Stunning, love this tank and the stocking.
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MTV-Kribs
- Thread starter ScareCrow
- Start date
ScareCrow
Member
So the CO² continued longer than I was expecting. The working pressure has started to drop now though, so I'll need to refill it but 9 weeks seems pretty good to me. I've got mostly epiphytes and the few stems I have are still struggling despite the addition of CO². I think the stems might be lacking light though more than anything else.
The trident fern and mini christmas moss have shown the greatest change since adding CO². The mini christmas moss has grown really compact without any intervention and the trident fern has grown! It never did much before but now at the end of the CO² period it looks quite healthy.
I've not changed anything else in the last 9 weeks as I wanted to see what impact CO² had. I was expecting faster plant growth and higher nutrient uptake pretty much instantly but although plant growth increased quite quickly my TDS readings haven't really changed. This was until about a week maybe two ago. I noticed some of my buces becoming quite colourful (I think it's nutrient deficiency). When I tested my TDS it's only a little above what it is after a water change so time to up the ferts I think.
Now on to the fish!
The guy I got my corries from decided to sell off his breeding group of habrosus. So I had to have them. While we were looking round all his tanks he spotted that his C.nanus had spawned. As he wasn't going to raise anymore he offered me the eggs.
Unfortunately snails got to them overnight and they munched most of them but I did get a few fry. A few were deformed or just not swimming particularly well and I thought it was a bit of a loss, so I moved some luminatus fry into the breeder box and pretty much forgot about the C.nanus.
I pulled the luminatus fry out a couple of days ago and spotted a small Cory wiggling around at the bottom. So not the greatest success but at least I've got some experience now for when I can hopefully get the other Corys to spawn myself.
The trident fern and mini christmas moss have shown the greatest change since adding CO². The mini christmas moss has grown really compact without any intervention and the trident fern has grown! It never did much before but now at the end of the CO² period it looks quite healthy.
I've not changed anything else in the last 9 weeks as I wanted to see what impact CO² had. I was expecting faster plant growth and higher nutrient uptake pretty much instantly but although plant growth increased quite quickly my TDS readings haven't really changed. This was until about a week maybe two ago. I noticed some of my buces becoming quite colourful (I think it's nutrient deficiency). When I tested my TDS it's only a little above what it is after a water change so time to up the ferts I think.
Now on to the fish!
The guy I got my corries from decided to sell off his breeding group of habrosus. So I had to have them. While we were looking round all his tanks he spotted that his C.nanus had spawned. As he wasn't going to raise anymore he offered me the eggs.
Unfortunately snails got to them overnight and they munched most of them but I did get a few fry. A few were deformed or just not swimming particularly well and I thought it was a bit of a loss, so I moved some luminatus fry into the breeder box and pretty much forgot about the C.nanus.
I pulled the luminatus fry out a couple of days ago and spotted a small Cory wiggling around at the bottom. So not the greatest success but at least I've got some experience now for when I can hopefully get the other Corys to spawn myself.
ScareCrow
Member
So it's happened again! I was checking the breeder box housing some shrimp and the C.nanus fry when I noticed a P.luminatus fry swimming across the top. I've removed plants from the breeder box but I don't remember adding any and other than 3, approximately 3 month old P.luminatus I've not had any other P.luminatus in there.
I don't know how fry keep appearing but it's getting to the point where I'm worried to leave drinks near the tank in case they start showing up there.
Anyway it's a nice 'problem' to have
I don't know how fry keep appearing but it's getting to the point where I'm worried to leave drinks near the tank in case they start showing up there.
Anyway it's a nice 'problem' to have
ScareCrow
Member
The c.nanus has continued to grow and is now about 15mm.
I think I've managed to get the ferts back in balance and I'm now getting some more healthy growth and decent colour out of the bucephalandra. Still not as good as others seem to get but I'm winging it. I've not worked out what ppm of anything I'm dosing and my rainwater is an unknown so I just rely on the plants as an indicator. Hopefully I'll get there one day, unless anyone has any tips to get buce to colour up?
I think I've managed to get the ferts back in balance and I'm now getting some more healthy growth and decent colour out of the bucephalandra. Still not as good as others seem to get but I'm winging it. I've not worked out what ppm of anything I'm dosing and my rainwater is an unknown so I just rely on the plants as an indicator. Hopefully I'll get there one day, unless anyone has any tips to get buce to colour up?
_Maq_
Member
Iron, perhaps?
ScareCrow
Member
Possibly, I know APFUK mix I use is slightly lean on phosphate and when I'm not dosing enough I get holes in the leaves, followed by leaves being dropped if I don't increase the dose. I assumed that the red/yellow leaves I was getting before was due to possible nitrate deficiency. I've now increase the macros and leaves are regrowing and growth looks good but online I see people with really nice dark blues and metallics so just wonder how they get them or if it's just the lighting in the photo.
Some of the buce have nice red rhizomes and the latest pic I posted was of 'martini pink', which is showing better colour now.
Some of it is light intensity, the buces will have stronger colors if grown under strong light, but this places a greater demand on the aquarist as you have to avoid algae growth on them.
In addition I see a lot lot lot of purple/red heavy light spectrum in the buce world, a trick can be to look for the color of items around the buce in a photo, if there is gravel, is it purple, same with any hand in the picture etc. Using a strong enough purple light you could make almost any buce appear purple. So looking out for those signs will help navigate what is real and what is heavily enhanced.
Some varieties of buce will be a bit stronger colored then others also.
I think yours looks nice already, maybe patience and letting them bush out a bit is all that will be needed 😊
ScareCrow
Member
Thanks very much. I'm looking forward to it getting bigger.
I think you're probably right about light intensity. Most of them are overgrown by needle leaf java fern or moss, so getting very little light. The one in the pic is stuck to a magnet to ensure it gets enough light.
I do have some at the top, directly under the light and they've gone orange but I'm not sure what species they are so not sure what they're optimum colour is.
I know what you mean about the light spectrum used. It's even worse with corals and the use of yellow lense filters makes it harder to spot.
ScareCrow
Member
Finally managed to get a pic of another kuhli I have with interesting markings.
Excuse the dodgy photo editing but this is what I see when I look at her.
Kuhli cat clock.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend all
Excuse the dodgy photo editing but this is what I see when I look at her.
Kuhli cat clock.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend all
ScareCrow
Member
It has been a long time since I've posted anything but as there's not much to write about, I'll use the a picture's worth a thousand words excuse and just spam you all with some pics.
Just saving energy in preparation for the evening feeding frenzy.
I finally gave in and add some more light. Colour and growth rate have definitely improved.
The Luminatus are now grown up and showing some nice colour.
The stormy weather helped to trigger the habrosus into spawning. The eggs I saw, were quickly eaten though and unfortunately I've not spotted any fry. Excuse the water spots, they are there purposefully to mimick eggs and trick the fish into breeding...............yeah that's why and not because I'm lazy.
I released the C.nanus into the tank to be with the other corys. Sadly he/she does seem to have a swim bladder issue but otherwise does perfectly fine.
That's everything that's happened in the past month.
Just saving energy in preparation for the evening feeding frenzy.
I finally gave in and add some more light. Colour and growth rate have definitely improved.
The Luminatus are now grown up and showing some nice colour.
The stormy weather helped to trigger the habrosus into spawning. The eggs I saw, were quickly eaten though and unfortunately I've not spotted any fry. Excuse the water spots, they are there purposefully to mimick eggs and trick the fish into breeding...............yeah that's why and not because I'm lazy.
I released the C.nanus into the tank to be with the other corys. Sadly he/she does seem to have a swim bladder issue but otherwise does perfectly fine.
That's everything that's happened in the past month.
Attachments
ScareCrow
Member
The one closest to the front in the first picture is C.venezuelanus 'orange'. I think the dark substrate and low light has made it quite dark. I want to setup another tank with light substrate to see if I can get them a little lighter to show off the orange more.
The other cory in the first picture is C.pygmaeus.
ScareCrow
Member
I fed a lot of live food last night and this afternoon the C.pygmaeus have started spawning. I've got to admit, I didn't spot the egg at first, I thought it was another water spot
ScareCrow
Member
Another leaf has emerged on the bucephalandra martini pink, and it's starting to live up to its name. A few diatoms on the older leaves but ignore that.
ScareCrow
Member
I got it from this seller. His service is really good. He grows them emersed so there is a transition period but I can definitely recommend him.
I did split the original plant and I have a small second plant that I'm growing on so I'll hopefully be able to make that available in the future.
John q
Member
As a Yorkshire man I hope you'll 'lkeep these fine specimens north of the border" 😀 "if" they bear fruit.. 👍
Edit: Getting you mixed up with another member.
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PARAGUAY
Member
Always room for a Nice🙂
