• 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

Getting somwhere? pic updates

stupid is as stupid does!!

Im guessing the idea of these journals is to be totally honest :oops:

I was looking through the forsale section and saw antipofish's Blxya japonica and ench tennelus, i really liked the look of these plants and it gave me a good idea on how to alter my hardscape very slighty to incorporate these plants.

I did do a quick bit of research about the plants but somehow my 'i want filter' stopped me from noticing that both plants would ideally like alot more light than i have and C02 .... ooops

im thinking to just plant them anyway and keep a close eye on them, or do peeps here think thats a total waiste of time?


Im also starting to see a bit of new hair algae on my enchindorus which im hoping will be solved by a couple of root tabs to boost the plants?
 
Re: stupid is as stupid does!!

Well they arrived today, thanks to antipofish's super organized sales :)

so im gonna plant them and see what happens + i get to mess with the hardscape, which is very boring atm.
 
Re: Moving plants?

Gonna be messing with the tank tomorrow ... like i sad to introduce some ill suited plants

also i will be moving a couple of plants around because as they have grown i have realised the initial placement was wrong. Is it really bad to keep moving plants? Cause of my inexperience i have moved plants quite alot and im a bit worried of the effect this will have or am i over worrying?
 
Re: Moving plants?

I move my crypts around quite a bit. Just take care with handling when you move them, remove any dead or poor quality leaves etc and possibly trim the roots back depending on what plant it is. Its a learning curve so moving plants and observing how they grow and changing your tank asthetics is just learning and getting experience.

Andy
 
Re: Moving plants?

My crypts that have been in the tank from start up and that have actually grown well have started to get holes, and within a day of this to totally melt?
I have added alot more plants recently and wondering whether this could be the cause and the other factor is that i have added the reflectors to my t8s.
My enchondorus only seem to be able to support 3/4 leaves at a time, any addition to that number and another leaf will turn bad sometimes the new one sometimes an old one... have started to add root tabs as i think maybe this is due to nuetrition?
 
Re: Got me some holes?

Hi there,
ive suffered a lot of crypt melt with my current set up and the general concensus is its a c02 issue. Also it has been suggested that crypts may suffer from Mg and Ca deficiencies in softer water areas which may also cause melting.
Im leaning towards c02 issues on my set up as im adding Mg and Ca salts and still getting minor crypt melt. Unsure as to your c02 method (if any), but perhaps with the additional plant mass youve added, flow has been altered resulting in the crypts not receiving the same supply of c02.... theyre pretty sensitive to c02 changes!
Cheerio,
Ady.
 
Re: Got me some holes?

zero added c02, and where this group of crypts are the flow is as it always has been. I live in cambrdgeshire and i think im right in saying this is a hard water area. I add tnc+ about 15ml twice a week.

dont know what i have done but they are not happy
 
Re: Got me some holes?

take off the reflectors. See what happens?
 
Re: Got me some holes?

yeah i was thinking that would probably be the best bet, but as the frogbit is spreading and the giant vallis i was hoping i could get away with it.
Plus i was thinking that because i had upted my plant mass so much it would be fine, but i guess more plants would not cause the melt but more light could.
 
Re: Got me some holes?

Up your ferts buddy, you added a lot more plants and the ones you had have grown a lot since start up. Extra plant mass combined with adding more light with the reflectors means more demand for nutrients.

Your tank is looking good though mate, havent seen any of those pics up yet?
 
Re: Got me some holes?

I will up me ferts which makes sense :oops:

Been having a look through the pics today cheers bud, and will get some posted later on. Im supposed to be doing paperwork and the boss is home !
 
Re: Got me some holes?

After having a moan thought i better put some new pics up and say that im happy with the tanks progress. I think it is actually starting to look like a planted tank :)

edit4.jpg


I still need to add some more plants to the centre and the right and i really want to get some moss growing on the wood, haha at the moment i only have one lonely little clump i stuffed in a crack.

edit2.jpg


would really love to cover that piece of wood in some moss, i have bought some just need to get some kind of sheeting and try to establish the moss on the sheet. Then cut it to the woods shape and attach, does that sound like a good way? Really dont think i will be able to thread the moss on by itself.

Finally a shot end on

edit3.jpg


Im really happy with the way this view is filling out and will be even happier as this ratio is established throughout the tank.

One last pic cause i love these guys :thumbup:

edit1.jpg
 
Re: more plants

Pentazona barbs !!!! You bar steward. I really LOVE those barbs, and also the Puntius Rhomboocellatus. As barbs, how are they behaved ? I imagine them to be much more peacful than say Tigers... ? Its looking great in there mate.
 
Re: more plants

Antipofish said:
Pentazona barbs !!!! You bar steward. I really LOVE those barbs, and also the Puntius Rhomboocellatus. As barbs, how are they behaved ? I imagine them to be much more peacful than say Tigers... ? Its looking great in there mate.
Click to expand...

The banded barbs are great little (ish) fish and the colours look great when the lights are on and off. They actually shoal quite tightly and look really good exploring the bottom of the tank. So far they have been really peaceful only complaint would be that once in a while they nibble a plant! The denisons are quite new to the tank and i have been really suprised by how much colour they have produced, had no idea from seeing them in lfs. Again so far they have been really peacful and my one sae shoals with them alot which is great to see :D
 
Re: Got me some holes?

easerthegeezer said:
Up your ferts buddy, you added a lot more plants and the ones you had have grown a lot since start up. Extra plant mass combined with adding more light with the reflectors means more demand for nutrients.
Click to expand...

Extra light will cause an immediate demand for more co2, hence the holes/melting. As the OP stated they were growing well we can rule out emersed growth melt.

Somethingfishy, More plants and more light drives up demand for Co2 before ferts. You can add all the ferts you wish but with more light and low co2 the plants will not be able to utilize the ferts.

It maybe best to remove the reflectors if things were fine before hand. Shaving an hour or 2 off the photoperiod will also help along with the floaters you have, unless you wish to suppliment co2 via a liquid carbon product or gas injection.

The tank is looking nice and clean, very fresh on the eyes.
 
Re: Got me some holes?

spyder said:
easerthegeezer said:
Up your ferts buddy, you added a lot more plants and the ones you had have grown a lot since start up. Extra plant mass combined with adding more light with the reflectors means more demand for nutrients.
Click to expand...

Extra light will cause an immediate demand for more co2, hence the holes/melting. As the OP stated they were growing well we can rule out emersed growth melt.

Somethingfishy, More plants and more light drives up demand for Co2 before ferts. You can add all the ferts you wish but with more light and low co2 the plants will not be able to utilize the ferts.

It maybe best to remove the reflectors if things were fine before hand. Shaving an hour or 2 off the photoperiod will also help along with the floaters you have, unless you wish to suppliment co2 via a liquid carbon product or gas injection.

The tank is looking nice and clean, very fresh on the eyes.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply

yeah looking at it now i dont really know why i put the reflectors back on !
It was all ticking over nicely :D Thats the problem with sunday driving, every now and then you want to put your foot on the gas ... but might come unstuck on a corner!
 
Re: more plants

Those banded barbs are lovely little fish. The SAE's love shoaling with the Denisonii barbs and just wait till they get to 10+cm and get all the green and yellow colouration you will love them. How many do you have?

The tank is looking really good but it is hard with tanks like ours to just sit out and wait for the growth!

Andy
 
Re: more plants

awtong said:
Those banded barbs are lovely little fish. The SAE's love shoaling with the Denisonii barbs and just wait till they get to 10+cm and get all the green and yellow colouration you will love them. How many do you have?

The tank is looking really good but it is hard with tanks like ours to just sit out and wait for the growth!

Andy
Click to expand...

I have three denisons although one does not look so happy or healthy really not sure why? He is the only fish that looks less than %100 ! Saw some fully grown denisons at swallow aquatics and they looked really good :D

The growth is happening im finding taking lots of pics and comparing them helps to notice the progress, got some more planting to do then i think its time to sit back and watch :)
 
Re: more plants

I was quite surprised by the amount of growth when i came round mate, i thought it would be much slower than it has been, especially the crypts.

Spyder, you are right, however i would suggest that unless we try things on our tanks we never know its limits, especially with finding appropriate light levels in low tech. Since the reflectors have been on a week without any algae issues i would continue for the time being, just pay attention to what happens. That and the fact the floating plant mass has undoubtedly reduced the light more than the reflectors have increased it.
In my previous high tech i also suffered holes in my crypts , i upped my potassium dosing without touching co2 and it resolved. CO2 is the first place to look with any signs of plant stress but isnt always the solution wouldnt you agree?
 
Re: more plants

easerthegeezer said:
I was quite surprised by the amount of growth when i came round mate, i thought it would be much slower than it has been, especially the crypts.

Spyder, you are right, however i would suggest that unless we try things on our tanks we never know its limits, especially with finding appropriate light levels in low tech. Since the reflectors have been on a week without any algae issues i would continue for the time being, just pay attention to what happens. That and the fact the floating plant mass has undoubtedly reduced the light more than the reflectors have increased it.
In my previous high tech i also suffered holes in my crypts , i upped my potassium dosing without touching co2 and it resolved. CO2 is the first place to look with any signs of plant stress but isnt always the solution wouldnt you agree?
Click to expand...

Would say thats my biggest problem now, understanding ferts? As you know bud i use tnc complete but i dont really understand whats in it ? And i definately would not know what to dose based on what my plants are telling me!
Guess the answer is the same as usual .... more reading :geek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top