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Low tech, zero skill
- Thread starter mrhoyo
- Start date
Ray
Member
Looking good 
Is that a java fern leaf with baby ferns on it? If so you can attach them elsewhere when they are big enough to survive on their own.
Also you can top and tail the bigger S. Repens if you like:
Crypts look good.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Is that a java fern leaf with baby ferns on it? If so you can attach them elsewhere when they are big enough to survive on their own.
Also you can top and tail the bigger S. Repens if you like:
Crypts look good.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
mrhoyo
Member
I didn't notice before but I think the SR has actually grown a bit so I shall trim some as suggested.
Not 100% if there are fern babies, I'll have a look.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Not 100% if there are fern babies, I'll have a look.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
mrhoyo
Member
Day 7
Water change (again!)
I've learnt some things today:
Cyanoacrylate glue is really good at sticking things in water🙂
Cyanoacrylate glue cures white underwater🙁
I have no idea how to stop the floaters getting in the skimmer intake, even when adjusted to the lowest setting😵
When I knocked over the wood the other day I'd also toppled the rocks which is why it didn't look right 😡
Gravity is a thing so if I have a hose in the bath emptying water and put the other end on the floor whilst I'm occupied I get a wet patch
I also snipped and replanted some of the SR and planted a new hair grass that was missed off my delivery last week.
I'm about as dexterous with tweezers as I am with a hammer so my nicely angled substrate looks more like the surface of the moon now. I will molest it when the plants are less likely to uproot and float away.
Water change (again!)
I've learnt some things today:
Cyanoacrylate glue is really good at sticking things in water🙂
Cyanoacrylate glue cures white underwater🙁
I have no idea how to stop the floaters getting in the skimmer intake, even when adjusted to the lowest setting😵
When I knocked over the wood the other day I'd also toppled the rocks which is why it didn't look right 😡
Gravity is a thing so if I have a hose in the bath emptying water and put the other end on the floor whilst I'm occupied I get a wet patch
I also snipped and replanted some of the SR and planted a new hair grass that was missed off my delivery last week.
I'm about as dexterous with tweezers as I am with a hammer so my nicely angled substrate looks more like the surface of the moon now. I will molest it when the plants are less likely to uproot and float away.
mrhoyo
Member
1 week update:
Not much.
Water change and stuck some more moss on (Taxiphyllum barbieri that arrived out of the blue yesterday).
Tested loads of stuff, basically I have a bit of ammonia and nothing else yet. KH is 1, GH is 3, PH 6.8-7.
Need stocking ideas for when it's cycled, I have really soft water by the sound of things so I believe that limits me.
Not much.
Water change and stuck some more moss on (Taxiphyllum barbieri that arrived out of the blue yesterday).
Tested loads of stuff, basically I have a bit of ammonia and nothing else yet. KH is 1, GH is 3, PH 6.8-7.
Need stocking ideas for when it's cycled, I have really soft water by the sound of things so I believe that limits me.
mrhoyo
Member
8 days
Just changed water and replanted a Monte Carlo clump that decided it wanted to join the floaters (who keep blowing down to the bottom and back up again).
Plants are all bubbly which I'm assuming is a good thing. Looks nice anyway.
Just changed water and replanted a Monte Carlo clump that decided it wanted to join the floaters (who keep blowing down to the bottom and back up again).
Plants are all bubbly which I'm assuming is a good thing. Looks nice anyway.
Attachments
mrhoyo
Member
Week 2 now.
Water change.
Nearly cooked everything, I didn't put the hot tap on enough so the plants had a nice 38c bath for a few minutes.
Not a great deal else to report other than I dosed 2ml ferts instead of 1ml because tomorrow will be my first non-change day (woohoo).
Ordered some mineral additives due to my ridiculous soft water and very nearly bought another crypt but decided not to. Yet.
Water change.
Nearly cooked everything, I didn't put the hot tap on enough so the plants had a nice 38c bath for a few minutes.
Not a great deal else to report other than I dosed 2ml ferts instead of 1ml because tomorrow will be my first non-change day (woohoo).
Ordered some mineral additives due to my ridiculous soft water and very nearly bought another crypt but decided not to. Yet.
mrhoyo
Member
No water change today but added some Tetra SafeStart at the recomendation of jaypeecee.
The anubias has a yellow leaf, is it just getting used to the water? I suppose it should be taken off?
Little brown splodges on the java ferns too, I assume that's similar.
The anubias has a yellow leaf, is it just getting used to the water? I suppose it should be taken off?
Little brown splodges on the java ferns too, I assume that's similar.
Hi @mrhoyo
I guess I must have made the recommendation on a different thread. 😵
Don't worry - the recommendation still stands! 🙂
JPC
mrhoyo
Member
Exciting update - I changed the water again and nipped off those two yellow leaves.
That's about it really.
The s.repens seems to be growing like mad, it will be getting another shave soon.
That's about it really.
The s.repens seems to be growing like mad, it will be getting another shave soon.
mrhoyo
Member
Water change 50%
Trimmed the S.repens and replanted
Removed any floating stuff that was trapped and let it float again (can't remember which plant it is)
Nipped off another 2 yellow anubias leaves
Cut off the mini java ferns and shoved them in places they might hold
Spotted some teeny tiny algae on the glass and one plant - rubbed it off. Hopefully it stays off.
Trimmed the S.repens and replanted
Removed any floating stuff that was trapped and let it float again (can't remember which plant it is)
Nipped off another 2 yellow anubias leaves
Cut off the mini java ferns and shoved them in places they might hold
Spotted some teeny tiny algae on the glass and one plant - rubbed it off. Hopefully it stays off.
mrhoyo
Member
Uh oh - algae alert 
Hi @mrhoyo
Without knowing any of your water parameters, I'm stuck. But, I seem to recall that you're not injecting CO2 - so, are you adding liquid carbon in any form? And, what is your present lighting
régime?
JPC
Uh oh - algae alert
Without knowing any of your water parameters, I'm stuck. But, I seem to recall that you're not injecting CO2 - so, are you adding liquid carbon in any form? And, what is your present lighting
régime?
JPC
mrhoyo
Member
I'm not, just dosing the TNC Complete as instructed for a low tech.
Light is only on 6 hours a day, I'm thinking of leaving it off a couple of days.
Not convinced the anubias is doing great either, one taken 4 or 5 leaves off in the last couple of days.
Hi all,
The problem is that a plant like Anubias is only going to produce new leaves really slowly, if you remove leaves because they have gone pale or have a small amount of algae on them etc, pretty soon you've pruned the plant out of existence.
cheers Darrel
I don't think that will help. Six hours is already a short photo-period and if the light intensity doesn't reach light compensation point plant health will decline further while the light is off.
I'd stop removing any of the green plant mass, you need the plants to put some growth on and then as the plant mass increases you will start to get some stability. We don't know exactly why a larger plant mass helps, but we are pretty sure it does.
Have you removed the leaves? or have they gone yellow and actually fallen off? I'd let them fall off, before I removed them.
The problem is that a plant like Anubias is only going to produce new leaves really slowly, if you remove leaves because they have gone pale or have a small amount of algae on them etc, pretty soon you've pruned the plant out of existence.
cheers Darrel
mrhoyo
Member
Anubias leaves have been removed but without much persuasion. They kind of mushy.
Should I go the other way and add some liquid carbon and up the lighting maybe?
It's not awful yet so maybe it will be ok to wait a while and see if a snail or something will sort it once the tank cycles.
Hi all,
I'm also a snail fan.
cheers Darrel
Take the off, they are pretty firmly attached when healthy.
Personally I'm a great believer in "good things come to those who wait", I'd just remove dead leaves etc, change some water, add fertilisers and just see what happens.
I'm also a snail fan.
cheers Darrel
Ray
Member
The brown algae on your S. Repens (first photo) looks like brown diatoms to me, if so I'd just brush them off with your fingers or something where you can. That's quite normal and all part of your tank stabilising. As Daryl mentions, some kinds of snails will snack on that.
The hair algae on the tip of your wood (second photo) should be removed with a clean toothbrush or similar.
As noted, do NOT increase the light nor turn it off - basically "stay on target Luke".
Liquid carbon will give your plants a boost and has some anti algae properties - it won't be a game changer but might help and you can always stop adding it later (taking a tank off CO2 is rather harder). I'd add it myself but not everyone is a fan.
The hair algae on the tip of your wood (second photo) should be removed with a clean toothbrush or similar.
As noted, do NOT increase the light nor turn it off - basically "stay on target Luke".
Liquid carbon will give your plants a boost and has some anti algae properties - it won't be a game changer but might help and you can always stop adding it later (taking a tank off CO2 is rather harder). I'd add it myself but not everyone is a fan.
mrhoyo
Member
Right, I'll take off what I can and I've got a little bottle of liquid carbon on the way. It might not help but I don't think it can hurt unless I go mad with it.
Starting to feel a bit like I'm on Breaking Bad with all these different things I'm adding.
Starting to feel a bit like I'm on Breaking Bad with all these different things I'm adding.
Ray
Member
