gjcarew
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Posts posted by gjcarew
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Trying a new foreground layout to highlight this Eriocaulon malaytoor. It's a very pretty plant but with how delicate it is it's very easy to miss against other green plants.
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On 1/15/2024 at 6:07 AM, Mmiller2001 said:
Wow, she really grew in!. Must have been a fulfilling trim session 😆
It was exhausting! All in all it was like 6 hours over three days, including all the replanting, substrate cleaning, water change, etc.
It's much more manageable to stay on top of it and only have to trim a little each week
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Before and after. I've been traveling a lot so haven't had time to trim. It's crazy how much happier the fish look when they have some room to swim.
I'm also trying out Limnophila sp. Wavy and Hygrophila odora for the back left, since the Hygrophila difformis kept bolting to the surface and looking all messy.
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On 1/14/2024 at 1:17 PM, Mmiller2001 said:
That and I wanted a bit larger grain size.
@gjcarew look familiar? Talk about slow but it’s resurrecting.
Wonderful! Java fern sp. India. I don't think it's sold commercially. It's like a normal java fern but much smaller.
It only works in high tech tanks for me, it just slowly dies in low tech. Luckily it can grow back from pretty much a bare rhizome.
It takes division very well if you decide to make more!
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Do you just prefer a dark substrate?
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On 12/10/2023 at 1:02 PM, anewbie said:
you mean the pink jacobi right front? Mine has started to grow tall; i mean way tall; taller than me 😞
Well if you want it to look short and sickly for months, you could try uprooting it.
In all seriousness that tends to happen in lower light. High light makes crypts lay wide and flat
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On 12/10/2023 at 7:50 AM, Mmiller2001 said:
Dude, nice! That Crypt, holy smokes!
I almost took it out, it melted way back after moving it. Glad I held off!
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On 12/1/2023 at 1:34 AM, nabokovfan87 said:
Maybe a spot for some hygrophila corymbosa?
Given the layers and all the detail on the left I wish the right had that same layered impact. It'll be interesting to see what you end up with!
I added some ammania pedicellata to the right side. We will have to see how it does without aquasoil. I know in general it's a finicky one.
I think I'm going to get rid of the limnophila aromatica next. It just isn't distinctive enough. Maybe I'll replace it with something like anubias barteri, I need something with broad leaves and dark green color there I think. Or I could go full on fruit stand and try alternanthera reinickii or something.
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Overall I kinda like the layout. There is still a big empty spot on the right that I was leaving empty in hopes my dormant nymphaea minuta bulb would grow in, but it doesn't appear to be doing anything. The left side is definitely still a hodge-podge too. But at least the middle ain't bad
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Absolutely gorgeous. I'm glad to see all your hard work pay off.
It's my birthday today, and this is an amazing birthday present. It's been wonderful to be able to follow your journey, and I really appreciate the gesture.
I can't wait to see what you do next year!
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Dang, it's been a while since I've posted! My algae scraper broke so GSA has been slowly building up, hence it looks kinda gross. I do have another one on the way, but I figured I should post and updated photo while it's on my mind!
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Is that coco coir?
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I didn't build my own, I bought a super cheap (like $50) regulator off Amazon that has lasted at least 4 years. There is some drift in injection rates, but I just bought a flow meter so I can adjust as needed.
The thing about regulators is a certain percentage are gonna be duds unless you're going custom. So I'd just go with one that is relatively cheap and has a warranty.
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I never nailed the timing and trimming this year. I'm going to be in Ireland for the next week and back on the 9th, so I have one day to (hopefully) get a better photo once I get back.
One big change I made is moving the buce back up front. It didn't look good in the background. I'm also hoping the rotala will be recovered a bit by the time I return, I accidentally took it down too far.
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On 8/29/2023 at 11:36 AM, SkaleyAquatics said:
@gjcarew what is the plant behind the hydrocotyle?
Bolbitis heudelotii
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Here's a little preview of the almost-final product. I want to move the rotala right a touch to give it more room. I also cut the Ludwigia a tad too short 🥲
Gonna take some nice pictures in the next week or so. I'm pretty sure there are no AGA judges secretly lurking this forum so I'm pretty sure it's safe to post here
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On 8/9/2023 at 12:00 AM, anewbie said:
The only thing good i can say about bacopa caroliniana is everytime i trim it - it smells fantastic - a nice minty smell....
Do you not like it otherwise?
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I finally got some bacopa caroliniana. It's for sure a bad idea to be replacing a group right now. Let's hope it works out!
The limnophila aromatica is finally doing something, but is still more of a midground group in terms of height. I may have to play with the location a bit still.
I think this picture really illustrates how much space you want while planting - look at all that empty substrate between groups! When it grows out, from the front view everything will hopefully look like it's *just* touching.
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On 8/8/2023 at 8:01 AM, Mmiller2001 said:
Yeah, I think pumping all the extra light chucked that balance right out the window 😬. I’ll keep doing what I have been dosing. Hopefully, lowering intensity brings everything back in line.
My current numbers are:
30ppm NO3
10ppm PO4
35ppm K
around .45ppm Fe as proxy.
The problem is associated with my CO2 problem and the more light across the tank. I should have known 80% was too much too fast.
pull it or keep at it?
Unless you have something else you want to go there, I'd say keep it. If it still looks so-so by the time you want to take the final photos, you can always pull it then.
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On 8/7/2023 at 10:28 AM, Mmiller2001 said:
It’s always at the worst time. I’m definitely loosing control of the tank and my knowledge on what to do ends here. My gut says the 3rd light addition and pumping a huge amount of light set the tank into a downward spiral. The overall health of the tank is deteriorating and a bit of fuzz algae is showing up. I also over trimmed my AR Rose mini and it’s definitely not going to make it in time. My GLA regulator is taking a dump and has put my CO2 all over the place. I pretty much have to keep it turned way up. Luckily, the Yugang reactor prevents any over gassing while in over flow mode. It’s just a waste of gas though.
I’ve dropped light intensity from 80% to 60% to see if things settle down. I’m nearing a point where plants are reaching trim to peak and if things don’t get better, I’ll scrub my entry into the AGA. Time has run out.
You always enter with the tank you have, not the tank you wish you had. Don't worry about getting it perfect, just get it as good as you can. Your tank, as is, could definitely place in the top 5. It's got a fantastic classic Dutch look about it.
The crazy thing is that the mistakes you think you made, nobody will notice. And they might point out entirely different mistakes you didn't even consider 🙂The feedback I've gotten from the judges is never what I think it will be, for better or for worse.
Just whatever you do, trim light. No big chops from here on out.
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And here is a full tank shot. Obviously not at the right trimming levels right now, but that's the nature of the challenge!
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Been a while since an update! I was going through my "records" and it looks like it's been 3 - maybe 4 weeks since the last water change. Not ideal! I've mentioned it before but I typically trim then water change, but these days it seems like I rarely have time for both. I have been prioritizing trimming since water quality is pretty stable with this plant mass. Unfortunately, this is not the kind of behavior that gets you an award-winning tank, and it is pretty evident that the tank could use some more attention. For whatever reason, while growth has been slow, the plants are actually doing fairly well.
I'm making up a batch of all-in-one to dose when I'm between water changes to hopefully make sure I don't bottom out on ferts, recipe here:
To reach your target of 0.7ppm NO3 you will need to add 16.2 grams (equivalent to 2 tsp + 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp ) of KNO3 to your 500mL dosing container.
To reach your target of 0.9ppm PO4 you will need to add 23.43 grams (equivalent to 1 tbsp + 1 tsp + 1/32 tsp ) of K2HPO4 to your 500mL dosing container
To reach your target of 1.5ppm K you will need to add 47.45 grams (equivalent to 2 tbsp + 1 tsp + 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp + 1/32 tsp ) of K2SO4 to your 500mL dosing container.
To reach your target of 0.09ppm Fe you will need to add 15.03 grams (equivalent to 3 tsp + 1/2 tsp ) of CSM - CHELATED SECONDARY MICRONUTRIENTS to your 500mL dosing container.-
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On 7/19/2023 at 10:02 AM, Mmiller2001 said:
My wife and I discussed it this morning and to prevent falling through the ceiling and putting more holes in the house, we are going to frame the tank. Iron sounds good but I’m leaning towards conduit painted black. I’m a bit worried conduit might bow in the center.
How do you cut iron pipes?
You don't. It comes in lots of different lengths though, you can jerry rig together pretty much any size you need. I really like the way EmotionalFescue on TPT did their lights, with iron pipe mounted on wood.
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On 7/19/2023 at 7:35 AM, Mmiller2001 said:
This would be cool. The problem I would have is me. I don’t have these skills.
Would bending conduit into a frame over the tank look stupid?
Not if you commit to making it look good. I didn't, so mine looks stupid.
I like iron pipe painted black for an industrial - modern feel.
Miller's Journal
in Photos, Videos & Journals
Posted
Yeah it was in rough shape when I sent it to you. Really doesn't do well in low tech, which is where I had it. I'm glad you kept it alive, pretty sure I lost all the rhizomes I had.
I need to get a low-iron aquarium, and probably clean out my filter. That's stunning!