Recent content by BeachCruiser

100g planted community tank

Did a partial rescape to thin out a big clump of plants & provide more caves for the Apistos. From this: To this: New rocks are the same granite & will patina up in a few weeks. Looking forward to the grow in!

Not sure if it was mentioned but if the Apistos breed they will not get on well with corys.

Interesting! I keep mine pretty sparse (toss a few ziplocks full every couple weeks). Makes a pleasant dappled effect below in the gentle surface current...

A similar low tech. Mid May this year: Currently: It does take a while for stuff to grow in... patience & stability are key!

Wow, that's crazy! Does any light penetrate to the submerged plants below?

Your ability to grow aquarium plants will depend greatly on your light source. Most light hoods that come with tanks are of minimal strength & not really well suited for robust growth. What type of fish you keep is another factor. Some popular types just love snacking on or digging up tender...

He was awesome! Would let me pet him underwater & gently ate shrimp from my hand. Had to give him to a friend when i did a multi state move...he lived for several years after that!

Nice! I've always liked the new world cichlids. Kept a huge Texas Cichlid for almost a decade. His iridescence was just crazy! But yeah, live plants don't last long...

For me, BBA pops up in areas of high flow when the tank is dirty. Smoothing out the flow rate & water changes usually knocks it out.

In 40yrs of keeping cichlids, I've never seen them be overly sensitive to nitrates at a reasonable level (under 40ppm). Unless you have basic water problems or overfeed regularly, keeping under that with a 50% water change shouldn't be a problem. I've tap water with 5ppm nitrate & 1.5ppm...

I use a similar piece to hold stem clippings near the light to root, rather than floating around in the current. But you could use it for a feeding station too...

When i had that problem, i H2O2 dipped the epiphytes/hardscape, removed as much decaying organic matter as possible, reduced photo period to 6 hrs & did weekly 50% water changes. Once eradicated, i very gradually resumed fert schedule & increased lighting. It hasn't returned.

Regarding root tabs, your wisteria might benefit but the other plants are primarily water column feeders. If you aren't already, a good all in one liquid fertilizer would probably help plant growth. Thrive & Easy Green are both popular products.

^this^ Especially the high organics/water changes.