of them before gettin full , so he leave couples left everytime , he is still very small for his age . 

when I say he leave some its more that he don't see them because he never really stop eating as long as he see food...

as for nitrate my kit was empty ,but like you said i'm not surprise if it goes up after feeding like that .


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## nkambae (Feb 26, 2007)

*dirt tank?*

I am thinking you don't have enough plants in there. Perhaps some floating plants will help. Maybe some narrow leaf tenellus or other fast growing low profile plants. How much fertilizer are you dosing? It is possible your plants can't keep up with the amount of fertilizer you are dosing or the converse is true in that one or more fert level could be too low. I have noticed that my low tech tanks seem to require some additional potassium after six months to a year or so. I normally just fertilize my NPTs at the water change which is about every other week. I add a one day EI dose for the size tank I am dealing with. I also add a double dose of excel (Metricide) at the same time and have not noticed any negative effects on my mosses. Are you adding any micro ferts? How often are you adding ferts? How are you measuring you fert additions and levels?

Adding a powerhead to increase circulation can help too. You want to minimize dead spots in your tank where detritus can accumulate. I like to have a flow rate of at least ten tank turn overs per hour. Your Fluval 405 is rated at 340 gallons per hour (under ideal conditions) and is probably running at somewhat less than peak efficiency. So you would definitely benefit from some additional flow. The goal is to have all the plants in the tank moving just a bit in the water flow. You can use a small siphon to suck out uneaten food if there is a lot of it. 

Check out James algae guide here: http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

It will help you positively ID your algae so you can come up with an effective method of combating it. I have also found that lowering my temp to 76 - 78 has helped my fish and plants. Good luck.

stu


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Bigga514 said:


> :icon_redf:angryfire
> 
> Some things i noticed make sense now!
> Good bye excel...


Brightwell aquatics FlorinAxis is a good replacement for excel. Shrimp not sensitive to it. 

FlorinAxis by Brightwell aquatics provide the following:
Citric Acid and Citrate - Organic carbon source .
Magnesium - for enzyme activation.
Humic and Fulvic Acids - Promote nutrient uptake, stimulate root production
Kelp - Natural phytohormones necessary for plant growth and flowering.
Protein Hydrolysate - Slow-release peptides and amino acids


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## speedglas (Jan 18, 2011)

thanks a lot nkambae the link was really helpful 

I have BGA and GSA !!

I think I will try the BGA removal methode ! the GSA reduce a lot almost gone since I reduce my lightning period.. they said cause may be low ferts and poor water circulation and with the driftwood with moss i have couple of deads spots , dirty substrate may also be the cause , the filter is freshly cleaned 1 month ago 

as for my ferts dozing like I said I'm not sure of the name and their amount in the tank I think its phosphate and monophosphate of potassium I get at my local hydroponic store for cheap and I have a bottle of seachem equilibrium , what I do is when my water change is done I fill a 500 ml bottle with tank water and add 2 table spoon of the 3 ferts mentioned and add it to the tank . wc is 20-25% weekly .


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## nkambae (Feb 26, 2007)

I clean my filters weekly and as a result my flow rate is good and I don't have an excess of detritus building up in my filters. I would recommend reading up on EI ferts as they apply to low tech tanks. A weekly 20% water change might not be enough to prevent a build up of one fert or another which can lead to algae issues. I start with a one day EI dose at my water change and adjust from there according the plants' appearance.

When I add ferts I just measure the dry ferts and dump them in near a filter or powerhead output. There is no need to mix dry ferts in water before adding them. The plants and don't care and using the dry ferts straight for the container eliminates one more step in the maintenance process. Just make sure you are dosing nitrogen, phosphate, potassium (n-p-k), and micro ferts.

Are you using ro water or is your tap water really soft and deficient in gh or kh? There isn't any reason to use equilibrium unless you have water that is low in minerals or very soft. Good luck.

stu


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## Scars (Dec 12, 2011)

Ferts and plants aside, 

A solo serra between 3-8" in a 55 gallon with a fluval 405 (with enough biomedia) should be plenty for the bioload. When you took off the hob, you took the beneficial bacteria with it. The bacteria in the 405 had to catch up, which would give you a slight hiccup in your nitrogen cycle. When you live feed, remove any pieces of uneaten food, gravel vac, and water change. Whenever you pellet feed, remove uneaten pellets about 15-30 minutes after they enter the tank. You leaving the uneaten food is probably making more ammonia than the sanchezi. Piranha thrive in 0ppm ammo 0ppm nitrite and 20ish ppm nitrate. Keep the tank clear of detritis and the piranha will provide plenty of ammo for the nitrogen cycle. 

I like the way your tank is aquascaped. Very nice, maybe trim the java moss. Definitely get a powerhead, for a 55gal i'd get a hydor 750 gph or ac70 powerheads. I've never heard of a piranha that didnt benefit from a powerhead.


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## speedglas (Jan 18, 2011)

thanks guys really interresting that all make sense !!

I turn light off 2 days ago, made a 30% wc and today I made another 40% wc with moss trimming , I remove all moss and fishing line that hold it on 2-3 tips of driftwood and some small part stay attached so I hope it will grow back naturally !!

I also bought 2 large anubias and 3 java fern I think not sure ..

I put a sponge on intake to get more mechanical filtration , the powerhead is a great idea to eliminate dead spot and I guess more debris will get to the filter intake with it .

I think my problem in the ferts dosing and understanding what I need more or less (co2 light nitrate) 

is it better to have my light closer and shorter time or higher and longer ?

now i'm at 10-12" above the tank and 7h45 a day

even after a 40%wc with sand vac when I put new water in all the debris come up and slowly fall on the moss and leaf/drifwood , like I can't get it perfectly clean of debris .


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## Scars (Dec 12, 2011)

slow up the feedings, good gravel vacs during wc, clean out uneaten food after each feeding. Youre tank will catch up and level out.


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## speedglas (Jan 18, 2011)

Cool !

I started light yesterday , I clean my little polishing tissu on the intake every day and tank look way better ,I was thinking about putting more polishing pad between the basket in the 405 but i was concerned if it would clog really fast and reduce flow ?


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

speedglas said:


> I think my problem in the ferts dosing and understanding what I need more or less (co2 light nitrate)
> 
> is it better to have my light closer and shorter time or higher and longer ?


There is some Co2 in the water which comes from the air. The less Co2 you have the less light needed. Nitrate level best at 20. Supplied with KNO3 (potassium nitrate)

How high the light should be from the substrate depends on the type of light you have and if injecting Co2. T5HO (high out put) without Co2 injected should be set up as Hyzer did. T8 and T12 need to be as close as possible. What type of light do you have? What is the spectrum of it?


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## speedglas (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks Hilde!

I will buy another test kit to maintain that level to 20 


I remove my sanchezy today and bought 25 rasboras and 5 ottos to start with !

the light is a 48" t5ho 54w 6400 k from www.sunblasterlightning.com with a nano tech reflector in a diy canopy with cherry tint set at about 10-12" off the tank . I reduce my lighting to 7h because I notice little air algua on the new anubias which is closer to the light in the drifwood

I also set an diy c02 last night and was wondering at what dept should the oulet be , because if I put it on the bottom of the sand the pressure build in the bottle and 5-10 bubbles on come every 20-30 seconds.


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