greying_mantis
Member
Update
The floating plant population exploded and while I loved the coverage, the submersed plants started struggling. Especially the helanthium tenellum. I removed at least half of the water lettuce and I’ll aim to keep the population moderated in the future.
I also bought a second light bar - this time the Twinstar 120G + from Aquarium Gardens. It’s beefier than its sibling, quite satisfyingly so. They are both whacked right up full but with the still-dense canopy of floating plants I think that is needed. I‘ll run the 120G for the first photoperiod then add the G+ in the evening when the ambient daylight dwindles. Or switch them around. Time to experiment.
The difference is very noticeable. The orange rocks are popping and the congo tetra are sparkling. There’s a lovely sunlight-shimmer. My phone camera doesn’t do it justice.
Back to the condition of the floating plants. Population exploding but I’m still dialling in the fertilisers, by which I mean chucking in increasing amounts of TNC Complete with each water change. This bottle will not last long and then the era of dry dosing will begin. The floating plants are showing clear signs of deficiency, I think multi-nutrient but mainly magnesium(?) given the interveinal chlorosis on leaves of all ages, affecting multiple species throughout the tank. Signs of “burnt” edges and necrosis as well, especially on the anubias but that’s a slightly older issue and I assume will take longer to show improvement given how slow growing they are? I’m doing a lot of peering and consulting diagrams, but the upshot is “more ferts”. Iron is the only thing I currently have independent control over.
The RRF are quite pleasantly red tinged, though. I wasn’t expecting to get much colour out of them.
And the tiger lotus seems to be cheerfully growing away in its corner.
The poorly congo tetra was moved to a proper hospital tank so I could try aquarium salt. She’s been there about two weeks and is still upright and mobile, somehow. She’s pineconed, bug-eyed and has eaten two brine shrimp in three weeks. I do wish she’d perk up or get a move on, I want that tank free. Please no advice to euthanise - that’s between me, my night-time psyche and my confidence with a heavy rock.
We also lost Lucy the lucipinnis. Seemingly fine then breathing fast for an evening and dead the next day. No specific symptoms. I’m not sure how old she was but I think I got her before 2015, though I tend to assume 10 years isn’t particularly aged for a catfish. The rather tarnished silver lining is that this resolves the synodontis squabbles.
C’est la vie.
The floating plant population exploded and while I loved the coverage, the submersed plants started struggling. Especially the helanthium tenellum. I removed at least half of the water lettuce and I’ll aim to keep the population moderated in the future.
I also bought a second light bar - this time the Twinstar 120G + from Aquarium Gardens. It’s beefier than its sibling, quite satisfyingly so. They are both whacked right up full but with the still-dense canopy of floating plants I think that is needed. I‘ll run the 120G for the first photoperiod then add the G+ in the evening when the ambient daylight dwindles. Or switch them around. Time to experiment.
The difference is very noticeable. The orange rocks are popping and the congo tetra are sparkling. There’s a lovely sunlight-shimmer. My phone camera doesn’t do it justice.
Back to the condition of the floating plants. Population exploding but I’m still dialling in the fertilisers, by which I mean chucking in increasing amounts of TNC Complete with each water change. This bottle will not last long and then the era of dry dosing will begin. The floating plants are showing clear signs of deficiency, I think multi-nutrient but mainly magnesium(?) given the interveinal chlorosis on leaves of all ages, affecting multiple species throughout the tank. Signs of “burnt” edges and necrosis as well, especially on the anubias but that’s a slightly older issue and I assume will take longer to show improvement given how slow growing they are? I’m doing a lot of peering and consulting diagrams, but the upshot is “more ferts”. Iron is the only thing I currently have independent control over.
The RRF are quite pleasantly red tinged, though. I wasn’t expecting to get much colour out of them.
And the tiger lotus seems to be cheerfully growing away in its corner.
The poorly congo tetra was moved to a proper hospital tank so I could try aquarium salt. She’s been there about two weeks and is still upright and mobile, somehow. She’s pineconed, bug-eyed and has eaten two brine shrimp in three weeks. I do wish she’d perk up or get a move on, I want that tank free. Please no advice to euthanise - that’s between me, my night-time psyche and my confidence with a heavy rock.
We also lost Lucy the lucipinnis. Seemingly fine then breathing fast for an evening and dead the next day. No specific symptoms. I’m not sure how old she was but I think I got her before 2015, though I tend to assume 10 years isn’t particularly aged for a catfish. The rather tarnished silver lining is that this resolves the synodontis squabbles.
C’est la vie.
