Frame by Frame (Nano Guppy Breeders)

[Vinkenoog1977]

Hey guys and girls,

My last two new tanks of the year, I promise. The bug has bitten me bad since restarting the hobby six months ago. I'm 7 tanks and 11 low-tech experiments in by now. 😳

Anyways, these will be used as guppy breeding tanks, one couple per tank. I will update this journal with pics and more info tomorrow!

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Right, these are Qubie 25 tanks, with an AquaFlow 100 filter, and a 50 Watt heater. It's a soil substrate tank, and I used Pokon Zaai- & Stekgrond, comparable to John Innes no.1. The gravel is VDL Firenza grey, hardscape is Ardennes Grey. Lighting is 3 Watt LED.
The plants are E. Acicularis, M. Micranthemoides, M. Umbrosum, M. Monte Carlo, Rotala Rotundifolia and Rotala Green, with a mix of mosses on some of the rocks, and some Riccia tied to a stone at the front.
I'm dry starting these for a couple of weeks, PP is 14 hours, with a daily misting.

In situ:

Left:

Right:

Let me know what you guys think!

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Quick update, about 2 weeks into the dry start, and I'm seeing some wondeful growth! The only thing that decided to crap out on me, were the larger stems of Rotala Rotundifolia in the right tank, they all went brown from the bottm upward, so I replaced them with some smaller stems from the propagator (not in these pics). Everything else is growing great! Will probably flood either this weekend, or next.

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Time to flood!!!

In situ:

Left:

Right:

Just some quick phone pics. Had not intended on flooding, but the right one was suffering a bit, and in neither had the M. Micranthemoides really stuck to the rock, but instead, the overhanging plants were dying off. So flooding it was.

One odd thing: I noticed some weblike gunk in the corners, looked a bit like very fine spiderweb, or plantlice webbing; any ideas? I saw a bit of that in Discpline as well, which is also dry starting. Think I had some in earlier dry starts as well, never saw any detrimental effects, but am curious to what it is exactly.

Cheers!

 

[Greenfinger2]

Hi Vinkenoog.Coming along nicely 🙄 As to the web like stuff 😕 I got something like that when i DSM one of my tanks on the DW 😱 I Think its some sort of fungus ??
But when i flooded it went never seen it since🙂 I flooded 9 months ago and had no detrimental effects on the set up

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Hey Roy, definitely a fungus, killed of both the tanks, but they have been restarted, and will put up some new pics soon!

Part of the problem was too much moisture and too many nutrients (too thick a layer of soil), plus, I forgot to rinse the gravel, which turned out to be VERY dirty, with lots of lime residu. You live, you learn!

 

[Greenfinger2]

Hi Vinkenoog, Sorry to hear that 🙁 I must of been lucky.?? Or it was something different i had ??
As to not washing the substrate through😳 Been there done that Wont do it again. As you said live and learn 😉

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

I went through all my plants, including anubias and microsorum in a matter of days, turned everything to complete mush.

 

[Greenfinger2]

Hi Vinkenoog, I remembered. Way back. A Couple of my Wabi-Kusa Suffered this sort of thing. I think it was the same as you not washing the substrate 😕 Started on the DW then spread in days 🙁 Now i wash everything. No fungus😉