Tank Update - A Couple of Weeks Along
Well, it's all up and running, I've been dosing CO2 enough to maintain a yellow dropchecker whilst the plants settle in, I've recieved the needle-valves for each diffuser and I've now been able to balance the flow better between them.
Algae has been relatively low until earlier last week, I experienced a bout of first Diatom on the sand, then a little BGA on the foreground plants and the HC, I did a couple of water changes but due to Wedding planning duties I haven't been able to give the tank quite as much care and attention as I would like, but it's been fertilised with TPN+ (6ml per day, then 8ml and more recently I've moved up to 10ml as the plants looked like they needed a little more and the plant mass has increased).
I've pruned the Ambulia Aquatica twice now as it's gone crazy, the first pruning allowed me to increase the size of the bush behind the wood and it looked pretty good but it's doubled in size again! I think I might have some cuttings for anyone who'd like them soon? The Micranthemum Umbrosum hasn't done so well, it's gone a little yellow and has a tendency to uproot, and fall apart, I kept replanting the stems regularly but they kept popping out again.
The Didiplis Diandra has metamorphosed into it's submerged form and it seems to have changed a LOT, it's now got needle-shaped leaves and the tips of each stem are a nice bright almost lime-green, I'm thinking of maybe trying to make a really large bush from this plant as it looks really nice, but it is a LOT slower growing than the other plants in the tank.
The Micranthemum Micranthemoides has done better than the Micranthemum Umbrosum, but it's been prone once again to uprooting and it's very fragile, it's really taken off too in the last couple of weeks and I need to cut it but it does seem prone to putting out masses of aerial roots.
The HC is taking it's time, I've had some problems with bits becoming uprooted, but it's not too bad. The substrate just doesn't seem too great for planting, when I push in to plant one errant strand another breaks free! (and that's with tweezers!) :?
I have only had one crisis which was actually fairly well timed, last tuesday, just as I'd been planning on heading off to work... the CO2 cylinder ran out! Arrrgh! I then did some thinking, without CO2, I couldn't keep the light on and risk getting an algae cess-pit over the space of the week, I also didn't want to keep fertilising for the same reasons... the tank had been getting a little algae problem so I thought... well now's as good a time as any to try a blackout.
I managed to get a replacement cylinder today and upon unwrapping the tank after 5 days, it looks pretty good, all the diatom algae has gone, along with the BGA, some green algae remains on the wood but it's much reduced and I've also got some very fat looking snails!
I've taken some shots of the tank prior to pruning, after I unwrapped it, I'll post them just after lunch which is just going on the table now!
Back in a bit,
Matt
Well, it's all up and running, I've been dosing CO2 enough to maintain a yellow dropchecker whilst the plants settle in, I've recieved the needle-valves for each diffuser and I've now been able to balance the flow better between them.
Algae has been relatively low until earlier last week, I experienced a bout of first Diatom on the sand, then a little BGA on the foreground plants and the HC, I did a couple of water changes but due to Wedding planning duties I haven't been able to give the tank quite as much care and attention as I would like, but it's been fertilised with TPN+ (6ml per day, then 8ml and more recently I've moved up to 10ml as the plants looked like they needed a little more and the plant mass has increased).
I've pruned the Ambulia Aquatica twice now as it's gone crazy, the first pruning allowed me to increase the size of the bush behind the wood and it looked pretty good but it's doubled in size again! I think I might have some cuttings for anyone who'd like them soon? The Micranthemum Umbrosum hasn't done so well, it's gone a little yellow and has a tendency to uproot, and fall apart, I kept replanting the stems regularly but they kept popping out again.
The Didiplis Diandra has metamorphosed into it's submerged form and it seems to have changed a LOT, it's now got needle-shaped leaves and the tips of each stem are a nice bright almost lime-green, I'm thinking of maybe trying to make a really large bush from this plant as it looks really nice, but it is a LOT slower growing than the other plants in the tank.
The Micranthemum Micranthemoides has done better than the Micranthemum Umbrosum, but it's been prone once again to uprooting and it's very fragile, it's really taken off too in the last couple of weeks and I need to cut it but it does seem prone to putting out masses of aerial roots.
The HC is taking it's time, I've had some problems with bits becoming uprooted, but it's not too bad. The substrate just doesn't seem too great for planting, when I push in to plant one errant strand another breaks free! (and that's with tweezers!) :?
I have only had one crisis which was actually fairly well timed, last tuesday, just as I'd been planning on heading off to work... the CO2 cylinder ran out! Arrrgh! I then did some thinking, without CO2, I couldn't keep the light on and risk getting an algae cess-pit over the space of the week, I also didn't want to keep fertilising for the same reasons... the tank had been getting a little algae problem so I thought... well now's as good a time as any to try a blackout.
I managed to get a replacement cylinder today and upon unwrapping the tank after 5 days, it looks pretty good, all the diatom algae has gone, along with the BGA, some green algae remains on the wood but it's much reduced and I've also got some very fat looking snails!
I've taken some shots of the tank prior to pruning, after I unwrapped it, I'll post them just after lunch which is just going on the table now!
Back in a bit,
Matt