The Precipice

[Jen]

Moved things around a bit again, but a picture will follow after some more changes I am looking to make.

Today I'm here because as much as I thought it was just the tank settling into the new light, things just aren't doing much of anything. My Hygro will send out lots of roots, but virtually no height. My crypts are about the only plants really giving me any signs of growth. My melon sword all but died on me, so I moved the remaining leaves to the other side of the tank that got more of the fluorite, and it seems to be doing ok.

And yes... I've got some algae issues. Its slimy and reddish brown, and is always found on hard surfaces where my gara's cant get; air line tubing and parts of the filter (pics included)

I also think I want to upgrade my filter. maybe not to a canister, but something that will allow for more media. Not sure what yet.

So here's where I ask for help. I thought I knew what I was doing, but clearly I've been out of this for too long. I'm going to look into this algas and figure out the cause, but what else do I need to be doing?

 

[GAB99]

i went through the same thing, tho i admit you have more plants than me at the moment lol
i did a roughly 90-95% water change along with a handy toothbrush to get rid of most of my algae

and is that a coralife fixture? how you putting up with evap?

 

[Jen]

It's actually and Aquatic Life fixture, and I don't really get any evaporation. I have a tight fitting glass lid that only has holes big enough for all my equipment. I do water changes every other week, and I don't think it goes down more than half an inch.

 

[Jen]

And in scaping news... I'm really thinking about switching back to sand. I really like the colour of this gravel, but I'm having a hard time getting my plants to stay in. I know my Kribs are having some fun and pulling out plants every now and then, and trying to get ones with longer roots back in the gravel can be a challenge. I'm really finding I need to plant them far deeper than I know I should just to get them to stop floating away the second I move my hand away.

The problem with sand is that the colour I want is far to pricey, and the stuff that I have used in the past that I really like is whitish and I would prefer to stay darker in here.

Dilemma!

On the plus side, my hygro and rotala have really started to take off this week, and my wisteria is doing well also. The Val is not growing as fast as I thought it would, but the larger stuff is sending out a few new ones, and the spiralis really went nuts when it was left floating for a week, so when I planted it there were 8 or 10 plantlets to spread out. And the crypts are just perfect. So many new plants popping up, and the colours are darkening up on the wendtii - some nice reds aren't far away.

 

[Biulu]

Sounds good Do you have any pics for us to enjoy?

 

[Jen]

So here it is today... not very happy with the overall look of things, but the hygro and rotala on the right are doing great. I just need to do something in the middle there.

 

[Carlovel1]

Lovely!

 

[lljdma06]

That is coming along very well.

 

[Jen]

Thanks, I'm still not happy about it, and changes are imminent.

New Filter yesterday... Rena Filstar XP2. So far much happier than my old HOB. So much quieter, better circulation, and when I have time to fiddle with the output, can get the tank length circulation that I want.

I have decided to go to sand,just deciding between play sand and pool filer sand like I had before. Pool sand is whiter and doesn't compact at all, and actually lets me vacuum it without sucking it all up. I will be doing this switch most likely next week. Now to figure out if I want a fertilizer layer. Laterite was ok, but i hated the red bits that came up when I moved things around.

 

[Jen]

Wow... my weeks sure are long!

Finally got around to the switch yesterday. I went with pool filter sand. The price was right ($20 for 100lb), and the non-compacting quality is ultimately what won out. I have plans to get some khulie loaches when my lfs gets some in stock, and I wanted something that was easier for them to move around in.

I got some new wood that is the key piece in the new scape plans. I need a lot more plants in there as it's pretty sparse in there, so hopefully my lfs will get some more in this week - their delivery days usually don't pan out with my schedule, so I always miss the good stuff.

Anyway, here she is, temporarily called The Outlook (until I can find the exact phrase that I am looking for - the view, the lookout...)

 

[castiel]

Looks great - the sand makes a huge difference in the look of the tank. What happened to all of your old residents (fish and plants)?!

 

[Jen]

The fish are all in there now... this shot was taken before I put them back in. Over the past 6 months or so most of the plants in the previous picture had died off, and I got new stuff. What you see here (minus some hygro that I haven't decided if I want to re-plant) looked like a lot more with the old pieces of wood. With only the one wood in there, it really looks empty. That should change by the end of the week.

 

[Jen]

My garras are being so social right now... they normally split off into the 3 little ones and the big guy does his own thing. Right now (and for the last half hour) they have all been hanging out together near one of the caves. As soon as I put my camera to the glass they all come to find it and pose in front. too cute

welcome to my crib.

 

[lljdma06]

Cool, Jen. That is an interesting piece of wood. I'm curious to see what you'll do with it with regards to layout.

 

[Jen]

I want to cover the top of that in Java fern, but I may have too much light for that. I moved a really nice piece off the old wood, so we'll see what happens. I'm envisioning a forest on the left, looking out over a meadow. Lots of crypts, something small that flowers perhaps. I would love to have some rocks on the right... tall and slender, or round like boulders covered in moss. I tend to bail on scapes before I start, so I need to start researching now or it will never happen.