Anjum

This is a Voodoo Lily, Amorphophallus konjac, planted by my husband's grandmother, probably at least 30 years ago, maybe longer. We're having a heat wave here in the PNW & it just fully opened today. At 1st I thought there must be a dead animal nearby, and then I remembered... Ugh! At least we just got AC so all the windows are closed!

Sorry to hear about the Imbellis. Any idea why the fry didn't survive? I've recently become more interested in the species bettas. But I'll always love the big fancy splendens. Good luck w/ your new ones!

I'll try some things! I also ferment a grain mix for my chickens. After it sits for 2 days, it develops this film on top that I'm relatively sure is yeasts. I could skim that off & use that too. Then it'd be relatively pure, no carbohydrate.

I have developed quite the admiration for my ramshorn snails! I accepted that I'd get them on plants, but I didn't expect to enjoy them. I think my SAE keep their population in check, either eating the eggs or the tiniest snails, so there seems to be a good balance. I have one that's about 3/4" diameter that has some neat patterning in it's shell. I sat watching it's little mouth cleaning the glass the other day. So that's how they make those little squiggle marks in the algae 🤗

Ooh what are you getting??! I have my eye on Z. tequila from him...

Interesting! @Hobbit so you're feeding the yeast granules to the infusoria? Your comment about the sourdough starter got me wondering, if one could feed that to the infusoria? I keep a sourdough starter; it's just another form of live, active yeasts & bacteria (I think they're lactic acid producing bacteria).

@TeeJay what's the plant right in the center of the 2nd tank, with the large rounded leaves? Tanks are really coming along!

I think more people should make ASMR type videos spotlighting different fish. I tend to decide I like a fish based on a picture, but then when it's in a tank in front of me, I could be meh. A fish really only becomes fulfilling when you watch it interact with it's surroundings. Btw, your tank is gorgeous!

Got the guppy bros & their homey, the bold SAE moved into the 10G! The bold SAE used to live in this tank but he had to go live with the guppies in their 5G when he wouldn't quit terrorizing the timid SAE. Since the timid SAE & the rasboras moved into the 29G, this tank was open. I'm already loving the vibe, but we'll see how they feel about living on the kitchen table. Time will tell.

@Paul R they're probably still there, just in smaller numbers. I had no idea they were in my tank before, but once I took the fish out they must have multiplied!

Thanks @Fish Folk! Just added it to my book list. I am starting to formulate a plan for an outdoor "pond" of sorts. We have some large IBC totes that I'd like to convert & use in my (yet to be erected) high tunnel as a heat sink & aquaculture adjunct to the plant production in the tunnel.

Great. I already move all my houseplants outside for the summer so they can get natural sunlight. Now I feel like I should move my fish too 🤣 I won't though... that's just, a lot. But I am working on culturing live foods for them!

Those are amazing! To clarify, does the natural sunlight directly improve their coloring, or is it the effect of sunlight on the entire system (greenwater etc) that improves the coloring?

I have bugs in my tank! And I'm ecstatic! A few short months ago, I would've been horrified at this discovery. But today I'm elated! This is my longest running tank. I started it March 2021. I moved it & changed filtration April 2022. I moved all fish & sole ramshorn snail out of this tank a couple weeks ago (early June 2022). 2 weeks later, it's a total algae fest. So 2 days ago I moved 3 medium sized ramshorns in. I need to do a WC & adjust the temps & then I'll be moving 3 male guppies & a SAE into it (& more snails). So IDK how long these "bugs" have been noticeable?? I only took a closer look this morning because of the snails. There are tiny oval bugs that look like a speck of dust, but they move with purpose, so I immediately realized they're alive! Then I noticed all the flatworms on the glass. Too small to see head shape, so I'm not sure if they're planaria or rhabdocoela or something else. I need to get that microscope already! I had hoped to make this a shrimp tank, but back-burnered that idea for the time being (I'm afraid of rushing shrimp; I want to give myself the best chance of success). I'll need to make a positive id on the flatworms before I do that. Now, what I'm uncertain about, and we may never know, is where did all these little guys come from? Many of my plants came from my SIL's tanks (and that's where I gladly accepted the snails from). But my tap water also comes straight out of a creek (we don't drink it!). Yep you read that right. We keep it old school here 🤣 Seriously though, the original home here, and the water system likely, were built in the 1920's (our best estimate). My husbands grandfather bought it in the mid 1960's & expanded the home, but never updated the water system. (My profile pic is the culvert just below the intake in the creek for the water line). The intake just has a piece of (I think) window screen over it, and the line to the kitchen sink has no further filtration. You'll legit see sediment in the water from the kitchen sink. So these very well could be coming straight out of the tap & I've just never noticed them before because the fish eat them. 🤷‍♀️

Interesting. I've been been..

Umm, where exactly is the land of entrapment?? 😅 That's not one I've heard.. ETA I googled it. New Mexico?

@PineSong I lived on the east coast as a child. I do not miss the poison ivy nor the summer humidity! My gardens, my plants & my animals all bring me the greatest joy & satisfaction in life. I've had some houseplants in my care for 30 years! I've had a Linden tree in a pot I've schlepped around with my entire adult life. My plants are as much pets to me as my animals. It amazes me it took them that long to figure out it wasn't working!

Ah yes, the short-sightedness of colonizers... we must "improve" this land.. 🙄 Thankfully, we have many native species on the property (10 acres!). Over time, we'll reduce the invasives & encourage natives in their place. We also have hopes of using goats and/or sheep to keep the pasture areas from becoming engulfed again. The front half of the property will be more cultivated & used for livestock. The back half of the property is forest, untouched for at least the last 60~ years. That will remain largely untouched (we may cut some trails, but that's about it). As for the poppy, the Oriental is not the species used for culinary seed. The seed variety is Papaver somniferum (breadseed poppy), which is the same plant that produces opium! 😮 I have at least one plant of that type which will be blooming soon. But I will be collecting seed from the 'Royal Wedding' to grow more plants.

Kudos to all involved! This is phenomenal work! This kind of grass-roots science, where there's no profit to be made, warms my heart 😅 Seriously though, the implications of these findings are huge. So many thanks @dasaltemelosguy @Guppysnail @OnlyGenusCaps & @Odd Duck

Fun thread! I've been a gardener my whole life, since a small child. It's my 1st love. Aquascaping with live plants is what got me back into the hobby as a middle aged woman; just another place to garden! I've lived in my current home under 2 years, and moved around for the 2 years prior. So it's been a while since I had established gardens. Our current home's landscape had been neglected for about 20 years. If you know the PNW, you know it was covered in Himalayan blackberries & continues to be a lot of work to get under control. But we have grand plans. I have a collection of plants I brought with me, and more I've added, but no nice pictures of gardens, because well, it's all mostly weeds at this point 😅But we'll get there, slowly but surely. Here is my Oriental Poppy 'Royal Wedding', blooming for the 1st time in 3 years. It's one of the plants I brought with me from my last place. Planted it in the ground last year & this year it's rewarding me with 5 blooms ❤️

It would probably be less disruptive to the whole system to trim rather than uproot the plants. However, I don't necessarily think you have to. In my experience, Bettas seem to rather enjoy the cover of vegetation & that's not so dense that he can't weave in & out of the leaves. I think your tank is gorgeous! 😍 Goals. 😂

Most rasboras & danios will eat the worms if they're small enough.

If your nitrates are reading 0 but you're dosing ferts, it's likely the other plants are taking up the nutrients faster than the Java can get to it (being a slower growing plant). You can try dosing more ferts, but it's possible the faster growing plants will just grow that much faster. I'd try it, but maybe just plan to move the Java out if it doesn't improve.

It does look like a Planaria unfortunately, or a related flatworm that has a more rounded head. And you are correct, the medications that will kill planaria may harm your snails. It's possible if you get fish in there soon enough, they will eat the worms & your problem will be solved. What kind of fish were you planning on adding? That's the one!

It's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just decaying plant matter & fish poop, probably beneficial bacteria & other microbes. It's fertilizer for the plants. But if it gets out of balance, it's excess ammonia or nitrates in your water. All tanks go through algae phases. It's about getting the light/nutrients/plants in balance. What's the lighting schedule & what kind of light? Do you do water tests?