# Mike!'s 55G Botanical Rasborarama (11/24/2018: Still Kicking!)



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

_October 21, 2018_








_August 30, 2018_

*Stats*

*Tanks*
Clarity Plus 55 gallon acrylic 
12 gallon sump 
Finnex external refugium (on sump)

*Lights*
48" Beamworks DA 120 6500k
11" Nicrew LED (for the refugium)

*Water Movement*
Aquaclear 70 powerhead (sump return)
Hydor koralia nano 425 wavemaker

*CO2*
CO2Art Pro-SE dual stage regulator
80mm bazooka diffuser
5lb CO2 tank

*Filtration*
Filter sock
Seachem Purigen in The Bag
Pot scrubbies
Seachem Matrix
Peat granules (in a bag in a refugium chamber)

*Fish & Inverts*
2 German blue rams
2 keyhole cichlids (female)
14 espei rasboras (sold as espei, but mix of hengeli and 1 harlequin)
4 kubotai rasboras (aka microdevario)
5 otocincluses
2 pearl gouramis (male)
2 neon tetras
2 cherry barbs (female)
1 kuhli loach (who officially lives in the sump after too many escapes)

1+ Amano shrimp (also in sump ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
2 horned nerites
4 assorted nerites
All the Malaysian trumpet snails

*Plants*
Anubias frazieri
Anubias hastifolia
Bacopa caroliniana
Blyxa japonica
Buce black pearl
Buce brownie blue
Buce kedagang purple
Buce red blade
Buce sweet mambo
Cryptocoryne parva
Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia
Cryptocoryne spiralis
Cryptocoryne spiralis tiger
Cryptocoryne undulatus 'red'
Cryptocoryne usteriana
Cryptocoryne wendtii bronze
Cryptocoryne wendtii green gecko
Cryptocoryne wendtii pink panther
Hydrocotyle sp. Japan
Java moss
Limnophila rugosa
Ludwigia repens
Ludwigia sp. super red
Ludwigia x lacustris
Mayaca Fluviatilis
Microsorum pteropus 'Thunder Leaf'
Microsorum pteropus windelov
Nymphaea stellata
Pogostemon stellatus
Rotala H'ra
Saggitarius subulata
Salvinia minima
Vallisneria

*Failed Plants*
Littorella uniflora
Myriophyllum red stem
Hair grass
Cryptocoryne albida red

*Original Post*





After 4 years limping along as a lightly planted, algae-ridden, heavily neglected afterthought, my 55 gallon acrylic was suddenly foregrounded by two events. One, my wife asked me to move it across the room where we can see it from the couch, kitchen and dinner table. And two, my wife found out Mr Clean magic erasers are safe and effective for algae on acrylic.

Being able and having to look inside the thing, I started cleaning and water changing and buying new fish and plants. It all came to a head when I bought a small bunch of bacopa caroliniana at my LFS and the guy gave me the third degree about my lights (and my inability to describe them beyond "sort of bright LEDs). I insisted I'd take my chances with the $3 in plants, thank you very much. But naturally they did not do well at all under my 30ish LED 36" Marineland fixture. So a few days later I got myself a Beamworks DA 120 0.5W 6500k.

If you're reading this forum, you know roughly what happened next with 4 years of accumulated mulm and ~1 watt of LED per gallon. But I didn't. Green algae went nuts. Meanwhile the BBA and hair algae actually slowed down. So more water changes, a lot of reading, Flourish Excel, Matrix, Purigen, a few rounds of H2O2, a small wave maker to push more detritus to the overflow, and a ravenous school of 6 otocincluses ensued.

Which brings us to roughly where I was this Saturday morning when I rescaped.

Everything out but the fish, water, and half the substrate (a sad mixture of Petco white sand and red caribsea eco complete). Added ~30lbs of black diamond blasting abrasive, 3 pieces of driftwood (including a massive one that had been removed during the darkest days of hair algae) and put half the rocks back in one large pile. I put the plants back, but now grouped by species instead of interspersed and super glued the Java Fern and moss to the big driftwood.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Pre- and postscape pictures without a novel:


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Zeroing in on the new plants list, let me know if any seem problematic for my low-medium light setup and no CO2.

Buce Startr Pack (assortment of 5 semi-random buce varieties)
Anubias hastifolia
Flame sword
Pogostemon stellata
Ludwigia natans super red
Saggitaria subulata


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Bigger water changes, plus 6 otos, Excel, flourish, root tabs and split photo period seem to have finally gotten the best of my algae. The front glass was almost bare and there is no substantial hair or BBA on any plants.

Big water changes really bring out the low profile tank envy. I wish it was as simple as turning this thing on its side.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Came home to an RAOK from @Doogy262 (thanks!) and some loose hair grass and bacopa.









30 or so stems and rosettes later, we're looking a lot more planted.









Everything in the package matched the description except for this apparent hitchhiker mixed in with the dwarf sag. Any guesses?









Not dwarf sag, clearly.


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

What a change! The first thing I noticed was the powerhead on the left. For best effect, it should be facing from left to right, not back to front. That'll give you much better circulation to your plants and help lift debris up so the filter can take it out. Otherwise, if it were my tank I'd just let it grow out for a while. Don't be afraid to trim old or algae covered leaves.

Cheers,
Phil


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Thanks for the tip on powerhead. The front to back is designed to accelerate the return flow and theoretically create a current that hits the front wall and then moves left to right. But I think you're right, I should just bite the bullet and move it to the front of the left wall.

Trimming leaves: I've been fighting the balance of keeping the second or third leaf on a crypt vs pruning it for a while now. I actually trimmed a bunch of bronze wendtii leaves this morning because I noticed they were starting to grow a little faster than the BBA. Hoping my usteriana follows suit.

I think I'm still going to get some buce for the log, another anubias for the rocks and one more red stem (pogostemon stellata probably), but after that I'm going to do my best to stop tinkering.


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## n-seine (Sep 26, 2008)

the mystery hitchhiker plant is a Blyxa.. either japonica or aubertii but based on color I would GUESS japonica but without seeing the clear crown it is hard to say.. I would pull it up and out a little to clear the crown a bit to avoid making it rot though


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Thanks for the tip on the blyxa! It had basically no roots, which is why it's so deep. I'm thinking maybe float it for a little bit?

Just read a little about blyxa... Lack of roots might be a bit irrelevant given this thing wants CO2 injection and I'm in no hurry to add it.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Good call on the powerhead, Phil. Not only are all the plants in the foreground swaying nicely, but my mixed rasbora school (plus guppy) is enjoying the improved current.










Side notes for the actual "journal" function here.

I did a 50% water change today and added flourish potassium for the first time. Would have done phosphorus too, but I accidentally ordered nitrogen instead. Since I can't get my nitrate below 30 ppm despite regular large WCs and Purigen, I won't be dosing the nitrogen any time soon. Hopefully the added plant mass, the phosphorus I'll get in a few days and the WCs will start to make a dent in that nitrate. (Also continuing Flourish for micros, excel and added some tabs for new plants.)


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Question (let me down gently): between my surprisingly aggro pearl gouramis, prototypically gentle keyhole cichlids, German blue ram, and still kind of sparse planting, would a few amano shrimp stand half a chance?

Alright, time to talk about my half-baked sump-refugium project:










The longer term plan is to fill this with moss and a couple shrimp and reserve a chamber or two for fry. At the moment, it's got a bunch of Java fern plantlets that were getting choked with BBA topside. Down here, I only give them ~4 hrs of light per day. The ferns survive and it seems to be taking out the BBA.

Also, is that a flower stem on the blyxa I assumed would be a goner under my light and (natural) CO2?


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

I was literally startled by a leaf tonight.

First new growth on my anubias frazieri came out of nowhere. (The folded disconcertingly yellow one.)


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Got a shipment: anubias hastifolia, pogo stellatus, littorella uniflora, and the buce "startr".








Bucephalandra portions more generous than described. I'm not complaining.








No time to plant now, so big stuff in the tank and little stuff gets a glass till later.


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## cbachmann (Aug 6, 2013)

Mike! said:


> I did a 50% water change today and added flourish potassium for the first time. Would have done phosphorus too, but I accidentally ordered nitrogen instead. Since I can't get my nitrate below 30 ppm despite regular large WCs and Purigen, I won't be dosing the nitrogen any time soon. Hopefully the added plant mass, the phosphorus I'll get in a few days and the WCs will start to make a dent in that nitrate. (Also continuing Flourish for micros, excel and added some tabs for new plants.)


I'm wondering what happened when you started adding phosphate. In my experience its been something that seemed to promote algae growth. I dont dose any phosphate in my tanks at the moment.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

cbachmann said:


> I'm wondering what happened when you started adding phosphate. In my experience its been something that seemed to promote algae growth. I dont dose any phosphate in my tanks at the moment.


So far algae is continuing its downward trend that began when I started on big water changes (I'm intentionally leaving the algae on the back wall). I am only dosing the Seachem proscribed amount. I was adding potassium and phosphate in response to specific leaf deficiencies and the assumption that nitrate was holding steady for lack of other macros.

The only real problem area is on top of my big driftwood where the PAR is obviously much higher being ~13 inches closer to the light than the substrate.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Everything new is planted. I pulled all the hairgrass today (a lost cause bought on an uneducated whim at a CPS) making room for the littorella uniflora. I also tightened up the bacopa caroliniana to make space for the pogostemon stellatus. I think I need move the bacopa and replace it with something that will contrast with the buce on the log better, but I'm not sure what.








My superglue skills need improvement. Will probably try string next time.

Pretty happy with the order. Wish the pogo was reddish like the picture and the hastifolia had Arrowhead shipped leaves already, but solid overall.


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

cbachmann said:


> I'm wondering what happened when you started adding phosphate. In my experience its been something that seemed to promote algae growth. I dont dose any phosphate in my tanks at the moment.


Most tanks need phosphate, but some don't. It totally depends on what sort of system it is and how mature the substrate is. I dose a lot of phosphate in my high tech tank because the plants' metabolism is so high that the system can't provide enough. That helps prevent algae. If I didn't dose it, the tank would be full of algae and dead plants.



Mike! said:


> So far algae is continuing its downward trend that began when I started on big water changes (I'm intentionally leaving the algae on the back wall). I am only dosing the Seachem proscribed amount. I was adding potassium and phosphate in response to specific leaf deficiencies and the assumption that nitrate was holding steady for lack of other macros.
> 
> The only real problem area is on top of my big driftwood where the PAR is obviously much higher being ~13 inches closer to the light than the substrate.


Mike, you may notice nitrate going down now that you're adding phosphate and potassium, as well as increasing plant mass. It would probably be a good thing to test every few days for the next couple weeks to get an idea of what's going on.

In response to a non-quoted post- don't worry about aquascaping at the moment. Just let your plants grow. Once your plants have filled the tank, then go bonkers with aquascaping. Right now the ecosystem is pretty unstable as you keep adding plants and such to it. Let it settle down and mature for a while. Once it can handle a large disturbance, go for it. 


Regards,
Phil


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Phil Edwards said:


> Mike, you may notice nitrate going down now that you're adding phosphate and potassium, as well as increasing plant mass. It would probably be a good thing to test every few days for the next couple weeks to get an idea of what's going on.
> 
> In response to a non-quoted post- don't worry about aquascaping at the moment. Just let your plants grow. Once your plants have filled the tank, then go bonkers with aquascaping. Right now the ecosystem is pretty unstable as you keep adding plants and such to it. Let it settle down and mature for a while. Once it can handle a large disturbance, go for it.


Phil,

I'm overdue to test parameters, I'll get at it this evening. Just using the API multistrip at the moment. Need to upgrade eventually. Given my bioload, it will be a pleasant surprise if nitrate has really come down. My goal is to run at about 10ppm.

I appreciate you reiterating the suggestion to hold off on changes and let things grow out. I did not catch your point the first time around.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Notes: I'm now prepared to admit I am slowly killing my vals with excel. About a week ago, I read that excel should be added in the dark for various reasons. So I started adding it at lights out. A few days later, much of the new val growth has this sad stunted look to it.









Not ready to give up the excel, so I'll probably need something else for my right corner eventually.


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Sorry to hear about your Val. I think the same thing happened with the tank at the office. It was growing like crazy then suddenly BOOM. Dead. Crypt balansae or spiralis would be a nice substitute for the Val. They have the same strappy leaves and are a lot heartier when it comes to Excel.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

I have a couple crypts that might be able to fill the space vertically (usteriana and kubotai, both IDs a bit up in the air). The question is whether I have the patience to grow them out or if I skip straight to buying some.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Phil Edwards said:


> Sorry to hear about your Val. I think the same thing happened with the tank at the office. It was growing like crazy then suddenly BOOM. Dead. Crypt balansae or spiralis would be a nice substitute for the Val. They have the same strappy leaves and are a lot heartier when it comes to Excel.


I personally think crypt spiralis and Balansae look 1000x better than vals. Since you are low tech I would suggest spiralis. Even in a full high light, C02, EI dosed tank Balansae was very slow to adjust and start growing. Now that I pulled it up I realize why. The 5 months where it sat there with minimal growth it had been establishing a massive root network that took up nearly 1/3 of a 75 gallon tank. There were only like 3 maybe 4 plants (2 of which were small and just recently emergent) above the surface that looked pretty scraggly.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

The Dude1 said:


> I personally think crypt spiralis and Balansae look 1000x better than vals. Since you are low tech I would suggest spiralis. Even in a full high light, C02, EI dosed tank Balansae was very slow to adjust and start growing. Now that I pulled it up I realize why. The 5 months where it sat there with minimal growth it had been establishing a massive root network that took up nearly 1/3 of a 75 gallon tank. There were only like 3 maybe 4 plants (2 of which were small and just recently emergent) above the surface that looked pretty scraggly.


Stories like this are why I have held off on flourish advance so far. Have you ever noticed how crypt runners send up little "periscopes"? Tiny vertical strands that stick maybe two inches out the substrate. I've seen it the most with the usteriana.









Speaking of spiralis, I thought I had this ID'd as crispatula kubotae, but most of the new growth is crinkled instead of the flat leaves it came in with. Anybody have a guess?

Finally got out the test strips today. Judging by the gradient between white and barely pink, I would put nitrate at 10-15ppm. This is before the big weekly water change, so it seems I may need the flourish nitrogen a little sooner than expected. Also seems to be time to upgrade test kits. Do people just go with the big one from API, or is there something better in a similar price range?


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

And while we're on the subject of crypt (mis-)IDs, I've calling this wendtii bronze for a bit, but the latest growth has these nice green stripes (visible because not algae covered). Is that a wendtii thing I've just never noticed?


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Those look like C. retrospiralis and C. wendtii to me. The only way to tell barring a DNA test is for the plant to flower. I've had plenty of retrospiralis and wendtii look like yours so I'm going to make an educated guess that's what you've got. 

And patience padawan.  If you plant it, it will come. Going too fast only hurts things in this hobby. Speaking of going too fast. Avoid Flourish Advance unless you're using the entire Flourish line. I've used it in my tank to help plants establish after a big renovation, but that's it. After about two weeks I could see some negative effects on the plants, so don't use it longer than that, if you use it at all. In your case, I really wouldn't recommend it.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Thanks for the IDs, Phil! I'm going to run with them until somebody comes at me with a gene sequencer.

*Maintenance*

~40% water change today. The first time dosing nitrogen after last night's lower reading. Another first: applied the entire daily dose of excel with a baby dropper directly on my emersed-by-the-water-change Java moss. Should have taken a before pic, but the after is a delightfully brighter green with a lot of reddened BBA.









_complete with GBR photo bombing_

Thinking about combining all my non-excel ferts for a week then dosing 1/7th of them daily. Seems like this would make me more consistent and even out the application for the plants. My only question is whether pre-combination might make anything less bio-available via chemical reactions. Seems unlikely given everyone's custom mixes that are presumably... mixed.

*Plants*

My mom mentioned wanting C. wendtii pink flamingo a few weeks ago, but that they were too expensive. I couldn't find an immediate source, but I did find some c. albida red, which is very much pink, at least in tissue culture. More than I would want to spend on a single plant for myself until I am a little more confident in my stability and trajectory, but pretty reasonable in the scope of M. Day presents. Did I pilfer a couple for my own tank? Maybe. I did send her home with a few stems of bacopa caroliniana when she eyed them. Fair trade, right?









_almost too pink_

*Livestock*

Finally got around to plugging my numbers into AqAdvisor. A few surprises. First: I forgot about my lone male guppy. When I remembered him, it bumped me from 73 to 77% stocked. I'm wondering if they are assuming guppies == rampant guppy babies. Second surprise: I'm only at 77%! Third surprise: doubling my rasbora count (to twelve each espei and micro- kubotai) would only bump me to 84%. So I guess I get to go rasbora shopping next weekend.









_such percentage_

At this point I'd be content with a tank full of rasboras and 5-10 otos, so I'm looking forward to filling out my schools. I'm wondering if I should include my sump in my tank size, but maybe I am better off having a buffer.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Not sure it reads in the picture quite like real life, but the algae is red like a kool aid dye job this morning.


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

Congrats on the algae treatment! As far as combining ferts, I'd highly recommend against it as doing so would create the perfect environment for mold and other nasties. It's best to just leave them in separate bottles and does separately.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Hopefully it works for you, but dosing straight excel on moss killed it everytime for me. I have found it is best to manually remove all algae and then place the remaining small portion of moss somewhere with less light to allow it to recover.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Dude,

That moss has finally grown out to the point where the glue is slightly less garish, so I figured it was worth a try. If it doesn't work out I've got a bunch more moss hiding in my refugium and floating around the lower reaches of the tank. Honestly not sure if I'm going to be able to pull off plants this close to the light without CO2. I could dim, but then PAR at the substrate...


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Mike! said:


> Dude,
> 
> That moss has finally grown out to the point where the glue is slightly less garish, so I figured it was worth a try. If it doesn't work out I've got a bunch more moss hiding in my refugium and floating around the lower reaches of the tank. Honestly not sure if I'm going to be able to pull off plants this close to the light without CO2. I could dim, but then PAR at the substrate...


yep... I know exactly what you mean. Some of my tanks have been running for 2 or more years and I still sometimes have to move things around. In some high light C02 injected tanks if the moss is closer than 12" from the light it becomes riddled with moss... yet in another high light C02 injected tank I have a massive mound of java moss growing less than 4" from the light. Whats even funnier is I never placed java moss in that spot. It just started growing and I never tore it off. Its probably more than a softballs worth now


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

I'm going to keep trying for a while with the moss and ferns on the wood because I really want them there. I seem to be getting a handle on things at substrate level, so maybe a few rounds of treat and cull will work up top as well.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Rasborarama*

My wife went to co-worker happy hour, so I took the kids to dinner across town at a restaurant that happens to be near the good LFS.









_7 espei rasboras later..._

I brought my espei count up to 14 and reserved 10 kubotai when they next come in. At 7, the espei schooled well, but this is a different experience.

*Moss Loss*

At least 90% sure the Dude's prediction on post direct excel-dose moss is coming true. Most of the moss is a yellow green. The 10% is me trying to argue that's just bleached BBA tinting the apparent color.









_that buce though_

I really like the way the buce "stood up" after being anchored to the log. It sort of seems like it's growing, but that's probably just the positioning making it seem larger.

*Phosphate Update*

@cbachmann asked if adding phosphate had any negative algae effects. I'm now about two weeks in and so far still good. It's hard to pinpoint phosphate as a positive, given a multitude of other good practices, but it's not an obvious negative. I am more inclined to believe that potassium was my most serious bottleneck at the time and that's what brought nitrate down. Given that my tank is still not "fully stocked" per AqAdvisor, it's reasonable to think that both may have been needed at my current plant mass. I'm interested to see if iron, started this Monday, makes an appreciable difference.

General dosing notes, I'm now (mostly) following a schedule (per bottle instructions):
Daily: excel, iron
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday: potassium
Sunday, Wednesday: nitrogen, phosphorus, flourish
(Saturday or Sunday: big water change)


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## cbachmann (Aug 6, 2013)

Mike! said:


> @cbachmann asked if adding phosphate had any negative algae effects. I'm now about two weeks in and so far still good. It's hard to pinpoint phosphate as a positive, given a multitude of other good practices, but it's not an obvious negative. I am more inclined to believe that potassium was my most serious bottleneck at the time and that's what brought nitrate down. Given that my tank is still not "fully stocked" per AqAdvisor, it's reasonable to think that both may have been needed at my current plant mass. I'm interested to see if iron, started this Monday, makes an appreciable difference.


I've also decided to try phosphate again, starting at VERY low levels (I use dry ferts so its relatively easy to titrate for effect). So far so good for me too, although is only been a week give or take.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

I DIY'd a spray bar!










I got my tank from Craigslist a few years ago for $75. A pretty good deal for a 55 gallon acrylic with (acrylic) sump. It does have a few warts, though. Until now, the sump return was a 3/4 PVC elbow with a sawed off tube barb. This had been attached to an undergravel filter, but the thin plastic pipes were busted when I got the tank and who does undergravel anymore? Options were limited because the bulkhead was drilled with zero clearance from the sawed off elbow. So I pointed the return flow away from the overflow weir and called it good for 4 years. 

[Other warts: lots of acrylic scratches, the standpipe in the weir is inexplicably notched every inch, and the original top was busted off leaving weird acrylic loops where the hinge was.]

So I got some PVC parts including the 3/4 thread to slip coupling that made it possible to go from bulkhead outward. The slip joint is held together with friction, which is either a bad idea or an escape valve if all the holes ever clog.









_parts_

Tools: hacksaw, drill, vise and hammer









_assembled_

I definitely screwed up and left the white lettering exposed on one of the two pipes.









_that gap_

I think I'll paint the whole thing with krylon fusion and cut another half inch off the connector. If I'm lazy, I'll just sand off the lettering with a my Dremel. Overall the design seems sound enough, it goes a long way toward evening out the return flow.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Rogue Amanos*

I got four amanos last week when I got the additional espei rasboras. One died that night and the other three were missing in the morning. I figured I had made a (mildly expensive) mistake and I would, sheepishly, not mention it here. Tonight I happened to look in my sump and lo...









_and behold_

I counted two. There's plenty of hiding space for a third. So I have amanos...

*Buce Bloom?*

My last big plant addition included a 5 pack of various buces. There's substantial variation in how well each kind is doing, some with new leaves, one has a few yellowish leaves, and this one, maybe, is flowering.









_okay, but is it?_

*Spray Bar/Spray Paint*

I painted the new DIY spray on Sunday and gave it a couple days to dry. Open question on whether it's actually good, but at least it kind of blends in now.









_painted spray bar descending a staircase_


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## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

Do your keyhole cichlids eat the shrimp?


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

ChrisX said:


> Do your keyhole cichlids eat the shrimp?


I had read varying accounts on keyholes and rams with shrimp. Many people on forums say they are ok with larger shrimp. I certainly didn't see a keyhole eat a shrimp. 3 of 4 shrimp are accounted for. I'm pretty sure one died of shock on introduction to my parameters. 2 are alive in the sump. The third may have been eaten or is also in the sump (or the weir).

Based on how my keyholes and ram normally behave, I was more concerned with my fairly vicious (but small mouthed) pearl gouramis.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Fencing Off Suicide Falls*

Finally put together a strategy for trying to prevent fish from taking the plunge through my overflow weir. The list of confirmed and likely weir-jumpers includes guppies, apistos, neons, rasboras, rams, (juvenile) keyholes, kuhli loaches and now amano shrimp. Most of these were capable of bypassing the floss one way or another and getting fished out, but never a neon or rasbora.









_zip ties and gutter guard_









_the new ugliest thing in the tank, but worth it if it works_

I may just try returning the loach to the display tank for the tenth time...


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Coming to the (in retrospect pretty obvious) conclusion that my lights are just too bright for a non-CO2 setup. Per the chart, it would seem I am at about 60 par at substrate and 200(!) At the top of the mopani.








Dimmer on order.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*This Old Leaf*










*BBA Massacre*


















_where did all the fern go?_


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Noting for my own future reference, yesterday:

1. Installed dimmer and reduced light to about 70%.
2. Replaced the barrel of polyester quilt batting wrapped in plastic mesh at the start of the sump with a filter sock and holder. (Side benefit: quieter).

These are the latest steps in my battle with BBA.

In other news, is this oto injured or dying?

www.plantedtank.net/forums/21-fish/1267921-how-doomed-oto.html#post11027953

Kanaplex coming tomorrow...


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Bizarre Dimmer Interaction – New Order song title first draft*

My new dimmer is comboing with my timer to produce a superior "moonlight" effect when the timer is in "off" mode.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Oto and Kanaplex*

My white-splotched oto is still surprisingly vigorous and the splotch is unchanged. Got the Kanaplex in the mail today, so I dosed it just in case.

*Cleanup*

Gave my wavemaker a serious H2O2 dip. It probably has/had the most BBA of anything at this point.

*New Plants on the Horizon*

Working up an order of mostly red stems. May happen as early as next week.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Long Time, No FTS*










Now that I've gotten aggressive with old, BBA-ridden leaves, I'm starting to feel pretty good about how things are progressing. The limnophila, mayaca, bacopa and pogo stellatus all have substantial new growth. The crypts (except the albida red, RIP albida red) are hitting cruising speed, pumping out leaves faster than the BBA can engulf them.

*Oto Lives!*










When I saw the big white patch on this oto's back last week, I wasn't holding out much hope for survival. It might be the Kanaplex, but my guess is it was just injured and I need to have a serious talk with my pearl gourami.

*Changes A'Comin'*

I ordered some red stems (and a thunder fern, and some H. Japan) from Bartohog. Not entirely certain I have the space for it all.

So I'm plotting out a minor rescape:

1. Take the rock pile on the right and make a retaining wall/cliff under the left end of the big mopani.
2. Lower the substrate substantially on the left side of the new cliff. Fill this in with small rosettes only (e.g., crypts, sag, littorella)
3. Add corrugated plastic supports to some slopes, particularly to the right of the new cliff.
4. Find a new home for my vals.


----------



## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

I am glad the otto is doing well, that is great! The new scape sounds like it will look very nice, excited to see what you come up with.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*New Red Stems (and Other Red, Reddish and Non-Red Plants)*

Got my order from @Bartohog today -- a selection of low-tech-tolerant red stems and a couple green things I couldn't resist:










Ludwigia sp. super red
Ludwigia x lacustris
Rotala H'ra
Myriophyllum aquaticum red stem
Microsorum pteropus "Thunder Leaf"
Hydrocotyle sp. Japan










Everything looks healthy. Hoping they do well in my tank, and, best case, keep the reds.

The stems are all in temporary spots in the substrate to avoid getting blown around by water movement and growing random roots. The fern and hydrocotyle will need to wait for my planned rescape.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Arms Race*








Bacopa and pogostemon are both racing for the surface. I'd have my money on bacopa, except the pogostemon was about half its height a few weeks ago. I'll get in there and bush them both up when I rescape.

*The Fade*








With the bright green new foliage, it may not look it, but I think the myriophyllum red stem is my best bet for continued redness. The rotala and especially the ludwigia are all showing distinct greenness in their new growth. Facing facts on the necessity of CO2 if I really want this.

*Friday, Friday, Rescaping on Friday*
I have the day off, so the plan is to get in and add some elevation and attack the red ecomplete/white sand eyesore.


----------



## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

With what you are wanting I think you would be much happier with a good C02 system. Bringing out strong reds usually requires adequate iron and high light... and high light requires C02. Your tank is coming along very nicely!


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

The Dude1 said:


> With what you are wanting I think you would be much happier with a good C02 system. Bringing out strong reds usually requires adequate iron and high light... and high light requires C02. Your tank is coming along very nicely!


Thanks! The only things holding me back on CO2 are added complexity, cabinet space (I have a sump taking up two thirds of it) and explaining to my wife why I had to spend 2-300 on CO2 even though the money itself is not an actual issue. So a few things...


----------



## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Mike! said:


> Thanks! The only things holding me back on CO2 are added complexity, cabinet space (I have a sump taking up two thirds of it) and explaining to my wife why I had to spend 2-300 on CO2 even though the money itself is not an actual issue. So a few things...


I've been in that boat. 
Complexity - buy a decent dual stage custom built one from one of the reputable members. I had Alan Le build mine. It was an excellent decision. Next find a welding or brewing store locally and find out if they exchange or do fills. For me I bought a 20lb tank full for $160 or $180. I swap for a new filled tank (nice aluminum one) for $30. Never have to worry about certifications or any of that. Build a Griggs reactor. About $30 in stuff at home depot and maybe 15 or 20 minutes. Look on YouTube. Run the reactor on the output of the sump. Run a check valve between regulator and reactor. I also use a cheap digital timer to run solenoid.
Wife - it will save money. Not only will you need to buy less plants to fill in the tank, but you are ensured that they will survive! And you will be able to sell plant packages (that was a big selling point). I very rarely sell plants, but in about 8 months I "paid the account" twice what I spent on the regulator. 
Space - I actually love the "look" of my regulator and tank. Looks kind of high tech industrial. I was so excited to show my wife I don't think she had the heart to tell me she didn't like it, much less get mad at me.
Not that you need any additional encouragement, but after going pressurized C02 you will never go without. It can take some time to figure it all out and what you want, but you can make incredible scapes out of all kinds of plants. Even slow growers like anubias and java ferns .


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Rescape Preview*








The video needs editing, but here's a quick FTS, post-rescape. I made a wall of corrugated plastic to create a hill across the middle back. When I post the video, I'll get a shot from the left side. The secondary goal after elevation was creating a low area on the left such that when viewed from that side it doesn't look like the side of a 2D aquascape, but has its own depth and character.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*The Video*




*The Side View*


----------



## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

That piece of driftwood looks killer from the side. I'm not an expert on aquascapes of hardscapes, but those white stones really through it off for me. I think some black lava rock or grey or black stone or even better some mopani chunks would fit in alot better. My LFS always gets in these smaller chunks of mopani and alot of times would throw them away since no one bought them. Most are smaller than a tennis ball. I go in each time they get a shipment and buy all of the chunks. Most sell mopani by the pound. They sell the chunks to me for half the price of the big pieces... so I leave with a average size grocery bag of chunks for about $7. Speaking of... I need to go today and see if they have more. They're perfect for building up elevated areas whether under large pieces of wood or at the base of elevated substrates. 
Just thought I'd share. Scape is looking good and your GBR is an accomplished photobomber!


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

I tend to agree with you about the white rocks ("Mariposite"), Dude. My wife pushed for them back when it was predominantly white sand. They weren't so out of place then. I was thinking they needed to go before this scape, but I didn't make it to the landscape supply (the LFS is good, but their rock selection not so much). I have a misfit assortment of hardscape including a couple small hunks of wood and a smooth piece of basalt that could replace the front three rocks. Thinking I might be able to get away with the back two until I find something I like more.

And yeah, that is a gorgeous piece of mopani, even though I'm starting to think it's too big for the 55g footprint. I've been daydreaming about an 80 gallon frag, lately. I'll let it ride for a while because I want to know what it will look like absolutely covered in Java fern.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Layout 3.1*








I took the Dude's suggestion and replaced the white rocks in the front. An improvement, I think.

*Spotty Buce*








My buce growth has not been too impressive. I'm getting new leaves, but it definitely seems to be another "better with CO2" sitch.

*Impulse Undulatus*








Picked up a c. undulatus the day of the aquascape. Obviously it won't be foreground forever, but I'm guessing it will be for a very long time.

*Windelov Plantlets*








I glued just about every last Windelov Java fern plantlet to a small stone. Probably hand that off to my mom when they are all grown out.


----------



## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Looks much more cohesive! Buces are funny. Sometimes they're happy, sometimes not. I am down to "dipping" mine every 6 weeks or so... well the ones that get dipped. I do 1 part glut to 3 parts water. Dip just the affected leaves for around 8 seconds and right back into the tank. It seems to me that even the smallest amount of BBA or whatever really affects them. They perk up really fast after a dip. Personally I think yours are looking good.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

The Dude1 said:


> Looks much more cohesive! Buces are funny. Sometimes they're happy, sometimes not. I am down to "dipping" mine every 6 weeks or so... well the ones that get dipped. I do 1 part glut to 3 parts water. Dip just the affected leaves for around 8 seconds and right back into the tank. It seems to me that even the smallest amount of BBA or whatever really affects them. They perk up really fast after a dip. Personally I think yours are looking good.


The "ruffled" ones seem to be doing better than the round leaf ones.

A funny thing happened when I did the last rescape. I had the driftwood out of the tank for about an hour and when I put it back in all the BBA (on wood, ferns and buce) went bright red as if I had dosed it.

Now if only that wood wasn't a wrestling match to get through the tank top...


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*The Red Stems Strike Back*








Rotala H'ra and Ludwigia super red bouncing back with a bit more red in the newest growth.

*Emersed First*








First I just wanted it to grow to the top just to say it did. Now I've got to give it more time to maybe blossom. If there's a purple flower on there in the next week or so, you can expect it here.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*In Which Everyone Is a Critic*

I reviewed littorella uniflora over in plants. TLDR: not suitable for low tech despite listings.

*Deficiency Efficiencies*

I'm seeing new and old leaves with signs of nitrogen deficiency (smaller growth new, yellowing/dying old) and possibly phosphorus. Tested today and the NO3 reading on the strip was between 0 and 20ppm, but barely darker than the dry strip. So I guess my bioload + twice weekly Seachem "beginner dose" is not cutting it. Increase frequency or same frequency more volume?


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Long Time No...*
In celebration of this forum being much less broken, here's an update.








_FTS pre-LFS trip yesterday..._

*Mollusk Mania*
I got some nerites. Both some "assorted" from PetSmart and a couple horned from the LFS. So far they are doing a lot more excreting and aquarium escaping than driftwood cleaning. No apparent deaths as of yet, but it feels like just a matter of time before one gets out and on the back of the tank.

*Tricksy Otos*
Its becoming increasingly challenging to get an accurate census of otos. I started with six a month or so ago, believed I lost one in the first week, then a few weeks later thought I was losing, then saved, then lost another. Turns out as of last week I still have at least 5 after seeing only 4 for weeks. I'm not fully convinced there isn't a sixth.

*New Flora Because Of Course New Flora*
Went to the LFS yesterday with my kids to give my wife a chance to nap and get on the list for a new GBR female. Managed to leave with only a red dwarf lily, $2 worth of salvinia and the nerites mentioned above. Success? At least I didn't get 10 green fire tetras...


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Valisneria Rampage*
Went on a valisneria prune-fest this weekend. Pulled every last one out and removed every leaf with damage or significant algae. This sort of seems like a half measure on the way to getting rid of it all, but we'll see.









_Note the much diminished vals, back right_

*Nerite Notes*
I got 4 "assorted" nerites from the PetSmart and two horned from the LFS. As mentioned above, the assorted have been apparently worrhless -- pooping, escaping. The horned meanwhile are rampantly cleaning anubias and driftwood, so +1for horned nerites.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*German Blue Show-off*

Finally got a replacement female GBR. I forgot just how showy the male was when he had an audience. Pretty stunning.









*Hair Algae (Not Pictured)*

Experiencing an annoying amount of particularly stringy hair algae where it seemed to be more compact since getting brighter lights. Possible causes:

1. The horned nerite snails eating all the BBA is leaving nutrients for the hair
2. Victim of success: overall plant mass has exceeded my ferts
3. Recently added salvinia is sucking down macros
4. Time for a purigen recharge?


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

That is a monstrous, and sexy piece of driftwood. Holy moly.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Raith said:


> That is a monstrous, and sexy piece of driftwood. Holy moly.


Thanks! The tank is a 55gal acrylic, so the top is mostly solid, unmoveable acrylic, with two openings about 8"X12". The monstrosity of that mopani is particularly on display whenever I have to maneuver it in and out of the tank. The first time I was putting it in, I was pretty sure I just blew fifty bucks on a log I was going to have to saw to pieces.


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

Mike! said:


> Thanks! The tank is a 55gal acrylic, so the top is mostly solid, unmoveable acrylic, with two openings about 8"X12". The monstrosity of that mopani is particularly on display whenever I have to maneuver it in and out of the tank. The first time I was putting it in, I was pretty sure I just blew fifty bucks on a log I was going to have to saw to pieces.


The mopani is $50? Dang!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Rarish Cryptocoryne Sale == No Self-Restraint*
AFA had "tall" tissue culture cups of wendtii pink panther for $10. Resistance was futile. As long as I was paying for shipping, $10 for spiralis tiger seemed reasonable enough. The roots and quantity of the spiralis were a little disappointing, but there must be 11 pink panther plantlets, each with substantial roots. So overall pretty pleased. We'll see if they live past the inevitable first melt.


















I'm now at approximately 8 varieties of crypt. I don't have a problem, you have a problem.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*This Is Only a Test*








Finally busted out my new test kits in a free moment. The tubes really make you feel like a chemist in a way that the strips just can't hack it. I skipped ammonia and nitrite as I'm reasonably confident I'm cycled...

KH 5-6 drops
GH 15 drops
PH 7.8
Nitrate 10-20 ppm

I'm pretty fine with the Nitrate and KH numbers. I'm dosing nitrogen and the KH seems acceptable. PH is north of what I'd like and GH is off the scale. So I'm going to pull back on the magnesium (Epsom) I was dosing (for curled leaves) and I've refreshed the pouch of peat pellets in the refugium.


----------



## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Wow!! That Ram is a stunner! You've got the Brad Pitt of Rams!! I wouldn't have been able to resist those pink crypts either!! Very interesting about the horned Nerites. I'm going to get some based on your experiences. I'm ok with my regular nerites, but I dont feel that they do much other than the GSA.
Tank is looking good hopefully your GBR and his girlfriend hit it off!


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Nice.*



The Dude1 said:


> Wow!! That Ram is a stunner! You've got the Brad Pitt of Rams!! I wouldn't have been able to resist those pink crypts either!! Very interesting about the horned Nerites. I'm going to get some based on your experiences. I'm ok with my regular nerites, but I dont feel that they do much other than the GSA.
> Tank is looking good hopefully your GBR and his girlfriend hit it off!


So far the rams are worth the heartache. They are the only fish my kids name, so there was much more grief over the loss of Grape (for the purple area on her belly) than a run of the mill tetra or rasbora loss. But yeah, ridiculously good looking.

I am cautiously optimistic with the crypts. I think best case on the Pink panther is it grows but turns somewhat brown (for lack of CO2). Worst case it just dies. So far so, tho.

Regular nerites have been nothing but daily escapes including one that was behind the tank for an unknown period, but very much alive when returned to the water. Meanwhile the horned ones are cleaning even surface plus crypts, anubias, and buce.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

*Mike!'s 55 Gallon Planted Rasborarama (Cryptomania!)*



Mike! said:


> *Rarish Cryptocoryne Sale == No Self-Restraint*
> AFA had "tall" tissue culture cups of wendtii pink panther for $10. Resistance was futile. As long as I was paying for shipping, $10 for spiralis tiger seemed reasonable enough. The roots and quantity of the spiralis were a little disappointing, but there must be 11 pink panther plantlets, each with substantial roots. So overall pretty pleased. We'll see if they live past the inevitable first melt.
> 
> 
> ...


Beautiful plants. I want that pink panther.

Edit: Oh geez, they still have it. I think I might.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Discusluv said:


> Beautiful plants. I want that pink panther.
> 
> Edit: Oh geez, they still have it. I think I might.











LOL, better hurry!

They were sold out a couple days after I got mine, so maybe they've got a semi-steady supply?


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Hashtag Tank Goals*








Baby lake sturgeon at the museum today.


----------



## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

My LFS had three of those last time I was there. Super cool looking. $200 each..


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

The Dude1 said:


> My LFS had three of those last time I was there. Super cool looking. $200 each..


According to the museum they get up to 7 feet... So like 1000 gallons?


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Full Tank Contentment*








A weird thing has happened over the last couple weeks: I'm feeling pretty content about the state of the tank. There are still things to work on (always algae, some struggling stems), but I can watch the tank for 10 minutes without plotting my next tweak. Feeling good about the tank is a good feeling.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Complacency Sets In?*
Two days late to the weekly water change (three if I'm still pretending it's a thing I do on Saturday), here's before the 50% change.









*What Even Is This?*
I got a random leaf and "stem" in a bag from the LFS a while back. I've held off on asking for an ID because there wasn't much to go on. Now I've got some fairly distinct looking leaves and I have no idea. The vein pattern looks wrong for a crypt. There's no rhizome of substance. I was thinking sword of some kind, but it would be my first, so I'm not super familiar with their looks.









*Excel-lence*
After some discussion of Excel dosing techniques elsewhere, I thought I'd share mine. While the pumps are off, I put all the excel I intend to use in a bowl, add two times as much tank water and then squirt with a baby medicine syringe (5ml). I find this allows me to get fairly surgical yet widespread coverage out of a small amount. This together with "turkey basting" waste a few times a week seems to be working well.

*New Readings*
I ran a few tests pre-change. I'm seeing the drops I was hoping for.

4 KH
11 GH
7.2-4 pH

This is as a result of stopping magnesium and adding new peat.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Mike! said:


>


*Progress!*


----------



## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

Those are starting to look really nice. Good work with them!


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Grobbins48 said:


> Those are starting to look really nice. Good work with them!


Thanks! I've been watching them daily so I was actually doubting there was any progress at all till I looked back today. Journaling pays off.


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## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

Mike! said:


> Thanks! I've been watching them daily so I was actually doubting there was any progress at all till I looked back today. Journaling pays off.


You are spot on with that. My tank is in my home office where I spend all day, every day. At times you can feel like nothing changes, but documenting and sharing has helped me unlock so much from this hobby!


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Fertz Sked*








I'll be in city known for it's conferences next week, so I had to make a dosing schedule for my wife. All numbers in "caps". As I modify this going forward, I'm going to duplicate the sheet and put a date on it.

Before making the schedule I was dosing two caps iron daily, but looking at it on "paper" I decided it might make sense to pull back on it when I dose trace or comprehensive. Now that I typed that, I'm wondering if trace actually has iron ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Replant Plans*
For a while, I've been pretending my overflow weir doesn't exist for the purposes of scaping. Suddenly it popped out at me again so I began plotting how I could lessen its effect. Below is a map of my plants largely as they are now, except the bacopa is brought forward to do the heavy lift on the weir and several foreground plants are shifted. One secondary goal is to move as few cryptocoryne as possible. I won't have time to act on this till at least next Friday, so maybe I'll have a new plan by then.









*Standards*
I cut a corner and only did a 25% water change today for the weekly (I'm usually at 40-50) since I am traveling tomorrow. It's funny to me that I now feel a little guilty about this when for three years I was content with a topoff when the sump pump was gurgling.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Home Again*








Back after four nights away. My wife did an excellent job keeping up the tank and even put tonight's ferts in before I could get to them. Now I just need to get her to do water changes for me 😂

Itching to get my elbows wet and move a few plants around. Luckily I have the day off tomorrow after the travel week. Should have scape updates then.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Don't Call It a Rescape*








I made most of the moves plotted in the map a few posts up. I realize I now have a background plant in my foreground. I'm not sure if I intend to keep it shorter next to the glass or just let it jungle out a bit.

*The Botanical Aquarium*
I retitled this journal to include the word _botanical_. The seed for this planted aquarium style idea was germinated in somebody else's 55 gallon journal, but I wanted to explain and expand on it here. So what makes it botanical? You could probably call it Nature-Dutch, but that wouldn't tell you what is borrowed from each style. From Dutch, it borrows dense clusters of stems with contrasting colors and shapes. From Nature comes substrate with slopes besides front to back -- don't expect a flat line up front -- and prominent hardscape featuring epiphytes like ferns, anubias and bucephalandra. Rosettes like cryptocorynes and Amazon swords are kept dense in the Dutch street style.

_Botanical_ differentiates itself with a complete lack of restraint in species count. Like the botanical garden from which it draws its name, the point of a botanical aquarium is to display a huge assortment of species methodically arranged for both collection and aesthetics.

A final note: I do not count my tank as the ideal example of the botanical style, rather the style is what I am aspiring to.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Done Fiddling*








I cleared out the worst of the pogostemon stellatus old growth and moved the ludwigia repens(?) to the foreground, swapping with the c. pontederiifolia. These may be the end of this mini-replant.

*Herbivores*
Though I haven't seen mention of it elsewhere, my keyholes have been munching on my limnophila rugosa for some time, particularly after a trim. Today I saw them going after the salvinia. If this becomes their new favorite, that will be a relief as the l. rugosa can't take it.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*LOL*


Mike! said:


> *Done Fiddling*











Moved the mayaca fluvialitis out of stealth mode.








Collected some rocks, boiled and tested with vinegar.








Cut my anubias frazieri into a couple plants and wedged their tap roots in between a few of the new rocks.

Not pictured: the second to last mariposite removed from the tank.

*Nature*
If I had this many stone colors you'd call it gaudy.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Reach for the Light*








Anybody want to guess which side of the tank is closest to a window?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯


----------



## Grobbins48 (Oct 16, 2017)

Mike! said:


> *Reach for the Light*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My tank is the same every day. I start the lights at noon, off at 8pm. Being in my office, the stems are all bending to any ambient light they see, but by two or so hours into the photoperoid they are all standing at attention again.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

I showed my wife this yesterday:

https://www.customaquariums.com/14-80-gallon-glass-aquarium-12-h-x-96-l-x-18-d-as-is.html

Her response, "a thousand dollars for an aquarium, no way!"

Then I let bunch of The Green Machine 'scaping videos run on the TV this morning. She seemed pretty interested, but I let her know we were unlikely to get such a grand tank as Craigslist steal like our current 55. Her response, well maybe we can spend a grand on a tank next year... 👀


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Nobody Tell My Tank I'm Talking About Other Tanks*


----------



## cbachmann (Aug 6, 2013)

Just got caught up on your journal, and I'm super impressed! I might even want to buy some trimmings from you to fill out my 20L and the coming rescape of my spec V.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

cbachmann said:


> Just got caught up on your journal, and I'm super impressed! I might even want to buy some trimmings from you to fill out my 20L and the coming rescape of my spec V.


I appreciate the compliment! I'm not in the plant shipping business at this point and would be a bit nervous between the possibility of a DOA and my stock being not the cream of PT. Sooner or later I'll be trimming my most aggressive stems (bacopa c and pogo stellatus), thinning my most prolific crypts (mostly just the bronze wendtii, nothing else has runners atm) and getting rid of my vals and a big chunk of salvinia. So maybe I'll do an ROAK when that time comes.

One of the challenges of buying here is that most plants come from high light/CO2, even if they can still do well in my medium/no CO2 conditions. So when I have first gotten them, there are always significant acclimation pains. Maybe there's a niche for a low tech seller so that you get plants more used to your conditions. On the other hand, with the variability in water conditions (my water is pretty hard), maybe you'd be unlikely to see any real "similar conditions" advantage.


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Salvinian Invasion*








I'm starting to worry the salvinia was a mistake and/or I need to seriously up my macro game. Per this journal, I added about 7 leaves on July 8 and ~2.5 months later the top of the tank is inundated and hair and BBA is on an uptick. Going to do a nitrate test Wednesday before midweek macros to see if I'm zeroing out.

*Bouncing Back*








Spotlight on cryptocoryne usteriana. This is one of my longest running plants along with the wendtii bronze, Java moss, vals and a stray crypt parva. They all date back about 4 years to when I had plants, but I wouldn't call it _ planted_. I got the c. usteriana as a giant mother plant with no ID at the LFS for 10 bucks. It proceeded to send out mass runners, usually a solid six inches away. As I've gone planted and rescaped and rescaped again, it has suffered more than most from transplants. It absolutely hates to be moved. But it looks like maybe I've left it alone long enough to get some healthy taller growth. If it ever gets to the height of that original mother plant, it will be bending at the water line.


----------



## JustJen (Jun 20, 2011)

Mike! said:


> One of the challenges of buying here is that most plants come from high light/CO2, even if they can still do well in my medium/no CO2 conditions. So when I have first gotten them, there are always significant acclimation pains. Maybe there's a niche for a low tech seller so that you get plants more used to your conditions. On the other hand, with the variability in water conditions (my water is pretty hard), maybe you'd be unlikely to see any real "similar conditions" advantage.


Quite the contrary - you're the seller I personally need! lol! I have quite hard water (ph over 8 and kh around 18) and most of my tanks are medium light/no CO2, so getting plants acclimated and happy that came from soft water high tech tanks can be quite challenging at times!


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Mike! said:


> *Fertz Sked*


*Fertupdate*








My first significant update to the fertilizer schedule since keeping a record. Upped nitrogen by 50% today. I increased trace some time ago as I originally had it down for less than the bottle recommended. Did I test my nitrate like I said I would? Nah. Not feeling so hot, so I went with my gut and pumped it up.


----------



## RollaPrime (Jul 27, 2018)

Mike! said:


> .



Can I ask what the thin leaf plant behind the wood to the right is please?


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

RollaPrime said:


> Can I ask what the thin leaf plant behind the wood to the right is please?


That's pogostemon stellatus. It's extremely leggy and bright green in my conditions. Most of the pictures you will see from stores show it much more compact (tall, but not much stem between leaves) and yellow to orange at the top. I think that can be expected under high light/CO2. In spite of that, it's one of my fastest growers.


----------



## RollaPrime (Jul 27, 2018)

Mike! said:


> That's pogostemon stellatus. It's extremely leggy and bright green in my conditions. Most of the pictures you will see from stores show it much more compact (tall, but not much stem between leaves) and yellow to orange at the top. I think that can be expected under high light/CO2. In spite of that, it's one of my fastest growers.


I looked through your plant list twice and couldn't ID it. You don't happen to live in the UK do you? lol


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

RollaPrime said:


> I looked through your plant list twice and couldn't ID it. You don't happen to live in the UK do you? lol


Fraid not, US. It looks like it's readily available from UK and EU websites. Interestingly, they claim it's high difficulty, wanting high light, CO2 and softer water. I provide none of that and it grows like a weed. The only thing difficult about this plant (or at least these particular genetics) is getting the _right_ growth, which, admittedly, I was hoping for when I bought it...


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Mike! said:


> *Progress!*


*29 Days Later*
















_Still going strong..._


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## annabel1066 (Sep 11, 2013)

I just read through your entire journal, and I must say, tremendous! What a journey! I snagged a used 180g that I'm trying to get established, and I've learned a lot from your posts, so glad you chose to share


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

annabel1066 said:


> I just read through your entire journal, and I must say, tremendous! What a journey! I snagged a used 180g that I'm trying to get established, and I've learned a lot from your posts, so glad you chose to share


That's really nice to hear, glad you enjoyed! I feel obligated to say I am a relative novice, so be sure to check out some of the gurus here like Burr and Greggz (even if their journals are a _bit_ longer). There's a decent chance that some portion of the things I think I learned are wrong, but I won't know for 6 more months. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

@Mike! what you are doing with medium light and no CO2 is impressive. You've got a good variety of plants growing nicely in those conditions. All around well presented tank.

It's an entirely different balancing act from high tech CO2. My tank wouldn't survive the week without it.

Have you considered going all in full high tech at some point?


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Greggz said:


> @Mike! what you are doing with medium light and no CO2 is impressive. You've got a good variety of plants growing nicely in those conditions. All around well presented tank.
> 
> It's an entirely different balancing act from high tech CO2. My tank wouldn't survive the week without it.
> 
> Have you considered going all in full high tech at some point?


Thanks, Greggz. Honestly I think it's mostly about getting critical plant mass, tuning the light to actual medium (and not medium high), keeping up with water changes, and keeping fertz steady while tweaking for deficiencies and slowly ramping for increased mass. Which I guess is a few things. :grin2:

I keep almost pulling the trigger on a pile of CO2 equipment, but so far I haven't reached a suitable confidence level that the $2-300 piles I've looked at are performant and reliable. Then there's another part of me that feels both a little proud of where I am low tech and a little worried about screwing it up.

Eventually I will give in to the urge to go bigger than 55 and when that day comes, I will very likely go CO2 if I haven't already.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*The Bad News*

I went window shopping for tanks at the LFS today. They carry Deep Blue and have a few large ones in stock at any given time, but I had never really looked at the prices before. They had a 125 with stand for $800 and 75 with stand for $750. Both of these prices are quite a bit better than I've seen on various websites, especially when you add in shipping. But I've been thinking about an 80 gallon frag/db for a while so I asked for a quote. The bad news: rimless, reef ready with stand is only $720 (tax included). Way too affordable.

I'm already second-guessing rimless. It's too much of an invitation for my kids to throw something in the tank, no matter how much I want rocks and wood jutting out of the water. So that would be even less.

A few major household expenses in the way, but I could see this happening in the next six months.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Maintenance Notes*

I swapped out my filter sock for the first time. I will have to scan backwards through the journal to figure out when I first put it in. It had stopped osmosing fast enough to prevent water coming out the top. Need to look into whether they are rechargable or if I am looking at a $9 sock every few months.

I gave my HC Japan a diluted Excel soak yesterday and replanted after today's big water change. It's been lousy with hair and BBA. I'm hoping that was the previous tank growth and I can get some healthier growth going forward. If not, I'm prepared to pull the plug in 4 weeks or so. If only I could give up on carpet. Maybe it's time for more short stems. AR mini heartbreak in my low tech future?

The LFS assured me they were likely to finally get some more Kubotai microdevarios/microrasboras as we enter the cold season. I've been holding out for them for months and foregoing other stocking, so fingers crossed.

I think my ludwigia lacustris is finally out of the woods. Three hearty looking stems and a bit of (healthy) yellow at the top!


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Uh Oh*

















This might be happening. Need a gas tank still. Am I going to do much better than 60 bucks on Amazon?

I haven't ordered yet, so feel free to talk me out of any mistakes above.


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

For a larger tank I would definitely go with a DIY reactor. Its cheaper and requires no maintenance. There are 2 philosophies with regulators. 1 most people with a cheap one get it to work fine with varying levels of float or component failure. I have had Up Aqua first one had completely nonfunctional gauges, second one had such a crap needle valve that I couldn't get it to stay at a nonlethal level for more than 3 hours. I tried Milwaukee and one other. The last one had gauges crap out at 4 months... I'm in the process of replacing. Total waste of time and money. Fortunately no livestock was killed. I have an Alan Le build running my 2 75 gallons and buying another to replace the junk on the 125. Figure about $260 for good one time investment. 
Just my experience with several of the cheaper ones


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

The Dude1 said:


> For a larger tank I would definitely go with a DIY reactor. Its cheaper and requires no maintenance. There are 2 philosophies with regulators. 1 most people with a cheap one get it to work fine with varying levels of float or component failure. I have had Up Aqua first one had completely nonfunctional gauges, second one had such a crap needle valve that I couldn't get it to stay at a nonlethal level for more than 3 hours. I tried Milwaukee and one other. The last one had gauges crap out at 4 months... I'm in the process of replacing. Total waste of time and money. Fortunately no livestock was killed. I have an Alan Le build running my 2 75 gallons and buying another to replace the junk on the 125. Figure about $260 for good one time investment.
> Just my experience with several of the cheaper ones


From what I've read CO2 Art is the middle ground between the cheap ones and GLA or Alan Le. At less than half the price, it feels like it's worth a shot.

As far as diffusers and reactors go, I'm not inclined to DIY anything at this stage. Between work and kids I don't have a lot of wiggle room on time. I'm also frankly not the best at crafting things by hand. I'd hate to be responsible for emptying my tank onto the floor.

The diffuser is a small enough part of the overall package, that I won't beat myself up if I decide I have the time and inclination to DIY reactor in the future.


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## nbgolds (Aug 21, 2018)

Hey, Mike -- great journal, and I'm loving your low-tech tank. As others have said, it's great what you've achieved without high light and CO2. I'm sort of in the same boat as you, trying to decide if I'm ready to jump into the CO2 world. I dose Excel and Thrive, and I have mostly low to medium light plants (anubias, java ferns, java moss, amazon swords), and I recently purchased some crypts and S. repens in the hopes of going to a little higher light requirements. I've added a second light to my setup, but I'm seeing more algae now. SOooo...to make a long story short (too late), I'm thinking about going back to one light (Finnex Planted+ 24/7) and sticking to plants with lower light requirements.

My question to you, is: if you could recommend some of the plants that have done best in your setup, what would it be? I like the look of your vallisneria and Pogostemon stellatus, and I was wondering if I could go that route. Are there some plants that you consider to grow like weeds only using Excel without CO2?

Or maybe I'll just bite the bullet and jump into CO2...hmm...


----------



## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

nbgolds said:


> Hey, Mike -- great journal, and I'm loving your low-tech tank. As others have said, it's great what you've achieved without high light and CO2. I'm sort of in the same boat as you, trying to decide if I'm ready to jump into the CO2 world. I dose Excel and Thrive, and I have mostly low to medium light plants (anubias, java ferns, java moss, amazon swords), and I recently purchased some crypts and S. repens in the hopes of going to a little higher light requirements. I've added a second light to my setup, but I'm seeing more algae now. SOooo...to make a long story short (too late), I'm thinking about going back to one light (Finnex Planted+ 24/7) and sticking to plants with lower light requirements.
> 
> My question to you, is: if you could recommend some of the plants that have done best in your setup, what would it be? I like the look of your vallisneria and Pogostemon stellatus, and I was wondering if I could go that route. Are there some plants that you consider to grow like weeds only using Excel without CO2?
> 
> Or maybe I'll just bite the bullet and jump into CO2...hmm...


First, thanks!

Second, let me put on my unearned authority hat :grin2: ... there we go. I browsed your journal just now and I have to say you're doing well. I've read enough high tech threads to know that pretty much everybody has more algae than they want. The trick is getting to a place where it's manageable: it's not over running your slow growers and you aren't spending too much time specifically trimming for algae. So, how do you get there? My suggestions:

1. Give up on dwarf hair grass. It was the only thing with visible algae in your picks. It was a BBA magnet for me. If we stay low tech, we probably can't have a real carpet plant. I don't have history with s. repens, but I've avoided it knowing that it is a "should have CO2" plant.
2. Most crypts should do fine at low medium light. They will however do terribly for the first few weeks. It's not you, it's the crypt. Don't be afraid to trim down to that one healthy leaf. They'll bounce back faster.
3. Do you split your photoperiod? I do. I don't have a control tank but I think this is a key to my moderate success. 4 hours in the morning. Off for most of my work day, on again from 5-10pm. I get more viewing hours and the water gets a chance to replenish it's CO2 levels from air exchange.
4. Apply semi-diluted excel directly to algae covered plants. Be careful with this one. Some plants are sensitive (moss, vals). I use a baby medicine syringe to squirt 3:1 water:excel during my weekly water change. My pumps are off and that's when I'm "allowed" to add the most.
5. Turkey baster. There are a lot of places that just collect debris in my tank. Every few nights, I get out the baster and move it into the water column.
6. Thrive. Is it enough? I don't know the product well, but I think it provides micros and light macros. At a certain plant mass you probably need more NPK. If you have a nitrate test, what is the PPM furthest from thrive dosing? Also look up plant deficiency signs and the related nutrients. I had to add potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus early on. I only saw positive effects, but again let your leaves show you what you need.
7. Weeds: bacopa caroliniana and pogostemon stellatus (at least the kind buceplant gave me) are your friends. I kinda hate vals now and will eventually replace them as I need room for other species. Cryptocoryne spiralis is like a better looking val, but much slower growing. Mayaca fluvialitis grows pretty well for me, but it seems like it shouldn't, so delicate.
8. You are probably already at medium with the finnex. I might even experiment with dimming. My beamswork 0.5 watt/120 led array is dimmed to about 70%.

Also, I'm assuming you do a big water change every week?


----------



## mbkemp (Dec 15, 2016)

I bought a tank from amazon. I then promptly gave it to praxair as a deposit. It would have been cheaper for me to just pay the deposit. 

Take a look at what is possible as far as a place to get co2. Most welding supply places will have you pay a deposit 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

mbkemp said:


> I bought a tank from amazon. I then promptly gave it to praxair as a deposit. It would have been cheaper for me to just pay the deposit.
> 
> Take a look at what is possible as far as a place to get co2. Most welding supply places will have you pay a deposit


Thanks mbkemp, that's incredibly useful info! There are a few locations near me, so praxair looks like it could be a winner. Do you happen to know what the prices were at praxair? Deposit, swap, etc?


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## mbkemp (Dec 15, 2016)

I have used two locations. The one in Tulsa was 13 bucks for a refill. I only remember the tank was more than the deposit. 

The praxair location I use now in Kansas was more. I think about 20 dollars or so for 5 pound tank. Either way, easy in and out. I would not buy a tank if I did it again. Could be worth a call. The place in Tulsa had a lot of home brew type business so a plant tank was pretty cool stuff for them 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The Dude1 (Jun 17, 2016)

Mike! said:


> From what I've read CO2 Art is the middle ground between the cheap ones and GLA or Alan Le. At less than half the price, it feels like it's worth a shot.
> 
> As far as diffusers and reactors go, I'm not inclined to DIY anything at this stage. Between work and kids I don't have a lot of wiggle room on time. I'm also frankly not the best at crafting things by hand. I'd hate to be responsible for emptying my tank onto the floor.
> 
> The diffuser is a small enough part of the overall package, that I won't beat myself up if I decide I have the time and inclination to DIY reactor in the future.


Like I said, it's very possible, dare I say probable that its works adequately. Just check it several times a day for the first week or so. If it stays steady you should be good. A wandering needle valve will easily gas your tank in a couple hours. If you have the space go with the biggest tank possible. Its $32 to fill my 20lb tank and $17 to fill my 5# tank. I actually really like the industrial look of my big Alan Le regulator on a 20# tank. The cheap aquatek doesnt have the same impact, so I'm keeping it hidden until I get the new Alan Le build. 
You've had tremendous success with low tech. Much more than I had. With C02 it's going to be fantastic.
The Rams will like the lower pH. Maybe even raise some fry??


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## nbgolds (Aug 21, 2018)

Mike! said:


> First, thanks!
> 
> Second, let me put on my unearned authority hat <a href="http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/images/PlantedTank_net_2015/smilies/tango_face_grin.png" border="0" alt="" title="Big Grin" ></a> ... there we go. I browsed your journal just now and I have to say you're doing well. I've read enough high tech threads to know that pretty much everybody has more algae than they want. The trick is getting to a place where it's manageable: it's not over running your slow growers and you aren't spending too much time specifically trimming for algae. So, how do you get there? My suggestions:
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply and info, Mike! I’m definitely looking into bacopa caroliniana and pogostemon stellatus. And as you said, likely giving up on DHG. I guess if you fill in enough shorter crypts, it’s almost like a medium-light “carpet”, too, so I might be looking into more crypts and maybe some Buce to fill in my foreground. My nitrate test is averaging around ~10-15 ppm each week, a couple of days after dosing Thrive. I do my 40% water change Saturday, dose Thrive Sunday and Wednesday, Excel every day as the light comes on in the am. I’m on a 4 hrs am full light followed by dark throughout the day, and 4 hrs full light 5pm-9pm, so similar to you. As you said, it’s about getting the algae down to a manageable level — right now it’s winning, so I’m thinking to cut back on my light from two fixtures down to just the 24/7. Thanks again, and I look forward to following your journal! -Nate


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*FTS*








Just when everyone has nice things to say, the tank gets a little sketchy.

*Anubias Trouble*








Notice the yellow mottling on the top left anubias leaf. I'm assuming that's potassium deficiency at work. Maybe manganese? But I'm pushing more trace than I ever did before.

*Overdue Nitrate Test*








I'm reading that as 30-40ppm nitrate. I was really assuming this would come in low and I could chalk the weird anubias spots up to nitrogen. Going to dial back the nitrogen as I'd like to see this no higher than 20ppm at water change day.

*Bigger Water Change*








I went a bucket or two deeper than usual. The snail trails are serious business.

*New Params*








Down a cap on nitrogen and up one on potassium. For those playing at home that puts me at 2x the Seachem potassium recommendation for my volume, up from 1.5. Probably overdue as 2 caps of nitrogen is 2.5x...

*Pulling the CO2 Trigger*
I think the pro advice thread pushed me over the edge. I got really excited to buy a regulator yesterday only for the one I wanted to be out of stock at aquarium co-op. So I'm going direct to Germany and getting a package with everything I need but the check valve and the tank.

I'm kind of expecting this change to upend everything. Going to need advice on dry fertz, at the very least macros and iron, as it already feels like I'm dumping a few too many dollars in the tank even without needing to keep up with CO2.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*IMGUR Link*

My mom offered to give me plants from her tank and said she would send photos, so I thought I should reciprocate and the result looks like a post. I'm assuming she was fishing for this since her birthday is coming up. I highlighted the species I have extra of that she doesn't have with quantities I could spare.

*CO2cipation*

Got my 5lb tank today from a brewing supply shop. It might not be obvious from the outside, but west Michigan and Grand Rapids in particular is kind of the epicenter of microbreweries. The selection at average groceries and gas stations here makes specialty shops in most places I visit look pathetic. Anyway...

The regulator is due tomorrow and I'm already researching carpets and foreground plants I could support soon. AR? HC? Lobelia? Maybe!


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## nbgolds (Aug 21, 2018)

That’s exciting! Can’t wait to see how your CO2 experience goes. I’m still on the fence about taking the dive. I ordered some new buce and Bacopa Caroliniana from Buceplants, so we’ll see if I can get them growing as well as yours are doing, sans CO2. I’ll bet yours take off like crazy once you get the system up and running!


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*You Got The Stuff? Yeah I Got The Stuff *









Plant nerd Christmas.









Officially out of cabinet space.









Seems like a lot of bubbles.

Not planning to do more than a brief test run till I can devote some time to sitting and watching for fish gasps, but it's more or less installed.


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## kaldurak (May 2, 2010)

Excellent plan to sit an observe your tank as you dial in the co2. It's definitely worth your time and the lives of your livestock to go slow, watch, and make tiny adjustments.

I try to only change out my diffuser on Saturday mornings so I can make sure I don't have to dial my co2 up or down. Luckily my regulator and NV have been solid and I have not had to adjust it at all since dialing in my co2 rate.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

kaldurak said:


> Excellent plan to sit an observe your tank as you dial in the co2. It's definitely worth your time and the lives of your livestock to go slow, watch, and make tiny adjustments.
> 
> I try to only change out my diffuser on Saturday mornings so I can make sure I don't have to dial my co2 up or down. Luckily my regulator and NV have been solid and I have not had to adjust it at all since dialing in my co2 rate.


I had to take a sick day today, so I got to do my CO2 vigil sooner than anticipated. I have it dialed down quite a bit lower than in the picture and probably lower than where I will land, but I think I will keep it there till the weekend. No fish distress this morning and the indicator is either slightly-green blue or it's just catching color from the plants. Between water falling into the sump and the spray bar, I figure I have some wiggle room on oxygenation, but I'd rather play it safe than explain dead rams to my kids.

I already had a "smart" power strip, so I have it set to come on 1/2 hour before lights on and off 1 hour before lights off for both light cycles.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Mike! said:


> Noting for my own future reference, yesterday:
> 
> 1. Installed dimmer and reduced light to about 70%.
> 2. Replaced the barrel of polyester quilt batting wrapped in plastic mesh at the start of the sump with a filter sock and holder. (Side benefit: quieter).


I thought I made a note of when I first installed the filter sock! Looks like it took a little less than four months for the first socks to become fully clogged to the point where the water was flowing over top. So I'll need to check in about 90 after the last change (on 9/24). Apparently washing machine with bleach then conditioner soak is the way to go on cleaning these things. I bought a few more, so no hurry on that work, though I do need to recharge my spare purigen bag...


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Pearling or Trapped CO2? You Decide!*








The only thing in favoring of actual pearling is that this was taken 59 minutes after CO2 off.

My GBRs were named Cheeto and Limmy by my kids. Cheeto loves a photobomb.

A nice side benefit of the in-tank CO2 diffuser, it helped point out that my flow was a little bogus. I moved the wavemaker and now the whole tank is flooded with "micro" bubbles instead of just the left half.


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## nbgolds (Aug 21, 2018)

Nice! That’s encouraging that the “pearling” was an hour after CO2 shut off. Have you noticed any differences in your fish behavior since starting to dose CO2?


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

nbgolds said:


> Nice! That’s encouraging that the “pearling” was an hour after CO2 shut off. Have you noticed any differences in your fish behavior since starting to dose CO2?


So far so good on fish behavior. The only thing really notable is that my otos are very active in the post-CO2, lights on period. They were practically nocturnal before, spending most of the day chilling in the dark corner with my vals. Maybe they like the pH drop?

I'm gauging the appropriateness of my CO2 levels about 50-50 fish behavior and drop checker. I got to work from home today and spent, let's say, "some" time staring at the tank and everybody seemed golden. Maybe a little tangible disappointment that the bubbles are never being baby brine shrimp.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Disaquariumed Experience*








Ludwigia x lacustris appears to be hulking out. The top leaves look like they changed their mind on how they wanted to grow halfway through. It's the opposite of stunted, I think, but still a rough looking transition for a plant that admittedly had yet to really thrive. I cut and replanted that stem after the pic.









Bacopa caroliniana appears to be growing a little faster, slightly larger leaves, maybe a little reddish at the nodes and shorter stem between nodes. All good signs.









Ludwigia sp. super red living up to its name. I'm hesitant to chalk that up to CO2 just yet as it is not a radical shift. If we start picking up the pace of growth and get some bigger, less crinkled leaves going, then we'll be talking.

Some of the slower growers are mixed. A few crypts look a bit melty, probably making their way to "CO2 leaves". I've been cutting 5-10 of the most damaged buce leaves each night and it seems like they are growing better, but it could just be that they are cleaner. The tiger lotus is putting on height and new leaf speed is increasing. The sagittaria subulata looks like hell, BBA infested. Tempted to order some TC foreground plants and toss the sag, but I'm doing my best to wait till the CO2 is "settled in" before adding or subtracting anything.

*Lisbon*
Did I mention here that I'll be seeing the giant Amano installation in Lisbon on my way to Barcelona in November? Because I am, and it's just an incidental layover on my way in (to a business trip), so I don't even have to pay for the side trip. I'm pretty excited. I think this is one more reason I'm trying to hold off any purchases. I'm a little afraid I'll come home with a whole new vision. "Alright, Botanical is out, Nature is in! Let's raze this thing people."


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## nbgolds (Aug 21, 2018)

Very cool to see the results of CO2 starting to show up. The Bacopa and Ludwigia seem to be doing well! I'm curious to see how some of your slower growers (anubias, ferns) will do in the new setup. Remind me (I'm sure you mentioned it in an earlier post), but what is that grassy-looking plant in your last photo? It seems to be going crazy in your tank. Is that the P. stellatus octopus?


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

nbgolds said:


> Very cool to see the results of CO2 starting to show up. The Bacopa and Ludwigia seem to be doing well! I'm curious to see how some of your slower growers (anubias, ferns) will do in the new setup. Remind me (I'm sure you mentioned it in an earlier post), but what is that grassy-looking plant in your last photo? It seems to be going crazy in your tank. Is that the P. stellatus octopus?


Correct, that's the p. stellatus. Not sold as "octopus" to me but undistinguishable from the "octopus" I have since seen at the LFS. I've been mulling how to get rid of 1/2 to 2/3 of it, but between work and a couple small children, a trip to the post office or a meeting with an internet stranger is a bit of a hassle.

Crazy is right. I keep topping it and shoving the tops in substrate. I was doing that at least once a week pre-CO2. I might be ready for a p. Kimberly trade up. I'd take it to the LFS for trade in but they had a 29 gallon half full of octopus the last time I was there.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*FTS*








I'm overdue on an FTS update on the first post, but I'm both not where I want to be on trimming, but unable to pull the trigger to get there. Anybody in Grand Rapids want some p. stellatus and bacopa caroliniana?

*Champagne Superstellatus*








It doesn't show remotely in this pic, but the pogo stellatus is starting to show some of the mythical yellow that drew me to it in the first place. My CO2 dollars at work.

*Drop Checked*








Got a clear view of the drop checker during the Saturday water change. Looks about right!

*Plant Swap*








I gave my mom a couple of my rarer crypts this weekend (pink panther and spiralis tiger) and a grab bag of buce clippings. She offered me a few things from her tank. I didn't really have room or especially want we she had, but I took some hygrophila difformis anyway. This necessitated pulling the final mariposite stone, so I am officially out of the gawdy white rock business. I actually kind of like it, although its position near the Windelov is probably not contrasting enough.

Also pictured, ludwigia lacustris greening on top after a trim and replant. Medium light is medium.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*FTS*









*FP Hack N Slash*
I finally resolved to clean up my bacopa caroliniana and pogostemon stellatus. I had been fretting about wasting large amounts, but the bacopa I dropped was mishapen and algae covered and the pogostemon was spindly and/or leaf bare. Nobody wanted that stuff. I have a feeling the new growth will pose more of a problem for me if I want to lazily dispose of it. Planning to tackle the mayaca and rotala h'ra next week and limnophila and l. super red after that. Solid assumption the bacopa and pogo will be ready again by then.








_Before_








_Pulled_








_Plucked_








_After_

*Mixedboras*








All the harlequin-adjacent rasboras in this pic were sold to me as espei. I've long suspected they are not all espei, so I did a little image searching tonight. The fat one is a harlequin and I'm fairly confident the pale ones are hengeli/glowlight and the rest (6 or so) are actual lampchop/espei. I genuinely prefer the look of espei, so it's a bit disappointing.

*BBA: Not as Good as BB8*








BBA on post-CO2 upswing. I undimmed my light when I turned on CO2, so I clicked that back down. I'm also going to reduce iron by about 25% to see if that helps.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Pearl of the Quarter*








Perhaps the first instance of fairly undeniable pearling.

*Ludwigia #{?}*








I don't know what this is, but post CO2 and a couple rounds of "toss the roots" it's starting to look like something I might want in the tank.

*The Mighty Buce*








The B. red blade leaves have about doubled in size (and growth rate) post CO2. I glanced back at some pics of when I first added buce tonight (page 2). I can't say most of the varieties even look as good as when I added them, but they seem to be on the bounce back.

*Zen and the Art of Cryptocoryne Maintenance*
















The c. wendtii pink panther and undulatus red both came in as tissue culture. I'm finally getting around to pulling one clump at a time, separating the plantlets and removing all the old growth (going from ~7 to ~3 leaves on each). Each clump turns out to be 6+ plants, so I'm going to be swimming in these things when they fill in.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Chronicalling my Lisbon Amano exhibit visit on it's own thread.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

*Still Here*
I can't say that I just got over the jet lag, but it's not far off. I've been home for a couple weeks now and I'm still working on getting fully back on my water change and fertz routine. The tank does not appear to be suffering yet, but maybe it will lag. The CO2 even ran out while I was gone, though I'm not sure for how many days.









_Shortly after my return from Portugal and Spain_









_After a recent trim_

I moved the ludwigia super red to a grow out spot where it won't be crowded by the pogo stellatus. Hoping it works as its the red I was chasing with CO2.

The crypt pink panther looks terrible. Both the ones I pulled and thinned (which I expected to melt) and the ones I left in place as "controls". Not sure what I can do for it at this point except keep conditions a bit more steady.


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## Mike! (Mar 26, 2018)

Let's pretend this is my tank and not just my video for a minute :grin2:

Amano Exhibit at the Lisbon Oceanarium


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