Jay's Planted 180g Tank.

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JAY973

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Dec 24, 2005
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NJ
Jay what is your dosing schedule like now? I'd love to hear what you are doing with ferts.

One thing I never skip are the water changes. It's Sat. morning after breakfast and coffee. I have found it helpful to streamline the process. I use a pump which really speeds up draining, and keeps the whole process to under an hour. I've got it down to a science now. Makes it less painful and something I can deal with.

I'm also trying to clean my filters more often. I've found since going more heavily planted debris accumulates faster in the filters. I used to be about every three months or so, and now I am down to every six weeks. I have three filters, and do one every two weeks now. I just do it when changing the water, and the pumped tank water is perfect for rinsing the media.

Of course, for you it seems no matter what you do, the tank is still spectacular!
I'm on a two week scheduled starts Sun.....
Sun - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 Water Change
Mon - .5 CSM+b
Tues - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 Water Change
Wed - .5 CSM+b
Thurs - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 Water Change
Fri - .5 CSM+b
Sat. - Off Day
Sun - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4
Mon - .5 CSM+b
Tues - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 Water Change
Wed - .5 CSM+b
Thurs - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 Water Change
Fri - .5 CSM+b
Sat. - Off Day
-back to the top....

40ml of 14 day metricide with a syringe rigid and flex tubing to target specific areas several times of a week.
 

JAY973

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Dec 24, 2005
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NJ
Even with problems, you tank looks great! I know you'll get it pretty again, everything's recovering nicely. I think I'd try snipping off several old BB leaves each WC but with all that anubias you'll be at for a LONG time. I think old leaves are the BB magnent, I have it only on old bolbitus & old "jungle" val affected. I "try" to remove them but it seems unending & I don't have nearly the "leaf count" you do.
Thank you... =) Yeah there's only so much time I want to invest...LOL
 

Greggz

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Feb 2, 2008
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Novi, MI
I'm on a two week scheduled starts Sun.....
Sun - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 Water Change
Mon - .5 CSM+b
Tues - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 Water Change
Wed - .5 CSM+b
Thurs - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 Water Change
Fri - .5 CSM+b
Sat. - Off Day
Sun - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4
Mon - .5 CSM+b
Tues - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 Water Change
Wed - .5 CSM+b
Thurs - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 Water Change
Fri - .5 CSM+b
Sat. - Off Day
-back to the top....

40ml of 14 day metricide with a syringe rigid and flex tubing to target specific areas several times of a week.
Wow Jay that is a lot of water changes. How much are changing each time? I do about 75% once a week, I can't say I would have the stamina to change it 3 times a week. You suffer for your aquatic art!

40ml of metricide?? That seems like a pretty strong dose. Have you ever had seen any negative effect on the fish? Looks like I could up my daily 10ml in my 120G.

And it looks like a low dose of CSM +b. Did you have any problems with a higher dose? Curious as to how you got where you are.
 
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JAY973

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Dec 24, 2005
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Sorry not sure how I screwed that up I change 50% every two weeks.
I'm on a two week scheduled starts Sun.....
Sun - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4 50% Water Change
Mon - .5 CSM+b
Tues - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4
Wed - .5 CSM+b
Thurs - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4
Fri - .5 CSM+b
Sat. - Off Day
Sun - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4
Mon - .5 CSM+b
Tues - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4
Wed - .5 CSM+b
Thurs - 6g KNo3 / .5g KH2Po4
Fri - .5 CSM+b
Sat. - Off Day
-back to the top.... with 50% water change

I notice in my setup if I dose CSM +B above .5g I would have an uncontrollable bba out break. My water out of the tap is high 8.3 - 8.4ph and I refuse to do the R/O thing.

40ml of metricide doesn't seem to have a noticeable affect on the fish that I've notice and at times I double dose it with 100ml of peroxide.
 

JAY973

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Dec 24, 2005
1,133
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So I've packed my buces to one side of the tank in hopes of it being more impressive.


Having them scatter kind of focus on how poorly they looked than having together. I do have new growth and the B. theia 5 seems have recovered completely while many of the others are still slow going. I've also lost a few completely.
 

fishorama

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Jun 28, 2006
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SF Bay area, CA
Oh, yes, the grouped buces look much better! I'm glad most are recovering for you although how you keep all the varieties straight is amazing to me!! All the "brownies" alone! I have enough trouble with crypts I've collected; nurii on 1 side, nurii "mutated" on the other? Which is Florida sunset & something or other pink? If they melt I'm outta luck because I can't recall exactly what was where & they always look different than when I got them...eek!!

I love your bucephalandra... but saw an really cool 1 I may hold out for...something like skeleton king? so pretty in a club members tank but of course just recovering...
 
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JAY973

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Dec 24, 2005
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NJ
Oh, yes, the grouped buces look much better! I'm glad most are recovering for you although how you keep all the varieties straight is amazing to me!! All the "brownies" alone! I have enough trouble with crypts I've collected; nurii on 1 side, nurii "mutated" on the other? Which is Florida sunset & something or other pink? If they melt I'm outta luck because I can't recall exactly what was where & they always look different than when I got them...eek!!

I love your bucephalandra... but saw an really cool 1 I may hold out for...something like skeleton king? so pretty in a club members tank but of course just recovering...
Thank you. Beware of the B. skeleton king. The B. dark skeleton king had been on my radar for a long time but the attractive features to me was the emersed growth with the noticeable veins. Submersed growth was a totally different plant which I didn't care for and the other problem from my understand is the skeleton king doesn't transition well to submersed. The few people I know who have attempted to keep it has lost it in less than a year.

Well the picture with labels like above gives me the reference point to where they are planted, some are easly distinguishable between the species I have since I know what they were sold to me as and some species are bound to rocks with color rubber bands from my daughters rainbow loom...LOL

My crypts are separated in pots first to control them spreading uncontrollably second to identify them third replenish nutrients I use mineralized soil at the bottom of my containers since they are heavy root feeders. Unfortunately the idea occurred to me after the c. tropica and c. florida got all mixed together but here's one of my pots in the 180g....



It is now to the point where it need to be split this pot is easily hidden behind my A. nana petite.

Here is my C. affinis metallica
 

fishorama

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Jun 28, 2006
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SF Bay area, CA
Thanks for the s.k. warning, I'd be very disappointed especially if that was my first buce! I may need to consult you when the time comes but that won't be for a while. I'll enjoy yours & others until then.

And TY for the crypt pics, I forgot you grow them potted. I've wavered on a thin dirt/aqua soil layer for the next mainly crypt tank but it can be messy...maybe like you've done but with deeper substrate than I have to hide pots...I'm in no hurry ATM.

Keep up the good work!
 
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JAY973

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Dec 24, 2005
1,133
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NJ
Thanks for the s.k. warning, I'd be very disappointed especially if that was my first buce! I may need to consult you when the time comes but that won't be for a while. I'll enjoy yours & others until then.

And TY for the crypt pics, I forgot you grow them potted. I've wavered on a thin dirt/aqua soil layer for the next mainly crypt tank but it can be messy...maybe like you've done but with deeper substrate than I have to hide pots...I'm in no hurry ATM.

Keep up the good work!
Thanks.

Keep in mind your container can be shallow would make it easier to hide. We go through a lot of thin sliced deli meat and sherbert ice cream so I have an abundance of those plastic containers...LOL
 

JAY973

AC Members
Dec 24, 2005
1,133
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NJ
Well it's been a while since I've done a video of the scape so here it is.

I reduced my lighting from 4 80w T5HO to just 2 80w T5HO to see if it would help control BBA and seems to have helped on the Buces although not completely gone. Trying to trim the Anubias nana petite hedge is a real pain you can't trim it and still have it look presentable so I'm not sure when I will tackle redoing the hedge. The foreground is slowly coming in but it appears only in strings oddly you have 1 runner go across the tank an little else from other parts of the plant.

Thanks for checking out my thread.
 
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