gBOYsc2 Posted February 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I'm a little late on my Sunday update. I have been going to bed really early so it's hard for me to get good dark room pictures with no glare at all, but I took some last night. For some reason the Rotala has been growing all twisty instead of straight up. I noticed one of my Amano shrimp has half of a leg missing. YIKES! Not sure why. On a good note the Diplis diandra has quadrupled in size, but I lost about half of the planted stalks because they failed to root and the emersed portion simply melted away. Here are some pics: Feb. 01, 2011 - Full Tank Shot Diplis diandra The HM is bushing up nicely now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Your shrimp could have left part of his leg behind when it molted. Not a big deal - it'll be there again next time it molts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gBOYsc2 Posted February 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Phew! I thought I had some sort of killer Amano's in there that were attacking eachother. I know it wasn't the threadfins or the snails. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceturf Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Bright n healthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mko Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 hahaha so i find you on the local forum =) loving the downoii man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gBOYsc2 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Thanks dudes! I can't wait to see your setup with the CO2 Mko! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubr0ke Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 good growth and the tank is looking healthy..congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gBOYsc2 Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 (wipes drool off her laptop monitor) looking really nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gBOYsc2 Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Thanks BFM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 If your NO3 is over 40, then I'd cut back on the ferts for a bit. But, that's why your plants are doing amazing! The flow will help with the BGA - I'd just cut that stem and toss the whole part with the BGA on it. Maybe increasing CO2 will help as well - but then your plants will REALLY take off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gBOYsc2 Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 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* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 I'm guessing the light is fine. More CO2 would be my first choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubr0ke Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 jvision......what concerns you about high nitrates?.... Gboy.....have you calibrated your test kit? yes more co2 will increase nutrient uptake...but do slowly over a few days and maybe add some surface agitation just incase... IMO...high nitrates are nothing to worry about....low nitrates however are....you limit nitrates and your going to stunt. you have a nice tank don't throw off the balance...As long as your plants are growing and your critters don't seem stressed I see no reason to worry.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gBOYsc2 Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) 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. Edited February 15, 2011 by gBOYsc2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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