RIVERCATS 220G Transformation Journal

[mistersprinkles]

It is an infection in the cerebrospinal fluid in your spine and between your brain and skull. The first time I had it- it was very bad. Then the 2nd time and another spinal tap revealed it was Mollart's meningitis which means it comes and goes for years. Since I also have RA, an auto immune disease, it may never go away so I take high doses of anti-virals daily. So flare ups aren't nearly as bad as the first time. Hate to say it but I've gotten used to it. Life goes on and this isn't going to stop me.

That's a great attitude to have . I have some chronic medical conditions and I'm much more cynical about them.

 

[Alan79]

I just found this thread and read it all the way through. You have a great eye for plants and some serious skill when it comes to growing them and placing them in an aquascape Rivercats.

I hope to one day have something that looks half as nice as your 220G. I stole your list of plants for a reference sheet about what i plan to plant in future. I'm guessing most of them are hard to find here in Australia but when i get slightly better lighting i'll be adding some of the things i've seen in your tank. great work.

 

[Sidman24]

I think that's what fish heaven looks like !!! Haha. I love it!!

Also hope you're feeling better
God bless!

 

[Rivercats]

I just found this thread and read it all the way through. You have a great eye for plants and some serious skill when it comes to growing them and placing them in an aquascape Rivercats.

I hope to one day have something that looks half as nice as your 220G. I stole your list of plants for a reference sheet about what i plan to plant in future. I'm guessing most of them are hard to find here in Australia but when i get slightly better lighting i'll be adding some of the things i've seen in your tank. great work.

Thank you! I'm sure you'll be able to find enough plants but you'll have to really look hard. We have to track some types of plants down here also. The trick IMO is to find a nice mix of different shades of green plants and different colored non-green plants. Then when planting, plant them in same plant groups being sure that each group has a different leaf shape, color, or texture than the groups around it.

 

[Rivercats]

Thanks everyone for the prayers and well wishes!

 

[Sf1]

There is any pictures of the entire tank?

 

[Rivercats]

There are some old pic's in my albums but haven't put any full tank shots up since I remove all the swords, crypts, and val's and put all stem plants in. I really do have to get some!

 

[Bdonaldson]

Hey Rivercats,
It's been a while since we conversed. How have you been and how is all your tanks doing? I have a few questions for you. I ordered the 10 lb co2 tank filled a while back and I just got around to setting it up on my 125 gallon. And I remember that you set yours up with powerhead pumps. I did the same thing. I was wondering do you leave your co2 on 24/7 or do you have it on a timer? I don't really feel comfortable leaving it on at night since the plants take up oxygen at night and I didn't want to gas my fish so I put mine on a timer. And also what size power head pumps do you have? I have the Rio 1000 and I am wondering if that's to powerful for my tank. Do you dose any ferts with the co2?
Thanks a bunch and I appreciate the help.
Barbara

 

[Kimlafeiet]

I hope you get feeling better Janis
and............as always, your tank is just gorgeous! Absolutely stunning!

 

[Bdonaldson]

Hi Janis, hope you feel better soon. I will be praying for a speedy recovery.?

 

[Rivercats]

Hey Rivercats,
It's been a while since we conversed. How have you been and how is all your tanks doing? I have a few questions for you. I ordered the 10 lb co2 tank filled a while back and I just got around to setting it up on my 125 gallon. And I remember that you set yours up with powerhead pumps. I did the same thing. I was wondering do you leave your co2 on 24/7 or do you have it on a timer? I don't really feel comfortable leaving it on at night since the plants take up oxygen at night and I didn't want to gas my fish so I put mine on a timer. And also what size power head pumps do you have? I have the Rio 1000 and I am wondering if that's to powerful for my tank. Do you dose any ferts with the co2?
Thanks a bunch and I appreciate the help.
Barbara

My CO2 comes on an hour before lights come on and go off an hour before lights turn off. I never run it at night and actually have a Koralia 240 Nano power head that is mounted and aimed right at the surface that comes on when lights go off to aid in gassing off the CO2 during the night. I have 2- Maxi Jet 1200 Pro Powerheads that I use to diffuse the CO2. They are pretty strong but really don't bother the fish. Some actually enjoy the strong flow and the angels just don't get in front of the outflow, yet the use it to spawn on all the time!

This is what I use for ferts...

I use these ferts.... Estimative Index | Aquarium Fertilizer | Green Leaf Aquariums.


I also suggest 3 of these dosing bottles... Fertilizer Dispenser | 1000 mL (32 oz) | Green Leaf Aquariums


Read this thread about dosing PPS-Pro but only read the opening post and not all the comment posts... Newbie Guide to PPS-Pro - PPS Analysis and Feedback - Aquatic Plant Central.


There are two things I do differently than the thread is that I split my macro nutrients up using one dosing bottle for nitrates, and one dosing bottle for phosphates and potassium. This allows me for better custom dosing to the needs of my tank. I shoot for 10-20ppm of nitrate and 1-5ppm phosphates. The thread also has MgSO4, magnesium sulfate in the macro mix. If your tanks Gh is 4 or over then your tap water has enough magnesium in it that supplementing it is not needed.


Since I run my nitrates at 10ppm I rarely ever dose nitrates in my tanks. I also like phosphates from 3-5ppm so I usually double dose my phosphate/potassium solution daily. You can adjust your macro dosing to the needs of your tank which is what I like about dosing PPS-Pro.

I'm still have some rotten headaches from the inflammation on the brain but it's a lot better than it was.

 

[Old Scales]

So glad you are getting better Janis. Hope we'll see you more as you improve. OS.

 

[Bdonaldson]

My CO2 comes on an hour before lights come on and go off an hour before lights turn off. I never run it at night and actually have a Koralia 240 Nano power head that is mounted and aimed right at the surface that comes on when lights go off to aid in gassing off the CO2 during the night. I have 2- Maxi Jet 1200 Pro Powerheads that I use to diffuse the CO2. They are pretty strong but really don't bother the fish. Some actually enjoy the strong flow and the angels just don't get in front of the outflow, yet the use it to spawn on all the time!

This is what I use for ferts...

I use these ferts.... Estimative Index | Aquarium Fertilizer | Green Leaf Aquariums.


I also suggest 3 of these dosing bottles... Fertilizer Dispenser | 1000 mL (32 oz) | Green Leaf Aquariums


Read this thread about dosing PPS-Pro but only read the opening post and not all the comment posts... Newbie Guide to PPS-Pro - PPS Analysis and Feedback - Aquatic Plant Central.


There are two things I do differently than the thread is that I split my macro nutrients up using one dosing bottle for nitrates, and one dosing bottle for phosphates and potassium. This allows me for better custom dosing to the needs of my tank. I shoot for 10-20ppm of nitrate and 1-5ppm phosphates. The thread also has MgSO4, magnesium sulfate in the macro mix. If your tanks Gh is 4 or over then your tap water has enough magnesium in it that supplementing it is not needed.


Since I run my nitrates at 10ppm I rarely ever dose nitrates in my tanks. I also like phosphates from 3-5ppm so I usually double dose my phosphate/potassium solution daily. You can adjust your macro dosing to the needs of your tank which is what I like about dosing PPS-Pro.

I'm still have some rotten headaches from the inflammation on the brain but it's a lot better than it was.

Thanks so much Janis, I am glad you are starting to feel better. I will continue to pray for you.