Welcome to ScapeCrunch
We are ScapeCrunch, the place where planted aquarium hobbyists come to build relationships and support each other. When you're tired of doom scrolling, you've found your home here.
Journal Attempting a True Dutch
- Thread starter Kwyet
- Start date
- Tagged users None
- Thread starter
- #222
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
How long has it been set up? I’ve read that the effect may lessen a good bit over time. I wonder if putting some shallow bags of aquasoil under it would help (and how long).
gnatster
Active Member
Since July, 7 months.
That is quite annoying. A substrate that's not aquasoil really should be inert. I am glad I decided not to get these substrate for my cories. I really had liked the color but the cost was too prohibitive.
- Thread starter
- #225
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
Well, my fault because I assumed all sand except aragonite was naturally inert. When the bags came in, they did say “may raise water hardness”, but I assumed it would be minimal. When I tested yesterday, my kH was 9, gH 12. My tap water is usually kH 0-1, occasionally 2, and gH is 3-4. I did remineralize my tap water as usual before filling the tank, but I don’t add anything for kH in these tanks.
Today I did a 90% water change with straight tap water. I also cleaned the glass and set 1/2 bag of Landen aquasoil in mesh bags on top of the sand. That’s just something I had in the closet. If I find that levels are decent after a week, I might go to the trouble of putting shallow bags of aquasoil under the sand. It’ll also help keep the tank cycled while I’m experimenting, because I don’t want to add livestock until everything is settled. Meanwhile, I put the tonina in the first tank. I “think” all of the other plants can deal with it. I just don’t want to give up on this sand after just buying 5 bags of it (I used 4). Oh, and I’ll test in a couple of days. There’s also the RODI option, but I wonder if that would just make the swing greater.
Well, I need to get to work on the other tanks now.
Today I did a 90% water change with straight tap water. I also cleaned the glass and set 1/2 bag of Landen aquasoil in mesh bags on top of the sand. That’s just something I had in the closet. If I find that levels are decent after a week, I might go to the trouble of putting shallow bags of aquasoil under the sand. It’ll also help keep the tank cycled while I’m experimenting, because I don’t want to add livestock until everything is settled. Meanwhile, I put the tonina in the first tank. I “think” all of the other plants can deal with it. I just don’t want to give up on this sand after just buying 5 bags of it (I used 4). Oh, and I’ll test in a couple of days. There’s also the RODI option, but I wonder if that would just make the swing greater.
Well, I need to get to work on the other tanks now.
gnatster
Active Member
- Thread starter
- #227
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
Good to know, thanks!
- Thread starter
- #229
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
So far so good!
- Thread starter
- #231
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
My main concern was gurgling and air-locking, and so far that hasn’t occurred. I haven’t noticed any increase in flow, but I don’t have any objective data either.
- Thread starter
- #232
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
I should have done my good, bad & ugly collection in January, but I didn’t get it done. Here it is now:
I’ll be updating everything, but it’s just nice to have everything in one place to compare from year to year.
I’ll be updating everything, but it’s just nice to have everything in one place to compare from year to year.
- Thread starter
- #233
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
Of course, the last 2 pictures in the previous post are the original Dutch tank (now a farm tank) and the new Dutch tank. The old one has a lot of space available. This is good because the new one has about twice as many species as are allowed per the guidelines. I just want to minimize algae in the new tank and also see how these plants look when grown out before making a real layout. I resewed all of the moss panels and moved them over. They’ve developed brown spots since then, which I hope is temporary and won’t spread. Does it hate harder water? I hope not!
The hardness has settled down a lot to 7-8 dgH and 5-6 dkH . I just use straight tap water for water changes, which creates a variance of a couple of degrees. I added 6 Venezualan Cory cats on Monday, and will add another 8 next Monday. Ammonia and nitrites have remained at 0. I’ll order some more fish to come next week and take their place in quarantine. Hopefully what I want will be available. If Marble Hatchet fish are still available, I’ll get those first, and then I’ve decided I want Celebes Rainbows for the main group. I saw some videos of them, and I think they’re so pretty!
I’ve been noticing that a lot of leaves have been turning very pale. It turns out that nitrates were at 0, and CO2 was also nearly 0 even though the gauges on the regulator haven’t changed and there’s still a bubble in the reactor. I dosed 35 ml of macros after the water change and set it for an extra 6 ml weekly, and watched it go in from the doser with no problem. I tested the next day and it showed 14 ppm nitrates. I’ll test more frequently for a while to see what’s happening. As for the CO2, I made drop checkers for both tanks to turn green at 50 ppm so I can have a quick idea if things are normal, and turned this tanks bubble rate higher until the Hanna test indicated it was in the right ballpark. I think I need a better regulator after all. This one is a cheap Hygger.
Here’s a few more pics:
Thanks for reading!
The hardness has settled down a lot to 7-8 dgH and 5-6 dkH . I just use straight tap water for water changes, which creates a variance of a couple of degrees. I added 6 Venezualan Cory cats on Monday, and will add another 8 next Monday. Ammonia and nitrites have remained at 0. I’ll order some more fish to come next week and take their place in quarantine. Hopefully what I want will be available. If Marble Hatchet fish are still available, I’ll get those first, and then I’ve decided I want Celebes Rainbows for the main group. I saw some videos of them, and I think they’re so pretty!
I’ve been noticing that a lot of leaves have been turning very pale. It turns out that nitrates were at 0, and CO2 was also nearly 0 even though the gauges on the regulator haven’t changed and there’s still a bubble in the reactor. I dosed 35 ml of macros after the water change and set it for an extra 6 ml weekly, and watched it go in from the doser with no problem. I tested the next day and it showed 14 ppm nitrates. I’ll test more frequently for a while to see what’s happening. As for the CO2, I made drop checkers for both tanks to turn green at 50 ppm so I can have a quick idea if things are normal, and turned this tanks bubble rate higher until the Hanna test indicated it was in the right ballpark. I think I need a better regulator after all. This one is a cheap Hygger.
Here’s a few more pics:
Thanks for reading!
*Ci*
Tending water worlds since 1975!
I didn’t realize that all your tanks were in one room like that! I like!
Is that a television on the end wall? Where do you sit to watch it? lol! And how can you not be totally distracted by all the fishy activity
Is that a television on the end wall? Where do you sit to watch it? lol! And how can you not be totally distracted by all the fishy activity
- Thread starter
- #235
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
The television was pretty new when we moved, and then this was the only wall big and empty enough in the new house to take it, so I have it for the fish room, lol! There’s a small couch/love seat at the other end of the room. I don’t really use it to watch tv much though. Mostly I use it for YouTube music while I’m busy with the aquariums.I didn’t realize that all your tanks were in one room like that! I like!
Is that a television on the end wall? Where do you sit to watch it? lol! And how can you not be totally distracted by all the fishy activity
techman81
Well-known Member
Ha! I just spent the last couple hours working on projects while I had one of those Youtube channels with the 4k images mixed with soft jazz backing it.
- Thread starter
- #237
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
I ordered the Celebe’s! The Marble Hatchetfish were still in stock too, but I’m still not sure they’re the perfect fit since they’re supposed to be very shy and jumpy, and I can only put so much into quarantine at a time anyway. Besides, I’m looking forward to seeing some mid-water fish!
- Thread starter
- #238
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
So this is random and not many will care, so I’ll just put it in my own journal. I had the fun find of AQUARIST for 84 points in a Scrabble game tonight. 
Ok, back to regular programming, lol!
Ok, back to regular programming, lol!- Thread starter
- #239
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
Well, unfortunately the one Celebes that went wonky when I added them to the quarantine tank yesterday didn’t make it. All of the others are fine so far, and I was actually sent an extra fish so I still have the 15 fish that were ordered. It’s a shame though. I tested this morning and it looked like somewhere between 0 and .25 ammonia, and 0 nitrite. I think that’s not bad since there was a dead fish adding to it, but I’ll test again tomorrow and add some Prime today. BTW, all of the Cory cats remained healthy throughout quarantine and are now happily living in the new Dutch tank. 
