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Well,

Given that the Apisto in the 40G is gone and given that I placed an image of it in that log, I thought I owe you an image from the Espei mentioned in the last thread.

Here you see the "old" Espei, and I am rather certain that he/she is suffering from old age only (please tell me otherwise if you should identify an illness). I thought I owe this picture as it completes my Espei life cycle of images, from small fry over juveniles to adults and seniors.

As you can see, the body coloration is fading away, in particular in the front body section. Also, the fins are less clear and have mostly a whitish base color.

Ingo

Attached Image:

Old Espei

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Ingo: Good Job on your new tank overhaul i see how you have a lot more room for future development. I hope you're algae problem will be a lot less then in your previous layout. I cant wait to see how it will look in the next few months to come.

Cheers

Shawn

Thanks Shawn, I appreciate the comment

Just like you said, I am also happy that this layout will allow me to change things from now on a little more slowly rather than having to perform 10 hour makeover sessions every few months. And like you, I am very curious as to what it will become in the next few months.

Thanks again,

Ingo

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hey there lf -

great work on the tank - i can't believe how much work you do on your tank!! i love watching it progress from stage to stage. i just did a big clean out, thinning out all my swords, and propogating some tiger lotus pups - not a bad sunday arvo at all.

hope you are well,

justin

Thanks Justin

I appreciate your input and compliments, keep em coming

Anyway:

Weekly Tank Update - Week 57

The tank has been doig quite ok during this week, I was hoping not to see a major outbreak in algae (from the redo) and so far I have been lucky. The duck weed on top grew rather dense and needed some major thinning out as the two spray bars on each end concentrated the weed in the middle of the tank and that led to shading of the main group, not so good.

I have quite a few shots to show, so here is the first set, taken during the water change.

This is the diffuser at low tide, as you can see there is some algae on it. I have not cleaned it in months and the green part is the one where the diffuser never let out any bubbles (ever). My cleaning consists of dripping Excel on top of the plate (after drying it off with a tissue) when the water gets below the rim. That is all I do since months.

Attached Image:

Diffuser

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Here is a look at the main group from almost above, a little from the side. I cannot really get a straight down shot as I would have to make a hole in the ceeling of the room and take a shot from the first floor .

I am always surprised to see how bright blue the background of the tank actually is. It seems so much darker when there is water in the tank.

This reminds me, maybe I should play with the background for a few weeks.

Attached Image:

Low Tide Main Group

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Here is a look at most of the fish that are in the tank, almost all shots were taken during low tide. Usually, most fish are hiding in the plants during water change, but this weekend they were parading around.

Here are the Espei swimming along the island perimiter, supervised by the male Apisto:

Attached Image:

Espei School

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Here is the female Apisto, above the Wisteria. I assume her "fry" from last was either non-existent or had been eaten/abandoned/died.

Attached Image:

Female Apisto

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Just for completion of the Apisto pair, here is a shot of the male, taken a few hours after the water change. Besides showing him, I would like to point out the little bubbles in the water which are finely diffused CO2 bubbles. And that is on the other side of the tank from the diffuser.

Attached Image:

Male Apisto

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On to some other fish of the tank, here is a neon dwarf rainbow looking into the camera. I wonder if they wonder what it is that I am doing there. But I guess I give them too much credit

Anyway, it is very nice of him to give me this pose:

Attached Image:

Rainbow I

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And here are two of the rainbows, side by side. I would assume that the one with the larger hump is superior to the one in the back, right?

These fish (the rainbows) are the most active in the tank and are constantly busy chasing each other and showing off to each other.

Attached Image:

Rainbow II

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Here is my female Pearl Gourami. She holds the number two spot in the tank, at least when it comes to respect by the other fish. She is also less shy then her mate.

You can also see a few of the very healthy duck weed with roots on the left.

Attached Image:

Female Pearl

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And here is the king of the castle, the male Pearl. Nobody questions his authority and I am sure that his size alone gives him this respect. He is pretty much at least 3 times the lenght of most Espei. If the other fish would take a closer look when he behaves like a chicken (for example during water change) then they may change their mind and try to take dominance in their own hand .

Attached Image:

Male Pearl

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Enough about the fish in the tank, let's move on to the plants and the tank overall.

Here is a look at the Wisteria on the right after the water change. I was very tempted to thin it out already and use the clippings on the left side, but I rather wait one more week to have a fuller and healthier growth first.

Attached Image:

Wisteria Lawn

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And here is a look at the left side of the tank, the one that needs improvement/filling the most. I had no chance this week to go to the LFS and see if they have any Wisteria that I could plant there to fill in the empty gravel, maybe this week will be better.

Attached Image:

Left Side

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Many, Many More Pictures Are At The Bottom Of The Previous Page

As we all know, my tank is not known for pearling

But this weekend, after the water change, the tank pearled for hours. I know, I know, that is not something all that special, but even this has not happend in this tank for quite some time (many months).

Must be the Jersey water that has changed, .

Here is the Star Grass with its pearls:

Attached Image:

Pearling

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Here is a closer look at the tops of the Alternanthera Group. I had to trim away a few leaves that had a rim of BBA on them, still from the previous setup. In the past, most of these stems were spread out throughout the tank and actually did not receive the light (and respect) they need to shine:

Attached Image:

Alternanthera

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Right next to them (actually on the left),completing the center group of the island, are the Ludwigia peruensis's. So far, all stems still develop new leaves at the double per node.

Matty - If I understand the statement that you made about this plant a while back, then this should either change to single leaf per node or I actually have Ludwigia peruensis, which - by your statement - is not an aquatic plant.

Attached Image:

Ludwigia peruensis

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Ok,

The last 4 shots are of the full tank and/or the full island.

Here again is the tank from last week, shortly after the Little_Fish style makeover:

Attached Image:

Last Week

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And here is the tank this weekend.

The plants that I noticed as having grown the most are the Wisteria on the right, the Pearl Grass in the back left off the island, and the Star Grass ring on the island border.

What a surprise

Attached Image:

Week 57 - Now

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Here is a closer look just at the main island. I have to admit that this so far is my favorite setup of this tank and I hope that I will not regret the recent makeover and ligthing duration changes. So far, so good, I will keep my thumbs crossed.

Attached Image:

Island I

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And here is (already) the last shot, the main island in a more Matty-Style angle. Matty - I hope you are proud of yourself as you most certainly can take all the credit for any shot taken in these angles

I have to say that in this angle the island looks almost like a bird's nest

I am looking forward to the red plants growing just a little more to really fill in, in particular in height.

That's it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Island - Matty Style

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LF,

Your tank looks pretty nice! I like the lay out with all the Anubias on the DW. That works really well for me. Things seem to be filling out quite well. The left side is a bit thin but you will soon have plenty of westeria to fill in the gaps.

Your rainbows are looking really good. I really love mine when I had them but for some reason they didn't do well. I am glad you have had pretty good luck with yours.



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

Matty - If I understand the statement that you made about this plant a while back, then this should either change to single leaf per node or I actually have Ludwigia peruensis, which - by your statement - is not an aquatic plant.

If it doesn't end up with one leaf per node, then I have no idea what it is. The terrestrial plant I've seen in pics is very large and looks nothing like our aquatic plant. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that. I just meant to say that ludwigia peruensis is usually a false name for ludwigia glandulosa - but a name which is correct for a terrestrial plant.

Matty - I hope you are proud of yourself as you most certainly can take all the credit for any shot taken in these angles

I can't take credit, I didn't take the pic!. I'm glad I could make an impact on the angles you take your pics though. It's rare when people actually look at a tank from that dead on angle, so it's hard to get a feel for what your tank really looks like. Nice pics

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Thanks guys for the input and comments on tank and pictures.

Wings - none of my anubias are planted/tied on the driftwood, they are are stuck into the substrate. Of course I made sure the rhizome is above the substrate, so don't worry
The Mother Barteri is shooting out about 3 new leaves every 2 to 3 weeks, I hope that it doesn't grow too big too soon.

Matty - Of course you can take credit, you made me do it In the same way, NowherMan6 can take credit for my pictures as he was my lens consultant

Ingo

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Hah,

I am glad that I am able to post the following picture. As you may know, one Oto went MIA during last weekend's makeover and spent about at least 1.5h in an empty sink (where I placed the DW before cutting it).

So, given that I overall had 6 Otos before, and that I added him/her back in and he/she swam away, and that I have not been able to count them all any time since, here they are

Ingo

Attached Image:

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Man look at how clean that filter intake is. Makes me want to take mine out and bleach it or something.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Your Alternanthera Group is just stunning & I'm really liking the island setup.

Great shot of your otos - pretty cool to get them altogether like that.

Cheers
TW

Thanks, you two

Matty - This is the intake of the newer filter, the one I added rather recently (maybe 6 weeks back, I don't remember). I will try to get a shot of the other one which is more in line with yours, I guess

Robyn - Yeah, it took me two hours until I had all 6 of them herded onto the clean filter intake and heater

Ingo

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It's a classic case of "less is more" your no longer concerned with the confines of the tank where your putting a tall plant in the corner to cover the filter tubes, heater. etc. The Island looks even more impressive close-up. Nice tight groups, good constrast and manageable. If I had to nitpick (some things never change) it would be the anubias in the front is too lined up.

Are you considering changing the tubes, heater to all black so they fade into the background? With two filters on the tank that powerhead is also an unnecessary distraction IMO.

My Scapes

I think tetratech went colorblind during his absence. LF's background is blue and his heaters are black.

I think LF is also using that powerhead to throw CO2 bubbles out to the other side of the tank and get more saturation.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

If I had to nitpick ...

Of course you have to

And it is always welcome, tetratech. Does that mean your bet is over and you won, or what? What are you getting out of this again? Ah yeah, a new tank

Anyway - Just a few posts earlier (or a few pages earlier) I mentioned that I may play with the background for a while. This means that any colors of heater and what not will have to wait. Also, yes - as Matty said - the powerhead is for the CO2. My way of dispersal in a 6 foot tank.

I have to see about the Anubias and a few other plants in the future, for now I am just glad that I got an environment that allows me to play with it without having to do a major overhaul.

Ingo

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I went to the LFS after work and bought 3 bunches of Wisteria, each having 3 stems and being about 6 to 10 inches long (they also has a pair of Apist Cacs "Double Red", but I resisted).

Once home, I proceeded to trim the stems. For one thing, I would like to keep the growth low, so 6 inches is not good. I made two sections out of each stem, the top and the next element down, which gave me 18 pieces overall. That was enough to cover the part of the left side that was still open.

Here is that area:

Attached Image:

New Wisteria

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This shot, of the female Apisto exploring if there is any food in the wistera, shows the very finely structured leaves of this growth:

Attached Image:

Apisto Looking For Food

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In comparison, here is my Wisteria from the right side of the tank. As you can see, most leaves are much broader that the new ones. Is that because of less light intensity? I need to consult the Wisteria Whipper

Attached Image:

Existing Wisteria On Right Tank Side

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And just for completion, here is the whole tank again. Now it is getting harder to avoid any glare in the pictures as the Wisteria is highl reflective of the tank light.

That's it for now,

Have Fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Full Tank

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As you can see, most leaves are much broader that the new ones. Is that because of less light intensity?

I think it has to do with light. More light the thinner the leaves. Less light the wider they get.

The wisteria in the last picture sure is bright. You should ask tetra how he does it!



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

Since you just bought it, I'd tend to think the thin leaves might be an emersed growth form(as most plants are grown emersed at farms to avoid the algae problem and to max light and growth using sunlight). I've also seen very large leaves come into the store too.

I guess that's why they call it hygro difformis. Very tough to tell what does what to this plant.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Ah, I have never thought of the possibility that Wisteria is grown emersed. The stems seem way to fragile to support the plant weight out of the water. Not because they are so thin but because they seem to easily break when bent (at least the main stem of an upright growing plant).

Interesting, so much still to learn,

Ingo

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 58

The week was rather eventless, with the exception of the addition of more Wisteria on Monday.

So here is a quick look at some stuff

The morning before the water change, when the tank was still dark, I had a chance to take a peek as the light on 29G next to it goes on first. I know that plants close shop when they have enough light and at night as well, but I did not know that this applies to Wisteria as well:

Attached Image:

Wisteria Closed At Night

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Here is the Pearl Grass before trimming. It has grown very nicely and I could use the extra plants for the 40G. It is now pretty much as tall as it was two weeks ago and I was able to harvest 9 smaller bunches:

Attached Image:

Pearl Grass

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Also, for the very first time ever I really cleaned the filter (the bigger older one). I removed even the content of the individual trays and rinsed them in tank water as can be seen here.

Left is the bio layers and right the mech stuff:

Attached Image:

Cleaning Time

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And, for comparison, here is the tank two weeks ago after this setup had been created. As you can see, it is still quite empty:

Attached Image:

Two Weeks Ago

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And here is the tank earlier today. Not only does one notice the addition of the wisteria, but also some healthy growth in the Star Grass, Alternanthera, and Ludwigia groups. Also, the mother barteri developed quite a few new leaves.

Attached Image:

Tank Now

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Nevertheless, not all is rosy. There is again some BBA, in particular on some leaves of the Alternanthera, Java Fern, and Anubias (just some leaves on that whole group). I am considering an Excel treatment.

Here is a closer look at the island:

Attached Image:

Island

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Here is a closer look at the Wisteria group on the left side of the tank. The front section is the addition from last Monday. That should be rather obvious though as I never had this growth form in any of my tanks:

Attached Image:

Wisteria

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The Tenellus field behind it is still pretty messy, but I clearly see the development of submersed leaves and a few runners. I will give it some more time and then decide what to do with it in the first place. I am considering to replace the star grass with the crypts from the way left and make the whole area around the island wisteria (a la tetratech).

Attached Image:

Tenellus

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And here is an add-on:

I went to the LFS this afternoon and got some fishies (see 40G Log ). While I was there I picked up another 6 bunches of Wisteria. It wasn't in super shape, so I only could use the top most section of each stem (unlike last Monday when I divided each stem into two reusable pieces).

I planted then in front of the Island and now have to left almost connected to the right. Almost there

That's it, have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

New Wisteria From Today

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Tank looks amazing Ingo. I was a bit surprised when you chose to steer clear of the Amano style. When you mentioned an "island" setup, I was expecting exactly what you have in the middle, but a clear cut line surrounding it of bare gravel. Hell, I would have bet sand would have made an appearance with this layour, at least in the foreground. But it looks killer either way. I'm thoroughly impressed!


Nice seeing you today, btw.

Well thanks Mike,

I appreciate the compliment

Yeah, it was nice seeing you today at the LFS and I am glad it motivated you to peek into my logs (responsive that is, as I know you do it as a reader only anyway).

Yeah, anything more than I did in this current redo would basically have meant to start all over again as I would have had to get rid of my well bacterialized gravel. So, that's as good as it gets

Ingo

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Looks good LF, especially the tenellus(gosh I like that plant). It looks as if you're getting pretty good growth overall, should be fun to watch the tank continue to grow in. How's the ludwigia turning out? I'm really curious to see if that turns out to be the same as mine, or what else it could be if it doesn't.

I don't really have anything to nit-pick about. I like the setup, just needs time to fill in.

That's some nasty media BTW.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I don't really have anything to nit-pick about.

Well I do! That last pic is really beautiful!

My Scapes

So - where is the nitpicking, tetratech ? I know there is much that can be done better, but I had to start somewhere. I think that this setup will allow me to play around with much less ecological interference. Thanks for the compliment on the last shot.

Matty - You sure like tenellus, don't you . The ludwigia is still growing in the same style, aka two leaves per node. Maybe the grand master of plants, aka Bensaf, could take a look and let us know what he thinks . And yes, the media was really . Maybe in about two weeks I should have the other filter undergoing the same treatment.

Ingo

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LF,

If you are doing major up rooting fairly often then you are probobly releasing tons of junk from the gravel. This stuff ends up right in your filter. Therefore its probably a good idea to keep them cleaned more often.

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

Ingo,

Looking at those nice pics, I forgot to ask. Are you seeing an abatement of your algae issues. I didn't see any "real" issues even from the closeup shot.

My Scapes

Thanks guys for input and question,

Tetratech - right now I don't have a huge algae issue to report, but I see a ring of BBA around sicklish leaves on the Anubias and Alternanthera, and on the edges of leaves on the NL Fern, but they may have gotten damaged during the redo as well. Otherwise, only a little hair algae is growing on the glass, but not bad at all. I will try to give you an even closer look so one can see the problem

Wings - you, that's it, the redo will do that. But I decided to not mess with the filters right when I did the redo as I had upset the biofilter enough as it was. That's why I am doing it now, one filter at a time.

Ingo

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that's it, the redo will do that. But I decided to not mess with the filters right when I did the redo as I had upset the biofilter enough as it was. That's why I am doing it now, one filter at a time.

I am with you.

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

So,

Just to show you that not all is shiny shiny, here are two of the plants that have BBA problems (I couldn't get a good one of the Alternanthera).

Here is a leave of the Mother Barteri plant. Just a few leaves have algae:

Attached Image:

Anubias Barteri BBA

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And here is the Narrow Leaf Java Fern. Again, only a few leaves look like this, and I believe to identify that they are damages further down on the leaf.

That's it,

Ingo

Attached Image:

NL Java Fern BBA

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i had a BBA problem but my pearl gouramis ate it all.
i wonder why tours havnt eaten any of yours?
BTW my male pearl is almost full grown now, hes chest is a deap red orange, his dorsal & analfins stretch way past his tail fin and he has the most amazing turquise and olive green iridescences.

coop,

I wasn't aware that Pearls are BBA eaters, I for sure haven't seen mine even touching it.

About 6 to 4 months ago, my male seemed well on the way to receive his orange underbelly, but now it seems more like he is moving backwards in the coloration department, except for the turquise and olive green iridescences on his finnage. It may have to do with the fact that there is 0 chance for breeding in this tank as the current would wash away any bubble nest. So he may think: "Why bother with all the color if I cannot use it anyway"

Ingo

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I am loving your new island look. All is looking pretty slick. Like Matty, I'm a recent fan of Tenellus. Is there more that one form of tenellus? Mine look taller than yours, but so far they are all I've found. How tall would you say yours grow?

I agree with not cleaning out both filters at once. In fact, I have never done a 100% filter media clean. But for you, 100% cleaning of one filter = only a 50% clean, as you still have another filter to go. I would wait 3-4 weeks before you clean the 2nd filter, to allow the cleaned media to grow a new colony of bacteria.

Anyway, all is looking great

Cheers
TW

your male pearl has a beter body shape than mine, mine has a more bulldog face too.
id say its colour is becauase of the current as my tank has 2 smaller HOB filters at each end. one is soruonded by a lot of wisteria where as the other has a big clump of sggitaria stimulatus in front of it, this makes the water surface in the middle of the tank fairly still which allows him to build his nest(wich is then purposely destroyed by my male blue ram).
i guess it makes him a fair bit more agressive. he is king of the tank except when it comes to the male german blue ram; about half the size of the pearl but twice as aggressive(i originally had 2 pairs of GBR's, because of the male GBR its now only 1 pair).

coop - Yeah, my male Pearl is the king of the tank as well, not even my male Apisto truly challenges him. This comes as a surprise to me though as the male pearl is also one of the biggest chickens in the tank as soon as an "outsider" appears (meaning a person). By now he has figured out that me standing next to the tank is not harmful, but he darts into hiding as soon as another person comes closer. Not to mention that you cannot find him once my hand penetrates the water (maintenance stuff). I checked last night on his coloration and yeah, there is not one bit of orange left.

Robyn, yeah - there are at least two forms of tenellus, but the other one is actually smaller with thinner leaves that are turning a reddish color in bright light. Amano uses that one quite often and I once got a tiny plant by accident (didn't grow for me).
About the filter cleaning: I don't believe I destroyed the bacteria in the filter completely as I rinsed the media in tank water. Sure, whatever was on the filter walls and media baskets is gone, but the surface of the media itself should have contained most of it anyway.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

yeah mines a real chicken when it comes to "outsiders" and matenence. i recently gave my tank a complete makeover and the whole timt he was flapping around in the back corner. strangly though he eats algea wafers out of my hand

Those buckets of dirty water got me thinking. Still having BBA issues ...hmmmmmm.

I think it's pretty much been shown that BBA is reliant on carbon to thrive. Organics produce carbon,in a form difficult for planys to access but somewhat easier for algae specifically BBA. A dirty tank will produce algae.

I'm surprised you've gone that long between cleaning filters. For some reason I always clean my canister every 4-6 weeks. By clean I mean I totally dump the wool media , clean the can but don't touch the bio stuff (ceramic rings/efisubstrat). I've always done it this way, no particular reason just habit. The likes of Tom BArr are always stating the importance of keeping tank and filter "clean" - maybe that's where I picked it up.

Wondering if the amount of organics in an old "dirtier" filter is helping the BBA?

Class discussion ?

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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.

Organics produce carbon,in a form difficult for planys to access but somewhat easier for algae specifically BBA.

Can you explain this a little more, if you can?

And if it thrives on carbon produced by organics, then why is it said that LOW carbon causes BBA, as opposed to an organic form?

I always thought of it being more of a steady C vs. fluctuating C issue.

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Back in the saddle!

I always thought of it being more of a steady C vs. fluctuating C issue.

Maybe the organic form is a fluctuating one?

Come to think of it. I was having some aglae issues a while back. I think I cleaned out my filter and it went away. I was having issues with staghorn though. Which is one of two, the other being GS, that I get in my tank.

Now if the filter is good and dirty is the bio filter working at top production?

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

Wondering if the amount of organics in an old "dirtier" filter is helping the BBA?

IMO yes. Nothing works in a vaccum, everything is part of the whole. The more organics in the tank/filter the more you might have issues. If you have a tank that has no fish only plants, you could probably get by with doing an annual filter cleaning as opposed to one stocked with fish that would require monthly or bi-monthly.

Listening to the conversations here at Planted Aquaria the conversations are usually as much about fish as they are about plants. There's nothing wrong with that mindset, but it does bring about more algae issues. The amount of organics affects the amount of filtration, flow, co2, etc that one would need to maintain an algae-free tank.

My Scapes

I'll agree, but can't say I'm a shining example of someone who keeps their filter clean. I get to it every couple months. At this rate I can't say I've ever noticed a correlation between algae before and after cleanings, but maybe I would if I let it go longer. IMO it's the same as the junk in the gravel bed or rotting leaves or anything else. If I could I'd gravel vac every week too.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Oooooooh, the grand master gave me the honor of a few words

Anyway, first things first:
coop - When I read your entry I had to laugh as feeding the Pearls is really like you describe, they eat out of your hand. Not only that, the way they open and close their mouths on the surface while eating looks to me like they are singing some song.

Some may have seen my picture of an old Espei a few weeks back. I did not see him anymore 3 days ago but then found him again 2 days ago, minus half his body Rest in peace old man, you were a proud father of many.

Now on to the filter cleaning:

Bensaf, you may have misunderstood:

By clean I mean I totally dump the wool media , clean the can but don't touch the bio stuff

I do that too, it was just the first time that I even cleaned out the media baskets. As mine are stuffed with media there is always something left behind when not removing from the baskets. And this gunk is also partially based on the redo two weeks earlier.

Nevertheless, I agree, dirty media can, and probably does, have something to do with the algae. But like all the others, please elaborate on the carbon culprit.

Thanks in advance,

Ingo

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Hi,
Plants can extract the Carbon from organic compounds.
The problem is how tightly the element, Carbon, is bound
into the compound. An organic chemist, I am not, but I
do know that some molecules hang onto the elements that
make up that molecule more tightly than others.

The CO2 gas that we inject into our tanks is the easiest
for plants to extract the Carbon from. It requires less
energy from the plant and is why plants seem to "take off"
when we start using injected CO2.

It is the same with other elements that plants need.
Fe for instance as well as the trace elements. They
need to be introduced into the aquarium in the form
that is beneficial for plants, other wise they build up
to possibly toxic levels or precipitate out.

This is discussed extensively in Diana's book,
The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium.

Frank


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

And if it thrives on carbon produced by organics, then why is it said that LOW carbon causes BBA, as opposed to an organic form?

Frank pretty much nailed how organics produce carbon.

But lets clear one thing up. Low Co2 in and of itself is not a cause of BBA. Fluctuating carbon levels will. In a non Co2 injected tank one of the best methods to avoid algae is to avoid water changes or actually, to avoid putting in sudden short doses of Co2 (from tap water) which will benefit algae more then plants. In an injected tank relatively high and stable is the way to go.

In an injected tank the plants are getting there carbon easily and readily in the quantities they need. A lot of "dirt" will produce carbon that may only benefit algae.As Frank mentioned the carbon is not Co2, more in the way of carbonate molecules. The plants simply won't be bothered stripping down the molecules when it already has all their carbon needs readily available. But BBA is built to access carbon in just that way.

I pull tanks up completely every year as I've noticed that things tend to go downhill at bit at that stage. They look dirty and old. No matter how fastidious you are you can't get everything at the regular water changes - things get under the wood and rocks etc.

The only tank I've never had BBA in (or any other form for that matter) is the small non Co2 low light desktop tank. It really is a method that truly seems foolproof and is the reason why I'd never bother with more then one hight light Co2 tank. Need the patience of a saint though - it grows very very very slowly and the plants stay much smaller,

Don't get me wrong , not saying Ingo has a filthy tank or anything. I could be going overboard but I've never let the canister go more then 6 weeks without a cleaning.

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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 pull tanks up completely every year as I've noticed that things tend to go downhill at bit at that stage. They look dirty and old. No matter how fastidious you are you can't get everything at the regular water changes - things get under the wood and rocks etc.

That's an acurate statement. Everything is relative to this buildup. A year could probably be stretched to 18 months if your really anal about things(feeding,fishload, water changes, filter cleaning) or can be shortened if your very overstocked, etc. I notice some BBA on some of the eco which was never there before. It's not a big issue but it's there. That's why I'm also pushing the low ishload, low feeding thing, because this will buy you more time before things get real bad. The majority of aquarist feed and stock too much not to have some algae issues in hi-light planted tanks. I want to repeat something. It's not that they are overstocked or overfeeding in general terms, but they are when it comes to controlling algae in planted aquaria.

My Scapes

Well thanks guys for the detailed inputs on carbon and BBA. I guess I will have to clean my filters more often the, right (as a reduced fish load is not an option ).

On with the show, I got loads of pictures and no time.

Weekly Tank Update - Week 59

To start off, here is the tank 3 weeks ago when it was set up in this layout:

Attached Image:

3 Weeks Ago

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And here is the tank now, with a few additions of Wisteria and some growth.

I think it still looks pretty, but some pruning is needed. I just didn't have the time for that this weekend and also I don't know what I would like to change yet.

Attached Image:

Tank Today

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Now I would like to show you how the tank looks when I have only the second row of lights with 5,500K on. Doesn't it look much greener? I am considering of switching to the 10,000K that I have:

Attached Image:

With 5,500K Only

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Here is a closeup of the Pearl Grass right afte water change. As you can see, it really pearls , but somehow it does not really look like grass though

Attached Image:

Pearl Grass

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My Excel Treatment that I started this week to fight off the existing BBA is showing effects, the algae is beginning to turn red or pale, as can be seen in this closeup of an leaf of the NL Java Fern.

Attached Image:

BBA Dying

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For Matty, a 4 picture special

Maybe Bensaf wants to chime in, that would be nice.

Here is one of two shots showing the current growth of the Ludwigia Peruensis. This one is closer to the bottom of the tank and a small sprout.

Attached Image:

LP new Growth I

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And here is one from the tallest of them in the tank. As you may see, the gap between the nodes is really small and there are still two leaves per node. Also, it has gotten much redder. The beginning of the new growth section can be easily identified:

Attached Image:

LP new Growth II

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Then I looked at the plant right next to it, my Alternanthera. Doesn't that plant look very similar? I wonder if I have some form of Alternanthera there!

Attached Image:

Alternanthera I

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One of the differences is that the gap between the nodes seem larger than on the LR, although they are at equal height in the tank.

The LR also appears to have shorter new leaves, actually it seems a little stunted. Maybe I should add more K, but I for sure beefed up the micros from 20ml to 30ml as of today.

Attached Image:

Alternanthera II

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The Star Grass in the tank is still growing strong, but I don't think it is right for the spot that it is at. Its stem is too weak and it gets blown heavily to its side by the current in the tank.

Here is one of the more stable parts of it as the current in that section isn't all that strong:

Attached Image:

Star Grass

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Here is the weakest section of the tank, at least in my opinion. The whole left side needs something, and I believe it needs less of a plant mish-mash. Maybe all should be wisteria for now and later I could add some highlights to it. I could use the crypts as a border section in the Island, but the tenellus would have to move to other tanks.

Attached Image:

Left Section

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On to some fish shots:

Whenever I enter the basement and it is evening I get to see this. OK, the female Apisto is there only sometimes, but the Rainbows for sure are waiting for food as this is the spot where I feed the tank.

Attached Image:

Rainbows I

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Once they realize that I am only there to hold this black thingy (camera) in front of my face they tend to peruse the tank some more. Here they are on the other end of the tank.

Attached Image:

Rainbows II

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My Apistos are always up for a nice photo, and they seem to enjoy beeing the center of my attention.

Here is the female staring at me like "Are we done yet?"

Attached Image:

Female Apisto I

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After a while she had enough and starts to swim off, on to finding some food in the tank.

These days she is wearing her bright yellow wedding dress only on rare occasions, maybe 3 days out of 7

Attached Image:

Female Apisto II

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Make Sure You Look At The Pictures On The Previous Page That Start This Weeks Update

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Here is the male Apisto swimming through the bubbles of the CO2 output.

It seems to me as if he is eyeballing the Espei in the bottom right corner. I wouldn't be too surprised if he got a tast for them by now, given that it was he whom I found eating the dead (old) Espei during this week:

Attached Image:

Male Apisto I

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The male Apisto (and his girl) are the least shy fish in the tank. Whenever I put my finger on the glass all other fish first swim away (and may or may not come back), but he doesn't seem to be worried at all. Actually I think he likes the attention:

Attached Image:

Male Apisto II

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Just to show off his nice colors again, here he is from the full side.

He is just as handsome as ever

Attached Image:

Male Apisto III

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Ok,

On to some off-shots, more in line with the things Matty likes, but maybe the others will enjoy them as well.

Here you can see how full my tank is

Attached Image:

Small Gap Left

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And here is a look accross the length of the tank, from the left side to the right.

Last week I filled up the tank (by mistake) so much that the duck weed got stuck at the crossbars.

Attached Image:

Surface Movement

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And here is a look at the tank from the left side, showing more the frontal section. Most of my sideshots are guesswork as I don't really have the space to squeeze my head behind the camera for that angle:

Attached Image:

Tank From Left

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And here is a look into the tank from the right side. This spot is even tighter and I barely can hold the camera in my hand into an almost proper angle.

Sorry if they are not the greatest pictures.

Attached Image:

From Right Side

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The last 3 pictures are of the main island. Here is the first from a slight angle when standing closer to the left side of the tank:

Attached Image:

Main Island I

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And here is a look at the island from a slight angle to the right. I like how the Espei tend to peruse along the front edge of the island, they go very well with the color theme

Attached Image:

Main Island II

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And here is a head on, but angled down, shot of the island. I know it needs some work, at least the Star Grass needs trimming.

As you can see, I have closed the frontal gap between left and right and now the island is surrounded.

That is it for today,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Main Island III

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Neet shots there LF. I can't say that I know for sure what red plant you have there. I'm not sure. It's nice whatever it is. My ludwigia gets those crinkled leaves on the new growth when I don't dose a bit of calcium at waterchanges. I'm not sure why that is, I have hard water, and would think I had plenty of calcium, but it's at least something to go on.

I really enjoyed the shots from the side, that was a cool angle we haven't seen much before. It really helps get the 3D feel for the tank. The shot of the center group with the espei was particularly nice as well.

I've decided recently that I can't handle floating plant. I ended up ripping out my water lettuce. It kept floating to the front corner that didn't get light enough for them anyways. I applaud you for keeping some duckweed in there for the fish. That shot also showed me how well your tank was levelled when you set it up .

I'd say that something like a rock or non green plant would look good in the open area, but it sounds like you already had something like that in mind. I agree though, it could be a bit better on that side, maybe simpler would be better, maybe not. At least it's something easy to play with, just don't kill those tenellus movin' them around too much or I'll come after you....I know where you live.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Have to say the tank is looking better then then ever.

Probably because it has more order and tighter groupings.

One minor quibble, I'd tighten up the red plant grouping a bit and pick just one species ( personally I prefer the Reineckii, the Ludwigia can be a pain to grow). Red beside red doesnit work and they slightly different shape of both makes it look untidy.

Nut the island formation looks good amd the tank finally has a distinct look rather then a mish mash

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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.

Bensaf,

Before I race off to work, can you tell me what kind of plant you think this "Ludwigia" is. It was sold as peruensis, but Matty thinks otherwise and I have no idea.

I will comment on your entries more later,

Off to the races,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well,

I guess I missed Bensaf's presents here at FP by about 5 min . He will never let us know what plant I have there

Anyway, on with some comments:

Matty - Yeah, crinkled leaves and calcium, I thought about that. But I am adding already one tsp of Equilibrium weekly so I do not want to make the water any harder. Instead, I hope that upping the micros will help out. You may remember that I used to feed 50ml dosages of TMG, but with the new stuff I went to 20ml, as instructions from Tropica suggest. Now, with 30ml, I should see some changes, hopefully not in the amount of algae

About the leveling: well, I have to give credit for an almost even concrete floor, but thanks anyway. Overall, the tank is a little higher on the right than on the left, maybe a difference of 1/3 to 1/2 an inch.

Also, I will not try to kill the Tenellus, I promise . And yeah, the left side will undergo slooooow changes. For the first time in quite a while I look at the tasks at hand with excitement and not as a necessity.

Bensaf - Thank you so much, very nice of you to give me (or my tank) such praise. With regards to the Ludwigia, I assume you identified the plant then, right ? What makes it so hard to grow? Does it have specific requirements in nutrients, like loads of Iron or something like that? In either case, I will keep your words of mixing these plants in mind when I have enough of them (Alternanthera) to fill in the whole area.

Thanks for the input,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I could use the crypts as a border section in the Island,

I think that is a really good idea. Then maybe a rock or something coming out of the wisteria would look nice as Matty has said.

Overall your tank is looking quite nice. I like the shots from the side too!

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

Hi,
I throughly enjoyed the photo tour. It's no wonder that
the high point of the dollar two ninty eight tour of the
house begins and ends in the fishroom!

As far as the lighting is concerned, the tank (to me)
does not seem "greener" with the 5500K lights so much
as the light seems "yellower." It is lower in K and
will tend to the yellow, and then the red end of the
spectrum. While the 10,000k seems so bright that it
starts to "washout" the green colors. That's why I,
personally prefer the 6700-8800K bulbs.

Frank


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

About the ludwigia, I didn't recognise the name 'til I found out it was another name for glandulosa. It needs a lot of light to look it's best which should be a deep purple. It's also very picky about nutrients, any slight shortage and it stops.Like most Ludwigia's it can decide just to melt away when trimmed.

When it's a deep purple it's too strong and distracting and is best as an accent.

I don't like the way it grows -straight up , never branches- the bottom leaves drop easily and it lloks like an umbrella. If it's not the deep purple there are lots of other plants that are better looking and easier to grow - like the Altherena. So why bother ?

I wasn't sure it LP you had from the pics but the close up show the leaves seem to be in groups of threes at the node which is typical for this plant. Kind of a star formation, so it probably is the ludwigia.

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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.

Wow Ingo, I havn't looked at this thread in a few weeks, and my how it's changed.
I absolutely love the island! All that anubias with the lush sections of Alteranthera, pealgrass (something I've never had any luck with, and I'm envious) and still the ever-present stargrass looks absolutely great.
However, you have an awful long tank, and I agree that the sides need something... I wish I could help you with what that something may be

It's hard to believe based on your pictures that you have an algae problem. I'm battling algae in my planted right now, too, and I have to say that your trials have helped me out a great deal.

The dwarf rainbows are amazing! They've grown so much, getting that deep-bodied look of mature rainbows.

A question that was probably answered way back when, but just occurred to me is do you keep the tank covered at all? Do you have a canopy, or plain glass covers, or anything on this tank? If not, do you have a problem with jumpers? I know that I ocassionally find tetras and rasboras dried up on my floor just from leaving the lid slightly open on my tanks, and was wondering if that ever happens to you.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Ok,

Thanks for all of the entries, here are my responses in order of entry:

Wings - Right now the tank gives me more options that I can even think off, and I can think off quite a few . Albeit I haven't made any changes yet, I am looking forward to some playtime in the tank. This is a fist in a loooooong time.

Frank - You are right, it is more yellow than green . I have the 6,700K as my all-day lights and turn the others on only for mid-day-lights. I may switch them to the 10,000K lights that I have lying around though, just for the fun of it.

Bensaf - Thanks a lot, my friend. I will have to do more research on the LRs, but from what you describe and from what I observe in the tank (stunting) it strongly appears as if you are right on. What else would I have expected anyway ?

illustrae - Thank you very much for stopping by and making an entry, I appreciate it . I am glad that my trials (and errors ) have helped you out, better learning from somebody else's mistakes than making them yourself .

Yes, I do have 3 glass panels on top of my tank, no canopy though. I like the glass/elevated lighting unit look, it has some high tech flavor to it. I have no doubt that the rainbows and pearls would already have been on the floor if I didn't.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

i love your apistos, i want them so bad but the LFS only get cockatoo apistos and apistogramma borelli, dont like them.

Hi,
"A couple of THOUSAND gallons?" Now those pictures
I'd love to see!!
Has he posted them anywhere?
Frank


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

firstly he is 84 and doesnt know how to use a computer, the net or a digital camera.none of wich does he have. its actaly 1 thousad gallons with angels and discus. and secondly i only see it about once a year(when get to see him)
and finally it will be sold by this christmas for $10,000 or there abouts
so i will try and get or find a photo by then. if not
(sorry about the edit on the post above, people will think we're crazy coz of that. i couldnt sell the pearls, they're to buetiful, instead m getting another female and a powerhead with a spray bar to try and stop aggression.)

OK,

I don't know what the two of you (Frank and coop) were talking about , but fine with me. Coop, more apisto shots are on the way further down.

Weekly Tank Update - Week 60

It was a busy week for me and as such I did not have a lot of time to care for the tank. All had to be done this weekend and now I am in a mad dash to get the Update in before other duties call me away again. I will respond to all your threads during the week, I promise

Here is the tank before the water change and fixes:

Attached Image:

Before Water Change

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As you can see, the star grass has grown way too tall by now, and the alternanthera is pretty much reaching the top. Also, note the green layer on top. My tank must have seen great growth during this week, or at least the duckweed did. Here is a look at the top where the duckweed forms a solid and non-moving carpet in the middle section of the tank. Not good for the plants below:

Attached Image:

Darn Duckweed

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And here is the tank after maintenance and water change.

Some things have changes, a few of which will be shown later. Here, I would like to mention that all crypts have been moved either to the island or to the 40G.

Attached Image:

Tank Now

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PLEASE LOOK AT THE FULL TANK SHOT ON BOTTOM OF LAST PAGE

The fish, BTW, are not swimming on the surface because of the CO2, but this shot was taken when it was feeding time.

Here is a closer look at the new left side. All is now wisteria with the exception of a group of Blyxa that I got from a local planted tank friend. It is huge, compared to the one in the 40, although he is the source for that one as well. I hope this one will keep in shape.

Attached Image:

Left Side

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One more plant picture, then I will show some fishies. The Star Grass in this shot almost didn't make it back in the tank. I intended to replace it with pearl grass, but that plant is way too "bendy" for the current in that area. Also, its leaves are a little too small to make for a good mid-level plant in the island.

Bensaf - I don't think that Ludwigia is grandulosa as I still have new growth with only 2 leaves per node. All other things you describe fit though, picky about ferts and loss of lower leaves.

In the end, I kept some star grass, here it is:

Attached Image:

Star Grass

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