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LF how many drinks did ou have or are you translating from that German website that Upikabu linked to me?

You sound like a pencil fish encylopedia. You already have them breeding, I still have them floating in the the LFS bag.



upikabu
They one had a few more and two of them had alot of torn fins, and as you knon they were just in the store since Monday. I also have 5 beckford pencils in the tank, so I'm assuming they'll interact with those.


Last edited by tetratech at 24-Nov-2005 06:35

My Scapes

tetratech,

You know, drinking was from 3PM to 7PM

I got up for you this morning (at 4:30) and translated the German article, that was my entry above. Guess that’s why it sounds like an encyclopedia.

I sure hope you read the last line of that entry as it might explain the torn fins.

Ingo

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 24-Nov-2005 06:39

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Distinctive is the extreme territorial behavior of this species' male fish

Oh great first the rams now this. I should have just used my tank as a backup to your espei. When I first saw them at the LFS I honestly thought they were dyed fish.

So if my red corals breed with my other pencils will I get pink coral.





My Scapes

They one had a few more and two of them had alot of torn fins, and as you knon they were just in the store since Monday.

Man, you both sound drunk and isn't Thanksgiving Day only *today*?

Thanks for the fascinating translation, LF. That's interesting about the male's aggression in this species because the regular n. marginatus I have are very peaceful fish and never bother each other or other fish. Sometimes they even get chased around by the botia sidthimunki. Perhaps their personality is more like the Beckford's, which would fit right in your tank, tetra!

-P

Does sound like a drunk statement.

So far they are very peaceful, but probably too soon to tell. What surprised me is the Black Neons. They seem to be very aggressive toward the red pencils. I was going to move them anyway so I guess this clinches it.



My Scapes

LF,
Well if I would have know my co2 diffusion methods would have made such a stir, I probably would not have posted the change, but this is a log. LF I feel bad now, I was just trying to get a point across that different things work for different people and it's tough to draw absolute conclusions sometimes. For example, I have seen at least 10 different methods of co2 diffusion that aquarists who have incredible tanks use, so again, few things are black & white. You didn't need to delete your log entries, but since you did I'm going to delete mine as well.
Let's keep having fun.

TT


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OK

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hey Man,

Where is your weekly update?

No falling asleep on the job permitted .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well, I think my rotala had run it's course after topping it 5 or 6 times, it simply wasn't growing anymore, so I decided to savage any good stems and completely uproot it. I think Bensaf, had said you could go along time without uprooting, well after 2 months the plant had it. Unfortunately, I had just topped some of them about a week ago, so I didn' have that many stems with tops, so I had to replant stems that I had topped a week ago and now I threw out the bottoms, so basically I'm replanting the middle. By the time I got done it was lights out, so I'll try to post a pic tomorrow or Tuesday.

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tetratech,

Well, at least in one point I seem to have been right about rampant growth and high maintenance :

Rotala – …, but here is my observation. Constant trimming will make the stems look ragged and at some point the stems will have to be taken out and replaced with new cuttings.

This was on [link=Page 9]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Planted%20Aquaria/64496_9.html" style="COLOR: #ff6633[/link], in case someone cares.

I think that your middle sections will provide a good base for new growth. I remember to have cut stems at least 3 times and planted them all back in the tank when I was increasing the size of the initial group in my 29G.

But I wonder if you would like to keep on doing this in the long run, replanting every 2 months.

How are the lower sections of your Star Grass looking? Mine in the 20G basically have no leaves on the lower parts of the skinny stems.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

"Rotala – …, but here is my observation. Constant trimming will make the stems look ragged and at some point the stems will have to be taken out and replaced with new cuttings."

Yes, you did say that on page 9 and this was my response also on page 9.

Yes, this I believe will happen, but the area behind the rock is actually quite large and accessable. It's tough to tell from the photo.

So we were both right, the area was easy to replant, there is alot of room back there. It was only a matter of how often you need to replant. I really like the look of stem plants in my setup, so I don't mind uprooting every 2 months. I don't think I have much of an option.

As far as the stargrass one grouping looks very solid still the other I think hasn't been as thick for a while (remember the flow conversation) so I'm thinking of restarting that one as well.

My Scapes

Is the Star Grass group that is not as strong the one on the left (when looking at the tank)?

If so, maybe it could have something to do with the larger Rotala group shading this area.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yes, the smaller group to the left when looking at the tank. Could be the shade, but the light is directly overhead, so not sure how much of a factor that would be. I also noticed each individual leave is not as elongated as they were on both groups.

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Day 65 (I think) - 9th Week.

This has been a transition week for th tank. I had to pull out the main rotala grouping because it seemed to stop growing after about 5 or 6 toppings. I also pulled out one of the stargrass groupings for the same reason. I also added a big piece of DW to the center. Right now it looks a little heavy in the hardscape and I still don't have the DW I really want but I plan to have my stem plants grow around tha middle piece just exposing the top third of it. I also don't have the heart to remove it because for some reason, my two yamato shrimp are calling it home. I don't know if it's because of the height or the crevices in it, but they seldom leave it.




tetratech attached this image:


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Another pic as it sets in my kitchen. You could also see the only visible equipment now in my tank is the green eheim return. I'm still not sure why the company makes these an ugly mint green. I actually ordered a black intake from another brand of filter. You probably can't even see my heater which is just to the right of the return. It's a visi-therm stealth and is all black. My diffusor is now an airstone inside the intake and the airline tubing, what else black stealth.



tetratech attached this image:


Last edited by tetratech at 29-Nov-2005 18:55[/font]

Last edited by tetratech at 29-Nov-2005 19:07

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Stealths are the best heaters ever.

Cup,
I would have to agree!

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I really like that minimilist "iwagumi" look. Something tall and very thin in thick solitary group at the back wopuld be an amazing look. Cyperus Helfiri or Vallisnera Nana would be stunning. Really show off the Cardinals too. Not the entire back , just one thick grouping.

If you go back to the old look, I'd swap out the Rotala (not uprooting for 2 months was pushing it a bit - I didn't mean you could go THAT long) for something more dramatic, bolder - Limnophilia Aromatica or Ludwigia Cuba or Ammania or if you're feeling real brave Eusteralis Stellata.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

tetratech,

You know, I think it looks just awesome the way it is now. Maybe you shouldn’t plant anything else at all and just let the Wisteria and Hair Grass cover the entire ground.

On the other hand, that would mean that you are done. And that would be really boring . And if you should decide to go with Bensaf’s advice and try his Cyperus Helferi idea then tell me where you got it as I seem not to be able to find it at any online retailer (it’s either out or they don’t have it at all). This plant is No1 on my wish list.

About the filter return. Eheim has kits (called No1 for intake and No2 for return) that are not green, more of a dark gray. You can look at my tank pics to see them. Maybe the No2 is an option for you.

Again, I like the current look very much,

Ingo

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 30-Nov-2005 03:26

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks for the comments, To be honest I didn't think anyone would really like the tank right now, because it is in transition and alittle off balance.

I like those pinkish plants Bensaf mentioned, I'll have to see if I could locate. I know aquariumplants does not have them.

LF I did see that Eheim return you have sold as a kit, but as you said it is grey so I'm trying at this point to get all black.

You can't tell from my pic, but my tank does has a haze to it. I'm not sure if it's from the distrubance of removing the plants or the fact that my plant mass is smaller. There seems to be a very fine line between clarity and cloudiness in my tank.

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I like those pinkish plants Bensaf mentioned, I'll have to see if I could locate. I know aquariumplants does not have them.

All apart from the Stellata should be easy enough to find. Try Aquabotanic. The for sale forum on APC should throw some up.

Helferi is a bit more difficult (very slow grower)but again they pop up on APC from time to time. Try a WTB post.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Helferi is a bit more difficult (very slow grower)but again they pop up on APC from time to time. Try a WTB post.

I just checked AB. The only thing they list as available is the Helferi. Everything else I can't find when I search their site. I guess I need to make more friends at APC.



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Yeah tetratech,

I ordered it about 40 min ago

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

You mean you beat me to the last stem. You Jersey guys are all the same when it comes to New Yorkers.

Is that all you ordered and what do they charge to ship?

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What

Does that mean that there was only one left? Or none? I sure didn’t mean to do that.

I bought 5 and I also bought 5 Potamogeton gayii – looks like an interesting plant, will se what it does (and where it goes).

I was reading about shipping after I placed the order as I assumed it would come up in the ordering process (but didn’t). They charge around $ 18 to $ 24 for shipping in handling, if I read that right. I should have put my shipping preference in the field “Note to us”, but I didn’t know that when I placed the order (you know, I had to rush to beat all the NY guys to it ). It will be shipped next week (I hope) via UPS 2day.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I think I have to put together a bigger order if I'm going to pay $25 for s&h. I just did my monthly BigAls order and the wife see's all the bills? I was just kidding about the last stem.

BTW - Off topic, what is your current temp in your 125G? Mine is at about 78F. Wondering if it's more beneficial for plants to reduce to 75F. I got into a habit of keeping it warmer for the cardinals and too make ich tougher to establish itself.

My Scapes

tetratech,

You almost made me feel guilty .

I have both of my smaller tanks at about 80F but decided to keep the 125G a little cooler (mostly because of heating cost considerations). I have two thermometers in the tank one left front one right back side. The first one reads 76F and the other one 78F. The are both glass thermometers and I assume my true value is in the middle. My heaters (Visi Therm – but not stealth) are set to 76F (I believe).

Ingo

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 30-Nov-2005 09:28

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks for the temp reading. I'm pretty much right where you are, maybe alittle warmer. I'm glad I don't have the ebo heater anymore, set it at 75 and 81.

Maybe you shouldn’t plant anything else at all and just let the Wisteria and Hair Grass cover the entire ground.
It's funny that you said that, because if I do nothing my wistera will completely take over the substrate. It does not grow vertically anymore. It crawls along the substrate. I used to get all kinds of algae on the wisteria, it was almost like a magnet, but now it grows too fast and incredibly clean. In this pic the wisteria reaches all the way to the back glass and will probably reach the right side glass next week. It kinda looks like a thick field going uphill to the rocks and main group.



tetratech attached this image:


Last edited by tetratech at 30-Nov-2005 11:07[/font]

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* imagines tetratech standing next to the tank with a whip saying “crawl Wisteria, crawl” *



Yeah, I know I am crasy.

It would be interesting to see what will happen when it wants to grow and the glass is in its way. Will is “crawl” up the glass or start to grow vertical again?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

* imagines tetratech standing next to the tank with a whip saying “crawl Wisteria, crawl” *

(Scratches Head) How did you know?

Switching to stargrass. I find this to be a really weird plant. It's not dying, but the leafs are more compact now and I'm getting some black and I have good light. It's supposely a macro hungry plant and I know I have no3 and po4 cause I've been dosing. The flow is hitting a gently. I've even replanted some tops and it's really not taking off. I've heard of alot of people not being able to figure stargrass out. I knew you had problems in your 20g with light, but mine is directly under my light :%)

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tetratech,

Are they getting black at the bottom or on the leaves?

If it is at the bottom then maybe the compact leaves create enough shade to have the bottoms die.

If it is on top then I don't know. It doesn't seem to grow in my 20G as well as it used to. Some pieces came lose and I took the chance to plant a few in the corner of the 125G. Maybe in a few weeks I can tell you my experience (if I still have it then).

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

It pretty much has black areas all the way around, not just on the bottom. Leaves are smaller and not as "lack of a better word" flurry. I guess that's a disadvantage for me only having a few dense stands. If one goes down it puts a big hole in my scape. With all your plants it doesn't affect it as much.

My Scapes

Since I have such a fine line between clear and cloudiness I've decided to purchase a UV sterilizer. Some aquarist have never used these others swear by them. I think it all depends upon your situation and who knows maybe one's tap water and it's contents plays a role in water getting cloudy.

One of the reasons I've decided to purchase one was also fish-based. Since I plan on having a large school of Cardinals which have shown themselves to be e to internal infections I feel the UV will help since it destroys harmful bacteria and parasites. I believe it will also save me money in the long run in both replacement fish as well as water clarifiers, etc.

My Scapes

Interesting... and I guess it makes sense in your situation. Rather than buy from an LFS that does not use them, you're just going to get one yourself so that "conditions" stay constant.

How much do those run on a tank your size?

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Back in the saddle!

Actually my tank still looks like the pics I posted on page 19. The cloudiness doesn't really show up, but I promise to take a before and after pic and post. I guess if I adjust the camera setting I could show the cloudiness more, I think you could see it looking through the side.

And yes, I believe I will need the force!

My Scapes

as in KH2PO4?

Actually, I meant k2so4, not the one mentioned above.

Well, sounds good to me .

I hear you on the inconsequence of measuring based on the described tank volume vs. the actual water mass.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

tetratech – you say you stopped SO4 ( as in KH2PO4? ). Where do you get your K from? Shouldn’t the K be as high as the NO3 and doesn’t KNO3 contain less K (in ppm) than NO3

As in Flourish Potassium. Actually when I ordered my kh2po4 from Greg Watson also ordered k2so4, but haven't even used it because I still had alot of Flourish Potassium. Anyway without dosing Flourish Potassium this is what I get per dose.

N - 5.85ppm
P - .72ppm
K - 3.98ppm

My wildcard with the K is the eco complete, so I'm not worry it's not enough. This is based on the fertilator. Another interesting observation with this fert calcuators, is that they compute these ranges based on the size of your tank, but do they take into consideration they actual water volume. I have alot of DW, rocks, pretty deep substrate which obviously reduces the water volume, could be as much as 5 gallons, so whatever your dosing based on calculator your probably putting even more in.

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I use a smidgeon spoon to measure small quantities for up to 1/32 tsp, which is a little more than 0.03 tsp.

tetratech – you say you stopped SO4 ( as in KH2PO4? ). Where do you get your K from? Shouldn’t the K be as high as the NO3 and doesn’t KNO3 contain less K (in ppm) than NO3?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Good question nowher,

You know some of those nh3 test kits come with the little spoon. Anyway my old nh3 test kit add three regents for nh3 and the first you add to scoop with this little spoon. Well it takes 20 of those spoons to equal my 1/2 tsp, so I know what the 10 to 1 ratio is. So if I'm dosing .5 tsp no3 than I know I need 2 spoonfuls to get to .05 tsp

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hey tetra, how exactly do you get .05 tsp of po4? I mean, how exactly do you measure out such a small amount.

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Back in the saddle!

After consulting the PPS system I realized my no3 and po4 levels where low, which might have accounted for my stalled growth during all that trimming here are my current dosing levels:

no3 .5 tsp 3/week
po4 .05 tsp 3/week
flourish 10ml 3/week
flourish trace 5ml 3/week

I stopped dosing so4 since I think I get enough through no3, po4 and my eco substrate.

My Scapes

Good point. I did actually set it up on the output side of my canister, so this way any debris is obviously caught by the filter media. I know some people run the UV just off a powerhead and they do recommend a prefilter.



My Scapes

Hi,
Regarding the UV sterilizer, if you are running "raw"
water through it (unfiltered water) then you will probably
have to clean the insides out at a regular interval as the
detritus (floating debris) from the tank eventually will
coat the UV cage and dim the light reaching the water.

Best results are obtained when the output of the canister
is plumbed through the UV filter.

Frank


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

Here's another pic looking through the right side of tank showing the clarity.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

What are the maintenance requirements on the UV filter? Do you have to frequently check if the bulb is still working? How much does a replacement bulb cost and did you already buy one (just in case this one breaks)?

The unit I have as a sort of translucent window to the side of the chamber that allows you to see if the light is working. the bulb supposely lasts 8,000 hrs and is about $10 and it's only 9watts, so very little long-term costs.
Havent' bought a new bulb and considering that GW isn't a dangerous thing just asetitic I probably won't bother until I see that this bulb has become ineffective. The entire unit was only $74.99 no tax and no shipping when I bought it for VIP members from BigAls.

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to run it 24/7 or put it on a timer and have it run at night only. Supposely turning the light on and off decreases bulb life. I guess I'll see how my plants do, because the UV supposely has the ability to unchelate FE, but many have said if you dose FE every day it's not an issue. It makes me feel better that Greg Watson uses one 24/7 as well.



Last edited by tetratech at 11-Dec-2005 10:15

My Scapes

tetratech,

The Wisteria really looks lovely and the UV filter worked wonders.

What are the maintenance requirements on the UV filter? Do you have to frequently check if the bulb is still working? How much does a replacement bulb cost and did you already buy one (just in case this one breaks)?

It is too bad that the Rotala group is so diminished. I hope it grows back soon or you find another plant that you would like to put in its place.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

This pic captures how thick my wisteria is growing. Besides some black fringes on some of the lower leaves the plant is really full and very soft. It really has become a carpet to 80% of the substrate from back to mid surrounding the main island:



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Here's a shot a little closer in. A few have asked why my shots are dark. Remember I have a black background and dark drifwood and a dark substrate. If I take the pics any lighter it looks washed out and not what it really does look like. If you look at the plants they are bright and that's pretty much what I was looking for. I probably will search for a new plant group that will add extra drama. This pic you could see the rotala r starting to burst once again behind the main rock and the anubias I split and has grown many new leaves.



tetratech attached this image:


Last edited by tetratech at 11-Dec-2005 09:18[/font]

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Week 10 has been a good week after using the UV since Tuesday the water has attained a level of cleariness I don't think I've ever had except in the very beginning.
Here's a full tank shot.



tetratech attached this image:


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Actually, it's only brown because of your lighting and it's actually yello.
It really does look brownish rust under 96w and under 192w.

I wanted to ask why does your tank always look so dark? Is it just the pictures or the lighting on the tank?
As you know I have a black background and black substrate, plus when I take most of my pics one set of lights is off, so I only have 96w over the tank. If I use a slower speed it's not as sharp. To be honest, I like the way my tank looks under the lower light.

My Scapes

Now it is time to wait and see if it has any longer-term negative effect, although I wouldn&#8217;t know what that would be.
Let's make a list with different possibilities:

1. Fish start to glow.
2. The existing protists that don't get sucked through the UV stage a major revolt and start attaching themselves to the fish turning them green instead
3. A new breed of protist evolves that is UV resistant and is even greenier than the original breed.



My Scapes

Your ram is just colouring up, this is how they look like when they're happy, and it gets more intense just before they breed. Actually, it's only brown because of your lighting and it's actually yello. This is, of course, a male ram, both males and females have that yellow bit.

That reminds me... I wanted to ask why does your tank always look so dark? Is it just the pictures or the lighting on the tank? It's very atmospheric, but it's hard to spot details on the wood and rocks.

tetratech,

Well, without any doubt the first step of the UV functionality has been verified, without a doubt it killed off the GW . Now it is time to wait and see if it has any longer-term negative effect, although I wouldn&#8217;t know what that would be.

When I saw the text and picture of the Ram I was first excited as I assumed it is the female&#8217;s spot marking readiness to breed. Then I got a little worried though. If you refer to the area in the red circle then this is most likely what it is, although German Ram&#8217;s have a rather pinkish-red spot that stretches from one side to the other around the belly. If it is further up then I don&#8217;t know.

Ingo

LITTLE_FISH attached this image:

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

My ram has a new brownish area in the middle of it's body.



tetratech attached this image:


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My rotala has breached my main rock and is back growing again.



tetratech attached this image:


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At closer inspection....



tetratech attached this image:


Last edited by tetratech at 09-Dec-2005 18:25[/font]

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At closer inspection:



tetratech attached this image:


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Here's the tank today, about 72 hrs after UV start:



tetratech attached this image:


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It's been about 10 days since I posted a full tank shot, so here we go. Here's a shot on Tuesday before the UV was activated. As I said the front shot doesn't show as much difference, but looking at the next two shots separated by 72 hours shows a big difference.

Tuesday's pic before UV:





tetratech attached this image:


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It's been about 10 days since I posted a full tank shot, so here we go. Here's a shot on Tuesday before the UV was activated.



tetratech attached this image:


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Bob,

Well if I hadn't gotten the UV I would have darkened the tank already. I've done big WC on GW doesn't do anything. Here I'm testing just the UV and it's ability.

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Tetra,

How about a 50% water change tonight before you go to bed? Can't hurt as the murk draws you closer and closer to darkening the tank...

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Latest Pics

tetratech attached this image:


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GFG sounds good to me.

Anyway here's a pic summary of the UV treatment. The tank didn't look tha much different to me from this morning at 39 hrs and this evening at 47 hours. I also kept my co2 running which several aquarists said helps sustain GW, The think in the morning with the co2 off all nite will tell the tale.



tetratech attached this image:


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I sleep loads better with my tank in my room, falling asleep to the fish swimming around, the light is an excellent night light cos it goes off on a timer, when you can't sleep you can watch the fish and fall asleep without thinking about it too much.

GFG

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

tetratech,

Well lets see here. I am done with my classes for the winter break so I just don't have much else to do. Thanks though!

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

Thanks LF, I think I'll change my avatar for the occasion.

Wingdsc - Funny! Your on a hot streak with your tank and your jokes

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The fish tank puts off a romantic glow?? #3??

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

Uh,



Just saw that we have now a Guru in the mix.

Congrats tetratech, and take a picture of yourself sitting on a needle bed.

Ingo

PS: Number 2000 was in NowherMan6's thread

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 08-Dec-2005 12:15

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Those are all very funny guys,

How 'bout this:

"I promise there will never be any algae in the tank"

I put that with all those other thing you say in the bedroom!

My Scapes

Man,

I have many ideas but,

a) none is as good as Bob's
b) none is suitable for this forum (so don't ask)

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Actually 1.) was the reason I almost moved my 46 OUT of the bedroom... instead of putting me right to sleep it made me get up every 10 minutes and go to the bathroom...

2.) Who needs a painting when you can have a living work of art on the wall instead!

bob -

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Back in the saddle!

2. It comes with a diamond tennis bracelet?

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Thanks, Any ideas on how I could conveience my wife to let me put my old 46 in the bedroom? So far I came up with:

1. The gentle splashing of water will put you right to sleep.

2.?
3.?

My Scapes

Yeah, who needs a radio when you can listen to your fish :%)

Good luck on the Rams being funky, maybe you should make sure that you have a flat surface (stone) ready for egg laying. And get that fry tank going, while you are at it .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

It seems to work very well, I guess NowherMan6 will have to place an order with Big Al's soon

You're gosh darn right on that one.

Clears the water, makes fish want to get down/ get funky too?? To heck with the satellite radio, I want a UV sterilizer for xmas!

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Back in the saddle!

Definitely something up with my rams, the bigger one's fins have turned bright orange and the two are really getting funky. Maybe it's the UV Radiated water





tetratech attached this image:


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Yup tetratech,

It seems to work very well, I guess NowherMan6 will have to place an order with Big Al's soon ().

Yeah, I agree on the Anubias findings, mine grow pretty fast as well. In particular the Barteri get a new flower stem once every 2 weeks .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Looks good

You're right, the rotala definetely is growing well, even in a short time span like that. I've found that plants go through HUGE growth spurts when there's green water... i guess it's just a great big ol' ice-cream social in there for Protists and higher Plants alike...

Good to hear about the anubias too. I understand why it's called a slow grower, but with CO2 and high but shaded light I've found that it's capable of putting out a leaf to a leaf and a half per week.

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Back in the saddle!

Now 40 hrs (actually 39 hrs) after UV startup:



tetratech attached this image:


Last edited by tetratech at 08-Dec-2005 08:36[/font]

BTW - Looks like my Rotala has started growing again, but I think it's just the replanted tops, which would make me thing it was the trimming and not the water itself. I'm also having good growth from an Anubias I split into two pieces a few weeks ago, I have about 3 new leaves on one and the other is developing as well.

Last edited by tetratech at 08-Dec-2005 08:39

My Scapes

O.K here's a 40 hr UV update water definitely clearing (LF did not play with camera settings)

First the photo from the other day



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

I did keep the setting the same but available light, extra, I can't conrol. I think the 48 hour pic will tell the tale.

My Scapes

Yup,

I can see the difference, or did you change your camera settings .

It seems like you are winning this battle, now go on and win the war, yeah.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well tetra, it's definetely working... slowly but surely

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Back in the saddle!

Here's the pic:



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Here's a pic after 24 hours with the UV. Not much change although I think it's slightly clearer.





Last edited by tetratech at 07-Dec-2005 19:28

My Scapes

I'll send you guys a PM if it does go up on Ebay

My Scapes

"Tetratech Special - Complete GW Tank Setup"

Oh really? I have been wanted a bowfront for a while.......

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

"Kills single-celled Protists! You don't have to know what that means, it kills them just the same!"


Nah, I'm sure it'll work just fine. And if it does.... hello BigAlsOnline for me!

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Back in the saddle!

tetratech,

Very nice picture of the green tank. I guess you will have to let the UV filter run for at least a day to see any changes, right?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Even with the greenish haze over it the wisteria looks so good! Hope you get thet under control it has been bothering you for some time. Could it be too much light? Not enough CO2? I'm just tossing stuff out there. I haven't had an algae bloom yet (knock on wood). Did the willow branches work before? Or I also read about philodendron cuttings, they would actually look pretty neat I would think. And they would take root, then you could pot them up and put in new ones. I really have no idea what I'm babbling about so I'm shutting up now!Still love the tank!

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

Here's a pic of wisteria with alittle Lobelia cardinalis in front of it. My bristlenose almost completely consumed this plant, but it's making a comeback.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

O.K. you asked for it. Here's a pic from the side, from the front you can't appreciate it. At least I could still see the faint glow of Paracheirodon axelrodi



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Yeah tetratech

Now all you have to do is to get up every hour and give us an update on the progress.

And where is that "before" picture?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

At approximately 6:30 est the eradication of the single-celled protists (thanks Megil) has begun.

Here is a pic of my setup under the hood that now includes the UV Sterilizer.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

I think you take better pics than me Nowher. I was only ablle to capture the true extent of the green from the side. Tonite I will take a before pic as LF alluded to and than I will take another on the same setting to see what affect the UV is having.

My Scapes

Actually my tank still looks like the pics I posted on page 19. The cloudiness doesn't really show up, but I promise to take a before and after pic and post

Woah woah woah... then what was all this talk about it looking like "Nowher's on steroids" ??? If you can see more than 2 inches deep into the tank, it can't be THAT bad...

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Back in the saddle!

You guys are awesome.

______________
Cake or death?

So just to recape a bit.

On this site we have people who:

1. Read to their plants every night.
2. Play slave driver to get their plants to grow.
3. Now play Algae War/Star Wars with their tanks!

What is next??

LF,

Sould have said.....May the Flurish Excel be with you!

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

tetratech,

I know that you are not too keen on posting pictures of your tank when it is not in top shape, but please be so nice and give us the "before the treatment" shot .

And then go ahead and put your Luke Skywalker uniform on and fight the "Algae Wars".

May the force be with you .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Give 'em hell, tetra! The only good single-celled Protist is a dead one
I couldn't have said it better myself.

Nowher, are you in the middle of your blackout. I'm sure you did this, but don't forget to stop co2.

My Scapes

Give 'em hell, tetra! The only good single-celled Protist is a dead one.

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Back in the saddle!

Hm, last time I checked 10 liters where 2.64 US gallons

Sorry guys, I meant quarts. Yes that would change things just a bit. :%)

BTW - I should be getting my UV sterilizer today. So say your prays you single-celled Protists. This is the
"Algae Wars" Yes I really am 42.



Last edited by tetratech at 06-Dec-2005 09:03

My Scapes

We make it too complicated?

Fill a bucket with 10 liters (10.5 gallons) of tap water.

Hm, last time I checked 10 liters where 2.64 US gallons .

I hope this was only a typo because otherwise your conclusions would be way off.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

How do you measure the KNO3, KH2PO4 and K2SO4 to make the standard solution?

The article will tell you how to do this for no3 and po4, not sure about so4. The po4 is similiar to the no3 they tell you how much po4 to add to 10 liters to measure the different ppms.

NO3.PO4.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://ca.geocities.com/pps@rogers.com/01.01.Test.NO3.PO4.pdf

Last edited by tetratech at 05-Dec-2005 20:23

My Scapes

Tetra,

How do you measure the KNO3, KH2PO4 and K2SO4 to make the standard solution? Do you have a scale that could measure those precise amounts given in the article? I don't reckon using tsp/tbsp equivalents would be very accurate.

-P

Half way back? maybe a quarter.

No, you guys are making it way to complicated. All you do is:

Fill a bucket with 10 liters (10.5 gallons) of tap water.
Add in 2ml of no3 - test the bucket for 5ppm color
Add in another 2ml of no3 - test 10 ppm color
Add in another 4ml of no3 - test for 20 ppm color

*I only did up to 20ppm, but you could go further.

After you done with the color tests, than test your tank water and see where you color falls. I took a pic of the all the test tubes so I would have a photo of the colors. Now in the futre if you set up the same photo conditions you could match the color. The test really is meant to train your eye to see low, normal, high so you'll know what's going on in your tank, but the photo will help if you think you'll forget what the color means.

BTW - I don't know what's in your tap, it can't be that much no3, but either way your using tap in your tank so that's the color.




Last edited by tetratech at 05-Dec-2005 15:34

My Scapes

You just fill a bucket with 10l of water and then add in the recommend amount of no3 for each ppm you want a color for

What water do you use &#8211; tank water? I thought it would be tab water &#8211; but what is the NO3 concentration in tab water?

It also appeared that you had to add hundreds of drops of test solution to the water then, did I read that right?

Ingo

Yeah, I am half way back

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

ohhhhh, it said 10 liters ?? That explains a lot. Glad i wasnt the only confused one

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Back in the saddle!

LF,

Glad you conscious once again from your holiday celebrating

It's really very simple. You just fill a bucket with 10l of water and then add in the recommend amount of no3 for each ppm you want a color for. Then when you test your tank water you could match the color to the controlled sample. As you could see from my test, I had much less no3 than I thought once I matched it to the control.

My Scapes

I skimmed through the article as well, but I didn&#8217;t really have time to focus.

I got confused in the part where you have to add a solution to 10 liters of water or something like that. Then I wondered off in my mind and started to think about if 6ppm are enough and 20 are only the max after which one would do a water change of 50% given that there is zero nutrient uptake, and then my old brain got confused .

But I promise I will make a better effort to understand it the next time I read the article.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I did take a brief look at that article, though I didn't read every word. However, the first thing i thought of was how Tom Barr (the Pope is it?) always mentions how most test kits are off and give readings that are higher than they should be. This looks like a good method to get a better idea of where your levels really stand when calibrated to the test kit itself.

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Back in the saddle!

So sorry to hear this tetra. You were doing so well too. Does this mean you won't be sending me the willow branches and magic fairy dust?

Thanks Nowher!
Just when you think you have it all figured out ]:|]:|]:|

I always had a very delicate balance between clear and hazy water, so I think when some of my plant mass got reduced after I replanted my rotala and it hasn't grown back so well, there was not enough mass left. One thing I don't understand my wistera which is suppose to be an excellent fert sucker is growing great and literally takes up 85% of the bottom of my tank, grantly I have it growing like a carpet, but it's still alot of mass, so I'm not sure what's causing the GW. There are some aquarist, very advanced ones that use UV because they simply can't get away from green water. I actually use the seachem product Clarity and it did absolutely nothing. The P-Clear product from Hagen always cleared the GW but it would eventually return.

BTW - No one has mentioned the calibration testing procedure I did for no3 and po4 testing. Look above 5 or 6 posts. It's very simple and will give you a much better read on your macro levels.


Last edited by tetratech at 05-Dec-2005 14:04

My Scapes

My favorite plant (single-celled floating) algae continues it's domination of my tank. My tank look like Nowher's on steriods

So sorry to hear this tetra. You were doing so well too. Does this mean you won't be sending me the willow branches and magic fairy dust?

But yeah, it's good that your UV is on the way, it'll be a good test to see how well it works.

besaf - .....

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Back in the saddle!

I laughed.

Also, the term "algae" doesn't really have any taxonomical significance whatsoever. TECHNICALLY, certain "algae" as they are commonly called, are in fact simple plants, IIRC.




Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 04-Dec-2005 22:24

algae are not plants they are protists

Does that mean they don't believe in the Pope ???


A bit of good 'ol Irish Catholic humor.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

I liked it
Thanks LF!

Well, did something constructive today I calibrated my testing procedure using the PPS System. Here is the link explaining it if your interested. This is for no3 and po4.

NO3.PO4.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://ca.geocities.com/pps@rogers.com/01.01.Test.NO3.PO4.pdf

Bascially we all have problems interperting the color on the test kit charts, so the calibration allows you to use tap water and add a set amount of N03 for example and see what color develops. You do the same testing for different levels like 5ppm, 10ppm, 20ppm then when you test your water you'll know what the color really means.

After doing my no3 test, I realized I have low nitrate. I honestly thought my no3 levels were fine, before the calibration. Here's a pic showing 3 different levels that I calibrated and then my tank water. You could see by the color I have between 5 and 10ppm no3 and this was after I dosed 1/2 tsp today, which according to the FERTILATOR adds almost 6ppm to my size tank. So I basically had 1 and 3ppm based on water changes, etc. I'm hoping this has alot to do with why my plants haven't been growing that well. I know stargrass for example is no3 hungry.




tetratech attached this image:


Last edited by tetratech at 04-Dec-2005 19:36[/font]

My Scapes

I liked it

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

My favorite plant (single-celled floating) algae continues it's domination of my tank. My tank look like Nowher's on steriods.

Megil,
Technically you are right, I acutally meant it as a joke ]

I guess it wasn't a good one

My Scapes

algae are not plants they are protists



Last edited by Megil Tel'Zeke at 04-Dec-2005 11:01

My favorite plant (single-celled floating) algae continues it's domination of my tank. My tank look like Nowher's on steriods.

Anyway pretty sure it's from all the reduced plant mass since 2 of my 3 main stem groups are not functioning. I think the UV will help, but not going to be here till Tuesday. I did order some Seachem Clarity in my last BigAls ordered and I dosed some last nite and it hasn't put a dint in the cloudiness.

Some parameters of my tank I took this morning:

ph 6.6
kh 2
gh 5
nh3 0
no3 10-20 ppm
po4 (waiting for new test kit)

The only surprising think here is the kh at 2. This has been 3 pretty consistently. At the gh of 5, maybe I should be using the Seachem Equilium product. On the otherhand my PH is incredibly stable only moving between about 6.2 and 6.6 at the most extreme times.

Wisteria, hairgrass, anubias continue to grow great. I've been dosing flourish 5ml 3/week which gives me about .18 Fe each week, plus the eco complete. So I think the plants have what they need to grow.

I'm vexed, terribly vexed.

On the bright side, the fish seem fine, all my cardinals are doing well and I have no algae on the plants themselves.





Last edited by tetratech at 04-Dec-2005 09:10

My Scapes

Fish - Excellent
Greenish Tint - ]:|]:|]:|

Not again, I hope it holds off until you get the UV filter. Then we can put it to the test right away .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well my tank is definitely starting to get a greenish tint to it. I definitely think it's from the reduced plant mass now that two of my three groupings are much smaller.

I eagerly await my UV.

I was also in aquarium adventure today and purchased 5 more cardinals and 3 more otos. Assuming all the cardinals acclimate O.K. I'll have a total 15 cardinals and 10 otos in the tank.



My Scapes

Thanks Upikabu. That is very handy.



My Scapes

Do you know how much FE is in TMG vs Flourish

Not sure if you've seen this before tetra, but according to it, Flourish has 4.6x the amount of Fe than TMG for the same dosage amount.

-P

Thanks Bensaf! My main stems groups look like they just stopped, literally. They aren't dying although the stargrass has black edging, the rotala looks like it just totally stopped. So I think you thought that is from unkind trimming and should restart eventually.

My Scapes

Sorry don't know. Can't get Flourish here.I would imagine pretty similar. I do remember that TMG uses a different chelating agent - ETPA. By all accounts this is superior and will keep the Iron from oxidising much longer then Flourish.

How many PPM am I dosing a week ? Don't know that either.I suppose I could check the Chelated FE bottle (it's Azoo BTW)

What's my levels ? Nope , no idea.

I have an FE test kit somewhere. I've used it once, I think it was 0.5ppm.

You should know me by now. I don't test, I watch the plants.My test kit for FE is Mayacca Fluviatis. The color tells me how I'm doing for Iron. Right now it's telling me I could take a bit more Iron.

5mls of Flourish is not a lot for a tank that big.If the tanks is established and running well a bit more micros is always a good idea.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Bensaf,

Do you know how much FE is in TMG vs Flourish. I've been dosing 5ml Flourish 3/week for a total of FE of .18ppm.
You said your also dosing Chelated FE, so what is your total ppm of Fe weekly?

My Scapes

LF you definitely have an eye for detail. Actually that one stargrass stem I kinda pulled through from the main stand to wrap in front of the dw. I could be wrong, but the main grouping looks just like that stem pretty much. It's black on top as well and it's right under 192watts of light as it was from the getgo. I've actually increased my 192watt time from 5 to 7 hours to see if it sparks anything. When I first planted the stargrass even little cuttings were growing low at the substrate level.

BTW - Sorry to hear about the Gourami

My Scapes

Hey tetratech,

Is this plant in the red circle one of the Star Grasses? It looks like it has long stem parts between the leaves which could indicate a lack of light.

If it is, are the other ones, when looked at one at a time, looking the same?

Just trying to guess my way to the answer of the no-grow phenomenon.

Ingo

LITTLE_FISH attached this image:

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Rotala Pic (crappy pic)

See the circled areas those show little buds that came out pink, but haven't grown any bigger over 3 or 4 days.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

See that Rotala stem in the lower left. It looks healthy, but it's been in that position probably for 3 or 4 days doing nothing.

Here'a wisteria pic:



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Thanks! I hope your right that it's just a nasty trim. Thing that concerns me is the bottoms and the tops aren't growing. Thing I need to address is the relationship between root uptake and leaves for micros. Part of me always thinks I got the eco, so I don't have to worry about micros as much as the next guy, although I have been dosing 5ml flourish 3/weekly and sometimes I throw in some flourish trace. Anyway here's a couple of pics of the wistera (looks normal to me) and the stargrass (just about every leave in this pick has some black on it.

BTW - I haven't tested kno3 and po4 in probably 3 weeks, ran out of test stuff (really get sick of testing), but since I ordered some stuff I did reorder a po4 and no3 test (hopefully last one).



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Hmmmm....ok.

Keep an eye on the Rotala. If the new small shoots stop growing and the plant produces new small shoots that also stop growing report back to me, corporal.

If the shoots continue to grow but just stay smaller that's ok, you've just over trimmed.

The fact that the Wisteria is still normal rules out one suspect.

Stop the additional Potassium dosing. You don't need it you'll get enough from the KN03 and KH2PO4.

Stunting has become a problem for some people. It's quite the little controversy in the planted world.Some say it's the CA/Mg ratio going out of whack, some say it's too much Potassium blocking CA uptake , some say it's too much Potassium full stop.It's tricky one , usually hits the same species of plants, looks like a CA problem but's hitting tanks with decent Gh which should plenty of CA.

Got my own opinions but don't want to get into them here. I'm pretty convinced Potassium plays a role somewhere for a very few plants. Difformis is one of them.

I've noticed lately Tom Barr is reccomending Mg additions if the GH is over a certain level as part of EI. Suspect he has his theories on this issue.

I don't think that's what we're dealing with here but back off the extra K and keep an eye on things. If you see pinholes showing on old leaves up the K again. If not leave it out apart from what you are dosing with No3 and PO4.

Sounds like you just over trimmed the plants and knocked them back. Keep a close eye on the Rotala.

You can always get a new bunch of Rotala and watch that. If it grows as normal you've just over trimmed. If it shows the same problem you've got a nutrient issue.

As to your plant mass question. Well if you truly believe that excess nutrients don't cause algae well you don't have to worry about the plant mass in relation to your dosing so much. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

I don't think you have a nutrient issue. If you do it's not going to be NO3 or PO4. But you can test them anyway.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

If your GH is 3o dgh or above you should have no need to dose additional CA or Mg.
KH IS 3 GH IS 5

Are you seeing any new growth at all ? When you say stunted has it just stopped or is the new growth coming out really small or twisted not fully formed leaves.
ROTALA - SMALL RED GROWTH, I GUESS I HAVE ENOUGH FE OR LOW NITRATES, WHICH WOULD EXPLAIN STARGRASS PROBLEM?

If it's simply stopped growing , how are the existing/old leaves looking.Are they yellowing or disintegrating ?
NO YELLOW, NO HOLES

The fact that there's roots , even if only small on the tops you re-planted is good. There's hope. I ALSO ENDED UP RUNNING SHORT ON GOOD STEMS SO I REPLANTED SOME STEMS THAT I HAD JUST CUT THE TOPS OFF, SO BASICALLY I REPLANTED THE MIDDLE, NOT MUCH HAPPENING ON THOSE.

Any new leaves looks like their are bits missing?
NO WISTERIA LOOKS AS GOOD AS ALWAYS. LEAVES ARE COMING IN DIFFERENT SHAPES, ETC, BUT IT IS DIFFORMIS.

I guess what surprises me is I didn't change anything and the plants were growing so lush and then (Hits brick wall).

Yes, In addition to no3 and po4 I am using Flourish Potassium. I'm only getting my FE thru Flourish I am not dosing Flourish Iron or any other Iron fert and according to the Fertilator my 5ml dosing 3/weekly would give me .18 ppm for the week and whatever the plant is getting through the Eco.

See what happens when you disappear for too long. Feels like old times, thanks again for meddling

One las thing, In a tank like mine, where it's mostly ground cover and a few thick (was) stands of stems, I'm still not sure how the whole EI calculation fits in. Although Wisteria is taking up a considerable amount of real estate it's low and crawling and I know it's a n03 sucker.

BTW - Observation, It doesn't look like the plants are reacting to light. They aren't reaching toward it.


Last edited by tetratech at 02-Dec-2005 07:03

Last edited by tetratech at 02-Dec-2005 07:27

My Scapes

And where is Dr. Watson?

Bensaf,

Your explanations are, as usual, wonderful and extremely informative.

tetratech,

I sometimes wonder about my CA as well.

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Lets try to break it down a bit.

If your GH is 3o dgh or above you should have no need to dose additional CA or Mg.

Are you seeing any new growth at all ? When you say stunted has it just stopped or is the new growth coming out really small or twisted not fully formed leaves.

If it's simply stopped growing , how are the existing/old leaves looking.Are they yellowing or disintegrating ? Holes ?

The fact that there's roots , even if only small on the tops you re-planted is good. There's hope.

The reason I'm asking these questions. If you are getting new growth but very small, or the older or existing leaves are dying off we're dealing with a nutrient issue. Depending on the answers we can zone in on which one.

If the plant has simply stopped growing and no other signs of problems it's more then likely not a nutrient issue , more one of over zealous pruning. The plant may be just re-establishing. The new roots are interesting. Generally a stressed plant, especially a cutting, takes a bit of time to bounce back. Most of the plants energy is put into producing new roots. The roots are mainly for anchoring not nutrient extraction, it's finding "a home". Once it's found that home and is secured it will then focus on extracting nutrients. Generally from the water column, they extract nutrients through the roots only when the water is lean.

I'm guessing from what you say it may just be a wait a bit thing. If the plant was truly "dead" it wouldn't produce any roots and the existing leaves would decompose pretty quickly.

You answers should clear up the nutrient issue.

Usually when there is a shortage of one or more nutrients the plant will continue to grow but, depending on the nutrients involved, the plant will exhibit stress. Some nutrients are movable by the plant from old growth to new, hence knowing the leaves affected is a big clue.

Bottom line I've never seen a nutrient shortage cause a plant to simply stop growing, rather it will disintegrate or show deformities.

Nutrient toxicities or imbalances on the other hand may cause a plant to stop. I've seen it and I've seen it bad in Rotalas. But it's usually a very select group of nutrients that cause this.Also it's a relatively small selection of plants that get affected. Rotalas are definately one, some Ludwigias, Ammania and strangely enough Wisteria seems a bit fussy about levels of one specific nutrient.Stargrass i'm not sure , as I said never had any. Your answers will tell me a lot.

I can rule out Nitrates. Rotala likes lower NO3 levels , stargrass likes higher levels. If the NO3 was causing a problem for the Rotala, the Stargrass would do well. And vice versa. The fact that it's affecting both rules out No3.

One last question: are you dosing Potassium apart from what is in KNO3 and KH2PO4 ? K2SO4 or KCL ?
If you are can you please look at the newest leaves of your Wisteria and tell me if you see anything unusual. Any new leaves look like they have bits missing ?

I feel like Sherlock Holmes here :%)

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Sorry Bensaf, not sure what I was thinking. I guess I'm always thinking S.A. cause of the fish. What I can't figure out is everything just stopped. I continued to dose everything and it just stopped. I shouldn't say everything. The wistera and hairgrass are fine, but the stargrass and rotala which were so lush just stopped. I don't even see any growth on the replanted tops. First off I have eco-complete, they should be uptaking some stuff from that. I actually tried dosing 5ml of Flourish everyday this week, no change, I even upped my dosing of no3 and po4, nothing, I pulled up some of the replanted tops and found very little root growth. My pho has been a steady 6.4 and kh 3, so that gives me real good co2 levels and my tank has gotten alittle cloudy again, maybe from reduced plant mass or FE dosing. The only thing I'm not really adding is CA/MG, I know I'm getting some from flourish/flourish trace as well and it's in the eco.

I just don't understand how these plants totally stall like this?

My Scapes

Who knows what's in that magical south american water where Bensaf lives. I bet it's alot different than our water.

Huh ? Have I moved to the depths of Brasil without knowing it ?
But I can tell you my S.E. Asian water is not so magical. Kh of 5-6, Gh 8, pH 7.6 out of the tap. Not the soft tropical water one would expect. Sometimes all we get from the tap is brown sludge. You wouldn't drink it if your life depended on it. It is a perfect temp though. No hot or cold faucet, just one. Water comes out at 26 -28o C. No or very low levels of Chlorine. The fact that if you drank it would doubtless result in you spending 3 days never more then 10 feet from a bathroom would suggest it's a haven of parasites.

Never had Stargrass, for some reason impossible to find here. What I've heard is that it's a real hungry plant, likes high levels of everything. Most seem to think the black is caused by a shortage of Iron.

Increasing micros is usually a good idea in a well growing tank. The lack of color in your Rotala recently would also indicate low micros, especially Iron. I'd try increasing micros or at least give an extra shot of chelated FE.

In my own tank which is almost the same size as yours I dose 10ml of TMG and 5ml of Chelated FE 3 x week. Works well.

Almost forgot, The UV. I've never used one. But as you mentioned I know a lot of good planted people do use them. Can't see a reason where they would be detrimental.Even in the unlikely event they affected some of the micros it's real easy to add more to compensate. I think it's one of those thing that's by no means neccessary, but if you can afford it it's a nice tool to have at your fingertips. Go for it.

Last edited by bensaf at 01-Dec-2005 21:11

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Others say that they create an environment that is as far from nature as can be as a sterile river/pond/lake does simply not exist.

Meh, trimmed and groomed rotalla and wisteria also are found nowhere in nature but you don't see me complaining

I'm also curious to see how it works out with your tank tetra, keep us posted

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Back in the saddle!

I did alot of thread reading before buying. But your right, people are on both sides of the fence. It falls in that "if it ain't broke, why bother" category, but I think it makes sense for me.

I did read that someone named "Greg Watson" uses one 24/7 and he's in the states. Who knows what's in that magical south american water where Bensaf lives. I bet it's alot different than our water.

Others say that they create an environment that is as far from nature as can be as a sterile river/pond/lake does simply not exist.
Some do say that, but others say it actually mimics nature more since their are more problems in a closed ecosystem than in nature where rain, runoff, etc is constantly refreshing things. Remember the only thing sterlized is the stuff moving thru the water colum. Like GW algae, pathogens, etc. The bacterial filter is unaffected since it's affixed to things. If Greg Watson - Mr Ferts is running one 24/7, I'm not too concerned about the ferts. As you said it will be interesting and that's part of the fun.

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Yeah tetratech,

It sounds interesting. I know there are many debates about them destroying all kinds of bacteria the good ones and the bad ones (whatever that means). Others say that they create an environment that is as far from nature as can be as a sterile river/pond/lake does simply not exist.

Personally, I would like to see the long term consequences you get while using it. It sure makes sense with regards to the Cardinal sensitivity.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Nowher,

I bought this one at BigAls. Treats up to 125g

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22513;category_id=3247

I would love to support my LFS, but this unit would probably be twice as much if you could even find it.

Last edited by tetratech at 01-Dec-2005 12:36

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From what I'm reading it probably will take a few days and different flow rates kill different things, so I might have to tinker with it.

On the otherhand if it doesn't work, look for the big sale on Ebay in a few days titled:

"Tetratech Special - Complete GW Tank Setup"

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Well, it's been about a month since I changed my diffusion from the hagen ladder to a micro-airstone inside my filter intake and it's working flawlessly. My co2 is in the steady high 30's and I've had no problem with my filter either mechanically or biologically. If my biological filter was destroyed I would expect some nh3 to show up and it's testing zero. Although in a large tank that's planted how much of the bacteria is actually in the filter as compared to the tank itself.

The only maintenance on this diffusion method is that "gunk" does build up on the airstone and it must be cleaned or probably replaced every few months.

I also like the ability to adjust my spraybar so the it's either below or slightly above the water line so the co2 enriched water either goes in under water or I can create alittle bubbling.


Last edited by tetratech at 14-Dec-2005 14:14

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I have to say I really enjoy the UV sterilizer, so I put together my 5 favorite reasons for having one.

5. If I&#8217;m thirsty during the day I could drink the water
4. I could dance around my tank and shout, &#8220;try to get cloudy, just try it&#8221;
3. I could stir up my substrate and say &#8220;like that, how bout that, and that.
2. No more willow branches ever

And the number one reason is:

Go ahead make my day you protist!




Last edited by tetratech at 15-Dec-2005 07:57

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# 6 (pending): Keeps cardinals alive!!! Hallelujah!


Tetra man, you're really making me jealous with this UV talk. Right now I'm banking on, lack of po4 is my limiting factor which is stunting my plants and allowing algae to bloom - I'll remedy that problem this weekend. C'mon po4, dont make me get that UV sterilizer...

Glad to see it's working out for you

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Back in the saddle!