OP
OP
Wy Renegade
Aquarium Advice Addict
So some rambling thoughts, and a few more pictures for today. I probably should have cleaned the glass first, didn't realize it had quite that much algae on it LOL;
Another shot of the waterstrider;
The sewage treatment plant water seems to have had no ill effects on water quality, everything is still within acceptable parameters. Kind of interesting, have to wonder if thats a good indication that the tank is very stable in terms of its biotic composition.
The mussels have proven to be a very interesting addition, I didn't realize they moved around quite as much as they do. Those suckers are constantly moving from place to place, and I've always thought of them more as a sessile species.
Intererstingly enough it also looks like we may be getting some of the sedges to take off. I've tried them in the past and they always kind of wilted away and died off, this time it looks like at least one may take off as its showing signs of new growth. The equisetum plants are starting to spread and show some interersting new growth as well.
The snail population seems to be pretty high right now, which is actually great as they are helping to control the cyanobacteria growth that was starting to show up throughout the pool/waterfall area. I never worry too much about these fluctuations as they seem to be part of the natural balance within the bog ~ some populations rise and others fall.
The fish continue to be something of a source of frustration, not because of the fish themselves, but because getting a good picture of them has become so darn difficult.
I think somebody asked about water changes earlier, but I missed it. I haven't done a water change on this system in over a year. When I first started I did them every couple months using a syphon to pull the water out of shallow gravel bed. I always top off this system using only RO water, which makes me wonder if I should perhaps add a little salt into the tank as well. Oh well, food for thought for another day.
Another shot of the waterstrider;
The sewage treatment plant water seems to have had no ill effects on water quality, everything is still within acceptable parameters. Kind of interesting, have to wonder if thats a good indication that the tank is very stable in terms of its biotic composition.
The mussels have proven to be a very interesting addition, I didn't realize they moved around quite as much as they do. Those suckers are constantly moving from place to place, and I've always thought of them more as a sessile species.
Intererstingly enough it also looks like we may be getting some of the sedges to take off. I've tried them in the past and they always kind of wilted away and died off, this time it looks like at least one may take off as its showing signs of new growth. The equisetum plants are starting to spread and show some interersting new growth as well.
The snail population seems to be pretty high right now, which is actually great as they are helping to control the cyanobacteria growth that was starting to show up throughout the pool/waterfall area. I never worry too much about these fluctuations as they seem to be part of the natural balance within the bog ~ some populations rise and others fall.
The fish continue to be something of a source of frustration, not because of the fish themselves, but because getting a good picture of them has become so darn difficult.
I think somebody asked about water changes earlier, but I missed it. I haven't done a water change on this system in over a year. When I first started I did them every couple months using a syphon to pull the water out of shallow gravel bed. I always top off this system using only RO water, which makes me wonder if I should perhaps add a little salt into the tank as well. Oh well, food for thought for another day.
