20 gallon tear down and rebuild.11/30/06

[Glenc]

Very nice mr funktastic! That's gonna fill in amazing. You have lots of cool plants in there, you'll learn what grows for you and what does not. Maybe they all will! You've been a busy guy, you've done a great job. That Cambomba look a like is called Limnophila sessiflora. It's a nice weed, grows almost anywhere!

 

[mr funktastic]

it grew about 2 inches during the black out lol. but it seems all my plants actually grew during the black out. weird. i cant wait for the L.aromatica to fill in. i absolutly love it. i am gload every seems to like it. but does anyone have any suggestions? something just doesnt seem to be right in the tank and i cant put my finger on it. any suggestions will be accepted with open arms.

 

[Glenc]

I would let it grow in a bit until you see just how big everything is going to get, then do any re-arranging. Your moss is a bit overpowering at the moment, and your foreground is a bit bare. All that will change soon as your new plants grow in. Picture your whole foreground a nice carpet of bright green, and your background taller and full of colour. The moss will blend in better then. I to like the placement of your plants, let in fill in a bit and see what you have, to early to tell yet!

 

[mr funktastic]

thanks glen. i will wait a bit before i change anything again.

 

[JRagg]

I really like the moss coverage. I agree, letting some of the other stuff get taller and fill in a little more will look really good.

 

[mr funktastic]

well i got imptient and wanted to help speed the process of the thickening. so i trimmed off the off shoots of the l.aromatica and replanted them off to the right side do they can grow roots and not have to feed off the main stem. here are a few pics.
before. top view of all the off shoots of the l.aromatica. there is actually ony 2 stems planted there.

replanted on the right side to grow faster hopefully.

glosso also finally taking hold and spreading.

thats all for now. enjoy

 

[travis simonson]

Nice work guy If your L. aromatica is showing pale shoots you might consider increasing your trace/Fe dosing. It is an Fe hog and, because it grows so quickly, is a great indicator plant for low trace/Fe. Keep the pics coming

 

[mr funktastic]

the stems are so pale becasue they just came out of the blackout. if they dont colour up ina few days i will dose a little trace. i find whever i dose traces my tank goes green real fast. i have hard water and from others experience it seems that my water contains alot of the traces that are needed. thanks for the tip though travis now i may be able to actually tell if i need traces or not. the stems are actually alot greener but there is alot of light above them so they appear whitish.

 

[czcz]

That tank's going to look great. Cool plants!

 

[mr funktastic]

thanks czcz. i really want to incorporate a few more stem plants in there and move the C.willisi out from the back. also want to find a new home for my bartier var nana. it is huge and just kinda clutters that corner. i was thinking about letting the moss grow a carpet in the corner there. that way once the cuba fills in it will collide with the moss and hopefull have a cool effect.

 

[mr funktastic]

well i have been watching the plants for any specific changes and so far everything seems to be growing well. but i did notice a big change in one of my plants the blyxa japonica. here is was before...

compared to what it looks like now....

is it normal for this plant to turn red? i thought it was supposed to be green? it is extreamly healthy and growing well but is just turning red lol. i guess its not a abd thing.
here is is again pearling

 

[Glenc]

I would'nt think it was a bad thing, as long as the plant is growing well and looks healthy. Red is good! Your plants look great

 

[mr funktastic]

thanks glen. things are filling in nicely so i will be posting some more pics soon. i also set up a new tank will have to start a thread on it aswell.

 

[rich311k]

They are looking great, Mr. Funk.

 

[Glenc]

New tank? Cool, pics please!

 

[newfound77951]

Looks awesome....I love L. aromatica too....just a gorgeous plant and pretty easy to keep happy. I find it grows really fast for a while then slows down, then grows again, so be patient with it. I love all the moss in your tank, I haven't gotten into mosses yet but I want to soon. Keep posting pics as it progresses!

 

[czcz]

Great looking plants. Your Blyxa is great -- some of us are doing wacky things to get that color

Did you end up skipping traces and lowering nitrates as planned? Or did you not adjust dosing after adding the new plants? Only curious because I want red B. japonica

 

[mr funktastic]

i am dosing 1/4 of what is reccomended per week on the bottle of trace. so 1/2 cap after my water change on friday. and i am still toying with the nitrates. they are very low though below 10 for sure but hovering a little above 5. i am still getting a slight cloud in the water. it isnt green though. it almost looks liek abacteria bloom but there is not way since this tank has been cycled forever. i also added 15 more watts of light. i was running 3 bulbs ta 24" then i had an empty slot so screwed the end caps closer together to accept an extra 18" bulb that i had which is giving me 15 more watts. i love this ballast. soo versatile it makes it to easy lol. but the blyxa seemed to be turning red the second it entered my tank lol. u can even see from the earlier pics that it has some slight reddening happening. i am probabably going to order some ferts from greg this week in hopes of balanceing my tank. i will get potasium and phosphates for now then in my next order from him i will get another pound of both and a pound of nitrates. i need a phosphate kit to i need more money lol. i just got a new filter so i am kinda low on the cash front. i will post some more pics next week to see the growth.

 

[mr funktastic]

I ordered gregs ferts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol so u will be seeing a post soon asking what the hell i am supoosed to be doing with them. i still have flourish nitrogen so i will use that up before opening the gregs. i also order potassium and phosphate. i still have my flourish trace that i can use whenever i feel i need it. i ordered last night so i hope to get them by the end of this week.

 

[mr funktastic]

just thought i would add a few more pictures to the thread. the camera happend to be sitting beside the tank and i thought it looked cool. so here they are.
oh and this is for u czcz

This Blyxa species is not too difficult to grow if its basic requirements are met: intense lighting in the 2-4 watts per gallon range, CO2 injection, and a fertilization regimen including nitrate, phosphate, potassium, and micronutrient supplementation. If conditions are to its liking and lighting is intense, the leaves of B. japonica will develop golden and reddish hues and the plants will exhibit more compact growth.

i dont dose anything but nitrate lol so i guess i am super luck. i do have high co2 and 85 watts of t-8 so that helps

HYDROCOTYLE LEUCOCEPHALA

HYDROCOTYLE VERTICILLATA