FresH2O's 20g planted rescape

[Fresh2o]

I have had 3 broadleaf chain sword plants for 6 months now and not one runner yet. Maybe just dosing glut is not enough to produce runners ?


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I started with low light and they barely stayed alive. Switched to a better light (Finnex FugeRay) and the growth improved. I was dosing Excel and Comprehensive. The greatest effect came from the addition of DIY CO2. Took about 6 weeks for the growth to really take off. It was producing several runners a week. And when I only kept a few plants and clipped the runners, the plants responded by growing tall. Several leaves reached the top of my 20g long. I eventually removed all of them because they became too invasive.
So, CO2 is the way to go.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Not an update but a throw back! I found a pic taken exactly one year ago (8/16/2013). Can you say green?

Once I started using DIY CO2, the broadleaf chain sword took over the tank. There is a slight touch of non-green in there with the crypt wendtii red on the right side.

Nice transformation! Your hard work has paid off. I noticed in some of the beginning pages of your thread that you did many rescapes, or mini rescapes for that manner. Hopefully my rescape goes as smoothly as your's.


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[Fresh2o]

Man thats definitely green, but still looks cool. It's awesome to see the progression your tank had.


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It was not aqua scaping, it was plants gone wild. I was excited that the BL chain sword bounced back and took over. It went from a foreground to mid ground to background plant in the same year. Once I figured how to get things to grow it was a matter of selecting the right plants to get the look I wanted.
But it's always a progression.

 

[Fishperson]

So that broad leaf chain sword was like 8 inches tall?! I always pictured it differently.

It still looked really good back then fresh, just a bit overgrown I guess.

 

[schoeplein]

I have had 3 broadleaf chain sword plants for 6 months now and not one runner yet. Maybe just dosing glut is not enough to produce runners ?


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I got runners using glut and Flourish only. Granted they're planted in miracle gro and I also have high light. Pop a root tab into the root base and watch it blow up! (in a good way)

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[schoeplein]

Btw, my amazon grew 18+“ long leaves that were 3-4" at their widest. I pulled the original and planted the runner. So far the new plant has slightly thinner leaves, but it's less than a month old.

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[Fresh2o]

So that broad leaf chain sword was like 8 inches tall?! I always pictured it differently.

It still looked really good back then fresh, just a bit overgrown I guess.

When I got them, they were about 3-4". They melted back and were down to 1-2". After adding DIY CO2 they were 3-4" but got taller when I trimmed away the runners.

 

[Fresh2o]

Nice transformation! Your hard work has paid off. I noticed in some of the beginning pages of your thread that you did many rescapes, or mini rescapes for that manner. Hopefully my rescape goes as smoothly as your's.


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Oh yeah, it would change about every month it seems. A lot of it was a result of either good or poor plant growth. The BL chain swords kind of got out of hand because I wanted to see how well they would spread on their own. They were very good at that.

 

[Brookster123]

Not a bad first run! May be a green jungle but super healthy looking! I had narrow leaf chain sword run wild like yours, didn't look nearly as healthy though.. no co2 really hurts when your plants are growing that fast I'm thinking??

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[fishenthusiast]

Not a bad first run! May be a green jungle but super healthy looking! I had narrow leaf chain sword run wild like yours, didn't look nearly as healthy though.. no co2 really hurts when your plants are growing that fast I'm thinking??

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In my case, yes. My Ludwigia repens and Rotala rotundifolia are struggling since I don't have a CO2 system up yet. I think you are correct!


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[schoeplein]

L. repens will grow without pause if you have good light and basic glut. It definitely doesn't need co2.

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[Fresh2o]

I have been battling stag horn algae on the star repens, AR mini, and a few other plants. Hydrogen peroxide spot treatments have been turning them pink (assume it is killing them). There are several tufts of BBA on the DW and substrate.
However, a new problem: Downoi is melting. After two months of steady growth, a few specimens have recently melted. These might have been the ones that got a brief peroxide dip. I suspect that the dip was either too lengthy or too strong for them. But the rest of them (about a dozen) did NOT get a dip. They are exposed to peroxide treatments on the nearby AR mini so that may explain their melting. I'll keep an eye on it.
New growth on the AR mini is mostly curled or wrinkled.
Here is a FTS from the front left side

You can see the tinges of pink from the peroxide treatments on the Ammania bonsai.

 

[Brookster123]

I feel your pain man! It looks pretty good from where I'm sitting though..what's your plan?

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[Fresh2o]

I feel your pain man! It looks pretty good from where I'm sitting though..what's your plan?

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Looks can be deceiving. I need to get off my derrière and test phosphates and nitrates and see where they stand. Lately I have been doing regular amounts of micros and KNO3 and triple of the macros to boost the phosphate. Depending on the test results I may stay the course, decrease the nitrates...idk. I've been doing dry ferts for 7-8 months and cannot seem to find the sweet spot. I still have the extra FugeRay and not sure if I want to put it on my shrimp tank or add it to this one to bump up the lighting. I think with my first go around with the dual fixtures was the ferts were not up to par in dosage to match the lighting. Not sure though.

 

[Brookster123]

What about adding a small powerhead? I notice Staghorn gets bad in my 20t when the filters slow up. it's just a reach? You seem to be doing everything else as right as right can be??

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[Sk3lly]

Water flow within the aquarium is very important for the plants. Helps distribute co2 and ferts.

My downoi is also melting randomly Fresh2O but i no longer spot treat at all. Maybe theres another reason?


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[Fresh2o]

Water flow should not be an issue. Two AC50s mounted at each corner pumping a combined 300-400 GPH in a 20g long. The flow is directed toward the middle to lower front pane. The AR mini and star repens are in a constant current. This does not deter the stag horn. Growth of algae along the back of the tank I can understand. From what I've read, when plants are stressed, leaves can leak nutrients along their perimeters. Not sure how true this is but it would be consistent with the growth pattern of the stag horn.
Until I test the nitrates and phosphates,
I'm kind of in the dark. CO2 is on around 2:00 pm and lights on from. 4:15-11:17 pm. Lime green most of the time.

 

[Fishperson]

Try a siesta period.

 

[Brookster123]

Well I'm stumped, your tank was looking pretty solid before the new light fresh?

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[Sk3lly]

Well I'm stumped, your tank was looking pretty solid before the new light fresh?

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New light, new balancing point unfortunately


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