CRS Fan Posted June 4, 2016 Report Share Posted June 4, 2016 Well... now I can honestly say I officially have MTS again. I recently purchased a used Flora to set up specifically as a shrimp tank for my Blue Wizard Neos. I have set it up with some rarer Crypts: Cryptocoryne Affinis 'Red', 'Metallic Red', and 'Jeruantut' Cryptocoryne nurii 'taman negara' Anubias nana 'Pinto' Ludwigia sphaerocarpa Barclaya longifolia I am currently waiting for the tank to cycle using ADA Amazonia as a substrate. I originally was using the stock 13W CFL but it is currently lit by 2-12" Vertex Illumilux fixtures. One is a Dolce Rosso and the other is a Dolce Sole. I currently am not using pressurized CO2 to help keep the parameters more stable in this tank. As usual, I am using Seachem Equilibrium and Alkaline Buffer as buffers. I am adding Metricide 14 as a liquid carbon source. I originally hardscaped with Dragon Stone but switched it out for Koke Stone as of today. Now a couple pics of the tanks progress over the last week. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Thanks for looking! Best regards, Stuart Tankful in Vancouver! Vpier and Jodster 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted June 4, 2016 Report Share Posted June 4, 2016 Can't wait to see some more pictures of the tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRS Fan Posted June 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2016 Good evening all. Another update from my newest tank progress. My ammonia is still very high (6-8 PPM using my API test kit). My PH slides back to around 6 a few days after a 50% watercharge. Using Equilibrium and Alkaline Buffer, I'm able to keep the GH around 4-5, but my KH and PH are still being buffered down heavily by the Amazonia. I'm hoping to get some shrimp into the tank within a 2-3 week timeline, but I'll have to wait and see. Here are some new pictures from tonight. Thank you for looking. Best regards, Stuart Tankful in Vancouver! Mr. F 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpie123 Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 What's the plant floating at the top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpie123 Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 I'm finishing week three of cycling my Amazonia and having about the same PH and Ammonia parameters. I'm going to be using mine for TBs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRS Fan Posted June 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2016 What's the plant floating at the top? It is Salvinia minima. I'm finishing week three of cycling my Amazonia and having about the same PH and Ammonia parameters. I'm going to be using mine for TBs. I did a WC in my 4 gallon and gave the media another good squeeze into the tank. I'll see what the parameters are in the morning. Best regards, Stuart Tankful in Vancouver! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRS Fan Posted June 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 My Ammonia is definitely on the slide. It is down to 2PPM from 6-8PPM. The weird thing is I've never had any detectable Nitrite. This also happened during my 4 gallon cycle. I'm wondering if the test reagent might be bad? The BBF is 2020 though...... Best regards, Stuart Tankful in Vancouver! Mr. F 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShrimpP Posted June 12, 2016 Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 What's your pH and temperature? The lower the pH, the less the nitrifying bacteria perform. If the pH is really low, I might suspect, the nitrifying bacteria aren't doing any nitrification (could possibly explain why there is no nitrite), and the lower ammonia/ammonium you are seeing, may simply just be from the plants and water changes. See if your Nitrates are rising. Mr. F 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. F Posted June 12, 2016 Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 It's also possible you're cycled and the last traces of ammonia are being metabolized. It should be 0, and if you had a solid colony established very quickly you might never detect nitrites. And since its planted and chemically filtered, that will also knock down nitrate/nitrite. It's been half a day, maybe test ammonia again? It should be almost gone if you are in fact cycled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kakarot Posted June 12, 2016 Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 When I cycle a tank with aquasoil I never get positive tests for nitrite. Ammonia just starts decreasing while nitrate increase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRS Fan Posted June 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 What's your pH and temperature? The lower the pH, the less the nitrifying bacteria perform. If the pH is really low, I might suspect, the nitrifying bacteria aren't doing any nitrification (could possibly explain why there is no nitrite), and the lower ammonia/ammonium you are seeing, may simply just be from the plants and water changes. See if your Nitrates are rising. The PH starts around 6.8 after a 50% WC, but slides down to 6 after a day or 2 and sits put. The temperatures hovers around 70 as I have no heater in the tank yet. I've put some Ramshorn snails in the tank to help with biofilm and particulates settling on the plant leaves. The snails are fine. I buffer my water (less then 5 TDS out of the tap with Seachem Equilibrium and Alkaline buffer), but the Amazonia counteracts the KH buffers. It's also possible you're cycled and the last traces of ammonia are being metabolized. It should be 0, and if you had a solid colony established very quickly you might never detect nitrites. And since its planted and chemically filtered, that will also knock down nitrate/nitrite. It's been half a day, maybe test ammonia again? It should be almost gone if you are in fact cycled. I checked the Parameters today and they are as follows: Ammonia - 2 PPM Nitrite - 0 PH - 6 KH - 1 GH - 4 Best regards, Stuart Tankful in Vancouver! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRS Fan Posted June 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2016 When I cycle a tank with aquasoil I never get positive tests for nitrite. Ammonia just starts decreasing while nitrate increase. That's good to know. I didn't realize that was possible with a fish less cycle.... Tankful in Vancouver! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRS Fan Posted June 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2016 My tank is slowly growing in now and I've added a few more plants to my scape. I've added Sagittaria subulata and Mini Pellia. Both of these plants can do well without CO2 and the Pellia was taken from a non-CO2 tank. The Crypts are slowly growing (as expected) and the Barclaya longifolia is growing well. My Ammonia is still in the 1-2 PPM range with no detectable Nitrite. Now on with the pics...... Thanks for looking! Best regards, Stuart Tankful in Vancouver! fishface 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRS Fan Posted June 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2016 Good Evening fellow shrimpers. Today I was able to pick up some more trial plants from a fellow hobbyist's awesome RAOK. I added a few stems of each of the following: Pogostemon erectus Ludwigia brevipes Ludwigia 'red' Alternanthera reineckii 'Rosanervig' Hygrophila pinnatifida I'm hoping these plant thrive with Metricide 14 as a CO2 source. We'll have to wait and see. Now onto the pics...... Thanks for looking! Best regards, Stuart Tankful in Vancouver! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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