PARAGUAY
Member
Missed all this but thought you mentioned with George Farmer .Catchin upš
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'Cozen' - Journey to IAPLC '22 (Next stop: Cenote Aktun Ha!)
- Thread starter Courtneybst
- Start date
Thank you! š
I came home this afternoon to less of a scape, more of a jacuzzi!
The skimmer is very fiddly to adjust and was producing a lot of bubbles through drawing in too much air. Apparently though excess organics can cause the bubbles to stick around and cause this foaming. I've adjusted the skimmer again and the foam has cleared. Whether or not the organics caused the foam I don't know but a water change is due.
Also thanks to @shangman I've managed to track down my centrepiece fish, and MY GOD are they beautiful and I'm very grateful! Dicrossus Filamentosus. Will hopefully be picking them up this weekend. This is the closest image I could get to what the ones I'm getting look like. Disclaimer: not my image.
The skimmer is very fiddly to adjust and was producing a lot of bubbles through drawing in too much air. Apparently though excess organics can cause the bubbles to stick around and cause this foaming. I've adjusted the skimmer again and the foam has cleared. Whether or not the organics caused the foam I don't know but a water change is due.
Also thanks to @shangman I've managed to track down my centrepiece fish, and MY GOD are they beautiful and I'm very grateful! Dicrossus Filamentosus. Will hopefully be picking them up this weekend. This is the closest image I could get to what the ones I'm getting look like. Disclaimer: not my image.
There's something really nice about a crystal clear surface...
Thinking to get some more emersed plants that can withstand the proximity to intense lighting as well as the Aridarum can. Any suggestions? Preferably something that flowers but that's not essential.
The trend with this journey so far is that many things haven't been going to plan, but for the better!
On Saturday I was able to pick up a real gem of a fish (Dicrossus Filamentosus) from my new friend Paul. It wasn't without a fight though...I first had to do some work admin in the morning before visiting my grandparents in the afternoon for my Grandad's birthday. I then drove from there to work until 11pm and from work to Paul's place to get the fish, before heading home. All in, it was about 2.5 hours of driving and I ended up acclimating this fish at 1am in the morning! Props to Paul for even allowing me to pick up the fish that late at night and he gave me some live food cultures. Top man!
I have to say though, it was the most relaxed acclimation I've ever done. The fish was not panicked at all and seems to be settling in really well and is already eating. Once I saw it in person, I realised how small its mouth is so I was thinking to try adding neocaridina. I know some babies might get pinched but I think the adults might be OK. I have one adult cherry shrimp in there now and they occupy completely different parts of the scape - I guess that's the advantage of having a high-sloped tiered design. The dicrossus has also definitely seen the cherry shrimp flailing around (as they do) and has not attempted to go after it.
I wanted to get some early days photos, and the Dicrossus still has a little bit of growing/colour development to take place but judging by Paul's photos they grow extremely quick. I'm now on the hunt for some females to keep him company! I've decided that I won't decide on dither fish until I take a trip to Tropco. He also seems to be a bit of an aquascaper himself, attempting to move my detail stones around to his liking.
NB; excuse my awful glueing skills!
On Saturday I was able to pick up a real gem of a fish (Dicrossus Filamentosus) from my new friend Paul. It wasn't without a fight though...I first had to do some work admin in the morning before visiting my grandparents in the afternoon for my Grandad's birthday. I then drove from there to work until 11pm and from work to Paul's place to get the fish, before heading home. All in, it was about 2.5 hours of driving and I ended up acclimating this fish at 1am in the morning! Props to Paul for even allowing me to pick up the fish that late at night and he gave me some live food cultures. Top man!
I have to say though, it was the most relaxed acclimation I've ever done. The fish was not panicked at all and seems to be settling in really well and is already eating. Once I saw it in person, I realised how small its mouth is so I was thinking to try adding neocaridina. I know some babies might get pinched but I think the adults might be OK. I have one adult cherry shrimp in there now and they occupy completely different parts of the scape - I guess that's the advantage of having a high-sloped tiered design. The dicrossus has also definitely seen the cherry shrimp flailing around (as they do) and has not attempted to go after it.
I wanted to get some early days photos, and the Dicrossus still has a little bit of growing/colour development to take place but judging by Paul's photos they grow extremely quick. I'm now on the hunt for some females to keep him company! I've decided that I won't decide on dither fish until I take a trip to Tropco. He also seems to be a bit of an aquascaper himself, attempting to move my detail stones around to his liking.
NB; excuse my awful glueing skills!
The fish is absolutely amazing!
Is it tank bred or wild caught ? I know it is a little bit difficult to find that fish in LFS.
By the way I have done a quick research for this fish and it seems that charem 3:1 works great.
Wish you the best of luck
Is it tank bred or wild caught ? I know it is a little bit difficult to find that fish in LFS.
By the way I have done a quick research for this fish and it seems that charem 3:1 works great.
Wish you the best of luck
Fantastic start. Iām so impressed with the cabinet door. Your choice of stone in conjunction with the mixed wood you have mentioned, and especially taking into account the theme you have alluded to, has definitely peaked my interest. Definitely one to follow. You certainly have the knack of teasing us with the blurred photos and partial images.
I would be interested to know how many pots of plants you expect to use. When they first came out I thought the in vitro pots were somewhat overpriced, but I have realised from the success everyone seems to have with them that in fact you get more for your money at the end of the day. When they first came out I thought the in vitro pots was somewhat overpriced, but I have realised from the success everyone seems to have with them that in fact you get more for your money at the end of the day.
enjoy your journey and the very best of luck in the contest.
I would be interested to know how many pots of plants you expect to use. When they first came out I thought the in vitro pots were somewhat overpriced, but I have realised from the success everyone seems to have with them that in fact you get more for your money at the end of the day. When they first came out I thought the in vitro pots was somewhat overpriced, but I have realised from the success everyone seems to have with them that in fact you get more for your money at the end of the day.
enjoy your journey and the very best of luck in the contest.
Thank you! I'm not sure if the fish's origin, I could ask Paul and see if he knows.
Yeah I'm thinking 2 females would be good. The scape is laid out in a way that there are many broken lines of sight.
It would be amazing if they bred too like my Apistogramma. The original consensus was that they will spawn but the eggs won't hatch, and even if by some miracle they hatch, they won't survive in a community tank. But they did exactly that! So I think it's not impossible.
Thank you! I really wish I could show you the whole thing but I guess there is something fun about finding ways to show it without spoiling it. I'm trying to do small things whenever possible to reaffirm the theme and I think the Dicrossus does that perfectly (I hope).
The mixed stone and rock did worry me initially, as there's 3 different types of wood and 2/3 different types of rock but when they're all together it feels very seamless. There's a natural patina that's been formed too so now the rocks really do look very similar.
I know what you mean about the in vitro pots, I was a bit skeptical when I first heard of them but you most definitely do get a lot for your money compared to regular pots. I ordered 9 in vitro pots but only ended up using 8, and Monte Carlo was the only one I needed 2 of. I used 5 regular pots (Cryptocorynes) and no matter how many times I do this, I always forget that you get multiple plantlets in a regular pot too. But at least the scape was as densely planted as possible from day 1.
These little islands are developing nicely, and I'm trying to curb a slight stall in some growth down below. I can't work out whether it's CO2, light or nutrients. It's also not happening to every plant, some are doing great whereas some are not. My thoughts are always to increase CO2 and nutrients, with light being the last resort. I think the distribution is as good as it's gonna get.
I've now fitted an Intaqo Controller to the tank which auto-doses the CO2 based on the pH, auto-doses APT Complete and monitors the temperature. I can't tell you how nice it is not to have to dose nutrients every morning! I still wake up thinking I need to go and do it and then remember it's all being taken care of. It also means there are more opportunities during the photoperiod where there isn't any CO2 bubbles so there's more time to take photos and videos.
Additionally, I've noticed an oil slick keeps developing on the surface in the last 2 days and I'm not sure why. I keep doing impromptu water changes and trying to remove detritus so hopefully it goes away.
The Dicrossus also still doesn't have any company other than a few Amano shrimp and a group of black Neocaridina from @shangman . Luckily the Dicrossus shows absolutey no interest in shrimp!
I thought I could deal with the light sitting on the rim of the tank, but in all honestly it's bloody annoying! It's a pain for maintenance and meant that I kept touching the light making it dirty (it's painted white).
So I got myself a LitiAquaria light stand so I could suspend it. It's made a helluva difference in terms of accessing the tank and it's so nice to see the whole top in all its glory.
Whilst setting it up I actually dropped one of the grub screws in the scape and can't find it lol. Luckily it wasn't an important one. I definitely recommend this stand to anyone that is thinking of doing something similar, and it couldn't have come from a nicer guy (Jacky, the owner). I'm thinking of getting another one for the next scape I'm planning.
The light is double the height it was before so I've doubled the light intensity, it's now 100% instead of 50%. I'll keep my eye out in case any algae breaks out, but it's been a few days and so far so good.
So I got myself a LitiAquaria light stand so I could suspend it. It's made a helluva difference in terms of accessing the tank and it's so nice to see the whole top in all its glory.
Whilst setting it up I actually dropped one of the grub screws in the scape and can't find it lol. Luckily it wasn't an important one. I definitely recommend this stand to anyone that is thinking of doing something similar, and it couldn't have come from a nicer guy (Jacky, the owner). I'm thinking of getting another one for the next scape I'm planning.
The light is double the height it was before so I've doubled the light intensity, it's now 100% instead of 50%. I'll keep my eye out in case any algae breaks out, but it's been a few days and so far so good.
It took a few days but the scape was giving me indication that the 100% light intensity was too much through some staghorn growth, despite doubling the height of the unit. I've reduced the lighting to 80% and increased the CO2 and there's been no new growth, in fact the staghorn looks a little diminished. I think this is also because of the shrimps in there (I don't feed them at the moment).
Currently the plant growth is steady but quite slow and I'm wondering what the crux is? CO2 seems to be at good levels based on the pH and also a bright green drop checker in the furthest and lowest flow point of the tank. I'm double dosing APT Complete too so could it be a lighting thing? As frustrating as it is, I guess it's nicer to have slow but healthy growth rather than rapid but algae-ridden. There's just some plants i.e. Monte Carlo that I expected to grow a lot quicker.
Interestingly, my Oase Biomaster 850 seems to be experiencing diminished flow. I'm not sure why as the pipework has recently been cleaned and even when the pipework was filthy it was was pumping water out almost over the edge of the glass. Around 5 days after cleaning the pipes the flow just became more gentle for no apparent reason. Anybody experienced this before?
I also finally found a suitable hanging pot so I could grow a trailing plant up the light stand. I'm not sure what it's called but I think it's a philodendron of some kind. It was pretty bulletproof in it's last location so I'm hoping it'll do well and maybe even flower!
Currently the plant growth is steady but quite slow and I'm wondering what the crux is? CO2 seems to be at good levels based on the pH and also a bright green drop checker in the furthest and lowest flow point of the tank. I'm double dosing APT Complete too so could it be a lighting thing? As frustrating as it is, I guess it's nicer to have slow but healthy growth rather than rapid but algae-ridden. There's just some plants i.e. Monte Carlo that I expected to grow a lot quicker.
Interestingly, my Oase Biomaster 850 seems to be experiencing diminished flow. I'm not sure why as the pipework has recently been cleaned and even when the pipework was filthy it was was pumping water out almost over the edge of the glass. Around 5 days after cleaning the pipes the flow just became more gentle for no apparent reason. Anybody experienced this before?
I also finally found a suitable hanging pot so I could grow a trailing plant up the light stand. I'm not sure what it's called but I think it's a philodendron of some kind. It was pretty bulletproof in it's last location so I'm hoping it'll do well and maybe even flower!
Tank is looking great @Courtneybst - great idea to add the trailing plant to soften the light frame - where did you source the hanging pot?
You did the right thing dialling the light back down - inverse square law is a relative relationship between the light source and the measurement point. So whilst your thinking was right in that doubling the light height from the surface, halves the light intensity at the surface, and doubling the light output then restored the light intensity at the surface, that relationship doesnāt hold for the rest of the aquarium. When you moved the light you didnāt double the distance to the substrate for example, so doubling the light output increased the light intensity hitting everything below the surface by a greater amount than that lost by increasing the light height.
The fact that it induced Staghorn algae so quickly though might suggest the increased light induced a deficiency of one of the other inputs in the tank, and that may give you some clues as to what is limiting growth rates in the tank (if that is something you want to address - though Iād personally prefer the slower growth rate), as it might mean one of your inputs is fairly close to the deficiency knife edge.
Your tank is 100L, so I assume youāre dosing 40ml+ of APT complete a week if youāre double dosing? Whilst that may well be plenty it is also only 15ppm of NO3, and 3.2ppm of Mg, so there is also a chance either could be running at low levels or bottoming out during the week and slowing growth.
You could try adding some extra MgSO4 for a couple of weeks to see if that changes things, and if not, then try some additional KNO3 for a couple of weeks as a test too?
Also Monte Carlo can be a bit of a CO2 hog, so though youāve obviously tested various drop checker placements, it may be worth double checking you have sufficient CO2 enriched flow hitting the substrate where the MC is planted?
You did the right thing dialling the light back down - inverse square law is a relative relationship between the light source and the measurement point. So whilst your thinking was right in that doubling the light height from the surface, halves the light intensity at the surface, and doubling the light output then restored the light intensity at the surface, that relationship doesnāt hold for the rest of the aquarium. When you moved the light you didnāt double the distance to the substrate for example, so doubling the light output increased the light intensity hitting everything below the surface by a greater amount than that lost by increasing the light height.
The fact that it induced Staghorn algae so quickly though might suggest the increased light induced a deficiency of one of the other inputs in the tank, and that may give you some clues as to what is limiting growth rates in the tank (if that is something you want to address - though Iād personally prefer the slower growth rate), as it might mean one of your inputs is fairly close to the deficiency knife edge.
Your tank is 100L, so I assume youāre dosing 40ml+ of APT complete a week if youāre double dosing? Whilst that may well be plenty it is also only 15ppm of NO3, and 3.2ppm of Mg, so there is also a chance either could be running at low levels or bottoming out during the week and slowing growth.
You could try adding some extra MgSO4 for a couple of weeks to see if that changes things, and if not, then try some additional KNO3 for a couple of weeks as a test too?
Also Monte Carlo can be a bit of a CO2 hog, so though youāve obviously tested various drop checker placements, it may be worth double checking you have sufficient CO2 enriched flow hitting the substrate where the MC is planted?
Thanks mate! I want to find a flowering vine to go with it as I think that'll just be the cherry on top.
I can't wait until I don't have to hide the photos anymore.
Cheers! I can post the link if you're interested? It was from Amazon and they only had one left but I think they had some in other colours.
Oh right of course! That makes so much sense. I didn't think of that.
Actually I realised I'm not double dosing but just a bit extra. For a 95L the 2hr aquarist recommends 3ml per week and I'm dosing 4ml. So it's getting 28ml a week. Do you think it's worth bringing it up to 6ml?
Edit: Weirdly though on the dosage guide it said 5ml for 100L.
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You could try upping the dose to see if it increases your growth rate - if thatās what you want to achieve - though as I say it looks like the leanest nutrients are NO3 and Mg.
Hi all,
They all look pretty similar, but if I was a betting man I'd go for <"Commelina benghalensis"> or <"Tradescantia fluminensis">.
cheers Darrel
It is a <"Tradescantia"> of some type. If it has a white flower it will be Tradescantia sp., if it is blue it is a Commelina sp.
They all look pretty similar, but if I was a betting man I'd go for <"Commelina benghalensis"> or <"Tradescantia fluminensis">.
cheers Darrel
LondonDragon
Member
One thing to note, if you want to share your journey on UKAPS and get guidance on the scapes, before you are ready to take the final photo you can ask an admin to move the Journal offline until the competition results are announced then we can make it visible again upon your request š
