Recent content by vthokie

Darn! I had attached some sponges to the outflows of the 2 HOBs on my non-CO2 tank, thinking that I was doing the right thing in minimizing agitation. That's good, though... I liked the tank better with more movement.

Here's a current pic of my tank. The java moss and water sprite on the left look better in reality than in the pic. The surface plants are water sprite and hornwort. You can see where I've scraped off some algae from the back wall. The dark blotches on the gravel is the BBA. Would you...

I updated the info in my original post. I forgot to include lighting, substrate and fert tabs. I have 2 55W CF bulbs, fine gravel, and I use Seachem fert tabs. zenkatydid: I don't think the crypts are melting. The leaves are fine except that they break off at the base. I haven't moved them...

Thanks for the pics! I don't have a hood...it's just a light strip, so my only option is to attach them directly to the reflector, but I don't really like that idea. I might just make my own strip separate from the regular light. Thanks again!

I have a 75 low-light tank with crypts (spiralis & wendtii), anubias, java moss, java fern, java lace, water sprite and hornwort. I had some deficiency problems (previous post) which have been improving since I began dosing. Most plants are doing well. I have 2 issues at the moment: 1) Every...

I hadn't thought of silicone. I can't picture how I would do that, other than attaching them directly to the reflector. I'll look into it when I go home this evening. Pleco, yes, I would like to see a pic if it's not too much trouble. Thanks for the offer!

I ordered some lunar lights without giving much thought to how I would install them. The instructions refer to a canopy, but I just have a 48" CF strip light and a glass cover. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might install the lights? Here is a link to the lights I'm refering to...

Thanks for the replies! I might try a power filter with plants or something else to break up the current. I'm interested in trying the sponge filter, but I don't like the noise from air pumps. I remember when I was a kid I had one, and the noise & vibrations drove me nuts. But that was...

Any filter recommendations for a 10g betta tank? I know they don't like strong currents. I currently have a small HOB filter, but it's current is too strong for a betta. Specific brands/models would be appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks for the replies. I'm not too worried about the KH. i just worry every time I add something to the tank! I really appreciate everyone's help.

Thanks for the replies. I figured a large tank would be fine, but just thought I'd check in case there was something about betta behavior that I wasn't aware of.

OK, thanks! That's a good point. Everything is inter-related...

I read somewhere online that bettas do not like to be in tanks over 10 gallons because they feel the need to watch the entire area, and this can stress them out if the area is too large. This sounds bogus to me, otherwise you'd have a lot of stressed fish in the wild. Anyway, I'm thinking of...

I understand that it's not good to add CO2 if you have low KH, but what about adding Excel? I haven't seen any mention of this anywhere, unless I just missed it. I'm considering adding a small amount of Excel to my low-light tank. My KH is 2 right now. I've been trying to raise it with...

Thanks for the info...I'll make a note of it. I have not tried CO2 because everything I've read says that low-light tanks don't need it. However, I do have water sprite which I don't think is low-light (but doing well). I'd like to keep things as simple as possible (hence the low-light tank)...