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LF,

Nice "Thing"!



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

Well, i like the new look - but I also like the old look too. You have too much energy for me LF. I long for a tank that I'm happy with and only have to "tweak" here & there with minor changes. I hope to reach that stage when I (finally) have the new tank up & running. But you were / are there already, with your beautiful tanks.

Still, all your changes make for an interesting log & a good read. Looking forward to seeing what your "tweaking" brings about - but it's very nice as it is.

Cheers
TW

Nice "Thing"!

Revenge is sweet Wings, isn't it

But, as future pictures will show more clearly, this "Thing" has waaaaay more character.

Robyn, just wait until you are all done with one of your tanks, you will see/feel what I am talking about
I believe even tetratech is in sink with me here

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yeah, I see that's how it is for you & tetratech.

I think the new layout gives added length to the tank. I think your tank now looks longer than in some previous layouts.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing it growing in.

Cheers
TW

Looks great LF . My only complaint is that all the other driftwood pieces are aimed straight at the front of the tank and parallel to each other. It doesn't look quite natural that way. This might be included in your plans for tweaking though.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Ingo , I'll give you this you have lots of courage as well as energy . Love the look especially the bare gravel in front of the driftwood , looks like a river with the rock border.Just in the process of setting up my 6fter and as always you give me inspiration .
Thanks
Garry

Thanks Robyn, Matty, and Garry

- I am with you Robyn, I also think the tank looks longer now. I attribute this to the smaller groups of plants, in particular the needle leaf fern and the Anubias group have been reduced and spread out some more. I am also looking forward to the growing in process.

- Matty, you are sooo right, the sticks are too straight and yes, I tried to tweak this a little, but so far not to my satisfaction.

- Garry, thanks for the input, always glad when my tank helps to inspire others with their tank, even if it would be only for identification on "what not to do" . You certainly identified the river theme very well, I may use a different substrate for that area once all has settled a little (sand comes to mind).

Weekly update will follow shortly,

Thanks again,

Ingo

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 87

Well, it has been well documented in the previous posts that this week was again another big week for the tank, a major Ingo-Style redo was performed. Nothing was wrong with the tank as it was before, I just thought about changing things around "a little"

To start off, here is a shot from yesterday in the morning, just after lights on:

Attached Image:

In the morning

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Well here's my 2.5 cents,

I think the main wood is too centered and it's hard to work the thinner longer pieces in to the setup. I like the plant groupings and it will look better once grown in. Sorry 'but there's no way that anubias works as a corner plant in your tank. Please move it or I'll have to photoshop it out and renew my membership to post the new pic.

My Scapes

And here is a shot from around 8 PM the same day. For one thing, I have done some minor tweakings here and there, mostly by adding some accessory plants and by leaning the sticks a little to one or the other side.

What you may notice is the different color of the photo, somewhat more brown. This would be because of extreme tannins release into the water column. The wood had been soaked for two weeks, but I guess that was not long enough. I may throw in an extra water change or two per week in the beginning. The fish don't mind it though, the Espei are extra busy . I am more concerned about the lack of light penetration.

Attached Image:

At night

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I will ignore tetratech's input for the time being and get back to it once I am done with the update.

So - let's walk through the tank from left to right.

The left is still a little unorganized, but time (and more tweaking) will change that.

Attached Image:

Tank Left Side

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Here is the center. The spot where the Espei is in front of the black hole marks the true focal point of the tank, not the big chunk of wood. Once the wood is more planted one will notice the hole even more. I tried rather hard to get a good shot of that area, but the camera settings either make the hole black or all other areas really bright. I guess I should try the flash.

Attached Image:

Middle

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The right side of the tank is probably the currently most successful section of the tank, maybe because it hasn't changed all that much. I reduced the needle leaf java fern group by about half, it was really taking over there in the old layout.

Attached Image:

Right side

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Here is a closer look at the two main stem plant groups in that section, the Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba' and the Alternanthera Reineckii. Once the cuba has grown some more the stick will not be such a focal point anymore. We will see ...

Attached Image:

Stems

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When you look at that group from an angle (downwards) you can already imagine the lesser importance of the stick. The tops of the cuba grow by now much tighter nodes and I assume it is becoming a fully aquatic growth form now.

Attached Image:

Cuba on Angle

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Here is the Alternanthera at its best. Somehow, it turned out to be an almost Dutch Street arrangement. This plant was once a maybe 3 inches tall single stem that I got during a shippment by mistake, a long long time ago.

Attached Image:

Alternanthera

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I also added some of the Najas Indica to the way left and right of the tank, here is the small group on the right. I am not certain if it works, but I wouldn't find out without trying.

Attached Image:

Najas Indica

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On the left side of the tank, in front of the smaller Anubias and behind a piece of driftwood, I worked in a small Tiger Lotus. I will see how (and if) it grows and what it will do to that area.

Attached Image:

Tiger Lotus

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The "Thing", as Wings calls it, has quite a bit of character. For one thing, it is hollow and has openings in front and back for fish to swim through. For another thing, it has branches (I will try to get different angled shots later) on which I tied some Nana Petites, as can be seen here:

Attached Image:

Nana Petites

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Only two more shots, of some fishies. First up is an Oto. As I mentioned, I counted 5 Otos during the redo, which means one was MIA. I am sure the Otos will like all the new wood to eat off.

Attached Image:

Oto

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Lastly, my male Apisto viejita II, partially because I like him so much, partially to point out the color. As you may see, he looks more yellowish that in previous shots. No, he hasn't changed, but he is swimming now in English Breakfast Tea, or at least that is how I would describe the color of the water as of last night (haven't seen the tank today yet).

And that concludes the update, one more entry will follow in reference to tetratech's comment.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Apisto viejita II in English Breakfast Tea

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Please move it or I'll have to photoshop it out and renew my membership to post the new pic.

If that's what it takes to get you to become a premium member again, I will leave it right there

I hear you tetratech, but I was trying to work it in somehow. This are 4 remaining parts of my huge Barteri group and I am not so sure if I like it at all in this tank. But, for the time being, that's where it will stay. This way, I have a few months to tweak and change and stuff before it gets boring again.

I think the main wood is too centered and it's hard to work the thinner longer pieces in to the setup.

Agreed, I am also not too happy with the thinner wood, but I also vote for "letting it settle" before deciding on its future position, angle, or presents.

I like the plant groupings and it will look better once grown in.

Thanks that you found at least one good thing about this setup, I will make sure to destroy that area as soon as possible,

Thanks for the input, keep it coming, and go get that premie-ship,

Ingo


Oh - quick question: Amano Shrimp and my Apisto Viejita - will that work?

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I think the shrimp would work out if they are purchased at a reasonable size. Say as large or larger than an adult cherry shrimp.

I think that if your focal point is going to be the black hole then you have the big DW in the right place. Otherwise it would look a little better more to the left.

Other than that I just think it needs to grow in a bit and be subject to further tweaking. It's always a little unfair to judge one of your tanks too much at the start.

Great shots BTW, nice and clear and well focused as always.

One last thing. A major dose of carbon in your filters will take care of the tannins. That may or may not be easier than repeat water changes.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

The shrimp are about 1 inch to 1.5 inches long, so I guess you think it would work then Matty, right?

Hey, I thought I show you quickly these 3 shots. I just did a water change to the tank (easier than adding 500lbs of carbon to my 2028 and 2026, ) and found this sequence very interesting.

Check out the tank half way through the refill. As you can see, the water goes in on the right side. Do you see the difference in the water color, or at least the brightness of the light?

Attached Image:

Filling

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Here it is even more obvious, with all the air bubbles reflecting the light and such. Looks almost as if it would be raining on the right side. I swear, the light is on on both sides of the tank.

Attached Image:

Raining

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Here is the tank after a few minutes and adding the macros, baking soda, and equlibrium with the filters turned on. As you can see, all is mixed up now and I have to say that I went from a tea where the bag was sunk in the cup for 5 minutes to one where it was in there for only 2 minutes. I guess I will do another one of these in two days.

Ingo

Attached Image:

All Mixed Up

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LF,

The Alternanthera and Najas shot are great. Everything looks healthy, very nice!

Getting back to your shrimp question, I think they would be O.K., unless the Cichlids get very hungry from not being feed for a while. The amanos do get quite big.

That's pretty cool with the water change pics how the camera pics up the lighter colored bubbles and makes the water look much brighter.



My Scapes

Thanks tetratech (or Jeff, but I guess only Bensaf gets the honor to have your name at the bottom of an entry ), I will try to add some shrimp sometime this week, or maybe next weekend (I have about 30 in my QT).

Thanks for the compliment on the plants and the photo of the rainfall on the right side of the tank, I am surprised how well the visual experience translated into the picture. Unlike the big hole in the tree, which in pictures seems to be just a black spot. I wish I could bring that chunk of wood across the way it looks when you are in front of the tank, maybe some angled shots will do.

Ingo

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Thanks tetratech (or Jeff, but I guess only Bensaf gets the honor to have your name at the bottom of an entry

Oh, stop I know I've signed "Jeff" in your log or in one of our logs as we conversed.

My Scapes

So the hole is going to be the focus... I was going to say to have you place the Anubius on the DW in that place. I guess thats out for now or maybe the roots hanging over the hole would look like hippie beads.

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

Ingo, that's Alternathera you have on the middle right of the tank, yes?

What kind of requirements does it have in particular? I've got it in my tank, and it hasn't grown at all while just about everything else has taken off. But it's still just a few inches tall and shows no sign of new growth. :/

Listen! Do you smell that?

LOL Wings, yeah - no hippie beads for me for now.

lysaer - yes, the red one is Alternanthera. It took a long time in this tank for the plant to get going, in particular because I did not knew what it was and had it shaded for the first few months. But it didn't die either. As a matter of fact, I added one stem a few months back to the 29G low tech and it was stagnant for quite a while, but then it started growing there as well.

Ingo

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i like it heaps better than how you had it before, looks great. your apistos dorsal fin is massive!!!

my 55G is the best ive ever had it , but im gunna rip it apart so i can get a 200 but on the plus side im getting a 200G

Thanks coop for stopping by and for the comments on the tank. It must be pretty exciting for you to set up a 200G tank, sounds awesome. Will it be planted? If so then you for sure have to show it off here


Question: who knows of a finer grained whitish (but not bright white) substrate, but not too fine (as in sand)? I am toying with the idea of placing it in the open space (aka the river).

Thoughts, input?

Ingo

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Question: who knows of a finer grained whitish (but not bright white) substrate, but not too fine (as in sand)? I am toying with the idea of placing it in the open space (aka the river).

Easy one, POOL FILTER SAND!

My Scapes

I am with tetra on this one. I have it in a couple of my tanks.

50LB = $8 I think....



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

As I have no pool, and as such no pool filter sand, what is the size difference between sand and the pool filter sand. Is it actually not sand at all but small gravel?

Ingo

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i have the same "river" thing down the middle of my tank. i use the pool filter sand. i was pretty bright white when i got it though. it isnt white any more coz of the tanins in my tank. any way you can pick it up a yor local pool suply shop or hardware shop. the grains are more like the size of coars rive sand, so i guess you would call it coarse sand or fine gravel.

As I have no pool, and as such no pool filter sand, what is the size difference between sand and the pool filter sand. Is it actually not sand at all but small gravel?

I have a pool, but it doesn't have a sand filter it has a DE filter. My pool is cleaned with Diatoms

My Scapes

Thanks for the sandy input

I looked around the web a little in search for what this pool sand is supposed to be and also found some Diatom stuff and some stuff with chemicals. I think I have to be careful picking the right one. I also saw mention of Silica "free" and such, I totally forgot for a moment that Sand = Silica = Diatoms.

In other news, I did another 50% water change last night to remove some tannins, seems to be much brighter in the tank than when I did the same thing two days earlier.

During that process, I found all 6 Otos, although I counted only 5 even with all hardscape and plants removed from the tank during the redo. I wonder where that one guy was hanging out during that process, as I inspected each and every plant/wood that was removed/added.

Also, when I did the redo I put the old wood in a sink and left it there. Last night I looked at it and saw mold all over the parts that had been covered with algae (hair) while the wood was submersed, yuk. I used an algae pad to scrape it off and gave all the pieces an Excel bath in which they still reside. Interestingly, after having had this wood in the tank for maybe a year (would have to go through the thread to find out exactly how long), one of the thinner branches was still floating. Talking about wood needing a long time to water log.

Ingo

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I looked around the web a little in search for what this pool sand is supposed to be and also found some Diatom stuff and some stuff with chemicals. I think I have to be careful picking the right one. I also saw mention of Silica "free" and such, I totally forgot for a moment that Sand = Silica = Diatoms.

The bag of sand I have just says - 'filtration sand' on the front and on the back it says - Ricci Bros. Sand Company, Port Norris, NJ 08349 - Not for industrial use

In other news, I did another 50% water change last night to remove some tannins, seems to be much brighter in the tank than when I did the same thing two days earlier

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You could also use Purgien I think, but water change will do the same thing.

During that process, I found all 6 Otos, although I counted only 5 even with all hardscape and plants removed from the tank during the redo. I wonder where that one guy was hanging out during that process, as I inspected each and every plant/wood that was removed/added.

That's funny because I was able to count 6 otos in my 72g the other day. I noticed they were all hanging together and I hadn't done a water change in a while. I believe they hang together during stressful situations and I thing it was high co2 levels. I noticed that the flow looked very strong coming off the diffusor.


My Scapes

Thanks tetratech for the info on the sand, I will check into that.

Also, it would cost me a fortune to fill my 2 filters with purigen, LOL. Honestly though, I am way too lazy to open up my filters and mess with the media, which would mean that I have to remove some of the existing media to place something else in, and that would mean cleaning, and what not.

Otos hanging out together seems to me to be part of their daily routine. We know that they are social animals and as such it doesn't surprise me that they have a meeting once in a while per day. Albeit you may be on to something with the CO2, it could also simply be that there is a certain pattern to their social habits, like "let's discuss the day after dinner" kind of thing.

Ingo

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 88

This week has seen two additional water changes, on Monday and on Wednesday. It wasn't so much about tannis from the new wood were bugging me, but I was a little concerned with enough light hitting the plants.

Here is the tank from a week ago, as a comparison:

Attached Image:

Last Week

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And here is the tank now this week.

You may notice the slightly brighter color of plants and water column, a result of less tannins.

I also dug out some of the substrate in the open "river" section. Growth overall is ok, but not really strong.

Attached Image:

Tank Last Night

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One of the plants that had really slowed down in the growth is the Cuba, but its new growth form is more submersed. Leaf node gaps are really small, the leaves are very narrow, all as it should be. But, compared to last weeks growth of quite a few inches, this week has seen maybe one inch.

Attached Image:

The Cubans

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The last and next picture have been taken during the water change, btw.

I was wondering if this plant is a heavy root feeder and I remembered that I put some plant sticks in the gravel when I initially planted them. Now, having been relocated, they were no longer "over" these sticks, so I added two more yesterday.

Attached Image:

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The next two shots are some closer looks at tank areas from different angles. First is the look at the section in front of the wood and to the right of it.

Here you can see a sword (smaller sword type, forgot name) getting used to submersed growth, some pearl grass, and a bunch of crypts, namely wendtii and lucens (or lutea, always get them confused):

Attached Image:

Detail I

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Next is a look at the 3 sticks to the right, with plants in front and back and in between and on it, LOL. Also, some of the rocks that I added there are showing.

Attached Image:

Detail II

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Next up is a series of 3 shots trying to make the best of the tree trunk in a sense on showing you its details.

Here is a shot from the section above the big hole, with a branch coming off it on the left (with Nana Petites on it), some pennywort growing over it, and a hole just below the latter. Holes are everywhere on this wood, connecting front and back.

Attached Image:

Wood I

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Here is the best shot I got so far from the big hole/gap that I got so far, I guess I need a fancy flash to show it better.

Also, note yet another hole on the right.

Attached Image:

Wood II

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Last of the wood shots is higher up, with an Oto on some wood with ripples.

I hope it gives you an idea that this is not just a chunk of wood but some wood with character

Attached Image:

Wood III

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The last two shots are commited to the newest additions to the tank, 10 Amano shrimp. They have been in the QT (with about 20 others) for the last two weeks and were added to this tank last night.

Attached Image:

10 Amanos

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As they are rather juvenile shrimp of maybe 1 inch, I was a little concerned about them being eaten by the Apisto male in general.

After adding them I kept an eye open for him, but he seemed to be more focussed on chasing them away. The female Apisto, on the other hand, appeared more in the mood of stalking them. It seems like she would like to take a bite, we will see.

That is it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

2 Amanos

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What a surprise this morning,

After finding a dead shrimp in the 40G, I went to look if I can find any of the 10 in this tank. Well, I found overall 6, and that is pretty good, given the tank size and number of invisible spots in the tank.

But the good, I may say shocking, news are a branch that was left in the tank as it was overgrown with the needle fern on the right side of the tank. That branch was full of hair algae, about half an inch long threads were covering the entire lenght of about 5 to 6 inches. Well, this morning it was totally clean. I cannot show it in a picture as it is in the midst of the fern, so you have to take my word for it. These shrimp, by the time I checked 5 had moved on to the heater behind the wood, sure can eat their share of fluff, wow.

Ingo

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Very nice shots of the tank, as usual, Ingo.

So, would you say the amanos are better at algae eating then the cherry reds?

Cheers
TW

So, would you say the amanos are better at algae eating then the cherry reds?

Oh, I could have told you that even without the feast that happpened last night. Both for sure are busy bees, but simply the size difference, an adult Amano is twice the size of a cherry shrimp, speaks for that.

Ingo

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I'd say both are miracle workers. Pound for pound I'd say they work the same. You can probably get amanos cheaper.....but then the cherries sure are prettier. I move the nana petite over to the 5.5 for a cleaning......spotless.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

And Cherries have an advantage --> they reproduce

On the other hand, they also fit easier in the mouth of a hungry Apisto

Ingo

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Very nice shot of the tank. I think the colors and contrast are great.

Glad you discovered shrimpsters. They'll definitely help keeping the main wood especially clean. I actually need some more for my 72g I think I only have 7 or 8.

My Scapes

Hey tetratech,

For some reason, most of the regulars are no longer frequenting my low tech tanks, as such I assume you haven't seen today's update there yet.

I think there is a threshold on how many shrimpsters a tank can handle before they start to munch on the plants. Two weeks of 30 juveniles in the 20G was enough to clean the entire tank and then some --> namely the eating of my Najas indica, nice thin juicy leaves .

I am not certain if I wish to have more than 10 in the 125G, given that the Otos would like to have something to eat as well.

Ingo

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I am not certain if I wish to have more than 10 in the 125G, given that the Otos would like to have something to eat as well.

I do not see a problem with my shrimp eating plants but I wonder if their population explosion has resulted in my missing Otos. I am 99% sure I am down to one from five. My shrimp on the other hand are doing great. I still have 4-5 Amanos and a ton of Cherries. My guess is that the shrimp ate the food and the Otos didn't have enough left. The solo Oto seems pretty happy though.

Life goes on. Now is not a good time to replace much of anything as the Wife and I are looking to move wherever I can find a teaching job.

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

Wings,

Good point, I actually up to this weekend have never thought about shortage in food with regards to shrimp and Otos.

It sure makes sense that these two groups od species compete for similar foods, although there are for sure preferences that are not shared, I have never seen an Oto eat my hair algae and I have never seen a shrimp eat of the glass.

Ingo

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I have never seen a shrimp eat of the glass.

Mine will walk the glass and eat off of it at times. Lately they have been on the plants at the surface of the tank. I think they may like flakes I feed the fish...

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

Mine will walk the glass and eat off of it at times. Lately they have been on the plants at the surface of the tank. I think they may like flakes I feed the fish...

You must have some really nasty, stringy algae on your glass. I could see those shrimp swinging like Tarzan from one algae string to the next.

My Scapes

I've seen that as well, Wings.

I've never seen Amanos go after the long stringy stuff already there, they seem to eat it as it grows. So to me it means that the hair algae is just starting to form on the glass, which is kind of like a warning bell that something is off. They let you know that algae is forming where it shouldn't before you can even see it.

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Back in the saddle!

I still have 4-5 Amanos and a ton of Cherries. My guess is that the shrimp ate the food and the Otos didn't have enough left.

Hmm, just as I thought I will try to hunt for some of these shrimpsters, now I just don't know. I like my otos, very very much. They are the acrobats of the tank.

Also, would the shrimpster be quick enough & bold enough to eat guarded apisto eggs or fry?

Cheers
TW

Robyn,

I think the balance that needs to be achieved would allow for sure for a handful of Otos and shrimp, in particular if the latter are Amanos as they will not reproduce for sure.

About eating Apisto fry: I can see that, depending on the specifics. Shrimp can be rather fast, using a burst to get out of harms way. if the mother/father are not tight guardsmen then some eggs can easily become shrimp food.

Ingo

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I agree with LF, that given the opportunity the Amanos or maybe even the Cherries would steal the eggs and have a nice brunch with them. If you ever drop an algae wafer into a tank with Amanos, it's hilarious as the Amano hold the wafer as the fish chase it around the tank.



My Scapes

Funny that you mentioned the wafer. I used to feed the Cories in my 20G a sinking wafer that I broke into 4 pieces. Once I added the Amanos to the tank there was no chance for the Cories to grab a piece, the Amanos rushed to them before the Cories could even blink and dragged them off to safer grounds to chew away

Ingo

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So I had a little time today and paid a visit to the pool shop. Yup, I found Pool Fiter Sand, but it is unacceptable. It pretty much is as fine as Play Sand, as such way too find in comparison with the tank's ordinary gravel that makes up the rest of the substrate. I know exactly what this would lead to, namely:

Me putting in the Pool Fiter Sand, then realizing that it is nice but somehow doesn't match the other gravel, and then replacing the other gravel as well.

No way in hell I am going to do this though (well, not within the next few months, there it would be time for a redo anyway )

So, the search for a light colored inert substrate of larger grain size is still on,

Ingo

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So I had a little time today and paid a visit to the pool shop. Yup, I found Pool Fiter Sand, but it is unacceptable. It pretty much is as fine as Play Sand, as such way too find in comparison with the tank's ordinary gravel that makes up the rest of the substrate. I know exactly what this would lead to, namely:

I'm confused. Sand is going to be finer grain than the gravel. What't the problem?

My Scapes

Tetratech,

The way I see it, the substrates would clash too much. The gravel with its size of maybe 1/2 inch would start to look like boulders next to the pool filter sand. I have no doubt that I would like the sand, but it most likely would mean that I have to replace the gravel to match the sand, avoiding such a clash. If I had the densest of all jungles then the gravel would not be visible anyway, but I think the current layout of the tank will always reveal some substrate.

Makes sense?

Ingo

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 89

This week has seen no water changes during the week, although I was very tempted to have at least one, because of the tannis from the new wood. But by no means was it as bad as last week.

Here is the tank yesterday in the morning before the water change:

Attached Image:

Before Water Change

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And here is the tank right after the water change, before any goodies were added (equilibrium, baking soda, and ferts).

As you can see, the tank seems much whiter.

Attached Image:

After Water Change

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Growth in the tank was ok, some plants grew more than others.

For example, the Najas indica on the right grew very well and needed to be trimmes. Here is a close-up before trimming:

Attached Image:

Najas indica

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The Pennywort on the left grew very well too, also needed a trimming as the plant reached the surface and started to block the water lettuce from freely flowing across the surface.

Again, a shot from before the trimming:

Attached Image:

Pennywort

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The plant that did not grow too well was the 'Cuba'.

Here is a shot from above made during the water change. One can clearly see the different leaf shape between the tops (submersed form) and the lower parts (emersed form):

Attached Image:

Cuba I

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The difference becomes even more obvious when viewed from the side. One can see that the top 2 inches of most stems show how the plant is supposed to look like. But, these 2 inches is all I got so far, from a plant that is supposed to grow really fast (and it did in the first week after being added). I assume that the emersed parts of the stems have used up their stored energy.

Attached Image:

Cuba II

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Last shot for this round, another full tank shot taken last night, about 10 hours after the water change. The tank is getting more tannins already, albeit the comparison to the previous picture is not fair as only the 2 10,000Ks are on in this picture.

That's it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Full Tank - Week 89

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I think the tank looks really good. The wood definitely adds dimension, focus, contrast and the overall tank is crisper. Again I don't think the Anubias is a good corner plant, but I think you know that.

The tops of your cuba, look like my L.Aromatica when it's not growing well.

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Ingo the tank looks sensational as always , the tannins from the wood are not all that noticable from the pics.

I'm reluctant to comment on the scape other than to say that I love the beach/ river theme ( I wonder why )

I think I agree with the idea of a lighter substrate in that area , maybe not sand just a finer pale gravel .

Anyway just my 2c for what its worth. Love this tank and the photos look great .
Garry

Again I don't think the Anubias is a good corner plant, but I think you know that.

Well then tetratech, how about if I put it all the way to the right of the tank, between the glass and the fern? And at least for the time being keep the left side a little lower?

I'm reluctant to comment on the scape

Garry, don't be! Any input is welcome, I can handle it when people tell me that this or that is not what they really like. Hey, what is the worst? I can always ignore the judgment and pay a price for it later

Ingo

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Well then tetratech, how about if I put it all the way to the right of the tank, between the glass and the fern? And at least for the time being keep the left side a little lower?

Isn't that still a corner? You guys from Jersey

P.S. I drove to Plainsboro, NJ yesterday. Fun trip, especially with the increased traffic from the P.R. Day Parade.

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Isn't that still a corner? You guys from Jersey

See, that is why you have the tank of the month and not I

Somehow, I got hung up on the left corner, ignoring that you were speaking of corners in general.

I guess that means that you actually cannot see a place for the large barteri anywhere in the tank, right?

And yes, I stay away from the Metro Area whenever there is some kind of Parade

Ingo

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See, that is why you have the tank of the month

Your probably right.

I guess that means that you actually cannot see a place for the large barteri anywhere in the tank, right?

It's size is the problem, so I think the only solution would be to keep it as small as possible and put it somewhere off-center near big wood.

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It's size is the problem

Honestly, I was contemplating of not adding it back into the tank when I did the last redo for exactly that reason. But attachments to this plant, as it has grown so well for me, kept me from disposing of it in some form (either throw it out or give it to some NJAGC members as a trade in).

What already seems like a large plant is actually only 4 of the original 12 equal sized "clippings" that I created a while back when I had to cut up the one mother Barteri as it was getting way too large for the last layout.

Ingo

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 90

Well, this week had seen the death of one group of plants, the cubans. One could see it deteriorate by the day. Here is a shot from Friday showing part of the group. You can see that only the tops are in submersed growth form, and that little part is the result of three weeks:

Attached Image:

Cubans I

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A closer look reveals that some of the heads are actually dying off at the spot between old emersed and new submersed growth. Here is a look at one stem on Friday night starting to bend over:

Attached Image:

Cubans II

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And here is a look at the same stem from Saturday morning, all bent out of shape. By that time, 2 other stems had lost the tops completely, two more had brown tops, and a few others were still hanging in.

Attached Image:

Cubans III

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Having not changed ferts, even having Seachem fert sticks under the plants, having not changed the ligh duration, the culprit seems to be the light as it is reaching the plant. The pictue below shows what I mean. This water is taken from the middle of the water column, no gunk or such was added. The tannins, I assume from the large wood, make the tank tea colored and greatly reduce the light that reaches the plants. Cubans do need quite some light, I have seen shots of some that have come in the same delivery batch than mine under 6wpg in a 75G or so, and they are beautiful.

Attached Image:

Tea Anyone?

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And that was that for them in this tank, currently the few survivors part of a rescue mission in the 40G, updates there later.

Oh, at the same time when I took the shot of the bending head I also caught the Wisteria waking up, top still closed:

Attached Image:

Sleepy Wisteria

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So, to counteract the tannins, at least for a day or two, I performed 2 50% water changes, with about a 1 hour break between them to clean the 2028 filter. Here is the full tank after the second water change:

Attached Image:

Water Changes Done

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As you can see, the spot of the Cubans has been reclaimed by Narrow Leaf Java Fern. I had them in a bucket ever since the replant, replacing the water every week with "fresh" tank water. I am glad now that I didn't throw them out or gave them away.

Here is the fern:

Attached Image:

NLJF

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Another thing that the careful observer may have seen in the full tank shot is a change in how the "river" looks like. I received some plants during the week and basically parked them in the river. I kinda like it, so it will be parked for a little longer. This are 20 !!!! Nana Petites on 2 sticks.

Attached Image:

Nana Petites

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Here is another impressionist shot of the same area, as you may notice the male Apisto has been in both shots. The Apistos like that area as the female often slips into a personal gap in the big wood.

Attached Image:

Center of Attention

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Here is a closer look at the male, albeit not the best I ever took. I am glad that at least for one day I was able to view him without the tannins as they make him look rather pale and yellowish:

Attached Image:

Da Man

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The next two shot are typical (at least in my tank) courtship pictures. Male and female apisto take turns swimming in front of each other, or better said stand in front of each other. Then the one in front folds up the tail and slaps the other in the face with it

Attached Image:

Courtship I

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Here is the reverse with the female slapping the male. As you can see, she is really folding up that tail fin. I once have seen the male actually bite her in the fin during this courtship, and pulling her backwards, but no damage was done, no piece was missing.

Attached Image:

Courtship II

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Last but not least, the official tank shot for week 90, taken yesterday in the evening. I have to say that I value this shot very much, it has been a few weeks since the green in this tank appeared as lush as it did without the load of tannins.

I only hope that the tannis will wear down soon, I am not ready to counteract with Purigen yet as it would mean that I have to remove other media from the filer to make space for it.

Thanks for looking,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 90

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Hi Ingo

Hope the tannins settle down for you. Those 2 water changes must been a bit of an effort. the new nanas look good in the river area. I also really enjoyed the "tail slapping" antics of your apistos. Very cute. Mine have never done that.

Cheers
TW

also really enjoyed the "tail slapping" antics of your apistos

Thanks Robyn for the input and comments.

My Cacs in the 40G have shown a similar slapping thing as here, but by far less often and only half hearted. Well, we all know what kind of a looser the male in that tank is though

Ingo

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Hi L_F,
now I dare to give you a bit of input. First of all, great update as always!
I have to say that I do like the 'light breakfast tea color' of the tank but that is just me and I realize your concerns about diminished light penetrating and affecting light sensitive plants. Anyway, here it goes: IMHO one of the nicest plants in this tank is the Alternanthera and this group appears a bit diminished in the most recent pic. Overall, the addition of more Java fern to replace the ailing Cuban creates a bit of a 'curtain look'. A great addition is the group of nanas in the foreground as they create a focal point that is missing in this section 9the forefront of the tank) a bit. The wisteria is nice but it gives the appearance of a nicely trimmed English lawn (fish golf? ). I am thinking a minor interruption in form of another 'hole' or a smaller rock would be nice?

now I dare to give you a bit of input.

How dare you criticize my tank!



Just kidding, of course,

Your input is much appreciated, here is the breakdown of your comments and my response:

- "great update as always!" - Thank you very much .
- "and I realize your concerns about diminished light ..." - Brown water is not my favorite, I like it clear better. I received quite some compliments during the last NJAGC meeting at my place when all members were astonished how clear my tanks are (were, in case of this tank, for the time being).
- "one of the nicest plants in this tank is the Alternanthera" - I couldn't agree more, and guess what --> growth of this plant stopped with tea water as well. Another reason why tea water is not so good.
- "creates a bit of a 'curtain look'." - I take it you mean that in a "not-so-good" way, and here I agree as well. My options were a) add the plants I have or b) leave a big open hole. Being a preacher of "stuff the tank" I would never leave a spot open that is not in the design as open. I have that fern on some wood and when it is time to fill the area with some other plant it will take about 5 seconds to remove the entire replacement group.
- "A great addition is the group of nanas ..." - Yeah, it is , and I actually had these planned for another tank that is undergoing its make-over in my head right now. I think I will remove them from this tank once I have made up my mind and find time for the makeover though. Just thinking of the market price for 20 Nana Petites and consider me buying a replacement to maintain these in this tank makes me shiver.
- "the appearance of a nicely trimmed English lawn" - what would be wrong with Hyde Park? Where would you suggest the hole?

Thanks so much for the input, much appreciated,

Ingo

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I was bored, so I manned the camera, attached the macro lens, and took a few shots. Nothing special came up though, with one exception being the last of these 3 shots that I am going to present.

Number one would be the No 1 in the tank, the Male Apisto:

Attached Image:

Male Apisto

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Next up would be:

Yes - I do have snails in the tank, but few and between. A sign of proper feeding, good plant health, and enough predators.

Attached Image:

A Snail

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Last but not least, when I was about to put the camera away, I saw this. An Amano on top of the glass below the light, roasted

He must have jumped out in the small open area in the back part of the top where the filter flows are entering the tank.

Who would have thought!

That's it,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Shrimp Cocktail

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Sorry for the shrimp and thanks for the education - I will disapprove of tea water in the future as well . It never entered my mind that this could be detrimental to the Alternanthera. What I meant with the lawn reference: the right side of the tank (foreground) appears very uniform with the Wisteria covering the gravel entirely. I was thinking that a small group of a different plant (nothing tall!) or a rock could create another focal point to disrupt this. Just a thought and there is nothing wrong with Hyde Park

Guess I've been lucky I've never had that happen to any of my shrimp, although I guess they could have jumped out and fell behind the tank unknown to me.

Tank looks good as I said I like the big wood focus, but I think you could still build more midground around and make it more natural looking.

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Makes sense catdancer, I will think about what can be done.

tetratech - the midground is in the makings, it just has to grow . There are about 15 crypts on the right of the wood, in front of the area where the cubans were. And some other plants in smaller numbers as well. Maybe I will also use the pearl grass further back.

Ingo

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Ingo , your Photographic skills never cease to amaze me.Wish I could get my macro lens to perform like that ?!

I showed your Pics of this tank to a few friends last night and they were blown away . It continues to look fantastic

However , a couple of points .
I actually think the removal of the cubans is a good thing. IMHO they looked out of place .

The Anubias in the river to me spoil the look of it and the black area behind and underneath the driftwood . I think that area creates focus and depth .
It certainly draws the eye into mysterious interior
and if I were you I'd be reluctant to clutter it up .

I'm sorry to hear about your Shrimp .

Keep up the great work , Well done again
Garry

Hey LF. I gotta say I'm in the same opinion as you about tannins. I like a bright tank. It's a bit unnatural to have perfectly clear water in a planted setting I guess, but brown water just screams water change to me.

I like the look of this setup so far but I think there needs to be a bit more midground. I feel like there is a wall of stems and fern behind the carpet. Could just be the head on angle the picture was taken though. I know how hard it would be to get a decent angle shot of a 6 foot tank, and front on shots tend to be the most informative as well, so I'm not blaming you there.

I have to say the nana petites are a wee bit unnatural looking there, but still nice. I guess it won't matter either way since they will be moving. And I sure am jealous about 20 nana petites.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Ingo,

This latest revision of the tank is looking very nice. As always I love watching this tank evolve from one layout to the next.

-Rick

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Thanks guys for the input, and constructive criticism ,

Yeah yeah, everybody want everything right away

Now that I have become a preacher of patience , I cannot go ahead and move things around constantly. Time, my children, time will change things .

Well, you get my point. I am with you on many things you have said, and that includes tetratech's Nana barteri comment, but I redid the tank and used what I had to set it up. A major advantage, IMHO btw, because none of the plants were stressed from shipping or different water conditions.

This is the great thing about such a redo. just like in the last one, you start of somewhat rugged, but over time you adjust little things here and there, and voila, the tank looks better and better. Once all is done, meaning you reached the limits of your talents for the current scape, you start all over again

I think the master would be very proud of me right now, but I have to assume that half of the readers here don't even know who I would be referring to

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, much much appreciated,

Ingo

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Yeah yeah, everybody want everything right away

Hasn't this tank been around like two years.

I think the master would be very proud of me right now, but I have to assume that half of the readers here don't even know who I would be referring

Oh stop, your making me blush

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Oh stop, your making me blush

-

Otherwise, I am speechless

Ingo

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 91

Not much happened during the week with this tank. The tannins are not as bad but still cause growth issues, the thread with which I strung some Anubias Nana Petites on the spread out branches came off and some floated about the tank.

I did a 75% water change (wanted to do 2 x 50%, but got caught up in the Bolbitis removal in the 40G).

That's it, gotta go,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 91

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Ingo , Tank looks fantastic as usual . I see the Anubias are still on the river . .

You are obviously busy , but thats the shortest update I've ever seen from you .

Hope everything is all right

Garry

Thanks Garry, here is another short one

Weekly Tank Update - Week 92

Nothing special happened this week, just very busy at work and such. I think I see some visible growth for the first time since the makeover, the tannins are still there but maybe weaker.

Here is the tank before the water change:

Attached Image:

Before Water Change

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And here is the tank a few hours after the water change. It is quite a bit brighter I think. Pearl Grass and Alternanthera show the growth from a week ago, everything else is the same old,

K, I will follow the entries in all other logs, but I am short on my time and as such will not be able to contribute too much,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 92

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Looks good LF. Looks to me like your alternanthera grew the most .

Hope work calms down for ya

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Ingo , Looks like the tannins are abating , certainly looks a lot lighter in the photos .
Your right I don't think I've ever seen this tank with less growth .

Hope work lightens up for you .
Its very quiet around here without your fascinating posts to read

Garry

Thanks guys for the input

Weekly Tank Update - Week 93

Not much happened during the week, tannis are still there and hinder the growth. I also think now that the removal of the gunk in the substrate may slow down new growth as I took away some plant food.

One of the Rainbows has an injured pectoral fin but seems otherwise fine. Nana petites are one after the other coming off the wood as the thread is disintegrating too early.

I ran out of CO2 within two weeks of hooking up a new 10lbs bottle and I think I cannot get a seal anymore. What do you guys do to keep a seal? Tetratech - do you have a perma seal?

Enough for now,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 93

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I use plumbers tape to help create a tight seal.

Nice shot with the espei .

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Yeah, I second that. Great shot with the espei in front the wood!

If you mean betwen the cylinder and the regular I use teflon tape. Haven't had any leak problems yet.

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