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Pic thread, tank 1, 2, &3

34K views 313 replies 22 participants last post by  DennisSingh 
#1 · (Edited)

The Intro:
continuation of: "King's never die."
All you've seen in part 1 and looking me to continue from that time forget about it. I have totally different dimension
tanks now.
3 tanks
my hehe fire tank, 20 gallon long, this is the tank that gets the most maintainance, got my best plants, and gets most of
my attention
75 gallon filled 30-40% water, shallow water softwater mass produce tank
and my 56g frag tank, growing mosses and low light-moderate light

I've been into aquariums over 20+ years and i've only burnt out a few times. The key to not burning out? Some make sales,
communications, relating, relations. The internet and the social chat is a big huge reason why i don't burn out. The kush
moments of the tank get me so passionate. Theres a lot of different clicks and blends, then theres just whack jobs. I
got my sales, and i keep a close niche of people in some sort of realm of circle of bsing around and then plant talk. It
all keeps me enthused. When you burn out, your tank knows and starts to go south. My uncle on my mom's side came over to my
house and checked out my plants and I quote said, "Oh! They're breathing", this being said made me so happy and appreciative.
I swear, I've thought it, that I'd sell my soul for my planted tanks. Its my main focus in life, and i'm damn lazy. That
I would give up all the people around me, just for my planted tanks. In the past I ended up in the hospital and went
through a tough time, very tough, very depression type, first thing i did when I got out was go to the welding airgas
and swapped my tank cause I ran out of co2. Talk about whackos. But really, you've got to get a click in the game.
Its just very helpful and beneficial. We strive for each other. It sucks being lonely. It sucks just surviving. But its
just so damn good thriving. But what u do to thrive? ur drive, how much you want it, and who'd you'd stab over it.
Everyone's commenting and taking so much pleasure in being right, the scene socially is just weird. I'd rather post on a
forum where the postings are rather permanent, than on social media where it dissappears into the dust, search function
is not as great. But God, it feels good to get those likes. Support can make or break you. I see, oh i only got 1 like,
I feel like s* now. Oh I got 8 likes, bad ass. All temporary and all just moments.

A sort of maturation into the hobby. Things are much easier now. More laid back and more laxed. Knowledge and information
it just keeps coming. Don't worry if you get algae. The system gives u more chances, if not, redo the system. I've killed
so many fauna through the 20 years, also given good homes, but its just not right, how i get over things so fast. Thats
a weird condition of the brain I do not understand. A 6 year relationship and I could care less right after we break up.
Call me a robot? maybe, but I got heart too. Time to respect the fauna more than the flora. Or less I be reincarnated
into a beautiful syn tank as a panda loach and get gassed out. Down the line, if your co2 is too high even if your fish
are not gasping yet, it still takes it toll on them, they will die faster overtime. You look at all the signs, your fish
go up for air once in awhile, some do, some don't suppose to do that. But at the same time its the aesthetics of the fish
in which we may treat it differently. I've kept panda loaches (gassed), discus (got them breeding, unsuccessful, sold
after 3 attempt), severums (good homes), shrimp(good and bad), coruydoras (bred, unsuccessful raising fry), cardinals
(good homes), loaches (usually gassed), guppies platys and mollies and endles (good and bad), plecos (good and bad), galaxy
rasboras (good), those at the top of my head, so much more. In general with pets/animals I think its pretty balanced out
of giving heaven or hell.

I can grow a wide range of plants pretty well, but I always get bored so fast, mosses and syns are my most passionate
plants. I cannot grow reds, scratch that, I cannot get my pantanal deep red and down, its a plant thats a great contrast
with syns. I've grown a lot, melted a lot, killed many of species and yet I can't throw trims away, I just can't do it.
Here I am desecrating all these species, wasting high $, and I can't throw away a live plant. So it either gets sold or
given away. I can't grow rotala florida, sunset and any other within the realm. I can't grow downoi. I'm not gonna name
anything i haven't tried. Erios! I'm cursed, I get them growing good for a bit but everytime they melt on me. I'm really
starting to think its the substrate. Easy erios like malaytoor and such, I can grow, its mainly ball erios, the most
pretty ones mainly.

I really looked up to Barr and how well he grows plants. No secret to his success really. He's said all he's done by
now into the game. To take a tonina lotus blossom and snap it, it breaks like a stick, a erio with so much roots and so
fully grown I can't even plant it in 2" soil without it floating up, syn madeira looking like a pike, a weapon called a
pike, I was so fascinated by his plants. Everyone who thinks hes hiding something which he already said how to, I figured
the secret. Nowadays he recaps his soil. All it is, is feeding the plants. Feeding, pumping, and pumping, light light light
co2 co2 nutrients nutrients nutrients. High light photosynthesis, high co2, no need to fight each other to eat, high
nutrients. You know what, I've done the same, but not with erios. I got madeira stem to look like a pike, the stem of madeira
is really interesting, its thick not stem thin, and the leaves have no real rythmn to them. Tonina snaps, check. The way
I am I'll probably never be top grower eventhough i want to be. Oh and I forgot, feed feed feed plants, and reset, wc. The
reset water change allows you to keep on. Do over and over and over, mega plants.

I've spread a lot of myths about moss in the past. Ie Mosses do not need nutrients, without nutrients moss will grow
stringy, with, they grow in nice and thick. I've said they don't do well with co2 but they do. Man decades ago I was
selling mosses left and right and growing the snot out of them. Good flows good. When you tie or attach though, what
you really want to do is a thin layer of moss. It'll get you so much more far. In fact, if you tie your layers thick
the mosses fronds or whatever will compete and not grow as fast nor look as nice. That thin layer and growing it out
just looks divine. There are major players and minor players in the game. All you need is to obtain x1 of the plant
and you can control the sales game. You get that one and if your eager and determined enough you'll mass prop it and
take control all the awhile the other guy is selling. A buddy of mine rarez, plays it really smart, hoarding bbw and
matto grasso, no one will ever take over, nor take his place, well not unless he dies or something. I'm coming to begin
to know that all plants are weedy, in this time. TAke any slow grower, after initial adjustment, they all boom off
after a period of time. If not, the plants just not for survival. Plants will fight, but I'll show you a picture of
some tonina in its natural environment. The plants just not made for survival, its bound to go extinct.

Just a little bit of what it all about. #synpassion

Main "Fire" Tank
20 gallon long
Lighting: Beamswork fspec da x2, 30", set currently at 7 (for brightness) both led fixtures.
co2: mr aqua turbo reactor 400
soil: malaya
water: pure ro
remin: lowkeys gh booster, just a few drops
had* platys

Mass syn produce tank
75 gallon shallow water tank. Tank is filled to about 40%
internal filter with built in uv
co2 mr aqua 400 reactor
amazonia soil, old, aged
water is pure ro
remineralization with lowkeys gh booster
has platys
aquasky light 48" x1

Frag moss tank
36"x30"x12" high
light is a ati fixture, 6 bulb, but I drop the light in the water and now 2 sockets are shorted out, no matter what bulb i put
malaya, africana, and chinese crap soil capped
pure ro water or water from other tanks upon water changes of other tanks
wet dry filter
cerges co2 reactor
 
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2
#2 ·


The Intro:

continuation of: https://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/1190914-kings-never-die.html

All you've seen in part 1 and looking me to continue from that time forget about it. I have totally different dimension

tanks now.

3 tanks

my hehe fire tank, 20 gallon long, this is the tank that gets the most maintainance, got my best plants, and gets most of

my attention

75 gallon filled 30-40% water, shallow water softwater mass produce tank

and my 56g frag tank, growing mosses and low light-moderate light



I've been into aquariums over 20+ years and i've only burnt out a few times. The key to not burning out? Some make sales,

communications, relating, relations. The internet and the social chat is a big huge reason why i don't burn out. The kush

moments of the tank get me so passionate. Theres a lot of different clicks and blends, then theres just whack jobs. I

got my sales, and i keep a close niche of people in some sort of realm of circle of bsing around and then plant talk. It

all keeps me enthused. When you burn out, your tank knows and starts to go south. My uncle on my mom's side came over to my

house and checked out my plants and I quote said, "Oh! They're breathing", this being said made me so happy and appreciative.

I swear, I've thought it, that I'd sell my soul for my planted tanks. Its my main focus in life, and i'm damn lazy. That

I would give up all the people around me, just for my planted tanks. In the past I ended up in the hospital and went

through a tough time, very tough, very depression type, first thing i did when I got out was go to the welding airgas

and swapped my tank cause I ran out of co2. Talk about whackos. But really, you've got to get a click in the game.

Its just very helpful and beneficial. We strive for each other. It sucks being lonely. It sucks just surviving. But its

just so damn good thriving. But what u do to thrive? ur drive, how much you want it, and who'd you'd stab over it.

Everyone's commenting and taking so much pleasure in being right, the scene socially is just weird. I'd rather post on a

forum where the postings are rather permanent, than on social media where it dissappears into the dust, search function

is not as great. But God, it feels good to get those likes. Support can make or break you. I see, oh i only got 1 like,

I feel like s* now. Oh I got 8 likes, bad ass. All temporary and all just moments.



A sort of maturation into the hobby. Things are much easier now. More laid back and more laxed. Knowledge and information

it just keeps coming. Don't worry if you get algae. The system gives u more chances, if not, redo the system. I've killed

so many fauna through the 20 years, also given good homes, but its just not right, how i get over things so fast. Thats

a weird condition of the brain I do not understand. A 6 year relationship and I could care less right after we break up.

Call me a robot? maybe, but I got heart too. Time to respect the fauna more than the flora. Or less I be reincarnated

into a beautiful syn tank as a panda loach and get gassed out. Down the line, if your co2 is too high even if your fish

are not gasping yet, it still takes it toll on them, they will die faster overtime. You look at all the signs, your fish

go up for air once in awhile, some do, some don't suppose to do that. But at the same time its the aesthetics of the fish

in which we may treat it differently. I've kept panda loaches (gassed), discus (got them breeding, unsuccessful, sold

after 3 attempt), severums (good homes), shrimp(good and bad), coruydoras (bred, unsuccessful raising fry), cardinals

(good homes), loaches (usually gassed), guppies platys and mollies and endles (good and bad), plecos (good and bad), galaxy

rasboras (good), those at the top of my head, so much more. In general with pets/animals I think its pretty balanced out

of giving heaven or hell.



I can grow a wide range of plants pretty well, but I always get bored so fast, mosses and syns are my most passionate

plants. I cannot grow reds, scratch that, I cannot get my pantanal deep red and down, its a plant thats a great contrast

with syns. I've grown a lot, melted a lot, killed many of species and yet I can't throw trims away, I just can't do it.

Here I am desecrating all these species, wasting high $, and I can't throw away a live plant. So it either gets sold or

given away. I can't grow rotala florida, sunset and any other within the realm. I can't grow downoi. I'm not gonna name

anything i haven't tried. Erios! I'm cursed, I get them growing good for a bit but everytime they melt on me. I'm really

starting to think its the substrate. Easy erios like malaytoor and such, I can grow, its mainly ball erios, the most

pretty ones mainly.



I really looked up to Barr and how well he grows plants. No secret to his success really. He's said all he's done by

now into the game. To take a tonina lotus blossom and snap it, it breaks like a stick, a erio with so much roots and so

fully grown I can't even plant it in 2" soil without it floating up, syn madeira looking like a pike, a weapon called a

pike, I was so fascinated by his plants. Everyone who thinks hes hiding something which he already said how to, I figured

the secret. Nowadays he recaps his soil. All it is, is feeding the plants. Feeding, pumping, and pumping, light light light

co2 co2 nutrients nutrients nutrients. High light photosynthesis, high co2, no need to fight each other to eat, high

nutrients. You know what, I've done the same, but not with erios. I got madeira stem to look like a pike, the stem of madeira

is really interesting, its thick not stem thin, and the leaves have no real rythmn to them. Tonina snaps, check. The way

I am I'll probably never be top grower eventhough i want to be. Oh and I forgot, feed feed feed plants, and reset, wc. The

reset water change allows you to keep on. Do over and over and over, mega plants.



I've spread a lot of myths about moss in the past. Ie Mosses do not need nutrients, without nutrients moss will grow

stringy, with, they grow in nice and thick. I've said they don't do well with co2 but they do. Man decades ago I was

selling mosses left and right and growing the snot out of them. Good flows good. When you tie or attach though, what

you really want to do is a thin layer of moss. It'll get you so much more far. In fact, if you tie your layers thick

the mosses fronds or whatever will compete and not grow as fast nor look as nice. That thin layer and growing it out

just looks divine. There are major players and minor players in the game. All you need is to obtain x1 of the plant

and you can control the sales game. You get that one and if your eager and determined enough you'll mass prop it and

take control all the awhile the other guy is selling. A buddy of mine rarez, plays it really smart, hoarding bbw and

matto grasso, no one will ever take over, nor take his place, well not unless he dies or something. I'm coming to begin

to know that all plants are weedy, in this time. TAke any slow grower, after initial adjustment, they all boom off

after a period of time. If not, the plants just not for survival. Plants will fight, but I'll show you a picture of

some tonina in its natural environment. The plants just not made for survival, its bound to go extinct.



Just a little bit of what it all about. #synpassion



Main "Fire" Tank

20 gallon long

Lighting: Beamswork fspec da x2, 30", set currently at 7 (for brightness) both led fixtures.

co2: mr aqua turbo reactor 400

soil: malaya

water: pure ro

remin: lowkeys gh booster, just a few drops

had* platys



Mass syn produce tank

75 gallon shallow water tank. Tank is filled to about 40%

internal filter with built in uv

co2 mr aqua 400 reactor

amazonia soil, old, aged

water is pure ro

remineralization with lowkeys gh booster

has platys

aquasky light 48" x1



Frag moss tank

36"x30"x12" high

light is a ati fixture, 6 bulb, but I drop the light in the water and now 2 sockets are shorted out, no matter what bulb i put

malaya, africana, and chinese crap soil capped

pure ro water or water from other tanks upon water changes of other tanks

wet dry filter

cerges co2 reactor



I read the whole post! An interesting, stream of consciousness look at the hobby in your experience.
Nice, I enjoyed it.
Thanks for the update.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
#4 ·

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone
I've gotten most syn to flower stalk. I've gotten syngo belem, sao gabriel, lago grande, rio uaupes, rio ***** giant,
rio ***** 2006 all to stalk. Never seen a flower once for all of them. I've never gotten manaus or madeira to stalk.
But I'm wondering how to propagate the flower pods. Does anyone know and can help? Is it cool to just pull the stalks
out, dry them up and then pinch and spinkle onto emmerse setup? Is it possible to cross pollinate and create some
sort of hybrid syngonanthus? Seems like no one knows. They know how to with erios. The plants have not seem to die off
at all though having three stalks or so. The buds even seem to attract cyano. I use a small siphon and it doesn't seem to
suck off. My ph must be pretty low, i haven't measured it. If anyone can help or refer someone to help that would be
greatly appreciated. In all my life I have never seen a syn flower or belem shoot out a stalk, and stupid me wasn't paying attention when
I was trimming i pulled it off, when it was pretty close to the surface, without noticing and tossed it. Even when belem
reaches the surface of the water I still have not seen it stalk till now.
 
#7 ·
Gorgeous plants!

I am a noobie at best-- no help here<a href="http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/images/smilie/icon_smile.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Smile" >:)</a>

But, maybe @Maryland Guppy @burr740 @Greggz can help.
I'm just happy my syns and lotus blossom are nearing the surface.
Doubt I'd try to flower these.
Thanks discusluv.
Maryland guppy, at a point in time metoo but now I want to conquer all species of the genus
 
#8 ·
Hey Dennis good to see you here again.

I saw your opening post a while back, but it took me until now to read it all!:grin2:

Wish I could help, but when it comes to Syngo's I don't think there is a higher authority than you.

Looking forward to following along....subscribed!.
 
#9 ·
Hey Dennis good to see you here again.

I saw your opening post a while back, but it took me until now to read it all!<a href="http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/images/PlantedTank_net_2015/smilies/tango_face_grin.png" border="0" alt="" title="Big Grin" >:)</a>

Wish I could help, but when it comes to Syngo's I don't think there is a higher authority than you.

Looking forward to following along....subscribed!.
Thanks for that greggz, it means a lot. Ya I've gotten no hits regarding subject
 
  • Like
Reactions: Greggz
#10 ·

Things weren't perfect but it was a good clean run

The Meltdown

So I had a streak of good clean growth and it has/had ended. Things weren't perfect but felt very kush and very proud. These plants are labeled "s" grades and I've seen them melt rather very rapidly. Overnight a plant can be torched if its unsatisfied with conditions. Fully melted overnight. I've mainly seen it in Amazonia. The thing I have to do is pinpoint the cause of the melt. If I can stop that, I can stop from losing my plants. So talking about melt, that's exactly what happened beginning end of December. Two changes had haps, I added a few import plants, dec 23rd, and 24rth I added dwarf puffers. Wow, the mindset when melting hits. I am absolutely devastated. I've known colonies devastated. My mindset is poor and my spirit is weak. How can this be? Along with the melt I got algae as well. I'm battling bga, bba, and the green stuff, well the green stuff I attacked with api algaefix right away, that stuff works rather fast and well but goes against my beliefs in using chemicals. But when you panick or are impatient, its the way I went. "Patience" is a big virtue in this hobby. I want my plants grown overnight, so I can trim and sell them, then repeat. But I need patience, I've seen this melt before.

So I thought of things that could cause

Ammonia
Light
co2
nutrients
buffer depleted
soil depleted

Well my puffers were leaching something and they were my main suspect. Got it right, I removed them and donated them back to the lfs. It had to be ammonia of some sort. That is my conclusion
When you get melt like this its real hard to bounce back. Usually the plant keeps on melting. So after I removed the puffers, the melting stopped.

Things going good 12-22-19-12-23-19




puffers added 12-23-2019


damage(melt), algae (bba, cyano)





Some things I did after removing puffers
mass water changes, suctioning of plants, manual algae removal, addition of humic acid (this stuff clears rather rapidly depending on how much you use)
the humic acid was a paranoia that the buffer of the substrate had ran out

mass water changes


Aftermath, see the melt, see the new growth



Looks like I weathered the storm. Things are looking back up, I hope to get back to almost perfection


 
#13 ·

Things weren't perfect but it was a good clean run

The Meltdown

Well my puffers were leaching something and they were my main suspect. Got it right, I removed them and donated them back to the lfs. It had to be ammonia of some sort. That is my conclusion
When you get melt like this its real hard to bounce back. Usually the plant keeps on melting. So after I removed the puffers, the melting stopped.
Very odd that the puffers could have been the cause. Did you have a big snail population they make a big dent in? Wonder if eliminating snails could have precipitated it--since one puffer can obliterate a tank in days... Can an obligate carnivore an inch long create enough ammonia from eating that much escargot that it would affect your plants in a tank that densely planted? But if the plants improved after removing the puffers, then that could be the/a cause. How many puffers did you have?
 
#15 ·
Importing

In years of importing it always happens and repeats itself. Plant die off rapidly, plants take long to adapt, sometimes recover, some dont', and then boom in growth after a certain time. I believe all plants are weeds given their condition, otherwise they'd go extinct. I'm curious as to the water being different that we aren't measuring. Say you take hard water and filter it through a ro system and you take soft water and filter it through the same system would those two waters be exactly alike? One of the main sources of success is water chemistry ranging all in all throughout the hobby from Sulawesi shrimp to eriocaulon. Hell I believe if you replicate their natural environment we wouldn't need co2(so many ways of getting it, atmosphere, pressurized, diy, fauna breathing, decaying, substances, <<death>>) or dosing and such. Impossible to exactly replicate cause its just a box. My box of heaven. Any slow grower, we all find out they're weeds, but it takes that initial adjustment. Importing sucks because, $, losses, takes forever to get the plant going, and hey, natural environments could get swamped. Like buces.

Bahia, sensitive plant, does not like touching at all. I had one touching with eriocaulon sectaceum Kimberly and both melted however the bahia came back. They fought each other to the death. Treat as erio?


Eriocaulon sectaceum Kimberly, took me a year to finally get one stem to split, now it splits rather fast, I just don't get it, why did it take so damn long, I kept having to trim the bottom off. Sectaceums don't split by trimming the bottoms. They split by the crowns. I grew 5 plants, but then melted a couple


MG-Matto Grasso, I killed very first import, it melted a day, currently bought 3x, put x2 in Malaya and x1 in Amazonia, in Malaya melted overnight, in Amazonia melted in a week




UH-Utricularia heterosepala, I started a very small patch and a year later was a very small patch. I got it going, then it died on out, lucky me, I gave to two backups
no pic

uaupes, I already have the plant, but I'm always after new, who knows it may end up different, but this one ended up the same, I already have, I've been screwed on imports as well claiming id, importing sucks
 
#16 ·
You know even though they grow pretty well, I still love and search out and ask people different questions about syngonanthus. Well actually no, I ask certain people about different aspects to it all, each person has their unique expertise or way and I just love talking it. I've been reading published papers on the syngonanthus and the propagation/germination of seeds. One thing needed is pollination. I cannot do this, the water would be like 3 inches high in order for the bud to emerged. The flower stalks grow very slow and very short like the plants. I'm working with a well known identifyer who is very awesome for helping me. The buds are pollinated, (these papers most likely talking terrestrial syn.), by insects. I don't know if I'm being dumb here if that's the only way plants pollinate in nature. There are a lot of scientific words that regard in the paper that I don't even know or didn't even bother to look up. Its too much, would get me exhausted in the brain quickly, so I didn't. So many scientific words, so many great words, these papers have the greatest words. I'm thinking about doing a fourth tank, most likely emmersed, or a germination chamber for seeds. Either of the two. I can't king thy crown if others are beginning to learn and grow the hard stuff with their different methods and such. Different methods, its what makes us all wrong, and all right, cause everyone has their own method to the box. I for one am stubborn in not trying out different things. In order to grow and advance I need to. I'm just too worried about algae all the time that I regress into the same routines. I've got a lot of new exciting things going on regarding aquaria, I just love these highs and passion.

P.S. they now have a sunsun canister with a lcd display and adjustable flow. getting a bit excessive technology wise aren't we? Its great, but at the same time I think its bad, especially for the beginners and novices who can't keep up with it.

P.S. isn't this a money maker? timer on your co2 regulator. Why hasn't anyone done this?

P.S. I'm pretty bummed I'm not doing well with fishes. I won't go into details. I doing fine with my low light moss tank, but other than that, I keep getting into rare fish and kill them. Its what completes the system in my opinion and I can't get them thriving. I did fine will platys.

just a pic, I'm going to slowly aquascape this one, I'm going all out.


God I've got a ton of pictures, I lost 50000+, but racking the number back up, its a pain and I'm lazy to sort them. Otherwise this post would be so much better.
 
#17 ·
If you ever have questions about fish, let me know. I cannot help you with plants, but I may be able to help with your fish.



Let me know what your keeping- some basic stats on water they are in, high tech/low tech, feeding schedules and type, other fish in tank-- and Ill try to help. :)
 
#20 · (Edited)


I'd love to keep corydoras again, I believe most come from soft blackwater. For my sand tank that is, however parameters are:
ph 4.2 before co2
pure ro
acidic stuff in substrate








Does anyone know the bubble substrate that I used back then? You can see it in the group of albino corydoras pic
 
#21 ·
You can't take a factor of a planted tank and call it the main variable. I know ppl doing this with microtox if light and co2 are good then=ferts, I've seen it done with co2, but co2 utilization peaks, its not what makes the tank. If it was, then everyone can do this. I've done a wide range of moderate to higher levels of co2 with not much or no differences, I've done it with lighting. I've seen nutrients cause algae and nutrients not cause algae. It doesn't mean you should go ei. My reason that ei works so well, is that the people successful with it have a wide range of plants, plants mass as well as algae busters. Algae busters, I think the reason ei works well is that you have super fast growing plants absorbing all that gunk in the water and as well you've got the reset with water changes. When I look at my planted tank, its consuming so much resources with the amount of water changes and materials I put into the tank. These plants are like ludwigia reds and pantanal, floaters, foregrounds...
 
#24 ·
Uaupes vs Giant
Both species splits a lot. However if you trim giant leaves or bottom the plant, it hinders growth severely. With uaupes, it just keeps growing, splits and splits. Giant is easier of the two and has more uniform growth in groups. Uaupes will always be my favorite. Giant roots way better, Uaupes hardly roots into the soil. Rio ***** 2006 roots in very well to the other two, but will get into that species when grow out more full adult plants. See in pics how uaupes can take different shape depending on water parameters
uaupes




rio 2006


Lenghty vs short
This is how I want my tank but way shorter.
overgrown but tall



short but not overgrown


In fresh Malaya, the syns(not all) will grow more lengthier. I want the main tank with all predominantly s grades and giants and maybe lago grande. I'm afraid of capping new Malaya soil and redoing the tank as I really don't want to deal with cyano and lenghty syns.






Up nextz
actual start of journal
1. main tank of syns
2. moss frag tank
3. syn propagation tank (sand)
 
#27 ·
Sorry, I missed this post.
Your PH is very low, as you know. Do you know what your kh/gh is? I would think fish that come from Blackwater regions: Rummynose, Black neons, neons, cardinal tetras, some corydoras, discus, Angels, etc.. would work well in your water.
Regardless of where you purchase fish and what kind, with a Ph so low I would slowely acclimate them to your water to not induce osmoregulatory shock.
 
#29 ·
start of journal

Tank 1, main tank


20 gallon long tank
lighting is x2 beamswork dafspec, I only use the warms, currently dimmed to 7 on each fixture
5 hour photoperiod
co2, gla regulator, mr aqua turbo diffuser, 2nd size up, I think 400 or 600
stream of bps
SunSun 402b with uv on
pure ro water, light remin (lowkeys gh booster) few drops
random water changes, random dosing

full tank shot as of 2/5/2020
as well segment shots








so now i'm back to fresh ada, growth should be ok but i'm sure lenghty unless I can do dosing different dosing regime, as well algae can/will flourish unless I keep up the water changes
well the tank looks bad anyways so here.
Steps I may or may not do
I'm gonna redo the tank
cap with Malaya soil, one 3l bag
suck up and scrape all algae on walls
add a moss wall
add wood with moss tied
add humic acid below cap
try to suck up all the powder Malaya followed by water changes
clean the filter (the flow is down quite a bit), replace fluval peat granules with new box
 
#30 ·
As I age into aquariums, I now just want something I can look at all day and night. Before I was sales driven, now I'm not too worried on it. Most of them they come to me instead of advertising. And each sale is a cluster patch that leaves a gap. So I'm try focus more on making my tanks look better. heck I got all the time in the world.


So steps I did:
Uproot all plants
build a moss wall (weeping)
add a wood (mini weeping, buce)
suck up all deteriorated powder of Malaya (this stuff is bad, powder dust on plants, algae cause)
scrape all bba off glass by siphon, scrape/suck
tear off algae leaves of plants
cap top with 3l of Malaya soil
cleaned the filter (sunsun canister), added new fluval peat granules to filter, tossed old stuff
water change 80-90%
replant plants

so my goal, overgrown, many splits, full grown plants, no gaps, short

2/6/20-2/8/20








 
#31 ·
So from 2/8/20 to about a couple of days ago from today I have been battling cyano daily. Each day I'd airline tube it off. I'd rather have cyano, id prefer as I can manage it, over bba or hair algae.

I have no fish and I've been able to blast co2. I see no difference as when I had it much lower, no difference at all. However, the soil is capped with new and my predictions of lenghty syngonanthus hasn't happened.

I still am having melting issues. I think this is due to not enough water changes. Its mainly my rio ***** 2006 having the issues. I hate melt, its more problematic to me than any algae. I'm not really dosing at this point.




2/20/2020

So I removed a good amount of melting plants and rearranged some plants. As well to fill in the gap of the wood, I splitted some plants. I also have a fear that if I leave splits too long they'll eventually melt.

I am very determined to get back on track to this level.

I took out the wood, and put it in my frag acrylic tank. It wasn't sinking. The weeping moss wall is slowly growing but not in the pattern to my liking. Debating what to do about it all the while I'm gonna install a spiky moss sidewall.

Got 20# cylinders @ $60 each filled, good hydros.

New equipment coming mail today from a buddy.


current 3/2/2020 fts
 
#32 ·
So I think I finally narrowed it down to the syngonanthus melting of leaves to be some kind of touching disease. When the plants are healthy they can interconnect just fine with enough light getting to each of the leaves. So I've taken out most of the melting plants and either planted to my other tank or just tossed depending on the amount of green in the plant left. The initial melt could've of been ammonia but its continuing to spread despite daily water change and algae removal. Despite algae, I can almost guarantee that the melt is not caused by algae. May hinder growth a little bit, but that is it. I remove cyano daily with a airline tube and touching of those leaves with the suction I think I also spread the melt that way too. This is all just thinking observation, I can't really know. I've also got bba, but I don't remove it. For that I'd have to uproot the plants and strip it off. I can do that anytime. The melt is my main focus. The sideshoots don't melt because I plant them and they get plenty of space and not touch each other. This is all disheartening and has hardened me a bit, but I'll continue my persistence in solving the melt. Working daily for a little bit. The tougher syns like giants and such don't get it at all. The leaves are green and strong despite algae as well. By now things are rooted in pretty well so I expect better results. Some stems of melt had very well rooted into the soil as I removed them.




I've been using a new led a friend of mine built me. It has full spread and can get par up over 300 real close to 400 par. I have it dimmed to about 70 par, 6 hrs light a day.



moss frag tank
 
#35 · (Edited)
So while I'm manhandling my syn 20g long, I figure I start sharing my other two tanks as well. I'll start with the frag moss tank
I wasn't going to show this for awhile because I was gonna want to enter it into the iaplc competition. But that's kindve dumb that you can't
really share. Rather than wait for all it, I'll share progress and maybe enter to the aga. Nothing top ranking, just something I can look at.

Frag Moss Tank-advanced acrylics 36"x30"x12"high
eshopps wetdry system-media bioballs only
lighting- x6 bulb 36w ati dimmable 36" fixture, 2 bulbs per day, all 6 for taking pictures, sometimes
co2 pressurized injection
old ada Malaya and Africana, plus some Chinese soil, no real brand name
ro water, remineralized
top offs, no real water changes, probably x2 since its been set up
bluestar endlers
crs, bb, blue dream
manzanita wood for hardscape
center stump is probably Malaysian
buces, mosses, mainly
1 sword
This is just current progression. Tank is far from done, im waiting buces arrival, I have moss but am lazy to tie and glue, it takes a bit to get the motivation
[url=https://imgur.com/4nqVGYs][/URL]

<a href="https://imgur.com/4nqVGYs"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/4nqVGYs.mp4" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
https://imgur.com/4nqVGYs
https://imgur.com/4nqVGYs
 
#36 ·
"U" can't invent a whole book of truth and prophecy. You can change it though and throughout time it can be well known as truth.
The puzzle of God
There is to me no doubt there is a God, but what kind?
I think myself God is a naturalist. The way He does things is a natural flow. Things slowly naturally, overtime, He is one major one of patience.
Buddhism makes a lot of sense in the ways to perceive life and how to channel energy in a positive mindset.
10 commandments on how to act
I myself grew up in a way as Islam, only believing in Allah without the "trying to make sense in my mind" that an Omnipotent divine being sending a part of himself that can perform miracles although still limited to body. I still believe the lather though based on prophecy. That changed me to Christianity.
Its a puzzle I'll never solve until I die
And even then will I know what happened?
There is a promise for me, and a revelation of truth so magnificient and worthy in the wait, my opinion
One thing, all most books have a savior, I believe that savior is all the same

Bump:
"U" can't invent a whole book of truth and prophecy. You can change it though and throughout time it can be well known as truth.
The puzzle of God
There is to me no doubt there is a God, but what kind?
I think myself God is a naturalist. The way He does things is a natural flow. Things slowly naturally, overtime, He is one major one of patience.
Buddhism makes a lot of sense in the ways to perceive life and how to channel energy in a positive mindset.
10 commandments on how to act
I myself grew up in a way as Islam, only believing in Allah without the "trying to make sense in my mind" that an Omnipotent divine being sending a part of himself that can perform miracles although still limited to body. I still believe the lather though based on prophecy. That changed me to Christianity.
Its a puzzle I'll never solve until I die
And even then will I know what happened?
There is a promise for me, and a revelation of truth so magnificient and worthy in the wait, my opinion
One thing, all most books have a savior, I believe that savior is all the same
 
#37 ·
I'm just got some fish stock for my frag tank. I got rid of as much endlers and shrimp as I could.
Fish I got were 7 red severums from the lfs
and 12 elegan corydoras from wetspot (this place really knows how to do it)
The cories look really cool swimming together but are already dividing into their shoals and school groups. This is the beginning I caught on tape. I feed daily live blackworms to each fishes. I really
want to fatten the corydoras up. I liked them so much I got the other 12 remaining from wetspot should come in tomorrow.
These fishes including the severums have kept me way more entertained and fascinated then my other two plant tanks at the moment.

https://vimeo.com/400415407

somehow I already violated terms and service through vimeo so cant link the other two videos
 
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