Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Planted Tank

[Fresh2o]

Maybe 5 snails would suffice then. What is the PAR for your tank? Just wanting to do a little comparison. I think I'll have the ferts covered once I up the phosphate in my micros bottle. I'm going to up my CO2 when I increase the plant biomass.


Go Reds!

From 3-7 PM the PAR is 45. From 7-8 pm it is 106. From 8-11 pm it is 61. The high light phase was 6-9 pm but a few weeks ago I scaled that back. One thing I've noticed is that I am cleaning the front pane a lot less (used to be every 3 days). Now that I have Otos in there, I may not have to.
Plants looks great.


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[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon High-Tech Tank

From 3-7 PM the PAR is 45. From 7-8 pm it is 106. From 8-11 pm it is 61. The high light phase was 6-9 pm but a few weeks ago I scaled that back. One thing I've noticed is that I am cleaning the front pane a lot less (used to be every 3 days). Now that I have Otos in there, I may not have to.
Plants looks great.


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Thanks! I wish I had the capability of having of a dimmer for my T5 fixture (I don't even know if T5's have dimmers), but mine does just fine. I limited my lighting to 7 hours. I have 68 PAR. The main reason I think I get algae is due to not enough plant biomass. That should be fixed eventually. I'm going to get AR, Dwarf Hairgrass, and Bacopa caroliniana at Petsmart. The rest will be from fish stores, mail order, or through here. I won't be ordering any plants anytime soon though. It's going to be subzero on Thursday. Oh winter...I couldn't imagine living where Brookster lives.


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[fishenthusiast]

I just adjusted my PPS-Pro formula so that I will be dosing more phosphate. I doubled it, in fact. This should help in defeating GSA. I decided not to go with EI since I think it really doesn't matter which system I use. I can also adjust PPS-Pro more easily in my circumstances, and I've seen the experts have good success with it like Rivercats, OS, and many of you guys that I've talked to in the past for help.


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[Thumper828]

 

[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon High-Tech Tank

I'm going to put some moss on my driftwood. What type do you guys think would look the best? Here's a picture of the DW from about a month ago to help anyone visualize

I will not attach Java Moss to it. It spreads like a wildfire ?.


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[RadMax8]

I've got Phoenix moss. It hasn't grown super fast in my tank, and it hasn't really spread that far either. Could be a good option!


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[fishenthusiast]

I've got Phoenix moss. It hasn't grown super fast in my tank, and it hasn't really spread that far either. Could be a good option!


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I like the look of it!


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[fishenthusiast]

I noticed that another Blyxa japonica plant is forming off one of the stems. I thought this plant was supposed to be hard to take care of. I hope that some red leaves will come forth eventually. It is strange that it grows better than my Rotala rotund...it must because the Rotala has been through a lot and never fully recovered?? Now I just need to wait for the Pogo to perk up. How big should I allow for the clippings to be to replant? I am going to toss the old growth and replant the clippings.


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[Sk3lly]

What made you think blyxa was difficult? Very easy plant


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[RadMax8]

It's super prolific, too. Brookster and Fresh's tanks are chocked full of it! Mine is starting to reproduce as well.


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[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon High-Tech Tank

What made you think blyxa was difficult? Very easy plant



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I think I read that it was hard in some plant encyclopedia. Not all books are correct though.

I recall that you had a DHG foreground in one of your tanks. Would you recommend it, or is it a pain to keep?

It's super prolific, too. Brookster and Fresh's tanks are chocked full of it! Mine is starting to reproduce as well.

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I'm glad that this plant is working out well for everyone!



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[Fresh2o]

I first saw Blyxa in Iwugami setups and associated with DBT, HC, UG and other more challenging plants for some reason.
Yep, it's an easy plant to grow.


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[Sk3lly]

I got another dhg carpet still in the process of carpeting now

I love the stuff now that i have it contained through substrate dividers. Always grows well for me too


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[fishenthusiast]

I got another dhg carpet still in the process of carpeting now
View attachment 264779
I love the stuff now that i have it contained through substrate dividers. Always grows well for me too


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Looks nice! Would there be any way to contain this plant without substrate dividers?


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[Sk3lly]

In my experience no. It got everywhere!


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[fishenthusiast]

In my experience no. It got everywhere!


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Hmmm... maybe I should just stick with Downoi and Staurogyne repens. Dwarf Hairgrass is a beautiful plant, but I wouldn't want it to take over.


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[fishenthusiast]

I'm thinking about getting a CO2 reactor. I know this reactor is cheap, but would it be as or more effective than my current GLA ceramic diffuser? http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24117

My current canister filter has a filter circulation of 102 gph and a pump output of 116 gph. Is this too little for my tank? I think I get good flow with my spray bar, but I was just wondering about it.


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[fish wrangler]

Could you place the diffuser under the filter intake tube so any bubbles get sucked into the filter and are diffused even more?

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[fishenthusiast]

Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon High-Tech Tank

Could you place the diffuser under the filter intake tube so any bubbles get sucked into the filter and are diffused even more?

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That might be hard for me to do. The filter intake tube is about an inch above the substrate, and there are a ton of crypts in the area. That's a nice suggestion though!


Go Reds!

 

[fish wrangler]

Hmm place the diffuser on the substrate up current of the filter? Might not get every bubble but it should get alot.

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