55g Planted
- Thread starter SMinNC
- Start date
Uhhh HUH!
gonna be a while before I'm anywhere near content, I thinks.
So far...
Took out all of the wysteria, except for the small peice in front of the rock. I just can't get that stuff to grow for me? Maybe this (tap)water is missing something?
Have been dosing flourish. But I'm gonna have to do more that that, the way things look.
Thinking iron and potassium.
But looks like I need all of this! lol > > http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/deficiencies.htm
Looks like I better get the EI going huh!
back to re-arranging...
Removed the two hygrows in the front left. Just stuck them their instead of the trash can. They finally made it to the trash can.
Gots wayyyy too many hygrows behind the tree. Gonna have to thin those out.
Moved all(most- gave bro some trimmings) the anacharis to the right side, where the wysteria was.
Kinda flipped the ludwigia. As in. Moved it left to fill the corner where the anacharis was.
......
Right now I'm just trying to let things grow a little. Too hopefully avoid too much of an algae problem.
The tree turnt brown with in a few days. Diatoms.
Now it has some purty hair algae at the top. Kinda neat and natural look. Except, I found an oto stuck in in the other day. : /
I'll see about getting some new pics of it.
Probably alot easier than trying to decyper my explanin'!
Been a while. Heres some of the goings ons...
A couple of weeks ago, I figured out my PH on the left wasn't even running. IDK coulda been hrs to 5 days?
It was set up like this, with CO2 running into it...
Its just a PH now.
I guess thats the only "problem" I've had with it so far.
Some pics from a few minutes ago...
I had to take them all at an angle, because of a window behind me. And still light out.
This is with just the two front 15w lights on. Its no where near this lit up. But the camera thinks it is.
Here are some of the contraptions that are/have been used.
Up until yesterday. The 350 magnum was sucking through the UGF plate on the right half.
The return was like this...
More of a pvc mess than was nessacary. Blame it on ignorance and poor planning. Me and pvc connectors get along about as good as me and 2x4s. For those that don't know, a 2x4 isn't 2x4.
Used acrylic tubes instead of the plasic stuff that comes with UGFs. And found out that the acrylic all but dissapears in the water. : )
The black peice at the bottom is an upside down Reverse flow UGF part.
And the end of the spray bar, was filled with acrylic glue. The stuff sets up faily quick, so about every half hour or so, I added some more. Then let dry for a couple of days.
That was swapped out for this, yesterday...
same spray bar with a piece of tubing to resize it to fit the PH....
Going to set the left side up the same way, soon.
========================================
Oh yea.
Here's the quick back ground paint job.
WTH, you say? lol
Well like I said. I had to get this done in one evening. With the little experience I've had painting backs. I was sure I could get away with the two tone part. But I wanted to (kind of/safely/hopefully) attemot to have a sunset effect come through when lit up from behind.
Going on the "safe side". Because of the one shot at it deal(no time for removing something ugly) I had too much base (black n blue) on for the red(sun) to show through.
I survived with the better safe than sorry. But might have learnt something?
I have a 20 and 30g that'll probably have time for screw ups soon. So maybe we'll see them in the DIY section some day, with the sun set accomplished. ; )
Here's a pic of my 30g a while back, that got me thinkin'...
I was just wanting to show someone(people) in a thread, somewhere on here. About how you don't have to paint the back so much that the sun wont shine through. And thought... wow... cool! Clouds!!!
======================================================
Started some fert stuff today.
Flourish Trace
and
Natural Aquarium Vital by Marc Weiss Aquarium Products
This > > > http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3746+4603&pcatid=4603
Between the two. I seem to have everything covered.
Sounds something like a hopped up Excel.
I figured someone needs to try it, might as well be me. : )
=======================================================
I don't know of any test kits around to actually test any of this plant stuff. Besides Iron and phosphate.
My tap water has nothing in it that I know of.
Iron 0
phosphate 0
nitrate/nitrite/ammonia 0
Besides around 20 mg/l of nitrate. The tank has nothing showing but phosphate.
I thought I might have seen some iron, because of the flourish. Nope.
The other day the phosphate in the tank was around 3-3.3 mg/l.
I put some Crystal Clear in last night.
Because of this thread > > http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196251
Today mine was down to 1.3.
Seemed like a good place for it? IDK lol
As in...
I'm still very new to plants and everything that comes with them. Needed or not.
===========================================
My personal thoughts or whatevers, about how things are going.
Plants arn't looking very good in general.
But I am happy that algae has died off and not much for new growth, to complain about.
I did just thin out alot(80%?) of the rotala on the left.
I wanted room for stuff in front of it later on. And to me. That stuff always looks like crap from half way down.
And I thought I was going to be a fan of stem plants? : P
Pulled out almost all of the hygro in the middle. I was thinking I'd planted it too thick from the start.
I guess it could have came around with some ferts. But... looked, not happy right now.
There are a few small ones that started at the bottom. So they'll come up from behind the log someday.
The anacharis hasn't been happy sense I moved it to the opposite end.
While messing with the 350/ph swap. I had to move most of it. It was barely hanging on to rotted stems in the substrate, so its floating till...?
The three bulbs(of around 20) from the 3 bulb packages. Are doing ok, so far.
The nearest one with narrow leaves, I haven't done much of anything with. Except move it again, yesterday, because of the 350/ph swap.
The one far away has always grown, low. And hasn't been messed with, as far as moving it.
The taller one, behind it. I seemed to have trained it to grow a certain height.
I done this to a similar one yrs ago in a 75g. Every time the leaves would reach the surface and start to bend. I'd remove them. Seems to have worked again, on this one.
looking fwd to crypts, anubias n stuff.
Just been trying to get things working good with what I have so far.
And sense this is a "seen alot" tank. I get figure out how to hide power heads n stuff. Don't no body wanna see stuff. : /
I guess thats about it for now.
Oh yea, the 350 is face directly across the back. And the harleys are crusin'!
I looked at it in the almost, dark this morning. I saw'em fly by from right to left in the front, then right back across the back, face first into the 350 current.
I'm guessin theys happy.
And thinking of happy fish...
My corys ain't. Gonna go ask wth with them now.
A couple of weeks ago, I figured out my PH on the left wasn't even running. IDK coulda been hrs to 5 days?
It was set up like this, with CO2 running into it...
Its just a PH now.
I guess thats the only "problem" I've had with it so far.
Some pics from a few minutes ago...
I had to take them all at an angle, because of a window behind me. And still light out.
This is with just the two front 15w lights on. Its no where near this lit up. But the camera thinks it is.
Here are some of the contraptions that are/have been used.
Up until yesterday. The 350 magnum was sucking through the UGF plate on the right half.
The return was like this...
More of a pvc mess than was nessacary. Blame it on ignorance and poor planning. Me and pvc connectors get along about as good as me and 2x4s. For those that don't know, a 2x4 isn't 2x4.
Used acrylic tubes instead of the plasic stuff that comes with UGFs. And found out that the acrylic all but dissapears in the water. : )
The black peice at the bottom is an upside down Reverse flow UGF part.
And the end of the spray bar, was filled with acrylic glue. The stuff sets up faily quick, so about every half hour or so, I added some more. Then let dry for a couple of days.
That was swapped out for this, yesterday...
same spray bar with a piece of tubing to resize it to fit the PH....
Going to set the left side up the same way, soon.
========================================
Oh yea.
Here's the quick back ground paint job.
WTH, you say? lol
Well like I said. I had to get this done in one evening. With the little experience I've had painting backs. I was sure I could get away with the two tone part. But I wanted to (kind of/safely/hopefully) attemot to have a sunset effect come through when lit up from behind.
Going on the "safe side". Because of the one shot at it deal(no time for removing something ugly) I had too much base (black n blue) on for the red(sun) to show through.
I survived with the better safe than sorry. But might have learnt something?
I have a 20 and 30g that'll probably have time for screw ups soon. So maybe we'll see them in the DIY section some day, with the sun set accomplished. ; )
Here's a pic of my 30g a while back, that got me thinkin'...
I was just wanting to show someone(people) in a thread, somewhere on here. About how you don't have to paint the back so much that the sun wont shine through. And thought... wow... cool! Clouds!!!
======================================================
Started some fert stuff today.
Flourish Trace
and
Natural Aquarium Vital by Marc Weiss Aquarium Products
This > > > http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3746+4603&pcatid=4603
Between the two. I seem to have everything covered.
Sounds something like a hopped up Excel.
I figured someone needs to try it, might as well be me. : )
=======================================================
I don't know of any test kits around to actually test any of this plant stuff. Besides Iron and phosphate.
My tap water has nothing in it that I know of.
Iron 0
phosphate 0
nitrate/nitrite/ammonia 0
Besides around 20 mg/l of nitrate. The tank has nothing showing but phosphate.
I thought I might have seen some iron, because of the flourish. Nope.
The other day the phosphate in the tank was around 3-3.3 mg/l.
I put some Crystal Clear in last night.
Because of this thread > > http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196251
Today mine was down to 1.3.
Seemed like a good place for it? IDK lol
As in...
I'm still very new to plants and everything that comes with them. Needed or not.
===========================================
My personal thoughts or whatevers, about how things are going.
Plants arn't looking very good in general.
But I am happy that algae has died off and not much for new growth, to complain about.
I did just thin out alot(80%?) of the rotala on the left.
I wanted room for stuff in front of it later on. And to me. That stuff always looks like crap from half way down.
And I thought I was going to be a fan of stem plants? : P
Pulled out almost all of the hygro in the middle. I was thinking I'd planted it too thick from the start.
I guess it could have came around with some ferts. But... looked, not happy right now.
There are a few small ones that started at the bottom. So they'll come up from behind the log someday.
The anacharis hasn't been happy sense I moved it to the opposite end.
While messing with the 350/ph swap. I had to move most of it. It was barely hanging on to rotted stems in the substrate, so its floating till...?
The three bulbs(of around 20) from the 3 bulb packages. Are doing ok, so far.
The nearest one with narrow leaves, I haven't done much of anything with. Except move it again, yesterday, because of the 350/ph swap.
The one far away has always grown, low. And hasn't been messed with, as far as moving it.
The taller one, behind it. I seemed to have trained it to grow a certain height.
I done this to a similar one yrs ago in a 75g. Every time the leaves would reach the surface and start to bend. I'd remove them. Seems to have worked again, on this one.
looking fwd to crypts, anubias n stuff.
Just been trying to get things working good with what I have so far.
And sense this is a "seen alot" tank. I get figure out how to hide power heads n stuff. Don't no body wanna see stuff. : /
I guess thats about it for now.
Oh yea, the 350 is face directly across the back. And the harleys are crusin'!
I looked at it in the almost, dark this morning. I saw'em fly by from right to left in the front, then right back across the back, face first into the 350 current.
I'm guessin theys happy.
And thinking of happy fish...
My corys ain't. Gonna go ask wth with them now.
That was basically refering to using an UGF, which could have worked. But I have way too many plants now to even consider doing any gravel vac'ing.
Sooooo....
Majoritus Changusitus in progress...
It can only get better from here :dance:
Link to my unhappiness with the Flourite Black Sand aka Moon Grey yucky stuff...
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204892
