Slava

Have for trade:

Bolbitis heudelotii, Echinodorus osiris rubra, Anubias barteri, Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Brown', Microsorum pteropus 'Windeløv', Microsorum pteropus 'Trident', Hemianthus (Micranthemum) micranthemoides.

Looking for:

Hygrophila 'Araguala'

Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo'

Hygrophila pinnatifida 

Hydrocotyle  tripartita

Helanthium 'Vesuvius' (previously called Echinodorus 'Vesuvius')

Blyxa Japonica

Any buces

Hardscape

Picses Pet Emporium in Calgary now carry Tropica's 1-2-Grow! plants. They are tiny but algae-free and the selection is good. I recently purchased Lilaeopsis brasiliensis and Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' and had no die-off.

Obviously, keep an eye on the SWAP section on this forum and you can get lot's for free

Dear all,

I still have enough HC left to plant a 100 gallon tank and can give it out for free. It is bagged and ready to go. If not picked up on Wednesday night, Nov. 6, I will compost it as the bags affect circulation in the tank.

Sorry for the typo

Selling Hemianthus callitrichoides ‘cuba’ (HC or Dwarf Baby Tears) palm-size patches for $10/ea, half a palm-size patches for $5/ea.

My phone is 403-457-7483.

Hi guys,

Norm said that new plants would arrive to Pisces this weekend and they did! Most plants (except crypts) look fresh and algae-free. For lower-light setups you may want to check out Marsilea quadrifolia. The staff they are selling is tall and big-leaved resembling parsley but when you grow it submerged it would look like tall glosso. They also have some Lilaeopsis brasiliensis, Riccia fluitans ($5/cup), Blyxa japonic, Eleocharis vivipara etc.

Update. Treated with EM. Raised lights and established proper CO2 level - BGA is gone. Minor problems with GSA but overall the tank looks good.

Thank for the responses! Turns out that I have too high nitrate conent (80 ppm) and my CO2 keeps fluctuating. Not sure where the nitrates come from as i don't overfeed and everyone is alive. I will cut down on KNO3 and keep tesing. The photoperiod is 8 hrs but the LED strip is too bright when it sits on the a tank - the large stones are dark green from algae. I will suspend the light so it is not as intense and work on the balance of lighting, CO2 and ferts. If it does not cut it I will try either EM or a blackout.

My tank is an iwagumi attempt: meaning no fast growing stem plants this exacerbates the issue.

Tank - 21 gal

Light - 25 W Fluval Led Strip

CO2 - compressed

Filter - Fluval 105

Ferts - EI with dry ferts

Substrate - Fluval aquasoil topped with fluorite.

WC - 50% weekly

Temperature - 23C

Flora: HC, riccia, junkus and eleocharis parvula

Fauna: 6 amano shrimps, 1 nerite snail, 12 cardinal tetras.

Can't wait on lily pipes and external reactor to arrive. Gonna get more shrimps tomorrow. Will probably add a dozen more cardinals once I get rid of BGA.

BTW, never put SAEs in open top tanks - I lost three despite low waterline. Ended up moving the remaining to into my 90 gal tank that is covered with glass.

Hi New_from_Peru,

I did not bother taking pictures and now it is flooded and populated. I will be trimming HC tomorrow. Tried to grow it without CO2 - just Excel and got some blue-green algae. Hoping to correct it with CO2 injection. HC did fill the 21 gallon tank from a very small patch in about four months.

Hi Serenity,

Did you manage to get BGA under control? I had a small puddle in my tank during a 3-month dry start and this is where BGA took hold. Currently the tank is flooded. 4-hr photoperiod. Excel. No CO2. Flourish Comprehensive ferts weekly as directed on the bottle. Thinking about starting CO2 injection and dosing dry ferts as per Tom Barr (EI).

Any advice on BGA will be appreciated. Most people suggest complete 3-4-day blackouts. What worked for you?

Thank you.

Nice, glad it's working out. What was a rough $ for the fixture?

Thanks again for the HC and DSM advice! I initially left an opening in the plastic wrap as I put the light strip right on the tank and did not want it to overheat the wrap when left unattended. Although the light strip does get a little warm, the heat is dissipated by the aluminum housing and the face of the light stays fairly cool. I eventually covered the top of the tank almost completely and with higher humidity and 14 hr photoperiod HC really took off. That said, I will have to give it another month before I flood it.

Nice, glad it's working out. What was a rough $ for the fixture?

I think the best price would be from Pets and Ponds.

http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c5813/c231289/index.html

I paid around 200 at Picses. The price from Pets and Ponds is hard to beat.

Thanks a lot for your responses, guys! I ended up buying Fluval LED strip light referenced above. One month into a dry start - growing HC. Everything is going well so far.

Hi Hooper,

Check out this light http://uk.hagen.com/Aquatic/Lighting/Fixtures---Canopies/A3970

It's rated for up to 10 gal tanks so may be a little underpowered for your tank.

About 140$ at Pisces.

I have purchased this strip: http://uk.hagen.com/Aquatic/Lighting/Fixtures---Canopies/A3980.

Paid 200$ at Pisces. Currently growing HC emergent in my iwagumi 21 gal tank. HC seems to be doing well. The light is very slick and well-built.

I went with plant-rated LED because if you factor in semi-annual bulb changes and power consumption of T8s or T5s the cost of the LED light is much easier to justify.

Dear all,

Thank you very much for your answers!

I am definitely going to inject CO2 once I put the system together. For starters, I am planning to use Excel. For 21 g tank it should not be too expensive.

The reason I am interested in the Fluval P-24 LED strip light is because it has very slick profile as well as it may actually be a more economical solution in the long run if one factors in the cost of T5 bulb replacement and power.

I am still unsure how to convert LED light wattage/Lumens into a wpg. Will keep searching the net.

Dear all,

I am looking to set up a medium to high-light 21 g tank (60 cm x 35 cm x 30 cm) and wandering if I am going to get to much light with Fluval Aqualife & Plant Full Spectrum Performance LED Strip Light, 25W (http://uk.hagen.com/Aquatic/Lighting/Fixtures---Canopies/A3980). I am going to install it on the tank brim.

Did you, guys, have any experience with such lights? I don't want to grow algae instead of HC

Thank you!

Dear all the crinums are no longer available.

Thank you.

Hi Geophagus,

Where are you located? I am going to venture out to the the NW Petsmart (near Costco). Could stop by if you are in the same quadrant. Or you can come over to my place today I am at Cougar Ridge. Driving is going to be a little tough though.

My cell phone is 403-604-0491.