My very first tank journal - Page 8

05-06-2011, 08:44 PM

Hi jon san,

Nice tank there, a good try for the first time. At first i also made alot of trial and errors, some crucial mistakes. I used those bottles of bacteria bloom and those anti-cloudiness chemical in my tank (although they stated to be harmless to the fishes) but i am still doubtful of their ability. Instead of clearing up my tank, i think those chemical actually make it worst and needed even more days to stabilise the parameters and appearance. Another problem is the driftwood, it is a 'must' thing to soak / boil your driftwood for days before you invite it to sit in your aquarium. Or not you will see your tank become really yellowish and not satisfying at all. I search that added carbon into the cannister will help, but then it really doesnt do much use, and it will again affect your parameters, and the carbon itself is naturally black, so it will make your tank looks even darker. After those experiments, i came into a conclusion: Let the tank runs smoothly by itself with the normal classic filtering system and a frequent water change. Yes it looks simple and inexpensive, without having you to put any more addition CR in the tank, you can get a much more promising result. And this is why my tank looks crystal clear; no cloudiness, no ammonia bloom, no blur side. All thanks to nature that works! =)

But of course, if you never try, you never know. Patience is the key to good aquatic performance i must say. Pocket burns alot of holes but also learnt alot from the mistakes. I hope that your problem will all be solve soon, and i anticipate to see your clear and beautiful planted tank. Do post more photos. Anyway, i will be starting my journal as well, lets work together for a better aquatic experience. =) Anyway congrat on your marriage. Happy loving!

PS: Nature is the art of god and the best designer. =)

Jon-san · 08-06-2011, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanut8787

Nice Cory tank you got there. Aren't you thinking of using any oyama?

Thanks for your compliment! The tank doesn't look so nice now though. Am struggling to maintain the water clarity ever since i added the suckerfish. Alot of wastes generated and my HOF is working as hard as it can. However, it chokes up too often due to the pleco waste. Problem is I do not have anymore spare tanks to transfer the suckerfish to. Also can't post in buy/sell thread to look for adopters, so i'm stuck in a quandary. I don't wanna release them into any reservoirs or waterways, coz it's heartpain. Quite lost atm...

Combined with the fact that I have to shift house soon... Lol... haiz... Will have to think up something... This sucks...

08-06-2011, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon-san

Thanks for your compliment! The tank doesn't look so nice now though. Am struggling to maintain the water clarity ever since i added the suckerfish. Alot of wastes generated and my HOF is working as hard as it can. However, it chokes up too often due to the pleco waste. Problem is I do not have anymore spare tanks to transfer the suckerfish to. Also can't post in buy/sell thread to look for adopters, so i'm stuck in a quandary. I don't wanna release them into any reservoirs or waterways, coz it's heartpain. Quite lost atm...

Combined with the fact that I have to shift house soon... Lol... haiz... Will have to think up something... This sucks...

Don't worry too much. Just move house first, I am sure the solution will come later.

Jon-san · 09-06-2011, 12:49 PM

Just sharing a few more photos. Notice how bad the water is now. Hmmm... Was also testing out a DIY K1 Moving Media Filter.

Corydoras Concolors

A plump little Corydoras Sterbai. They've bulked up quite a bit since I got them.

The common suckerfish. Was just a slim, short fellow when I first got him 2 months ago. Look at his size now!

And those eyes! Staring straight at me... *shudders*

Mexican Dwarf Crayfish. The Sterbai in the background can be used for size comparison. This fellow has moulted twice since I got him.

And now, the pic I dread most to show, the FTS...

Notice how much changes have been done? No more frogbits, Driftwood position changed, Added DIY K1 MMF. In the latest update, I have a air-powered box filter below the K1 Canister. The box filter has improved the water clarity somewhat, but nowhere near satisfactory levels yet. Will rescape the entire tank once I have shifted to my new place. Definitely am going to SOAK THE BOGWOODS LONGER!

Thanks for viewing and any comments, good or bad, are welcome.

Jon-san · 25-06-2011, 06:22 PM

Just upgraded to an eheim 2213. Very happy now with the flowrate. There's a strong current on one side of the tank which is attracting all of my cories. They seem to thoroughly enjoy swimming against the current. Also going to re-scape a bit. Will post up pics of the bare tank when I have time to take some pics. Need some suggestions.

Jon-san · 30-06-2011, 03:42 PM

Some pictorial updates after the last teardown.

The FTS

The Moss Wall wannabe

Moss on Lava Rock trial-run

The Sterbais and Concolors

The Hardscape

Piggy-backing a ride

My Dymax cooling fan

Any comments welcome. Need some new ideas while waiting for the 2nd attempt moss wall and moss-on-rocks to grow out. Currently running in the Eheim 2213, so my Aquaclear is still left on board. Thanks and Enjoy!

Jon-san · 30-06-2011, 05:18 PM

My Eheim 2213 Setup. Sorry for the untidy layout. It's a temporary setup until I move to my new place. Current media in use is, from bottom, Eheim coarse blue sponge, Mr. Aqua CR, Eheim Substrate Pro, Eheim fine white filter wool. Any comments and sharing welcome!

The specs

The canister

Eheim's double tap - Best tool ever for canister filters, imho!

A desperate escapee on my DIY rainbar!

And my messy tubings

The old soon-to-be-decommed Hagen Aquaclear 50

Thanks for viewing!

01-07-2011, 11:36 AM

why all the close up shots of stuff that does not matter?

Show us the good points of your tank scaping.

Jon-san · 05-10-2011, 01:40 AM

Just wanted to share some more pics of this tank. It's undergone re-scape after re-scape. Going to be decommed soon coz my house renovations are almost complete. The current installation will probably be the last for this setup, until I can get things running again in my new place.

A re-scape from the last setup

My beloved Black Phantom Tetras, reared from around 1 inch to about 1.5 inch now

Some of my first batch of guppy fries, now turned into juves.

This is my current, and probably, last installation until I decomm this tank for the moving out. It's a hodge-podge of plants that I'm testing out for survivability. Please excuse the breeder box blocking the front of the tank.

The view inside the breeder box. A bunch of Sakuras inside there. Waiting for their colours to settle down before I separate the redder ones out.

To be continued...

05-10-2011, 01:46 AM

what a waste that u be decomming them man.. LOOKS GOOD!!

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05-06-2011, 08:44 PM	#71
braveyr Guest Posts: n/a	Hi jon san, Nice tank there, a good try for the first time. At first i also made alot of trial and errors, some crucial mistakes. I used those bottles of bacteria bloom and those anti-cloudiness chemical in my tank (although they stated to be harmless to the fishes) but i am still doubtful of their ability. Instead of clearing up my tank, i think those chemical actually make it worst and needed even more days to stabilise the parameters and appearance. Another problem is the driftwood, it is a 'must' thing to soak / boil your driftwood for days before you invite it to sit in your aquarium. Or not you will see your tank become really yellowish and not satisfying at all. I search that added carbon into the cannister will help, but then it really doesnt do much use, and it will again affect your parameters, and the carbon itself is naturally black, so it will make your tank looks even darker. After those experiments, i came into a conclusion: Let the tank runs smoothly by itself with the normal classic filtering system and a frequent water change. Yes it looks simple and inexpensive, without having you to put any more addition CR in the tank, you can get a much more promising result. And this is why my tank looks crystal clear; no cloudiness, no ammonia bloom, no blur side. All thanks to nature that works! =) But of course, if you never try, you never know. Patience is the key to good aquatic performance i must say. Pocket burns alot of holes but also learnt alot from the mistakes. I hope that your problem will all be solve soon, and i anticipate to see your clear and beautiful planted tank. Do post more photos. Anyway, i will be starting my journal as well, lets work together for a better aquatic experience. =) Anyway congrat on your marriage. Happy loving! PS: Nature is the art of god and the best designer. =)

09-06-2011, 12:49 PM	#74
Jon-san Senior Dragon Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 4,451	Just sharing a few more photos. Notice how bad the water is now. Hmmm... Was also testing out a DIY K1 Moving Media Filter. Corydoras Concolors A plump little Corydoras Sterbai. They've bulked up quite a bit since I got them. The common suckerfish. Was just a slim, short fellow when I first got him 2 months ago. Look at his size now! And those eyes! Staring straight at me... shudders Mexican Dwarf Crayfish. The Sterbai in the background can be used for size comparison. This fellow has moulted twice since I got him. And now, the pic I dread most to show, the FTS... Notice how much changes have been done? No more frogbits, Driftwood position changed, Added DIY K1 MMF. In the latest update, I have a air-powered box filter below the K1 Canister. The box filter has improved the water clarity somewhat, but nowhere near satisfactory levels yet. Will rescape the entire tank once I have shifted to my new place. Definitely am going to SOAK THE BOGWOODS LONGER! Thanks for viewing and any comments, good or bad, are welcome.

25-06-2011, 06:22 PM	#75
Jon-san Senior Dragon Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 4,451	Just upgraded to an eheim 2213. Very happy now with the flowrate. There's a strong current on one side of the tank which is attracting all of my cories. They seem to thoroughly enjoy swimming against the current. Also going to re-scape a bit. Will post up pics of the bare tank when I have time to take some pics. Need some suggestions.

30-06-2011, 03:42 PM	#76
Jon-san Senior Dragon Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 4,451	Some pictorial updates after the last teardown. The FTS The Moss Wall wannabe Moss on Lava Rock trial-run The Sterbais and Concolors The Hardscape Piggy-backing a ride My Dymax cooling fan Any comments welcome. Need some new ideas while waiting for the 2nd attempt moss wall and moss-on-rocks to grow out. Currently running in the Eheim 2213, so my Aquaclear is still left on board. Thanks and Enjoy!

30-06-2011, 05:18 PM	#77
Jon-san Senior Dragon Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 4,451	My Eheim 2213 Setup. Sorry for the untidy layout. It's a temporary setup until I move to my new place. Current media in use is, from bottom, Eheim coarse blue sponge, Mr. Aqua CR, Eheim Substrate Pro, Eheim fine white filter wool. Any comments and sharing welcome! The specs The canister Eheim's double tap - Best tool ever for canister filters, imho! A desperate escapee on my DIY rainbar! And my messy tubings The old soon-to-be-decommed Hagen Aquaclear 50 Thanks for viewing!

01-07-2011, 11:36 AM	#78
EugenengJL Guest Posts: n/a	why all the close up shots of stuff that does not matter? Show us the good points of your tank scaping.

05-10-2011, 01:40 AM	#79
Jon-san Senior Dragon Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 4,451	Just wanted to share some more pics of this tank. It's undergone re-scape after re-scape. Going to be decommed soon coz my house renovations are almost complete. The current installation will probably be the last for this setup, until I can get things running again in my new place. A re-scape from the last setup My beloved Black Phantom Tetras, reared from around 1 inch to about 1.5 inch now Some of my first batch of guppy fries, now turned into juves. This is my current, and probably, last installation until I decomm this tank for the moving out. It's a hodge-podge of plants that I'm testing out for survivability. Please excuse the breeder box blocking the front of the tank. The view inside the breeder box. A bunch of Sakuras inside there. Waiting for their colours to settle down before I separate the redder ones out. To be continued...

05-10-2011, 01:46 AM	#80
awj2703 Guest Posts: n/a	what a waste that u be decomming them man.. LOOKS GOOD!!

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