fleshgear

those are cryptocorynes, maybe undulata or bekettii

crypts do not like to be moved around too much, so once you plant them, try to keep them there. and some times crypts can "melt" from being moved. this doesnt mean they are dead, the leaves are dead but the rhizome of the plant is probably still ok. and new leaves will re grow sometimes for anubias i will push the roots into the gravel and leave the rhizome above the gravel. they seem to be fine like that. sometimes valisneria can be picky and sometimes it will take off like a weed. java fern and anubias and crypts are some of the best beginner plants there is. you could also try a hygrophilia that is also a fast easy plant to grow. once you get fish in there i would not vacume the gravel i could damage the roots of the plants. also the stuff in the gravel is good for the plants

depending on your tank setup, ie plants, fish, filters, light, ferts, size of the tank, in some cases you do not have to change the water as much as if it was not planted. i have many planted tanks and some need the water change every week or two. and some can go months without a water change, only a top up. and the filter goes for even longer without cleaning. but for a beginner you cant go wrong with regular water changes until you learn when you need to change the water. certain fert methods require weekly water changes like the EI method. while others like the pps pro method do not require water changes. i use the pps pro method.

i have done it both ways. and if you are not completly taking the tank apart be careful not to cut the silicone that is between the glass.

when you used the bleach did you use a mix of bleach and water or just bleach? i have washed several tanks with a bleach water mix and have never had a problem

update.. all the crypts went moldy... the orchid just got some mold tonight but it is very little. the control has no mold at all. i even made a few cuts in it with the scalpel i used to cut the plants.. so i am not getting the plants disinfected enough. i am not sure how long i can leave it in the bleach without killing the plant. and can i use a higher concentration of bleach?

Cryptocorynes are great plants for what you want. They come in most shapes and sizes. And different colors. They grow slow so you won't have to do much trimming

there was one variation of the recipe that called for coconut milk instead of some of the water.

i am trying for the second time to grow plants with tissue culture. the first time did not work, it just went moldy. i did a control one on both trys. the control did not get any mold. so it was the plants that were not sterilized. the first try i tried many different plants. crypt, java fern, anubias, bacopa, aponogeton, African violet, echinodorus rose. the violet was the last to get mold, but it had no sign of growth. the E.rose and crypt started to grow but shortly after got moldy. it wasnt the same kind of mold either. there was several different types. i used glass containers that i got from the dollar store, and am putting them in a zip lock bag. the growth medium is made of * 1/8 cup table sugar * 1 cup water * 1/2 cup stock solution (Miracid diluted 1/4 tsp in 1 Gallon water) i substituted this with a few drops of miracle grow * 1/2 inositol tablet (125mg) * 1/4 vitamin tablet with thiamin * 2 Tablespoons agar flakes i added 2ml of quick grow solution part 1 and 2 ml of part 2. these are for vegetative growth for plants this time i used crypt "wendtii" cause i have lots and nice thick rhizomes. and one jar i put and orchid in to clean the plants i put the rhizome under running water for 5 min and scrubbed the rhizome with a brush. then everything went into a 20gallon tank turned on its side to keep dust and contaminates out. then soaked for 5- 10 min in 1 part bleach and 9 parts water. then soaked in 70% rubbing alcohol for 5 min. then soaked in hydrogen peroxide for 2-3 min. the rinsed in distiled water twice. i then cut the rhizome with a scalpel and forceps that were soaked in rubbing alcohol after each cutting. i cut the plants on a paper towel that was soaked with rubbing alcohol. one of the jars i put some methylene blue into the jar. one of the jars i dipped the plant in methylene blue then i put the plants into the medium and put the jar with medium into a new zip lock bag and sealed it. i have done a few things different this time round. last time i put a lid on the jars. and there was quite a bit of condensation on the glass. i think this may have accelerated the mold. i will put the jars under a florescent light that is on for 14 hrs per day on a timer. i took a few pics. the close ups of the plants in the medium are blurry because i took the pic through the bag.

did you do anything different with the pic of the albino pleco? it is clearer than the rest. nice pics

i just read about your camera. and it said that 400 is the highest setting. so maybe that is where the noise is coming from. also dont use the digital zoom. only use optical and then if you want you can crop the picture on your computer. were these picture taken with the digital zoom? that could also cause the appearance of noise also it said that one of the downsides to this camera is its excessive noise in some photos, so it might just be the camera as well

it looks like it would be opposite of what you said. the higher the iso the more "noise", but even at 400 that is not very high and shouldn't have much noise but that could have just happened with the resizing. did you use a flash? sometimes you can use a flash if you take a picture at an angle to the glass then you wont see the flash reflection in the glass

did you make this back ground? it looks great. how did you do it? i would like to try it but i dont know where to start

what are the settings on the camera? try using a lower iso speed. it will give the picture less "noise"

i am downloading opera mini now. ill give that a try

i click on chose theme and it automatically picks the other theme. to view msgs it cant be lo fi theme. but it doesnt stay there. when i get a new email for a new msg it still goes to the default lo fi theme, which doesnt work

8330 curve on telus

as far as i know i am using the default browser. when i click on manually choose my theme. it automatically takes me to the msg so i can read and reply. but i have to do this each time i try and view a msg sometimes i am logged in automatically and sometimes not.

i would try boiling it. and use the carbon in the tank. when the water starts to look brown, rinse the carbon out

i have a black berry which i use while at work to view msgs and the forum. when people send me pm's i cant view them. even with the direct link to the pm. sometimes the email will say what the pm said, but i when i click on the link to view and reply on the aa site it doesnt work. i am on telus with a bb curve

i boil my wood if they fit into a pot. 10 min, change water and boil again. if it doesnt stop, add some new charcoal to your filter. and clean the charcoal every few days if needed. some pieces are worse than others

i went and got some k2s04. i added it dry to a few tanks. i added about 1/4 tsp i didnt really measure. i only trim the leaves that are dying or are dead. i use pps pro because i dont want to change water unless it needs it. some tanks i dont change water for 2 months only top it up. with the ei method i am pretty much stuck having to change the water every week. on the tank with the E. rose i change the water every 1 - 2 weeks

So could I just start to add k2s04 to my pps pro? And how much would I add? Why wouldn't other tanks show this defficency? Some of the other tanks have better light and are heavily planted? Maybe some of them are showing it and I just didn't look closly. How long should the older leaves last on swords?

Why k2s04? I don't know the difference between the ferts? Isn't the k. The potassium? There is potassium in both? And it could also be a nitrogen diffeicancy? So that is why I thought kn03?

old and new, not the brand new ones. but once they get about 6" then i start to see holes