Turkey baster? That's what I'd use for the water. I don't know if it would harm anything buy leaving it, though. What kind of crypt is that?
SgtPeppers 25G
Here we go:
I just set up my 25G, decided to try my hand at the dry start method and I've already made a mistake or two lol. First, I kinda added too much water into the tank, what can I do about it? Right now it's just sitting on the floor because I dont have a stand for it yet so I can't easily siphon the water from it and it would still be hard because I have a top layer of sand and a lot of it would get sucked out with the siphon along with the water. How should I get the excess water out? Would it hurt to just let it evaporate?
Second, is it ok that I did a base layer of flourite and then a top layer of Tahiti moon sand? Should I have just mixed it all up?
I also feel I haven't added enough substrate, I had a 12lb bag of flourite that all went into the base layer and then I used half of a 20lb bag of TMS. I did already start planting some hc, anubias and java fern but I didn't even think about rocks or a piece of DW, I suppose I'll figure that out later tho when I find the right materials and when I feel like replanting all of that hc
I just set up my 25G, decided to try my hand at the dry start method and I've already made a mistake or two lol. First, I kinda added too much water into the tank, what can I do about it? Right now it's just sitting on the floor because I dont have a stand for it yet so I can't easily siphon the water from it and it would still be hard because I have a top layer of sand and a lot of it would get sucked out with the siphon along with the water. How should I get the excess water out? Would it hurt to just let it evaporate?
Second, is it ok that I did a base layer of flourite and then a top layer of Tahiti moon sand? Should I have just mixed it all up?
I also feel I haven't added enough substrate, I had a 12lb bag of flourite that all went into the base layer and then I used half of a 20lb bag of TMS. I did already start planting some hc, anubias and java fern but I didn't even think about rocks or a piece of DW, I suppose I'll figure that out later tho when I find the right materials and when I feel like replanting all of that hc
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Java fern actually. Kinda wilting because its big and heavy I think I'll replace it with a smaller one maybe.
I don't know anything about the dry start method, but I'd be concerned about the tops of those plants drying out if you leave the tank open to evaporate. I also thought the dry start method was more for carpeting plants and not as necessary for other plants? do you plan to plant a carpet?
Also, in your first set of pictures, the plant on the right (as you look at the picture) looks like a large Java Fern but the plant on the left appears to be a crypt or large anubias species.
That anubias nana looks super healthy and not too small at all! good work snagging those clippings!
Just don't forget not to bury the rhizome (horizontal stem part that the leaves grow out of) of any of those plants or they will die. If you want them in the substrate, bury them and then pull them back out until the rhizome is uncovered, or tie the roots to a small rock and set that on the surface of the pebblesroud:
Also, in your first set of pictures, the plant on the right (as you look at the picture) looks like a large Java Fern but the plant on the left appears to be a crypt or large anubias species.
That anubias nana looks super healthy and not too small at all! good work snagging those clippings!
Just don't forget not to bury the rhizome (horizontal stem part that the leaves grow out of) of any of those plants or they will die. If you want them in the substrate, bury them and then pull them back out until the rhizome is uncovered, or tie the roots to a small rock and set that on the surface of the pebbles
roud:
Alright, I fixed up some more sand for the bottom to get a thicker substrate and I had to pick out and replant all of the HC I could get. I took out the large Java fern and replaced it with the 3 smaller ones. I moved the HC up front in the foreground.
Heres a few pics tho:
the 2 Anubias are on the left and on the right theres the HC which is barely visible with the camera phone with a few more clippings of java fern along with a small clump of microsword.
I wish I could get them larger with my phone. I'll just have to borrow my gf's camera.
I dont have room in the 5G for these thats why they are there. Need the HC to grow in a bit first before I flood it.
Heres a few pics tho:
the 2 Anubias are on the left and on the right theres the HC which is barely visible with the camera phone with a few more clippings of java fern along with a small clump of microsword.
I wish I could get them larger with my phone. I'll just have to borrow my gf's camera.
I dont have room in the 5G for these thats why they are there. Need the HC to grow in a bit first before I flood it.
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Hello, fellow insomniac. Paper towels would definitely be wasted. The towel would work.
Paper towels would definitely be wasted. The towel would work.
Just put more stem's into the DSM tank
You could always fill 'er up...just don't be like CL having a thread for JUST the DSM (and 40 some pages of it too)
You could always fill 'er up...just don't be like CL having a thread for JUST the DSM (and 40 some pages of it too)
No need to delete the thread, just go into advanced editing in the first post and change the title so it's just a general journal for the tank roud:
As for forgoing the dry start, I'm much too impatient to ever try that so I'd say fill 'er up! :hihi:
roud: As for forgoing the dry start, I'm much too impatient to ever try that so I'd say fill 'er up! :hihi:
Alright, new pic.
Just got the DW in there.
Its a phone pic ... get over it.
Flora:
Lets see, from left to right theres
Red ludwigia, micro sword, cabomba, hygrophilia 'kompact', what I would call a regular anubias, a narrow leafed anubias, more Red ludwigia, java fern, HC, DHG, foxtail, a small clipping of anubias nana on the DW, hydrocotyle verticillata, and another java fern in the back right corner.
Fauna:
6 German Blue Rams
about 8 or so otos
2 kuhli loaches
and a handful of ghost shrimp
oh and 4 little guppy fry survivors the ghost shrimp never ate.
Just got the DW in there.
Its a phone pic ... get over it.
Flora:
Lets see, from left to right theres
Red ludwigia, micro sword, cabomba, hygrophilia 'kompact', what I would call a regular anubias, a narrow leafed anubias, more Red ludwigia, java fern, HC, DHG, foxtail, a small clipping of anubias nana on the DW, hydrocotyle verticillata, and another java fern in the back right corner.
Fauna:
6 German Blue Rams
about 8 or so otos
2 kuhli loaches
and a handful of ghost shrimp
oh and 4 little guppy fry survivors the ghost shrimp never ate.
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