# vtkids 26 "Regeneration"(56k)



## ESK07 (Mar 16, 2009)

nice red X's! ; )


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

pictures not visible


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## Dollface (Sep 30, 2008)

you need to upload your photos to a service like photobucket or tinypic, you can't link them from email attachments


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

malaybiswas said:


> pictures not visible


I no, but its all i had to start with... i will be working on it


Dollface said:


> you need to upload your photos to a service like photobucket or tinypic, you can't link them from email attachments


Will that help the resolution or what??


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Yeah! You are getting a journal setup! How are the plants fairing? Hopefully the blyxa is doing well.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

vtkid said:


> Will that help the resolution or what??


It'll allow us to see the pictures. Here is a how to link. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/204530-post3.html


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

how about this:thumbsup:?


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Good job on uploading the pictures.  Awesome tank! I really love the stem plant on the right and left of the tank. I wish I could identify them. That Amano is adorable. Good picture. 

If you don't have one already, get a check valve on the diy co2. I made the mistake of doing this and had tank water on my floor from the back suction. They are like $2 at Walmart.

Keep up the good work. :hihi:


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Good job on uploading the pictures.  Awesome tank! I really love the stem plant on the right and left of the tank. I wish I could identify them. That Amano is adorable. Good picture.
> 
> If you don't have one already, get a check valve on the diy co2. I made the mistake of doing this and had tank water on my floor from the back suction. They are like $2 at Walmart.
> 
> Keep up the good work. :hihi:


You mean the red ones?
I have been meaning to pick up a check valve. i just never remember:icon_roll


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

yes, you should get a check valve for CO2. Cheap and worth it.

Like the tank, speciall the moss and blyxa


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

malaybiswas said:


> yes, you should get a check valve for CO2. Cheap and worth it.
> 
> Like the tank, speciall the moss and blyxa


maybe I will get one tonight.
It is weird but my moss grows into a mountain so fast.
and the blyxa is from sewingalot and it is doing great so far


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## loops (Apr 13, 2009)

This tank is great!!


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## ESK07 (Mar 16, 2009)

I like it alot man, esp the moss, never been able to grow it myself....


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

thank you for the compliments.
my rotala indica is almost hitting waters surface, but im not sure how i should trim it, any suggestions?


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## ESK07 (Mar 16, 2009)

just cut the stem & replant


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

ESK07 said:


> just cut the stem & replant


but how short?


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

vtkid said:


> maybe I will get one tonight.
> It is weird but my moss grows into a mountain so fast.
> and the blyxa is from sewingalot and it is doing great so far


you'll need to trim the moss to keep it in shape and allow the lower strands to grow, or else they will die off.

BTW there is a big empty spot on the rear. You plan to add any plants there?


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

malaybiswas said:


> you'll need to trim the moss to keep it in shape and allow the lower strands to grow, or else they will die off.
> 
> BTW there is a big empty spot on the rear. You plan to add any plants there?


behind the moss you mean? I am planning to do a rescape soon
i need to find some manzanita or some nice rocks.


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

vtkid said:


> behind the moss you mean? I am planning to do a rescape soon
> i need to find some manzanita or some nice rocks.


yep, behind the moss.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

some more pictures( a little bit better too:icon_lol

















could anyone help me with what kind of tetra this is. it was sold as a pristella i think


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

It's a nice enough tank, it'll keep getting better as everything bulks out! 
Those day glo danios are a little bit distracting though.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

garuf said:


> It's a nice enough tank, it'll keep getting better as everything bulks out!
> Those day glo danios are a little bit distracting though.


Agreed but i have had them since i got the tank 2 years ago, and they are the only survivors out of like six, also nowhere else for them to go right now


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

weekend was way to crazy, trim and water change tomorrow. updated pics
for now sleep


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## kyle3 (May 26, 2005)

rotala is a weed i can't ever keep up with trimming it! 2 ways to do it, trim 5 inches or so from the top and plant the trimming, or pull out the whole stem and replant the top. i tend to trim the tops and give them away or throw them away and periodically when it's getting too bushy i pull it all out of the substrate and plant the tops. 

good luck and nice tank

cheers-K


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

oh... and another thing i figured id share with the crowd
I am in the midst of setting up a ten gallon. i put the substrate in thursday. bought a cheap light set up(that doesnt work) saturday. but beside the point i came home to set up the light looked in the tank and there were cat foot prints and hair. I dont know if he used it as a litter box or what but i am about ready to strangle him.:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Happened to me. I actually checked for poo and just rinsed the substrate. All is well. By the way, yes it is the red plant I like the most. The latest pictures are great! You can trim the rotala and all of those stems anywhere. You could replant the cut tops and the bottoms will branch of in two or more new stems.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

lots of work today trimming and replanting, finish with updates tomorrow


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Cool tank. I love bowfronts and I like the stand you have too. I think it will look nice if you swap out the power filter for a canister spraybar, but thats no big deal at all. Very pretty tank though. I bet it will look awesome after it matures!! 

Cool springer too. That's my favorite kind of dog!


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

fastfreddie said:


> Cool tank. I love bowfronts and I like the stand you have too. I think it will look nice if you swap out the power filter for a canister spraybar, but thats no big deal at all. Very pretty tank though. I bet it will look awesome after it matures!!
> 
> Cool springer too. That's my favorite kind of dog!


thank you, I've been looking for a cheap canister but no such luck.
I also love Springers, That is my bird dog, Kota.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Trust me, cheap canisters can be bad. I flooded our house with one I bought on eBay. :hihi: Look for a used one that is a reputable name. Looking forward to seeing your plants grow.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> Trust me, cheap canisters can be bad. I flooded our house with one I bought on eBay. :hihi: Look for a used one that is a reputable name. Looking forward to seeing your plants grow.


I have been thinking about an eheim 2213, have to save my money though:hihi:
Here are the pictures after the trimming, I'm working on forming a big bush of rotala in the back right. everything is pearling like crazy.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Looks great. I like how you are making a rotala bush on the right side. The ludwigia on the left is looking good to. Is that glosso? That will be awesome when it feels in more. I love that moss. It is a great contrast to the stems.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

it is glosso and I have to replant some that came up. how do you plant it to make it fill faster?


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

got my ten going, but I am to busy to work on all of it. final exams are a pain.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Sorry, no experience on glosso. Check out Torpedobarb's journal. He could give you tips. Good luck on the final exams!


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

your glosso planting is just fine. If you notice the shoot growing upwards then there is not enough light reaching the ground. In that case you need to adjust the lights and let it be like that for a couple of weeks. Once it picks up, it will spread like crazy. Take a look at my tank, the glosso is going ga-ga all over the tank now.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

vtkid said:


> got my ten going, but I am to busy to work on all of it. final exams are a pain.


Looking forward to the pics!


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

fastfreddie said:


> Looking forward to the pics!


I am planning on starting the journal tonight.
I have greatly underestimated the power of floating plants.:icon_roll
tonight is cleaning night..


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

vtkid said:


> I have greatly underestimated the power of floating plants.:icon_roll


Hehe. Welcome to my world. :icon_mrgr


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

update








if anyone could give me the name of that single stem that would be great









feeding time, algae wafers...mmmm


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## boltp777 (Jan 16, 2009)

awesome tank just one suggestion put the diy co2 up higher.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

boltp777 said:


> awesome tank just one suggestion put the diy co2 up higher.


you mean the reactor or the bottle... what will it do for me?


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I like the latest pictures. It looks like the blyxa is doing well for you.  Sorry, I cannot tell you what the stem is, I am bad at that. It's pretty though. How did your finals go?


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

sewingalot said:


> I like the latest pictures. It looks like the blyxa is doing well for you.  Sorry, I cannot tell you what the stem is, I am bad at that. It's pretty though. How did your finals go?


some good some bad and one more test on monday:icon_roll


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## cwinson85 (May 22, 2009)

Hey, just taking a look at your other tank here... looks great!!! hey if your still looking for a filter, petsmart.com has great deals! got an ehiem 2215 for my 29g for 105.00 The same filter at my local shop was like 175.00...


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

Whoa it has been such a long time since I have updated I am writing from my iPhone in cape cod. I have just been told my tanks have not been running for the past 2 weeks. Anyone wanna take bets on the damage. Haha.... Also my paypal is up and running so I'm hoping to get some good stuff.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

You'll have to post pictures of the damage, haha. Careful, paypal and the swap and shop are very dangerous, lol. I spend more on here than I do anywhere.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

Haha. I have a hundred dollars in the account that was suposed to be used for new fishing stuff but suprise at checkout... Cabelas does not accept paypal. But the tank re-building is on.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

pictures are not so good because someone spilled soap on my camera and i had to use my iphone:angryfire
the glosso dissapeared and the tops of all the plants were chewed and/or shriveled up= tank not in good shape.








ottos were putting out there best effort to clean the glass









this got me laughing today, i was driving around with a car full of dogs and i looked in my rear view to see this little guy sitting in the window.:hihi:








I'm going to fix the other camera right now and post pictures of the re-birth.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Cute dog!


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

thanks freddie. that is one of my two miniature dauschunds ( i think that is how it is spelled:icon_lollittle is my name for him. this is the other one, Toby, i just call him wiener.








surprise for me today








a couple days ago i got a shipment of plants from macclellan. they were all a little warped and frail but they are healing in the tank.this is the layout of the new scape I just have to wait for the plants to grow a little and re plant them were they are needed.








i also got a young angel fish a small school of cardinal tetras and with the plants i got a single nice stem of Polygonum sp. 'Sao paulo'.















please comment.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

I like the new layout! I think a little time will do your tank some justice. You've got some nasty green algae to get rid of though. It might help to reduce your light cycle a little until you get more plant mass in the tank. 

Those ferts look pretty cool. Who was the surprise from? 

You been fishing lately? How's the trout hole?


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

i just found one of my amano shrimp pregnant, but I think it is to much trouble to make the larvae live.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

Good job on the rescape! I like the addition of the cardinals too, a school always looks beautiful.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

Thanks to both of you
freddie i bought the ferts but the surprise was i was working on my tank when they just suddenly arrived. and the fishing excursions have been fairly disappointing, last week I went bass fishing caught a 2 lb. bass while standing on a log 5 or so feet off the water and then seconds after realing in the next cast i fell into the deep weedy water in full clothes, and guess what was in my pocket.......... my iphone:iamwithst
needless to say i had to send it to apple, and am now out like $200
and I havent trout fished in a while its about time too start again though.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

who knows what the cheapest effective pressurized co2 setup is my diy just isnt cutting it.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

had a couple die off within the cardinal school. over about a week and a half, and what defficiency would cause my 'sau palo' leaves to curl up when they grow?


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

vtkid said:


> had a couple die off within the cardinal school. over about a week and a half, and what defficiency would cause my 'sau palo' leaves to curl up when they grow?


Sorry about the cards, it seems like that always happens to every school of them I've ever had. 

Your curling leaves might be a calcium deficiency. Are you dosing calcium currently?


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

no, I dont believe so. i just started using my pfertz solutions this week, so what ever that has in it.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

soo... anyone have suggestions for pressurized? I am saving money now to buy what I need.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

vtkid said:


> Thanks to both of you
> freddie i bought the ferts but the surprise was i was working on my tank when they just suddenly arrived. and the fishing excursions have been fairly disappointing, last week I went bass fishing caught a 2 lb. bass while standing on a log 5 or so feet off the water and then seconds after realing in the next cast i fell into the deep weedy water in full clothes, and guess what was in my pocket.......... my iphone:iamwithst
> needless to say i had to send it to apple, and am now out like $200
> and I havent trout fished in a while its about time too start again though.


Dude..... thats all i can say. I bet that's the last time you stand over water with an iphone in your pocket. I've been very careful with mine so far. It is by far the craziest piece of technology I've ever help in my hand. So darn cool..

As far as the pressurized setup you asked about, I have the Milwaukee MA957. It was $75 brand new, usually about $90 I think, but a lot of people don't like it at all. Though I have not had any problems, if I had the choice again I would go with one from GLA or a nice Victor dual stage.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

the GLA ones are expensive.. but i would assume they are very nice.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Well if you have it for a few years, what's 50 more bucks? But, I know what you mean.

I need about $500 worth of crap for my boat right now. It's always tempting to buy the cheapest thing available.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

ugh. doesnt it seam like money is actually hard to come by:hihi:
it seams as though my angelfish has found stargrass to be a tasty snack.


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## cwinson85 (May 22, 2009)

how are those pferts working out for you? I think im going to start dosing IE pretty soon here....


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

i think it is to early to really tell... well my blyxa has shown an improvement though. what i need is steady co2 and i should be getting an ecco 2232 soon.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

anyone have any input as to if this is a good regulator. i was under the impression azoo makes good products.
http://cgi.ebay.com/AZOO-CO2-Pressure-Regulator-With-Magnetic-Valve-plant_W0QQitemZ270428466520QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ef6caed58&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262#ht_4133wt_941


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

I've heard mixed reviews on Azoo. I personally like my Red Sea paintball regulator, which I bought for around $100 and the 20oz bottles are only about $20 a piece, which isn't a horribly expensive way to go.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

re-started my dosing and co2 today my tank has hit some turbulance lately but things are going to bounce back, god willing.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

i have had some pretty bad algae on the glass lately and i am getting back in the game. and finally some updated pictures


















I have two FTS's. tell me which one looks better.



















In terms of color Not quality:icon_roll
In the first fts you can see the algae in front of the blyxa its pretty bad down there. its hard to get to it scraping, is there any other trick to getting it off?


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

is it soft algae or do you really need to scrape it off? If it comes off easily you can just use a bit of sponge from a filter, but it looks like the stuff that sticks to the glass really well. Try using a razor blade and holding it sideways. A credit card would probably work too.


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

#1 is a better shot, overall. It's in focus and the colors look less yellow. Sorry to hear about the algae! I use those facial buffing sponges for my nano cube, which has the slightly curved front glass.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

It is the hard sticky stuff. its not growing but it is not going away by itself either i have been scraping the whole tank with a credit card, but it is hard to get down by the substrate.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

This was my latest mini project. although pretty large, i thought it was pretty crafty none the less:hihi:










Absolut bubble counter


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

love the tank. Hey! if u spend 200 on an iphone whats another 200 for a regulator of gla? Right? My sister had an ipod touch, she was brushing her teeth and whoops, ipod goes swimmign in the sink lol.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

VadimShevchuk said:


> love the tank. Hey! if u spend 200 on an iphone whats another 200 for a regulator of gla? Right? My sister had an ipod touch, she was brushing her teeth and whoops, ipod goes swimmign in the sink lol.


thanks. haha ya, i would like to think it would work out that way but funny thing is i had a job when i bought the iphone, and better yet this summer i fell in a lake fishing. and guess what was in my pocket. there goes another hundred.. or maybe two im not sure, regardless getting that stuff wet is a no, no:icon_roll. I will start working again soon and hopefully buy a regulator or get one for christmas.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

did my weekly water change today, and thought about trimming but i am waiting until i have a space for the trimmings.
the L. aromatica is bouncing back pretty well along with the blyxa.































thanksgiving is over time to think of a christmas list, hmmm. gla regulator canister filter.....:hihi: long list so far
oh and a perhaps a PS3


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Man this has really matured lately. Those stems look great. I never have been able to grow stems well. Maybe you could replant some of your trimmings on the right side in front of your filter intake, and move the riccia to the front.

NO on the PS3!!! Get the regulator. Video games are just a way to avoid water changes!


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## angelicodin (Dec 2, 2009)

Wow such a big improvement since the frist couple pages. +1 for beautiful tank. going to sub this one. Like the plant layout.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

fastfreddie said:


> Man this has really matured lately. Those stems look great. I never have been able to grow stems well. Maybe you could replant some of your trimmings on the right side in front of your filter intake, and move the riccia to the front.
> 
> NO on the PS3!!! Get the regulator. Video games are just a way to avoid water changes!


thank you i actually have been kinda working on that cause the intake is UGLY.
i did a huge trim a few days ago and added some other stems and whatnottery:hihi:
and i agree with your video game theory. either way i am going to get the co2 i will buy it myself after christmas if need be.


angelicodin said:


> Wow such a big improvement since the frist couple pages. +1 for beautiful tank. going to sub this one. Like the plant layout.


thanks for the compliments


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

quick picks after heavy trim and planting


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

i found what i believe to be cardinal tetra fry today, and from what i have read they are very hard to breed. i am not going to move them, if they survive great if they dont no worries. also i have not been running any co2 lately and my plants are pearling every night, that confuses me a little but i like to see my plants happy so whatever


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## angelicodin (Dec 2, 2009)

possible to get a pic or two of the possible fry?


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## Digsy (Mar 4, 2006)

angelicodin said:


> possible to get a pic or two of the possible fry?


x2! Good luck, hopefully they make it!


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

ill try to get a few tomorrow, they are mad small tho.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

so guess who got lazy for the first half of this year..... all that is left is some anubias nana a very old amazon sword, 2 amano shrimp. and a lonely cardinal tetra. complete melt down i need some help getting this started again, i am really low on cash right now and trying to get into college i need something to do in what little spare time i will have i know all you guys are willing to help a fellow plant keeper in need.


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Hey you sound just like me! Walk away from your tank and never look back for months! 

I have a bunch of Needle Leaf Java Fern in so-so condition I could send you early next week if you are interested. If you haven't heard from me by Monday, send me a pm. 

It's the needle leaf from my 15 gallon. Good luck with the college stuff! Make school your #1 focus. It will be worth every bit of your effort.


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

man you have no idea how much i would appreciate that....aside from my college search my girlfriend is off to college in utah.. but that will let me work on my tank again


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

Don't have good camera at my disposal right now but here is what I have started plants courtesy of NJAquaBarren. A huge thank you to him. Also a couple days ago while trying to renew my diy co2 The water from the tank started syphoning into the bottom of my stand. Not so much fun. And to add to that I had no yeast to make co2. Fml. I would like to get some mosses and different java ferns to go on the wood. Please post your thoughts.


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## cah925 (May 18, 2007)

If you want a little less maintenance, how about crypts and ferns?


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## fastfreddie (Sep 10, 2008)

Hey just replied to your pm! Sorry for the delay:eek5:


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

The only thing I would change would be to maybe put that driftwood piece at more of an angle to add some height to the 'scape. Other then that things look good!
Sorry to hear about the meltdown though... It happens!
Jake


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## vtkid (Jan 5, 2009)

I will work on the height of the scape... and crypts and ferns are what i am aiming for but for now whatever i get works.. plants seem to be healthy and growing slowly so far.


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