Scapes, stems and CO2 arguments
6 members · founded by @plantedpetePic below of the crypts i planted last week. Leaves went translucent and mushy on most of them but there are tiny new leaves at the base. Parameters are stable, so i'm guessing it's just the move from emersed. Do you trim all the melted leaves right away or leave them to feed the plant?
Pic below of my endler 10 gallon with a big floating mass on top. It started with 6 and I'm now at around 25 with all the fry I haven't pulled. Plants look fine and nitrate is low, but I know livebearers breed past what a tank can handle. Where do you draw the line, and do you cull or just rehome?
Pic below of the guppy grass clump with newborn fry tucked inside. I stopped bothering with breeding traps and just float a big handful in the tub, the fry hide in it and the adults can't reach most of them. Only downside is it drops needles everywhere when I trim. Anyone running it with other fry or does it only work for livebearers?
I run sword and anubias in my grow-out tank and the plants seem to keep nitrate lower than my bare tanks, but I still do big daily changes. Wondering if anyone with planted discus tanks has dropped to fewer changes without the fish sulking. Temp is 29C and I feed three times a day. Pic below of the fish room shelf where the air runs from, in case anyone wants to see the setup.
Tied a golf ball of moss onto a small piece of spiderwood yesterday evening with cotton thread and by morning half of it had drifted loose in the flow. Using a hang-on filter on this 10 gallon so there's a fair bit of surface movement. Do you tie tighter, use gel super glue, or just stuff it in crevices and wait it out? Pic below of the setup I have it sitting in while I figure it out.
Prepping the mother swords for the auction box and a couple have long runners with baby plants already putting out roots. Pic below of a jungle tank I run for reference, same plants in the back. Do you snip the runners once the babies have 3 or 4 leaves, or leave them attached until the plant is settled in its new home? Worried the mother looks bare if I cut too early.
Running a 20 long on a single LED, no CO2, root tabs only. Colorata stays green and leggy at the top instead of going pink. Pic below of the jar tank on my windowsill, which is where my spare cuttings are sitting and they're actually colouring better than the main tank. Does that point to light being the issue or should I start dosing iron?
Got a mixed box from a hobbyist today, anubias, java fern and crypts, pic below on the kitchen counter. Everything looks decent but a few crypt leaves are limp. Do you plant right away or let them sit in a bowl of tank water for a bit first? I usually rinse and plant but I've had crypts melt on me before.
Bought a few emersed buce a while back and the moment I dropped them in the tank the old leaves went translucent at the edges. Water is soft, light is moderate, no CO2 on this one. Is that the normal emersed to submerged melt or should I be worried? Trying not to trim anything yet.
Attached my newest divisions to wood about ten days ago and the old leaves are starting to show that blue shimmer under moderate light. No new leaf yet though. From your experience, how long until a fresh leaf pushes after a move like this? Pic below of the wood setup is not up, I'll add one once something sprouts.
The winner of my sword mothers messaged yesterday with a pic of the plant already planted in their 75, leaves a bit rough but the crown looks fine. Honestly makes my week. Do you ask buyers for follow-up pics, or just let them reach out if there's a problem? I never want to feel pushy.
Cut about 30 stems off the rescape tank this evening for the next bundle order. Last time a couple of buyers said the cut ends went mushy after 3 days in the box. I wrap in damp paper and a bag with a little air, no standing water. Anyone have a better method, or is it just luck with the shipping days?
Took the crushed coral advice from the guppy tub thread and put a mesh bag in the outdoor tub this morning. Pic below of the bag sitting by the floaters. Will test ph morning and evening for a few days and report back. Anyone leave theirs in all year or pull it in winter?
Switched my outdoor guppy tubs to a half RO half tap mix after the phosphate talk here. Fish look the same but I'm a bit nervous about pH swings with the lower buffering. Anyone running mixed water on livebearers and just adding a pinch of gh/kh booster? Pic below of the tub setup.
Packed the sword auction winner's box this morning before work. Wet newspaper around the roots, a bag over that, and the leaves wrapped loosely in dry paper so nothing gets crushed. Pic below of the water change hose setup I used to rinse the roots clean first. Do you rinse all the substrate off or leave a little on for the plant?
