gjcarew
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Posts posted by gjcarew
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Rotala butterfly has a nutrient accumulation calculator. An easy way to find max accumulation is to find out how much whatever nutrient increases each week and divide by the amount of water you change as a percentage/decimal. For example, if your nitrates increase 10 ppm per week in a 50 gallon tank and you change 25 gallons per week (a 50% water change) your max accumulation is 10/.5= 20 ppm.
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Snapped this before heading away for a few days. I didn't have time to do a water change this week so I'll probably pay for it in algae next week.
I did a bunch of moving plants around over the weekend. I kinda like this version. It seems like it passes the squint test. One thing I might change is going with either the crypt nurii "Luminous Green" or the Eriocaulon Vietnam on the right hand side rather than both. Every group should have a visual weight and those two just don't seem to be keeping up with the rest of the tank.
I am conflicted between buying more water wisteria for the left side and trying to prop the existing stems. Maybe if I can find a deal or someone who wants to trade for an existing plant...
There is still not enough height variation. on the other hand I think with the shape of the groups I've done a decent job of integrating the foreground and background, so maybe it won't matter once everything grows in more.
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On 5/30/2022 at 2:34 PM, SkaleyAquatics said:
Have you had any new difficulties in this tank that you didn't with your winning tank?
I don't know if I'd call them "new" difficulties. There are different space constraints and design considerations in a different sized tank. I had trouble getting front-to-back depth in the previous tank, in this one I am having more trouble creating distinctions in height while things like streets are very easy.
I have also not been as good at maintaining this tank as I was with a smaller one. The 22 gallon was easier to take care of since water changes were super quick. That's more of a problem with my own time management than with the tank size, though.
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On 5/28/2022 at 8:36 PM, Torrey said:
@gjcarew what is the secret to keeping trimmed *and* not killing with the trimming? Because I haven't found that sweet spot, yet😅
Will be trying again when my Co-op order arrives, lol
Well first you gotta let it get established for a while. But then it's just a matter of plucking off any leaves that are too long at the base.
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Both tanks looking good!
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They don't stay low on their own, you definitely have to keep them trimmed. I wouldn't mind a bit taller, though.
On 5/27/2022 at 11:57 AM, anewbie said:I'd wait a bit to see what happens. I'm more amused as to whether the lotus will stay small and low...
On 5/27/2022 at 1:47 PM, Torrey said:Hmmmm.....
I'm with anewbie on this one. I suspect the lotus isn't going to stay that low to the ground..... I still think you have a gorgeous tank.
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Alright I know I just posted but I realized what was bothering me after playing with some photo editing settings. When I got the blyxa, it was green. Now it's brown. I didn't notice the gradual change, much like a frog in boiling water. It does not contrast well with the lotus. So now the question is, do I switch the lotus with the sword plant or do I trade the Lobelia Cardinalis for a street of Blyxa? The first is easiest so I'm going to try that out sometime this week and see how I like it.
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On 5/26/2022 at 10:38 AM, Mmiller2001 said:
This is a key lesson that I hope people take home. It's a top 5 tip for sure!
I wanted to ask how your Val is doing? I can get runners, but can't get my desired portion to grow.
Have any suggestions?
My val is doing well, growing plenty long and sending runners. This portion was long when I bought it though. In the past I have planted all the runners super densely around the plant. My theory is that if you don't give it room to run, it will start growing longer leaves.
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On 5/26/2022 at 1:56 PM, Torrey said:
These are gorgeous. I imagine these tanks are for you and @Mmiller2001 what looking at Josh Sim's tanks is for me🥰
I love Josh Sim's tanks too. Along with Josh Sim, Takayuki Fukada and Steven Chong are probably my favorite aquascapers. I used to do more diorama and nature-style aquascapes but it's hard with only one aquarium. They require you to get rid of all your fish and plants when you want to build a new hardscape, and generally pose difficulties when you keep them long term.
I would love to have a 60p eventually so I can get back in to that side of aquascaping, but for now I'm happy to continue with my Dutch-style scaping.
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Sorry for the glare and somewhat cloudy water!
Left side is gonna be a big water wisteria bush. I'm not full happy with the way the blyxa japonica lines up with the java fern, so will probably move some stuff around more next week.
There is decent variation in the shapes of the groups, but the entire midground is the same height and I'm not sure how to solve that right now.
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So currently you have two "lines" of plants that are the same height. A carpet plant would give you another layer which would help add depth. Alternatively, make one of your midground groups behind another.
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Looks better to me!
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You just need a foreground group IMO and it will help a lot with height variation. Maybe adding a group that goes from high in the background to the foreground to make the layout seem more "integrated." That street could also curve a bit more and get thinner in the background to create more depth. Currently it's more of a straight line.
Edit: Also just wanted to say that you're doing great and all the plants look healthy. Now's the fun part when you can work on that perfect trimming and composition.
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Every plant in their scapes is considered "easy." Hard plants are overrated, ain't nobody got time for that
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My toxic trait is going to do a water change, so I start cleaning algae, trimming plants, etc. I take way too long with that, which causes me to run out of time to change the water. That causes more algae and more plant issues that need to be addressed.
Anyways, I wanted to do an update as I've changed a bunch of things around, and will probably do so again this evening. I'm currently considering getting rid of the Acmella repens since I really want to do a big Hygrophila difformis bush like you can see in the Dutch tanks above.
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Just posting some of my inspiration for Dutch aquascaping, these works are from Willem and Fred van Wezel (father and son). Willem is a multiple-time Dutch national champion. It's this level I hope to one day be able to replicate with enough practice.
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On 5/10/2022 at 5:27 PM, Mmiller2001 said:
Thank you very much. I will soon. I've been secretly converting my 75 gallon to be ready for the AGA 2022 Dutch Style, but I'm definitely struggling to get there. In hindsight, I should have been more patient with the 40 gallon as it has hit a stride I've never seen before!
I'm having CO2 problems, and tomorrow, I'm going back to an inline CO2 diffuser. I'm pretty over reactors at this point. There's something to be said about a CO2 bubble resting on the plant.
I also just tore down my wife's 20 gallon so maintenance day should be easier. This is a quality of life improvement and I should be able to focus on the 75 gallon a bit more now.
Here is the winner of the 2019 AGA, one day I hope to have an imagination to create such a scape. Dutch style just captures my attention when it's done this well.
When I see a Dutch tank, I feel like I'm walking in a garden at some UK castle.
Insane! How in the heck does that not cause immediate green water?
Raj Mahakul has been doing experiments to see how far you can push high light, and also happens to be a very talented Dutch aquascaper. In his farm tank he has 515 par at the substrate level. He placed 3rd in the 2020 AGA competition and likely would have placed again in 2021 if not for an unfortunate error in his submission.
I love 2019's winning tank as well. It demonstrates masterful use of spacing between the plants. Chen Meng Chun submitted tanks for like 5 years before he won, it's really cool to go back and see how he gradually mastered the style.
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On 5/10/2022 at 4:51 PM, anewbie said:
What are the metal bars you are using to hang the light; where can they be obtained ?
It's just electrical conduit I bent and attached to the stand with conduit hangers.
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Removed more plants which is just making the corners seem that much more bare.
It's tough to see from this photo but the AR mini has twisted new growth which generally indicates a Ca deficiency.
@Mmiller2001 suggested I up my GH to 5 with a 3:1 Ca:Mg ratio. This made me check what I was doing before and it looks like I have been adjusting my RO water to 3 GH, which in hindsight is probably way too soft. I swear I'll get it together eventually 😓
Edit: New full dosing strategy for my reference:
24 ppm Ca, 19.5 g CaSO4,2H2O (3.36 dGH)
8 ppm Mg, 15.35 g MgSO4,7H2O (1.85 dGH, total dGH 5.2)
20 ppm NO3, 6.2 g KNO3
6 ppm PO4, 1.6 g KH2PO4
20 ppm K (35 ppm total), 8.5 g K2SO4 -
When you see the typical "gasping at the surface" from injecting too much CO2, the fish is not trying to breathe atmospheric air. The water at the top of the water column is more oxygenated, so they go there to catch their breath. If you don't promote gas exchange with airstones, skimmers, or whatever else you run a FAR higher risk of suffocating your fish. Let's say your light malfunctions while your CO2 is on-- the plants aren't making oxygen anymore. Even at low CO2 injection levels the aquarium can go anoxic fairly quickly. You need ample gas exchange at the surface to ensure your fish will survive until you notice something wrong.
I run high CO2 levels for the most part. As in so much that a bubble counter is useless. At the same time, I have my canister filter outflow pointed towards the water surface and an airstone turning on for 5 minutes per hour, as well as going nonstop when CO2 isn't on. I have never had any trouble injecting CO2 at 30+ ppm. Sure, I may have to refill my CO2 tank after 20 rather than 22 weeks, but it's 100% worth the peace of mind of knowing the fish are safe.
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On 5/10/2022 at 2:58 PM, anewbie said:
From the specs I would think per inch the A430 is 1.5x stronger than the P1200 pro - so if the P1200 is a par monster I hate to imagine what the A430 offers.
Apparently with the lights about 45 cm above the tank he was getting 250 par at substrate. The way I see it at a certain point it's just overkill. I don't know if you'll see a significant difference in plant growth with with 150 vs 250 par at substrate.
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On 5/10/2022 at 11:04 AM, anewbie said:
My problem with twinstar was that you have to spend a lot for them and then even more for a timer - which comes in fluval/wrgb2/... for free. I think twinstar might have a new model with the built in timer but not sure. wrgb2 pro seems nice as it has rgb + white diodes. Not too expensive either.
I have the original WRGB light (bought in 2019) that came with white diodes. Modern camera phones pick up white light much better than RGB so the white light is better for pictures.
On 5/10/2022 at 11:04 AM, Mmiller2001 said:@gjcarewmentioned a light that Tommy Wong likes. I might try it at some point. Just can't remember which one it was.
Dennis Wong uses the Week Aqua A430. It's kinda like the Chihiros Vivid in that it's a super expensive ($330) pendant light and you need two over a 4-foot tank. One unique thing is it includes UV diodes. Theoretically it promotes the growth of "sunblock" compounds in plants that turn them red. It might also promote shorter internode growth. Photo of Dennis' tank with the A430's below:
I've strongly considered the Week Aqua P1200 Pro. It's a PAR beast with RGB-UV diodes and is the same price as a Chihiros WRGBII Pro for arguably more light. So why haven't I pulled the trigger? Well, my 36" original Chihiros WRGB is growing plants well. A new light is just another toy-- not at all something I need right now. Maybe when I have a little more disposable income I'll get myself one of those beasts.
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Quick update! I added some adiantium "Little Lady" because it's one of my fave plants. It's a type of maidenhair with lots of tiny green leaves, it's almost like a cloud of foliage.
I stopped fertilizing for the nepenthes and let the salvinia take over to help stop algae. The fish certainly don't mind the dimmer light. The reward?
Pitchers! I didn't think the nepenthes would put them out but it's doing great.
As a side note, this tank is in my office and I'm leaving my current job. I will have to break down this setup. If anybody in the Seattle area has a 60 cm rimless tank and wants to add a self-watering living wall to it, I'm happy to give this away. I'm worried it's too niche of an item to sell. Just send me a message if interested.
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On 5/5/2022 at 8:58 PM, Torrey said:
That's frustrating. Do you have any pearlweed for similar texture and presentation?
For your limnophila aromatica. it looks gorgeous. I wonder if you can take a few cuttings and put in a tank and try utilizing the CO2 you are already running, and combine with a light siesta (I don't know if this is even an option) so the plant is growing w/ CO2 on a 4 hour on/4 hour off schedule around the clock? I am wondering if part of the growth success I am seeing isn't necessarily due to the CO2 being passively repleted during the "lights out", but is in fact due to the balance of light/dark times in shorter periods?
Only way to know is for enough people to use CO2 in both setups (standard photoperiod used with CO2 and a siesta period)... of course that also requires sufficient resources🤷🏼♂️
You may be looking at the Rotala rotundifolia on the left hand side, that is doing great. The limnophila aromatica is on the right behind the eriocaulon vietnam. While not unhealthy, it has very long internodes and little color to it. Can you tell me more about the setup where you're growing it successfully? What substrate/fertilization are you using? Do you know your GH/KH?
Dutch/ plant farm 75 gallon (and other projects)
in Photos, Videos & Journals
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It's needlepoint mesh zip tied to rigid airline tubing, and attached to the wall with auction cups. It's held far enough from the wall that I don't think anything would get stuck back there. Even when I had the needlepoint mesh pressed against the wall in my last setup, I didn't lose any fish behind it.
I used fine bird netting (for protecting ponds, fruit trees, etc) to attach the moss. It's a little faster and neater than tying it IMO. I have worried that I'm putting essentially a miniature gill net in my fish tank, but I haven't had any issues with it so far.