Hi,
little update.
Tried to dial in c02 further last weekend as id previously been beginning injection 4hrs pre photoperiod to get a nice lime green dc for lights on and maintain a good but safe level throughout the photoperiod. I upped the bubble rate and reduced the injection period by 1 hour, but it just didnt work out, fish were starting to show signs of stress mid way through the photoperiod and i had to shut down c02 and switch off the lights early. Ive since been trying to tweak it, but have had to return to the previous set up of 4hrs pre lights on to get a good balance. Between this, and being a little slack with water changes i noticed the beginnings of some filamentous algae on the foreground moss and lobelia, as well as a little on the tips of the vallis nana.....some maybe the start of staghorn algae too which ive suffered before in Dragons Crypt. Upping feeding to twice daily again, combined with letting the tank go for 8 or 9 days without water change for a couple of weeks and messing with my c02 is not a good combo, so ill do 2x 50% water changes this week, and maybe next week also to get things back on track again.
Ive also noticed some deficiencies in some of the plants, namely small and pale new leaf formation on both anubias and lobelia so ive upped fert dosing of both macro and micro by 5ml/day, ill see how it goes and increase further if needed.
I have added some Proserpinaca palustris 'cuba' from Mattyc mainly to the left rear....its not in the most ideal position as flow here is slightly obstructed by the wood and rock formation so i dont have a lot of belief that it will flourish, and certainly wont show the nice deep red colouration but thought id give it a go.....it is showing some nice new growth which is green....i dont mind really about the colour if it grows healthy but an orangy hue would have suited best to balance the heavy green tones of the lobelia and tenellus in the foreground....
Maybe not the best time to do it, but ive also lowered my lighting unit a couple of inches. Additional stems in the background, and the addition of more moss onto branches a few weeks back resulted in a noticable decrease in lighting intensity in the lower parts of the tank. Will monitor that, but the crypts havnt responded badly yet so fingers crossed it was the right thing to do this time.
Anyway, a few photos
.
I carried out a water change tonight and did a little tidying up of mainly lobelia and foreground moss as well as thinning slightly the tenellus at the right foreground and some of the moss branches....subtle trimmings but needed to be done.
Before:
After:
Id like to fill the gap at the very left rear with PP 'cuba' also, theres some in there, but will have to see if it takes off....then i could maybe practice some trimming techniques....albeit very slowly as nothing happens fast in here
I think i need to try a stem tank really, just to see if i can grow them....trouble is a want a go at a proper iwagumi too!.... enough of that talk..... i need to finish this one first
Anyway, my two boys take an interest in both tanks and its nice to see them peeking...and getting along....
And a few more just because i never know when to stop with the photos:
Cheerio,
Ady.