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Red blyxa is good, isn't it?

As for the HM - Yep, that's what finals will do alright. Although I'm sure the extra plant mass was nice for WQ.

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Back in the saddle!

Red is good....wrinkling and stunting is bad. It's not growing much, but I want to blame it on my lax maint. in the last couple weeks.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Nice Pearl Grass, I hope you can sell it to the LFS or something.

Yeah, Red and Stunted is not good, but I don't think it is the maintenance. As you may remember, mine turned this way as soon as I added a light and moved the main one right over the plants (within 2 weeks). Meanwhile, maintenance had not changed of course.

I think more likely it is based directly on the light, at least the reddening, and on top of it it requires some specific micro fert to keep on growing, maybe iron.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Is it possible that we are pushing the blyxa too much with our high tech systems? I am getting a couple of side shoots with mine but not a lot. The tops are turning quite red now so we will have to see how it goes.

Nowher,
Did yours turn red in your 4G?

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Well I'm pretty sure the blyxa isn't going to do it for me. Ah well. I really would have loved for it to work. I'll have to find something else now.

Thought I'd give an updated pic of the tank as I never showed it after the trim....but this is over a couple weeks later after having been on the trip....minimized lighting and ferts so not a whole lotta growth. I still haven't gotten around to changing the layout. We'll see what this month has to offer .

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

show the insane amounts of of HM

So what is HM - is the same plant that LF refers to as Pearl Grass? How do you plant it? Is it one of those fiddly little plants, that are difficult to plant. I think I'd like to try it out as foreground in the new tank, if I can get my hands on some.

Cheers
TW

Yep HM = hemianthus micranthemoides = pearl grass.

It's pretty easy in my experience. High light will encourage low growth as well as "mowing" the lawn frequently.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Wow, the Gayii looks great. Maybe it's me but I really like open and simple with lots of swimming space just like this tank. I really think it would even better with yes you guessed it. Thin pieces of branchy wood poking out about the Gayii and no background.

My Scapes

Thanks tetratech. I'm pretty pleased with the tank, and would get pokey DW if I could find some locally. I'll at least get a few more rocks or something.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

"mowing" the lawn frequently

How do you do this? Do you just trim the tops and, if so, doesn't this result in a mess in the tank? What is your method?

Cheers
TW

So what is HM?

And I thought it was Hetal Malide (got it?)

Anyway, Matty can cut this plant any way he wants to as he has it all over the tank anyway

I actually remove my plants (which are planted with about 6 to 8 stems per bunch) and trim off the bottom (depending how tall it got, maybe between 2 to 5 inches). Then I divide the tops into bunches (the previous bunch usually doubles at least in stem numbers) and replant them - which, btw, is really easy, just plug it into the substrate between 1 and 2 inches deep.


Matty - nice shot of the tank, tetratech pointed out the lack of background and hardscape, so no further comment needed here. All looks healthy and well maintained, very impressive for the fact that you went away. Any negative effects of that time period?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yep, I take the scissors horizontally and hack off the tops. It's too much work to pull it up and cut the bottoms and replant as LF suggested, but I do that once in a while. The stuff floats real good so I just catch it all at the top with a net. It creates a mess, yeah, but during the water change I can suck up most of the small bits.


Hetal Malide, LF?

Actually all the plants save the blyxa looked better than when I left, oddly.

Thanks for the comments.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Hmm, that sounds like a lot of work to keep it low - all that replanting of tiny stems. If I try this plant, I think I'll try Matty's mowing method.

Thanks for explanation. I'll have to think on it

Cheers
TW

Actually all the plants save the blyxa looked better than when I left

When I went down to NC a week ago I cut down to just 96W's on my tank. It was kind of wild to see the growth I got from the need to get to the light.

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Look what we got in at work this week, going to be recarpeting tank :

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Uhhhh,

Nice, I take it that it is an emersed growth form, right? I have never seen it emeresed, but I would guess it behaves like most plants, meaning loss of all leaves and such.

How much of this is going to end up in your tank, and for how much does the store sell what size?

Ingo

EDIT: Actally - your shot looks like a grave with a hedge planted on top and the head stone in the back

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

The pearl grass never lost its emersed grown leaves until I cut them off. I'm pretty sure with the round tiny leaves that this is emersed though, but I'm expecting a pretty smooth transition. We'll see though. I'm wanting to entirely recarpet the tank, hoping it will grow a little slower, and stay a little lower.

They come overflowing out of the 2" round plastic pots for 4 dollars to the general public.

I only got 2 pots yesterday. I want to see how well it grows before getting any more. Plus the store will only buy back so much of my pearl grass at one time.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Well Matty, I really would like you to document the planting of the HC, I found it pretty hard to keep it in the substrate, but I only had a small batch with little roots available.

I assure you that it grows reeeeeaaaaalllllllyyyyy slow, actually - I was going to ask here and in my club why they think mine in the 40G has just doubled in its tiny size since being added like 6 months ago.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

There's not going to be a whole lot to document. I'm not going to be planting individual stems or anything to speed up the process. I'm going to take it out of the pot and remove the potting medium as best I can and put the whole thing into the gravel. I may pull each in half, so I have four patches, but that's it. I had more than I could take of tedious planting when I did the glosso in the death star . I'll remove the pearl grass as the HC grows or buy more HC if it does well but grows too slow.

I will document growth for you, so we know what's up in that department. Yours was shaded quite a bit in the 40 for a while I can imagine, so that may be the problem, but who knows?

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Hi,
Matt, the problem I had with trying to "plant" this type
of plant was that I could not get it to stay where I put
it. I tried holding it down to the surface of the gravel
with a net. I tried placing some stones or gravel at the
4 corners and a spot in the middle and virtually
nothing worked.
I finally tossed it when it became "infected" with algae.
When (if) I try a plant similar to this again, I'll plant
each plant individually with some tweezers and space them
about 1/2 inch apart and see if it won't grow into the
spaces. I've also decided that I needed "finer"
gravel/sand when next I try.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thanks LF, Frank. I'll try what I can without the tweezers, like I said, and will let you know how it goes. You are all probably right, but I've never had to use tweezers on anything before, even the glosso in the death star.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

What you need to do with a plant like HC is you push it in to the substrate so you basically don't see the plant anymore and then you pull it back up slightly with tweezers. This will allow the substrate to fall in place tightly around the roots. As long as you guys don't blow your supercharged, flow-crazy filters over it, it should stay put. Certainly bottom dwellers like corys or loaches are not gonna help. BTW - According to Robert Hudson of Aquabotanic some suppliers are now calling HC Dwarf Baby Tears.

My Scapes

keen to see how this works for your Matty. I've never used tweezers either, but I guess I coud try it Jeff's way.

Cheers
TW

The only plants that I plant by hand rather than by tweezers are the ones with a massive root system (like a large crypt, sword, etc) where I have to dig a huge hole in the substrate first anyway. All other plants go in with a tweezer, I find it so much easier to keep the plant in the substrate and undamaged during the plant.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Special plant tweezers? Longer than normal ones I guess

Cheers
TW

Matty,

It's going to be VERY hard to plant the HC while the tank is full of water. Ideally you would take out just about ALL of the water so that there's just enough to keep the substrate wet. Then plant them as tetra said. Break them into little clumps and space them an inch or so apart. Then refill the water carefully as to not create a disturbance. I've found it EXTREMELY difficult to keep it down when planting with any water on top of it.

Good luck with it! I've said elsewhere, i haven't had problems growing the stuff as long as there's a lot of CO2, but that may be because I have it in a 2.5 so there isn't much space between the light and the substrate.

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Back in the saddle!

I have about 6 different plant tweezers, straight and bent (at the bottom). 99% of the time I use the smallest of them, about 4 to 5 inches long. Only once in a while do I use a taller (and wider) one, usually when the plant base (roots) is wider than the small tweezers but doesn't rectify me digging holes with my fingers.

Someday I may take a picture of my tools,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Took some shots, ended up getting side tracked by the amanos. Ah well. Hope it won't bore you to death. Also a couple pics of my temporary HC solution. I'll get around to actually planting it, though I guess nobody will like the way I go about it.

And finally the last thing before I get to the pictures is to mention the sort-of redo I'll be undertaking soon, probably tuesday. It involves a bit of a surprise, I won't give a hint yet, I know how insightful LF can be with the slightest hint. I'll only say it's a little bit more exciting than the background.

And to the pics:

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I'll only say it's a little bit more exciting than the background.

Ha, that's easy - Either it is T5/MH high tech lighting or a rimless replacement tank.

Or maybe you got your hands on a lilly pipe or something along these lines.

Anyway, awesome pictures, and I am glad to read that the HC salad head plant style is only temporary

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Nice shrimp pics. The second one reminds of the race between the Rabbit and the Turtle, but this time it's a Shrimp and a Snail.

Nice HC. Suppliers are starting to call this Dwarf Baby Tears now. Somehow HC Cuba sounds more exotic and

My Scapes

The second one reminds of the race between the Rabbit and the Turtle

- That was my thought as well, tetratech, but I couldn't come up with the name in English .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yeah, the supplier we got it from has it all goofy. micranthemum umbrosium is giant baby's tears, HM is baby's tears, and HC is dwarf baby's tears. Ah well. It's just nice to see them get it in. Maybe they will start working on nana petite.

I guess I'll have to give you that hint now. Tetratech will be happy about the surprise.

Thanks for the comments

Oh and I think it was the tortoise and the hare.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Oh and I think it was the tortoise and the hare.

O.K. Do you want to start communicating by exact words on this forum, because that could be really dangerous.

Tetratech will be happy about the surprise

Do you want me to try and guess?

My Scapes

Tetratech will be happy about the surprise.

Pool Filter Sand, or Petrified Wood, or Green Water?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

O.K. Do you want to start communicating by exact words on this forum, because that could be really dangerous.

Sheesh, someone's a bit touchy. I just thought the rabbit and the turtle sounded funny 'tis all.

LF still isn't on target...and of course you are welcome to guess Jeff. It's something you keep telling me to get for this tank. I thought LF would've gotten it on that hint.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Sheesh, someone's a bit touchy. I just thought the rabbit and the turtle sounded funny 'tis all

No I'm not touchy, , just trying to feel out the conversational tone.

LF still isn't on target...and of course you are welcome to guess Jeff. It's something you keep telling me to get for this tank. I thought LF would've gotten it on that hint.

Well, it sounds like you got a hold of some nice wood

My Scapes

Ding ding! A winner!

It's branchy driftwood...yay!



I'll get a couple shots up here in a few of the dw in the tub....still soaking. I'm thinking I'll actually have to tie some rocks to it. It's been a few days and this thing doesn't want to sink. It's pretty good sized, might stretch across 2/3s of the tank with the branches. I hope it will look good, and not over dominating or something.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Matt , great shots of the shrimp etc . Look forward to the next installment with the new Driftwood . Should be fun .

Garry

It's branchy driftwood

- Oh well, I thought you may have something really special

In any case, I am for sure looking forward to seeing your driftwood as well,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks Jeff, Ingo, Garry.

Oh well, I thought you may have something really special

Sheesh, I hope this lives up to the hype. I said it was only a little more exciting than the new background .

So without further ado;

The new DW soaking....still doesn't sink on it's own after five and a half days:


DW in, a lot of potomogeton removed:


Potomogeton back in, filling:


Filled, and one on angle.....I remember there being a lot more potomogeton




And one with the 5.5 shrimp tank (new crypts yay!):


So I really like it, it's a little large....so I'm not sure if everyone is going to go for it. The right most rock is out of place. Any help there would be appreciated. Comments and crits please, lay it on me.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Hi Matt,
Great start for the tank. Yes, the placement of some
of the hardscape "bothers me" but I'd prefer to have
the tank mature for a couple of months before suggesting
something specific.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I think it looks good. The Potomogeton seems to flow with the driftwood. I think that the far left rock is also a little out of place, maybe if you buried it halfway?
Another thought, the far right side of the tank loos just a little to empty now that the wood is in so it isn't balanced like before. If you add some more Potomogeton on that side it may fit in nicely.


-Vincent

Well, when you want to create a focal point, you don't mess around.

I would lose all the rocks they don't do that nice piece of wood justice. You need to decide how your going to support that focal point.

My Scapes

Matty,

Looks great! Very "pond shore" looking if you will Wish I could get mine looking like that. Great job!

Nice shrimp tank too.

Matt , love the driftwood . Its a great piece .
I think I agree with Tetra its a great focal point and needs to be supported with some great rock and maybe a lighter color gravel to draw the eye .
Anyway just a thought , but this is going to be a sensational looking tank when it develops .
Already looks fantastic .
Well done .
Garry

Matty,

It actually does look pretty nice. I am with tetratech on the rocks being rather disturbing, but I also assume that you need quite a few of them to keep the wood down. Did you read in my 125G log that the driftwood branches which I removed during the last makeover had 2 of them that were still floating up, after being in the tank for at least a year (or something like that)? Be prepared for a long term solution on holding your's in place.

Otherwise, very nice. I think the wave shape of the branch could somehow find a similar wave in the substrate, to complement each other. Now the substrate seems just flat.
Also, what about some Nana Petits on the extended part of the branch?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks everyone for the input. I really appreciate it. I was really happy not to hear anyone say "move it to the ___ a little bit" . Or "it would look better if you cut the long arm halfway". So far I'm willing to go with all the suggestions.

Be prepared for a long term solution on holding your's in place.

I did tie a rock to the underside of the DW using some fishing line, and that will hold the peice under water, but the arm wants to go up still. It seemed to continually sink more and more, so I'm hoping, but you may be right LF. Those other rocks really helped with that, and they are holding some pellia in place for now. Does that stuff like to attach to wood? I could possibly use that instead of the petite nana. I wouldn't mind using petite nana though. Or maybe a fissidens sp. might work, what does evreryone think?

Looking at it in real life I do really like the three big rocks (not the ones on the DW). I'd like to keep them and possibly use them to balance out the right side. I also really like how the potomogeton kinda pops out between them and the DW. To me it creates depth, it's just I thought the one closest to the front and right looked odd. If I pushed it back right it might look good. Also, once there's some plant material in front of them, they might be less disturbing. I'm keeping my thoughts open to removing them though.

I like your comment on the flatness Ingo. Maybe that was what Jeff was getting at saying to support the focal point. It would be easy to throw a rock over there and have the pearl grass grow up over it. Might add some three dimensionality. otherwise I guess we are talking stems or hardscape?

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Matty,

I think, but I am not certain, pellia is overall like Riccia from its growth form, meaning I don't think it attaches itself to anything. Its advantage over Riccia is that it sinks naturally and as such doesn't push itself upwards.

Fissidens is the plant that you cannot have, I am planning on having it so it is booked - In other words, a great idea as well.

About the even substrate. Yeah, I was thinking hardscape, but not woods or rock, I thought more in line with changing the substrate itself to have some higher and lower areas.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

That's a nice piece of wood you have there Matty. What is the plant you have on the left hand side?

Cheers
TW

Fissidens is the plant that you cannot have, I am planning on having it so it is booked - In other words, a great idea as well.

Well LF, My Downoi is gone so you can have that and let Matty take the Fissidens. I also think that Fissidens would look nice on the wood. Pella would be too heavy looking and I think riccia would be too light.

I am with you Matty about the rocks. I think that to do work pretty well. Maybe just play with the big one on the right. That's the only one that doesn't seem to fit for me.

I think you should move the DW an inch to the left.... Just messing around...

Now you have my 2 cents and can go one with life...

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Glad everyone likes the fissidens idea, there's some in the mail right now. Will probably take a week to get here though.

I also got some super cheap tenellus from work to maybe grow up over the HM on the right and create a little texture. Moving the rock back there might help a bit too (glad you like the rocks wings ).

So far work has been eating my life, so I haven't gotten anything done on the tank other than dump a couple plants and some ferts in there. The store got some furcatas in, so it looks like I'll be adding to my current group of three.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

So I'm due for my monthly update. I hope LF doesn't mind I'm a little late. I just got done with a water change. Major trimming of the lawn from last week is still a little noticeable...the HM is usually shocked for about a week, then takes right off again. It won't be so flat in a few days.

I moved the rock on the right back and a little more to the right. I think it looks a lot better. The tenellus is more apparent this week, and the stargrass in the corner is doing pretty well. I'll have to decide what I like and don't still.

The weird black things are the fissidens "containers". The fissidens is starting to grow out of them, so they must like it here. I'm kind of growing attached to the pelia on the dw though. It's interesting. I also got a new batch of petite nana....and happened to get a pearling shot . Those things and the bare patch where the HC is slowly growing (look mom no tweezers!) all detract from the aquascape, but are a little part of my collectoritis.

So on to the pics:

I'll start with the aforementioned petite nana pearling shot. Talk about macro:


Finally a nice clear shot of a furcata:


And finally the FTS:


Sorry about the lax in posting in everyone's threads. I don't blame you if you don't respond . I try my best. I've been working 45hr weeks, have 6 hrs. of classes, my mod duties here and my new duties at Adam's new site here, and some social life. AND I got sick on my last day off. Ack, what happened to summer breaks?

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

wow mate sounds like your busy, busy at the moment! why not grab yourself a six pack and forget about it all for a couple of hours. thats my cure for being busy (/pretty much any ailment). any way dont wear yourself out mate.
okey enough from dr dan- the tank looks brilliant mate. i actually like the rocks, they kind of stand out with their brash shapes. a bit of contrast always looks good.

Sorry about the lax in posting in everyone's threads. I don't blame you if you don't respond . I try my best. I've been working 45hr weeks, have 6 hrs. of classes, my mod duties here and my new duties at Adam's new site here, and some social life. AND I got sick on my last day off. Ack, what happened to summer breaks?

Hate to break this to you buddy, but it get's worse. Wait to you have kids, have to work 45hrs in one day (look at poor Ingo) and become a mule for your family. Taking them to and fro and carrying all their &*$#.

Anyway, I really like the center with the wood and the Gayi. I know you've been "busy", but the rocks don't do it for me you need more exposed substrate and smaller rocks to work with that size wood.

My Scapes

lol, tetra. Thanks for painting such a rosy picture for us young guys. Maybe I'll hold off on buying that ring for the GF...

Matty, I too like the center section. And I don't really mind the rocks. I just want to replace all that HM with HC, and maybe you do too. The scape is right, I just wonder what it would look like with some nice thick HC.

And good shot of the furcata. They must be tough to freeze, buzzing around like flies.

Finally, don't worry about being MIA. I'm there too my friend, it happens.

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Back in the saddle!

Finally, don't worry about being MIA. I'm there too my friend, it happens.

Yeah I see why they call you Nowher
Anyway, I'm telling you the bad stuff, but the good stuff far outweights it. It's kinda like an HC foreground. It's a lot of work, but the reward is great
Just remember when you have kids, they don't leave and you can't either. It's a big ad if you have a good support network.

Matty, forgot beautiful macro shot!

My Scapes

Matty, forgot beautiful macro shot!

Nice fuzzy stuff too!

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Thanks for the compliments everyone, I appreciate the comments.

have to work 45hrs in one day

I don't mean to be rude, but I think you are making things up here . As I recall, there's only 24 hrs in a day. Also if you can remember that far back You'll remember 6 hrs of classes never = six hours of work. At least not in my fields. Just had to get you back a bit there for making me sound like a whiner. I'm not whining, I'm explaining . 45 hours a week of fish is plenty for me. I do on the order of 200-300 water changes per week.

Just remember when you have kids, they don't leave and you can't either.

Sounds terrible....I'm sorry. I don't think I'm the kids type. Thankfully my gf isn't either. We'd rather have a few animals.

Nice fuzzy stuff too!

Hey! *shakes fish at nowher* Lets see some of your slow growing plants that close up! Thanks for the compliments on the furcata shot at least .

Well back to the tank. I agree that if I end up with an HC (and I would like that wings )carpet, that I'll need smaller rocks. As they are in person, they don't look real big or obtrusive or even as angular. I'll give a matty angle sometime to illustrate that. Anyhow this was more to show I was alive and that the tank still has water in it more than anything else. Thanks for the crits I'll keep working it towards where I want it, it isn't there for sure, but better than it was.

Oh yeah, for you moss lovers out there....I forgot to show more of my colectoritis. Theres a bit of flame moss front and center. I'm thinking of throwing that in the 5.5 and removing the moss that's already there.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients