Dan and Andy's crypt

[Dan walton]

looks good so far good luck with it !

Cheers Allan


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[Dan walton]

Another week in progress is good the glosso has already formed a nice carpet effect will be trimming soon as Sam wants some cuttings and I have a ball of mixed moss to post to him to.
I've pulled the vallis as it was melting not sure as to why as it was doing fine and is a reasonably easy plant to keep or so I'm lead to believe I'm putting it down to the snail killer I've used this week.
Everything else seems ok I've removed the fluval 106 as all it did was leak and irritate me so now I'm just running the 206 and the powerhead with the co2 diffuser which works great water changes are down to 30 litres every other day and I'm still dosing 5ml of liquid carbon and tnc complete daily
A few update pics







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[allan angus]

great growth looking good

 

[Dan walton]

I am getting a brown algae appearing on the glass which wipes of easily also a little green spot I'm pumping in copious amounts of co2 and lighting is on top of the job together with liquid carbon and tnc complete I can't see that lack of nutrients or light is causing this could it be to much light and nutrients ? Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed cheers

 

[allan angus]

2 much light ? id try nocking the time the lights on by anhr or 2 a day

 

[Dan walton]

2 much light ? id try nocking the time the lights on by anhr or 2 a day

I have just this morning knocked 2 hours off the light period will see if it helps

 

[Andy Thurston]

How many hours are lights on for now?
If still got that greenhouse shading kicking about put some under light. It wants raising by about 6" really

 

[Dan walton]

This is becoming my favourite tank the speed it's growing is amazing think I will be pruning soon I've just emptied my 2nd bottle of co2 (disposable mig welding bottles) and now onto my third still have 2 spares but I dare say they'll be a large bottle piped to this tank shortly still changing 40 litres every other day this has occasionally run 3/4 days before a water change rarely just when I'm held back at the garage and late home still the tank is always pearling regardless of water changes think I've finally beat the snails chemical warfare seemed the only solution I'm sure this killed the valis yet everything else seems fine no melt at all in this tank and the crypts are doing well again although fighting for room between the glosso and hydro which is spreading like crazy think I'm going to raise the light slightly and start tweaking the co2 back slightly may try a couple of amano shrimp in here see how they get on and I have over 50 in the 180 so could pinch a couple from there ( if I can net them!) if there ok will be looking into putting some more in over the coming weeks still undecided about fish thinking a small shoal of mountain minnows or some dwarf gouramis suggestions welcome
Glosso


Hydro


The first two pictures were taken last night the rest this evening






These stems have appeared this week the nearest clump of this is a good 4 inches back it appears to have sent out runners under the sand and these stems are popping up everywhere





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[allan angus]

looking good 🙂

 

[Dan walton]

Managed to catch 3 amano shrimp and two of the ottos last weekend out of the 180 and put them in here all still living this weekend and the difference they have made is awesome I've very little of the brown diatoms left and I've not had to clean the inside of the glass at all since I put them in they have also cleaned up the fissedens moss and wood it's attached to I was going to put some more in but two seem to be doing the job the amanos seem happy when I see them if you sit and watch the tank which I've taken to doing a lot recently you occasionally notice one going about there business however they do take some spotting so today I've added some cherry shrimp 9 in total and 8 neon blue rainbow fish praecox 4 male 4 female there great to watch and the colours are stunning will be doing some trimming this week going to give the glosso a haircut trim the longer stems of Rotala and thin out the cabomba a little.
A few update pictures will add some more this week after me and Andy have been in with the scissors










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[Dan walton]

I attacked this last night cut the glosso back trimmed the hydro removed a few runners here and there cleared around the crypts a little to give them some room cut back the cabomba and planted the trimming across the back let's see how long before it bounces back






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[allan angus]

🙂 still love this tank well done !

 

[Dan walton]

Picked up a couple of fire extingushers this weekend and ordered another reg and solenoid should be here tomorrow so will have this on a timer this week should save me some gas will be keeping the diffuser set up I've got its simple but is giving good results pictures to follow once I've installed this week another 3 Amanos pinched from the 180 and a trim of the Rotalla was all I've done this weekend thinking of thinning out the water changes a little further maybe every three days

 

[Dan walton]

New reg and FE installed tonight


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[Andy Thurston]

Nice! I tidied my plumbing on the cube and put fe on the 35l last night. Both were pearling when i checked a hour or two later, I must update the journal
That cabombas grown about 3-4" since the trim

 

[Dan walton]

Not a lots changed I keep having to mow the glosso and hydro thinned out some taller stems and freed a little room up around the crypts tank itself is doing fantastic I'm down to changing 15 litres of water every 3 days and it still pearls daily !
Only reoccurring problem is the green spot I get on the glass this needs scraping off every couple of weeks not a big issue but would be nice if I could stop it altogether.
Finally in the last picture there is a red stem this seems to have grown in amongst the Rotala I'm unsure as to what it is any suggestions ? It's a very nice stem and I'm hoping to cultivate some more from it watch this space

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[Andy Thurston]

Red ludwiga?

 

[Dan walton]

Time I updated this journal not a lots changed lots of pruning as the growth rate is immense in this tank I've pulled the glosso as it was taking over I've recently pulled a lot out of this tank so I could see the crypts they've come on nicely and still my favourite plant.
Water changes are down to a bucketful every other week sounds drastic I know but the tanks doing great and still pearls daily I've a few snails so introduced a couple of assassin snails they did the trick in the 180
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[Andy Thurston]

That tank is insane. Flow isnt that strong, light is fairly high, ferts are not quite ei levels, and co2 is pretty high, yet everything still pearls and livestock is comfortable.
Good job dan. I wish the cube would start growing like that. I might just bung a load of shrimp in and turn the lights up

 

[Dan walton]

A few picture updates
I've planted a small clump of Hemianthus micranthemoides where the glosso used to be ? Not something I've heard of but spotted it on a eBay site the seller had lots of other plants listed and positive feed back so took a gamble and ordered three pots total cost inc p+p was £9.90 from Hungary plants arrived 3 days later very healthy looking and he even chucked in a 4th pot (big clown now has 2 for the cube) free bargain.
I'm considering pulling the hydro and replacing it with some styro from the 180 I like the hydro but it does tend to want to dominate the tank.
Also there's a huge clump of what I believe to be Christmas moss growing from the centre of my wood and slowly taking over so that's getting pulled this week I'm sure it will grow back might have a steady supply if anyone wants it? Same for the hydro I nay stick them in the for sale section if no interest here anyway here's the pics including some from the top showing off my pearling plants.


The suspect Christmas moss any takers ?


The new addition



Shots from the top


Shot from the end showing my rainbows love these fish

Tried to get a close up of big clowns favourite stem in this tank also a few pics of the rest that I've planted (for now) in the front not sure as to the name of this stem all came from a single stem that hitch hiked in a pot of Rotala


The hydro that May or may not get the chop if anyone's interested

And a couple of full tank shots



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