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Trim these no or let them go for a bit

S

Scmelik

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Joined
6 Apr 2024
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15
Location
South Dakota USA
I planted these Rotala Narrow Leaf Sp Red stems on April 4 and it’s been growing really really well. It’s started converting to submersed growth nicely. It’s starting to send out some side shoot off the main stem on a couple of stems, and those shoots are getting to be an inch and in a couple of instances 2 inches tall.

With it still be very young in my tank and still converting over to a fully submersed growth and adjusting to my water parameters, lighting, and fertilizer schedule; I’m wondering if I should just keep letting it do it’s thing for another week or two or go ahead and trim it now and get some more stems in the tank?
 

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Hi can you post a picture of the whole tank please? We just need to see the context.
So far things seem to be heading the right way for the tank.
 
This is where it’s at currently. I had a lot of problems with GSA and GDA, and like most people who are inexperienced I immediately assumed I had a nutrient problem. Which now after doing hours and hours of research and reading a bunch of Tom Barr’s philosophies I realized it was a balance issue not an excess nutrient issue. Unfortunately alot of my background plants suffered and died off. The back use to be full of Limnophila and Mayaca, but they have all since melted away.
 

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Hi @Scmelik
Thanks for posting the photo. It looks like you need a lot more plants to help stabilize the tank. Planting heavily with fast growing stem plants will help. I'd fill the background with tones of Rotala.

Copy and Paste the list below...and add your answers to each number on the list!
Please upload photographs/images if possible.

1. Size of tank in litres.
2. Age of the set - up.
3. Filtration + Media/Sponges.
4. Lighting and duration.
5. Substrate.
6. Co2 dosing or Non-dosing.
7. Fertilizers used & Ratios.
8. Water change regime and type.
9. Plant list + When planted.
10. Drop Checker.
11. Inhabitants.
12. Full tank image & Surface image.
 
Mike Singh said:
Hi @Scmelik
Thanks for posting the photo. It looks like you need a lot more plants to help stabilize the tank. Planting heavily with fast growing stem plants will help. I'd fill the background with tones of Rotala.

Copy and Paste the list below...and add your answers to each number on the list!
Please upload photographs/images if possible.

1. Size of tank in litres.
2. Age of the set - up.
3. Filtration + Media/Sponges.
4. Lighting and duration.
5. Substrate.
6. Co2 dosing or Non-dosing.
7. Fertilizers used & Ratios.
8. Water change regime and type.
9. Plant list + When planted.
10. Drop Checker.
11. Inhabitants.
12. Full tank image & Surface image
Click to expand...
1. Size of tank in litres. 110L
2. Age of the set - up. Setup up as a planted tank Sept 23 (so still a very young tank)
3. Filtration + Media/Sponges. Oase Biomkaster Thermo 350, all of the gray sponges have been removed and Ehime Substrat Pro is filling all of the trays. (Next water change, this Friday, I will be removing the media in the top try and adding filter floss)
4. Lighting and duration. AI Prime 6 hours a day (Red, cool white and blue allay 70%)
5. Substrate. Organic potting soil capped with a thick layer of sand
6. Co2 dosing or Non-dosing. C02 comes on 2 hours before the lights and off 1 hour before lights out run through a reactor
7. Fertilizers used & Ratios.
EI dosing: 7.5ppm KN03 and K2S04, 1.3ppm KH2P04 on SatMW, Micros plus extra Fe on Sun, Tues, Thurs, Fri
8. Water change regime and type. 50% weekly
9. Plant list + When planted.
3 swords
Bacopa Monnieri
Alternanthera Lilacina
S Repens
Dwarf Sag
Rotala Narrow Leaf Sp Red
Nesaea Pedicellata Golden

Dwarf sag, Lilacina, Bacopa and Swords were planted when the tank was setup in September, Rotala, S Repens, and Nesaea were planted on April 4
10. Drop Checker.

I don’t run a drop checker
11. Inhabitants.
3 narite snails
4 mystery snails
Abundance of diamond tetra (to many to be honest, I’m trying to thin them out slowly
12. Full tank image & Surface image.

Full tank is in the previous post
 
Thanks @Scmelik for your answers. I’d suggest you massively increase your plants in the tank. The drift wood you have is begging for moss and Anubias. Some Echinodorus in the left back to use the height. Cryptocorney wendti for the fore to midground. Also fill up the foreground with more of what you already have. Plant more before you trim your plants for now.

I’d suggest you run the drop checker so that you know you have enough dissolved CO2 in the water.
 
Mike Singh said:
Thanks @Scmelik for your answers. I’d suggest you massively increase your plants in the tank. The drift wood you have is begging for moss and Anubias. Some Echinodorus in the left back to use the height. Cryptocorney wendti for the fore to midground. Also fill up the foreground with more of what you already have. Plant more before you trim your plants for now.

I’d suggest you run the drop checker so that you know you have enough dissolved CO2 in the water.
Click to expand...
Mike,

Originally there was many more stems in the back but because of the GSA I ended up having to remove them all. My original plan for this tank was to be a South American themed tank with only plants and fauna from South America so from my research I could come up with any moss or crypts from those regions (I’m sure there are I just didn’t find them). I am not moving away from that idea and am going with putting in plants that I like and fit in the scape. That said in the next few months I plan on ripping this tank down completely (thus the sponge filter in there to cycle so it can go into my 10 gallon holding tank), and remove the sand and potting soil (which I cannot stand) add aquasoil and then add a lot of different plants. I have a bunch of Buce, anubius, crypts and stems already planned out to add. I may add a few more stems just to get them started and propegated before I rescape.
 
You could try different stems a few Hygrophilla sps fast growing to get algae reduced, and Amazon Swords for region specific .Agree invest in a drop checker-consistent CO2 is needed to benifit the plants and safety for fish and critters like shrimp,try more water changes
 
Floating plants will suck up excess nutrients. Water lettuce and Frogbit are hungry plants. The AI prime at 70% might be a bit bright for your current plant load but others more familiar with the light may be better placed to advise.
 
simon_the_plant_nerd said:
Floating plants will suck up excess nutrients. Water lettuce and Frogbit are hungry plants. The AI prime at 70% might be a bit bright for your current plant load but others more familiar with the light may be better placed to advise.
Click to expand...
I was running much higher up until 2 weeks ago when I dropped it to 70% and the GSA has drastically improved. The issue was I didn’t totally understand that if I was going to run my light that high is that my C02 and nutrients needed to follow and I didn’t. I feel like I could run this light about 85-90% with my C02 being at 30ppm maybe a touch higher ( much higher than 30-35ppm and my fish start to struggle) and increasing my ferts a touch.
 
hypnogogia said:
That’s not an accurate way of checking your CO2 levels.
Click to expand...
When measuring KH (with a test kit) we aren’t truly measuring the carbonate hardness of the water, but the buffering capability of the water which can be affected by things other than carbonate, such as phosphate. At which point the CO2/KH/pH relationship breaks down.

Get a drop checker and you remove these variables.
 
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I am also not trying to solve my GSA issue I have gotten that ironed out and it will get better over the next couple of weeks. I was simply asking if I should trim a plant that young and still acclimating or if I should let it continue to grow out a bit.
 
Scmelik said:
I am also not trying to solve my GSA issue I have gotten that ironed out and it will get better over the next couple of weeks. I was simply asking if I should trim a plant that young and still acclimating or if I should let it continue to grow out a bit.
Click to expand...
Let it grow out. You don’t need to trim yet as you don’t have enough plant mass for the amount of light and nutrients in your tank (would be my suggestion).
 
Scmelik said:
3. Filtration + Media/Sponges. Oase Biomkaster Thermo 350, all of the gray sponges have been removed and Ehime Substrat Pro is filling all of the trays. (Next water change, this Friday, I will be removing the media in the top try and adding filter floss)
Click to expand...
Very interested in your point 3 @Scmelik.
  • What were the grey sponges you talked about? Oase are usually blue and red.
  • What made you remove the sponge, and also why are you considering filter floss in the top tray?
 
Bradders said:
Very interested in your point 3 @Scmelik.
  • What were the grey sponges you talked about? Oase are usually blue and red.
  • What made you remove the sponge, and also why are you considering filter floss in the top tray?
Click to expand...
Sorry I’m not sure why I put gray, I believe I meant the original sponges HAHA.

I removed them because I wanted better biological filtration than the sponges. The reason for adding filter floss is that I am getting some smaller stuff sneaking through that I want to eliminate and it’s easier to take it out of the top tray and replace filter floss that digging to the bottom to get sponges out.
 
Scmelik said:
I removed them because I wanted better biological filtration than the sponges. The reason for adding filter floss is that I am getting some smaller stuff sneaking through that I want to eliminate and it’s easier to take it out of the top tray and replace filter floss that digging to the bottom to get sponges out.
Click to expand...
If you are looking at filter filtration only, then @hypnogogia is correct. You are not going to get much better than a good old-fashioned sponge. And the Biomasters can produce very clear and healthy water without filter floss, too.

Do I spy a sponge filter in the aquairum as well?
 
Bradders said:
If you are looking at filter filtration only, then @hypnogogia is correct. You are not going to get much better than a good old-fashioned sponge. And the Biomasters can produce very clear and healthy water without filter floss, too.

Do I spy a sponge filter in the aquairum as well?
Click to expand...
Yes it’s only there to get it full of BB so that when I rescape here in a couple of months and get rid of the sand and organic potting soil I have a cycled filter for my holding tank.
 
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