Ryan W

I see you have blue shrimp. I’ve been feeding nothing but Shrimp King Bio Tase Active for the last 3 months and it’s been a pretty good experience. Super easy to feed and there’s nothing to settle and accumulate. It’s a powder that stimulates bio-film growth. Seems to work well with Oto cats too, in my experience. It’s relatively expensive but I think it’s been worth it. Please excuse the diatom phase. Also, these guys have been moved 3 times. Came from AquaHuna. Started with 5 (ordered 8, nature happens). Got down to two and one was berried. Now I have over 40 and fed them nothing but the Shrimp King. Although I’m convinced it’s just powdered yeast, it’s a good product.

Yes, plant the rooted portion that got tore off. Keep the bulb in the tank as long as it isn’t soft (or out in another tank). If it’s soft, it’s began to rot and a fresh bulb is highly recommend. I have had my dwarf lily bulb a little over a year and have pulled probably 5 plants from it in that time. After the third plant, I had to move. At that point, it was back to bare bulb again and stayed dormant in a bucket of water for about 2-3 months, unheated, in about 60 degree water, that was about 9 months ago. Now, it’s been in its new tank since then and I just pulled a plant from the bulb. It already has 7-9 half-inch leaves sprouting. if you have a nice healthy bulb, they will generate plants indefinitely as long as the bulb stays viable.

Came to say the same thing. Spikes are my all time favorite winter bait for panfish. I wouldn’t feed trashcan maggots to my aquarium fish but I have fed bait spikes to my tiger barbs before to see if they’d eat them. It was hit or miss…. You wouldn’t happen to be the same “Lefty” that frequents IceShanty would you?

Not gonna lie, I 100% thought that was a massive snake lurking in the shadows….. lol I like your pond!

All I see are healthy looking fish, nothing abnormal sticks out to me at all. I wouldn’t worry about it.

For cleaning decor and hardscape, compact cleaning brushes for teeth/braces work pretty well for small places that won’t accommodate an entire hand. Search for “tuft” or “end tuft” toothbrushes on Amazon/Google. Toothbrushes in general make excellent cleaning tools for planted tanks. Electric toothbrushes can make very quick work of cleaning stubborn green algae from hardscape. An electric brush also works well for cleaning the glass if you have the time to do it. I have a 3gallon bowfront and that’s how I usually clean the glass. Electrics are great for getting algae off of the silicone seams too. You don’t have to push and scrub with a sponge or anything, just let the brush do the work. Stainless steel algae scrapers also work well for tiny tanks. These also allow you to scrape algae away from the glass below the substrate so that inevitable “algae line” isn’t always there. Really any thin flat piece of plastic would work too. When it comes to not messing up the scape, well….. that will probably happen no matter what you do to prevent it lol. Eventually, you’re going to knock into something and jostle something around. This can be prevented during the hardscape stage buy attaching all of your hardscape to each other either by (always make sure whatever you use is aquarium safe!!) superglue, the appropriate epoxy, silicone, or even zip-ties. The more stable you create your scape, the more forces it will be able to take. Sometimes, I’ll move things just by trying to brush algae away. I’ve learned to deal with little things like this and adjust my maintenance routine accordingly. With tiny scapes, you have to pay much more attention to what you’re doing inside of it than you would in a much larger tank. As with anything involved with tiny tanks, you just have so much less room for error. That includes routing around in your tank with hands and tools. Just pay attention to what you’re doing and try to think ahead to what your going to do next so you’re aware of the layout of the scape. Eventually you’ll learn where everything is at and you’ll be able to maneuver around easier. It also helps, that during the hardscape process, to anticipate your cleaning routine. Place your hardscape in ways to make it easier to clean everything. Don’t put a whole bunch of wood along the side glass then get frustrated when it’s impossible to clean. A good rule of thumb is to leave about an inch between the glass and the hardscape. That should ensure enough room for at least a toothbrush or something similar to get in between the glass and the hardscape. By the way, what you have going on looks great! Keep it up.

Things you need: 1) Co2 cylinder - I get mine from Airgas (welding supply store). Grow shops may also sell Co2 cylinders. A 5lb cylinder is the smallest you will find in a store like those. Grow shops usually carry 20lb cylinders. A full cylinder (depending on what size you want) will usually start at about $100 for a 5lb cylinder. My local grow shops sell full 20lb cylinders for $125. When using an actual pressurized Co2 cylinder, when it runs out, you take the empty cylinder back to where you bought it from and exchange it for a “new” full cylinder. At my local Airgas, I pay $25 for a “new” full 5lb cylinder exchange. At the grow shop, it’s $20 to exchange a 20lb cylinder (I’ve never looked into bigger cylinders from Airgas). What I’m getting at is it’s not that expensive to start with a larger cylinder. A bigger cylinder means less exchanges and more time in between those exchanges. The thing that usually stops aquarists from getting a larger cylinder to start is the space required to operate it. A 20lb cylinder isn’t all that big but it won’t fit under your typical Aquarian stand (bought or diy). Usually, a 20lb cylinder will sit next to the aquarium. If that doesn’t bother you, it’s really the way to go. Most of us go the 5lb cylinder route because they will fit underneath/inside almost any stand. 2) Co2 regulator - I personally use GLA (Green Leaf Aquarium) regulators. Mine cost $300 and it’s a quality piece of gear. A lot of people scoff at the fact of paying $300 for a regulator but it really has been flawless (most GLA customers will agree). Currently, they sell a regulator for $150. It’s essentially the same regulator that ADA and a few other dealers use to sell a few years ago. If you want to go with GLA, I’d recommend either the $150 one or the $300 (you’d have to go their site and look and specs). I have no doubts in functionality of either regulator. Co2Art is another brand that garners pretty high regard within the Co2 world. Affordable and functional. What else do you need?… However, you may run into more quality control issues and depending on where you buy them, you might be screwed on warranty repairs/replacement. DISCLAIMER: I’ve never purchased or used Co2Art regulators but the internet is full of positive testimonials that I wouldn’t mind trying one out someday. Honestly, for the money and quality, I personally wouldn’t branch out too far from the above brands. Sure, their are a couple other brands that could work and do work for people trying to save money but pressurized Co2 setups really isn’t the place you want to go the absolute cheapest route. 3) Co2 diffusers - You could in-tank or in-line with a canister depending on what your filter is. I use an inline atomizer (GLA, NilocG) on the output tube of my Fluval 207, works great. I went with in-line because I didn’t want clutter in the tank. An in-tank diffuser is easier to manage since it isn’t connected to the plumbing of a filter. It is its own separate apparatus. The decision in which you want is up to you and your ultimate goals for your setup. 4) Co2 tubing - This one is simple. Get some Co2 rated tubing. Honestly, you can get away with using regular airline hose for an air pump. I have been doing exactly that for at least the last two years with zero negative affects (Lee’s tubing). Again, that decision is up to you. 5) Timer - Get a plug in timer so the solenoid on your regulator can be opened and closed automatically to coincide with the photoperiod of your lights. You can use either the cheap mechanical timers (I have for years, they work just fine but bumps to the “time-disk” are prone to change your times). Recently, I started using a USB-Wifi outlet (the solenoid on my regulator uses a usb plug for power) that I can program using my phone and it has been rather fantastic. Either will work well but I recommend a plug in Wifi outlet (if the solenoid on your regulator uses a normal plug, get that version) such as the one Cory sells. 6) Drop checker - A drop checker isn’t necessary AT ALL but it does give you a somewhat accurate visual reference (as accurate as us hobbyists are going to get) of your tanks Co2 levels. The reason it isn’t necessary is because to get the reading we want to see (green) it takes several hours for the Co2 in the tank to affect the solution inside the drop checker. For example, in my tank my Co2 comes on at 10am, lights on at noon. My drop checker won’t read green until about 2-3 pm. That’s 4-5 hours after the Co2 comes on. So, it’s not an “instant reading” meaning if there were to be a problem like your fish acting strange because you think you’ve gassed them (too much Co2 so fish are suffocating) your drop checker may very well be telling you that Co2 levels are optimal because it’s still green but that color is actually from a few hours ago before Co2 levels became so saturated in the water column that it started to hinder your fish. However, drop checkers are a good way to know if there is something wrong with your Co2 setup equipment in general. Say, for me, if it’s 5pm and my drop checker is still blue, we’ll clearly there is an issue somewhere down the line before it can enter the tank. So, I would then check all of the connections within the Co2 setup for leaks. Same goes for the other way around, if it’s 5pm and the drop checker is lemon yellow, we’ll clearly there is an issue somewhere down the line. In that case, I’d check all of the valves on the regulator itself to see if something got adjusted on accident (some needle valves are very finicky and a slight bump can be the difference between 2 bubbles per second and 50). So, I use a drop checker to make sure everything is still running consistently and not so much to see how much Co2 is actually in the water. A much quicker and much more accurate way to check Co2 levels is to check the drop in ph from when your Co2 is off and when it is on with either a ph test kit or better yet a digital ph pen. Wait a second? “Check the drop”? You mean a “drop checker????”. That’s right! That’s exactly why it’s called a “drop checker”. It “checks” the “drop” in ph from when your Co2 is off to when it’s on. Only instead of giving us a quick numerical reading like a ph pen does, it uses colors in a chemical solution and relies on Co2 dissipation inside the little tiny opening that in-tank glass drop checkers. So, it takes hours for that gas exchange to happen and therefore change the color of that chemical solution. Having said all of that, glass drop checkers can look classy in a nice setup. Personally, I use both! 7) Expectations - A lot of people assume that once they install an actual pressurized co2 system that all of their planted tank problems will go away and they will be left with a show-stopping contest winning worthy tank with luscious beautiful growth that will make them the absolute envy of the planted tank world……Just….stop it. That may be the case for the examples we all see online but those guys/tanks are the EXCEPTION and most definitely not the rule. What does happen is that you discover an entirely new world of issues lol. What you really learn about quickly is tank balance. And unfortunately, what it takes to balance your tank is completely different than what it takes to balance my tank. Or even another one of your tanks for that matter. Yes, you will experience quicker growth. But along with quicker growth, you’ll also experience deficiencies quicker as well. That’s where learning that tanks balance comes in and that my friend, is on you. The internet helps a ton but ultimately, it’s up to you to maintain that balance. Personally, I don’t use Co2 for accelerated growth or to create a show tank or anything like that. I use Co2 to provide my plants with as much of that balance as possible. All plants may not require Co2, but I can guarantee that all plants will most certainly appreciate additional Co2. For what it’s worth, even with my $500 setup for my 32 gallon, I still have algae issues and plant health issues. But, I know that Co2 isn’t the issue. So, for me at least, my issues come down to nutrients or lighting. My nutes should be good so that just leaves lighting. Yup, my lights are too intense for my plants and nutrient load (it’s not that heavy). I know my lights are too bright. They are on every tank I setup and it’s something I’ve learned to deal with. More than I’d care to admit and honestly my plants could be healthier because of it. Maybe I should turn my lights down a bit……….But again, like I said above, that’s on me. It isn’t the Co2’s fault and it most certainly isn't the plants fault. It’s mine as the aquarist. 😎 HAVE FUN!! - Seriously, that’s what this hobby is all about! If you aren’t having fun, something is wrong. Using pressurized Co2 can be a struggle. Especially when it doesn’t meat our expectations (remember ^^^^) after spending all of the money on decent gear and the time and effort that goes into all of it just for it to seemingly make things worse and just deteriorate our view on the hobby. Thankfully, that’s not usually the case for most of us and if you go into it with a reasonable expectation, than can make the struggles a little less harder to deal with. Get ready to learn a lot!

According to UKAPS, they are Tubifex.

Certainly a musky or a pike. Nothing messes with those! Just hang out in my nook and ambush everything lol.

Full disclaimer: I am far from an expert when it comes to growing any kind of plant and this is some real nit-picky stuff here but I do have experience and studying under my belt. It certainly could mean that the water column is heavy on nutrients too but in my experience, you’d develop an algae farm before plants would develop aerial roots for the sole purpose of nutrients in the water column. Plants can be kind of weird when it comes to roots and nutrients. What we see as “roots” are just part of the root system. Attached to the “roots” are hair roots. Think of the main big long white roots we see like your arms and hands and your dinner is across the table. We use our arms and hands to reach across the table. We then use or fingers to grip onto the tacos. That’s what the hair roots do for a plant. The main roots search through the substrate (reaching across the table) and the hair roots grab the nutrients (fingers gripping the tacos). Hair roots grow along the entire length of the main roots. So, you could have a decent root system in a less-than-ideal substrate nutritiously because the main roots keep searching for food and the roots get bigger. It’s when those main roots aren’t finding enough food when aerial roots will appear and in a submerged environment like an aquarium where the balance between light, co2, and nutrients is an never ending struggle for most of us, most stem plants will grow aerial roots in search of something that they aren’t getting enough of in the substrate. The main challenge is creating that balance. In planted tanks, we usually tend to use a nutritious substrate ALONG with dosing the water column. More often than not, most people don’t initially setup a nutritiously complete substrate though and rely on a commercial product like ADA Amazonia, Fluval Stratum, Tropica, UNS, etc,. Although those substrates offer a great supply of nutrients, it isn’t everything that a plant needs. So, we compensate by dosing the water column with both macro and micro nutrients. Everything the plants need. So, stem plants will inherently begin to grow aerial roots because that’s where the nutrients they are missing are. You may look at ADA’s substrate system and think “man, that’s a lot of expensive powders, do I really need all of that?” and the answer is a resounding “NO!”. However, what ADA is trying to accomplish is building a substrate that had everything possible for an aquatic plant needs right in the substrate to minimize the amount water column dosing as possible using medium intensity lighting. (I am not sponsored or promoting ADA here, just reiterating their philosophies). Why? To minimize algae and maximize plant health and necessarily maximized plant growth. Excelled growth is different than excelled health. There’s no point in growing plants as fast as you can if they aren’t also as healthy as they can be as well. Again, it all comes down to balancing the individual tank for the needs of the plants inside of it but when it comes down to aerial roots, this some extremely nit-picky stuff. If you are trying to create an immaculate contest scape, this is way more applicable than if you’re just trying to grow nice plants in your living room. Contest tanks are a completely different animal. The hard part isn’t maintaining the balance, it’s finding the balance and every tank is different. I know this was kind of a long-winded response but a lot goes into a planted tank and as aquarists we want good results and when those results don’t happen they way we anticipate that they should, it’s extremely discouraging. Personally, I don’t sweat aerial roots. In 95% percent of all of our tanks, it’s just kind of what stem plants do.

Yes. Very normal for stem plants of all kinds. What you are describing are called “aerial roots”. Stem plants tend to start growing aerial roots in search for more food. If your substrate is very nutritious, the plants may not grow aerial roots at all because they are getting all they need from the substrate. However, just because your plants are growing aerial roots, that isn’t necessarily indicative of a malnourished substrate. It’s just the plants way of eating. Although, if you built your substrate to be very heavy on nutrients, it may be a sign that your substrate needs a boost by using some root tabs. Not many people intentionally build a highly nutritious substrate like that though. You can trim them off if the look of them bothers you. A lot of people trim them. Aerial roots are great for topping-and-replanting though because you now have a completely converted, rooted, stem ready for replanting after topping.

It’s because there is less light coming in from directly above them. Since your light has a single source of light (a pendant, not a bar) there is going to be less light along the sides furthest from the light source. I see you only have it at 25% intensity? Everything seems to be growing great. However, you have plenty of headroom on your light to do raise the intensity and you’re running co2. So that helps. So yeah, if you want your stems to grow as straight up as they can, they will need either more light from the original source or direct light coming straight down onto it. Considering you’re getting nice growth on everything, I’d personally just let the tank continue to do its thing at its current pace and just trim/replant the tips as necessary. It wouldn’t hurt to get some more of what’s on the left though to fill out that space. On a side note, your AR in the front is doing great. I’d trim and replant the top. You could probably trim the two other green stems (not sure what they are) in half and replant the tops so you’d have 4 stems in a little group.

Wow thanks! I improvised a fry basket out of a fine mesh net and threw some Matrix in there to keep the net from collapsing on itself. There’s a spray bar on the opposite side of the tank so water is flowing through the net super gentle like. We shall see what happens.

I’ve been in the hobby for almost a decade and I’m in the middle of a water change and I found what I believe to be an egg. I have panda cories, black neons, and I just introduced a group of oto cats. I’m assuming it’s a panda Cory egg. Out of my 6, one has been tending to a cave-ish area of the tank recently away from the others. No other abnormal behavior going on. I’m just wondering what the next step is to try and hatch the little guy? I’m not setup for anything fry related but any tips would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

The Apera’s aren’t bad pens. I’ve used that exact model for about 13 months for ph’ing my nutrient mixture for my recreational growing needs. It worked great and then after about 11 months it’s calibration started drifting by .2 and it just didn’t want to calibrate the 4.00 solution. The 7.00 solution always calibrated fine. I ended up having to use it like an old car. Having to figure out certain tricks for it to read/calibrate correctly and at that point, what’s the point of the pen? I actually contacted Apera about this and their solution was to try to sell me $35 worth of their calibration solution. It got me nowhere so I ended up buying 3 different brands of solution and they all performed exactly the same giving me the exact same readings. Conclusion: the pen was faulty. Which, I tried telling Apera but they didn’t seem to care. When it was reading accurately, it was a great pen to use and held calibration very well. I calibrated it monthly. As far as the Blue Labs recommended above, your mileage may vary. I’ve never used them personally but I’m part of a few online groups that grow recreational plants very very well and Blue Labs isn’t really the end-all-be-all either. They get a ton of praise but I’d put them in the same league as the Apera’s. Blue Labs may have better customer service also but, again, I haven’t had any personal experience with them. Lots of people use them and love them though. I actually just had to buy a new pen myself. I had to take a hiatus from my legal recreational growing due to a move and I needed to replace my ph pen. I ended up purchasing the Apera PH60 (the next model up from the PH20 recommended and that I used). I haven’t had a chance to use it yet (or calibrate it) but I do have better expectations for it than the PH20. Time will tell. Having said all of that, in my experience and opinion, for $50-$100 Blue Labs and Apera are about as good as you can get without getting into low-end scientific equipment which is significantly more expensive than either the Blue Labs or the Apera. I see that you are in Australia? Your links are in AU and I think that’s Australia (I’m sorry if I’m wrong). I’m not sure of the availability or price of these pens in your country but if you can afford them (or your regions equivalent brands), I don’t think it would hurt to spring for those brands. Having said all that again, from talking to many people in my recreational growing groups, a lot of people also have great luck and results using essentially the same pens you’ve linked to. Just luck of the draw is all but I don’t have time to rely on luck for most things so I like to try and spend more for assurance. Again, your mileage may vary.