Just some pics...
- Thread starter Gilles
- Start date
Very Nice!
Hi Gilles,
Very nice tank!
I know you have worked very hard and the results are very pleasing.
Biollante
Hi Gilles,
Very nice tank!
I know you have worked very hard and the results are very pleasing.
Biollante
Gilles, if you can find some of that Starougyne species, you might like it much better than the old Lobelia.
I like it much better.
It also does very well at lower light and would be a good dutch scape plant.
Has a similar color and usefulness.
http://www.tropica.com/article.asp?type=aquaristic&id=864
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N&start=63&um=1
I have about 6sq ft of it in my 180 gal, still growing in, but filling in very nicely.
Regards,
Tom Barr
I like it much better.
It also does very well at lower light and would be a good dutch scape plant.
Has a similar color and usefulness.
http://www.tropica.com/article.asp?type=aquaristic&id=864
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N&start=63&um=1
I have about 6sq ft of it in my 180 gal, still growing in, but filling in very nicely.
Regards,
Tom Barr
Front right of the tank yeah. But it fails completely to grow bushy and lush. To be honest i have absolutely NO idea why it doesn't.
I have enough light (so much that the Limnophila indica sp 'Mini' colors red even though it is approx. 20cm high).
I only can assume that the bottom nutrients are absent; i have plain sand with some laterite in it; no other nutrients. I have tried various methods (e.g. ADA MULTI Bottom Long and JBL root tabs) but with no effect.
I have enough light (so much that the Limnophila indica sp 'Mini' colors red even though it is approx. 20cm high).
I only can assume that the bottom nutrients are absent; i have plain sand with some laterite in it; no other nutrients. I have tried various methods (e.g. ADA MULTI Bottom Long and JBL root tabs) but with no effect.
Hell, I throw away Blyxa by the bucket full.
I have it in 2 different tanks and it does very different growth patterns.
One tank has this massive greener growth, I take out a full 5 gal bucket worth monthly. Gets tall, bushy etc, the other tank get dense and stays shorter, redder. Dosing is the same, duration of light is the same, PAR is the same, sediment is the same and same age(ADA AS).
2 main differences, one tank uses older coralife 6700K, CSL 8800K bulbs(no longer made unfortunately) and the other tank has giesemann midday T5's. the other different is the current comes smacking down on the redder short blyxa along with CO2, so the higher current seems to cause more change in morphology.
I like the slower red growth, the other tank is too weedy.
So I am increasing the Staurogyne instead.
Most other plants do fine in the other tanks, no real differences to speak of, some color changes etc.
While current is not ruled out, the color temps of the bulbs might be some of this.
With the GE 9235K bulbs, some reds pop out really nicely.
With the gieseman, a similar thing occurs.
PAR is the same, growth is, or even better than the nicer color bulbs that produce a nicer aesthetic.
So I might be getting better light use efficiency from one tank, but better coloration, growth patterns in another, but not with other plant species.
So some of this seems plant specific.
I've had Bylxa get really bushy thick with plain sands also, flourite etc also.
Very dense.
Your Blyxa seems like you could use some thicker bushy growth. I was not sure if you had just replanted and it would grow in thick in a month or so, or it was normally sort of thin.
CO2 is part of it, current is some, but once the plant gets going, it should do quite well. Mostly once the roots get established, that's when it does well, so good stable CO2 seems required.
I've had it get scraggy like the tank pic above however, but it was a CO2 issue, or the fish uprooted it often.
Increasing the CO2 and current on that spot took care of most issues.
Regards,
Tom Barr
I have it in 2 different tanks and it does very different growth patterns.
One tank has this massive greener growth, I take out a full 5 gal bucket worth monthly. Gets tall, bushy etc, the other tank get dense and stays shorter, redder. Dosing is the same, duration of light is the same, PAR is the same, sediment is the same and same age(ADA AS).
2 main differences, one tank uses older coralife 6700K, CSL 8800K bulbs(no longer made unfortunately) and the other tank has giesemann midday T5's. the other different is the current comes smacking down on the redder short blyxa along with CO2, so the higher current seems to cause more change in morphology.
I like the slower red growth, the other tank is too weedy.
So I am increasing the Staurogyne instead.
Most other plants do fine in the other tanks, no real differences to speak of, some color changes etc.
While current is not ruled out, the color temps of the bulbs might be some of this.
With the GE 9235K bulbs, some reds pop out really nicely.
With the gieseman, a similar thing occurs.
PAR is the same, growth is, or even better than the nicer color bulbs that produce a nicer aesthetic.
So I might be getting better light use efficiency from one tank, but better coloration, growth patterns in another, but not with other plant species.
So some of this seems plant specific.
I've had Bylxa get really bushy thick with plain sands also, flourite etc also.
Very dense.
Your Blyxa seems like you could use some thicker bushy growth. I was not sure if you had just replanted and it would grow in thick in a month or so, or it was normally sort of thin.
CO2 is part of it, current is some, but once the plant gets going, it should do quite well. Mostly once the roots get established, that's when it does well, so good stable CO2 seems required.
I've had it get scraggy like the tank pic above however, but it was a CO2 issue, or the fish uprooted it often.
Increasing the CO2 and current on that spot took care of most issues.
Regards,
Tom Barr
Well here are some new pics from today; As you can see some blyxa is floating but i'll fix that in the morning
p.s. i am using a combination of Superthrive / Aquatic nature plant 24 in combination with a dutch nutrient called Profito (similar to TMG). In one bottle of 1/2 liter ii mix 40ml superthrive, 10ml aquaplant 24 and 450mls of profito (this will last for 3 weeks).
p.s. i am using a combination of Superthrive / Aquatic nature plant 24 in combination with a dutch nutrient called Profito (similar to TMG). In one bottle of 1/2 liter ii mix 40ml superthrive, 10ml aquaplant 24 and 450mls of profito (this will last for 3 weeks).
Colors look good. Mic umbrosum is a real NO3 hungry weed BTW, the Blyxa also responds well to high N and P.
Hygro Kompact might also be a nice plant, is that what that shorter hygro is?
The Myrio's are okay, I'd likely switch to M matogrossense, it's a much prettier plant and it very good for pruning and topping Dutch garden style.
M matogrossense "red' or tubuculum(something like that) is a slower growing nice copper color. A darker green grass might also make a nice addition.
Or downoi.........
Regards,
Tom Barr
Hygro Kompact might also be a nice plant, is that what that shorter hygro is?
The Myrio's are okay, I'd likely switch to M matogrossense, it's a much prettier plant and it very good for pruning and topping Dutch garden style.
M matogrossense "red' or tubuculum(something like that) is a slower growing nice copper color. A darker green grass might also make a nice addition.
Or downoi.........
Regards,
Tom Barr
Yes i have the hygro compact; but for some reason it always turns brownish red when i up the micros
I don't have Myrio's however. It is a small form of the Gigantea, more precise it is the Limnophila sp. 'Mini' (as far as we know in holland).
I haven't tested my Nitrate and Phosphate levels in weeks to be honest; i just installed my dosing pump and i would like to start adding ferts on a daily basis.
Questions..
What do you guys suggest with if you look at my plants? If i dose like seachem like posted here.... The thing that bothers me is that they dose iron and Phosphorus together; isn't that asking for problems? And they are dosing Potassium separate and i have only 4 dosing pumps.. I have that fixed to add k2so4 to my kno3 solution; since i dose that on a daily basis.
Right now i am planning to go for these solutions, calculated for my tank size which is 500 liters (132 gallons) and solutions of 1/2 liters (500ml):
p.s. Can i combine Iron and Flourish?
Then i have Excel which i normally used to dose on a daily basis; but since i am not using it anymore my tank is running great. I am thinking on using this only when i have algae problems; is that an idea?
Solution 1: Nitrogen
81.53 grams KNO3 + 38.87 grams K2SO4 which will add (per 10ml dosing to my tank size):
2ppm Nitrogen (min 1.57mg/l, max 2.51mg/l)
0.7ppm Potassium (min 0.50mg/l, max 0.94mg/l)
Solution 2: Phosphorus
3.58 grams KH2PO4 which will add 0.1ppm / 10ml dosing (min 0.00mg/l, max 0.31mg/l)
Solution 3: Traces (CSM+B combi with added ST)
Solution 4: To be determined; can be either Excel or Floursh / Iron combination
So i am thinking of dosing:
KNO3: 15ml for 6 days (adding an avg of 3ppm)
PO4: 20ml every other day (adding 0.2ppm 3 times / week)
Traces: 25ml on the day i am not dosing PO4
I don't have Myrio's however. It is a small form of the Gigantea, more precise it is the Limnophila sp. 'Mini' (as far as we know in holland).
I haven't tested my Nitrate and Phosphate levels in weeks to be honest; i just installed my dosing pump and i would like to start adding ferts on a daily basis.
Questions..
What do you guys suggest with if you look at my plants? If i dose like seachem like posted here.... The thing that bothers me is that they dose iron and Phosphorus together; isn't that asking for problems? And they are dosing Potassium separate and i have only 4 dosing pumps.. I have that fixed to add k2so4 to my kno3 solution; since i dose that on a daily basis.
Right now i am planning to go for these solutions, calculated for my tank size which is 500 liters (132 gallons) and solutions of 1/2 liters (500ml):
p.s. Can i combine Iron and Flourish?
Then i have Excel which i normally used to dose on a daily basis; but since i am not using it anymore my tank is running great. I am thinking on using this only when i have algae problems; is that an idea?
Solution 1: Nitrogen
81.53 grams KNO3 + 38.87 grams K2SO4 which will add (per 10ml dosing to my tank size):
2ppm Nitrogen (min 1.57mg/l, max 2.51mg/l)
0.7ppm Potassium (min 0.50mg/l, max 0.94mg/l)
Solution 2: Phosphorus
3.58 grams KH2PO4 which will add 0.1ppm / 10ml dosing (min 0.00mg/l, max 0.31mg/l)
Solution 3: Traces (CSM+B combi with added ST)
Solution 4: To be determined; can be either Excel or Floursh / Iron combination
So i am thinking of dosing:
KNO3: 15ml for 6 days (adding an avg of 3ppm)
PO4: 20ml every other day (adding 0.2ppm 3 times / week)
Traces: 25ml on the day i am not dosing PO4
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I would just dose these 2 items:
Excel(add maybe 250 mls to 250mls of water for a total of 500mls) + KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4, maybe some MgSO4, say 5-8 grams to the above mix.
Then add the micros all together(Flourish is a general trace, then there's Flourish Iron, which is just Fe gluconate. AE in the UK now is selling the Fe Gluconate.
These can be mixed.
I'd also add a little HCL to the make up water for the Trace/micro mix, then add the dry powders after 5 minutes or so.
Say 10mls of 9M HCL or 10mls of 25% HCL etc
You can also add Excel to the trace mix also, this will prevent any fungus.
CMS+B, Fe Gluconate and DTPA Fe at 4:1:1 ratio by volume.
This will give you as pretty high Fe, but CMS is fairly rich in the other metals.
Then run it daily dosing.
The biggest fear and hazard: dumping all the Excel into the aquarium at once.
This will kill everything.
So be very careful and use water to test the flow rates before using a potentially lethal biocide.
Excess KNO3, traces, PO4 etc, will not really do much harm. Excel will.
Same for CO2.
Those two can kill things very easily, so those are the critical control parameters.
Ironic, those are the two things folks do not test much at all for.
Regards,
Tom Barr
Excel(add maybe 250 mls to 250mls of water for a total of 500mls) + KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4, maybe some MgSO4, say 5-8 grams to the above mix.
Then add the micros all together(Flourish is a general trace, then there's Flourish Iron, which is just Fe gluconate. AE in the UK now is selling the Fe Gluconate.
These can be mixed.
I'd also add a little HCL to the make up water for the Trace/micro mix, then add the dry powders after 5 minutes or so.
Say 10mls of 9M HCL or 10mls of 25% HCL etc
You can also add Excel to the trace mix also, this will prevent any fungus.
CMS+B, Fe Gluconate and DTPA Fe at 4:1:1 ratio by volume.
This will give you as pretty high Fe, but CMS is fairly rich in the other metals.
Then run it daily dosing.
The biggest fear and hazard: dumping all the Excel into the aquarium at once.
This will kill everything.
So be very careful and use water to test the flow rates before using a potentially lethal biocide.
Excess KNO3, traces, PO4 etc, will not really do much harm. Excel will.
Same for CO2.
Those two can kill things very easily, so those are the critical control parameters.
Ironic, those are the two things folks do not test much at all for.
Regards,
Tom Barr
Well i would like to have PO4 and NO3 seperate; since it really is not a P limitation i now have (as in; P remains high).Tom Barr;46154 said:
I have 4M HCL (the stuff you store electrodes in); is that good enough? If so; how much would you add?Tom Barr;46154 said:
Instead or WITH the HCL?Tom Barr;46154 said:
Thanks for your inspiration and the discussion. Do you know your est. PAR levels? Forgive the newbie question, but what factor(s) do you attribute to the beautiful reds that you have achieved?
Well i have honestly and absolutely no idea what my PAR values are
[joke] I don't want to end up like Yme who tests everything [/joke]
To be honest, when looking at the rotala (right side); this one is starting to shift to a more greenish 'normal' colour, so i think i have a Nutrient issue going on. Although i must admin that i pruned this one when it was reaching the surface for 3 weeks; so it got maximum light for 3 weeks. I am planning to put my current lightning scheme here, so i can maybe up it a little bit.
I added 50l of kati/ani water today since i am trying to drop my KH from 11 to 4. It was 6 last week; i'll test my values tonight and put the results here.
The hygro is starting to fall apart (holes in the leaves) but only at the reddish parts; so this might be a nutrient issue also.
[joke] I don't want to end up like Yme who tests everything
[/joke]To be honest, when looking at the rotala (right side); this one is starting to shift to a more greenish 'normal' colour, so i think i have a Nutrient issue going on. Although i must admin that i pruned this one when it was reaching the surface for 3 weeks; so it got maximum light for 3 weeks. I am planning to put my current lightning scheme here, so i can maybe up it a little bit.
I added 50l of kati/ani water today since i am trying to drop my KH from 11 to 4. It was 6 last week; i'll test my values tonight and put the results here.
The hygro is starting to fall apart (holes in the leaves) but only at the reddish parts; so this might be a nutrient issue also.