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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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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

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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On to some fish.

The ones that worry me these days are the Espei. You may remember that I talked about the old one that died, well - now another one died and he may have been old too. And so is another one that is still alive, but seems to go the same way. But then there is also this one, he will be dead within this week. He seems much smaller and really really skinny, not like the other ones that live and died so far.

I hope there is nothing going around.

Attached Image:

Skinny Sick Espei

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Either my computer is giving up or FP has issues, I just did a double post for no reason and it seems to be really slow in responding.

Anyway:

Here is the male pearl, followed by the female. He has some nicer color these days.

Attached Image:

Pearls

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And here is a closer look at one of my Rainbows. They play "who is the boss" all day long. I am sure they can participate at the Olympics with all this racing training they get in a 6 foot tank

Attached Image:

Rainbow

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On to the Apistos, for coop and all others that may care.

Here is the female, looking pretty in her wedding dress. The reason why she is colored up is because the male is near by and clearly in the mood for some fry making

Attached Image:

Female Apisto

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And here is the man we were talking about, the male Apisto. I always tend to show shots of the full fish, but I thought I might try a closeup to give you more details about him.

Good idea?

Attached Image:

Male Apisto I

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And here he is again, in this last shot for tonight. Here he has his fins standing out as the female is near and he needs to show that he is in good shape. And he sure is !!!

And that's it for tonight, hope you like it,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Male Apisto II

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Your apisto girl chose a very nice wedding dress indeed. Very pretty. I hope she is able to tempt her groom and has more sucess than my nigrerian red girl. She is trying very hard to tempt, with little response from her intended groom.

Looks like you've had a lot of growth & the wisteria has really grown in. I take it you removed some of the duckweed to let in more light?



Cheers
TW

Wow, LF that first shot of the male close up is so focused that you can see the cephalic pores on it's head. Nice

I have to say that I disagree with bensaf on the ludwigia glandulosa. In your tank by now it should be deep red top and bottom with one leaf per node, not two. Ludwigia glandulosa may drop its leaves, which is common of high light demanding plants, but it's not picky about nutrients. If it were, there's no way it would be so red for me. Mine transformes rather quickly maybe in two or three weeks it was really deep red top to bottom, look at my tank log now to check out what it looks like. That's par for what I've seen on the web...some are even more purple.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

love em. beutiful fish. those rainbows are praecox right?
just wondering coz i want some for my next set up(once i get a bit more money) wich is actually gonna be a 35G paludarium(is actually ment to be a frog tank but im not really into frogs).

my 55g was nearly half filled with wisteria, but i removed all of it when i did a fuul makeover, didnt really like it but it works good in yours.


me and frank were talking about the first post that i edited, it said that i was gonna sell my pearlscoz of aggression(couldnt do it)and i had a brag about my granpas 1000gal that inspired me to try a SA theme.

good photographer LITTLE_FISH

LF,

This tank looks quite empty after your trim job. Once again I will have to say that you need to find some rocks for this tank! A few stuck in the center mound and then some in the open space to give it some contrast and hight.

It seems you have taken some lessons from tetra on how to grow wisteria. Too bad he doesn't have the guts to show his tank off in the past couple of months.

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

Thanks folks for the input

Robyn, yeah the female wears a beautiful dress rather often and I think they have eggs rather often, but ACIDRAIN once mentioned to me that his viejita are lousy parents in the community tank, and so are mine.

Matty - I guess that means the Ludwigigia question is open then again. What if you don't have grandulosa either as bensaf mentioned 3 leaves per node?

Coop - yup, this are praecox, but I don't think they would be happy campers in a 35G paludarium. Too small, not enough water for a small school.

Wings - Slooow changes, young grasshopper (better than babe, right?) Maybe one I day I will add rocks, maybe not, time will tell. The base for a nice tank is set, all other things will take time.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Matty - I guess that means the Ludwigigia question is open then again. What if you don't have grandulosa either as bensaf mentioned 3 leaves per node?

That's why I said I didn't agree with Bensaf on the ID:

I have to say that I disagree with bensaf on the ludwigia glandulosa. In your tank by now it should be deep red top and bottom with one leaf per node, not two. Ludwigia glandulosa may drop its leaves, which is common of high light demanding plants, but it's not picky about nutrients.

Glandulosa for sure has only one leaf per node. Quick take a look here]http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/e_Ludwigia_glandulosa.php[/link], [link=here]http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/images/Onagraceae/Ludwigiaglandulosa.jpg[/link] and the second pic [link=here. They all stagger one leaf per node in a star shape upwards around the stem. I did a lot of lookingwhen I bought the plant to figure out what I had. Oh, and you won't find peruensis unless you are looking to buy a plant...for some reason dealers use a false name.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

oh, thats to bad(just adding that the tank is actualy 55 G but with 30-35gal worth of water in it.)

Well Matty, time will tell what it is that I have in there. If I don't remove the plant first, that is
Did you see my entry in your tank log where I mention that maybe neither you nor I may have Amano Pearl Grass?

coop - Well, that may work for you then, 35G of water should allow you to have 6 of them and still give them some space to swim around. That would be a 4 foot tank, right?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

courrect, i might want to put a couple of golden panchax in now though. thats well in the future though, havnt even started the thing.

i think your tank looks heaps better now, more like professional aquascaping or sumthin.

i used to think my tank looked great but then i changed it around so that i have an island at each and of the tank and a space in the middle, looks heaps better now(still got crappy lookin driftwood but)

Coop,

so that i have an island at each and of the tank and a space in the middle

Hey, you should take a look at tetratech's log as he just has shown us the first picture of his new setup, with two islands and a space in the middle.

Can we get a link to a picture of your tank sometime?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

yeah thats the same kind of thing, but at eiver end of mine the plants reach the surfac and the gap in mine is less centred(more to the right)

Once again coop,

Can we get a link to a picture of your tank sometime?

Your tank for sure sounds very interesting and I really would like to see a picture of it. Then we all can go and take it apart . Or steal some ideas

Just kidding, we will not rip it apart, of course.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

yeah sure, but i need to get a new charger for my digital camera(i accidentally stamped on it and braoke it)

oi,my anubias nana has now got 3 flowers on it, lookin good!!

my anubias nana has now got 3 flowers on it

On one rhizome? That beats my heavy flowering nanas and barteries easily. Now you really have to get a charger fast as I would really like to see a shot of that

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

yeah on one rhizome, i just had the best oppotunity for a great photo, but i couldnt take it

it was the male GBR dipping his head down to one of the flowers with the other two in the background, looked like a humming bird or sumthin. that gets me soooo angry !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


i was, just then, looking through this log(im bored)just randomly clicking on pages and i clicked on page 48 i think. position no.4 of the driftwood is exactly what i want in the right hand corner of my tank. where did you get that?LFS or self collected?
id have that crawling with nana's (not grandmas, anubias. damn im funny) from the one i have now.

i dont even have co2 in my tank either(cant get any co2 systems excepty for liquid co2, which can cause massive ph drops) im having a bit of a problem with plants, pretty sure its nitrate deficiency, 20ppm. some have yellowy brown dots on the leaves.

just wondering, what do you do for tank maitenance and what do you feed your fish?

Coop,

Nice description of a photo that could have been

The driftwood that you describe from page 48, or something like that, does not exist in this form any more. Immediately after identifying how it should go in the tank I had to cut it into 2 pieces as it was too large even for a 125G. And now, with the last redo, I cut it down even further into many little branches that now border the island. I got this wood from EBay and payed way too much for it (). Somebody found it in some river down in Texas and sold it on the web, and the last minute bitting was a pure war of nerves. NowherMan6 was the person who pointed it out to me.

What do you mean with liquid CO2 and causing massive ph drops? Never heard of that. Do you know Flourish Excel? That is a liquid carbon solution and quite a few people use it to have C in their tank (like me, for my 2 low tech tanks). But it is of course more expensive (in the long run) than a CO2 system.

Your nitrates are 20ppm? That is not a deficiency at all, that is the desired level for planted tanks. BUT - only if all other nutrients are at their proper levels as well, and if one follows Tom Barr's Estimative Index (EI). Otherwise, the value would be considered high. Have a look at Chuck Gadd's Nutrient Deficiency list to see what may be wrong in your tank.

What do I feed my fish? Mostly, I would say 95%, flakes. The rest is the occasional treat of freeze dried foods like tubifex worms, bloodworms, brime shrimp, all small stuff.

So, that's enough for this entry,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

No. 3000

Yeah!



Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

on the liquid co2, i was talking on another forum about it and blackwater extract. someone told me that the liquid co2 causes your ph to drop...the same person who told me i have a nitrate deficiency and it should be around 30ppm. i hane a feeling they had no idea what they where talkin about.

Driftwood:yeah i noticed it was a bit chopped up now

but if that peice was about L 20" W 12" and H 16"
it would be perfect
did you treat it yourself? if so how?....... i cant get any good wood around hear so ill have to try and get some from down at my river.

do not know of flourish excell, ive only started proper aquascaping and planted tanks in the last 4 months or so(been in the hobby for about 2 years now) they sure beat my other bad looking tanks i started with.
i think its either manganese calcium or potassium in conjuction with hungry pearl goramis, its mainly in the giant hygro and the polysperma.

well thats all i have to say for now

i hane a feeling they had no idea what they where talkin about.

Could well be, or they knew too much and didn't share it all with you. In either case, WRONG!

I relied on the person that I purchased the driftwood from to tell me if I would have to treat it. She said no, and as such I only soaked it for a week or so in the bathtub, plus the occasional scrubbing like a madman.

Wood that is in a river for just a short period is not qualified for a tank (bugs and critters) and most of the time will take forever until it will stay down by itself and stop leaching tannins.

Check into Excel for a CO2 substitue, I think it is available in your country as well. Also, I doubt that it is a potassium issue, although you may well have a low in that department too. I would assume you have a general lack of micro nutrients. What is your fert schedule?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

i weekly dose with a liguid fert with N,P,K(2.6,0,5.0)
and trace elements including chelates of iron, copper, manganese boran and zinc.
my rooed plants such as echinodorus also have JBL 7 Balls wich are like a pellet wich slowly releases iron and trace elements throughout the year.

any suggestions for other ferts?

most of the DW in the river(brackish) has been there for decades except for a couple of fallen over trees that have been there for about 3 years or more.

dose with a liguid fert with N,P,K(2.6,0,5.0)

Uh, here is something that you can teach me: What do the numbers in the brackets mean? I would say it must be some concentration level measure, but why would P be zero? And is that right that there seems to be twice as much K than N?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

From what I understand those numbers represent the percent of each of those in the fert. So if his numbers are correct there is no "P" in the fertilizer.

Congrats on 3000

My Scapes

n= nitrates p=phosphorus k=potassium
it means there is 2.6 parts nitrates to ) parts phosphorus and 5.0 parts potassium.

the dont add phosphorus becuase it is what algea thrives on
and yes there is twice as much potassium so that there isnt a huge amount of nitrates going in to your tank.

after this weeks water change im gunna dose liquid ferts daily so that the nutrients are there on a daily basis instead of just a massive boost once a week. im looking in to buying the liquid co2 now,BTW i just added six home bred and grown honey gouiramis, they are mostly males though. i was worried the pearls would attach them but thhey havnt yet so all is good.

enough about my aquarium though, i feel like im kinda steeling your log.

BTW, i think your due for a weekly update

I think your due for a weekly update

- Right, I will do that in a second, but first some input to your fert entry:

You are waaaayyy off! Read This Article for more information on ferts and dosing, it may give you some ideas.

And here it is, albeit not much to write about:

Weekly Tank Update - Week 61

Not too much has happened during this week, most of my concerns where related to stuffing Blyxa back into the substrate. Every time when I get some new plants of this species they come without roots and tend to float like mad. So, for 4 days in a row, I had to shove between 2 and 4 of them back into the gravel. By now they seem to stay down though.

The Wisteria is growing nicely, and so are most other plants.

Here is the tank after the island was created, 5 weeks ago:

Attached Image:

5 Weeks Ago

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is the tank last night. I am still wondering if I should give the pearl grass a trim as it has reached its peak height (although it can grow taller, but that is as tall as I would like it to get).

Also, because the island has become more dense with trimmings from the alternanthera and the inserts of crypts, the lower parts of the star grass seem to be too dark and wither away. I may trim them as well.

Attached Image:

Tank Last Night

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is a closer look at the left side. The tank light and the camera make the blyxa blend in more with the wisteria than it is when viewed directly, so don't even comment on that fact

Not visible in the picture are one or the other tenellus plantling that I did not see when I removed them all to add them to the 29. I will keep them in there for a while, we will see if they make it in the wisteria jungle.

Attached Image:

Left Part of Tank

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

It seems like my Apistos are filing for divorce, at least that is how I interpret their facial expression and body positioning in this picture.

Not the best shot, but better than none

Attached Image:

Leave Me Alone

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Already the last shot for this log today (waaayyy more will come in the 40G log), a closer look at the Island.

The one thing I am trying out (as of yesterday) is having my light further back than I used to. Before, it was pretty much in the middle of the tank depth, now it is about 2/3 back. I don't need that much light over the Wisteria in the front and I think the island and blyxa will profit from it. What do you think?

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Island

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi,
I do love that tank! With the shift in the light toward
the back of the tank, I suspect that you will change the
dynamics of the plant growth and the leaves may tilt in
the new direction. The Wisteria, in particular, may
change leaf "texture" and you may wind up trimming a whole
lot more as they stretch up instead of out toward
the shifted light source.

My Wisteria grows on stalks nearly a 3/8 inch thick and
sends out runners parallel to the gravel. The central
plant grows an unbelievable root system, and I nearly
up root everything else in the tank when I try to remove
it. So, I stopped trying. I let the three main stalks
stay where they are and snip off their tops and
either replant them elsewhere, or toss them.

Frank


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

Thanks Frank for the input and the compliment on the tank itself, I appreciate it.

Yeah, the wisteria can develop quite some root system, I experienced that in the past when I had it too settle the tank and when I had it dispersed throughout the tank as a nutrient sucker. I will have to talk to tetratech about the details on creeping-wisteria-maintenance

The leaves should not change direction too much as the light shift was maybe 2 inches at most 3 inches. I guess we will see the difference in a few weeks when I make another comparative update.

Thanks again,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Very nice looking LF

Re the light move. Your lights are probably so good, that no-matter where you position it, all your plants will still be very happy. But re-positioning my blyxa in the best possible light spot sure helped mine out.

I'm sure your blyxa will thank you for the extra light.

Cheers
TW

what am i way off about?
sorry dont have time right now to read the thingy.

i no im right about the N,P,K because thats what we were taught in Agriculture.

ive been treating daily since friday, all synptoms seem to have gone except for a couple of ugly leaves on one of they giant hygro's.

one of the anubias flowers died


looking good

Thanks Robyn for the re-assurance on the light move, when I look into the tank now from the side I can see the light straight above the middle (in depth) of the main island.

Coop - maybe at some point we should discuss your ferts in a separate thread that you could create. In general, adding N but no P is way off, plus all the other stuff.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Ingo,

The tank is looking good. I really like how it is developing. Always love the pictures!

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Thanks Rick,

The next set of pictures will have to wait until at least tonight as I did not take any yet (although I have done the water change). Too busy

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Weekly Tank Update - Week 62

This week has seen some inconsistency in the fert schedule as I had no chance on two days to fert the tank, given that I spent them at work. So, first I missed a micro day and did it the following day, then I missed the next macro day and skipped the 3rd "feeding" completely. We will see if it has a negative impact.

Not much happened otherwise, I did some wisteria and star grass trimming.

Here is the full tank shot:

Attached Image:

Full Tank Today

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is a closer look at the left tank side, trying to show that there is really another plant, the blyxa, in the middle of the wisteria lawn.

In reality, the color difference between these two plants is a little stronger.

Attached Image:

Blyxa in Wisteria

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is a look at the right edge of the main group. The red Wendtiis are not doing to well and undergo quite a bit of melting. The NL Java Fern is doing ok though, but it tends to be the first plant that develops signs of BBA on its tips. The wood is beginning to be a host for hair algae again.

Attached Image:

Right Part of Island

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is a close look into the center of the island, showing the various colors that are present there.

In addition, the crypt shown in this picture is the one that I think tetratech has.

Attached Image:

Center Look

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is a look at two of my rainbows,they are fine week in and week out. Just like Matty's, they always are up for a chase amongst themselves, including some stand-off to identify "who is the boss". Every day anew.

Attached Image:

Rainbows

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here you can see my female viejita again, she is soooo nice. In this shot though, she is spreading her fins, I wonder why?

Attached Image:

Female viejita II

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is the answer:

The male was near by and they were showing to each other. I often think that she must lay some eggs somewhere, but is just not commited enough to actually take care of the fry.

I wonder what could be if I would place them in a separate tank (which I don't have).

Ok, that's it for this weekend,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Pair viejita II

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

In reality, the color difference between these two plants is a little stronger.

This blending of greens in camera shots .... know exactly what you mean. I can imagine all the subtle differences in your tank when viewing in real life.

I like your middle shot, showing all the different colour details. My hubby doesn't understand why I am so desperate for better lights, so I can have colours like yours. On Saturday he said "he wished he could get through to me not to change a thing". Ahhh, but to have nice reds like you He just doesn't understand.

And I agree, your viejita girl. A most attractive lady. And, Yes, Yes, Yes - get them a separate tank & see what happens. What fun. I'll pop straight over to your Christmas present thread and put that suggestion in in BOLD CAPITALS. No doubt, your management won't give permission, but still.....

Cheers
TW

No doubt, your management won't give permission

You got that right Robyn
Why would my management be any different than yours

I think the nicest red plant that I had so far was my Rotala Macandra, but that group at some point decided that it doesn't like my tank anymore and it melted away. I don't know why up to this day.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Why would my management be any different than yours

I know, I know, I know.

But sometimes, deals can be struck

Maybe one day. For now, I will just have to be satisifed with reading about the activities of your cacs in the 40G I guess.


Cheers
TW

What to get for XMAS? How about what to get for your Birthday?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

My Scapes

Thanks tetratech,

I haven't even had the time to think about treating myself for my birthday, I guess I will have to spend more money when I treat myself for Xmas then

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Oh, I didn't realise.

Happy Birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Ingo
Happy birthday to you

Hip Hip Hooray

Sorry I'm late.

Cheers
TW

Happy Birfday, Lf

Also, nice fish pics, very pretty apisto pair. I'm sure they steal attention away from the rest of the good looking crowd.

Back to the paper

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

happy Birthday!!!

I get bored with saying <- this smiley does not poke its tongue out enough!!!!

Your tank looks fantastic.

I saw those fish in my LFS a couple of weeks ago. yours look better.

going now.

humph.

GFG


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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Frank

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

Thanks everybody for the Birthday wishes and comments on the tank/fishies

GFG - My pair of viejita II looked nothing like this when I got them from the LFS, all gray and rather boring. If it wouldn't have been for the nice employee (whom I trust as we have had a few fish-conversations beforehand) I would not have shelled out the $80 they cost at that store. In the end, I am glad I did as this is a very nice looking, pieceful, and enjoyable couple.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

n the end, I am glad I did as this is a very nice looking, pieceful, and enjoyable couple.

Well, despite the ensuing divorce, that is...

Happy birthday, belated of course.

As for presents, enough with this fish stuff, you KNOW you want to expand that Canon lens selection!

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Back in the saddle!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE FISH!

I don't keep up with logs very well........ I'm not that advanced. But I do peek in occasionally to see the pretty tank pics.

Oh.......... NOW that you have me leery of being bitten by little fish, you change your logo!

Out of curiosity, what little fish is it that bit you one time to make you used to have that logo?

you KNOW you want to expand that Canon lens selection

Yeah, I wouldn't mind a lens for the real real close ups. The wife got me a photo printer for my birthday (Epson R800, I think, no idea if it is any good, but so far even 8x11 pics look nice) and I really would like to get some great ultra-close-ups. Any suggestion?

what little fish is it that bit you one time to make you used to have that logo?

fish patty - glad to see that some others than the usual gang is looking into my log(s) once in a while. No fish bit me though . My name is here is LITTLE_FISH and my siggi line made it clear to all that one better does not mess with me by assuming that a little fish can be pushed around. So, if forced, I would have been the one doing the biting

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

OHHHHHH! That explains a lot! DUH!

Well, I'm so glad to hear that! And here I was thinking you were just somewhat of a woos! (sp)

Ok, now that I know, I won't mess with the LITTLE FISH.

I'm sure we would all be surprised if we knew how many people looked in on our threads! It's only the smallest fraction that might comment. I look at ALL the recent threads, but only scan the SW, crustations, logs, etc., things I'm not really interested in.

The logs are waaaaaay past me since I'm just a beginner & it's all I can do to keep up with water quality, especially since I have a 55 gal.. Hoping to get a python some day.

I'm one of those people that get interested in things & then dwindles off. I wouldn't be surprised if I dwindled off FP some day. I noticed from old posts that a lot of people come & go. So, we'll see.

All this talk about ferts., substrate, special lighting, co2!? Ummmm no thanks!
Don't think I ever want to get to that point. But I have noticed many posts with people like me that have regular low lighting & regular gravel & want to make do with what they have & still have some live plants. I may go that route that some day.................
meantime I will just keep reaping the benefits of the hard work people like you put in & just view your tanks from where I sit. (lurking in the background with the others)

80 dollars?

My God. they weren't expensive here at all. thy were just a bit more expensive then normal but not 80 dollars.

wow. am glad I live near Europe for the first time ever!!!

Fish Patty - I hear you on the ferts malarky, I too am a fan of the good pictures, my tanks survive on the basics!

GFGxx


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

fish patty - Sorry to read that you are an "Interest-Looser" , maybe this hobby can maintain your focus for a while as there are so many facets to be explored. About the siggie line, I think GFG's line just above is stating more clearly what mine was (more or less) implying)

GFG - My LFS is known to be on the more expensive side of things, I am most certain that you can get this fish (as a pair) in other areas of the US for half the money.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

belated birthday wishes, ingo!

i was just doing a bit of a catch-up on this thread, and it occurred to me - if you didn't fertilise so much, have such good light etc, maybe you wouldn't have to prune and maintain so much!!!

justin

Ha Ha Justin



Well, if I didn't have soooo many ferts, and less light, and maybe no CO2, yeah - less pruning would be required. But ups, that would be a low light low tech tank then

Actually, these days with the new layout, the pruning is much less then it was with the old setup where fast growers were dominating (given that there is a difference between the fast growers, as Wisteria in the tank is growing less fast than Star Grass).



Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Gang,

Sorry to say that my weekly tank updates will have to wait at least until tonight.

I have been very busy hosting this month's NJAGC meeting and that took all out of me, preparing the tanks on Thursday and Friday, hosting on Saturday, cleaning and adding new plants to my tank(s) on Sunday - including another Ingo Style makeover on the 20G QT

But it has been a blast,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I was starting to wonder what happened to you! At least you were having some plant fun!

As always I look forward to seeing the new pictures.

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

Allow me to be random for a moment, because your av. reminded me of something I read recently on APC. In an article about anubias, the writer said that higher levels of phosphate seem to lead to flowering. I know you have higher levels of P - could this be the reason why your anubias seem to flower so much more than others'??? Just putting it out there randomly, my apologies if this has already been discussed to death.

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Back in the saddle!

Interesting point Nowher. I don't think that has been talked about here. I might have missed it though...

Mine flowered once back this spring. I have no idea what I did special for it either. It just happened. I might start doesing some P in the tank its in now just to see what happens. The tank already has my flowering crypt in it so why not add another plant to the list of flowers.

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

Thanks for the P info, makes a lot of sense, as I have about 3 to 5ppm of it

Weekly Tank Update - Weeks 63 and 64

First of all, sorry for my lack of participation lately. There have been two main reasons why I was slacking off:

1) I hosted the second meeting of the NJAGC last weekend (see siggie line)
2) I have been killed with work, 15 hour workdays plus 3 hour commute were pretty much normal (and may continue for the next two weeks, at least)

The first was a treat that included a lot of preparation, including early water changes so that the tank is in a more normal state (not crazy pearling, for example) during the presentation). As a result of that meeting, I was left with quite a few plants from our usual plant swap and had to find a home for some of them (one I still haven't placed).

So, without further details, here is the tank last week:

Attached Image:

Last Week - 63

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I managed to add my ferts during the week, usually at 4:30AM as I came home way too late at night to do it then. As a result, fish have not been fed 3 times this week

Plant growth was strong nevertheless, but by Friday I also ran out of CO2 and had to get a refilled bottle on Saturday.

Here is the tank before some trimming yesterday:

Attached Image:

Yesterday Morning

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

There are two new plants in the tank right now, I will mention them a little later. A third is in the net breeder.

This week, I only trimmed the Wisteria in the foreground as it was beginning to grow rather tall.

I know that quite a few plants are in need of a trim, but I am worn out and didn't want to spend too many hours of my off-time on the tanks.

Attached Image:

Tank Now

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

One of the new plants is a lilly, but I don't even know what its name is. It was a leftover from the plant swap and I couldn't throw it out, it was too nice. I placed it in the tank where there was some space and where it would kindoff fit in.

I think I saw a few days later that tetratech added the same or a similar lilly, but I swear that I had mine first

Attached Image:

Lillies

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

The other new plant is also a lilly, I think it is called a Tiger Lilly. It has large leaves of which some melted away from being in a bag for too long. It was also given to me during the plant swap.

And that is it for this tank and this weekly update,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Lilly

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

hi ingo , been away for a while , the tank looks great


cheers dan










onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineteneleventwelvethirteenfourteenfifteensixteenseventeen, thats all you need

OH TOLEEDY!

ooh, ooh, i know those ones!! finally, a plant you own that i know! they're all varieties of tiger lotus - the second picture is a particularly gorgeous variety that i own - very dark, thick stems, gorgeous patterned leaves, and sends strong lily-pad style leaves to the surface once established. heavy root feeders, don't like being moved at all, very strong root systems, propogate by pup, yadda yadda yadda... i'm sure you could have just looked that up on tropica!!

hope your hard work ends soon ingo, and gives you some time to enjoy your family and your tanks!!

have a merry christmas, too.

regards,

justin

Thanks Dan for the compliment and Justin for the input on the lotus. I somehow thought it must be a lotus, and not a lilly as I wrote, I guess the last week really wore me down, .

I had to move the strong lotus twice, I hope it will forgive me for it.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Both tanks are starting to look nice and full. They are really starting to look great Ingo, I wish I could say the same for mine. I just trimmed my plants for the first time in a few weeks and pulled a basketball sized amount of stargrass and pearlgrass out . It looks like you are able to treat your tanks a little better than me, even though you are busy. Looks great, keep it up/:'

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I think I saw a few days later that tetratech added the same or a similar lilly, but I swear that I had mine first

Since you broght it up, mine was featured in my makeover Nov 21 (Pg. 85) of my 72G log.

It is also known as a tropical lilly. BTW the tank looks great Really like the Wisteria Wizard influence

My Scapes

Glad to see you back, LF. Despite the busy work week I hope you at least are able to enjoy a few days off around christmas.

I second (or third.. or fifth..) everyone's thoughts about the tank.

The one thing I really noticed though is how large your dwarf rainbows have gotten! They appear almost as large as the pearls! How nice to see the kiddies really growing up...

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Back in the saddle!

I hope you at least are able to enjoy a few days off around christmas

Unfortunately it we will have some family over on Xmas, and then I got to go back to work. If things turn out not too good then I may even work on Xmas and New Year itself. But so far, I think I will have at least the weekends and holydays off.

Thanks all for the compliments and input:

- tetratech, I guess I was not the first with the Lotus then, or is it a Lilly, or can one use either name ?

- Matty, I think my Wisteria is not as well trained as Tetratech's as it starts to grow upwards now (or it is just too crowded on the bottom already). I should have trimmed some more this weekend, but I was too tired.

- NowherMan6, the downside of having your little ones all grown up is that they enter a later stage in their lives, and eventually die

Thanks again,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Matty, I think my Wisteria is not as well trained as Tetratech's as it starts to grow upwards...

It takes a while. The longer you do it the more readily it grows horizontially. It also helps you plant it on an angle to the substrate. This will force more roots along the length of the stem.



My Scapes

LF,

The tank still looks nice. It hasn't really changed much in the past few weeks but that isn't always a bad thing.

Congrates on becoming a member of NJAGC. I wish we had something like that around here but I can't fathom it happening anytime soon.

Best wishes these next couple of weeks with work.

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