Streetwise

Carbon in plant bags has worked for turtle filters, and feline waterfalls. More Co-Op products have a second life: substrate storage.

I really enjoy the group behavior of Bloodfin Tetras, and White Clouds.

I messed around with several of those kits for a couple of months. The single-stage regulator is very hard to fine-tune, and I didn’t trust starting and stopping it manually, and getting consistent output. I tuned it for the absolute minimal trickle output, to run continuously. It was cool to see what CO2 was like, but I removed mine to concentrate on my soil, lighting, and plant selection. If I were to try CO2 again, I would use a dual-stage regulator, with a solenoid controlled by timer and pH.

It resembles the Mycelium that you might find on decaying wood. I would be inclined to observe and enjoy it.

Consider an initial test with just your well water, so you have a baseline. Maybe it will be fine, and not require additional action. That said, my water is on the harder side, and I happen to use wood in all of my tanks.

The live edge wood is a nice touch!

Is it all one plant, or are there several tangled up? Either way, that is some impressive Anubias. You could keep it together, or divide it up for wood or rocks. If that was mine, I would dedicate a 3.5 gallon tank for one of those handfuls that you show! Deep green is the color you want from these.

I love these threads even from across the country. What are some of the hard-to-find species that are the most exciting to see on your wholesale lists?

I just got a pair for a turtle tank. I'm thinking about which plants to use. Here they are in a 2.5 gallon bucket.

It might be Anubias Nana Petite: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/live-plants/products/anubias-nana-petite

My Dad sent me a couple of photos: It needs more plants.

If you need another book: https://dianawalstad.com

I try to outsource my glass cleaning to snails, Otocinclus, Corys, Shrimp, etc. Sometimes I will clean for a photo. As far as substrate related to glass, try to keep from scratching your tank with sand and gravel trapped in your cleaning media. It is really easy to pick up sand with magnetic scrapers. I had this problem more on marine tanks, but the lesson has stayed with me.

The Co-Op is super-selective about which products are actually worth it to source, produce, and sell. I really appreciate that. I would love to see a Pico sponge filter variation that has the height of the Small, but the width of the Nano. I would like to be able to purchase green Co-Op lift tubes in lengths that fit in standard Co-Op shipping boxes. Cheers

@ShellFire, what are the new constraints for your tanks?

As a sailor, I love a boatload of plants! I’m going to tell people that I run organic soil tanks for mud leak protection.

I removed the HOB, and added a pair of MF10s, which he can now try to knock off the glass. I forgot to bring in the planters and a couple of plants. Any ideas of which plants would have the best chance of survival with him? My newest order was all Cryptocoryne and Anubias.

I was researching Bucephalandra a bit today, and I learned a new term. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheophyte "A rheophyte is an aquatic plant that lives in fast moving water currents in an environment where few other organisms can survive. Rheophytes tend to be found in currents that move at rates of 1 to 2 meters per second and that are up to 3 to 6 feet deep. The amount of force produced by these currents, and the damaging debris they can carry, makes this environment inhospitable to most plants. Rheophytes are able to live in such environments because their leaves are streamlined so as put up little resistance to the flow of water. The leaves tend to be quite narrow and flexible as well. In order to prevent the plants from being uprooted, Rheophytes have an extremely strong wide spreading root systems. Many Rheophytes live in areas that sustain flash floods and they are dependent on the oxygenated water and buoyancy brought along with it. Simply being an aquatic plant with narrow leaves is not a sufficient condition for being a Rheophyte. Also, plants that grow in slow moving water that occasionally receive fast currents aren't Rheophytes either if they don't need these fast currents to survive. Plants that fall into this category are known as facultative rheophytes. When low water levels occur Rheophytes often quickly begin to flower to take advantage of these occurrences. Examples of rheophytic ferns are Asplenium obtusifolium, Osmunda lancea, and Tectaria lobbii."

@Jennifer V, it looks you have a great start! I think you should add the plants that look interesting to you. Any plants that you choose will be good for your aquarium and the inhabitants. I have really been enjoying Cryptocoryne varieties, Anubias varieties, Dwarf Sagittaria, and other plants that don't get too tall, because I have smaller tanks. I plan to start collecting Bucephalandra varieties. As you browse the tank journals, and watch videos, you can curate your own wish list of plants to try, not to mention fish, shrimp, and snails.

More plants!

I have hard water and I keep wood in all my tanks for a nice balance.

The Co-Op made their own meme with the latest stream thumbnail!

Your tank is gorgeous!

I am working on more robust filtration options. I think Sam wants a rock pile on each side. I'm going to give him a couple of resilient ACO plants in planters.