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I've been keeping fish for a couple years now and have been constantly frustrated by poor plant growth. I'd done all sorts of research and was almost resigned to setting up a fermentation DIY CO2 injector before I came across Ms. Walstad's book. After reading most of it (still in progress), I have converted my 29 gallon guppy aquarium to a NPT.
Before conversion, the tank was in bad shape. I basically never did water changes and had an airstone in the tank. Every plant that I put in grew very weakly, if at all. Aponogetons (hybrid bulbs from the blister packs) grew either very small lime green leaves or curled crispus-like leaves. Never more than two or three at a time, either. The gravel in the aquarium had become completely carpeted with black diatomeceous algae and brush algae. The fish seemed fine, though, oddly enough. It was also pretty overstocked as it housed about 30 guppies that bred like crazy. Since I've made a few changes, things are definitely looking up.
I removed about half of the gravel (formerly ~2") and the airstone. The water was really murky afterwards which should tell you how much mulm and such has accumulated in the substrate over the year it was like this. I did small water changes (5%) once a week for about a month and vacuumed the gravel when I did so. I replaced the meek little aponogetons and they started to grow. A red dwarf lily that I thought was for sure a goner had begun growing and in the six weeks since I started the conversion has grown magnificently. Still a small guy, but beautiful and growing quickly. I added some trumpet snails and java moss and removed the activated carbon from my filter (Aquatech 20-40). After another week or so, I removed the filter all together.
I've switched to a daylight flourescent over the tank and have added a 60W incandescent hanging over it to add light and create convection currents (no heater).
The gravel in this aquarium is crazy. I got the tank from a brother-in-law of a friend of mine for free, and it came with decorations and the most motley gravel I've ever seen. There must be twenty different kinds and colors of gravel in there, not to mention marbles, coral rocks, snail and mussel shells, and fish bones (big ones, too). At first I hated it but left it in anyway, however I've come to appreciate it in all its multicolored glory.
Here's the skinny:
29 gallons (110 liters)
30" x 12" x 18" (L x W x H)
1" of gravel
24" 20W GE Daylight, 60W incandescent GE "Plant light"
72-78 degrees Fahrenheit (22-26 degree Celsius)
No filter, no fertilizer doses, no carbon added, no heater (water in a glass box, basically)
12 aponogeton hybrids of varying color and size
1 red dwarf lily (nymphaea stellata)
2 fist-sized clumps of java moss (vesicularia dubyana)
Unkown number of trumpet snails (melanoides tuberculata)
8 guppies (poecilia reticulata), 2 male, 6 female
1 peppered cory (corydoras paleatus)
I'll try to get some pics up as soon as possible. The plants are all growing from bulbs, they weren't grown when I placed them in the tank aside from the java moss. The guppies and snails are both reproducing, and everyone seems happy. So, so far, so good.
Before conversion, the tank was in bad shape. I basically never did water changes and had an airstone in the tank. Every plant that I put in grew very weakly, if at all. Aponogetons (hybrid bulbs from the blister packs) grew either very small lime green leaves or curled crispus-like leaves. Never more than two or three at a time, either. The gravel in the aquarium had become completely carpeted with black diatomeceous algae and brush algae. The fish seemed fine, though, oddly enough. It was also pretty overstocked as it housed about 30 guppies that bred like crazy. Since I've made a few changes, things are definitely looking up.
I removed about half of the gravel (formerly ~2") and the airstone. The water was really murky afterwards which should tell you how much mulm and such has accumulated in the substrate over the year it was like this. I did small water changes (5%) once a week for about a month and vacuumed the gravel when I did so. I replaced the meek little aponogetons and they started to grow. A red dwarf lily that I thought was for sure a goner had begun growing and in the six weeks since I started the conversion has grown magnificently. Still a small guy, but beautiful and growing quickly. I added some trumpet snails and java moss and removed the activated carbon from my filter (Aquatech 20-40). After another week or so, I removed the filter all together.
I've switched to a daylight flourescent over the tank and have added a 60W incandescent hanging over it to add light and create convection currents (no heater).
The gravel in this aquarium is crazy. I got the tank from a brother-in-law of a friend of mine for free, and it came with decorations and the most motley gravel I've ever seen. There must be twenty different kinds and colors of gravel in there, not to mention marbles, coral rocks, snail and mussel shells, and fish bones (big ones, too). At first I hated it but left it in anyway, however I've come to appreciate it in all its multicolored glory.
Here's the skinny:
29 gallons (110 liters)
30" x 12" x 18" (L x W x H)
1" of gravel
24" 20W GE Daylight, 60W incandescent GE "Plant light"
72-78 degrees Fahrenheit (22-26 degree Celsius)
No filter, no fertilizer doses, no carbon added, no heater (water in a glass box, basically)
12 aponogeton hybrids of varying color and size
1 red dwarf lily (nymphaea stellata)
2 fist-sized clumps of java moss (vesicularia dubyana)
Unkown number of trumpet snails (melanoides tuberculata)
8 guppies (poecilia reticulata), 2 male, 6 female
1 peppered cory (corydoras paleatus)
I'll try to get some pics up as soon as possible. The plants are all growing from bulbs, they weren't grown when I placed them in the tank aside from the java moss. The guppies and snails are both reproducing, and everyone seems happy. So, so far, so good.