BettaBeats

I can see your point werner. I'm going w/ a white/black mix w/ laterite. and this time I'm going to plant without water in my tank! lol, I think it will be so much easier. Also, I have a nutrient deficiency.. the tips of my crypts and java fern are yellowing and pale. my ludwigia repens i was happy was red again, is now pink.. (was far more red last night htan tonight) I'm thinking potassium and nitrogen.. would a new substrate help this? or will I still have these problems..

this was originally my first thought. but the ph in my 10 gal hasnt changed at all. and it was only a few blocks, so i doubt i'm on another water main. appears to be the substrate.. :\

Basically... from what I understand... and I am a noob~ish aquarist.. is that my pacific GeoSystem gravel is made of crushed shells and other high-in-calcium things.. but a lot of sea shells. So when the water comes in contact w/ the shells calcium bicarbonate is released into the water raising the GH/KH and thus my pH. Because it constantly leeches into the water the only reasonable solution is to redo the entire tank While it is good for buffering and a stable pH, it is far far too high for some/all of my animals. I've also noticed that my plants havent been doing as well. its a smaller stone size than regular gravel, and also its lighter than reg. gravel which has allowed some of my plants to uproot themselves. although it LOOKS GREAT... it isnt really practical. I also want to get enough substrate so i can remove the under-gravel filter crate which i now use to give me 3/4" height difference on that side. With my Kuhli loaches and stories of them burrowing under the gravel in these filter crate i want to remove this 'hazard' I'm not sure i will like the change to a darker substrate,

this story reminds me of my platy story.. i had a batch of fry born 3 months ago.. when i was catching them a few weeks ago to trade off, the mom was so afraid she popped out another baby.. i have a fry, a juvi, and a mom platy.. fish tales.

have you ever tried to put a piece of cucumber or food of the pleco's in a net and let it sit in the tank? maybe catch one while its feeding?

ok, thanks. i will try and keep some of the water and i can maybe add some from my other tank. One thing I am excited about is replanting this thing now that my stock is pretty nice.. check out my current set up: http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showtopic=26816

this was my first attempt at an aquascapish layout. i found a great piece of driftwood and rocks that suit my style. unfortunately i have to change out the substrate this week to lower my hardness and ph. also, maybe my plants will stay put more easily!! any tips about planting my foreground? i have some nice crypts but thats about it.. the mosses havent grown much higher qual pic - http://img2.purerave.com/5/62/5300562_.jpg new 20 gal H besides needing to swap the gravel, i like the set up of this tank fauna: 11 harlequin rasboras 4 zebra danios 1 female swordtail 1 female gold gouramis 1 kuhli loach (will def get two more this week after the substrate is changed.) flora: cabomba java fern vallisneria spiralis (although this did not enjoy the move at all..) Giant Vallisneria Mayaca Fluviatilis (my new favourite plant) Lagarosiphon Major Medium sized sword various crypts which i will name at a later date ludwigia repens (didnt get enough light in the 10gal so its a little pale in the reds atm) java moss and another moss that is extremely thin, whispy and fiberous.. and a green grass w/ a white stripe down the middle.. forget its name Coralife 2x24" 14w 6,400k and full spectrum AquaClear 30 w/ DIY CO2 in a 4L jug. had pearls b4 the new plants moved in.

higher qual pic - http://img2.purerave.com/5/62/5300562_.jpg new 20 gal H besides needing to swap the gravel, i like the set up of this tank fauna: 11 harlequin rasboras 4 zebra danios 1 female swordtail 1 female gold gouramis 1 kuhli loach (will def get two more this week after the substrate is changed.) flora: cabomba java fern vallisneria spiralis (although this did not enjoy the move at all..) Giant Vallisneria Mayaca Fluviatilis (my new favourite plant) Lagarosiphon Major Medium sized sword various crypts which i will name at a later date ludwigia repens (didnt get enough light in the 10gal so its a little pale in the reds atm) java moss and another moss that is extremely thin, whispy and fiberous.. and a green grass w/ a white stripe down the middle.. forget its name Coralife 2x24" 14w 6,400k and full spectrum AquaClear 30 w/ DIY CO2 in a 4L jug. had pearls b4 the new plants moved in.

is that because it bloomed? or??

tonight I am going to check out riverfront and see if i can snap up a deal on some substrate. if not i have 2 guys (1 in calgary, one in edmonton) w/ fluvite mixtures for sale i will work with. does this mean I have to wait for the tank to cycle again?

darn... so i guess i need to do a whole tank rebuild.. . what's a good substrate I can use and mix w/ laterite?

i jsut bought a test kit for GH/KH. here are the results, can some members help me figure this out? 10G KH 5 drops degree dKH 5 ppm KH 89.5 GH 10 drops ppm GH 179 pH 7.0 moved from another apartment, incl. 3/4 of the original water. new tank to my new apartment.. 20Gh KH 14 drops - off the chart?! GH 20 drops off the chart?! pH 7.8 ...... i have the geosystem pacific gravel in this tank.. w/ some laterite and bigger black gravel in some spots.. heavily planted.

are these long, thin leaves?

my diy co2 never goes off, if i think the co2 is having some affect over time i take out the hose for a few days to allow my plants to catch up. there is also reason to think about the amount of surface agitation/gas exchange

lots of stock, some great deals on plants, 15% of dry goods, 30% off aquaclear filters..! etc.. etc.. etc.. bigger space too, 8300 sq ft. now calgary transit needs a direct route, lol