# Progress and questions about my 55 gallon project



## russm4a3 (Aug 24, 2005)

Well I finally got my plants and set everything up. I ordered my plants from aquabotanic and had requested that they send my plants on my day off. ( I work 8 tens in a row and then get 6 days off) But for whatever the reason they sent my plants in the middle of my 8 day stretch so I didnt have my CO2 tank. Here are the immediate pics

























As soon as I got a day off I went and got a 5 pound CO2 tank (I already have a 20 Ilb but I use it for paintball). I hooked it up and am running 1 bubble per second for now. I have had the set up for about a week and a half now. \ I got rid of the divider and put my tern and the convict in a seperate tank. I lost most of my Blyxa (i didnt receive it in very good shape and I think not having CO2 may have messed it up a bit?) I also hadnt received my KNO3 yet and was trying to dose with water from another tank. So heres my set up after a week I would like any and all suggestions as far as aquascaping go as my creativity blows. I think I would like some micro sword, and some jungle vals too. Not sure though.

























Here are my specs

55 gallon aquarium
Hot magnum canister filter (only have it on when lights are off)
2 96W 6700K bulbs on 8.5 hours a day
Pressurized CO2 
Dosing with watson ferts

Questions that I have run into

1. I have a milwaukee regulator with a solenoid but everymorning when the power turns on the CO2 is not running and I have to turn up the pin valve only to have it streaming too much CO2 minutes later so I have to turn it back down. Is this normal?

2. Should I ditch the magnum and put an XP3 on?

3. How much FE (watsons) should i be dosing each week

I know I had others but I cant think of them now.


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## TFMBIGDOG99 (Mar 19, 2006)

1. Milwaukee Regulators can be tricky the first week or so, try to get the working pressure to 30-40 PSI, that should hold your bubble rate. Working pressure is adjusted by the black knob on the front.
2. Ditch it if you can, not only is the XP3 a better filter in general, but not sure about the magnum driving off CO2.
3. Everybody's dosing regimen is different but the way I work mine is..
Sunday - 50% Water change, Nitrate, Phosphate, Excel, potassium
Monday - Iron, Trace, Excel
Tues - Phosphate, Nitrate, potassium
Wed - Iron, Trace, Excel
Thurs - Phosphate, Nitrate, potassium
Friday - Iron, Trace, Excel
Saturday - I dont work seven days a week...


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## flashover00 (Oct 19, 2006)

russm4a3 said:


> Questions that I have run into
> 
> 1. I have a milwaukee regulator with a solenoid but everymorning when the power turns on the CO2 is not running and I have to turn up the pin valve only to have it streaming too much CO2 minutes later so I have to turn it back down. Is this normal?
> 
> ...


some times it takes a few minutes for the pressure to build up in the tubing....shorten the tubing and make sure you have stop valves in place.

Does the magnum have a biowheel and cause surface agitation..i cant remember? If it does, then ditch it and get a cannister. Doesnt have to be an Xp3

Dosing is all tank specific and personal preferance. Takes a few weeks to dose according to what you "see" going on with your plants


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## russm4a3 (Aug 24, 2005)

Thank you flashover00 and TFMbig for the responses.

The magnum does not have a biowheel, but the outlets are pretty close to the surface which is why I turn it off when the CO2 is on.

Ill try shortening the air line and do the stop valves prevent the co2 from backflowing?? Sorry I just never heard of them.

Ill go ahead and ditch the magnum, I already have an XP3 thats not in use. Im still trying to figure out my dosing schedule Im still behind on Nitrates today they were at 0 again. So to eyeball iron just look to see how green the plants are??

Anyone want to make some aquascaping suggestions?

Does the amazon look like it was cultivated outside of water (i forgot the proper term)?


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## TFMBIGDOG99 (Mar 19, 2006)

Get rid of the Amazon swords, they will take over your 55 and not you let do anything. Give your substrate a tilt, and try to work around the driftwood... Place them in spots that wont exactly attract your eye straight to it, etc. Get creative, get the blyxa to the midground and work from there.. Bluxa looks dead to me as well.


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## flashover00 (Oct 19, 2006)

I thin those swords are grown out of water emersed (hard to tell from pics)...if so they will die off and new longer leaves will grow in.
You dont have to ditch them just this minute....i suggest you keep them and grow them out a little before you scrap them. They grow pretty slowly so they arent gonna take over your tank by monday..lol

Click on any of the links in my sig....all my tanks have swords in them.
Blyxa takes a lil time and the right conditions to get going....be patient...if it finds the right conditions it explodes...

I like the java fern you have as well....click on my 28 gal tank and look at the front. There was like 6 small java fern plants when i originall planted and now its fully grown in


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Magnum HOT filters can be adjusted so they don't disturb the surface much, I'm pretty sure. 
If that is the case, it's fine.
The only thing wrong with surface agitation is CO2 loss, resulting in more needing to be pumped in to reach desirable levels.
If swords become very big, you can always gently uproot it, trim the roots way back, and leave 3 or so small leaves on it. Then you will have a small sword again.
The idea with a check valve is to keep water from flowing back into your regulator. I highly recommend that.
Dosing ferts is unique to your tank, depending on light, and other factors. When I want to learn how to dose one of my tanks, I'll check the NO3, and PO4 every day for a week or 2. That will tell you 1) how many ppm you are dosing, and 2) your plants nutrient uptake rate.
Don't forget to dose micros and iron







I dose a lot of nicros and iron because I have very high light, and I notice my plants get a yellowish, or even a white tinge to them when micros, especially iron is low

Scaping is all personal preferance, but I personally like hardscaping to be semi close together if there are only a few pieces in the tank. The Plants usually go small up front, medium in the middle, and tall in the back.
I like most of the medium plants to be around hardscaping, to create a focal point that draws the eye. Have fun with it!


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## russm4a3 (Aug 24, 2005)

Thank you for all the tips and ideas. Ill rescape this coming Thursday. I really like the look of amazons so I will either trim them back as Dippy suggested or uproot them and replant new ones. I started testing everyother day but have gone to every day to try and get a balance. My 3rd day I brain farted and adjusted my PO4 to 20 ppm instead of 2 (mixed it with nitrates) so I have been doing frequent water changes to bring them down. So far I have not had any algae....yet. Im sure its coming.

I remember my other question Ive read not to bury the rhizome of java ferns or they will rot and the plant will day but the ferns came with almost no roots so do I need to pull them out of the ecocomplete? Is it okay to bury them in gravel since its not as compact?( i put some in a different tank).

Its been a lot more work then I am used to but the look of live plants is worth it.


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## SNAKEBITE (Oct 7, 2006)

your right your java fern will rot if buried...you can try and tie your java fern onto your driftwood,thats an ideal.


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## russm4a3 (Aug 24, 2005)

Well I ordered some more plants to add to the tank (I ordered far too many) oh well. I also sloped the substrate from back to front, removed the other piece of driftwood and changed out the magnum HOT for an XP3. I also removed all the java ferns and put them in my large tank and some of the anubias.























I have had problems with my vals....they all seem to be loosing the ends of their leaves they just turn light brown and practically dissolve off in my hand when I remove the dead stuff. I am not using excell and have 2 96 W 6700K lamps on 8 hours a day. I am running pressurized CO2 and until yesterday (have a nitrate spike of 80 today, dying vals perhaps or plants in shock after replanting?? )I had 20 ppm trates, 2 ppm phosphates, and was dosing K, FE, and trace minerals everyother day. I did a major water change and will do another one tomorrow if warranted. Any other reason why my vals are not doing well? I thought they were supposed to be pretty hardy.

Has anyone else had problems acclimating their serra to a planted tank? Before the lights my rhom ate every day now its only every 2 days or so. Maybe Im just over reacting.


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