[mommyeireanne]

This was tonight.

This was Oct 5 when it was planted.

I started a new thread because I posted the pics too large and they take a while, but here is the old thread.

I added the charcoal and ugly H-O-Front filter because I had one day of a low ammonia read, and some BBA on damaged Val leaves. I really didn't want to see this tank get taken over by BBA. Nor do I want to do massive water changes if I don't have to- the garden doesn't need watering right now and I still use a bucket. Not convenient.
I added the Amazon sword today and moved a rock. The sword is in a dead spot because of that, gravel only. I expect it'll reach out an inch or so into the soil, if it continues to look bad I'll add a dirt cube to it. This plant didn't look good in the store, so we'll see if I can save it. I did push the rock down all the way to the floor when I put it in, so hopefully it won't cause problems either. I've actually trimmed the tallest Ludwigia and H. Polysperma twice, to fill in areas. Still no background. And we all got a cold so I didn't go to the fish auction. :-({|=

 

[flagg]

Real nice looking tank. I love all the plants. What kind of bulbs do you have in those floor lamps?

-ricardo

 

[mommyeireanne]

Well, it's kinda over-lit to compensate for the distance light has to go from the ends. But so far it's worked. I'm running the equivalent to 280w but in Compact Fluorescent bulbs. 2-60's and 2-40's are 6500K GE sunlight bulbs, the remaining two 40's are cool white bulbs.
I also do a break in the middle of a aprox. 14-15 hr photo period and it's in the brightest room in the house. But no direct sunlight.

 

[gravy9]

Hi MEA,

Glad to see that everything's growing well. Looks like the light setup is working good. The plants look healthy.

Keep up the good work.

regards,
Ravi

 

[zer0zax]

Nice tank! For some reason sagittaria in NPTs always draw my eye! Very relaxing. The second that the sag gets a whiff of co2 it always blows up and grows a foot tall on me, but in an NPT it stays more manageable while still looking just as healthy. Nice layout and beautiful fish! Keep us updated

 

[mommyeireanne]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

I like the sag, it's very easy, but it is always 4-6", no dwarf to it. And trimming it didn't make a carpet, it didn't like it's leaves trimmed like a Val. But I think it works well in higher tanks to give the fish some room to swim and still have the area covered with healthy rooted plants. I like it a lot now too, even though it was different than I expected.

And I went ahead and added dirt to the 'dead space' by the new A Sword. I froze a couple of lumps of mud and pushed them in. Wasn't messy- very little dirt in the water column on the way in.

 

[mommyeireanne]

Well the Sword shows no ill effects from chilling the roots. I added some No Salt, for potassium as I noticed some holes in hygro leaves in the old 20 gal set up. I want to give this tank a really good start. I added about 1/4 tsp to tap water then added dechlorinator (No Salt is Potassium Chloride salt substitute from the grocery) then added this to the tank. Not very scientific. I'll probably add just a pinch with major water changes in the future.
I did a 10% water change last night. My second in a month, since I set the tank. I changed the charcoal, too. Rainbows are still spawning happily, though no surviving fry which is good. I bought an automatic feeder in prep for a 2 day trip later this month and I'm testing that with light timers.
I miss having a dog, but you don't have to kennel fish for a weekend trip You just have to hope the electricity doesn't go out :twitch: