# My new project is starting 65 L tank



## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello all, again, and sorry for the noise.

Ok i bought last weekend a 65L curved acrylic tank. During this week i am aconditioning my tank and the support, doing all the electricity ptoection, etc.

Habitants will be, if its possible, one male betta, one couple of ramirezi, 4 otocinclus and ~6 galaxy.

Plants i am not decided, yet. But i was reading the forum and see that many people started the tanks using DSM for carpeting with hemianthus micranthemoides and doing some scaping.

At this point i have two doubts.
1) Its posible while doing the DSM, using CO2 in a walstad tank? (once filled, i not plan to use CO2)
2) About putting some rock here and there, i know that is not desirable that the stone be ON the cap. I was thinking, to put the rocks first and after put the dirt and the cap of sand/mini gravel.

Lamp is pll biax l 24w 840.

Any guidance will be really appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Leonardo


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Well well well, tank is setted up.

1" of soil
1" of inert prodac sand.

Two rocks and the following plants:
Ludwigia SP Red
Marsilea Crenata
Equinodorus Amazonicus
Sagitaria Subulata
Valisneria Nana
Rotala Rotundifolia
Lotus Red
Cabomba
Ambulia
Hygrophila Polyesperma

This pic shows cloudy water but i dont mind, is the first pic after filling up. So, beeing patient is a good choice to "clarify" the water.

I put, also a filter (with very tiny filtration sponge, just for removing particles) and later with nothing just for "moving" water.

Thank you all for reading this post.
This pic show


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Tank looks promising. You have a nice variety of plants and have included some good growers

If the water stays this cloudy, I would do a 50% water change. Another trick is to not fill the tank to the top with water. That is, keep the water level shallow temporarily. That way there's less cloudy water for the light to go through before it reaches the plants. Once the plants start growing a few inches, you can raise the water level.


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello Diana, thanks for your kind advice.

Yesterday at night i changed 50% of water and later i lowered the water level a little so lightining is better for the plants.

Here is a pic i attached after doing it. The tank i looking better =)

Today at nigth i will clean the leaves of the plants.

Thank you !!!


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Good job! Keep us posted.

I think that you have a great plant mix for this tank-- Red Tiger Lotus, S. subulata,and R. rotundifolia, etc. These are all fast-growing plants that have done very well in my tanks.


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello all, hello Diana. well, after a week of going, tank is doing very well.

So far, im very satisfied, VERY !!!

I do not know how is the translate for filtering material. But i have added to the pump, wadding filter - if its wadding - and coffe filter paper between wadding and the pump for extra fine particles.

You can see the tank in a file attached how clear is in comparison whith the older pic.

Ill keep you updated about how tank is going. I bought my betta fish, its so pretty !!! In the meanwhile he is at the pet shop waiting for this fantastic home. I did not give him a name, yet.

Kind regards, yours,

Leonardo

PS: Sorry for my bad English but is not my mothers tongue.


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Well well well, plants are growing fine. Except for sagitaria but Is only one. So i suspect is for damage in root, by planting it.

I elected Ares for my betta's name.

This is my nine days update.

Kind regards,

Leonardo


























































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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello, tank is doing awesome!

Optimal parameters.
Ph 7,5
Ammonia:0
Nitrite: 0,5 almost 0
nitrate 10

So, this saturday i will populate it.

Yours
Leonardo










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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Well new habitants are in the tank since yesterday.

Attached are the pics o the aquarium and the fishes, all are doing really fantastic.


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

It's been 18 days since started up.

Pics of day 1 and 17.

Trully amazing. Thanks all for your kind comments.

Leonardo


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

It looks like you are doing very well with that tank. I hope the water clears up some more with time. I like having a filter on my tanks, just to keep the water clear, but I know El Natural tanks don't usually have filters.


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello Hoppy ! Thank for your words. I do have a filter in that tank. But im using it without any filtration purpouse, just for water circulation.

When i started it, i put some some filtration material for clarification purpouse.

Again, thank for your kind words,
Leonardo!


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Ok, 25 days old tank.

All fishes inside, live stock:
1 male Betta
2 Ramirezi (couple)
3 Otocinclus
7 yellow phantom

So far, so good B-)

Here a pic of the tank.

Thank you all,

Leonardo









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## Dude (Nov 14, 2018)

That's some nice progress.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

That cleared up very well, and it looks great! Does the Betta get along with the other fish, without attacking them, or being attacked.


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

hoppycalif said:


> That cleared up very well, and it looks great! Does the Betta get along with the other fish, without attacking them, or being attacked.


Hello Hoppy, thanks for your comments. Betta is doing his life without interrupt the other's life =)

Really its a very pacific boy, and in the tank all neighbors are very happy and in peace.

Today tank is 4 weeks old !!!

Yours, Leonardo


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Dude said:


> That's some nice progress.


Thanks Dude for your words =)

Leonardo


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello all, happy New year to everyone! 

It's been a long half and a month since my last update. Some weird things happened.

Just a month ago, my Betta, got acidic or alkaline illness. I put him into a fresh water jar with Aloe vera, so he is healthy again.

The smallest ones died. But rams and otos, didn't show any signal of doing some process of illness. Since then, they're all doing fine. I put three guppies from the other aquarium. By now all doing perfect.

But, news came again few days ago. I saw my rams, doing holes. I thought, damn, water will touch dirt directly. So I started looking very close at rams behavior.

For my surprise today I saw very very tiny ram fry.

So, I'm a new grandfather. And this is a report for breeding rams inside a Walstad tank it's possible.

Have everyone and exciting and wondering new 2019.

Yours, Leonardo

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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Well here are tiny ramirezi =)

Kind regards, Leonardo


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Congratulations!


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Thank you !!!! =)


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## zolteeC (Dec 26, 2017)

Congratulations for the Rami fries... I have never been able to hatch the eggs in my NPT, even though they did lay eggs couple of times  I am guessing my fish was unable to reproduce for whatever reason.,,,


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello zolteeC. Thanks for your congrats. Hope you can.

Kind regards, Leonardo


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

That's so cool, and apparently, an unexpected surprise. What a lovely way to ring in the New Year!


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

dwalstad said:


> That's so cool, and apparently, an unexpected surprise. What a lovely way to ring in the New Year!


Hello Diana ! 100% unexpected. Yesterday i started to give him Tropical MIKROVIT HI-PROTEIN. It was amazing. They are amazing and the tank is going on whitout problems.

I will give you some updates from when to when. Love this NPT tank !!!

Thank you all and thank you Diana :heart: :heart: :heart: for making this forum the way it is.


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Almost 3 months update.

Ram fry, all eaten or died. Its really a mistery. But those wonderfull fishes are doing holes again =)

So im expecting to see new fries (if its well written (englis is not my mother tongue)).

Here goes a pic attached of the tank.

thanks all for commenting =)

Yours, Leonardo


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## JoanToBa (Aug 23, 2018)

lsantagostini said:


> Almost 3 months update.
> 
> Ram fry, all eaten or died. Its really a mistery. But those wonderfull fishes are doing holes again &#128515;
> 
> ...


Beautiful plants bro


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

JoanToBa said:


> Beautiful plants bro


Thank you JoanToBa!

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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Well I have some news again.

Ram's fries!

I hope that almost two or three can do it!









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## Dude (Nov 14, 2018)

I'm not familiar with rams, but Hikari First Bites and crushed flake food worked for my corydora fry. I doubt it would trouble them if you sprinkled something like that over their area.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Congratulations again! 

A few fry should find enough miscellaneous live food (e.g., protozoa) in an NPT to survive. It could be the parents are eating the fry one-by-one. 

If you want to learn what's going on, buy a livebearer breeding trap and put some fry in it and feed them.

The main thing, though, is you have a nice planted tank and it seems the Rams are content with the setup. You may get several chances to raise fry.

Good work!


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello Diana, glad to see your reply.

Last two days we suffered a heat wave and temp raised to 27 celsius degrees =( (usually temp is 23 celsius).

I dont know if father and mother eat the fries or simply get fried :flame:

For fishfood, im using tropical mikrovit. I will buy a livebearer breeding trap for the next put.

Thank you, yours,

Leonardo


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Well well well... Three months and three days after, here is the tank.
Ram's fries disappeared.
Today I made a haircut and a first big water change.
Pics of before and after.
I hope remember once by month to keep you update with this tank.

Yours, Leonardo.























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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Lots of color. Be careful about over-pruning. You need a certain amount of plant growth to keep algae at bay. I don't see that your tank needs any pruning.

Very pretty guppies. Do you just keep males in the tank?


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

dwalstad said:


> Lots of color. Be careful about over-pruning. You need a certain amount of plant growth to keep algae at bay. I don't see that your tank needs any pruning.
> 
> Very pretty guppies. Do you just keep males in the tank?


Hello Diana ! Its always nice to read your words. Yes, i only have male guppies in the tank. (they are the only survivors from my very first tank (before i started to know about your method))

I have dismanteled the other tank, so i will start the very first one (36 liters) i think in two weeks. Im not decided yet what kind of hardscape to put in in.

I taked note about your over-pruning advice =)

I will be posting from when to when pics of this tank, for me, its really relaxing when i come home and see this tank. And of course, im really happy.

Thanks again Diana and all who read this post and post a comment.

yours, Leonardo


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello all! I have some vibrant news.

I've set up a 1 gal Walstad aquarium for my mom. It's a gift for her.

It's a very little amazing and mom fell in love with this mini tank.

Diana, thank to you for make this hobby really amazing with your method.

My 65 liter tank in my house is doing really really wild.

Yours Leonardo


























































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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I'm glad that you and your mom are enjoying your tanks.

Love the photo of the shrimp. Very nice.


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello all and hello Diana, thanks for your kind words again.

Well, four months update. tank is going really really wild. I had one Tango Down (female Ramirezi was died by the male. One day, i arrived to house and see the female, i note one side bited from the guts to the ventral fin (if it is well written)) so i got no more ram couple =(
And i'm facing one algae issue. I was thinking about three possible causes or a combination:
1) Last 2 weeks, we suffered two heat waves (one per week) with temp rounding 38C or 100.4F
2) Female Ram died, so less biological "charge", less "charge" for the plants, algae wins
3) Potassium missing ?

Here are the pics.









































If you want more pics, just let me know. For the "mini" one of my mother, its doing really good.

Thanks for reading here =)

King regards, Leonardo


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Here are the remaining pics =)

























Yours, Leonardo


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Too bad about the Rams, but they're a bit delicate.

It looks like Blue Green Algae is taking over your tank. If the algae will peel off, try gently removing it from plants. (I swizzle matt algae onto an old toothbrush.) I would manually remove as much algae as you can and then do a big water change. 

I recommend tackling this problem as soon as possible. Once competing algae gets the upper hand, plants will stop photosynthesizing and producing oxygen, such that they won't be able to keep the substrate aerated. Roots will start dying. Then, you get a substrate meltdown. 

I would also check for substrate bubbling. See my thread on 'Smelly Substrates.'

It would be a shame to see this otherwise pretty tank go downhill. If Blue Green Algae really takes over, you can kill it by treating the tank with the antibiotic Kanamycin. However, I would try manual removal, substrate poking, and a water change first.


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello Diana thanks for your advice. 

About the smell, my tank always had the same smell, like a river coast, but not a contaminated one =) (like a wet dirt)

Please tell me what you think about what i'll do at nigth:

1) Removing with a teeth brush the algae easy to remove.
2) I also can apply hydrogen peroxide on the spots. (if you agree)
3) Gently poking the sand and dirt.
3) Do big water change (50% at least).
4) I can put a filter without filtering material (for keeping the water moving)
5) I have also potassium nitrate for adding to thank (also if you agree)

-- I have a 6-4-6 photoperiod with siesta, do you recommend me to alter this photoperiod or its ok ?

Yours, leonardo


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Don't try to change too many things at once. You could just create more problems. I gave you 4 suggestions in this morning's letter from this morning. That's enough and they should help. Please reread letter.

I would argue strongly against H2O2. (The H2O2 could injure delicate plant tissue, and you're never going to eradicate the algae with H2O2.) Adding KNO3 is like throwing gasoline on a fire. (Your tank already has plenty of nutrients.) I wouldn't change the filtration setup. (The filter isn't the problem.)


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

dwalstad said:


> Don't try to change too many things at once. You could just create more problems. I gave you 4 suggestions in this morning's letter from this morning. That's enough and they should help. Please reread letter.
> 
> I would argue strongly against H2O2. (The H2O2 could injure delicate plant tissue, and you're never going to eradicate the algae with H2O2.) Adding KNO3 is like throwing gasoline on a fire. (Your tank already has plenty of nutrients.) I wouldn't change the filtration setup. (The filter isn't the problem.)


Ok, thank you Diana, in a couple of hours when I'm at home I will do your suggestions.

I'll keep posting how things are going.

Yours, Leonardo.

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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello good morning to all. Yesterday at night i make all your advices. Forget to take a photo to share.

But today at night i will post a picture of my tank. In fact today when i woke up, it looked healthier than yesterday's nigth.

Thank for your kind advice Diana =)

Yours, Leonardo


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Ok this is the tank, yesterday at night.

Yours, Leonardo









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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

lsantagostini said:


> Ok this is the tank, yesterday at night.
> 
> Yours, Leonardo
> 
> ...


Hello all, results after almost a week.

Sagittaria a part of it is dying. Red lottus is still doing fine. The rest of plants going strength.
Algae seems to be stopped growing. I had one guppie casualty (I think is natural desease, I have it for almost year and a half). Ottos are doing fine, and the ram seem to be ok.

I'm wondering if need to poke and do a big water change again.

Thanks for reading and for guide me.

Yours, Leonardo
Here the pics.

































































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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Your tank is still young, so a water change won't hurt and you can clean up the dead plant matter and stray algae at same time. 

I didn't think you could kill Sag, so I don't know why it died like that. Unusual event. You might want to think about WHY that happened. 

If you GENTLY poke substrate and no gas comes out, then you can do it less frequently and/or stop.

I think your rescue efforts are paying off. Nice tank!


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## mysiak (Jan 17, 2018)

Sag is strange plant. When I replanted maybe 50 plants from the small tank where it overtook every available space to the big tank, only 5 pieces survived. Even those grew maybe two leaves in a couple of months. Crypts are growing like crazy there. I tried to plant Sag into every possible place (dark corner, shade, direct strong light,..), no difference. Poking into the substrate doesn't bring any bubbles or foul smell. The same happened to Vals, they just disappeared. I can't explain it.


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello Diana it feels very good reading your words =)

I did a water change and did cleaning of dead sagistaria also. For my surprise, in the very bottom of it, there were green. and after a day. I started to see some sprout of sag. I thought, sags are weak so, maybe its not a good idea to poke the substrate.
Another good surprise, red lotus, pulled out a steam and a leaf at almost water level (40 cm) in two days !!!
Today when I get home at night I'll take a picture so you can follow how tank is going.
I really appreciatte your guidance Diana.

Thanks so much.
Yours, Leonardo


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Well well, its benn 10 days from my last post. After doing two more cleaning, plus 25/30 percent water change and some poking around here and there. Things are doing more than i expected (really).
As pointed @mysiak Sag its a trange plant (in fact the mine went almost down).
Red Lotus, has no signs of suffered BGA, i had some leaves down and i have to remove some of the hygrophila poliesperm because of BGA and i was almost impossible to clean it well.
Plants are growing in a good ratio and fishes has no signs of being affected of anything.
Here are the pics and in a second post, the remain pics.

Yours, Leonardo !


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Rest of pics.

Yours, Leonardo


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I wouldn't worry about the Sagittaria. It could be allelopathy. That's why I recommend planting plenty of species. Let the plants fight it out.

Good recovery. Good job!


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Five months update.

Well well well, almost no traces of BGA. And a couple of questions.

Do you think is trimming and replant time?

About poking substrate and doing water changes, I am doing once a week 30% WC and a little poking. Do you have any advice for how long it's convenient keep it doing?

And the last one is about life stock, I do have one ramirezi, one guppie, one little (I do not know what family is) and two ottos. And a couple of snails.

Ok,. I think now tank is doing fine. So I will wait for your kindly advise.

Thanks Diana, Hoppy, mysiak, and all who participate in my tank.

Yours, Leonardo!


























































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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Your tank looks great! I would just sit back and enjoy it. The plants are now growing well enough that poking and water changes are not necessary. With your help, the plants have gotten through the temporary problems of a new setup. Nice work!


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello everybody, it's been an eighth and a half month since I setted up this tank.

About the algae, I still having some spots in the acrylic, but is under control, and in fact I think it is part of the natural cycle and while it does not disturb the plants, for me it's ok.

Regarding the grow of the algae I have several possible theories I would like to discuss such as

1) Insufficiency of CO2
2) Lighting problem.
3) Combination of 1 and 2

Regarding CO2 Insufficiency:
So mi first hypothesis is based on the Red Lotus. I think these plant led to an insufficiency of Co2 due to the excessively consumption leaving the other plants of the ecosystem with no CO2 to photosynthesize.

Regarding lighting problem.
Here I have more doubts than clues.
First of all, I have an issue with the location of mi PLL tube it's more in the front than in the middle of the tank. So almost all plants grow turning from middle and back to the front. I'm wondering if putting two PLL, with less individual power instead of relocating this one. PLL is 24 watts.
In other hand I suspect that maybe is a PAR problem. The point is that all plants tends to grow leaves from one level (6 cm approximately ) to the water surface where light is much better in terms of PAR

And the third it's a mix of both.

In general terms I see my tank doing really very well, and I would like to understand the root cause of my algae issue. I insist, for me at today, I don't really feel that I have an algae problem and I don't feel desperate about algae, just is part of this ecosystem.

I would really appreciate your thoughts about it.

Kind regards, Leonardo









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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I'm sorry to see no Tiger Lotus. Its absence is probably why you've got more algae than in previous photos. Stem plants can only use free CO2, so they are not as competitive with algae as your other plants, which might be able to use bicarbonates.

Suggestions:

I would skim off the water surface and get rid of that surface film. It's a reservoir of nutrients and possibly mycobacteria that you don't need and can easily get rid of.

I think you've probably got an excess of light for the current weak plant biomass. Before with Tiger Lotus, you were okay. I would add floating plants (frogbit, water lettuce, etc). You will not only decrease the light intensity naturally, but increase nutrient uptake.

If you add floating plants, you might need to add a micronutrient fertilizer if their growth is slow or they die out. I've started adding a little bit every two weeks. Big help for floating plants in more mature tanks. [Soil release of micro-nutrients (e.g., iron) into the water drops off after about ~~6 months.]

Additional thought, use a Siesta Regimen (2 hours of darkness at midday).


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## lsantagostini (Aug 24, 2018)

Hello Diana, i'm so pleased as always to read your kindly words.

In terms of "siesta" i have played with the photo period, from originaly 6x4x6 to 4x4x4 and later 5x4x6.

in 4x4x4 i had an issue where fishes went down to substrate and they liked "dead" so, i made a strong WC and restored to 6x4x6, and later 5x4x6.

This last configuration was the best --in my case--

For all your suggestion, ill try it and then let you know how things are going. But, don be afraid. Redl Lotus had 3 childs, its a matter of time yo can see more Red Lotus than before =)

Kind regards, Leonardo !


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