McTurtle Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 So, I don't know how I got it into my head that I could aquascape. Apparently it's not a skill I have.... However, I think my tank is improving. Step 1 step 2 step 3 step 4 My light arrived yesterday. I'm really impressed with it! 4 T5HO bulbs and blue LED with timers for each. Sometimes China/Ebay comes through. I'm still waiting on some x-mass moss to cover the driftwood that's sticking up naked right now. I'm dosing with Excel until I can get my CO2 tank. I'm hoping the plants take and start to fill in the empty spaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 I think it looks great :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperGuppyGirl Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 +1 on what Jason said, its all in what you like. with the addition of some plants (Thanks Jason) I have a completely lawless jungle look that I love! Although am jealous of all your driftwwod, I can never find any I like (or I do and its Cory hazardous), so runs sparse in my tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cgy_Betta_Guy Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 I agree!.. its a great start! once the stem plants start to grow it will fill in nicely but you will very likely need to move them to the back somewhere eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McTurtle Posted June 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 Thanks everyone. I'm definitely going to have rearrange once the plants start growing. Are some types of driftwood a hazard to cory cats? I was hoping to have a little school once my plants are well rooted but I have no idea about the wood properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperGuppyGirl Posted June 27, 2013 Report Share Posted June 27, 2013 There are certain ones with holes that may become a snug fit when the corys get bigger and fatter. I had one piece that looked amazing and lost 2 corys when as they matured got stuck in the holes they liked to hide in. So I consider small holes a hazard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McTurtle Posted June 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2013 Good to know! I'll have to inspect for holes. If there's already a java fern growing in the hole do you think it will still be a problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperGuppyGirl Posted June 28, 2013 Report Share Posted June 28, 2013 I doubt it would be with the plants in there just the open ones. I adore Cory's they are cute as a button but somewhat dumb lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truvader Posted July 2, 2013 Report Share Posted July 2, 2013 Tank looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McTurtle Posted July 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2013 Thanks, I'm glad an unbiased pair of eyes thinks it looks alright! OK I have a few questions for the experts... basically anyone who's done this before. What rate of CO2 should I try? Currently the CO2 is inline with the output of my Eheim 2217. The spray bar is at one end of the tank and pushes the water all the way down the length of the tank. Most of the bubbles are quite small and seem to make it at least to the end of the tank. Some of the bigger ones do go up to the top midway through the tank. From what I've read I might need a CO2 diffuser? I'm not sure. I have 4 T5HO bulbs built into a reflector, so can I consider this high light? I'm running an 8hr photo period. I want the carpet plants and red plants to be able to grow. The tank's not fully planted as there is a lot of growing in to do. I'm using the EI method kindly pinned in this forum for fertilizers, but I'm thinking of dosing twice a week instead of 3 times until my plants grow in. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted July 3, 2013 Report Share Posted July 3, 2013 Have you tried running the CO2 inline with the input of your Eheim? That should give you better diffusion even before it hits the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted July 3, 2013 Report Share Posted July 3, 2013 Have you tried running the CO2 inline with the input of your Eheim? That should give you better diffusion even before it hits the tank. The only problem with this is it could cause cavitation in the motor - or at least make the filter noisy if the bubbles don't dissolve all the way before it gets to the motor; plus, you want the highest O2 concentration going thru your filter - high CO2 concentration may displace some of the O2 (though once your plants are going great, your water will likely become close to saturated with O2). I put my CO2 into the intake of a powerhead. The impeller chops the CO2 into a fine mist. Your set up does seem fine, tho - it sounds like you're getting good dispersion for now. I'd aim for 3 bubble/sec and increase if/when you notice algae creeping in or if you're not satisfied with the growth of your plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McTurtle Posted July 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2013 Thanks for the input! I had it at 1.5 bubbles/second last night for a few hours. Tonight I'll try bumping it up to 3/second. My drop checker didn't turn from blue to green so I wasn't near my target. I'll check my pH & kH tonight after a few hours or injection. I did think of putting the CO2 inline with the intake, but the filter is already a little louder than I'd like and the hosebarbs on the piece that allows me to attach the CO2 line only fits in the output hoses, the input hoses are too large in diameter. I did see a few baby Java fern fronds and a few new anubias leaves last night! Woot! My grasses have a few melted leaves but have put out new spikes as well. I can't tell if the stem plants are growing. There is one in particular that looks 99.5% melted. There is only one little green strand of plant that looks alive. I think it didn't like shipping and then it really didn't like Excel. I know I should remove it... I just keep hoping that little strand will grow some roots before I disturb it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted July 3, 2013 Report Share Posted July 3, 2013 If the stem plants still have even a bit of live stem and leaves, there's still a chance that it'll come back. If you have CO2 running, stop dosing Excel - you really don't need both. Pull up your swords and grasses so that just the roots are burried - if you burry the corm/rosette, they tend to start to rot. Most plants we get at LFS are started from seeds/tissue culture and grown emmersed, and the old leaves typically melt b/c they're meant for growing in the air. New, submergent leaves typically grow in before the melting happens, tho. For rosette plants, if the roots are healthy and white, they will typically recover from a complete meltdown... stem plants, not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McTurtle Posted July 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) I see growth! I'm like a new mom over plants, is that sad? I went through my plants and matched the list of names I had for them to pictures of each plant so now I can ID them all. The Nesaea crassicaulis is turning bright red where there's no driftwood in the way of the light. Ceratopteris cornuta has grown a crazy amount. The Hemianthus micranthemoides still looks pretty sad though. It's the one that melted 99.5%. It's a very pretty plant and I really hope it recovers! The drop indicator turned green last night so I think the CO2 is working well. I was lazy and didn't check the water parameters. The Anubias was pearling. I think the Java fern might have been, but instead of pearling tiny bubbles it was collecting larger bubbles. I'm not sure if they were O2 bubbles or if the CO2 microbubbles were collecting on the leaves. This is addictive! My Christmas moss should arrive tomorrow. I want to attach it to the long upright driftwood. I have the screen door mesh ready to go. There's also a marimo ball arriving tomorrow that I was hoping to put in my 10 gallon. I've started to have a bit of an issue with hair algae in there so I'm hoping another plant will help mop up the extra nutrients. I'm just not sure if the up/down motion of the marimo ball is going to mess with the other plants. Edited July 4, 2013 by McTurtle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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