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Bjorn

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Everything posted by Bjorn

  1. I have Easy Carbon and I agree, it's a help-full way chemically fight off algae but feels like a band-aide solution. Perhaps it's time to dust off the bottle while I try to get things under control. I've had this tank for 18 months and only have medium to slow growing plants. Are there any faster growing plants you think would pair nicely with Anubias and Moneywort?
  2. Maybe you're right and I've been approaching from the wrong angle. Instead of start where I think might be the right schedule and adjusting I should start where it's definitely too little and gradually ramp up. I'm pretty sure I've skimmed your journal before. Your tank looks great btw!
  3. Thank you for your reply. I'll keep these things in mind. Could you elaborate on what is meant by poor water, please?
  4. Preface: I’m trying to tune my lighting and fertilizer schedule for less algae, particularly to blunt the growth of this annoying black, short, fuzzy algae that covers all my plant leaves and eventually starves them out. I’ve been making micro-adjustments to single parameters then comparing algae growth and test results 2 weeks later. However, I’m still not certain which parameter I should focus on. I’m hoping other, more experienced aquarists will have insight and save me time and plants. ————————- A few things I think are significant: 1. I noticed when I increased my light schedule from 5:00 to 5:15 it had the biggest visually noticeable increase rate of growth of the black algae. 2. In the past, I noticed pinholes in half my plants. Since then I’ve been tracking potassium levels for dosing since I figured, for my tank, it’s the most used micro nutrient in the fertilizer blend. 3. I don’t really notice any other kind of algae in this tank. It’s just this one, very annoying, kind that’s been plaguing me. ——————— My schedule: My current lighting schedule is 63% intensity for 5 hrs, 15 mins. I auto-dose 1.3 mL Easy Green per day, pre lights on. I perform a 40% water change bi-weekly. My CO2 is ~25ppm from lights on to off. Every 2 weeks: - my Nitrate levels start at 15ppm and end at 25ppm. - my Potassium levels start at 15ppm and end at 25ppm. —————— The tank is a 37 Gallon. I have 7 Amanos and 2 mystery snails for cleanup. I am mindful of regulating food so they’re hungry. Perhaps more algae consumers is a solution but I’d prefer to remedy the cause above treating the symptom. Any input on where to look into making adjustments is appreciated.
  5. Thank you for showing interest! The tank was moved to the intended owner. It now has her ADF, snails, and female betta. The frog stress tested the carpet and managed to uproot some tiles of Monte Carlo that were weakly rooted. I've managed to use tooth picks to stake some of them back. I've also had the idea of gluing plant weights to the bottom of them but haven't tested that method out yet. The animals seem to appreciate the cave. It does create a small problem of making a chute for soil to slide down into the sand. If I were to re-create this I would make more solid barriers to keep loose substrate in place. Rocks work well for that but don't always look right in some places. I think using thin CA glue over substrate to make an invisible boarder would help. I occasionally have to scoop out some sand and add a fresh layer. It's just a mild inconvenience that would have been lessened with better planning. I'm still adjusting the lights to find the best algae control. The plants are otherwise flourishing. We've been enjoying having this tank to look at and it was fun to make.
  6. Bjorn

    Red Spot on Skin

    Good Ol' Colu always on here to help. I have maracyn. I'll use that. Thx Buddy.
  7. pH - 7.6 Nitrates - 10 ppm Hardness - 250 ppm Nitrite - 0 ppm Ammonia - 0ppm KH/Buffer - 60 ppm Water Temperature - 77f These are new guppies from my LFS. I'm trying to add new genetics to my colony. They've been in quarantine in my bathroom in a 10 gallon. I got them 9 days ago and have been starting proactive treatments for diseases since I'm trying to be cautious. I started them out with 1Tbsp salt/3Gallons and have been water changing with 1Tbsp/2 Gallons. This Tuesday 6/28 I finished their first treatment of Levamisole per Greg from Select Aquatic's instructions. I was going to start a first treatment of Paracleanse (praziquantel & metronidazole) on Monday but today I noticed dark spots on 3 of the female guppy's tales. The guppy in the first image started first with a dark brown spot like the other two yesterday, but it is now larger and light red. What do you think it is being caused by? What would you recommend my next course of action be?
  8. Moved some Cardinal Tetras. They look stunning in this tank! I think I finalized the hardscape. It looks a lot less symmetrical and somehow easier on the eye than before. Thought adding the stump was kinda funny. The darker the driftwood gets the better it looks! I can't wait to give this to my lady.
  9. She likely referred to a chart showing symptoms of nutrient deficiencies. That's the best way to figure out what nutrients are lacking imo, by observing your plants. Test kits will let you know what's in your water column but some plants do better when taking nutrients from the substrate. I can't prove this theory but what makes sense to me is plants will help you balance your tank over time. Different species have their own nutritional profile needs and grow at a different rate. So eventually nutrients that you tend to have excess of will allow some plants that depend more heavily on it to flourish while the nutrients you lack will cause others to grow more slowly. Of course until it reaches that balance I'd say be consistent with your fertilizing/ water change schedule. React to whatever changes you think you need to make slowly and observe if those changes bring a positive, negative, or neutral reaction.
  10. Nothing like a bacteria bloom to really set the mood 😂
  11. Nothing new to journal. I was simply doing a water change and saw a cool photo opportunity. 😄
  12. im not actually trying this, i was just wondering I love these hypotheticals. Assuming budget wasn't a concern, and you just had use this method - automation would be everything. I'd use a pH controller connected to a programmable auto-doser. The pH controller allows power to the pump when the pH reads above a set point and shuts it off when it reaches it. The programmable pump allows you to set the rate which it doses and it can be set to only function during your photoperiods. Though there's still so many things that could go wrong it'd be reckless to attempt 😅
  13. Pressurized CO2 will make all your plants capable of growing faster, have denser, larger leaves, and more saturated colors. But honestly I'd get comfortable with balancing a low tech tank first before considering messing with that. A beautiful low tech tank is very achievable. If you struggle with finding that balance with no CO2 imagine the extra frustration with all those extra variables. I'll be honest I'm a bit of a hypocrite since I went straight for CO2. But in hindsight it was because I was more interested in tinkering with those variables than necessity. Someone already gave you a good resource for quarantining plants. I just wanted to mention that plant cultures are also an option. They're essentially plants that are grown in a sterile environment. I find they're about 30% more expensive than potted versions but it's a turn-key solution to your concerns. and my PetSmart has good selection of them. Listen to people who have more experience but find out what works for you. Try sticking with one strategy then slowly change the variables one at a time and take note of what reactions you see. And Amano shrimp. There's a reason why they're named after arguably the most renowned aquascaper ever. He loved to use them because they're hardy and they're algae eating machines.
  14. As someone who also likes to play scientist I've migrated to test strips. Here's why: Any readable amount of Nitrite means there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Either method is equally capable of telling me, "Hey, you need to fix this." I just want to know my Nitrates are above 0 and less than 50. Test strips are pretty good with those sort of ballpark ranges. If something is easier I'm more likely to do it. I still use the KH reagent but that's because I need a reliable value for my co2.
  15. I'd love to. I think the best resource would be to show you the video I learned it from. Edit: @Guppysnail I should've also mentioned you don't need to go out and actually buy cigarettes. You can buy the filters by themselves on Amazon.
  16. Update (28 days later): I've been enjoying the process and liking the results. I've flooded tank after 4 weeks of dry starting. The carpet increased in coverage and density but most importantly the root growth is keeping everything anchored in place. A neat trick I learned is to use cigarette filters as a binder for your super glue. This allowed me to make a strong bond between the driftwood and rocks. The driftwood is rigid against accidental bumps and remains submerged despite not yet waterlogged. I'm using a corner filter that creates excellent, circular flow and a tiny 50w heater. I'm happy with how well they function for my needs yet remain hidden and un-distracting. Currently, I'm in the process of converting the plants to their submerged state. I'm using a CO2 generator to flood the tank with high amounts of co2 and will be tapering off gradually until they're stable in a low tech environment. I'm starting with short photoperiods and large, frequent water changes to mitigate algae. I want to quarantine a few Amanos, Blue Velvets, and an Oto from my LFS so I can have a clean up crew on hand when things are nice and "seasoned." I'm excited to see how an Oto or two would enjoy all that fungi from the driftwood! There's no hurry, though. This hobby has shown me that an ounce of patience can buy a pound of ease. I'm nit picking myself but if I were starting from the beginning I'd re-arrange the rocks so I could make the stream of sand more curvy and off-center. I think that would allow the eye to take in more of the surrounding scape. Next time. (4 weeks ago)
  17. Thanks! My light is stock with the lid. It's strong enough to keep Alternanthera reineckii a decent shade of red at substrate level but if I could upgrade to something stronger while keeping my lid that would be more ideal, I think. Edit: I guess with higher powered light it's better to have some distance between the surface and the unit. Which means I'd have replace the lid with something else; so stock it is for now.
  18. Bought this Cryptocoryne Pink Flamingo from ACO last October (8 months ago) for $30. No idea why I decided to spend that much on a single plant; guess I thought the pictures when it looked healthy and red were cool and I might have been a little buzzed. Anyways, made the mistake of spot treating with glutaraldehyde around 6 months ago and it did not like that one bit. All the leaves melted after a few days and I never saw it again... Until a few days ago when gravel vacuuming I resurfaced it! And it has little leaf on it to help it revive itself as well! Place the thing under the area with the most intense light. Made a well for a root tab and covered it with a teaspoon of aqua soil. I've already been auto-dosing liquid fertilizer and using pressurized co2. Super excited to see if I can get this thing to revive!
  19. I feel midlife crisis being misinterpreted as finally having the resources to invest in your hobbies. Seeing your setup makes me want to buy a house with the sole purpose of having a dedicated water station. Thanks for sharing!
  20. I'm 9 days into a dry start so I can't speak from experience yet. But in my research someone suggested to inject very high amounts of co2 after flooding then tapper off to slowly acclimate the plants to levels that are safe for fish. The idea is it'll reduce the amount of melting you get or at least spread out the melting period so it's not all at once. That of course means you have to wait longer to add live stock but it's something to consider since you mentioned you're already interested in adding co2.
  21. I like your red floating plants.
  22. I was dosing 3-4mL/week but noticed pinholes in old leaves of my S. Repens and Scarlet Temples. Now I'm doing double that but it's too early to tell how things are responding. Maybe I'm way off, I don't really know.
  23. I agree, I have 7 Amanos and they're prolific eaters. And they have adorable buggy little eyes. Should have started with much more considering how much work I have for them. I'd like a two prong approach though. Slow the algae at the source and get more shrimperoos.
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