Ryan W

It’s like you were just in my room lol. I’m trying to salvage some DHG at the moment. I’m using Fluval Stratum, injected Co2 (which has never liked me), and 2 kessil A80’s on a 18” cube. I also have pretty hard water. It tends to grow well with my setup but......I’m a sucker for tiger barbs and they love pulling any carpeting plant that I choose to use. I’ve been replanting the same sprigs of DHG for 2 months and it just can’t take hold because of the tiger barbs. So, now, I’m going to replace my “foreground” back to cosmetic sand and just dedicate a nice little 4x6 area to try and salvage them. Trimming does indeed encourage runners though. Another thing about DHG is that if it’s struggling to take hold, it becomes an algae magnet in my experience. A fine toothbrush works alright to clean the blades of grass but if it hasn’t rooted well yet you’ll just pull them up. Brandy nailed when she used the term “frustrations”.

You’re welcome!

If you’re looking for a “real” camera, the Canon M50 with just the kit lens can be had for around $500 on the Internet. It’s a pretty solid starter interchangeable-lens camera for stills and the kit lens is great for learning and 1080p video. It also does 1080p video very well. A good add-on lens for the M50 would be the Canon EF 50mm 1.8 for around $100-$125. You would have to buy an additional EF-M to EF adapter that would run about $25. Another great option would be the Canon EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 is ii USM with the lens adapter mentioned above. That’s a $400-$500 lens though but it’s the best telephoto option for the M50 without getting into “L Series” lenses but if you can afford an “L Series” I’d suggest getting a better camera more suited for your budget. I would also get a CPL filter to fit the lens you use regardless of whatever camera/lens you end up getting. A CPL filter is a polarized lens attachment. Not only will it help with tank-glass glare and stray light, it will also enhance the colors of whatever you’re photographing, especially if it’s through water. Polarized filters shift the rays of light hitting the sensor to essentially reduce glare. If you’ve ever worn polarized sunglasses and looked into a lake/river )or even into your aquarium) a CPL filter does the same thing for your camera. if you can’t afford something like that, a modern phone is more than capable of taking pretty good pictures. Lighting your subjects are key. Don’t be surprised if you have to add more lighting to your tank just for photos. It’s ok though because those extra lights aren’t permanent. Just use them for the photos. Photo editing features on modern phones have come a long way and can also be helpful in producing a good photo. Again, lighting usually dictates that. You’d be surprised how much noise and grain can be reduced just by using proper lighting.

For me, it’s forgetting that dry spider wood loves to float and ruin your scapes! Luckily, I remembered in time before the water got too high. I didn’t have any rocks big enough to weight it down since I just smashed them to make smaller rocks so I trimmed a piece of PEX tubing that I had and wedged it in-between the wood and the shelf that my Stingrays are attached to. Works pretty well.

I’ve owned 2 GLA regulators. The first was one of their older model (new at the time) GRO-1 regulators that I bought about 5 years ago and sold a year later to fund a guitar restoration project. That regulator worked flawlessly the entire time I used it and the new owner never complained (sold it through another forum). The second one (PRO-1) has been in continuous use for the last 6 months and all I ever do is check the bubble counter fluid level and refill accordingly, which has only been once. Beautiful, great functioning, regulators that are worth the price if you can afford it. Yes, they are pricey, but Orlando will take care of any issues that may they occur. I’m really not trying to push a $300 co2 regulator on anyone. I do understand that that could be a car payment or a mortgage payment. Just, if you happen to get one, they work great and i don’t think you’d be disappointed. Having said that, those are my only experiences using any Co2 regulator. I wouldn’t hesitate to use any of GLA’s regulator offerings if you can afford them and they have the correct fitting for your co2 canister. Having said that again, to go off of what Streetwise said, on other forums there does seem to be a lot of praise for the Milwaukee. Even the Co2 Art seem to work well for most people. The point is, buy what you can afford be it $300 or $75. The next point is, injecting pressurized Co2 does take a significant chunk of change to get started. In my area, a brand new “first-purchase” 5lb Co2 canister is $90-$100 then $20-$25 for an exchange. A “decent” cheap regulator is going to cost you at least ~$100. A diffuser/atomizer/reactor ranges from $5-$60. Co2 tubing, solenoid timer, say $20. Even going “cheap”, I’d still be in it about $250. Understanding the limitations of your equipment relative to your budget is the biggest influence though. For me, the limitations of GLA’s regulators are worth the asking price. However, don’t buy something expensive just because other people say you should. Do GLA’s work? Absolutely 100%. But they aren’t the only player in the game and really, they all “work”. You just need to understand those limitations we talked about earlier and decide if those limitations are something you’re willing to deal with for the asking price...for any regulator (or any other piece of equipment for that matter).