i had 18 in a 8x3x2 that was heavily planted with large drift woods,
with lights on timers & rotations. didn't do anything special... i wanted
a nice heavily planted tank and some predators for it so went with p's.
b/c of the large weekly wc i used ferts and tabs for plants. didnt use
black water treatment, like my tanks to be crystal clear and pristine/
pristine looking.
shoal
18x 4.5-6" (was this size when i sold em)
tank & stand
8x3x2 glass sitting on powder coated steel stand.
filtration
5x2x2 sump (bio only), 4 canisters (mech only) & in-line uv.
75% wc every sunday. fed twice daily since from day 1 at 1"
light cycle
12am-5am soft blue actinic lights on till 5 then shuts off.
5am-8am lights dimmed down to 30% on.
8am-7pm lights were on at 100%. (fed in between)
7pm-10pm lights were on at 55-60%.
10pm-12am lights were on at 30%. (fed in between)
X repeat.
Damm. thats pretty dope tbh. your light cycle is complex.. my timer is very basic lol.. it turns on at 7am and shuts off 7pm.. Also i have 1 light that that doesn't have a brightness adjuster, thats why i want to get the black water extract in ways to. I feel you on the crystal clearness! i really dig it as well. Im just gonna test the black water extract and if i don't like ill let it cycle out through WC's and not add it anymore. do you have any tips to improve my tank atm ??