The helleri tank looks very natural, like an underwater picture taken from the wild. Very nice. But I'm just a helleri fan beautiful fish
My first planted cichlid tank
- Thread starter tiger15
- Start date
Be careful with matricide, there's a lot of misinformation on it being aquarium safe, and given that its carcinogenic and how its handled in a lab environment I wouldn't really be messing with putting it into an aquarium. Gary Lange wrote an article on it, and several other big name aquarium hobbyiests with verifiable scientific backgrounds and who are just straight up scientists have written on the subject and basically agreed that using metricide as an excel substitute is not the safest thing in the world. I tried to use it before I knew and it was meh, I find regular excel works better if you're going to be doing any liquid carbon...and even then excel really isn't necessary either.
The biggest issue you're going to have with this tank is BBA, and I learned the hard way that its because of the type of waste that a heavily stocked tank with larger predatory fish create. The plants do uptake nitrogen and all that that the fish produce but they won't uptake the larger organic molecules that the fish produce, which compounds quickly in a tank thats stocked such as yours. Therefore even if everything else is right you'll still get BBA issues, independent of the lighting or fertilization of the tank or any of that. BBA is a pain because it will grow on your plants, making it almost impossible to out compete, especially since it is using the nutrients that the plants themselves cannot uptake.
The two things that I've found help with that issue are more water changes (which tbh are only going to do so much) and the addition of purigen into the filtration. Purigen absorbs the larger organic molecules that BBA grows off of but doesn't significantly affect the smaller organic molecules that the plants are using to grow off of, so it cuts the fuel off for the BBA and causes it to significantly decrease in severity if not disappear almost completely. My 75 was having issues with BBA for the longest time, and I run a high tech system so its not even a thing of plants being out competed, but once I started using purigen in my filters it was almost immediate that the BBA in my tank significantly withered away. The only other thing that I've done that has helped me with BBA is spraying any BBA exposed to air when I do my water changes with hydrogen peroxide, that and spot dosing badly affected areas of the tank with both excel and hydrogen peroxide. Excel is relatively safe for fish (way safer than the metricide) and hydrogen peroxide basically turns into water and hydrogen once it hits water, so its difficult to OD on it when spot dosing or spraying it across the tank.
The biggest issue you're going to have with this tank is BBA, and I learned the hard way that its because of the type of waste that a heavily stocked tank with larger predatory fish create. The plants do uptake nitrogen and all that that the fish produce but they won't uptake the larger organic molecules that the fish produce, which compounds quickly in a tank thats stocked such as yours. Therefore even if everything else is right you'll still get BBA issues, independent of the lighting or fertilization of the tank or any of that. BBA is a pain because it will grow on your plants, making it almost impossible to out compete, especially since it is using the nutrients that the plants themselves cannot uptake.
The two things that I've found help with that issue are more water changes (which tbh are only going to do so much) and the addition of purigen into the filtration. Purigen absorbs the larger organic molecules that BBA grows off of but doesn't significantly affect the smaller organic molecules that the plants are using to grow off of, so it cuts the fuel off for the BBA and causes it to significantly decrease in severity if not disappear almost completely. My 75 was having issues with BBA for the longest time, and I run a high tech system so its not even a thing of plants being out competed, but once I started using purigen in my filters it was almost immediate that the BBA in my tank significantly withered away. The only other thing that I've done that has helped me with BBA is spraying any BBA exposed to air when I do my water changes with hydrogen peroxide, that and spot dosing badly affected areas of the tank with both excel and hydrogen peroxide. Excel is relatively safe for fish (way safer than the metricide) and hydrogen peroxide basically turns into water and hydrogen once it hits water, so its difficult to OD on it when spot dosing or spraying it across the tank.
Looking good! Plants melting is a lack of nutrients and too much lighing IMO, no ferts = little growth, no matter how much light. With such heavy WC I suggest the EI method, seriously.
Your nitrate reduction won't happen if the plants don't grow, nitrogen is just one type of fert
Your nitrate reduction won't happen if the plants don't grow, nitrogen is just one type of fert
I didnt read through the whole thread so forgive me if this has been covered...
Being that you are using some very tough plants in your tank i dont think you'll need to dose ferts (unless you wanted to)...
Basically all the plants you listed and got are bound to do well, only the crypt may suffer, although almost every crypt i've grown and owned has melted on me first before re-growing...
If they can make it passed the re-growth they are also usually quite hardy plants...
Being that you are using some very tough plants in your tank i dont think you'll need to dose ferts (unless you wanted to)...
Basically all the plants you listed and got are bound to do well, only the crypt may suffer, although almost every crypt i've grown and owned has melted on me first before re-growing...
If they can make it passed the re-growth they are also usually quite hardy plants...
Crypts need root fertiliser, I'm growing some very green and lovely ones in flourite. They need root feeding, potted won't work
Here is an update of my year long endeavor to start my first planted cichlid tank. It's a humble learning curve with many trial and mistakes made and finally I am happy with the outcome. Many plants didn't make it though, specially stems, but those that make it are lush and I have surplus to sell away in auction.
Here are my current flora and fauna that work.
Flora
Anubias Barteri
Anubia Nana
Anubias Nana 'Petite'
Anubias minima
Java fern Narrow leave
Java fern regular
Java Fern Trident
Bucephalandra 'Giant'
Bucephalandra 'Green Wavy”
Bucephalandra ” Mini Red”
Echinodorus Kleiner Prinz in pot
Crypt Willissi in pot
Luwidgian repens ruby in pot
Sagittaria subulata in pot
Majority plants are epiphytes attached to rock, and non-epiphyes are potted and hidden behind rock. Big rock are piled up to provide caves for fish, and height for planted rock. Only small rock are planted so they can easily be rescaped or taken out of the tank to attach plants.
Fauna
2 Panda Gara
7 Bristle nose
7 Kribensis
1 Pink Chalceus
4 Blue Neon
1 Thorichthys Maculapinis
7 EBA
7 Roseline barb
2 Sailfin Molly
Only fish under 6 inch are kept. I have to rehome all big guys (8 to 10 inch Frontosa, Bifas and Green Terror) which were too powerful and like to tear up plants for no reason.
Here are my current flora and fauna that work.
Flora
Anubias Barteri
Anubia Nana
Anubias Nana 'Petite'
Anubias minima
Java fern Narrow leave
Java fern regular
Java Fern Trident
Bucephalandra 'Giant'
Bucephalandra 'Green Wavy”
Bucephalandra ” Mini Red”
Echinodorus Kleiner Prinz in pot
Crypt Willissi in pot
Luwidgian repens ruby in pot
Sagittaria subulata in pot
Majority plants are epiphytes attached to rock, and non-epiphyes are potted and hidden behind rock. Big rock are piled up to provide caves for fish, and height for planted rock. Only small rock are planted so they can easily be rescaped or taken out of the tank to attach plants.
Fauna
2 Panda Gara
7 Bristle nose
7 Kribensis
1 Pink Chalceus
4 Blue Neon
1 Thorichthys Maculapinis
7 EBA
7 Roseline barb
2 Sailfin Molly
Only fish under 6 inch are kept. I have to rehome all big guys (8 to 10 inch Frontosa, Bifas and Green Terror) which were too powerful and like to tear up plants for no reason.
The plants look very nice. I was hoping to hear that you found ones that worked with the green terror. My male has decided that the only plant left in his tank needs to be shredded
A few pics of the set up.
All light are cheap LED light from ebay, including several submersible LED tubes.
I have no substrate plants because cichlid dig. I glued epyphytes to small rock with superglue and non-epyphytes potted and hidden behind rock. It's a modular system allowing me to rescape by moving potted and planted rock around. Big rock provide height and caves for Kribs, but don't take up much water volume.
In water change, I sprayed exposed plants, parts and hardscape with peroxide, which is a safe algaecide. Even in my fish only tank, I sprayed with peroxide in WC regularly to eliminate ugly black beard algae.
All light are cheap LED light from ebay, including several submersible LED tubes.
I have no substrate plants because cichlid dig. I glued epyphytes to small rock with superglue and non-epyphytes potted and hidden behind rock. It's a modular system allowing me to rescape by moving potted and planted rock around. Big rock provide height and caves for Kribs, but don't take up much water volume.
In water change, I sprayed exposed plants, parts and hardscape with peroxide, which is a safe algaecide. Even in my fish only tank, I sprayed with peroxide in WC regularly to eliminate ugly black beard algae.
A youtube of my current set up. My EBA are taking turn and breed constantly. Depending on where they pick the nest, I had to pick up small amount of plant debris from time to time. It's not excessive and no where near the destructive power of the big guys I rehomed..
