Planning to replant low-tech tank - any tips?

[stillnzcookie]

After three years of ill health, I am well enough to take back responsibility of our fish tank - under hubby's watch, water changes only happened once or twice a month, and plant maintenance was fairly negligible, so it's currently not looking its best (to be fair to hubby, he was also trying to run a business and look after me and the kids, so I'm eternally grateful to him).

Our tank is a 60L Elite brand set-up, so it will be a low-tech, low-light tank. It has a dark gravel substrate, which I plan to keep, a lump of driftwood, and currently some very sad looking Java Fern and Ambulia. Current inhabitants are Panda Corydoras, Harlequin Rasboras and Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish, which are all thriving on weekly water changes!

I have been reading about setting up and maintaining low-tech tanks, and my current thought is that I will plant the tank much more heavily than it is right now, to hopefully reduce algae build-up (we have had major issues with algae, especially BBA), and dose with Excel. I'm also planning to upgrade the light tube - we had one we bought from Organism, which was supposed to be good for plant growth, and when it blew, we replaced it with the only one from our LFS that was the right size, which is when all our algae problems started! One of my concerns is that the Excel may lower pH - we already struggle to keep it above pH 6. Is this a valid concern? Does all of this sound about right?

One of the things I read said that, if you have a low-tech tank, you should never do a water change, as the change in water chemistry can create algae problems. While I'm going to take that advice with a grain of salt, as it goes against everything else I have read, it did make me wonder if I am changing too much water each week - about how much should I be doing?

For plants, I'm planning to grow Java Fern all over the driftwood, get lots more Ambulia, and also Anubias and Java Moss. Are there any other plants that would grow well in low light conditions that might be worth considering?

I'm still trying to plan layouts that might work - the tank is on the corner of our kitchen bench, so is viewable from three side (two long, one short). I'd love to be able to hide the heater and filter, but I'm not sure yet the best way to do so.

I've been looking at some plants on TM - if I buy them, should I "clean" them somehow before adding them to the tank, and if so, how? Also, what is the best way to clean things like heaters, driftwood etc that are covered in algae?

Thanks in advance for any advice! I don't have a camera that works, but I'll ask hubby to take before and after shots when we make the change :happy2:

[TomGilberg]

water changes are a must!

i change 50% weekly minimum.

plants really like water changes.

other low light plants.

cryptocoryne species are great low light plants. they come in numerous shapes ,sizes and colours.

when recieveing new plants give them a gentel rinse under the tap, thats all i do.

also remove damaged leaves, as thesewill just die and rot in your tank.

[Sophia]

One of the things I read said that, if you have a low-tech tank, you should never do a water change, as the change in water chemistry can create algae problems. While I'm going to take that advice with a grain of salt, as it goes against everything else I have read, it did make me wonder if I am changing too much water each week - about how much should I be doing?

Absolute minimum, like 10% or less if you are going to follow the philosophy to the letter.

Have a read through the algae vs ferts vs light thread in here and see Jennifer's advice to me in particular. I have low lighted times and low light plants, the hair algae in my planted tank was at its least when I changed little or no water. You will pretty much just have to wait till everything has settled in and experiment and see what likes to grow under the conditions you provide and how to combat any algae that starts to compete with the plants. Low light can mean slow growing plants meaning that nutrients are left in the water column for the algae to chomp on.

[Caryl]

I am one of those who only does water changes once every few months. The tank does get topped up in between as the water level drops in summer through evaporation. I have lots of plants and less fish. Very little algae sometimes at most. Standard daylight tubes and never add any chemicals or fertilisers. Filter gets cleaned every 18mths - 2 years or so, if required.

My aquarium is a lot larger than yours though and I don't know if that makes a difference.

[amtiskaw]

water changes are a must!

i change 50% weekly minimum.

plants really like water changes.

Depends on your water. If you have high nitrates and/or phosphates out of the tap then frequent water changes can lead to algae.

Each case is unique and needs trial and error to find a balance

[Dr A]

Sounds like a good time to give the walstad method a go?

[ilwis]

i just do water changes of how ever much i feel like (usually 50%) when the ammonia comes up so some of my tanks are each week some not for months because it never comes up anyway so i just do one because its good for the fish also i find if i ever get a bit of algae in the tank i just put a brisslenose or a pleco in the tank and that soon fixes it right up so most of my tanks are very low maintenance

also with he plants if your red/purple plants are not bright then they don't have enough light they are more light hungry than green ones (generally) and if your green ones are not looking crisp either something is eating them or if its kinda brown also not enough light

but that's mostly all ya have to think about everything else is kinda more like how many fish can i have

oh i don't clean my heater i rinse my plants sometimes when putting them in

and if your water is turning brown its coming out of the wood tho if its not its because your wood has had all the die leached out of it

[stillnzcookie]

cryptocoryne species are great low light plants. they come in numerous shapes ,sizes and colours.

Thanks, will investigate further. Are they easy or hard to keep?

Have a read through the algae vs ferts vs light thread in here and see Jennifer's advice to me in particular.

Thanks, I read through this thread a while back, but will go through it again.

Sounds like a good time to give the walstad method a go?

Yes! I have never heard of this, but I googled it to find out what it was, and it is exactly what I've been wondering is possible. I'll look into it further, thanks!

if your red/purple plants are not bright then they don't have enough light they are more light hungry than green ones (generally) and if your green ones are not looking crisp either something is eating them or if its kinda brown also not enough light

Thanks, I knew red/purple plants needed more light, so I wasn't considering any of them, but I didn't know that green plants turning brown could be due to not enough light - that could be part of the problem we're having at the moment.

Thanks so much for all the advice - I'm getting quite excited about giving the tank an overhaul!

[ilwis]

Sounds like a good time to give the walstad method a go?

i didn't know about this method but had thought about it then figured must be no point or i would have heard about it, but after reading about it im defiantly giving it a go any recommended potting mix or soil to try in nz?

[Dr A]

Ha, I'm no expert, but to muddy the figurative waters more there's side by side comparisons floating about online vs a guy called Tom Barr (who runs his own website)'s technique for low tech tanks. Evidentially his outperform the walstad technique in a few different metrics.

As for what people in NZ use, you could use any organic potting mix. I've got Dalton's Aquatic mix in mine, which lots of people on here use too (avail at bunnings).

[Li@m]

Here is my old low tech tank, it had star grass, java fern, anubias, crypts, xmass moss and some rotala in the back. i used jbl floraPro caped with gravel. I also had 2 or3 t8s i can't remember.

To clean drift wood that has algae all over it, scrub as much of it off as you can and then put it in boiling water for a few minutes.

In terms of a tank where you see 3 sides that tyou want presentable, maybe try an island style aquarium.

Check out these links.

http://www.leonardosreef.com/2012/09/de ... -aquarium/ (scroll down and have a read.)

http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/ar ... en-machine

[ilwis]

:gpo2: very cool

[stillnzcookie]

:iag: Li@m, if I could get a tank looking like that, I'd be stoked! Thanks for the links, I spent a fascinating hour looking through them when I was supposed to be doing chores last night! I think my wee tank would be too small for the island style, but it has certainly given me some ideas, so thanks!

Would dwarf sagittaria work in my tank, or is the lighting not enough?Another plant I've been looking at is hygrophila polysperma - again, yes/no? I'm pretty sure the LFS has some, so I think I'll grab some when I'm in town tomorrow.

Right, the kids are playing outside, and I've just sat down with a cup of tea, so time to grab the pencil and paper and start planning!

[Dr A]

Hygrophilia grows super well in my tank.

You really need to figure out your wattage and other lighting parameters are though...? Once you've got that sort of basic stuff down any plant care-sheet should steer you in the correct direction.

[Li@m]

If i am correct your tank is 60x30x35cm and has a single T8 in the hood. Dwarf sag will grown in your tank but it will grow quite tall because of the amount of light. Hygrophila polysperma will also grow in your tank. Plants i would recommend are Java Fern, Dwarf sag, hygrophila polysperma, crypts, Amublia and Anubias.

An island style is very possible in your aquarium. You will need a few decent sized rocks and a few more bits of drift wood. or you could do without the drift wood and put java/anubias ferns all through the rocks.

My tank in that picture is 60x40x40cm. HTH.

[stillnzcookie]

Right, I did a big clean out of the tank last night - I boiled the driftwood (which worked wonders!), took out all the plants and cut off all the dead leaves/algae covered leaves etc, put in a new lamp (hood only has room for one T8, but I got a tropical bulb, which is supposed to be better for plant growth), and scrubbed all the algae off the tank and hardware. It's not the way it's going to stay, but already it looks a whole lot better! I now have Java Fern tied all over the big piece of driftwood, and three other little pieces also with Java fern. After last week's water change, there was some green growth at the top of the Ambulia, so I cut that off and shoved it back in the gravel - not sure if it will survive, but I'm planning to buy more anyway.

I think I will stick with my original plan of using just Java Fern, Java Moss, Ambulia and Anubius, as I think that will give a nice contrast of leaf shapes and textures. With these plants, I'm not sure a Walstad-type tank would be viable, as most of them will not be getting their nutrients from the substrate. Am I correct in this, or is there something I am missing about how aquatic plants grow?

I have also decided (I think!) to turn the tank around 90 degrees on the bench, so that the filter and heater will be against the wall, not on the kitchen side that you can see. However, this probably means that I need to get an internal filter instead of the HOB that came with the tank, so that it will sit closer to the wall. It will make for a much easier tank layout, I think, as I will go for a roughly triangular shape, which should screen the filter and heater, then leave some open swimming space at the front.

Sorry I don't have a camera, so I can't show you how it's looking yet. I am going to buy some plants over the next week, and am hoping to be able to make the change Saturday week, when hubby will be home with his camera. Thanks again to everyone for all the advice

[stillnzcookie]

Just a couple of quick questions:

I am looking at getting an Aqua One 102F internal filter - can anyone tell me how quiet or noisy they are?

I presume I need to run the old filter and the new filter together for a while before I remove the old filter? How long will I need to do this for? Is there anything else I need to do to change to a new filter?

[ilwis]

what i would tend to do (tho not knowing how those 2 filters look like as im no filter guru) i would put the bio media from the old filter (usually hard white things) into the new filter (replacing the new stuff) and maybe some of the sponges and that would be me done, some people would say run them together for a while and other stuff but i think that would be fine as is because it would keep most of the good stuff doing that anyway

[TomGilberg]

As said putting the d Filter media into the New filter works well.

Crypts are Super easy really rewarding plants, the have a really nice variation in colours, they do however require good root fertilisation. I would really recomend getting a substrate fert, if you ever want to get plants that Need it you wont have the hassle oh changing it, the ambulia will thank you to.

[stillnzcookie]

By substrate fert, I presume you just mean one of the aquarium substrates you can buy? If so, which ones do you recommend, how much is it likely to cost, and where would I buy it? Also, how long do they last, and what do you do when all the nutrients have been used up - do you need to replace the substrate, or will it be replenished by fish waste, liquid ferts etc?

I bought some anubias, which arrived this morning, and I bought an internal filter yesterday, but I still need to get some more fast-growing plants, so the big re-vamp will probably have to wait another week. I keep thinking I've made my mind up on what I'm doing, then I start having second thoughts, so I'm not sure if another week of planning will be a good or a bad thing!

[Adrienne]

I am just checking here but you do know that anubias do not get planted in the substrate? They are attached to driftwood, rocks or ornaments like java fern.

Your alternative option to a substrate fertiliser is something like JBL root balls or root tabs which you push into the gravel at the base of the plant. This is another type of slow release fertiliser.

[stillnzcookie]

Thanks, Adrienne. Yes, I realise Anubias shouldn't be planted in the substrate - this is why I'm not going to try a Walstad-type tank this time, as I will have Java fern, Anubias and Java or Christmas moss, so the Ambulia (and maybe Hygrophila Polysperma - I'm still deciding) will be the only thing actually planted in the substrate. I think I will stick with the gravel substrate (which has a good layer of mulm underneath it), and just use fertiliser tabs or sticks under the Ambulia to give it a boost.

[Caryl]

My Anubias is planted - not deeply though. It does just as well like that or attached to driftwood.

[Godly3vil]

You can plant anubias with no problems as long as you keep the rhizome above the substrate, I find it can actually grow better this way if you have substrate ferts.

[Adrienne]

You can plant anubias with no problems as long as you keep the rhizome above the substrate, I find it can actually grow better this way if you have substrate ferts.

hmm might give it a test then as well