Jane of Upton
New Member
Hello,
I've been a "member" on many US aquatic plant forums for many years, going back to the early 2000's (anyone remember AquaBotanic back in 2002 before it was folded into APC?). I've been an "occasional lurker" here on UKAPS researching specific topics for many years, but somehow always got distracted away...... Anyhow, I'm REALLY enjoying the Tank Journals here, and the wonderfully inviting vibe of this forum! I've found that I enjoy the forums which are not at breakneck speed; TPT has lots of great information, but the incredibly fast thread turnover makes my head spin, so I find myself landing on APC more frequently. I've parsed a bit more in depth here on UKAPS, and have finally realized - "what, I'm not registered? Let's fix that!".
The fascination with all things aquatic began very early; I spent most summers poking around in a nearby pond, or following a woodland stream all the way to the next town over (my parents were LESS than thrilled to retrieve me from a kind stranger's house after dark). After college, I first tried live plants in the aquarium with the Quackenbush method (Clay kitty litter with Osmocote, capped by playsand) and happily exchanged my excess swordplant offsets to the local fish store for fishfood.
I currently have 8 planted tanks running, ranging from 5 gallons (18 liters) to 38 gallons (140+ liters). Some have been in the "intended teardown" phase for quite awhile, others are recently set up with only snails as fauna at the moment. Although I've been keeping planted tanks for quite awhile, I'm only recently beginning to use Active (engineered?) Soils like the ADA and Tropica type. Most of my experience is with Walstad-style, or Mineralized Top Soil bases under sand. These do not lend themselves to the shaping of substrate for aquascapes, but grow plants very well. Cryptocoryne have always held an special place in my heart.
Well, thank you all for having such a lovely forum - I'm thrilled to finally be registered, and able to participate!
-Jane
Upton, MA, USA
I've been a "member" on many US aquatic plant forums for many years, going back to the early 2000's (anyone remember AquaBotanic back in 2002 before it was folded into APC?). I've been an "occasional lurker" here on UKAPS researching specific topics for many years, but somehow always got distracted away...... Anyhow, I'm REALLY enjoying the Tank Journals here, and the wonderfully inviting vibe of this forum! I've found that I enjoy the forums which are not at breakneck speed; TPT has lots of great information, but the incredibly fast thread turnover makes my head spin, so I find myself landing on APC more frequently. I've parsed a bit more in depth here on UKAPS, and have finally realized - "what, I'm not registered? Let's fix that!".
The fascination with all things aquatic began very early; I spent most summers poking around in a nearby pond, or following a woodland stream all the way to the next town over (my parents were LESS than thrilled to retrieve me from a kind stranger's house after dark). After college, I first tried live plants in the aquarium with the Quackenbush method (Clay kitty litter with Osmocote, capped by playsand) and happily exchanged my excess swordplant offsets to the local fish store for fishfood.
I currently have 8 planted tanks running, ranging from 5 gallons (18 liters) to 38 gallons (140+ liters). Some have been in the "intended teardown" phase for quite awhile, others are recently set up with only snails as fauna at the moment. Although I've been keeping planted tanks for quite awhile, I'm only recently beginning to use Active (engineered?) Soils like the ADA and Tropica type. Most of my experience is with Walstad-style, or Mineralized Top Soil bases under sand. These do not lend themselves to the shaping of substrate for aquascapes, but grow plants very well. Cryptocoryne have always held an special place in my heart.
Well, thank you all for having such a lovely forum - I'm thrilled to finally be registered, and able to participate!
-Jane
Upton, MA, USA
