[gaga43]

So as the title states 3rd time attempting plants... Started out with my 130 I worked at a gravel crusher so I used crushed 1/4 washed gravel or smaller for about a year then I decided to jump into plants again so I took out all the gravel and used play sand and this was my first picture after I got a couple plants from lfs and figured out they are crazy expensive in Canada 20$ cad a plant....

Then I got some information that I wouldn't really have much success without mass... Being in canada I tried to source in Canada and ended up buying from theplantguy.org spend 100$ and ended with this






Then I started to see holes in my swords and realized I was only dosing micros and no macros



And some of the leaves going brown


Then I was faced with massive algae outbreak that covered everything with hair or beard like algae and merky water (still waiting on dry ferts) so I ordered some Puritan





Now I have the dry ferts and have been dosing about a week Puritan is in my filter and my hairy algae has seemed to subsided and these are picture I took right now













I will be keeping up to date here and posting progress pictures and everything as I go hopefully at some point I can get my aquarium as lush as some peoples!!! CHEERS fellow planters

 

[jaymyess]

I am not so fond of those store fertilisers. Try banana peel cuttings (put it on a net or something) - that helps purify the water from toxic metals plus it does have potassium and phosphorus for the plants - although I do not know if these two will leech into the water and feed your plants.

 

[gaga43]

I am not so fond of those store fertilisers. Try banana peel cuttings (put it on a net or something) - that helps purify the water from toxic metals plus it does have potassium and phosphorus for the plants - although I do not know if these two will leech into the water and feed your plants.

I have well water I don't have any toxic metals in my water

 

[jaymyess]

Oh excellent stuff, mine is only tap. Anyway I have used banana peels on terrestrial plants and it works. I will be using the same stuff for my aquatic plants although not too much as it can generate bacterial growth.

 

[gaga43]

Oh excellent stuff, mine is only tap. Anyway I have used banana peels on terrestrial plants and it works. I will be using the same stuff for my aquatic plants although not too much as it can generate bacterial growth.

You mean just eating a banana and then just tossing the peel in the water in a net???

 

[jaymyess]

Yep - something like that. I do not know how long it should stay in the water to siphon the metals but a couple of hours should do it. For fertilisers, just use a really small amount of minced peels. What I actually do is add whole bananas to my DIY fish food - that way it I am incorporating phosphorus and potassium into the water via the food. It's harmless to the fish as well in my experience. Oi but I am no scientist so I can only speak through my experiences.

 

[gaga43]

Yep - something like that. I do not know how long it should stay in the water to siphon the metals but a couple of hours should do it. For fertilisers, just use a really small amount of minced peels. What I actually do is add whole bananas to my DIY fish food - that way it I am incorporating phosphorus and potassium into the water via the food. It's harmless to the fish as well in my experience. Oi but I am no scientist so I can only speak through my experiences.

Whoa whoa whoa..... Diy fish food?!?! Guide me to where that is!!!

 

[jaymyess]

Google it. You'll find tonnes.

Really, DIY fish food is anything that you think is best to feed your fish so pick and mix any and more: mild paprika, frozen shrimp, white fish meat, spirulina, eggs, beef heart, earthworms (clean), blanched/cooked greens (spinach, green peas, water spinach etc.) etc.

What I am currently using:
- banana (with peel!)
- chicken liver (it's oily so it's not recommended unless you have a really good filter)
- white fish meat
- water spinach
- gelatin (to hold things together)

1) Blender each ingredient separately (except gelatin)
2) In a saucepan - add and cook (throughly) the meats first
2) Add in the pureed fruits and/or greens and gelatin last then cook it for about another one or two minutes.
3) Pour it on a large tray - make it at least 0.5cm thick. Let it cool/solidify then freeze it.

When it is frozen you can cut small cubes and feed it to the fish. All my fish (Angels, Guppies, Betta and Corys) go crazy with the food I prepared for them. The only downside is that it sinks to the bottom. I don't know how to make it float. Plus the oil.. but I have emerged plants (pothos, philodendron and peace lily) above the aquarium to filter that. And you can always replace the chicken liver with something else like frozen shrimp.

Don't use onions, garlic and salt. We're not making food for humans haha.

 

[gaga43]

That's neat!!! Didn't even think of doing that I'll have to try it one day

Anyone know what I should do about my sagittaria platyphylla.... It hasn't really grown since I bought it

 

[Nordic]

It grows slowly under low to medium light, and likes really rich dark mud where I found mine. It does speed up in direct sunlight so I suspect if someone has high power lighting it is possible to do in a tank. My best example was harvested semi emmersed at almost the full size it has been. It has not increased in size in 6 months. it has made quite a few baby plants.

I also have some I put in a water bucket that collects all the morning dew that rolls off a roof. But it is shaded much of the day. The plants have mostly melted, but they made tubers in the roots (that is why it is called duck potato). Not sure how to proceed from here, but they are in nice fresh water, so I still have some time to figure out the way forward until spring rolls around again.

P.S. switch all the lights off, leaving just the tank light on. I think your camera is having a hard time white balancing the two different light sources.

Nice shark, I've always liked them, but never bought one yet. One hears such horrible stories about sharks.

my fish enjoy the odd piece of mashed banana. I always recommend liver as a superior protein source to hearts and other cuts.

 

[gaga43]

My red tailed black shark actually does a fantastic job stripping the algae I have off the Rock and plant leaves.... At first I thought it was little snail trails but after sitting down and watching realized it was actually the fish cleaning it.... He's a little aggressive towards my only Bala left... Had a beautiful jack Dempsey but he wouldn't eat when I put food in the tank and slowly started gulping my other fish and I was worried my clowns were next so I had to give him away

 

[dpod]

Don't use onions, garlic and salt. We're not making food for humans haha.

Onions and salt, certainly not, but people use garlic all the time to help fussy fish eat and fight internal parasites. Might not hurt to add some after all.

 

[gaga43]

Today I did my first real trim of my crypt and I cut most of the leaves that had all that black on them, wondering if that was the right idea or not


Bump:

Since I got rid of my jack Dempsey I'm going to add some ottos soon

 

[gaga43]

It grows slowly under low to medium light, and likes really rich dark mud where I found mine. It does speed up in direct sunlight so I suspect if someone has high power lighting it is possible to do in a tank. My best example was harvested semi emmersed at almost the full size it has been. It has not increased in size in 6 months. it has made quite a few baby plants.

I also have some I put in a water bucket that collects all the morning dew that rolls off a roof. But it is shaded much of the day. The plants have mostly melted, but they made tubers in the roots (that is why it is called duck potato). Not sure how to proceed from here, but they are in nice fresh water, so I still have some time to figure out the way forward until spring rolls around again.

P.S. switch all the lights off, leaving just the tank light on. I think your camera is having a hard time white balancing the two different light sources.

Nice shark, I've always liked them, but never bought one yet. One hears such horrible stories about sharks.

my fish enjoy the odd piece of mashed banana. I always recommend liver as a superior protein source to hearts and other cuts.

So your saying my sag would do better in my experiment 40g dirted tank �� I'll also try your tip of turning the room light off after I'm finished with my water change

 

[Nordic]

Yeah, I'd feed the roots as well as possible.

 

[gaga43]

Here is after I trimmed all the black leaves off my crypt

 

[h22prelude2k]

In your original post, you say:

"Then I was faced with massive algae outbreak that covered everything with hair or beard like algae and merky water (still waiting on dry ferts) so I ordered some Puritan "

I have similar looking algae in my tank now, what exactly did you do to get rid of it. Searched for puritan, but cant find it anywhere online. What is it?

 

[gaga43]

In your original post, you say:

"Then I was faced with massive algae outbreak that covered everything with hair or beard like algae and merky water (still waiting on dry ferts) so I ordered some Puritan "

I have similar looking algae in my tank now, what exactly did you do to get rid of it. Searched for puritan, but cant find it anywhere online. What is it?

Sorry my bad.... It's actually called purigen but it's just to clear my water... what my problem was is I wasn't using any macros.... Only micros as soon as I got my ferts in the mail it started to go away... I have a large red tailed black shark that cleans off that stuff as well

 

[jaymyess]

Onions and salt, certainly not, but people use garlic all the time to help fussy fish eat and fight internal parasites. Might not hurt to add some after all.

Yes, it can be beneficial but IMO it should not be part of their daily diet even in minute amounts.

Bump:

Sorry my bad.... It's actually called purigen but it's just to clear my water... what my problem was is I wasn't using any macros.... Only micros as soon as I got my ferts in the mail it started to go away... I have a large red tailed black shark that cleans off that stuff as well

Sorry if I missed it but how long was this tank running from setup?

 

[gaga43]

I put the plants and swapped substrate in March tank had run for 2 years?