xximanoobxx's Do!aqua Mini-m - My First Planted tank - New Pics! (10/9/09)

[xximanoobxx]

Originally Posted by kcirtappatrick

if you want, you could use a chopstick as a diffuser until you get the real thing. it does a decent job diffusing the co2 bubbles but a diffuser would be better.
btw, great tank!

I've always wanted Eleocharis sp. Belem. did you get it from a LFS or bought it online?

I'm using a glass crystal air stone thing, so it's making small enough bubbles I think. Then I'm going to make another bottle of yeast mix for the other diffuser on the other side of the tank.

Actually, the eleocharis sp. belem was given to me as a freebie by a friend near my place. If I totally fail on the glosso, I'm gonna switch over to all eleocharis sp. Belem.

Originally Posted by dj2005

Looking good! I suggest removing the carbon bag from your filter as the carbon will likely absorb the things that your plants need.

Thanks! I'm only putting that for a few days to clear the whole tank up. So tomorrow, I'm going to take it off, no time right now(homework ).


Something bad happened earlier . When I got home from church, I found the camcorder/camera on the floor. My dog had dropped it!!!!! Stupid me for leaving it close to my dog's reach. So the lense is broken... Half of the picture looks blurry and half looks fine. Does anyone know where I could get it fixed??? My parents spent a lot on it, but it's about 3-4 yrs old...

So the update pictures are going to half suck for a while...

[Down_Shift]

Lookn good

[Outlawboss]

Fantastic! If all goes well, this tank will look really nice in a couple months. Actually let me rephrase. It already looks really nice. I will look freakin' sweet in a couple months.

[xximanoobxx]

Thanks for the nice comments guys! I really hope I'm successful with glosso since I really love the plant!!!

So here are some pictures.. The water has cleared up by a lot!!! But the water isn't crystal clear. Hopefully it clears up 100% soon.
Sorry my camera broke, so I'd have to live with it...

[FBG]

Looking good, I have a suggestion about the camera. if you turned it on its side, and zoomed out all the way then crop and flip the picture. that might work.

Growing in nicely, good work.

Originally Posted by dj2005

Looking good! I suggest removing the carbon bag from your filter as the carbon will likely absorb the things that your plants need.

I never knew that...thank you for letting me know, I'll be sure to take it out of my filter!

[boink]

I actually like how those photos look...

[xximanoobxx]

lol, thanks.. I should just crop the pictures then. It sucks that it had to break when I start doing my journal. Oh well, but it won't be replaced in a while...

Anyways, I installed the diffuser (yay!) but it looks messy because of the tubing, but I'm going to fix it over the weekend when I do a 50%+ water change. I also just ordered ferts from Aquariumfertilizer.com since the place is located 2-3 hours from my place, which means fast shipping. I have a drop checker, but i don't really know how to use it...

Lastly, any suggestions on the fauna??? Is it even possible for any fish???

Thanks for looking!
John

[xximanoobxx]

Just got my fertilizers today in the mail.
I'm doing EI dosing.
Here's my schedule

Monday
1/16 tsp KNO3
1/64 tsp KH2PO4
1/64 tsp K2SO4
Tuesday
1/64 tsp CSM+B
Wednesday
1/16 tsp KNO3
1/64 tsp KH2PO4
1/64 tsp K2SO4
Thursday
1/64 tsp CSM+B
Friday
1/16 tsp KNO3
1/64 tsp KH2PO4
1/64 tsp K2SO4
Saturday
1/64 tsp CSM+B
Sunday
Do 50% water change.

looks good?
I just divided the measurements for the 10-20 gallon thing...
I also got my mini measuring spoon which is cool. I didn't know that 1/64 tsp was that tiny lol!
I'm picking up more blyxa japonica on friday to fill up the back of my tank. I'll probably post more pictures on Friday or so.
I think that's all for today.

John

[accordztech]

I love the way u arranged the rocks!. I have a 12 gallon tank and am jelous

but honestly that heater is killing the look lol.

[Outlawboss]

Nice schedule. Just be careful with the KNO3. In my experience, the powder is pretty strong and can take your nitrates through the roof very quickly. I killed all my CRS that way once. I'm not saying to change the schedule, just a reminder to keep an eye on things as you first start.

Looking great. I also really like the rock layout!

[xximanoobxx]

accordztech, thanks for the comment. Also, I already had the heater on me and I didnt want to buy extra. Maybe later on, I'll get a zoomed canister filter and get the hydor inline heater or something.

Outlawboss, thanks for telling me about KNO3. I will watch my nitrates when I start using the ferts. Would it be better if I just do, 1/32 and 1/64 tsp per dose?



UPDATE... Hmm, so my Glosso right now grows vertically, and not spreading. So should I just trim it or wait for a few days to see if it spreads or not? My DIY CO2 is letting out 1bps, so that's not too bad. Maybe it's my light? Since I've had it for a year now, and i used it before. But then I actually have 2 23 watts lighting the tank right now. Hmm, I'm not too sure.. Any suggestions????????

John.

[ddtran46]

Originally Posted by xximanoobxx

UPDATE... Hmm, so my Glosso right now grows vertically, and not spreading. So should I just trim it or wait for a few days to see if it spreads or not? My DIY CO2 is letting out 1bpm, so that's not too bad. Maybe it's my light? Since I've had it for a year now, and i used it before. But then I actually have 2 23 watts lighting the tank right now. Hmm, I'm not too sure.. Any suggestions????????

John.

Wait...you have 1 bubbles per minute?

[xximanoobxx]

Originally Posted by ddtran46

Wait...you have 1 bubbles per minute?

Sorry. I just corrected myself. It's actually a little more than 1bps, but not quite 2 bps. So i'm guesstimating 1.5 bps?

[Outlawboss]

Originally Posted by xximanoobxx

Outlawboss, thanks for telling me about KNO3. I will watch my nitrates when I start using the ferts. Would it be better if I just do, 1/32 and 1/64 tsp per dose?

In my 4 gallon nano, I was dosing 1/32 teaspoon 3x/week. After the first week I couldn't figure out why all my shrimp were dying. After some testing, I found my nitrates hovering around 45-50ppm. Borderline for fish, but the CRS were goners. I would just say go with it for a week, test at the end and see what you get. If it's too high, step down for the next week. If that's still too high, step down again...and so forth. That's how I dialed mine in. Hardly ever test nowadays unless something's wrong.

[xximanoobxx]

I won't add anything(fish or inverts) for a month or 2, since I'm still getting used to this. Also, I need some test kits. Before this planted tank, I've never used test kits since parents thought they're a waste of money, but I'll purchase some soon. Pictures would be up later.


John