40g Breeder Journal
- Thread starter myswtsins
- Start date
Thanks! Don't give me too much credited yet, I still have to grow the plants. 
I dunno. Like I said I have no set path or ideas for this tank, just flying by the seat of my pants!
Well, I have SOME idea I guess. I like blyxa japonica, staurogyne repens (low grow/tropica 049/whatever!) & a lot of plants I consider out of my league right now. My idea is to grow lots of easy stem plants at first, hopefully sell some to buy upgrades, getting more challenging fast growing plants, sell some for more upgrades and so on. Eventually I know I will end up with slow growing low demand plants though, lots of java fern (if I can ever keep it alive), crypts & mosses! Here are some of my favorite tanks! The first one may be my favorite ever!!
I dunno. Like I said I have no set path or ideas for this tank, just flying by the seat of my pants!
Well, I have SOME idea I guess. I like blyxa japonica, staurogyne repens (low grow/tropica 049/whatever!) & a lot of plants I consider out of my league right now. My idea is to grow lots of easy stem plants at first, hopefully sell some to buy upgrades, getting more challenging fast growing plants, sell some for more upgrades and so on. Eventually I know I will end up with slow growing low demand plants though, lots of java fern (if I can ever keep it alive), crypts & mosses! Here are some of my favorite tanks! The first one may be my favorite ever!!
That 1st one of my favorites also, I had it set as my desktop background for the longest time. Sounds like you've got it planned it out somewhat 
Me too.
Currently I have the last one set has my background because it is the only one that is similar to my current plans.
i can pee anywhere. :dance:Taking a second look at your wood (I can say that because we're both girls), it looks like a photographer framing a shot with his fingers! You should plant something dramatic there. :thm:
tank's looking great... love it... and fishycats idea... :thm:
nice, the driftwood really takes it up a notch imo. i've gotta start digging around some sites to find some. i'm adding some river rocks and stem plants to my 40 later today
:hitting: Well technically we can too, it's just not appropriate. :raspberry: Thanks!
Thank you. There is lots of DW available here, depending what kind of DW you are looking for buying online is almost always cheaper than local. Shipping isn't too bad because the wood isn't that heavy. I'll check out your thread a little later for updates!
Thank you!
Yesterday the plants starting pearling within 20 minutes of turning the lights on! They never pearl strongly though just barely noticeable all day long.
I am following EI dosing for 20-40g, even though my tank is 45g really, because of the rich substrate (just to start off & will adjust as testing shows necessary). So that is...
1/4 tsp KNO3 3x a week
1/16 tsp KH2PO4 3x a week
1/16 tsp K2SO4 3x a week
1/16 tsp (5ml) traces 3x a week
This morning I decided to test the tank before the CO2 or lights came on.
pH-7.1
Kh-10
Gh-6
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-10
Phosphate-10! Which is as high as the test goes.
Seeing the high phosphates I decided to test a couple other tanks as well to make sure the high phosphates were from dosing and not coming out of the tap (well water changes).
33g (where the plants were previously) - 10
10g invert (never dosed) - .25
Well I know the test works. I did take some water from the old tank and added it to the new tank at setup so some of the phosphates could be from there. Nitrates obviously are being used so why aren't phosphates?
I do not have any algae & the only deformity I see is smaller new growth. In the old tank the new growth was slightly paler and the leaves were pointing downwards but the new growth in this tank is looking very healthy besides being smaller then normal. I think it just needs more time to adjust, at least until I can make some clear comparisons, I am just letting you guys know what is going on.
I am not going to add any PH2PO4 tomorrow and WC is the next day so we will see what happens.On to another topic, I can't figure out when to illuminate my tank and dose it. I work anywhere from 6am(11am at the latest)-6pm(2pm at the earliest). What would happen, if anything, if I dosed the tank at 6am and the lights didn't come on until 3pm? That way I always get in ferts in before the lights AND I get to see the tank.
If this seems like a bad idea I am going to have to continue my lost project of auto dosing.That was a long post!! :nilly:
Pictures get responses but not questions? I see how it is. Since no one else has any theories to my phosphate issue here is mine. :silly: When dosing iron & KH2PO4 you get iron phosphate which is nearly insoluble, well I am pretty sure my water has iron in it out of the tap. Is it possible I am forming iron phosphate? Are our phosphate tests capable of detecting iron phosphate? (does it test for ANY type of phosphates)
Today's test results 1 hr after 50% WC & CO2 started
pH-7.4 (tap water is 8.2)
Nitrate-10
Phosphate-between 5 & 10
Any ideas about my dosing/lighting question?
Updates!
-1 Lilly bulb has sprouted roots, 1 has sprouted moldy looking stuff.
-I am almost certain that the bunches of plants on the left and right are the same plants. The left is from my aquarium and the right is from Starstruck's tank. When the plant is in her tank the leaves are huge & red, in my tank they become 1/3 of the size and green until they get near the surface. I'll post comparison pictures later when the lights come on.
-The java fern is dying, they hate me & I don't know why!
-The crypts I planted a few days ago have not melted....yet.
-The fissidens fontanus is doing very well in the new tank.
-My poor anubias is still covered in GSA and some white deposits (probably calcium). Hopefully the CO2 & PO4 will fix this in time.
Pictures later!
Since no one else has any theories to my phosphate issue here is mine. :silly: When dosing iron & KH2PO4 you get iron phosphate which is nearly insoluble, well I am pretty sure my water has iron in it out of the tap. Is it possible I am forming iron phosphate? Are our phosphate tests capable of detecting iron phosphate? (does it test for ANY type of phosphates)Today's test results 1 hr after 50% WC & CO2 started
pH-7.4 (tap water is 8.2)
Nitrate-10
Phosphate-between 5 & 10
Any ideas about my dosing/lighting question?
Updates!
-1 Lilly bulb has sprouted roots, 1 has sprouted moldy looking stuff.
-I am almost certain that the bunches of plants on the left and right are the same plants. The left is from my aquarium and the right is from Starstruck's tank. When the plant is in her tank the leaves are huge & red, in my tank they become 1/3 of the size and green until they get near the surface. I'll post comparison pictures later when the lights come on.
-The java fern is dying, they hate me & I don't know why!
-The crypts I planted a few days ago have not melted....yet.
-The fissidens fontanus is doing very well in the new tank.
-My poor anubias is still covered in GSA and some white deposits (probably calcium). Hopefully the CO2 & PO4 will fix this in time.
Pictures later!
