gBOYsc2

Thanks bro. I'm sure I will have some to spare in time. Would you like me to let you know when trimming time comes?

I'm also not sure if I can simply mow it like a lawn or if I will have to top it and replant the tops, throwing away the bottoms. I'll have to test it out.

Awesome! Thanks for the calibration link. I will probably get around to it tomorrow afternoon.

No, I haven't calibrated the test kit. I have read how inaccurate they can be but I have a friend with the same kit and he calibrated his and says it is surprisingly accurate. However, that doesn't mean mine is. Do you by chance have a link to a good way of calibrating the kit?

I always keep some surface agitation, even if that means I have to up the CO2 a bit to keep it well saturated. I think too high of nitrates are definitely something to worry about. 80 ppm seems really high. I think 40 would be semi safe though. 30ppm is recommended isn't it? I have lost a few shrimp over the past month or 2. It could be old age or it could be from the nitrates or something else I am not getting.... but the plants are growing quite well. Overall I would like to keep the nitrates around the target range just so I know that is not the reason why I lost and might continue to lose the shrimp.

I stopped dosing ferts for the 2nd half of last week when I did my tests. Another member suggested dilluting the aquarium water 50% with nitrate free water to get a more accurate reading because I couldn't tell the different between 40 and 80. I am going to try today but my tap water has 5 ppm nitrates and I am not so great at math.

Do you think if I increase CO2 it will help the plants eat up the ferts faster? I am considering even purchasing another light for the same reason, or else doing lots of testing over the week to fine tune my dosing.

Good suggestions jvision. Stems will be cut. *snip snip*

probably better off putting the diffuser by the intake not the out put. if you put it by the intake the co2 gets sucked up into the filter and diffuses in the filter and you have co2 rich water. it's a waste to put it by the output its no different than letting it just rise to the surface of the water.

The only problem with this is that the CO2 gas could build up inside the filter and cause it to crap out. Letting it rise to the surface seems to be just fine. That is all I do in my tank and it causes me no problem. I keep the drop checker on the opposite side of the aquarium and it reads optimal always.

I have never used Fluval but I would also vouch for Eheim. Only canister filters I have ever used and they never gave me a problem. However I would check the gph before purchasing. My Ecco 2234 is rated for up to 60g but only pumps out 160 gph which is clearly not nearly enough for a 60g. I think they rate them based on biological filtration capacity. I also read though their GPH is rated at a full of media canister as compared to other company's who rate their flow in an empty canister which is unrealistic.

Thanks BFM!

Heres a little update. It's been a while almost 2 weeks I think. The Diplis diandra has taken off and is growing very rapidly. It was reported this is really hard to grow in our water type but it has proven otherwise. I am considering buying another tub and getting a good bush of it going. I also started to get a little bit of cyanobacteria in a small portion of the tank. I'm guessing it is flow related. It has appeared only in the area with the least amount of flow so today I installed a second spray bar and extended the original one across the whole tank. Hopefully this will solve the issue. I also did a nitrate test and it came back at either 40 or 80 ppm which is definitely too high. I can't tell cuz the colors on the indicator card look almost identical to me. Possibly the reason I lost a few shrimp over the past month or so?

Feb. 14, 2011 - Full Tank Shot

The cyanobacteria which is growing on the Rotala..... ewww.

And just for fun.........

A shot of one of the few remaining amanos at work.

The HC carpet looking pretty healthy. It has almost fully filled in. Getting a little tall too. Almost time for a good mowing.

Possibly high nitrates? Also iirc these wood shrimp are filter feeders, they have fans on their hands and they eat microscopic stuff. Maybe there was a lack of food in the aquarium for them?

Very cool fish! Are those the juvies or parents? Are they fed exclusively BBS or do you feed them anything else?

THey carry a really nice Iwagumi type rock at Big Al's. I'm not 100% sure but I think it's the Ryouh stone. If you do a google search you will see what they look like. Very nice. They also carry HC from time to time, but I would personally go with the HC from Pj's that you will find in the aqua flora nurseries tub. Last time I bought 2 pots of HC from Big Al's they simply melted away into nothing and it was a waste of 32 dollars.

I haven't checked the Big Al's lately... so I guess I should check it again.

Sorry.. what is Pj's and where ? about the HC ... how did you plant it? Any ideas why they 'melted'?

thx.

Pj's is a pet supply chain store in Edmonton. I assumed they have them in Calgary but maybe not? The HC is a PITA to plant. You can either do it in little clumps or you can literally pull each little stem apart and plant them seperately with a pair of long tweezers. If you do the 2nd option it will spread much much much much much much much faster but will take a few hours to plant. The reason they melted is because most aquatic plants are grown in emersed state(above water) with just the roots submerged and they did not transition well into a submerged state.

Have you thought about your light spread in the edge or possibly upgrading your lighting? Might want to look into a Boost LED or Rapid LED and get one with a wide angle spread and retrofit it into your edge. If you search around on the web you should be able to find lots of resources.

Congrats! I am curious to see what these guys look like.

Very nice those are some awesome lookin pieces of wood. I'm jealous :P

Do you know what kind of wood that is?

Thanks for the hookup on the lily pipes Amy!! What a great alternative to the ultra expensive ADA ones :P.

*waiting for pics*

THey carry a really nice Iwagumi type rock at Big Al's. I'm not 100% sure but I think it's the Ryouh stone. If you do a google search you will see what they look like. Very nice. They also carry HC from time to time, but I would personally go with the HC from Pj's that you will find in the aqua flora nurseries tub. Last time I bought 2 pots of HC from Big Al's they simply melted away into nothing and it was a waste of 32 dollars.

Personally I think it would be worth it to purchase a light from the LFS. I would go with T5's or T5HO's if the budget let you. A 2 bulb setup should be fine if you are going for a low-medium light setup.

Nice job! Now those shrimplets will be safe and sound. I like the little marimo's too!

Is he ok?

Hey Ron, what's a JPRL?

Sweeeeeeeeeeet! I'm jealous! Can't wait to see more.

I've notice on TPT a lot of the people put a panty hose on the outside of the filter intake to prevent shrimplets from being caught in there. Seems to work really well.

That's awesome! I would actually consider drinking that tap water lol. Who knows what other baddies are in it though.

Thanks SkyGrl that would be great! Why was he banned?

Yes those are the ones I seem to recall seeing on TPT.

Is his name just "Paul" on TPT? Does he make those for anyone at the right price? I would be interested in getting a custom set made for my MIni S. I am waiting for AFA to get some in but they have been out of stock for quite some time.

Being that the tank looks like it's on an "island or peninsula" I think it looks good with no background. Ever considered doing an iwagumi? You got the rocks already.

... and WOW those are some nice custom lily pipes. The outflow looks exactly like some of the ADA models. Is Paul from Canada?