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Anita

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  1. Anita
    @Betsy, you are too kind! BTW, the light-window ring is the top from a plastic, quart takeout container. I cut out the center, trimming it close to the doubled-over lip. I found some suction cups with open rings that slide over the doubled-over lip. The buoyancy is close to neutral, so it doesn't ride too high in the water. I like this because it helps keep partially submerged plants, like water sprite, from slipping underneath the lip. You can always trap air under the rim if you want it to float better. (Haha, I slipped in some physics!) I love your class project and look forward to reading about how your students' experiments turn out.
  2. Anita
    Haha, nope, you aren't. 😉Yes, it is certainly possible for root feeders to struggle in an UGF setup. From what I researched, this is more problematic with strong currents created by a powerhead. I am using air stones, which create a gentle flow. FWIW, several people in this recent post, Opinions on Under Gravel Filters, described growing healthy, thickly rooted plants with their UGF setups. 🌴 The only rooted plants I have in this tank are Vallisneria, which are not particularly heavy root feeders. The rest of the plants in the tank can absorb nutrients from the water. Flow velocity drops dramatically as you move further away from the source of the suction (flow:distance ratio). Ideally, I should plant the Vals near the front and as far away from the uptake tubes as possible, but I wanted tall plants in the back, so there you go. 🙃 I expect all the plants, the Vals included, will dine fairly well on fish/snail waste and other aquatic compost. I will embed root tabs on occasion, as well as use Easy Green, to ensure everyone is getting a balanced diet. 🍽️ The more likely problem I foresee, is the Vals' roots will "chase" nutrients down past the gravel and infiltrate the foam until they block the water flow. Like tree roots in your sewer main line. 😬 At any rate, for me this is a way of gardening indoors. And as any gardener has learned, there are no black-and-white, hard-and-fast rules to raising plants. Or any living things, for that matter. If the Vals don't grow, I can just transplant them into one of my other tanks. 🌿
  3. Anita
    How about a nano-paludarium?
  4. Anita
    One suggestion about floating plants. Depending on the type, when they grow out, they may significantly cut down the amount light sprinkling (to borrow Corey's light-as-particles model) down to your other plants. The Java Fern, Anubias, and I think the Melon Sword are low-medium light plants. But I believe the Scarlet Temple prefers med-strong lighting. I've got two types of floating plants and they impact how much lighting is available below very differently: The upper tank has loose water sprite. It creates a somewhat diffuse shading effect. The lower tank has American frogbit. The flat, overlapping leaves create a much darker shadow below. I use a "light window" ring to give the water wisteria below (and to the right) more light. Of course, you can just scoop out extra plants out when they get too dense. Or you can keep the floaters corralled inside the ring, rather than around it. BTW, the floating plants will shed dead leaves too, which are harder to pick out among the whole plants. So they may interfere with the @Jimyclefertilizer vs dead leaves experiment. That's my geek-girl $0.02, at any rate. 🧐
  5. Anita
    Wow @Betsy, what an amazing classroom project you've put together! Your Board of Education needs to give you a raise. 👩‍🏫
  6. Anita
    But... I can't wait until Sunday... I want to post my shrimp pic now! 😇
  7. Anita
    Yup! Dem pond snails be tuff little suckers!🐌
  8. Anita
    When the mood strikes, usually when I need a break from work. And the boss knows about it because she's me! 🤠
  9. Anita
    I did try to warn you. 👻The same thing happened to me, haha! At any rate, it does make you think. 🧐 As @CT_ mentioned, your mileage may vary.
  10. Anita
    I would give you the 🏆 reaction, but, um... I've hit my limit. 🙀 Thanks @Daniel!
  11. Anita
    I just hit my reaction limit ceiling. du-OH! 🤪 So, can someone tell me, what is our daily reactions allotment? Is there a counter somewhere that shows how many reactions I used today (or in a cycle)? Or must I keep track of that myself? 😬🤔
  12. Anita
    For better or worse, I am a tinkerer. Haha! I was inspired after watching the Aquarium Co-Op video on hot-rodding hang-on-back (HOB) filters, Aquarium Filter Tips and Tricks! Start Saving Money Now! The good news is that if it fails, I only have to empty a 10-gal tank! 😈
  13. Anita
    Yes, there will be some buildup; however, that is the reason for using coarse foam media. The Aquarium Co-Op foam has very large holes, so it is less likely to clog. With only 1 inch of gravel, I should also be able to vacuum stuff up. You do want some biofilm/mulm in the foam media, providing biological activity for the nitrogen cycle. Hopefully, I will not have to dismantle the thing. Ugh! 😝
  14. Anita
    @Goosedub Haha, you must have been reading my mind! I recently did a UGF mod and shared the photo gallery in a post Under-Gravel Filter (UGF) mod.
  15. Anita
    Fun discussion on Opinions on Under Gravel Filters started by @Goosedub. Funnily enough, I just finished a UGF modification that I hope will help avoid channeling, clogging, and trapped fry issues. This build provides some mechanical filtration, boosts filtration media surface area, reduces weight of the substrate (because foam weighs so much less than gravel), and lets me use coarse substrate (pea gravel). Disclaimer: I installed this in a small, 10-gal, vertical (tall), hemispherical tank, which helps alleviate the problem of diminishing flow:distance ratio that would be more problematic in a larger volume, horizontal (low and wide, aka breeder) tank. Note: I purchased the Penn-Plax Premium UGF for 40-55 Gallons ($17.99), which comes with four plates and four uplift tubes. That's enough to outfit two of my 10-gal tanks. Okey dokey, here is what I did. 😎 Step 1: Trim coarse foam to fit the bottom of the tank, leaving a 1/2" margin. Step 2: Trim UGF plate to fit bottom of the tank, again leaving 1/2" margin. The Penn-Plax plate is relatively soft plastic, so I used sharp scissors. Step 3: Install uplift tubes, no-clog air stones, and vinyl tubing. I like the Penn-Plax UGF because the uplift tubes twist and lock into the plate. This helps keep me from accidently dislodging them when I gravel vacuum, embed root tabs, or move plants around. Step 4: Cover with approx. 1 inch of gravel. Trimming the foam and UGF plate with a 1/2" margin lets me hide them behind the gravel. Add water, plants. Hook up air pump. Voila! With such a small tank, I decided against using a powerhead. The photo was taken after running air for about 24 hours. The water cleared up over the next couple of days. The blue line marks the level of the UGF filter plate. Here is what the tank looks like today, roughly 2 weeks later. So far, so good! 🤓
  16. Anita
    And there's...
  17. Anita
    https://aquariumscience.org/ has quite a bit of information on under-gravel filters (UGF), including efficiency ratings of various types of filters. The website author, a chemist, cites articles from peer-reviewed academic/scientific journals. He presents the information in a tiered format—from Aquariums for Dummies to Bill Nye the Science Guy. As a former lab tech, I appreciate the inclusion of scientific papers, although admittedly I do not feel the urge to slog through them myself. Zzzzzz..... Thankfully, the author has done this for me. 😍 Be prepared to read some controversial notions. The author unabashedly accepts the labels, "contrarian" and "chip on his shoulder." From his intro page: The first paragraph from the Review of Aquarium Filters page gives you an idea of website's tone: Have fun! 🤓
  18. Anita
    Her magnificent blackness, the Queen of Spades...
  19. Anita
    When last week's snowstorm cancelled my video conferences, I spent the afternoon shoveling the driveway. This guy showed up to supervise. 😎
  20. Anita
    That would be my guess as well. 🐉
  21. Anita
    Thanks @OceanTruth! 😎
  22. Anita
    @Yari, your photo reminded me that I have one of those methuselah ramshorns too! 🥰
  23. Anita
    I also use candy molds when making Repashy for my guppies. 🤓 Sometimes, I mix in Drosophila flies and larvae for a treat. For me, Drosophila are easier to culture than brine shrimp or other aquatic live foods. Also, molding the bugs in gel helps reduce waste from uneaten bugs drifting down into the gravel. My mutt guppies live with Neocaridina and various snails. Everyone grazes at all levels, on a variety of foods—brine shrimp, bloodworms, krill, flake food, Repashy, Drosophila flies/larvae, dried mulberry and grape leaves, squash, green beans, pollen, yeast. Haha, I guess they are pretty spoiled!
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