• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Cloudy sky

Hi Andrew
What I can gather is Filipe Oliveira...has used small sections of Luwigia sp red...and either glued or tied them to the ends of the branches!
hoggie
Hey Hoggie;
This is all your fault remember! haha
Looking through his youtube posts he has tied them on with fishing line but it's maintenance I'm lost on.
Whether he is able to let them grow and just trim them; making them bushy a bit like you would a S.Repens carpet in substrate or he keeps on cutting the tree 'naked' and tying the tips on again.
Andrew
 
When you use the word background; you don't mean what is stuck to the back of the tank do you?
The tree is well and truly buried in the substrate as it show in an earlier post when I removed it to clean the fungus.
.
No I had a full sized perforated plastic background that had lava rock stuck all over it, I used to swap them around because it was really differcult to keep everything looking fresh and to keep sea weeds alive.

I just thought how cool it would be to keep your basic basic scape but swap the center piece with a nice new fresh algae free tree every few weeks.
Obviously you have enough on your plate to start thinking about my crazy ideas but maybe next time ah...
 
I guess maintenance of stems tied on wood is not much different then planted ones, trimming will give bushier growth, but after a few trimmings the old stems don't put out that much new growth en should be replaced...

a bucephalandra tree is much easier to maintain and would look nice for longer periods of time.
 
No I had a full sized perforated plastic background that had lava rock stuck all over it, I used to swap them around because it was really differcult to keep everything looking fresh and to keep sea weeds alive.
never heard of anything like that before; sounds intriguing.

I just thought how cool it would be to keep your basic basic scape but swap the center piece with a nice new fresh algae free tree every few weeks.
Obviously you have enough on your plate to start thinking about my crazy ideas but maybe next time ah...
I'm looking to make a scape I can enjoy looking at without having to put too much commitment to it (isn't everybody?)

you mean not plant the tree at all? I struggled finding the right pieces of wood as it is then the tree is made up from a couple of pieces joined together too and of course buried well and truly.............at the moment.

Oase Biomaster thermoe 600 'boasts' a maximum flow of 1250 LPH - I know that is the maximum but after changing over to the Fluval G6 which I know to have an actual flow rate of 1000 LPH and the flow now being near to full it has started to disrupt the back left of my aquarium too and have some clumps of HC floating around now too :mad: Remember I'm only running one G6 at the moment and planned to run 2; unsure if I need to rethink that now.

Do I try draining the whole aquarium down again; attempting to put the substrate back something like it was and revert back to trying a dry start with a view the HC will hold the substrate in place long term once it's grown in?
Does anyone have any ideas? - remove all the substrate, pile some gravel up in place and just plant the tree?!?! :what::woot::what:

I guess maintenance of stems tied on wood is not much different then planted ones, trimming will give bushier growth, but after a few trimmings the old stems don't put out that much new growth en should be replaced.
Filipe is the man with experience but I can't see details of how he done this anywhere, will have to have another hunt.

a bucephalandra tree is much easier to maintain and would look nice for longer periods of time.
I agree
 
No I mean that you would have two trees, you could plant your trees with slow growing plants like Anubias but keep one in an emersed state and one in the tank. When the one it the tank attracts algae or you fancy a change, you bring out the immersed one that is lush and algae free and swap them over!
Of course that means you have to look after two trees and have a special immersed set up (outside in the summer would be good)
However as you point out .. in this instance your tree is not easily removable!
 
No I mean that you would have two trees, you could plant your trees with slow growing plants like Anubias but keep one in an emersed state and one in the tank. When the one it the tank attracts algae or you fancy a change, you bring out the immersed one that is lush and algae free and swap them over!
Of course that means you have to look after two trees and have a special immersed set up (outside in the summer would be good)
However as you point out .. in this instance your tree is not easily removable!
If I'm honest that sounds like too much work, especially given the difficulty of removing the tree as you say.
I have closed an aquarium down for a reason so this is almost like having another again which as much as I'd like it, I just haven't got the energy to commit.

At the moment the worry is my substrate being blown everywhere from the change in filter. :facepalm:
 
Just “call in” during one of Filipe Oliveira’s Live Aquascaping Events, he always invites questions
- Green Aqua February 16, 2019
though you might find another sooner

(Better yet, pick up a cheap flight to Budapest and be there in person :happy: )

I suppose begin by picking up Ludwigia sp. 'Mini Super Red' (Aquaflora I presume)
 
Oase Biomaster thermoe 600 'boasts' a maximum flow of 1250 LPH - I know that is the maximum but after changing over to the Fluval G6 which I know to have an actual flow rate of 1000 LPH and the flow now being near to full it has started to disrupt the back left of my aquarium too and have some clumps of HC floating around now too :mad: Remember I'm only running one G6 at the moment and planned to run 2; unsure if I need to rethink that now.

Do I try draining the whole aquarium down again; attempting to put the substrate back something like it was and revert back to trying a dry start with a view the HC will hold the substrate in place long term once it's grown in?
Does anyone have any ideas? - remove all the substrate, pile some gravel up in place and just plant the tree?!?

For a quick fix, why not just go back to the Oase for now?

Are you using same inlet/outlets and same positioning? for G6 as previous filter

Perhaps add a “sponge” to deflect/soften flow - can you tell whether the substrate disturbance is from inlet or outlet flow?

Once the carpet is established, higher/harder flow shouldn’t be an issue

You can fix substrate and HC plants with water - just takes a bit more maneuvering

I’d keep the HC in place, much easier longer term to run the Tree with supporting plants in the aquarium vs just the Tree + sand/gravel
And who doesn’t love a gorgeous HC carpet!

Though MC would be lower maintenance and more accepting of interruptions - you could even just interplant MC at this stage
I suspect carpet would eventually become mostly MC

Obviously an army of shrimp and Clithon Corona snails are great partners in maintaining an aquarium - not so many Amano as they’re renowned for substrate adjustment and even HC consumption
 
For a quick fix, why not just go back to the Oase for now?
I am not keeping them
Are you using same inlet/outlets and same positioning? for G6 as previous filter
Yes, exactly the same. It just shows how much more power is in the G6.
You can actually regulate flow with the G6 without damaging the motor according to the instructions BUT Hagen advise me this is not the case after doing so damaged one of my filters in the past. :crazy:
can you tell whether the substrate disturbance is from inlet or outlet flow?
Outlet flow for sure.
I'm thinking I will try swapping the glass lily I have in place for a spraybar short term until thing settle down which will hopefully soften the flow; there's only one way to find out!
I just don't think a spraybar is the best option long term with the tree being such a barrier, especially when planted. - Not often I disagree with a spraybar!
Once the carpet is established, higher/harder flow shouldn’t be an issue
This is what I was counting on from the word go and it worked for me before; the DSM just went wrong so I filled it.
You can fix substrate and HC plants with water - just takes a bit more maneuvering
Planting I'm happy to do with water in but I can drain the water level enough to sort the substrate with everything in there still so that's the plan when I get a chance and will add a bit more HC to move things along.
Though MC would be lower maintenance and more accepting of interruptions - you could even just interplant MC at this stage
I suspect carpet would eventually become mostly MC
This is something people seem to be divided on; I always thought it was harder to keep but many people are telling me HC/MC are just as demanding with everything so I will just stick with it and find out.
Obviously an army of shrimp and Clithon Corona snails are great partners in maintaining an aquarium - not so many Amano as they’re renowned for substrate adjustment and even HC consumption
There is already small army of CRS in there but without hiding the tetra are enjoying the smaller ones :hungry: I think the bigger ones will be okay and if not my mum has plenty in her aquarium so when things are covered in a bit I will go visit her aquarium.
There are only half a dozen Amano and I'm fully aware of their substrate shuffling adjustment properties; not of their HC consumption though.
Nerite snails hadn't crossed my mind; My mum added a couple of assassin snails to try and rectify her pest snail problem and they are now the pest snail so I do question whether Nerite could have this problem
 
Just “call in” during one of Filipe Oliveira’s Live Aquascaping Events, he always invites questions
- Green Aqua February 16, 2019
though you might find another sooner

(Better yet, pick up a cheap flight to Budapest and be there in person :happy: )

I suppose begin by picking up Ludwigia sp. 'Mini Super Red' (Aquaflora I presume)
If only life were so simple :lol:

Do you know if this event is streamed and you can ask that way?
 
If only life were so simple :lol:

Do you know if this event is streamed and you can ask that way?
I’d be surprised if the event didn’t go live - they generally do though occasionally there are some technical issues ... GA has some very knowledgeable film/camera crew so I’m expecting great things :)

At various time during these events, online questions are read out/answered

I’d confirm details with Green Aqua - ad runs at top of FB page
https://www.facebook.com/greenaqua/
 
I’ve not heard of anyone successfully breeding nerites in freshwater aquariums ( though “olive” nerites are found happily breeding in freshwater streams and rivers despite initially thought to only successfully bred in estuaries) - some of the Nerite species will lay eggs, which may hatch out but larvae that do not survive

Out of the nerites, Clithon corona are the smallest, I’ve not seen any eggs from them after several months, both Green Aqua and Jurijs mit JS recommend these as the most inclusive algae eaters
(The larger species commonly sold as “red onion”, “tire track”, ”zebra” had eggs everywhere within a couple months, eggs are laid down with a stellar adhesive which makes removal quite the challenge)

Assassin snails seem to breed quite happily in aquaria

My experience with shrimp and fish that decide to add shrimphunter to their skill set, is for the shrimp to go into retreat beneath whatever possible - which then means they aren’t out harvesting algae (or biofilm thought to lead to algae) nowhere near as effectively
Most fish find shrimp quite tasty and seem to enjoy the excitement of the hunt so I’d not be surprised if your tetras expand their skill set to divebombing larger shrimp and sharing the spoils ...I’ve always kept shrimp quite safely with the “chocolate” gourami species - until a pair of dedicated shrimphunter rams somehow enticed the choco’s to join in :wideyed: :wideyed: :eek:

Well MC can’t be too demanding as I manage to grow it despite my lackadaisical ways ;)
It doesn’t seem to mind being slowed down by reduced CO2, light, fertilizers; it doesn’t mind my lack of trimming - I do “push” it down at every water change while siphoning out any dust-debris (& allowing the baby shrimp to get out of the syphon tube); it doesn’t sulk too much if I decide it’s going to be a very “cloudy” (no lights, don’t even look at the tanks) day ... or three :oops:

In case you missed this:
Jurijs mit JS just sprinkled the MC on top of the soil for the dry start, later trimmed it back several cm’s (no time for proper home tank maintenance) - it recovered very quickly

Neglected 60P maintenance


Update
 
I’ve not heard of anyone successfully breeding nerites in freshwater aquariums ( though “olive” nerites are found happily breeding in freshwater streams and rivers despite initially thought to only successfully bred in estuaries) - some of the Nerite species will lay eggs, which may hatch out but larvae that do not survive

Out of the nerites, Clithon corona are the smallest, I’ve not seen any eggs from them after several months, both Green Aqua and Jurijs mit JS recommend these as the most inclusive algae eaters
(The larger species commonly sold as “red onion”, “tire track”, ”zebra” had eggs everywhere within a couple months, eggs are laid down with a stellar adhesive which makes removal quite the challenge)
I will have to have a study and find a retailer that actually sells what they say it is.

Assassin snails seem to breed quite happily in aquaria
Don't we know it; they were put in there to overcome the pest snail problem and have caused their very own problem in the tank and the filter!
Anyone near Banbury want to lend me a couple of GSP for a month?!

Well MC can’t be too demanding as I manage to grow it despite my lackadaisical ways ;)
It doesn’t seem to mind being slowed down by reduced CO2, light, fertilizers; it doesn’t mind my lack of trimming - I do “push” it down at every water change while siphoning out any dust-debris (& allowing the baby shrimp to get out of the syphon tube); it doesn’t sulk too much if I decide it’s going to be a very “cloudy” (no lights, don’t even look at the tanks) day ... or three :oops:
Read on..................................

In case you missed this:
Jurijs mit JS just sprinkled the MC on top of the soil for the dry start, later trimmed it back several cm’s (no time for proper home tank maintenance) - it recovered very quickly
This might suit me just fine.

The original 'Lazy Dry Start Method' is one of Georges videos here for anyone interested and looking through Jurijs' with no joy.
As the soil has now been disrupted and needs some moving, after a bit of thought I think I am going to just move the inhabitants into my now spare 600 for a few months with some gravel/stone; get the substrate back in place in the 900 and just go for the LDSMB and be done with it. I'm also going to change back to MC; a plant I know and on I think is just as nice and easier to look after - although I know this is debatable.

Stupid or sensible?!? o_O
 
I knew I was on to something with the pinnatifida :lol:

Screenshot_20190121-192138_Instagram.jpg
 
That tank is a bit busy for what I'm looking to achieve but thanks for the tip.

Was only the pinna on the wood that I noticed so had to share, I still think your initial buce idea is still the best but obviously expensive as well

Anyway I'll stop spamming mate ;)
 
Back
Top