New Amazonia Planted Tank

A blog documenting the creation of a planted tank

[newamazonia]

Levels stabilized!

So the ammonia and nitrate levels stabilized after about a month. The plants we started with did not fair too well. The grass almost completely died, and the ferns shed all of their leaves but have now grown new tops and seem to be doing well now that things have settled down.

[newamazonia]

New Home...

Thankfully, my plants are now settled in and the water is clearing up from all the sediment settling again. That being said, I really need more sand. 

[newamazonia]

Can’t catch a break...

So while in the process of a major water change, the water main in the street breaks. We were moving, so I rushed it to the new place. Tanks is good, but I lost a few strands of the ferns with the move. Roots are still really fragile, and bits of it ripped off from the sloshing water movements of being carried. 

[newamazonia]

Work Smarter not Harder...

Through what research I have done, I have established that plants really grow best in the blue and red spectrum. According to: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/lighting/38014-lighting-spectrum-photosythesis.html 

For green plants the lighting peaks that are most important: Chlorophyll-a: 430nm/662nm Chlorophyll-b: 453nm/642nm Carotenoids: 449nm/475nm Red pigmented plants use more light in the blue area of the spectrum.

So when selecting a light for your planted tank, make sure it is producing the right type of light for your plants to grow. I highly recommend that your read the full article as it helps explain and has many charts and graphs showing absorption ranges and color temps. Just remember your tank could have 100,000 lumens of light, and if it is not in the right spectrum, your plants may as well be growing in the dark.

[newamazonia]

Lighting woes...

After getting everything setup with out amazonia substrate, and bulk sand from my Local Fish Store (LFS). I put in a few plants. the grass I put in the back, and the ferns I put in strategic locations for maximum light and growth. When I setup the tank originally, I had not put much thought into lighting, so I ran a standard T8 bulb. Nothing fancy, just the one that came from the LFS. It was the starter one that was selected for me by LFS #1. Moving on. The grass that I have had in my tank has not been absorbing much ammonia that I can tell, and ammonia levels continue to rise despite many, many water changes. I could tell the grass was dying quickly. It’s leaves were starting to melt, and the majority of the plant is drooping and turning brown. I have done some research, and apparently, the light I have just isnt up to snuff. A few days ago, I ordered a 72w LED headlamp for my tank. I had done a bit of research, but I had not found the Aquarium Lighting Information Guide for Planted Tanks, yet. It claimed full spectrum lighting, which it was. What they dont tell you is that it makes everything in your tank look like a rainbow disco ball. Each LED casts a different color in this model. And it uses 3w LED’s so it has almost mini spotlights of Pinks and Blues, and Reds, and Greens, and Purples, etc.. The disco ball I could have worked around by adding other light, but unfortunately(?) it was not meant to be. The disco ball light died about 3 seconds after turning on, bad power supply or LED driver. Here is hoping for a refund, not an exchange. Holy crap that was bad. Now, I am sure it would have probably done a fantastic job growing plants, I just have to ask. Why rainbow colors? 

[newamazonia]

This link is an excellent resource for deep science behind how light spectrum’s affect the photosynthesis process. It is a more scientific look at how light is absorbed by your plants, based on wavelength, PAR, PUR/PAS, color temperatures, etc. But not only that, it actually breaks down what all of that means into general science terms that most people can figure out. Don’t get me wrong it gets pretty techy but they do it tastefully and really try to get you to understand. After reading this, you should have a much better understanding on how lighting works in your tank, and be able to make a informed decision on purchasing a light for it.

[newamazonia]

Back to the drawing board...

I decide that the best course of action now is to go back to the basics and do some good old fashioned research. I took the shortcut last time and trusted the guy at the store. That ended in the death of my fish. I will do my research this time, and do it right. I did some research on ways to naturally remove ammonia from the tank, and one of the first things I found was plants and moss. They use the toxins and waste in your tank as fuel to grow. and as they grow they produce oxygen, which in turn oxygenates the water and is better for your fish. And they are beautiful, giving your tank a more natural look. 

So I did my research. First thing I did was ditch the gravel. Coarse gravel is harder on the plants, and is much harder to clean. You can grow in it, but you will need a way to anchor them and they are not likely to expand or grow much because they are confined to the area of the pot. When you have live plants, they will drop leaves and such which will decay into the gravel and if not removed, can cause problems. Sand is a much cleaner solution. Use a nutrient enriched substrate, in this case I used Amazonia soil. Which can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Soil-Amazonia-Liter-Normal/dp/B00519832W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443433603&sr=8-1&keywords=amazonia+soil

Over that, I placed a beautiful red/purple sand to cover the substrate. The sand is to help prevent the debris from getting into the substrate. Sand is denser than the substrate and has smaller gaps. This makes keeping it clean easier as the debris tend to just sit on top. Cleaning it is simple enough, just swirl the vacuum hose above the sand to stir up any debris sitting on top. The consensus I have found is that given enough time, the plants will cover all of the soil and sand and this will be less of a problem. The folks at The Wet Spot here in Portland, had a ton of amazing advice. We narrowed down the plants that I had researched to the low light fast growing grasses and mosses and ferns to get started. I may not even keep them, but we picked these starter plants since they specialized in removing ammonia from the system and were nearly impossible to kill. Or so he said at least. They have quite a reputation here in Portland for being very knowledgeable and giving great advice. They also provide setup services and maintenance plans, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. lol. I had already added some rocks and driftwood to the tank, so I took the plants home and arranged them how I wanted and planted them. once the dust starts to clear I will take some pictures to record the development of the tank. I am really excited to watch this tank grow. From the research I have done, and the advice I got from the gentleman at The Wet Spot I figure I have about a month before the tank is ready for fish. It will take some time to leach the ammonia out of the tank, and adding the substrate and sand did not help that any. lol. However when I am finished, I will have an amazing tank, and healthy fish, in water that damn near treats itself. Totally worth the wait.

[newamazonia]

Local Fish Store: Take 1

So about a month ago, I purchased a 29 gallon tank, and assorted necessities, (lid, standard drop-in 40g filter, net, heater, etc.) that my LFS (Local Fish Store) told me I would need. It has been more than 15 years since I last owned fish, and at the time all I really had to do was feed and clean the tank. It was setup for me, and my dad always checked the water when he did his, so I knew things about fish but nothing of the hows or whys of maintenance or setup. So since I was specifically in an aquarium store, (that’s all they do) I asked for a complete kit. everything I would need. I gave him examples of the fish i wanted. I told him I wanted plants. He told me that I shouldn’t grow plants. That they were very expensive to maintain, and that there was little to no gain and many cons such as leaves clogging the filter, and diseases. Ok, your the expert. No plants. I bought the kit he sold me, and left to go fill it and start the cycle for the tank. He told me before I was to put in any fish, I should bring in the water for him to test. So I come in with a cup or so of water from the tank. I followed all of his instructions, I treated the water, I let it run for a day or two to get the water up to temp, and then I brought him my sample. He takes it in the back and starts whatever he did, and tells me it will be about 7-10 minutes. In the meantime we are looking at the fish and deciding which we should start with. We found a few really active ones and decided which to take if we were given the ok. The guy comes in a few minutes later and tells us our water is good, he said the ammonia levels were a little high, but thats normal with no fish in it yet and to put this special startup stuff in a few minutes before we put the fish in and there will be nothing to worry about and we can pick out some fish. 

Excellent! so we pick out 6 sharks. 3 Bala Sharks and 3 Rainbow Sharks. We go home, acclimate the fish, and let them loose. They are swimming around, and everything is fine. I come back about 15 minutes later and feed them. One is sitting near the bottom kinda still. I figure its just the shock from switching tanks. The other fish eat a few bites, then stop. hmm. just not hungry or something. I go play a game on my PC and my wife comes in and tells me to go check the fish something is wrong. I come in just in time to watch the last fish die. All of them are dead after just 2 hours in the tank. I called the shop and he said to bring another sample of my water and the fish back and he would replace them, but that he wanted to check the water first. Suddenly my ammonia levels are too high. Wait. He just tested those the day before and they were fine. wtf? anyways. I do the water changes he tells me to, for a few days, and burned a ton of gas going back and forth every other day for water testing. water just stays at the same ammonia level, no matter what we do. So since I was tired of spending all my money on gas to go back and forth I purchased a testing kit, which I have since learned I SHOULD have been sold with the tank, as it is a must. I go home and dick with it for a few more days and the water just stayed the same ammonia level of 2ppm (parts per million, 0-0.1 is normal). So out of curiosity I took a sample from the tap. 2ppm. Well crap. Now I know why its staying that high, you can’t dilute something with the same or higher levels. Why the guy at the shop never thought to tell me that, or sell me the test kit from the beginning, or any of a dozen other questions now comes to mind. Damn.

[newamazonia]

There are no beginnings or endings to the turning of the wheel, but it was a beginning...

So a few months ago, I decided I was going to get back into aquariums again. most people when they think of owning a fish, think of a goldfish, or a Betta Fish. Some think of neons and “that sucker fish thing on the bottom” (plecos). Others tend to think of the more exotic fish such as oscars, or piranhas. But no one ever mentions the tank itself! Just the fish. I am starting what many refer to as a “planted” tank. 

The Gist of it is this. Instead of gravel on the bottom, I would put a nutrient substrate, and a layer of fine aquatic sand. Into the sand, I would place rocks, driftwood, and plants in a way that I feel will look natural. Then I allow moss, or carpet plants to sort of take over the tank, and trim it as needed to direct growth. Eventually instead of gravel and odd decorations, like plastic pirate ships and skeleton mariachi bands, I have a natural self sustaining greenscape. Looking into a planted tank is like a personal adventure into the the bottom of a crystal clear lake bottom or river bottom. Beautiful and relaxing. As an added bonus, it is amazing for your fish’s health and care too. This blog will document my journey into planted tanks.