40g Breeder Journal

[fishycat]

Did you add the floaters before you went away? Perhaps it was they're faster growth/nutrient absorption that also helped? Adjusting your canister outflow below the water line should help from blowing the floaters around...

That's a huge java fern!

 

[myswtsins]

Yes I did but they have been doing more dying than growing. My filter output is below the surface, it just barely makes the surface water ripple.

Yes it is, I am tempted to sell it though because it is dying so fast. The windelov is doing pretty well though!

 

[fishycat]

Java fern babies love me, then they become angsty teenagers and start slitting their wrists. No, really. I have never had a mature java fern plant. The leaves always blacken & throw up babies, but no full plants. I've read of many people having similar issues. I finally threw the lot into a 1g hex that gets tank water top-offs. The leaves are now a couple inches, I'm curious to see if they end up growing better in there than in my tanks.

Yes, your windelov is lovely! Very frond-y.

 

[myswtsins]

I have also heard of many others have problems keeping java ferns but no explanations. Good luck with the babies...for me too!

I can't take credit for the windelov it was sold to me that lovely but I don't seem to be killing it as much as the regular JF!

 

[myswtsins]

Yikes! My MTS is VERY anaerobic. After a few weeks I was noticing bubbles coming out of the subtrate, thought it was just trapped air from initial filling so I pressed the air pocket out. But today I noticed a lump in the substrate so I pressed it and lots of stinky bubbles came out. I believe it is normal for MTS to go anaerobic but this is a little crazy, I won't put fish it there that's for sure. So I don't know what is going to happen now.

I killed most of the stems (which I am good at!). I think I left the lights on the short light cycle (4hrs a day) for too long which rotted the bottoms of the stems. So I cut off the salvageable tops and replanted them but now I need some plants so when I continue to increase the light I don't have algae. BUT seeing as last week was my last week of work for the next 8 months I am on quite a budget.

Here is what the tank looks like today, still looking pretty blah.

 

[dundadundun]

i would see if goalieman still has all the plants in his 125 if you want some fillers on a budget. it's worth a shot.

 

[fishycat]

Looks better than the last fts, did you do any cleanup before taking the pic?

What plants are you looking for? I'm thinking you'd want taller plants? Sadly, anything I send to you would probably not survive very well... except maybe anubias.

A carpet of e. tenellus/pygmy chain sword in front would be lovely. And more willow hygro.

 

[myswtsins]

i would see if goalieman still has all the plants in his 125 if you want some fillers on a budget. it's worth a shot.

Thanks, I'll check that out!

Looks better than the last fts, did you do any cleanup before taking the pic?

What plants are you looking for? I'm thinking you'd want taller plants? Sadly, anything I send to you would probably not survive very well... except maybe anubias.

A carpet of e. tenellus/pygmy chain sword in front would be lovely. And more willow hygro.

I cleaned the glass before the pictures but all that nasty brown alage is gone just some BBA on the wood and possibly hair algae in the fontanus.

Right now I am just looking for fast growing hardy plants (yes tall too ). Just today I was thinking about some pygmy chains (one of the first plants I ever wanted) but I really want Tropica 049 for the foreground carpet eventually. Willow hygro is temperamental with me, sometimes it grows healthy but slow and then it drops all it's leaves and starts over.



I am slowly increasing the light duration and re-dosing the tank EI style but without phosphates because they are always present for some reason (maybe the MTS). I test often so if I notice them disipating I will start dosing it again. I also turned the co2 down a bit in preparation for the fish going in.

 

[myswtsins]

8 months later....Well this tank was neglected for most of those 8 months. Being unemployed I wasn't able to refill the CO2 tank when it went dry, buy any plants, replace blown light bulbs (had 3 blow during this time!) etc. I am working again (Yay!) so I got the CO2 tank filled and am working on restoring this tank. I swore I took some pictures in between then and now but can't find them.

FTS before recent WC and fluffing.

• All Java fern except the needle leaf and frogbit was sold
• Added surface extractor (LOVE IT!)
• My large crypts are nothing but holes
• White bowl of crypts from another tank (didn't want to disturb the MTS until I knew what I was doing.)
• Fissiden fontanus is all algae and rotted underneath
• Most of my moss rocks are half dead
• All plants are showing deficiencies
• The equipment is a mess
• All critters seem healthy (I had a major issue with die off in this tank)

Left side


Right side, you can see my DC is a nice light green


Close up of my poor crypt parva


Close up of my red tiger lily (took some hits but is coming back)


Close up of needle leaf and unknown stems (they are all the same but the stem to the left started growing differently recently, it actually looks more like it did when I got it)



FTS after WC and fluffing

• Cleanup, pruned, replanted, minor rearranging and fixed equipment
• Removed fissiden fontanus because it was horrible
• Microbubbles and blue DC are because overnight the skimmer must have been sucking in air but my trusty Rena XP3 kept of going

You can see how colorful the meteor minnows are here.


Left side (Now I can see my anubias petite again!)


Right side



Current inhabitants

• 12 ember tetras
• 6 rummynose tetras + a random I got with them
• 5 WCMM (2 meteor)
• ~15 Amano Shrimp
• 1 Brown BN
• 1 Longfin albino BN
• 1 SAE

Embers


SAE (he checks out with all the things to check for but hasn't grown much)


BN (female)


Poor shot of Meteor Minnow



Extra info for anyone interested

Current equipment

• 75 gpd RODI unit (DI disconnected)
• Rena XP3 w/ DIY CO2 reactor w/ built in heater on output and surface skimmer on input
• 10lb CO2 tank with Milwaukee Regulator (solenoid, needle valve & bubble counter)
• 2 - 55 watt ahsupply kit (currently only have 1 9235k bulb running in the back) w/DIY sunrise and moonlights
• DC and themometer

Current schedule/actions

• Lights - 9am sunrise (red) lights on, 12pm main lights on (sunrise off), 6pm main lights off (moonlights on), 9pm moonlights off.
• CO2 - 10am CO2 on, 4:30 CO2 off
• Currently following IE method but once I get my scale fixed I want to try PPS pro because of smaller WCs since I now have to use reconstituted RO water (long story but trust me I need to do this for these fish and plants).

PLANS

• Buy new bulbs
• Continue tweaking CO2, lights and ferts
• Once it is settled get more plants
• Might change the substrate because I am really NOT pleased with the MTS performance or negative effects, still has bubbles.
• Decide on one species from the embers, rummynose and minnows, bump up their numbers and MAYBE if everything stays good (alive) add a group of hardy cories.
• Decide if I am going to turn my 72g into a planted soft water tank or not.......

Thanks for checking in and you are all forgiven if you don't read everything!

 

[myswtsins]

Just in case anyone is reading, the skimmer is not pulling in air, it was coming from the connection of the new intake.