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  1. aqua_chem

    Very little plant growth, can't figure out why :(

    I don't know if it's been explicitly said, but when we're talking about fertilizers in the context of a high light tank, were talking about dry ferts. I think that would also be a good thing for you to start taking a real serious look at. Estimative Index | Aquarium Fertilizer | Green Leaf...
  2. aqua_chem

    Very little plant growth, can't figure out why :(

    Two things here. One, many of the infographics available are derived from aquatic plants specifically, and there are a lot of examples of specific deficiencies available out there. But more importantly, isolated deficiencies are fairly rare. It's hard for someone to definitively say 'that's 100%...
  3. aqua_chem

    Very little plant growth, can't figure out why :(

    The problem is that the amounts given are pretty arbitrary, and aimed at a much less nutrient demanding tank. High light tanks with Excel additions are going to need a lot more, and it's hard to titrate premixed fertilizers properly. Do you have any testing kits?
  4. aqua_chem

    My 20 gallon long - update 2016

    Mine either grew way too aggressively horizontally or way too aggressively vertically. It ended up being to weedy in both direction and I chucked it. Did you ditch the c. helferi because it was too tall for a 20L? Are you satisfied with that amount of light? It looks a bit dim from the picture...
  5. aqua_chem

    My 20 gallon long - update 2016

    Can you tell us a little more about the species you're using and the technology of the tank? Also, I see you're using (I think) glossostigma. I can't say I've had much positive experience with it. Are you planning on keeping it?
  6. aqua_chem

    Planting cuttings?

    Is this for stem plants? I usually just shove them in the substrate individually and hope they stay.
  7. aqua_chem

    My Algae Playbook (After last years experimenting)

    That's an interesting thought. 'The wood is in an anoxic environment because there's not really any oxygen anywhere'. Heh. I think what Walstad walked back on specifically, if I remember, was the idea of not needing a filter or having minimal filtration. I think she now recommends adding some...
  8. aqua_chem

    Very little plant growth, can't figure out why :(

    He really didn't say anything about his dosing. All he said was: That's not really much to go on. Followed by: It sounds like an inadequate dosing regimen. Liquid pre-made fertilizers are almost never enough past medium light, with or without CO2/Excel. Coupled with the fact that he's now...
  9. aqua_chem

    My Algae Playbook (After last years experimenting)

    Yea, but I wasn't following with what you were saying about tanins and bacterial activity. That would be easier, but the simple advantage is that if you were to type it out, it would be preserved online and searchable if anyone decided to look for it. I can see someone seeing something similar...
  10. aqua_chem

    My Algae Playbook (After last years experimenting)

    That's my thought at this point in the story I'm not understanding what you're doing here. Can you go into a bit more detail? I would love the nitty-gritty on this actually. I'm still not buying it, but I'm not going to dismiss your observations so easily. I would offer the following...
  11. aqua_chem

    Very little plant growth, can't figure out why :(

    I'm not sure that I entirely agree with some of the advice above. While what Calibran mentioned regarding photosynthesis/photorespiration is true, I'm not sure that's what's going on here. If you take a look at last few pictures you posted, a lot of your older growth has holes or is discolored...
  12. aqua_chem

    Fish facial recognition

    True facial recognition is a fairly complicated neurologic process. I doubt that most fish even have the space for it in their brainpan, much less the ability to apply it broadly to humans. Simply pattern recognition would be my guess as well, which fish have long been known to possess and apply.
  13. aqua_chem

    Old Growth Dying, New Growth Thriving

    Emersed to submerged growth is definitely a good thought. I would also heavy consider a nutrient issue. Plants have the ability to cannibalize old nutrients to make new growth, but only some nutrients, namely all your macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) plus some...
  14. aqua_chem

    My Algae Playbook (After last years experimenting)

    I believe it's a combination of both urea and ammonia, but fish are 80-90% ammonia excreters. Yes, fish do excrete ammonia from their gils, but I would need to brush up on my fish physiology to really peg specifics on this; I seem to remember their being a different in SW and FW fish physiology...
  15. aqua_chem

    My Algae Playbook (After last years experimenting)

    I'm not sure why wood chips would bring down nitrate. That's new to me. Other things are required than just low nitrogen, I'm sure. Low flow, high light, and high amounts of organics have been implemented in the past. BGA is quite ubiquitous in the world. It's probably already in all our tanks...
  16. aqua_chem

    Bubbles on water surface.

    I would say no to both questions. Stop giving the bloodworms and wait a while to see if it resolves properly. You can do a water change in the meantime if it's still there. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
  17. aqua_chem

    CO2 dual splitter with needle valves - wanted

    It attached directly to the regulator manifold where a needle valve normally would. I can get you a picture later today, but I just moved and everything's in boxes. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Aquarium Advice mobile app
  18. aqua_chem

    CO2 dual splitter with needle valves - wanted

    I use one of these: 2 Way CO2 Brass Divider Splitter 2 x Brass Bubble Counter Check Valve Aquarium | eBay
  19. aqua_chem

    Bristle Nose Pleco sticks to my filter

    I'm not 100% sure that his presence on the tub it causing the buildup. If he's blocking a portion of the tube, it can just suck water through the uncovered sections.
  20. aqua_chem

    Please help! 10g is death trap

    What all species of fish had you tried? Have they all just died overnight without appearing ill?
  21. aqua_chem

    The algae war

    High light without fertilizer and inconsistent carbon/CO2 can be a real problem and lead to quite dramatic algae problems. Addressing this would be the best way to address the issue. There are some products that can help, but without addressing the root of the issue, you'll always be playing...
  22. aqua_chem

    Findings from 1 year of algae experiments

    With the exception of cyanobacteria, you wouldn't expect high levels of organics to affect algae directly. Algae, being autotrophic, makes its own organics from scratch. You would expect a heterotrophic organism like fungi or some bacteria to do well. Organics can be a proxy for generally bad...
  23. aqua_chem

    LED = Heavy Algae Problem?

    Can you get us a picture of the tank? I would also like to know more about the setup, especially carbon dosing, fertilizer, and what kind of LED you got. I do have some advice you might not appreciate. If appearance of the tank is really important to maintain, have you considered just putting...
  24. aqua_chem

    My Algae Playbook (After last years experimenting)

    Good observations. I would like to note a few things. Semantic point: fish actually excrete mostly ammonia, not urea. Urea is actually made by many non-aquatic animals (and most mammals, including humans) because you need less water to create and excrete it. I would add that most algea has...
  25. aqua_chem

    Mystery Moss

    There's definitely some kind of moss in there, but there's a lot of algae on it as well. It may be getting a bit much light.
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