blacklabel

still cloudy from the substrate. im going to make a few adjustments at the next water change, i couldnt see anything when i was planting yesterday, the water was solid brown, and i even bumped into the fish a few times!

blacklabel

for lights i have four 30w t-8s with flora sun bulbs, and four 39w t-5hos (2 plant and 2 10k), which comes out to 2.2wpg. im also running pressurized co2, but im still dialing it in. i used soilmaster select for substrate and am dosing dry fertz. the plants are:

2 amazon swords
2 java ferns
2 crypt becketi
2 anubias nana
2 red wendti
green temple narrow
lim. hip. (aromatica)
wisteria
rotala indica
stargrass
red jungle vals
e. tennelus narrow leaf


im expecting a good deal of die off and what not as the plants get situated. any advice or tips for keeping them healthy?

ingg

Don't know why they'd die off. I'd advise getting some root tabs under the swords and crypts, SMS is an inert substrate, and those plants are pretty heavy root feeders.

clifford

Don't the residents make trimming a little difficult? =)

Are those red-bellies? Very pretty tank and fish...

Cliff

davemonkey

Like ingg said, root tabs will likely be needed since the swords are HEAVY root feeders.

Great looking fish!

blacklabel

thanks. the fish you see in the pic are caribes. there are also 4 terns and two reds in there somewhere.

about the root tabs, i was under the impression that this soilmaster select had all the nutrients my plants would need (minus dry ferts). did i misunderstand this?

davemonkey

I'm not 100% sure what all is in (or not in) the substrate. But I have the same stuff (aquariumplants.com plant substrate) and although all my other plants perform great in it, my swords suffer unless I supplement them with a couple root tabs beneath them. (And I dose liquid ferts using EI method.)

-dave

Tex Gal

Your tank is looking nice. I can imagine it grown in some!

ruger45

Very nice looking fish and tank! What are you feeding them and how often?

blacklabel

thanks! i feed them chiclid gold pellets everyday, and tilapia filets, shrimp, scallops, etc about 3 times a week. i also have a breeding pair on convicts, and i release about 200 juvies that are 3/4-1" every few months so they pick those off gradually as well.