Algae Free
This may be tempting fate, but after struggling with algae for a while the aquarium is once again algae free.
The algae got a little out of control after my heart attack. I was unable to do anything to the tank for a while, the CO2 supply ran out and the delicate balance was upset. It’s now back under control and everything is growing well. For a while I was doing weekly water changes and lots of cleaning to re-establish the balance between plant growth, CO2 and light levels. A complete black out for a week killed off the algae and since then things have been much better.
If anything the plant growth is once again a little too luxuriant, but that’s better than having everything coated in algae. Here’s how it looks today.
The new Microsorum pteropus that I planted is now growing like mad and has almost taken over the entire lower left hand side of the aquarium. It looks good though and the tall wispy plant that I think is a Hydrcotyle that grows above it compliments it well. It means that the left hand side of the tank is densely planted but there is still plenty of swimming space too. Right at the back is a clump of java fern too which help add to the feeling of depth.
The white pathway through the middle of the tank is kept free of plants but looks quite natural now. There are various bits of Java Moss growing on the stones that line it.
I’m not sure what to do with the Java Moss. It looks nice and softens the edges of the stones and other furnishings nicely. It also makes the whole aqua-scape look a little more natural. In addition it is a useful habitat should I want to breed any fish. The dense moss is an ideal place for fish to lay eggs and as a nursery for fry. I don’t have any fish that are likely to breed at the moment, but maybe I should get some so that the tank can become a little more self-sustaining. The Java Moss is however difficult to get rid of once it gets established and can quite easily take over and choke other plants. I’ll keep it for now but it will need some careful pruning and thinning out each time I do some maintenance.
Taking of maintenance, now that things are nicely balanced once again it only needs a water change once a month. I take out a whole load of plant growth when I do this just to keep things under control. The only other thing that needs doing is that the fish need feeding and the CO2 cylinder needs changing once it is empty. I haven’t even needed to clean algae of any of the glass lately.
The centre of the tank is dominated by a large Java Fern. This doesn’t need much doing to it. I just chop off some of the larger leaves each time I’m doing a water change. I could of course take cuttings and grow more, but I don’t have anywhere to put anything I cultivate so I generally end up putting a bucket full of cuttings and divided bits of plant onto the compost once a month. There’s always plenty of it!
The right hand side of the tank is taken up with a few different Anubias and some Cryptocoryne. These are relatively slow growing plants and a little more sensitive too. They are all well established now and are doing well. Some of them are huge despite having been cut back many times. There are a few taller stems of Eleodea densa that I added to help get the tank under control and some Bacopa. I keep them there for now just to add a little variety and for some height at the back of the tank. My plan with these is to take cuttings over the next few months and create a curtain of greenery across the back of the tank.
It doesn’t really look like an exquisitely aqua-scaped tank any more. Most of the hard-scaping has been concealed by plants for a start. Instead it has morphed into a densely planted tank that is a little more natural in feel. I’m OK with that, but now that’s the planting is growing well it might be time for some more fish!
