Hi no Yama

[Curvball]

DSM day #9 and mould has crept in. Have lost about 1/3 of the HC. Anybody able to offer any input/advice at this stage?

 

[Bradleyh91]

What is the rough temperature around/ inside the tank?

 

[Curvball]

What is the rough temperature around/ inside the tank?

The tank inside is probably around 22-23c - a touch warmer than the house. But it is a complete guess. As mentioned previously the sump area of the sump is circulating water and this is heated to 30c to provide the humid environment.

 

[Curvball]

Overview of the system showing the sump area and the condensation.

 

[Curvball]

Further reading and researching is leading me to believe I'm over doing the humidity within the tank. I've now ensured there is a decent vent in the clingfilm. Will monitor the situation for the next few days and see if the HC bounces back. If not, going to have to get a few more pots and go straight into flooding the system after planting.

 

[aliclarke86]

I did read a journal on another forum that suffered mould and it was linked to higher humidity. I think they said no higher that 80%

Hope you get it sorted mate

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[Bradleyh91]

When I did my dsm I left the tank at room temperature and sprayed it every few days and it worked a treat..

 

[Curvball]

Thanks guys - have switched tactics on the DSM, need to see how it goes for the next few days.

Must say, this growing plants malarkey is slow going - I was growing corals faster than this

 

[aliclarke86]

Look at terrestrial plants and there growth rate ..... Stick em.in water and BAM pants seem to grow like crazy

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[Curvball]

When I did my dsm I left the tank at room temperature and sprayed it every few days and it worked a treat..

Did you cover the tank at all? Did you just spray water or fert/water mix?

 

[Andy Thurston]

M
Lf m


Andy
Andys 60l cube | UK Aquatic Plant Society
Andys HC propagator step by step | UK Aquatic Plant Society

 

[Curvball]

Thanks Andy - good refresh reading

...but what is this?

"M
Lf m"

???

 

[Andy Thurston]

Sorry Cerven I must have put an unlocked mobile in my pocket, perhaps one of the mods could remove it. Tank looks great by the way. Fingers crossed for the DSM. How long before the flood?

 

[Bradleyh91]

Did you cover the tank at all? Did you just spray water or fert/water mix?

Just sprayed with water and put cling film over the top my hc grew like nothing filled my mini m in about 5 weeks

 

[Curvball]

Sorry Cerven I must have put an unlocked mobile in my pocket, perhaps one of the mods could remove it. Tank looks great by the way. Fingers crossed for the DSM. How long before the flood?

Haha, no problems.

In terms of flooding this... Well I need to see if I can get the HC to really settle in first. If everything succumbs to mould - will get new pots and skip the DSM route.

 

[Curvball]

Just sprayed with water and put cling film over the top my hc grew like nothing filled my mini m in about 5 weeks

Thanks for that. Think I've just over complicated things.

 

[Curvball]

This morning I've removed the cling film, drained the rear sump chamber, cleaned panes and drained some of the water from the display. From a bit more reading, I've misted the remaining plants with a dilute solution of liquid CO2 to see if I can kill off the mould spores. Going to leave it uncovered for a few hours then wrap it up again later.

 

[LondonDragon]

Good start and nice hardscape, you just need to get water in the gravel but not cover it and keep the plants moist by spraying them once or twice a day, did you read these threads:

Lots of Dry Start Method questions! | UK Aquatic Plant Society
George's TMC Signature | UK Aquatic Plant Society

Spraying the plants with EC you might do more damage than good, its very strong and could melt the plants.

Good luck

 

[Curvball]

Thanks - yes, read those threads, think I've read just about anything and everything DSM related now

The EC solution is extremely weak - but here is hoping it will have a positive effect...

Will update this thread when I have more to report.

 

[Curvball]

DSM failure. Going to order more pots, plant and flood.

I tweaked the lighting set too...

So the question is, do I spend money on the same pots I got from Aquariumgardens - good price although the plants weren't as substantial as depicted on their site or do I opt for the more expensive 1-2 Grow pots?

With the DSM I only ordered 4 pots of HC which once split up gave me fairly decent coverage. Would I get more from the 1-2 Grow pots, and would I stand a better chance with the in vitro plants being of a higher quality?