[MiamiAG]

I have a friend who claims he is the plant whisperer when it comes to planted aquariums. When he looks at the tank, the plants turn to him as if recognizing him, algae retreats as if defeated, the laws of physics change and all nutrients levels become as they should be. Of course, this person never does a water change, doesn't need to trim or prune because the plants are always the rights size and shape, and testing the water is a sin.

Yes, I hate this person. The reality is that most of us are not plant whisperers. In fact, many are algae whisperers attracting all species of algae as if my magic. Water changes, testing, and fertilizing are a fact of life.

Do we have any plant whisperers out there that only change the water every few months?

 

[plantbrain]

Yes, but non CO2 for myself.

I know a 2 year no water change person that breed discus several times now in one their tanks. They use an external plant filter, like a refugium.

If you look at the input and export of the tank, there is a clear reason.
There is no super natural voodoo tank although many sort of come across that way, don't tell some key details etc or it's and it's "friend of a friend".......

Sorry, no magic water.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[HeyPK]

I don't change water more than about once a year because I have to collect rain water, but I don't consider myself a 'plant whisperer'. My tanks are like the little girl with the curl right in the middle of her forehead. When they are good, they can be very very good, but when they are bad, they are horrid. I once got bluegreen algae so bad that it had crop circles! I am not exaggerating! See for yourself!

 

[MiamiAG]

Wow! That is SCARY!

How did you get rid of that?

 

[HeyPK]

Wow! That is SCARY! How did you get rid of that?

There wasn't a living plant left in there, so I just drained out the water with a syphon, sucking up all the BGA clumps I could get, refilled with rainwater and let it stand withought any light other than room light until the algae was all gone, either eaten by snails or dead from lack of light. That took about a month. I now have a jungle of Hydrocotyle verticillata in there along with a tray of crypts and some small runner-type swords. The BGA shows no signs of returning.