Coach's 29g Resurrection (Beginning on page 3)

[CAM6467]

Time for a little update. So far I've been keeping up with the EI dosing and WC program pretty well. The tank is showing great signs of growth and I'm pleased with it so far. I have a few pictures, but they are sucky iphone pics...

First up, a FTS from 12/15/12:


...and here's a FTS from today (I just did a major WC and trimmed some things here and there):


As you may have noticed, all the blyxa japonica has died. I don't know how to keep this plant happy. I've had it a few times in the past and it has always died. Maybe it's the substrate. I've tried and failed with this particular plant using eco-complete, aquariumplants.com's own substrate, and MTS. I throw in the towel with blyxa. I mean, who needs that plants when lobelia cardinalis grows like a champ for me!!

Lobelia patch from 12/15/12 (actually it's the entire right side of the tank):


...and a look at the patch as of today 1/6/13:



I must apologize for the poor photo quality yet again in the same post. These pictures are awful! One of these days I'll get a nice camera...

Here's a look at the flame moss the day it was tied to my driftwood 12/15/12:


...and today:


This red tiger lotus plant is a beast! It grew this big in no time flat! My wife loves this one:


Red melon sword then (back corner):


...and now:


The foreground is sucky to say the least. I'm not impressed with it one bit. Lilaeopsis brasiliensis isn't really getting anywhere fast. I'm going to be patient with it, though. I do see small signs of growth here and there. A few small shoots here and there. I don't know, maybe it just takes a LONG, LONG time for this one to do its thing.

Alright, that's it for now. I'll leave you with one final FTS:


Please, please, please let me know what you think. I want to have some dialog here.

Thanks!

[ih8paper]

I have lilaeopsis b. in two of my tanks. I planted it in Oct. 2012 and it's has sat for nearly 3 month doing nothing. Last week all of a sudden it has shot up a ton of new shoots all over. Most are in close proximity of the original plantings and some are several inches away. It def takes a lot of acclimation time.

[CAM6467]

Pond snail explosion!!! What to do? I could manually remove, but that seems very tedious as I literally have hundreds of snails in every reach of the tank. Any suggestions? Assassin snails? Medications? Snail eating fish? I'm open to suggestions.

[NWA-Planted]

Assassins would be a safe bet, or cut back on feedings and start squashing and removing as you see them

Nice tank btw

I love seeing difference and growth over time it's super satisfying!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[ih8paper]

Originally Posted by CAM6467

Pond snail explosion!!! What to do? I could manually remove, but that seems very tedious as I literally have hundreds of snails in every reach of the tank. Any suggestions? Assassin snails? Medications? Snail eating fish? I'm open to suggestions.

Cut down on feeding. Pond snail thrive on uneaten food. Pond snails are in every tank I have minus one. They can def be a nuisance but they can also be a tool. If they have a population spike it may be due to overfeeding.
Don't rely on medications, it's just poison that will ruin the longevity and health of your aquarium. Take some zucchini or spinach, blanch it till slightly soft and place it on the substrate before you turn out lights. In the morning it'll be covered in snails. Now remove it. Do this a few times until you don't see hordes of them anymore. From there control is simple. If you see one use your plant tongs to remove it. Once the hordes are removed they won't ever explode like that again given balance. If you see a spike it's overfeeding.

After all snails are not bad! They eat rotting plant matter, uneaten food, Algae, etc. So, they are really just suffering from an aesthetic stigma. They look ugly. Haha. They actually help maintain a healthy tank.

Assassin snails will work to cut down the population. But it'll take a long time and you'll have empty lil shells everywhere and an ammonia spike due to the rotting dead. Then the assassins will start to overbreed if the conditions that allowed the pond snails to spike still exist.
Yes, you could always get a snail eating fish. But why? Most snail eating fish are not great community fish or get too large for you tank.

So after this lengthy post. My main point is, don't fight them. You'll never win. I have been at this for 15 years and only once had a fight. It ruined my tank. I learned to use them as part of a balanced ecosystem. Like I said with the pond snails you have a built in meter for overfeeding. Use the veggie approach until the numbers drop. Good luck. Your tank is looking great.

[CAM6467]

Thanks for the great advice! I'll give the food trap a shot soon. This snail population seemed to take off in a HURRY! I was excited when I found the first snail and in a matter of one month I now have too many to count!

Speaking of reproduction, my guppies are multiplying! I found two little fry hiding out within the roots of the lobelia Cardinalis last week. They're about half and inch now and seem to be doing well. I'll see them venture out into the open water from time to time. They sure are cute little critters. I'm thinking about getting some other type of live-bearer to add to the community. I like the idea of babies in the tank. It just makes it seem more natural and gives me the idea that I've established a healthy system. Any thoughts as to good live-bearers in my 29g?

Thanks!

Charlie

[CAM6467]

Doing my Sunday routine WC and trim and found this guy. Any clue what it is?










It came out when I started putting my dry ferts in. It moved much like an earth worm would. Looks like it had some sort of sucker type head. It quickly retreated back into the substrate after I got these photos.

Is it harmful?