[Java Moss for Aquarium Co-op?]

@Cory I came across a video where you were talking about wanting local folks to sell you Java moss but they were never prepared to sell an amount equal to the demand there is for it.

For selling, would you be looking for a bags of a certain number of pounds of bulk Java moss, or would you be looking a certain number of Java moss that’s already sewn on to 2.75 x 2.75” mesh?

And is there a minimum amount you’re looking for on a regular basis?

Sorry if you answered this already—I was drifting off to sleep and just remember you generally talking about looking for Java moss.

Also, I was able to finally visit the Co-op in-person! Picked up the last of the Pygmy Corys. Customer service was so warm and friendly and it was a breath of fresh air 🙂

[Re-introducing nerite after No Planaria?]

I used No Planaria as directed to get rid of hydra. The last dose was a few days ago.

Since then, I’ve done a couple of 40% water changes. I’ve also added some Seachem Matrix Carbon in a media bag to my tank (perched on my sponge filter, just slightly in range of the bubbles). I have a 10 gallon tank.

Has anyone successfully re-introduced an ornamental snail (mystery, nerite, etc.) after using No Planaria? I can’t seem to find a definite answer anywhere...

I’ve read three 50% water changes and adding carbon for 24 hours. But I’ve also read that after two months of water changes and carbon, snails still perish.

[Plant deficiency?]

45 minutes ago, Brandy said:

I actually have the pennywort, and it is doing something similar. I vote boost light and nitrates to at least 10ppm. Your shrimp should be easily fine at that level. It looks to me like a fast grower that is just hungry. I have not yet tried root tabs, but I may try that also. Mine is putting on a lot of new growth, but the older leaves look a little yellowed and unhappy. If it is not getting enough light the spaces between the leaves will increase as you go toward the tip.

The moss may be converting from being grown emersed. I would wait, and again maybe increase light. Your shrimp will take care of the brown bits for you.

Thanks! Do I just keep increasing the fertilizer dosage until I reach 10 ppm? 

[Plant deficiency?]

Thanks in advance for any help! Apologies for the length but hopefully this provides enough background.

What kind of deficiency is this?

Photos are of Brazilian pennywort and Phoenix moss in a 10 gallon tank with pothos, water sprite, green myrio, marimo, Java moss, Japanese dwarf pennywort, water spangles. I’ve tried rubbing off the brown stuff on the Brazilian Pennywort leaves but nothing comes off.

I have very light bioload in my tank (just three Amano, 10 blue velvet, 1 nerite). This tank has been running for a little over a month and the nitrates have been around 5 ppm. I had 0.25 ammonia in the beginning but reached 0 after day 7. I’ve never had any nitrites.

I have very soft water so I use NilocG Regen for GH and NilocG Rekharb for KH. I tried using crushed coral but for some reason, it would only affect my KH and some pH, not GH. I also tried Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ but it wouldn’t affect my KH and the amount of dGH it would raise would vary. I’ve found the liquid additives with the pump heads to be much more accurate and easier to dose.

My GH is around 9 and my KH is around 5.

I was planning on giving the Phoenix moss a haircut so that it can start fresh. The new growth on the Brazilian Pennywort looks nice and green. I was planning on cutting off and planting the tops but if it’s a nutrient deficiency, I want to get that in control.

I’ve been using two squirts of NilocG (the shrimp safe formula) three times a week. My light is on for 10 hours a day on a timer.

Should I increase the dosage...? I read that the shrimp safe version is meant so that the nitrates don’t build up as much as the regular formula so you don’t have to do any many water changes so it doesn’t stress the shrimp out as much.

I was wondering if I should add some extra food to the tank but I’m worried that’s just gonna make a dirty mess and might feed algae more than the pennywort and the Phoenix moss. The other plants aren’t having issues so maybe they’re hogging nutrients...?

[Trimming water sprite?]

2 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Water sprite is a fern, but you can trim off whatever you would like, the rest of the plant will not die back.

To promote aerial growth, just let it float. Any new leaves will unfurl up into the air with no need to drape over anything. Here is one my floating ones (growing in a patch of duckweed 🙂). This is the narrow leaf variety, there is also a broad leaf variety.

 

Beautiful!!

[Trimming water sprite?]

How do you trim water sprite when it gets too tall?

I read that if you just trim the top, the rest of the plant will die back cause it grows like a fern.

I know that you propagate by cutting away the baby plants but I can’t find info on what to do when I just want to manage the height of the plants.

Also, to promote aerial growth, would I just leave the tips of the top most leaves out of water, like draped over some floating airline tubing...?

[Quarantine Fish?]

Should I quarantine fish and use the medicine trio even if I buy fish from Aquarium Co-op...? I know they already use these medications on fish so wasn’t sure if doing so would be overload on the fish.

 

thanks!

[GH keeps dropping]

Is it normal for GH to drop by 1 degree each day in a relatively heavily planted tank...? I have Fluval Stratum Shrimp substrate but I thought it only would affect KH. Current stock is only one nerite snail but I’m hoping to get blue velvet shrimp and sparkling gourami (and potentially some pygmy corydoras depending on how stocking the former goes).

I did one dose of Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ the day before yesterday and it boosted GH from 2 to 5 (KH dropped by 1). But today my GH is back down to 2...

I’m more concerned about my GH since 2 is pretty low for snails/neos... My KH tends to drop slowly but I can keep it at around 6 or 7 with crushed coral. The crushed coral seems to only affect my pH and KH, unfortunately...

I just ordered NilocG GH booster but wasn’t sure if needing to add that or Salty Shrimp on such a regular basis would create too much salt build up.

My tap water GH is 4 and KH is 2.

My tank has been running for a week and a half. It’s 10 gallons. Water parameters other than GH and KH have been stable: ph 7.4, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5 (I reached 0 ammonia a couple days ago). I add two pinches of ground up fish food twice a day for ammonia.

 

Thanks!