200gal Ada Style Tank With Hc/belem

Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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Thanks. I moved it up.
I'll have to remember to lower it into the water during the water changes...

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Christophe

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kH consumption: Tank kH drops from 3 to 2 in about 3-4 days. I'm assuming that's "normal"?
Some drop is to be expected, but that sounds like a big drop. Might be an indication that things are consuming carbonate as a carbon source -- double-check your CO2 & pH drop?

I did get a 1lb of KHCO3 on amazon....it was $11, but that since I'll probably go thru 80gms a week, I may have to buy it in larger quantities.
Interestingly, the seachem ALK buffer(at 600gms) for $11 is a cheaper...but I'm trying to stick with KHCO3 since between this and the Equilibrium I use for RO water reconstitution, I will have plenty of K, and no need to do any K dosing.
Consider other sources for a number of your additives. Home brewing/winemaking shops -- piwine.com for example has food-grade KHCO3 8 lbs for $40. You can also get CaSO4 and CaCl at brewing shops. MgSO4 you can get at any pharmacy for like a dollar a pound. Rolling your own vs buying prefabs like Equilibrium can save you a lot, and give you more control also.

Consider also blending your RO with tap water to some extent -- some of what you need in the tank water is already in the tap, as long as there aren't a lot of things you don't want (sodium, I'm looking at you!)
 

Allwissend

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kH consumption: Tank kH drops from 3 to 2 in about 3-4 days. I'm assuming that's "normal"?

It is not plant uptake if CO2 is high enough, but the effect of Aquasoil. This is to be expected with Aquasoil, especially if new. It will stabilize itself, no need to continue adding CO3 as you will only use it up faster.
 

Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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Yep Allwissend, the Aquasoil is new... it's only been a 1week since the tank was filled..and the tank has a fair amount of it...95 Litres of it and the 18L of powersand, so I guess the Aquasoil is what is softening the water.

I did look at prices on Amazon for K2SO4, CaSO4 and MgSO4......prices for 5lb bags are 16.99, 1399 and 15.99.
So if I mix this in 2:1:1 parts respectively, I can make a GH booster at a cost of $3.2 a pound.
600gm of Seachem Equilibrium is $11.42 on Amazon, which is $8.40 a pound.
That's a nice savings!
Thanks for the tip Christophe!
 
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Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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It is now 2 weeks since tank was filled. Looking back at the initial pics from day1, I can see the belem dwarf hairgrass and the HC is definitely filling in now.
I added the E vivipara(at the back) at week1, and it's added a few inches in the past 7 days as well.
Water test: gh=5; kh=2; TDS=325; Ammonia=1.5; Nitrite=2, Nitrate=30.
Tank is still cycling, but Ammonia is down from 7ppm(last week) so maybe another 2weeks left.

Lights were at ~60 PAR at substrate, but I'm seeing a little bit of Algae, so I just now turned it back down to ~50 PAR at substrate. Still 6hrs a day.
pH target for CO2(solenoid valve) is 6.25, which should be 35ppm for kH=2.

I've upped the UV to 9hrs/day.....it's a 40W Pentair inline UV, so it tends to raise the temp, so I don't generally run it 24/7, and tank is cycling too now.
I also swapped out the Ocean clear 325 filter cartridge for a fresh one.
I have the fans(blow over the surface) kick in at 77.5F and shut off at 77F.

Added 74ml of Excel(ml per 10glns of water volume). I added a new skimmer also.

I'm hoping the reduced PAR(now at ~50 for 6hrs), extra UV hrs, help keep the Algae under control.

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geektom

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A beautiful tank and very impressive hardware. Going to look great once it is all filled in. For your hardscape, have you considered grouping the smaller stones together with the large ones to form 2-3 islands, rather than have them all standing individually? Once things grow in, most of those smaller stones will be lost.
 

Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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Thanks!
I was hoping the smaller stones don't get covered by the belem and HC. I was told the Eleocharis Belem, which is supposed to be a very short variety of dwarf hairgrass wouldn't grow past 1-1.15inches. So far, I'm seeing it spread sideways quite a bit, and not get taller than 1-1.25 inch.
The smaller stones on the 2 sides(1/3 or so from each side) are also an attempt to serve as a border between the HC and belem.
I was considering getting more stone(2 or 3 14-16in ones), but I'm afraid of algae at the top of them due to the closeness to the light.
I'll keep the option of regrouping in a few weeks depending on how this fills in.
 

Tom Barr

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More water changes till after say 1-2 months, like 3x a week or so, 50-90%, add ferts after, only 1/4 EI as you do not have much biomass and rich sediment.
60-70 umol is fine for the lighting, 8 hours a day.

Co2, get this up in the 40-50's. and eye ball it. Cards are fine at that amount, so are RCS.
Discus are going to have more trouble in this tank given that filter and flow.
SAE's are lazy as they age.

Buy some more Ohko stones, like 5X this amount.
Cost a bit, but if you go big tank, you go big hardscape materials
 

Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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More water changes till after say 1-2 months, like 3x a week or so, 50-90%, add ferts after, only 1/4 EI as you do not have much biomass and rich sediment.
60-70 umol is fine for the lighting, 8 hours a day.

Co2, get this up in the 40-50's. and eye ball it. Cards are fine at that amount, so are RCS.
Discus are going to have more trouble in this tank given that filter and flow.
SAE's are lazy as they age.

Buy some more Ohko stones, like 5X this amount.
Cost a bit, but if you go big tank, you go big hardscape materials

Thanks for the feedback.
I've been using Seachem Equilibium and KHCO3(for kH), and still measuring 30ppm of Nitrate in the water, but I haven't started any ferts yet....I'll start 1/4 EI today.

I have some new CO2 diffusers coming...since I'm having trouble keeping the CO2 right now.
...also planning to get some big ohko pieces,I too was feeling the 20 lbs of Ohko I have now is inadequate.

So true about the SAEs....I've had mine for 4yrs now....they are big...and basically behave as if they are "retired"!.
 

Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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Iv'e been developing some algae on the ohko stones and on the substrate(a few patches), so yesterday, I did a h202 treatment and then a 75% WC and then added excel.
Cleaned the stones and substrate during the water change.
Ammonia/Nitrite were at 0 according to the test kit, but I had done this after the WC, so I'll test again in a few days.
kh=2.5, so CO2 is set to run till pH hits 6.15.
Lights are still at 40-60PAR for 6hrs. I got right of the Ehiem heater and addeda Cobalt heater and also replaced the suction cups for the CO2 line with black cups.....looks a little nicer now.
Photo is from today, which is 3 weeks since tank was filled.
The Eleocharis Vivipara has grown about 6-78 inches in the past 2 weeks and is spreading in the back well, as is the belem and the HC.
Started 1/4 dose of EI also.

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Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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Week4 now.
Did another 2/3 water change. Used RO + Equilibrium.
Algae seems to be coming back on the dragon stone, but the brown algae(diatoms) on the glass along the substrate is gone.
Ammonia/Nitrite are at 0 now, so I'm going to place an order for RCS and Cardinals.

Tank Parameters: kH=2, gH=5, TDS=210, temp=77F.
LIghts a 40-60PAR(at substrate) for 6hrs. CO2 set to cut off at 6.15(about 50pmm CO2).
EI at 1/4 dose.

Any suggestions for the green algae on the Dragon Stone?
Any suggestions for where I could get some really large Dragon stone pieces?

The E.vivipara seems to be growing nicely now, and E.belem is filling in. HC is filling in more slowly but still making steady progress.

Thanks,

Lakshmi

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Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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week5:
Added some RCS.
Did another wc....only 1/3 this time....I read RCS don't like big water changes.
Also dialed back the lights and CO2 a little...for the RCS, and will watch them and dial back up over time.
Plants seem to be growing in nicely, especially the E.vivipara in the back.
I did finally get some some really big Ohko stones from AFA...3 stones 40lbs combined....one is a mega rock...probably 20+.
Haven't had a chance to wash them so I'll add this into the tank next WC.

View attachment 12284

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Kyalgae

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week5:
Added some RCS.
Did another wc....only 1/3 this time....I read RCS don't like big water changes.
Also dialed back the lights and CO2 a little...for the RCS, and will watch them and dial back up over time.
Plants seem to be growing in nicely, especially the E.vivipara in the back.
I did finally get some some really big Ohko stones from AFA...3 stones 40lbs combined....one is a mega rock...probably 20+.
Haven't had a chance to wash them so I'll add this into the tank next WC.

If you see your shrimp eating, and the females getting yellow saddles, I can’t see water change size having any effect on them. I’ve had the same line of shrimp for a couple years now and I’ve never killed them from water changes, even 90%. I have killed them from low O2 levels at higher CO2 injection. You’ll know, your shrimp will go still, stop foraging for food, and just sit there when they get stressed.
 

Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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I did vacuum up a few dead shrimp during yesterday's WC....my CO2 was on the high side(40-50ppm), so I'm assuming that had an impact, and I've lowered the pH trip point for the CO2 solenoid(kh=2) to target 20ppm, and increase over a few days based on how the RCS are doing.
I've cut back the lights as well now since CO2 has been dialed back.

Have you seen any impact on well the shrimping breeding is impacted by CO2 ?

I'd like to wait for the shrimp colony size to increase before adding fish(cardinal tetras).....
 

Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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wk6:
Added the larger pieces of Okho stone, and took out some of the smaller ones.
With these new pieces, I think I'm done with hardscape.
The middle pyramid like piece has a lot of hiding places for the baby shrimp, which I see throughout the tank now.
Only algae growth now is on the older Okho stones.

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Lakshmi Jagnnathan

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wk8:
Most of the plants are decently grown in at this point.
HC and Crypts still have a ways to go, but hopefully that will fill in up to the glass in a few more weeks.
I have a a lot(100+) shrimp babies, but I'm finding about 1 dead adult shrimp every week....not sure why...I have added mineral stones and I add a few shrimp food tabs.
Any thoughts on the adult shrimp deaths?

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