Monday, December 31, 2012
The Residents of the 29
I've got a sinking feeling that my angelfish may be bonding. I don't know that I need a mated pair of angels. I think all the other fish would get the crap beaten out of them.
It's been too cold and snowy - and we were busy snowboarding - to deal with returning the psycho gourami. He's in the 2.5 tank in the kitchen, awaiting his fate. Meanwhile, as you can see in the video, the cories are so happy. They seem to be doing very well.
On a more serious note, the two bettas - Jerkface in particular - seem to be suffering from fin rot. I've been treating him with Bettafix. I'm not sure how to treat Rhaegar, other than to put him in the qt tank. I don't want to subject the salt and pepper cories (habrosas) to any meds. They're sensitive.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Psycho Gourami
As I was typing the previous entry, the honey gourami went insane. Damn him.
The introduction of the cories must have set him off. He chased the hell out of them. He chased everybody mercilessly for 20 minutes. Finally I got fed up, filled the 2.5, and plopped his sorry ass in there.
He's going back to the damn pet store. Screw him.
The introduction of the cories must have set him off. He chased the hell out of them. He chased everybody mercilessly for 20 minutes. Finally I got fed up, filled the 2.5, and plopped his sorry ass in there.
He's going back to the damn pet store. Screw him.
Cory Run!
Today, we unloaded our children on their grandmother. It was glorious. We headed up to South Hills for, you guessed it, a Wet Pet fish run. (And a Flamer burger.)
I was waited upon by my buddy Sheldon, who sold me the rams last time. The first thing I saw was the tank of Bolivian Rams that they ordered specifically for me. Oops. Oh well. I like my balloon rams. Anyway.
We took a peek at Shawn's new favorite: the dwarf puffer. Someday. I showed Shawn the kribs, too.
Then it was on to cories. They had four pandas and two juliis. Sheldon told me that the cories don't care what other kind of cory they shoal with, as long as there's another cory. So I got all six. Little buggars were damn expensive, too.
I spent some time thinking about rummynose. I didn't get any; there's no more room at the inn. (I did consider the idea of trading my congo tetras for rummynose, though.) It's something to think about. Right now I worry that I may be in over my head with my stock. The 29 is full, period. I'll soon be taking out the angels and putting in the other 3 skirts.
29 gallon: 8 cardinals, 6 corydoras, 5 black skirts, 1 gourami
That leaves in the 55 gallon: 5 loaches, 4 congos, 3 rams, 3 guppies and 2 angelfish.
If there would be aggression with the rams, I'd have problems. One might have to live in the 29. I dunno. I know one thing: no more fish. No apistos.
As we were ending our visit, Sheldon showed me what they called a Mexican Lobster. It's a bright red dwarf crayfish. The coolest darn thing ever. I would have taken him in a heartbeat if he hadn't been twenty dollars. I asked about shrimp and they had only ghost shrimp and mandarin shrimp, and the mandarins were so tiny. They'd be gobbled quickly by the angels or the skirts. It's a shame. One of these days I'll get cherry shrimp.
I talked to the ponytail guy about DIY CO2. He told me he runs it himself. I was concerned about diffusion. He told me the best way to do it is to make sure that he CO2 diffuses into the filter intake. It'll be spit out in fine little bubbles from the outtake. The only thing they weren't able to give me was a valve that adjusts the flow rate. Maybe I can find one at Petco. He made it seem like even an idiot could do CO2. So, given that I'm an idiot, I should give it a whirl.
I also picked up another bag of flourite for the 55, Seachem Flourish Comprehensive and Seachem Flourish Iron. I'm not ready to try CO2 on the 55 gallon yet, but if the 29 experiment goes well, maybe it'll be worth a shot. If it's as easy as it *seems*.
I was waited upon by my buddy Sheldon, who sold me the rams last time. The first thing I saw was the tank of Bolivian Rams that they ordered specifically for me. Oops. Oh well. I like my balloon rams. Anyway.
We took a peek at Shawn's new favorite: the dwarf puffer. Someday. I showed Shawn the kribs, too.
Then it was on to cories. They had four pandas and two juliis. Sheldon told me that the cories don't care what other kind of cory they shoal with, as long as there's another cory. So I got all six. Little buggars were damn expensive, too.
I spent some time thinking about rummynose. I didn't get any; there's no more room at the inn. (I did consider the idea of trading my congo tetras for rummynose, though.) It's something to think about. Right now I worry that I may be in over my head with my stock. The 29 is full, period. I'll soon be taking out the angels and putting in the other 3 skirts.
29 gallon: 8 cardinals, 6 corydoras, 5 black skirts, 1 gourami
That leaves in the 55 gallon: 5 loaches, 4 congos, 3 rams, 3 guppies and 2 angelfish.
If there would be aggression with the rams, I'd have problems. One might have to live in the 29. I dunno. I know one thing: no more fish. No apistos.
As we were ending our visit, Sheldon showed me what they called a Mexican Lobster. It's a bright red dwarf crayfish. The coolest darn thing ever. I would have taken him in a heartbeat if he hadn't been twenty dollars. I asked about shrimp and they had only ghost shrimp and mandarin shrimp, and the mandarins were so tiny. They'd be gobbled quickly by the angels or the skirts. It's a shame. One of these days I'll get cherry shrimp.
I talked to the ponytail guy about DIY CO2. He told me he runs it himself. I was concerned about diffusion. He told me the best way to do it is to make sure that he CO2 diffuses into the filter intake. It'll be spit out in fine little bubbles from the outtake. The only thing they weren't able to give me was a valve that adjusts the flow rate. Maybe I can find one at Petco. He made it seem like even an idiot could do CO2. So, given that I'm an idiot, I should give it a whirl.
I also picked up another bag of flourite for the 55, Seachem Flourish Comprehensive and Seachem Flourish Iron. I'm not ready to try CO2 on the 55 gallon yet, but if the 29 experiment goes well, maybe it'll be worth a shot. If it's as easy as it *seems*.
 |
| the two julii cories |
 |
| panda cories |
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas Wood
I added the tall piece today. I don't love it. The rams seem to, though.
Asking for help from the forum.
Asking for help from the forum.
Crypt Parva
On this Christmas morning, I am happy to see my new 29g thriving. Very excited to start my own DIY CO2...once I drink the rest of that Dr. Pepper.
Found a random tidbit on the forum (I'm collapsed in a chair after the zaniness of the morning) about Crypt Parva, and after examining photos I can see that the small green crypt I have in the 55 is indeed that species.
Always good to be able to identify my plants.
Monday, December 24, 2012
'Twas the Day Before Christmas
...and I got out my camera.
The marbled angelfish still won't come out from the plants. That's okay. Oh, there he is, now that my camera is away. Of course. Buggar.
I'm happy to report that last night I could see the fish beautifully with the moonlight LED I bought.
So far, so good.
The marbled angelfish still won't come out from the plants. That's okay. Oh, there he is, now that my camera is away. Of course. Buggar.
I'm happy to report that last night I could see the fish beautifully with the moonlight LED I bought.
So far, so good.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Planted 29
Occasionally, my husband makes himself useful.
After yesterday's debacle, he started asking me about angels. He knew I'd wanted some - why wasn't I pursuing them?
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted angels. But they won't fit in 29 very well when full grown. Well, he said, what about the 55? Put the skirts in the 29, put the angels upstairs, after everybody has been through quarantine in the 29g.
Genius.
Not wanting to lose the excessive BB I have in the 29 from the cycle, I went to Petco. They had five angels. I got a marbled angel and...hmm. I don't know anything about angels. I know it has stripes. I think it's a veiled. They are only quarter-sized. They won't yet be able to eat the 8 cardinal tetras I bought.
I was going to get neons because they were 5 for $5. These guys were $3 each. If my cardinals die, I'll go with neons. I just like the extra red on the cardinal. They don't look quite as healthy as I'd like, but they're surely under immense duress at Petco. I have to say, every fish I saw up there today was way better-looking than anything I saw yesterday at Pet Stop.
I also got two black skirts. They're so tiny.
After the fish were acclimated and put into the tank, I did a little aquascaping. Rearranged rocks I found outside. Turns out the neighbors beside the green house have used rocks in their landscaping, and several dozen/hundred have rolled under the fence. I think I did a decent job. I took out the floating wisteria that did a fine job of soaking up nutrients. In fact, that wisteria sucked up so many nitrates that I needn't have even done a water change yesterday. They went from around 25 to 0. Astounding.
Now if I could just get rid of my stump's hat and get a smaller heater...
The angelfish won't hold still long enough for an iPhone photo, so until I can get the big camera, we can admire the Sunset Honey Gourami...
After yesterday's debacle, he started asking me about angels. He knew I'd wanted some - why wasn't I pursuing them?
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted angels. But they won't fit in 29 very well when full grown. Well, he said, what about the 55? Put the skirts in the 29, put the angels upstairs, after everybody has been through quarantine in the 29g.
Genius.
Not wanting to lose the excessive BB I have in the 29 from the cycle, I went to Petco. They had five angels. I got a marbled angel and...hmm. I don't know anything about angels. I know it has stripes. I think it's a veiled. They are only quarter-sized. They won't yet be able to eat the 8 cardinal tetras I bought.
I was going to get neons because they were 5 for $5. These guys were $3 each. If my cardinals die, I'll go with neons. I just like the extra red on the cardinal. They don't look quite as healthy as I'd like, but they're surely under immense duress at Petco. I have to say, every fish I saw up there today was way better-looking than anything I saw yesterday at Pet Stop.
I also got two black skirts. They're so tiny.
After the fish were acclimated and put into the tank, I did a little aquascaping. Rearranged rocks I found outside. Turns out the neighbors beside the green house have used rocks in their landscaping, and several dozen/hundred have rolled under the fence. I think I did a decent job. I took out the floating wisteria that did a fine job of soaking up nutrients. In fact, that wisteria sucked up so many nitrates that I needn't have even done a water change yesterday. They went from around 25 to 0. Astounding.
Now if I could just get rid of my stump's hat and get a smaller heater...
The angelfish won't hold still long enough for an iPhone photo, so until I can get the big camera, we can admire the Sunset Honey Gourami...
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Un Feesh
What a disappointment my fish run was today. But I should have known better. I should have known that, if I want fish, I need to suck it up and go to Wet Pet.
This morning my results indicated that the 29g is, indeed, cycled and ready to go. I called the Pet Stop Pet Shop in Moundsville. They assured me they had Pearl Gouramis, Rummynose Tetras and Cardinal Tetras. So on this frozen, blustery day when I feel terrible, I went down there.
What a joke. The "sales associate" who helped me was about 17. She showed me to a tank of motley looking tetras and a dead frog.
Me: Where are the cardinal tetras?
Her: Right here.
Me: Those are neon tetras.
Her: What's the difference?
Sigh.
I moved on to the rummynose tank. They weren't rummynose tetras. They were Asian Rummynose Rasboras. Dammit. I might have tried them but only one in the tank had a red nose and it, too, was a mess.
I moved on to the gouramis. No pearl gouramis. I decided to take a chance on a Sunset Honey Gourami. I just didn't want to have driven all that way for nothing. He was $3.30.
I also saw the blood parrots I asked them to order over a month and a half ago. They assured me they'd call when the blood parrots came in. They never called. In the meantime, I thought better of the blood parrot idea. I spent 10 minutes looking at them today, though. They were terrified. And adorable. A 29g would hold one blood parrot for a few years until it outgrew the tank. Then what would I do? I really want my 29g to have color and movement.
Total waste of a trip, the gourami aside. I also came to the conclusion that I am done with that place. I was already on the fence because they sell puppies. Their crappy stock and complete ignorance pushed me over the edge today. I wanted to have just one school in the tank for Christmas morning so Mom & Dad could see where their Christmas money went.
Nope. Unless Pet Supplies Plus happens to have any, forget it.
I do want to keep the bb numbers up, though, so I don't know how to do that. Keep adding a few drops of NH3? That won't make for a happy gourami.
This morning my results indicated that the 29g is, indeed, cycled and ready to go. I called the Pet Stop Pet Shop in Moundsville. They assured me they had Pearl Gouramis, Rummynose Tetras and Cardinal Tetras. So on this frozen, blustery day when I feel terrible, I went down there.
What a joke. The "sales associate" who helped me was about 17. She showed me to a tank of motley looking tetras and a dead frog.
Me: Where are the cardinal tetras?
Her: Right here.
Me: Those are neon tetras.
Her: What's the difference?
Sigh.
I moved on to the rummynose tank. They weren't rummynose tetras. They were Asian Rummynose Rasboras. Dammit. I might have tried them but only one in the tank had a red nose and it, too, was a mess.
I moved on to the gouramis. No pearl gouramis. I decided to take a chance on a Sunset Honey Gourami. I just didn't want to have driven all that way for nothing. He was $3.30.
I also saw the blood parrots I asked them to order over a month and a half ago. They assured me they'd call when the blood parrots came in. They never called. In the meantime, I thought better of the blood parrot idea. I spent 10 minutes looking at them today, though. They were terrified. And adorable. A 29g would hold one blood parrot for a few years until it outgrew the tank. Then what would I do? I really want my 29g to have color and movement.
Total waste of a trip, the gourami aside. I also came to the conclusion that I am done with that place. I was already on the fence because they sell puppies. Their crappy stock and complete ignorance pushed me over the edge today. I wanted to have just one school in the tank for Christmas morning so Mom & Dad could see where their Christmas money went.
Nope. Unless Pet Supplies Plus happens to have any, forget it.
I do want to keep the bb numbers up, though, so I don't know how to do that. Keep adding a few drops of NH3? That won't make for a happy gourami.
New Camboba Growth
Was pleased to wake up this morning and see new growth at the top of the camboba in the 55g. It hasn't opened up yet, but it's reaching.
What's wrong, red wendtii?
I've posed the question to the forum. The leaves are curling.
Answer: The consensus is that no thing at all is wrong with the red wendti. It may need a trim and it may need a little shade. Excellent.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Finishing Up
Things have been quiet lately. I've been sick. I managed to dredge up the energy the do pwc on all three of the active tanks. The rams, happily, are really thriving. (Knock on wood.) I absolutely love them. They come up to the glass every time I approach and stare right at me. They make me tremendously happy. Occasionally they bicker with each other, but I've seen no violence. One is particularly more colorful than the other two, and one is rather drab. I have no idea what ram is what sex. I just want healthy fish.
Meanwhile, the 29 is, i think, fully cycled. I'm running a test at the moment to see. I think the amount of filter media I inserted from the Cascade 1000 upstairs gave me a really, really fast cycle. Having plants and a good deal of wisteria helped as well. It took about 10 days. I have to see for certain, though, before I buy any fish. And I have to do another series of pokes with a screw driver to get all the gas bubbles out of the substrate.
My stocking list for the 29, as of today, is as follows:
1 apistogramma, species not yet decided
10 cardinal tetras
6-8 rummynose tetras
6 panda corydoras
1 gourami, species not yet decided
I think that should give me lots of movement and color, and none of the hassle of a pair of apistos. Breeding fish really doesn't interest me. In fact, I have five damn fry still in the 55g. I sent Peg and her 20+ fry to Petco to be rehomed. I also dropped off the two White Skirts at Pet Stop Pet Shop in Moundsville. I could give a hoot what happens to Peg, but I do feel worried and guilty about the skirts.
This morning I have to test the water and see what the parameters are. Once I'm sure we're cycled, it's fishy time! Hoping to have a school of something in the tank by Christmas morning so I can show it off.
Meanwhile, the 29 is, i think, fully cycled. I'm running a test at the moment to see. I think the amount of filter media I inserted from the Cascade 1000 upstairs gave me a really, really fast cycle. Having plants and a good deal of wisteria helped as well. It took about 10 days. I have to see for certain, though, before I buy any fish. And I have to do another series of pokes with a screw driver to get all the gas bubbles out of the substrate.
My stocking list for the 29, as of today, is as follows:
1 apistogramma, species not yet decided
10 cardinal tetras
6-8 rummynose tetras
6 panda corydoras
1 gourami, species not yet decided
I think that should give me lots of movement and color, and none of the hassle of a pair of apistos. Breeding fish really doesn't interest me. In fact, I have five damn fry still in the 55g. I sent Peg and her 20+ fry to Petco to be rehomed. I also dropped off the two White Skirts at Pet Stop Pet Shop in Moundsville. I could give a hoot what happens to Peg, but I do feel worried and guilty about the skirts.
This morning I have to test the water and see what the parameters are. Once I'm sure we're cycled, it's fishy time! Hoping to have a school of something in the tank by Christmas morning so I can show it off.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The 29
 |
| The 29g, after planting the vallisneria and camboba, |
 |
| camboba, Day 1 |
 |
| camboba, day 1 |
 |
| there were worms in my soil! |
 |
| I planted some of the camboba in the 55. |
Monday, December 10, 2012
The 29 is (sorta) Planted
Today Shawn had the day off and we went to Wet Pet. Again. I'm freaking sick of going up there. This was my last trip for a while, and I was happy (knock wood) that I didn't have to go up with a dead ram. So far, so good with them. I returned my stupid light that didn't work and exchanged it for the same Coralife HO T5 fixture I have on the 55g. And of course I got stuck with an actinic and had to buy a 6,700k. At least they replaced the bulb for me, and I had them plug it in to be certain it did indeed work. I also picked up an Amazon Sword and the ball of Java Moss I'd forgotten to get on Saturday.
When I got home I plopped the two of them in there, and before I did so I poke at the substrate for a while to release any trapped gases (hence the cloudy water in the photos). I found a worm in there but couldn't catch him. I have no idea if he's alive or what that could do, damage-wise, to the parameters.
 |
| Sword and Java Moss, and the Coralife HO T5, 10,000k & 6,700k |
 |
| Amazon Sword |
 |
| Java Moss |
 |
| I don't know about the placement of things, but I do know the crypts and the wood are where I want them. |
 |
| Yes, my stump is wearing a hat. |
 |
| side view |
I added my first dose of ammonia yesterday. About a teaspoon. Added filter media from the 55g: a sponge and a biowheel I'd stuffed in there.
Today's readings: NH3: 2, N02: 0, NO3: 0, pH: 7.6.
Meanwhile, there was trouble...
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Filler Up
Today was the day.
It was a long one, too.
It started last night, when I made the horrible mistake of going out during Festival of Lights traffic just to get to Lowe's to get some organic potting soil. It was a freaking nightmare. And when I finally got to Lowe's, of course they had no organic potting soil. Why I wasn't smart enough to call first, I'll never know.
But this morning I got through to Nicky's Garden Center and they dug through their leftovers and found me a bag of organic potting soil. When I got it home, I was hesitant. The bag said, "Worm casings, bat guano, aloe vera" and a plethora of other things. I quickly began Googling. I came up with no answer. For a time I just sat and decided to do the tank another day. I even placed an order with Petco for a third bag of Eco Complete. Then I had second thoughts, and canceled the order. I decided that any organic soil is probably going to have fertilizer in it; isn't that the reason why I'm using it? Because soil grows green shit? (That was half joke, half algae reference.) If it's not bat guano, it's cow or chicken guano. I did find an earthworm in there. Bless his heart; he survived all this time in his bag of soil. I promptly fed him to the fish. A female congo tetra snagged him and swam furiously away from her tankmates, with the worm trailing behind. He didn't last long. Again, I feel guilty. Where would he have gone if I'd put him outside? He's a worm, man.
Anyway. I sent a message to Rivercats, aka Janis, asking about this soil/Eco C cap thing. She didn't respond within two hours so I just gave up and did it.
Here was the response she ultimately sent along:
Beginning any planted tank can be intimidating so don't feel bad, just go in with a positive attitude. Even with non dirted tanks most all new planted tanks go through algae issue, mine included, while its going through it's stages until it matures and balances. People who use certain types of sand or just use it to thickly can have hydrogen sulfide gas issues. In a dirted tank you will get gas the first 4-6 weeks due to the organic soil breaking down. All you do is get something like a BBQ fork and poke around your substrate a few times a day. That releases the gas and doesn't allow for pocket build-ups. Also you will get tannins in the beginning and the way I combated them was to change 100% of the water for 7 days while also running my filter with Purgen, then on day 8 I planted about 80-90% of the tank. On day 10 I was cycled. You will diatoms really fast so on day 10 I added my Longfin Albino BNP from another tank along with nerite snails and MT snails.
One thing when you add the soil only wet it enough to make it rather damp and you should be able to pick up a handful and ball it up in your fist without it running out like mud. Reason for this is if you get it too wet your cap will just pull down in the soup and your kind of screwed. Also use your hand/fist to compact that soil down as hard as you can so you get as much of the air out, this is important also. Then carefully lay down your cap, don't just dump. Then use a plate/bowl and lay it on the cap and slowly fill the tank using the plate is displace the water. Also don't run your lights until you plant.
After planting only run your lights 6-8 hours max as there will be tons of excess nutrients in the water and add long photoperiods to that and you'll really get algae. Also having floating plants in the beginning helps with excess nutrients along with planting things like water sprite, wisteria, and fast growing stem plants. And I don't know why anyone would say you can only plant certain kinds of plants is beyond me. That is the whole idea of having a dirted tank so you can grow anything if you have the right lights.
I think I added the first root tabs around the end of the second month. I don't use Seachem root tabs like alot of the people on AA do, I use the root tabs from AquariumPlant.com. They have different root tabs, I get the Total for all around ferts to roots, but then I get Phosphate root tabs for my swords because swords like excess phosphates at their roots. Then I get the Iron root tabs for all my non-green plants, crypts, and also give the swords a couple. I bought one of the tab applicators they sell so I don't have to stick my arm in the tank and try to not distrub other plants while putting in tabs. Janis
So, that was ultimately the answer, but it came too late. The only thing I didn't do was smash down the soil before capping it, and I did indeed dump out the Eco C. Oh well. How much harm it did I may never know. I think it'll be just fine. I wish I'd remembered to take a photo before I started filling it up. There was about an inch and a half, or a bit less, of soil, and then two bags (40 pounds) of EC. In the front I'd say I have 3.5 inches. In the back it may be 4.5 inches. That's a bit too much, so I may want to take out an inch tomorrow.
It was a long one, too.
It started last night, when I made the horrible mistake of going out during Festival of Lights traffic just to get to Lowe's to get some organic potting soil. It was a freaking nightmare. And when I finally got to Lowe's, of course they had no organic potting soil. Why I wasn't smart enough to call first, I'll never know.
But this morning I got through to Nicky's Garden Center and they dug through their leftovers and found me a bag of organic potting soil. When I got it home, I was hesitant. The bag said, "Worm casings, bat guano, aloe vera" and a plethora of other things. I quickly began Googling. I came up with no answer. For a time I just sat and decided to do the tank another day. I even placed an order with Petco for a third bag of Eco Complete. Then I had second thoughts, and canceled the order. I decided that any organic soil is probably going to have fertilizer in it; isn't that the reason why I'm using it? Because soil grows green shit? (That was half joke, half algae reference.) If it's not bat guano, it's cow or chicken guano. I did find an earthworm in there. Bless his heart; he survived all this time in his bag of soil. I promptly fed him to the fish. A female congo tetra snagged him and swam furiously away from her tankmates, with the worm trailing behind. He didn't last long. Again, I feel guilty. Where would he have gone if I'd put him outside? He's a worm, man.
Anyway. I sent a message to Rivercats, aka Janis, asking about this soil/Eco C cap thing. She didn't respond within two hours so I just gave up and did it.
Here was the response she ultimately sent along:
Beginning any planted tank can be intimidating so don't feel bad, just go in with a positive attitude. Even with non dirted tanks most all new planted tanks go through algae issue, mine included, while its going through it's stages until it matures and balances. People who use certain types of sand or just use it to thickly can have hydrogen sulfide gas issues. In a dirted tank you will get gas the first 4-6 weeks due to the organic soil breaking down. All you do is get something like a BBQ fork and poke around your substrate a few times a day. That releases the gas and doesn't allow for pocket build-ups. Also you will get tannins in the beginning and the way I combated them was to change 100% of the water for 7 days while also running my filter with Purgen, then on day 8 I planted about 80-90% of the tank. On day 10 I was cycled. You will diatoms really fast so on day 10 I added my Longfin Albino BNP from another tank along with nerite snails and MT snails.
One thing when you add the soil only wet it enough to make it rather damp and you should be able to pick up a handful and ball it up in your fist without it running out like mud. Reason for this is if you get it too wet your cap will just pull down in the soup and your kind of screwed. Also use your hand/fist to compact that soil down as hard as you can so you get as much of the air out, this is important also. Then carefully lay down your cap, don't just dump. Then use a plate/bowl and lay it on the cap and slowly fill the tank using the plate is displace the water. Also don't run your lights until you plant.
After planting only run your lights 6-8 hours max as there will be tons of excess nutrients in the water and add long photoperiods to that and you'll really get algae. Also having floating plants in the beginning helps with excess nutrients along with planting things like water sprite, wisteria, and fast growing stem plants. And I don't know why anyone would say you can only plant certain kinds of plants is beyond me. That is the whole idea of having a dirted tank so you can grow anything if you have the right lights.
I think I added the first root tabs around the end of the second month. I don't use Seachem root tabs like alot of the people on AA do, I use the root tabs from AquariumPlant.com. They have different root tabs, I get the Total for all around ferts to roots, but then I get Phosphate root tabs for my swords because swords like excess phosphates at their roots. Then I get the Iron root tabs for all my non-green plants, crypts, and also give the swords a couple. I bought one of the tab applicators they sell so I don't have to stick my arm in the tank and try to not distrub other plants while putting in tabs. Janis
So, that was ultimately the answer, but it came too late. The only thing I didn't do was smash down the soil before capping it, and I did indeed dump out the Eco C. Oh well. How much harm it did I may never know. I think it'll be just fine. I wish I'd remembered to take a photo before I started filling it up. There was about an inch and a half, or a bit less, of soil, and then two bags (40 pounds) of EC. In the front I'd say I have 3.5 inches. In the back it may be 4.5 inches. That's a bit too much, so I may want to take out an inch tomorrow.
I got the filter assembled and yoinked a sponge and a biowheel I had stuffed into the Cascade 1000. I put the glass lid on there. I put the light on there. And the damn light didn't work. So...there's that. And that's why it's not planted at this moment.
Edit: Rivercats told me to chill, let the substrate settle. It'll be fine.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Ramirezi!!!
Today I was everywhere.
First I went the Pet Stop in Moundsville to drop off my white skirts. I feel guilty. I unloaded the two of them and two of the guppy fry. The third I just couldn't catch, and to my chagrin I couldn't catch Peg, the pregnant guppy, either. I'm going to get her one of these days...
Then, I went to Wet Pet with my 20% off coupon. I bent the guy's ear for an hour. I never know if I'm getting good info or not, but at some point I have to trust somebody. They had balloon rams, German blue rams, electric blue rams, and German gold rams. I decided on balloon rams, largely because they were $31, on sale for $21. I'm reading different things about them; some say they're more delicate while other say they're more hardy.
I got three. I don't know if those numbers are correct or not. If I should get one more, or one less...who knows? Trial and error. It's just tough...it's a $30 fish. If this experiment is a failure, I'll probably switch to kribs or something.
I also bought Corkscrew/Jungle Valisneria, and another Red Wendtii. (Pronounced "Wend-eye".)
They are absolutely adorable, though.
First I went the Pet Stop in Moundsville to drop off my white skirts. I feel guilty. I unloaded the two of them and two of the guppy fry. The third I just couldn't catch, and to my chagrin I couldn't catch Peg, the pregnant guppy, either. I'm going to get her one of these days...
Then, I went to Wet Pet with my 20% off coupon. I bent the guy's ear for an hour. I never know if I'm getting good info or not, but at some point I have to trust somebody. They had balloon rams, German blue rams, electric blue rams, and German gold rams. I decided on balloon rams, largely because they were $31, on sale for $21. I'm reading different things about them; some say they're more delicate while other say they're more hardy.
I got three. I don't know if those numbers are correct or not. If I should get one more, or one less...who knows? Trial and error. It's just tough...it's a $30 fish. If this experiment is a failure, I'll probably switch to kribs or something.
I also bought Corkscrew/Jungle Valisneria, and another Red Wendtii. (Pronounced "Wend-eye".)
They are absolutely adorable, though.
At the end of the day, I put the stand together and Shawn put the 29 on it. He said I could go ahead and set it up. Yihaw!!
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