@plantedpete · 📍 Denver, CO · joined Nov 2025 · Level 4
Stems by the bunch, scapes by commission.
My tabby now sits on the stand the minute the tank lights fade to moonlights and stares at the rasboras till bedtime. Pic below of her at it tonight. So far zero paws in the water but the lid is getting a lot of nose prints. Do you lid up completely or leave a gap with a cat around?
Got asked a few times lately so a quick mini guide. I lay the runner in a loose circle, never tighter than a coffee cup, and tuck it under the leaf stalks so it can't flap. Then damp paper towel over the whole root ball and the coiled runner together, inside a bag with air left in it. Cut runners only if there's no plantlet on the end, otherwise the plantlet is the whole point. Pic below of the s…
The sprouted bulb I planted shallow a few weeks back now has two pads touching the surface in the 120. Pic below of the hydrocoleus clumps I keep for shade, not the lotus, sorry. Lower stems underneath are starting to look pale so I think the lotus is shading them. Do you trim the floating leaves back or leave them to feed the bulb?
Moved a handful of colorata tops to the 120 under the brighter fixture about nine days ago. Top few nodes are blushing orange already but the lower leaves are still green. Running CO2 with nitrate around 10, no iron dosed yet. Pic below of the test tubes from this morning. Is this normal pace or should I add iron to push it?
Packing the sword auction box for whoever wins tomorrow and some of the runners are a couple feet long. I tried coiling them loose in the bag with the roots wrapped in damp paper towel but they kink at the nodes. Anyone have a trick that keeps the baby plantlets on the runners intact? Pic below of the fertilizer shelf is just what I'm using to pad the box, ignore the mess.
Pic below of one of the swords I left in the 120 after pulling the big mothers. Older leaves are getting glassy holes along the edges and the new ones look fine. Nitrate sits around 10 and I haven't dosed anything since the rescape. Do I wait it out or push root tabs under it now?
Pic below of one of my sprouted lotus bulbs from this week's batch. I always plant with the top of the bulb exposed but a customer asked if it should be fully buried in sand. In a 29 gallon with fine sand, do you bury it halfway or just rest it on top and let the roots find their way down?
Pic 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?
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.
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?
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?
Auction on my swords ends this morning and I'm already thinking about how the winner will deal with a 120 worth of roots. Curious how you all handle runners when you get a big sword: split right away or let it settle a week first? I always wait but I'm never sure it's right.
Lights on for about 5 hours and the stems are pearling hard, bubbles streaming off the rotala and some on the swords too. Pic below. Fish look fine, no gasping, but I'm running the drop checker lime green. Is this the sweet spot or am I pushing it?
Spent most of tonight on a dry start layout with seiryu stone and a couple of branches. Pic below of where I'm at. I keep moving the main stone two inches left and then back again. Do you commit on day one or live with it dry for a few days first? Tank is going to be a low tech slope toward the left.
Pulling a few swords out of my 120 during a rescape and replanting some of the smaller ones in sand. Last time I buried the crown and half the leaves melted. Pic below of the trim pile from the rescape. Do you leave the crown just above the substrate and let roots do the work?
Not my own bundle, I picked up some stems from a local swap. Most of the cut ends went mushy and brown within a few days of planting. Tops look fine so far. Should I re-trim above the rot or just toss the worst ones? Pic below of the tank.
Pic below of my iwagumi. The carpet filled in the front third quickly and then just stalled. Light is the same across the tank, root tabs went in three weeks ago, CO2 is steady. Is this normal and I just need patience, or should I trim it down to push runners?
Hung a few pothos cuttings with the roots in the back of my hang-on-back filter about two months ago. Pic below of how it looks now, roots are long and white. Nitrate in the 40 gallon went from around 25 to 10 and it hasn't crept back. Cheap fix, wondering if anyone has had problems with the roots clogging the intake.
Planted my amazon sword mothers in plain sand a month ago and the older leaves are going yellow with pinholes. Water column ferts only so far, low tech, moderate light. Thinking root tabs every couple of months but I've heard they can leak and feed algae. Anyone running tabs under big root feeders in sand without trouble? Pic of the tank setup is below.
The stems are pressed against the surface and the foreground is getting shaded out. Pic below of where it's at. I'm tempted to pull everything and replant, but the fish and shrimp are settled and I hate disturbing them. Has anyone done a big trim in place without a mini cycle or an algae bloom after?
My rotala in the 20 gallon is getting leggy at the top and I keep putting off the trim. Low tech, moderate light, no CO2. Do you cut and replant tops every two weeks or wait until it hits the surface? Mine seem to grow slower after each trim and I wonder if I'm doing it too often.
My colorata used to go a deep pink under the same light and now the top growth is washed out, almost peach. Co2 is steady, nitrate about 15, I dose a comprehensive twice a week. Is this more likely an iron issue or too much light bleaching it? Photoperiod is 7 hours.
Pulling a few big swords out of my 120 for the auction and it got me thinking about how many people bury the crown. Mine do best with the crown right at soil level and roots spread wide. What's everyone's method, and do you root tab before or after planting?
Moved a lotus from my 120 into a new 40 with fresh soil and every floating leaf is yellowing and going soft. Parameters look fine, nitrate around 10. I've read they sulk after a move but this is the whole plant. Do I trim all the leaves or leave them until they drop on their own?
Sold a breeding pair for pickup today, buyer saw the parents, the rack, the water. Ten minute conversation beat fifty messages.
Three bare tens on a rack, sponge filters seeded in the sump year round, clear bins for meds. Total cost under 150 and it has saved my display more times than I can count.
Got burned by hitchhiker leeches once. Now even nerites do two weeks in a bin. Paranoid or correct?
Hot take: 80% of 'I can't grow plants' posts are light problems, not CO2 problems. Fix your photoperiod before buying a regulator.
Dropped nitrates to 5ppm and cranked the light for 3 weeks. Pink tops all over. Photos don't do it justice.
