First part of the project:
this nano Scape, represents the first step in the study of a specific fertilisation line aimed at the management of small aquariums with a maximum litre capacity of about 40 litres.
The protocol in the first instance must appear:
o effective
o safe
o elastic
o easy to manage.
With this in mind, the E’quo product line comes to us, as it is assured by a series of very strict and specific safety tests, guaranteeing the result through a series of laboratory tests, as well as by the Aquascapers themselves.
It must be elastic, as it will have to adapt to every aquarist’s needs and every type of tank.
It should be easy to manage; usually those who try their hand at aquascaping know how time is money, so a few products targeted to the tank’s maturation time will avoid overdosing with consequent algae explosion.
The dropper bottle also ensures quick and easy dosing. Finally, effectiveness. But you can evaluate this for yourself through the photographic documentation we are going to show you.
TANK
35x28x30cm, extrachiaro
LIGHTING
6500k LED lamp for 8 hours a day
FILTRATION
External closed vessel filter, loaded with stilla and Perlon wool
SUBSTRATE
BIO-SOIL
VIGOR
TERRANERA fine size
CO2
supplied 24 hours a day 1 bubble every 2 seconds displayed on the bubble counter
HARDSCAPE
Nature wood, natural roots, river stone, sand
WATER
Osmosis water prepared with LINFA and FLORIDO TRACCE, BIO-NITRONEX
FERTILISATION
FLORIDO A 10 drops daily
The hardscape of the pool represents the bank of a river, surmounted by branches and roots flowing towards the central focal point, the visual predominance being on the right side.
The planting was carried out at the Piacenza fair, during the workshop, by some of the Itau team using eleocharis acicularis, weeping moss.
CO2 was dosed right from the start.
The tank for the first 2 weeks was developed in dsm (dry start method), in order to favour the rooting of the Eleocharis, the TERRANERA being porous, rich in nutrients and with a high CEC, allowed fast and optimal rooting.
From the first day of filling, I exclusively fed FLORIDO A, dosed daily.
The plants had an exhaustive response right from the start, showing fast growth.
Weekly I administer BIO-NITRONEX (Biological Activator to implement the Nitrogen Cycle),
at start-up I administered it daily for the first week.
After the first month I added plants of the genus Fissidence Fontanus, Bucephalandra Mini Coin, Weeping Moss, Fissidens Nobilis, Riccardia Chaemedrifolia to the tank.
This phase saw an increase in organic detritus in the tank, leading to a rise in nitrate to 15 mg/lt. Due to the work done by the bacteria.
At this stage, seeing the plants develop, I thought I would start feeding FLORIDO B and FLORIDO C.
1° ERROR… the tank was not yet ready and mature enough. I was faced with the appearance of filamentous algae. As well as an increase in organic detritus, with a lowering of the BOD and Redox Potential.
I stopped the administration of FLORIDO B and C performed a large water change and sucked up as much detritus as possible.
FLORIDO A is instead fed daily.
After one week I introduced 5 Caridina Japonica into the tank.
They literally devoured the filamentous algae within three days.
I performed an additional water change, each time administering BIO-NITRONEX and 1 vial of BIO-EXTRA.
The tank is progressing smoothly, the algae have disappeared, the plants are developing fast and with vivid colours.
Two months on I have done my first pruning, the Eleocharis is invading every available space.
So far I am not noticing any gender deficiencies in the tank, despite the fact that I am fertilising exclusively with FLORIDO A.
Probably, the type of tank (easy-to-manage plants), does not need an extra ‘push’ so it could be intended as an aquarium specifically for Caridina perhaps or expressly for neophytes.
The next step will be the insertion of fauna.
I would also like to remind you that observing your aquarium is the best test for assessing its evolution over time. Mistakes (such as the development of algae) are part of the job, the important thing is to understand why they form and try to implement valid solutions.
After 3 months, I started the administration of FLORIDO B and FLORIDO C, with the dosages of 3 drops every 10 litres and 4 drops every 10 litres respectively.
The feeding started from the moment I had the appearance of algae of the genus Staghorn, indicating an imbalance between nitrate (NO3) and phosphate (PO4).
In addition, the young leaves of the Bucephalandra, showed signs of a deficiency of nitrogen compounds.
One week after the administration of the two solutions, the situation has clearly improved, as you can see from the photo.
The mosses never showed any signs of suffering, showing light green growth apices. A sign that the administration of FLORIDO A alone is sufficient to keep a moss-only tank stable.
The algae appeared because of the nitrogen compounds in the background (very useful in the case of deep-rooted plants such as Cryptocorine, Eleocharis, Echinodorus), probably in the first period a stable balance was maintained, which as conditions in the tank matured and changed, the demand for FLORIDO A alone was no longer sufficient. Therefore, if you intend to build a tank with only mosses and epiphytes, I recommend only using soil without VIGOR, and only feeding FLORIDO A (also valid for Caridina).
In the next article I will present the other two tanks; similar in size to this one, but with different set-ups, both for the hardscape (use of limestone) and for the type of plants I am going to insert.
Enrico Fortuna
Note
The FLORIDO A, B e C supplements are still in the study/test phase, so they are not currently on the market.
