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This that would be very nice Nowher.

BTW- I planted all my new plants, I'll try to post pic tonite. I'm having a hard time getting used to the variety, but we'll see what I keep and what I don't.



My Scapes

Interesting color change.

Is that the smaller one? Looks like a female belly marking there (or my imagination is running wild).

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Nope that's the big one.
This guy was a $5 fish from Petco about 18 months ago.


My Scapes

O.K Here's the new layout



tetratech attached this image:


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New Layout with Labels



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tetratech,

So far, the new plants look good. It is going to be interesting to see how they look once they have grown in. Most of the time I see the Stellata and the Diandra used as streets while you seem to use them as bushes. I wonder if you have to cut the front ones rather often to maintain the picture of a full group rather then having long stems visible. Time will tell .

I also like that we finally get to see your tank with some light on it .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks LF,
As I said I'm more into an overall dramatic look than growing different plants, so I might not even keep all these in. I also have alot of plants that have reddish and purple hues and it will be interesting to see how well they color up with the UV running. I might start putting it on a timer to run only at night.

BTW - Looks like after I started my cardinal addition back on Nov. 10th I hav ended up with 10 solid ones out of 21.
I'll probably add one more batch and see if the UV keeps the infections away that they seem to get during the first week of acclimation.

My Scapes

Adding more Cardinals sounds like a good idea, if you made up your mind that they are the ones of which you would like to have a BIG school.

And serves as a nice Xmas present to yourself as well .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Rams have spawned! This explains all the color changes, etc.

Pics and details to follow

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Uh

tetratech is a father yet again

How exciting, what now? Large school of Rams?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Eggs have been located on a piece of petrified wood all the way in the back. The smaller ram is guarding the nest. I already saw small agression for the first ime when the annoying pencilfish got close. I'm playing catch up now and trying to read up on them. I know they take turns guarding the nest so I'm still not sure which is the boy/girl. I've read there sometimes not the best of parents, but they are suppose to grab fry in their mouth when they stray to far.

My Scapes

Congrats tetra

They may eat this batch though... after a few more they should get the hang of it. The parenting, that is.

If you do raise these up, you may want to consider selling one or two to your old pal NowherMan6, maybe?

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Back in the saddle!

Thanks Nowher, if I do raise some a few have your name on it. I just read that the fry ar sensitive to nitrate, so that could pose a problem right there. They usually hatch in 3 days. If that happens I guess I will try and scope out a few and put them in an empty 5gallon I have or I guess I could hang a breeder tank on the 72.

My Scapes

Putting them up in the spare 5g sounds good. Wouldn't want that hanging breeder tank to ruin the polished look of your tank

It must be nice to actually be able to see where and when your cichlids bred. When my Brevis breed the only way I know is when I see 10 more fry wriggling along the sand...

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Back in the saddle!

Wouldn't want that hanging breeder tank to ruin the polished look of your tank
This is true, especially since I just got my new plants. Did you notice pic a few posts up.

Anyway, I don't know exactly when they spawned but the choice a small piece of petrified wood all the way in the back that is partially covered by wisteria, but I could see the eggs. Gonna try to get a pic, might be tough. I could remove the entire rock and put it in the 5g. I was reading about how aquarists artifically raise them, but one I don't really want a 100 fry, two it will probably freak out the rams and might cause stress. I understand they could breed every few weeks.

Last edited by tetratech at 23-Dec-2005 09:37

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Here's a shot of the eggs taken from above the tank.

tetratech attached this image:


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Yes I did see the pics up top. In my opinion it already gives the tank a bit more dynamic, contrasting leaf shapes to the bottom which is dominated by wisteria. I'm not sure what LF means by it's normally used for "streets", but it will be interesting to see how it grows in.

And re the rams - if they're anything like brevis, they may be cycle spawners - they may spawn every two weeks or so, then stop for a month or so, then pick up the cycle again.

EDIT: Wow! That's actually a very clean shot. Well done... yep, that's a proud parent keeping watch there.

Last edited by NowherMan6 at 23-Dec-2005 09:47

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Back in the saddle!

Thanks Nowher, I guess the smaller one is the female, because she on the eggs most of the time and the other one is in the area, pushing fish away. Even if some do survive and I scoop them out, do you know if it's a must to feed them new hatched brine shrimp.

My Scapes

Even if some do survive and I scoop them out, do you know if it's a must to feed them new hatched brine shrimp.

I don't know about it being a must. I've been feeding my fry frozen abby brine shrimp/ brine sheimp eggs. They also go for finely crushed flake that falls to the bottom. When they get a little bigger I notice they go after sinking New Life Spectrum small cichlid pellets, which is always funny because the pellets are about the size of their heads Never got them to grow any bigger than that, because at that point they get big enough that they're not as quick and unintrusive as they used to be, and the parents eat them Then a new batch comes along. Ah, the circle of life.

Anyway, you could also try putting a patch of java moss down near the eggs. That will help cultivate some little bits of algae and what not that the fry will use to feed themselves. They're surprisingly good at feeding themselves once free swimming.

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Back in the saddle!

Thanks for the fry advice. I guess I'll have my 5aga (future nano) ready for the fry if it gets that far. If the fry are sensitive to no3 I don't know if any will make it anyway.

I'm not sure what LF means by it's normally used for "streets", but it will be interesting to see how it grows in. He's referring to scaping a plant from back/mid to the front of the tank so it looks like a "street" between plants. This is popular in dutch tanks which my tank definitely is not. I've actually seen the plant in question used many ways. Look I'm using wisteria as ground cover.

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"Streets"

Are you talking about me?

Yeah, I know your reputation as wisteria tamer, that's why I say it will be interesting to see how these turn out.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yeah who else.

It's been an interesting week:

1. New plants
2. New eggs
3. Bigger shrimp

Let me explain number 3. I found what I thought was a dead shrimp, but it was simply the old skin after the yamato shrimp molted. I have 2 yamatos and one is huge. These guys stay 24/7 in that piece of tall DW in the middle of my tank. I think they are feeding off of the javamoss. I might add a bunch more. LF, you might want to consider a crew as well. Maybe they will help with the thread algae.




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You know,

just the other day I was looking at shrimp and there are a few kinds that I liked, like Amano shrimp and Red Cherry shrimp etc.

I am just thinking that I might hold off with them until I finally know where what plant in my tank will end up. I am too worried that I might kill them by mistake during my replanting events.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I guess that could happen. The cherry shrimp definitely show up better. The Amano/Yamato are almost invisible on driftwood,etc. The ghost are almost completely invisible.
I don't see that many cherries around me and when I do they are expensive. I pay about $3 each for the Amano.

My Scapes

New colorful plants, big shrimp and 100 little eggs what more could one want for the holidays.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all! Be safe and enjoy

My Scapes

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you too, tetratech.

Hope you still can make time though to keep us posted on the egg situation.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I'll be around LF. I'll have to decide if I want to intervene if I do see baby rams swimming around. I might try and pull a few out and put them in the 5g I mentioned.
I read an article of aquarists artifically raising the fry by putting the eggs in a small tank with an airstone and a heater and then raising them that way, but that would require me removing the rock they are on. Don't think I'm going to do that.

Happy Holidays - LittleFish!


My Scapes

[font color="#C00000"]Well, if you do happen to save some then please save me a mated pair if possible! lol I have been looking for bolivians everywhere and I cannot find any near me at all! It really stinks because I want a pair for my 55 SO bad! Yours are so pretty I would LOVE to have a pair from yours! [/font]

[font color="#C00000"]Happy [/font] [font color="#008000"] Holiday [/font] [font color="#C00000"] Everyone!!![/font]
[font color="#008000"]Have fun tomorrow, and make sure to stuff yourelves to the fullest extent! [/font]


[font color="#000080"]Christina[/font]

Just popping in to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Hope you all have a good one.

Living in Indonesia, I don't have any holidays as it falls on a Sunday this year. I'll probably spend tomorrow trying to finding somewhere that has a good Turkey dinner on offer.Hmmmmmmm......roast spuds I miss me spuds

Enjoy yourselves.

Congrats on the fry tetra Green water is great fry food btw , maybe you can borrow a cupful from nowhere

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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.

Same to you Bensaf, a Merry Christmas for you and family.

maybe you can borrow a cupful from nowhere
That or pull the plug on my UV

My Scapes

O.K. Eggs were moved to a borrow and have hatched in the substrate. Fry are not free swimming yet, but remain in borrow as the male stays over them.

The male is under a leaf of the Didiplis diandre.





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Last edited by tetratech at 27-Dec-2005 11:02[/font]

My Scapes

That is fantastic tetratech,

It seems like there are quite a few of them in the circle. Are the other fish showing interest in the little wigglers?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Instinct is an amazing thing. The borrow is down low between a piece of driftwood and a rock where there was no wisteria. So the ram is down there and the fish are passing right over it. Once the babies become free swimming that's when the other fish are going to go crazy.

Here's the location of the borrow. Th ram actually uprooted some of the Didiplis diandre and threw eco on the wisteria.





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Nice,

Are you interested in removing the fry to a net breeder or something like that?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I'm going to attempt to remove some of them to either a breeder net or the spare 5g I have. I've also heard that the fry do not do well with high no3 levels, so if that's true none might survive. I think in this case my no3 at 20ppm would be high to non-planted tank aquarists.

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Some new pics. Close up of the rotala and Didiplis diandre which is growing nicely. In the front you could see some of the the Blyxa which is also taking root.



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Closeup of the Stargrass that has made a comeback after cutting it way back.



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Full shot from right front.



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I leave to go home for a week and boy do I miss a lot! Your tank looks very nice like this and congrates on the rams doing their thing. I started looking for some rams over my break and I had to hold my self back from buying them. I have to pay the rent first.


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

Looking nice tetratech,

But, now I am wondering if the leaf structure of Didiplis Diandra, Star Grass, and Rotala Indica is too similar and the plants blend too much into each other.

There should be some color differences between them though, but I cannot really tell from the pictures.

The Blixa looks very nice; It will be interesting to see how it grows. If I remember that right then it can reach a medium height which would fit that area just nicely.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

But, now I am wondering if the leaf structure of Didiplis Diandra, Star Grass, and Rotala Indica is too similar and the plants blend too much into each other.
Had a feeling you might say that. I guess we know each other very well.

Actually what you can't see is that the Stella wideleaf is between the Didiplis and the Rotala. Also what's good about DW is that it breaks up to plants that are similiar in structure. So far the diandra is coming in very green and the rotala has a pinkish hue. When I bought these plants I think I stated that I might not even keep them all in the tank, since I prefer the natural drama to a tank as opposed to growing a large variety.

My Scapes

I guess we know each other very well

I guess that is what over 1500 back and forth posts will do for you

And yes, you stated that you might not want to keep them. Same here, I already eliminated quite a few plants from my original plant purchase. It is always easier to see how something looks in your tank if you actually have it in there rather than having to imagine it.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Not sure about this E. Stellata Broad Leaf. The main stem was bent over when I received it and it never straightened up. So now it has sort of a gooseneck shape with new growth coming out of the top. The new growth is light green so I guess it colors up as it matures. (Assuming it get's enough FE).

Here's a pic. I've duplicated the stem shape with the with line. The actual stem is right above it, but it might be hard to see. The Blyxa is in the foreground and so far is my favorite plant out of the three I ordered. You could see the Diandra to the right behind the driftwood.

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My Scapes

Here's a better pic of the E. Stellata Broad Leaf the red circle shows where it's planted the white cycle shows where the top of the stem is going back up to the light. As I said it has a gooseneck shape now.



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My Scapes

Here's a good pic showing some of the constrast in the tank now between different leaf shapes and hardscape.

LF, from this pic the Diandra and the Rotala do look similiar but the don't look as similiar in the tank and the E. Stellata is separating them. Everything is looking good and there isn't any algae on any of the plants. The only place I do see BBA is on the DW and rocks.





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My Scapes

but the don't look as similiar in the tank

Yeah yeah yeah



The goose neck looks actually good as well.

How does Blixa propagate? By runners? It would look nice if there would be a whole group of them in front of the rock formation, don't you think?

I am glad you only have algae issues on the rock and wood, I wonder why that is. What does a rock have that a plant leaf (that is already grown out) doesn't? Very intriguing!

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Wing,
Thanks for the comments. Right now I could see the wigglers as they move around in the "nest". The bolivians are really great fish, especially from a personally standpoint. The pencilfish look like little sharks waiting to pounce so I don't know how many of the fry I'll be able to pull out.

LF,
The blyxa sends out short sideshoots that you could use for new plants. They supposely will grow short and full if all their conditions are met(light, ferts, etc.) It likes po4 in the 1-2ppm range and will have reddish hues and grow white flowers. So if this is true could be a good indicator plant for my fert levels)

Last edited by tetratech at 28-Dec-2005 17:49

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Some more pics. Closeup of the main grouping:



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Shot of some of the hairgrass I decided to keep as a small patch of grass. I kinda threw an extra piece of blyxa in the middle of it. Probably will move it.



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Last edited by tetratech at 28-Dec-2005 18:13[/font]

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The two yamato shrimp live in the tall piece of dw in the middle. It's a rarity that they venture off it. Here's a pic with one of the shrimps on top. The little white lines on the pic are little bubbles coming off the spraybar.



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Last edited by tetratech at 28-Dec-2005 18:15[/font]

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Here's a full tank pic taken tonite. As you could see everythings growing even the rotala and stargrass have made a return. I have to tell ya I think Bensaf was right about low no3, Since I doubled my doses the fullness has returned to the stargrass and the wisteria is so soft and billowy you would not believe it. If I cut it I literally have a new fully developed leaf in 2 days. But remember none of this growth is possible without the co2 being up.


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Last edited by tetratech at 28-Dec-2005 18:19[/font]

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I have to tell ya I think Bensaf was right about low no3

Ah,music to my ears now let's all say it together -

I have to tell ya I think Bensaf was right about low no3

.
Now, didn't that feel good ?

Seriously though, I've never seen the point of trying to run lean on No3 (or anything else for that matter). Running out even for a short period can cause issues that can be more tricky to recover from then simply adding more Nitrate. The more wimpy plants will stunt and have a hard time recovering.Algae has an immediate advantage and as we all know it takes a lot longer to get rid of then it took to show up.

Good nitrate levels on the other hand do produce full healthy plants. Nitrogen is one of the moveable nutrients. Meaning if it's low the plant will move from older parts to the newer growth. This leads to leaf loss and raggedy bottoms and not so healthy tops. Losing bottom leaves quickly can be a good indicator for your NO3 levels. The plant is expending energy moving N around, energy that could be used in growing.

Obviously if the plant has sufficient N it doesn't need to move it around and you have healthier fuller plants with all it's leaves intact.I've got Ammania Gracillis, which likes a lot of light, way over 18" tall that doesn't lose a single leaf even the ones way down the bottom in the densest part of the bunch.

You can immediately tell a plant that is in prime condition. As tetra mentioned there's a visible differnce in appearance that's hard to quantify. I like to call it "juiciness", that just lusher fuller, like they're full of goodness, you want to pull them up and eat 'em in a salad.

This is what you want to aim for. The plants need time to look this way. In other words stability, having that full lush look is the result of good levels on a consistent and stable basis. Guarantee as your plants fill out and get closer to the light this will only improve.

This is what you need to look for. Forget algae. Pearling can be mis-leading. Watch the plants. Full "juicy" plants that aren't shedding unreasonable amounts of leaves and you will have no problems.

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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.

All Together:

I have to tell ya I think Bensaf was right about low no3.

Ok, I said it too . Nevertheless I am still experimenting with how much is good excess vs. too much excess. And I want to point out yet again that EI does not say 20ppm is the level to strive for. It is, by normal fertilization and minimum to no uptake, the maximum that should accumulate if one performs a weekly 50% water change. I will create an entry in my log stating my current “adjustment” attempt.

Tetratech – your latest full shot looks very nice. What brand are the filter intake and output again? Is the size of them an easy fitting for the filter?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

you want to pull them up and eat 'em in a salad
That's funny, because many times I have looked at my Wisteria and said it looks good enough to eat.

Ah,music to my ears now let's all say it together -
Glad you enjoyed the concert.

What brand are the filter intake and output again
The output is the eheim, but it's a basic spraybar positioned horizontial and attached to the left side glass, so you really don't see it.

The intake is a marineland magnum that was too big to fit into the 1/2 eheim ecco tubing so I had to retrofit with some lawn sprinkler connectors at home depot. The strainer I'm using is also marineland, but I'm using my old one from my 12gallon eclipse setup (It was bigger than the one that came with the magnum tubing and I was able to fit my airstone inside it for the co2) which as you know is open-top so I couldn't use the eclipse all in one setup anymore.



My Scapes

I could clearly see the baby rams wiggling around. Looks like they are only a day or two away from being free swimming buffet. I think I'm going to set up my 5g and try to hose them right into it. Tough to get a good pic, cause I'm taking this from above the tank looking down. They are in a borrow below the normal substrate level.



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Last edited by tetratech at 29-Dec-2005 09:07[/font]

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Just in case you didn't know, or forgot:

A Turkey Baster is a good fry sucker (don't tell the wife that you used it though ).

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I was considering that thanks. The bigger issue for me is what to feed them. They need baby brine ship or microworms.


My Scapes

Does the LFS have any of these frozen?

This is where Green Water would come in really handy, maybe NowherMan can ship you some .

You could try finely crushed flakes. Do you know about the trick of putting the flakes in a ziplock bag and grinding them between your fingers? It might just work, if nothing else is available.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I was going to try te crushed flake, might work I'm reading that the live stuff is a must, but who knows. The water has to also be changed daily, high temp, etc. I really just want to remove a dozen or so and see what happens. Right now the fry are hovering over the borrow.

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This is where Green Water would come in really handy, maybe NowherMan can ship you some

Just popped in to say, quiet you! ]:|

Bensaf, LF, tetra, enjoy your lush juicy salads. I'll be off enjoying hopefully the last of my pea soup


p.s. tetra, I understand your concern with feeding the fry, but I've seen - in the past and now - and even read that fry of all types are much better at feeding themselves than some would give them credit for. They'll peck at rocks and plant leaves, eating things we have no idea are there. The biggest issue is preventing them from ebing eaten by those pencils...

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Back in the saddle!

NowherMan6,



Well, I can vouche for never having fed my Espei specifically. While initially the diatoms were probably their food source I still get new ones now although no diatons are visible to the eye anymore. I agree that they must eat some tiny things in the soup we call tank water.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

But I got the UV, my water is sterile. OH NOOOOOOOOOO!

My Scapes

They'll peck at rocks and plant leaves, eating things we have no idea are there
Yes, I do agree, especially in a heavily planted tank where there are more things to peck at and more places to hide. If I let nature take it's course maybe I'll end up with a few. When people setup breeder tanks, fry tanks, bascially hand feed they are looking to keep the majority of the fry alive. So letting them find their own food might be the difference between 5 making it and 50 making it. I'm not really equipped right now to deal with 50 to 100 fry anyway, but I'll probably suck out a few into the 5 and see how it goes. I'll add some plant clippings and javamoss covered rocks. There's always alot of goodies in javamoss.

BTW - Nowher you said last of the pea soup. did you order the UV?

Last edited by tetratech at 29-Dec-2005 10:20

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At closer look the fry are free swimming. They are moving all around the mother ram in the general area of the burrow. The ram has been on top of the borrow for about 4 days now. I haven't seen it leave to eat. I guess my original ram was a female, becuase the other ram has not been near the borrow for days. This ram is actually a really good parent. Fanning and protecting the fry, I'm alittle concerned because I don't think the ram hasn't eaten much for many days.

My Scapes

Nowher you said last of the pea soup. did you order the UV

Not ordered, went out and bought one, and it's just been hooked up I'm going to post details in my log, but right now the set-up is temporary, because there's more tubing and equipment in/ around the tank than I'd like.


Re: the rams. I see what you're saying about not wanting to raise them all. That's the way I feel about the brevis fry. I feed them, and if they grow up, they grow up, if they get eaten, they get eaten. The parents may very well turn on them once they get a little bigger, they'll know when it's time for those fry to be off. I'm sure this wont be the only time your rams breed

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Back in the saddle!

Glad you got the UV. You probably won't see much improvement the first few days, but after that it gets good.

I came home just before to some very fat and jolly cardinals, looks like they sampled the buffet first. I took gravel wash and sucked about a dozen babies directly into the 5 gallon. I'll put some micro pellets and crushed flake food and also put in some javamoss and a few BBA covered rocks.



My Scapes

Here's a first pic of the fry setup. It's backed against the side of my 72g. I wanted an open-top nano but this wasn't the exact idea I had. Not only is it a nano but so are the fish.




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A first pic of the fry. Tough to get a good one, but here are some.


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Boy oh Boy,

I guess I need glasses .

Glad you circled the spots, I would not have seen anything.

But whatever you did circle seems rather large, I guess finely crushed flakes might work then.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I passed a petsmart today and I bought Hikari First Bites.
It's tiny tiny pellets that sink slowly. Probably just a marketing thing and the crushed flakes are probably just as good, but I bought them anyway as well as some brine shrimp mix. They also had a liquid fry food made by Wardley's but that one I passed on. It's really interesting to watch the ram with the fry. Every once in a while the fry in the 72g venture above the wisteria they attract the attention of the other fish and when the other fish come close the ram comes well ramming out and pushes the fish away. So far I have about 12 in the 5 and I plan on putting another 10 or so in.

EDIT: Very impressed with Hikari First Bites. It looks like little daphina when it sink into the water. The fry went for it immediately.





Last edited by tetratech at 29-Dec-2005 18:51

My Scapes

Isn't breeding fish fun

I also have Hikari First Bites for my first batch of platy fry. I gave it to them and I believe to remember that they were better at eating finely crushed flakes. But hey, if they eat it - feed it .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I'm alittle concerned because I don't think the ram hasn't eaten much for many days.

Don't worry about it. You'd be amazed at how many weeks a fish can go without food. She'll eat when she's ready.

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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.

Congrats Tetra! I went away for a week and you had babies! Well at least the rams did. Very nice, glad you decided to raise some. Will you keep them or sell them? Some fish stores would buy them as they seem to be hard to find. There's only one place I found them here. The tank is looking very good.

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

Thanks luvmykrib

Well I'll see how the babies do. I really don't have a grow out tank for them right now, unless I put them back in the 72 when they're big enough.

I find bolivians pretty easy to find in my area, but they are pricey at about $10 - $12 a piece. The one that had the babies was a petco special at $5.


Bensaf,
Good to know. The mom has abandoned the burrow and is moving around the back of the plants with the fry. I guess I won't have to feed any of my fish for a while.


Last edited by tetratech at 30-Dec-2005 11:46

Last edited by tetratech at 30-Dec-2005 11:47

My Scapes

Check out the Stargrass. It's growing well again. But for how long (talk about being alittle off) Stargrass is a headcase. The circles are areas on the hardscape that have BBA. Nothing on the plants just the rocks and wood.



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Last edited by tetratech at 30-Dec-2005 14:45[/font]

My Scapes

tetratech,

The Star Grass is truly looking very nice again.

I have added a few small stems to my big tank a while ago when I redid the 20G. They have grown into a nice little group themselves that is on the right front corner of the tank. I think it would look nice if I replaced some sections of the Dwarf Sags with them, but your experience surely makes me hesitant to try it out. Last thing I need is a dying plant that leaves a gaping hole in the scape.

Anyways, here it is:

LITTLE_FISH attached this image:

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yes, your looks full as well, very similar to mine. (I don't see any algae)

Here's a compare shut from about a week ago when I first replanted the tank. You could see good growth with the Diandra and the rotala. The Blyxa also got much fuller. The E.Stella which actually looks smaller in the second pic because one of the stalks melted. Not sure why it looked the same as the other. Also many of teh original leaves came off, which is probably normal for a broadleaf plant.



tetratech attached this image:


Last edited by tetratech at 30-Dec-2005 17:11[/font]

My Scapes

Yup,

All the growth you listed above is clearly visible.

But what happened to the driftwood on the left? It looks like it came lose from the main group?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

You have a very good eye. Yes I took that piece out and scrubed it to get some of the BBA off it. I know it's not going to cure it, but I cleaned it up and put it in facing the other way. I'm going to move it back.

Almost forget about this pic. You could see the diandra behind it.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

First tank photo of the new year. All plants are growing great.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

I also got a nice late holiday gift when my wife surprised me with these. I guess she accepts my addiction. She searched for these all on her own.





tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Very Nice Tetratech

I in particular like your tools, maybe one day I post a picture of mine. I still trim my plants with nail scissors though .

Somehow these kind of tools make aquascaping feel like surgery .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Fry Update

This morning was the first time I saw the female ram out n the front again. She had been in the back for about 6 days guarding the fry, so I fear they might all have been eaten. There' just too many tetras in the tank, especially the pencils that seem to go through the plants looking for things.

Out of the 10 or so fry that I removed about 5 days ago from the main tank, 4 are still alive. I think the others either died from lack of nutrients or from a water change that I did that might have been too much for them. I didn't feed BBS, but have been using Hikari First Bites.




Last edited by tetratech at 02-Jan-2006 08:10

My Scapes

Sorry to hear that you lost most of your fry

If it is of any condolence I only can say that you are probably going to have this kind of fry event from now on rather often as batch after batch may be laid by the Rams. Eventually you will have more Rams .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yes, I've heard every 4 weeks or so. I could definitely see the appeal of setting up a breeding tank, because it is amazing to see the fry swimming around the parents and protecting them.

BTW - The like the new Avatar, but you had the Beanie Fish for so long it was definitely your ID. I actually plan on changing mine too, because my artist son, give me a t-shirt he made with his own artwork as it relates to my fish hobby. I was going to use some of it for my avatar.


My Scapes

Hey tetratech,

Is that supposed to be you head down in the tank?

Now I finally know your secret of taming the Wisteria, you scare it flat with your head right above it .

Seriously, nice drawing by your son

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yes, Sir that's me. Now you know what I look like.

Here's the full pic:





tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

It's nice to know this is how my 12yr old pictures me. Notice the states are fishes.

Here' a similiar version with a statement:







tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

tetratech,

Very cool pictures! Kids are really cool.

There is something special to making wisteria stay down? Most of mine is doing it. I actualy want some of it to grow higher! I guess I will have to steal some of Bob's wisteria thats like a tree!

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

Thanks Wingdsc,

One thing I forgot and you might be doing it, is when you cut a top off and you replant it, if you plant it at an angle roots grow along the entire stem and it goes into the substrate. After doing this time and time again, for the most part it stays down. If you plant it straight up you will get some that grow vertically.

My Scapes

Very nice Tetra, get 'em started in the hobby early

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Back in the saddle!

tetratech,

I have kind of been doing such thing. Most of it has just been doing it on its own. I havent really been doing too much trimming. The ones that I have been trimming are bigger side growths with roots coming off of them. Then planting them so the roots are in the gravel. I am actually starting to get a pretty good carpet of wisteria down.

I will have to post a picture pretty soon. I really need to buy a cammera or have some one drop one off at my front steps.....wishfull thinking......

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

Nice avatar, your son is really creative!
The tools are nice, what exactly are they for? They look so surgical!
Do the fish flee and hide when they see them coming? ]

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

Wingdsc,

Looking forward to the pics.

Luvmykrib,
The tools are for trimming leaves and planting. The thing that looks like a spatala is for smoothing out the substrate, etc.

My Scapes

Some individual plant shots.

First a shot of the wistera. This plant covers 80% of my substrate and has been growing large lush leaves and staying low.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Here's the pic

tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Next is the Diandra Didiplis. It's growing well, but staying green so far, this plant can grow quite red, but maybe my 2.7wpg or not enough FE is keeping it green.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

This is the Blyxa, which I can see why Bensaf recommended it. It really is a beautiful plant and I think once arranged correctly will take me scape to another level.



tetratech attached this image:


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My stargrass after almost being eliminated from the tank after it got stunted I think from low no3, has made a major comback and is coming in full after replanting the smallest of tops.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

The Eusteralis stellata wideleaf is putting out some new growth after the stemmed took on a goosneck shape after planting a few weeks ago. The new growth is mostly green but I could see some purple developing. I think once the new growth is larger enough I will replant the tops.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

And finally a full tank shot in the room because of some guy named Dan.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

I guess I will have to steal some of Bob's wisteria thats like a tree!

Actually I've seen Bob's photo's, he doesn't have any Wisteria. What he's identified as Wisteria is actually Water Sprite, quite similar in looks but completely different in habits.

Tetra, nice av, you look just like I thought you would

Glad you like the Blyxa. Having the right selection of plants in the right places is half the battle.

---

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.

Hey Bensaf whats the diff. from water sprite and wisteria..J/W because I have water sprite and when I bought it I thought it was wisteria. Thanks in advance!

Bensaf,

I knew something was up with his stuff! It just didn't look quite right. Thanks for the ID! I am thinking of sticking that stuff in the back right corner of my tank by my wisteria.

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

Hey Bensaf whats the diff. from water sprite and wisteria

Wisteria is a stem plant. Water Sprite is actually a rossette type. If you look at the Sprite, the leaves unfurl from a central crown, while it may at first appearance look like a stem with leaves it's actually one big leaf. Wisteria is a stem with 2 leaves on opposite sides per node. It can be trimmed and it will branch out. You can't really trim Water Sprite in the same manner.

Water Sprite is a plant that deperately wants to float and does quite well as a floater. The large leaves will produce plantlets and if left to do this will eventually disintegrate into a lot of plantlets that will float with the roots hanging down. It sucks up a lot of nutrients particularly NO3. You can stop this by trimming off the plantlets as they appear.

Water Sprite grows at alarming speed, definately the fastest growing plant I've ever seen. While very pretty it's not a plant I personally like to use because of the growth rate and tendency to produce so many plantlets. I find the Wisteria easier to maintain and to use in a scape. It's just a bit prettier too IMO.

Both are very easy and can do well in moderately low light. The Water Sprite is definately more tolerant of lower light though.

If you want to fill a lot of space quickly, Water Sprite does that well. For something easier to control and shape Wisteria is the way to go.

---

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.

Looking very nice tetratech,

I will wait a while and see what growth the Blixa will take on. I could see it replacing my rather boring Dwarf Sag and Chain Sword, at least in some places.

Good job ,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I don't think your chain sword or sag is boring.
One thing I'm quite certain of is when you do finally add some hardscape it's amazing how plants that you thought looked so so, look much more interesting. Everything reacts off everything else.



My Scapes

This morning I checked on the fry and I believe I have 3 still kicking in the 5gallon tank. They are still tiny being feed only Hikari First Bites.

I can't see any in the 72 although it's possible some have surivived but probably not.



My Scapes

I will wait a while and see what growth the Blixa will take on. I could see it replacing my rather boring Dwarf Sag and Chain Sword, at least in some places

Great, yet ANOTHER trendy addition to the planted tank... first glass diffusers, then UVs, now this...


Sorry to hear about the further fry loss, but as LF pointed out somewhere above, your rams will breed again, Im sure this wont be the last batch you see.

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Back in the saddle!

Well I can't do another breeding tank so I could do one of these scenerios next time they are ready to spawn.

1. Take my fish in my 12g and put into my 72g and let them spawn in the 12g.

2. Parition my 72g somehow

3. Remove some of the tetras most notability the mini-barracadas (I mean pencilfish) from the tank.

My Scapes

Blixa always intrigued me but I seem to remember that it is capable of reaching at least medium height. This would work fine in tetratech’s tank but not in mine as I would like to use the plant more in the foreground.

About tank partition: If you care tetratech, look at the [link=First Picture]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Aquascaping/61406.html" style="COLOR: #ff6633[/link] in my 29G log. There you can see how I separate the left front corner of the tank with a standard tank divider. I think they might come in your tank height as well.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

As far as Blyxa I think the height depends on the light.
I like that "height depends on light" anyway if the light is strong it will grow bushier if not as intense it will grow lankier and taller. It also will turn during colors depending upon light and fert parameters.

Yes, I remember the paritiion. A possible way to go.

My Scapes

Just my opinion, but if you're really intent on breeding rams and selling the offspring, or raising them etc. then you might as well do it right and set up a breeding tank for them and a grow out tank for the fry. It's a tough sell to put all that work into aquscaping your main tank and then plopping a big divider into the it and cutting off part of it. Breeding tanks wouldnt be too much work, no substrate, low lighting with a few pieces of slate for them to breed on, and a few clumps of java moss.

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Back in the saddle!

Thanks nowher, see post a few up. I can't have another tank (my wife will take my sawsall to them) so I have 3 options.

BTW - My surviving fry are in a 5g aga bowfront with:

Airstone
Some java moss covered rocks (removed from my 12g)
Wisteria cuttings (I find so many uses)
No filter, 50% wc every other day.

Any comments?

Last edited by tetratech at 03-Jan-2006 11:01

Last edited by tetratech at 03-Jan-2006 11:01

My Scapes

Sorry to hear you've been cut off.. I guess I better start collecting tanks now before I tie the knot


That set-up should work fine for now with the fry. I think at this stage it's important to keep the water very clean and not just for the usual reasons... as they grow these little fish are releasing natural hormones that impede the growth of their siblings. It's all natural selection and the like, but if you want them all to grow up big and strong using AC or in this case water changes is a good idea.

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Back in the saddle!

Yeah that does happen. If I had to do it again I would have gotten a prenup for like 10 fish tanks max. You don't want to get greedy

I was thinking about getting this filter to have around it would also look good with an open-top nano tank

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=9821&N=2004+22769

My Scapes

Great choice, I also planned on getting at least one of these for my smaller tanks when they materialize. Nice looking and should do the job.

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Back in the saddle!

My thoughts exactly. That would look really cool on a small acrylic tank with green coming out the top.

My Scapes

Did a cardinal count today and I counted 9. This is from a total of 21 purchased from a few different stores about 2 months ago.

So after 2 months I ended up with a 43% survival rate.
At an average of $2.08 per fish and taking into account the 43% survival rate this brings the average cost per surviving fish to $4.86. So if this average holds and I want to have a solid school of 40, it would cost me a whopping $194 to establish the school.

Now I haven't introduced any since I got into the wonderful world of UV Sterlization. So I'm not sure how that would affect the survival rate.


My Scapes

Well since Bensaf is still cleaning the algae off his glass, I'll have to bore everyone with some more pics.

This first shut is a comparison with today and a few weeks ago (13 days) to exact. In the top photo you can't see the stargrass because it's too low and 13 days later a hugh change.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

A closer shot of the front of the tank. You could see I removed the wisteria from the middle and it'a pretty much Blyxa there. I'm not sure I love it, I need to fine-tune and blend it more with the surrounding flora. I like this shut because you could clearly tell it's a bowfront tank with the black edging left in.



tetratech attached this image:


Last edited by tetratech at 04-Jan-2006 22:16[/font]

My Scapes

Here's a shot of the rotala that has come back. I see alot of red, so I guess the UV isn't having a big impact on the availability of FE for the plants.





tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Hi,
I missed something... Why would a UV light affect the
Fe in a tank?
Frank


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

tetratech,

You never bore us with pictures , except if you show us the Wisteria in 10 shots in a row from just slightly different angles .

I think there is some wonderful healthy growth there. In particular the Star Grass put out some large leaves.

Why did you remove the Blixa from the right side?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Frank

It has been said that UV light oxidizes some traces, most notably Fe making it unusable by the plants. I haven't been able to find any scientific data to back this.


LF,
Thanks, I was just going to upload my wisteria photo album.
I removed the Blyxa from the right because I thought it looked kinda lost. I think I need to add a rock or something so it looks like it's part of the main group.

There is something unusual in this photo, I'm sure LF will find it.




tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

I'm sure LF will find it.

Hm &#8211; first guess would be red, aka dying, brush algae on the rock in the left front.

Next guess, and more remote, one of the stems from the Stellata is actually a Willow branch

But I stick with the first guess

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Believe it or not your second guess is much closer.
I put a skewer bbq stick in there to help the stella grow straight up. It keep growing into the rotala and another piece into the diandra.

My Scapes

I think the Wisteria might have told the Stellata that you are into the flat design and all the Stellata tries to do is to please you so you don&#8217;t have to pack out that whip .

Do you think cutting it shorter would help? I don&#8217;t know, just guessing.
Does it get light from straight above or slightly from the front?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

LF

Do you think cutting it shorter would help? I don&#8217;t know, just guessing.
Well, I'm going to cut off the tops once the new growth get's bigger. It's one big stalk so I don't want to cut back yet. From what I understand the bottoms sometimes don't grow or take a few long time to regrow.

It does get light from pretty much straight above.

My Scapes

This is more a photography question. These two pics are pretty much the same except the top one was taken with a white balance setting of Tungsten and the lower pic is with a auto white balance. Your suppose to match the white balance setting to your light source to get the most accurate pic. With photography you could try to match the real conditions or use a setting which looks best. Let's face it many of the high scapes you see I'm sure do just that, including Amano. Which of these pics do you prefer.



tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

including Amano

Oh, of course. He's a photographer just as much as an aquascaper... I noticed a lot of little tricks and even photoshopping in the photos of his tanks - its all about making them look good, afterall

Personally the bottom one looks much better. Much warmer, brings out the reds nicely and leaves the black background black, rather than rendering it with a blueish hue. And notice how the tungsten setting renders the reds greyish or white, washing them out completely. Blegh!

Tungsten doesn't looks good in tank shots, mainly because we don't used tungsten lights over them, we use fluorescent i find that either a fluorescent setting or even regular daylight (probably what your camera chose) look the best. The tungsten WB makes it look like you're using an actinic light over the tank.

Last edited by NowherMan6 at 05-Jan-2006 10:41

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Back in the saddle!

Yeah,

Without a doubt I like the bottom one better as well.

It shows the color differences so much better.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yes, I agree with both of you. The bottom actually is more realistic. I think in the real world the tank looks alittle lighter.

My Scapes

Hey, something where I have some expertice, photography

I agree the bottom picture is better and I think I can explain why it is better. Im going to assume that your lighting is about daylight (65-6700k). Tungesten is significanly lower, is very orange in general. Your brain tends to do its own white balancing so you dont notice it. Tungsten is orange, the more steril looking florescents in offices are genreally green. The camera is doing what nowhereman said because the tungsten assumes the lighting is X ammount to orange and it ajusts all the colors accoringly. Thus you loose the nice red on the tips of those plants and the gravel, which I think is black in sunlight looks blue in the top picture.

In general when you are wondering about the color balance of a photo and have several to compare, the one that has the best color contrast, it kind of 'pops' more is the correct one. The wisteria for example has much better detail overall in the correct photo. If you had a photo with a color balance set for 1000k you would loose detail again as everything became too orange.

I dont know how much of what I am seeing is easily observed because it took me a few months of doing my own color photo printing to really start to see this stuff.

Hope it was reasonably clear,

Chaos

Actually, just to mention it, the bottom photo is probably a little to orange. The gravel isnt black in that photo either. So the perfect photo may be a little inbetween but much closer to the bottom one.

Last edited by chaosmaximus at 05-Jan-2006 12:21

__________________________________
- - - Humorous Bit of Wisdom - - -

ChaosMaximus,

Thanks, yes that did make alot of sense.
Your definitely in the right place. Your photographic knowledge with planted tank interest are definitiely a tough combination to beat in terms of challenge and beauty.



My Scapes

The camera is doing what nowhereman said because the tungsten assumes the lighting is X ammount to orange and it ajusts all the colors accoringly

Right. Take a shot of a person under incandescent lighting and their face is orange, with tungsten film () or a digital setting it's much cooler.


Of course, if people shot RAW you could do whatever you want with it no matter the camera setting.

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Back in the saddle!

nowhereman

Is RAW an acronym of some kind? or do you mean somthing else? just wondering

Chaos

__________________________________
- - - Humorous Bit of Wisdom - - -

I think you've used the Blyxa perfectly, it looks it's best against rock where they show each other off. Also you've planted it in an ideal triangular configuration (been studying your Amano principles ? )

But I do think it still looks a bit bare there though. I'd like some bunches of a small Anubias there, at the bottom of the rocks just behind/alongside the Blyxa. The braod leaves of the Anubias, with the thin Blyxa and the rocks would all set one qnother off really really well. It'll also give a more "aged" appearance.

I know you tried Anubias before and didn't like it. But the variety you had was a bit too big and not enough of it. I'm thinking a few thick bunches of small Nana or Petite. Grouping or tying a few rhizomes together gives that nice bushy look.

---

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.

Thanks for the comments bensaf. I agree it looks alittle empty in the mid are where the Blyxa is especially with the fullness of the wisteria. Not sure about the Anubias because I don't have anyting to anchor to over their. Are you saying to just anchor them to each other.

Another option might be to ad more rocks and try some riccia to add green to that area.

My new challenge now is BBA. It is starting to overwhelm the rocks and wood, I also noticed some of it on the Blyxa.
What's interesting is that it seems to be growing more where there is water movement from the spraybar which is positioned on the left wall of the tank pointed at a 45 degree angle. You could see the Blyxa swaying from it. It pretty much hits that mean rock and driftwood. I also noticed it accumulating on my intake right where the co2 is going in. Many aquarist on APC complained about the same thing. I have not touched my co2 and I know it's in the 30s unles my kh and ph tests are wrong. I've begun to overdose excel.

My Scapes

You don't need to anchor them to anything as such. Tie or rubber band small rocks or stones to them,to weigh the plant down and plop them in. You can hide these stones easy enough or push the stone down into the substrate just make sure the rhizome is not covered. You can pile up Anubias pretty easy.

Current doesn't seem to make a difference to BBA. It will always settle on hard scape/equipment first. Equipment should be cleaned/bleached regularly. It can be hard to keep of hard objects even with good Co2. But it's always worthwhile to check Co2, test for KH and pH. It's easy to get got out. KH can shift from rocks etc. Needle valves can move and reduce the bubble count without you noticing etc.There's a few ways it can move, you need to keep an eye on it or you may find you're running lower Co2 levels then you thought. Always a good idea to check KH and pH regularly to make sure your where you want to be.

The Excel's a good idea, harrying and hassling BBA helps.

---

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.

Hi Guys,
I did some initial research on the UV vs Fe effects.
This is a series from "The Krib" about it:
[link=http://www.cam.org/~tomlins/comments.html#m15]http://www.cam.org/~tomlins/comments.html#m15" style="COLOR: #FF00FF[/link]

There are others too, but the chemistry gets kinda deep.
The short is that it looks like there are no worries.

Frank


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

tetratech,

You say that you overdose Excel, why? Have you tried the regular dosage for at least one week first? It worked very well on my tank. Back to your question picture - maybe it was an illusion on my end, but I thought I see some red algae on the rock to the left. Once it turns red it is dying and all you have to do is to keep up the regular dosage for a little longer.

About the Anubias: Bensaf is right ( what else is new? ), they don't need to be tied to something. Actually, all of mine were shipped to me with small regular roots already expaning from the rhizome (sp?). I buried all of mine in the substrate making sure the rhizome is above the ground. These roots become rather big after a short while and the plant will be savely anchored.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

LF,
As far as the excel treatment. I haven't really dosed the regular amount. I assume you mean the 5ml for every 50g.
How many doses did you do to see any change? I dosed 35ml yesterday and was going to do this for a week every other day. No, that wasn't bba turning red, just some red color on the petrified wood. By the way when the bba turns red and dies do you jus leave it in the tank or do you remove it some how.

In terms of anubias, I didn't know you buried those in the substrate. I guess if the rhizome is hidden from view it would look alright. Thanks for the info.

My Scapes

tetratech,

I guess I didn&#8217;t dose the normal dosage either, but I had a different regiment.

I started off with the first dosage (means there is no Excel prior in the tank) at the suggested amount, being 5ml for every 10G (suggested after 40+ % of water change), in my case I added 50ml, for you it would be the 35ml that you added.

Then I subsequently dosed every day 20ml, so maybe 15ml for your tank size, for one week. Changes occurred around day 4.

I think dosing every other day may not be as effective, on one day you attack the algae and the next day you give it a break &#8211; supposedly Excel stays active for only 24h (no evidence to back this up though).

About the Anubias: I will take a picture on the weekend and show you how it looks in my 29G where the roots are clearly visible from the front of the tank. I kind of like the look of the roots as it reminds me of a Mangrove tree.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Anubias roots, when planted under the gravel, will grow thick, white and quite long, not unlike large crypt or sword roots. When we normally see them, the roots are green and on the thin side; not so when buried. During my replant I noticed one set of A. barteri roots that were roughly a foot long. Just be extremely careful when burying the roots as to not bury the rhizome (said often enough, I'm sure, but nevertheless...) It will rot and the plant will die at the slightest bit of being underground, and with the other ground cover you have you probably won't even know it.

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Back in the saddle!

LF,
Thanks. Did the bba in your tank every come back and when it turned red did you end up cleaning it off hardscape and cutting leaves or did it pretty much just distegrate into the water column?

Thanks LF and Nowher for the anubias info.

My Scapes

tetratech,

Before I treated the tank for the first time I had serious black rims on the Anubias and various other plants and hardscape. Never came back, except some small bushles (I actually assume of a different algae type) on my rock. This one has been eliminated during the last (second) sweep with Excel. I never physically removed any remains. As far as I can tell it turned red, then gray, and then disintigrated.

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

O.K. Thanks LF.

I guess my fear with over dosing the excel too much is the E. Stella which looks like it has "I'm melting" written all over it and the tolerance of the Yamato Shrimp which now total 5 in my tank.




My Scapes

Here's a pick of some of the bba on the recently named "Krusty Peak"

A greenish-grey in color. It actually doesn't look bad, if it could be contained, but it's definitely spreading too much.

tetratech attached this image:


My Scapes

Are the shrimp eating it at all? Is there anything that finds it tasty? Would otos be of any service? I have many questions, no answers. I don't remember if you tried otos in that tank at all. Mine do ok but I'm still scraping all kinds of algae off the glass. My vacation and the direct sunlight coming in for an hour a day led to all kinds of algae growing everywhere that it wasn't growing before. No GW water though knock on wood.

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

I have a 9 otos in the tank and at times I have seen them clean a path of bba on the dw, but I they can't keep up with it. I also do think the bba is their preferable type of algae and there is some spot algae (normal) on the glass for them. I have 5 shrimp and I can't say I've seen them bother with the BBA. They stay on that piece of dw all day and nibble on that attached piece of java moss.

My Scapes