chkltcow
Fishaholic
Hi everyone. Just checked my PMs and the last one was from 2005... so.. it's been a while since I was around 
Not sure if any of you remember me or how many of you I'll remember, but.... glad to be back
Recently went through a "marital status change" and moved out on my own. After a week or two, I decided there needed to be SOMETHING else alive in this house to keep me somewhat sane, so I drug out my old 10g tank to set up a small reasonably cheap planted tank. It's been going for about a month now and seems to be doing well.
Some of you might also remember rdd1952 (my father). He still has a 75g planted, so I swiped some substrate and media from it and got to start with a pre-cycled tank.
Stats:
A few days after that I started planing the tank with an argentine sword, a standard java fern, and the windelov java fern. Shortly after that I went to another aquarium store and got an amazon sword, cabomba, and the crypt wendtii. Shortly after that I added 3 guppies, checked the water parameters for a few days, added 3 cories about a week later... and just yesterday added the cherry shrimp.
The cabomba has grown like crazy and I've already trimmed 4 of the 6 stems I bought and re-planted the cuttings, which are starting to grow like crazy all over again. The java ferns are both covered in spores that are growing their own new leaves now. The crypt is starting to spread out and the red color starting to get more visible. But the swords aren't doing much of anything. The Argentine sword is just sorta sitting there. The amazon sword is turning yellow and is absolutely covered in some type of hair algae. That hair algae is most of the reason I wanted to pick up the cherry shrimp. And the Java Moss is almost dead and I'm about to yank it. It didn't look fantastic when I bought it, and it has only gotten worse.
So now I'm just going to keep trimming and propagating the Cabomba. Would like to eventually get a full backdrop of it. Trying to figure out how long I can/should/must wait before plucking the spores on the Java Ferns and propagating them. Trying to figure out if I need CO2 or if Flourish Excel will handle the carbon needs. And trying to figure out why the amazon sword hates me.
Glad to be back in the hobby. Had forgotten how fun and relaxing it is.
Not sure if any of you remember me or how many of you I'll remember, but.... glad to be back Recently went through a "marital status change" and moved out on my own. After a week or two, I decided there needed to be SOMETHING else alive in this house to keep me somewhat sane, so I drug out my old 10g tank to set up a small reasonably cheap planted tank. It's been going for about a month now and seems to be doing well.
Some of you might also remember rdd1952 (my father). He still has a 75g planted, so I swiped some substrate and media from it and got to start with a pre-cycled tank.
Stats:
- standard 10 gallon (10x20x12)
- CurrentUSA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus
- 8-10hour photoperiod (not on a timer yet, so whenever I remember to turn them off). I generally turn the whites down after I get home from work and just have red/blue lights up
- 50w heater set for 76F
- Fluval 204 filter set to about 1/3 flow rate. This was a 10g nano-reef and I wanted extra volume for that... reusing it because I had it and it still works beautifully. Bottom media basket has bio-max and river gravel pulled from dad's 75g planted tank. Middle basket is activated carbon. Top basket is a polishing pad.
- Onyx Sand & Flourite substrate taken again from my father's established tank.
- One dose of Flourish added Oct 10th. Plan to add another small dose tomorrow (we'll get to that)
- Dosing Flourish Excel in tiny doses every 2 days
- 6.2-6.4pH, ~2dKH, 75ppm GH
- 3 male guppies, 3 peppered cories, 10 cherry shrimp
- cabomba, cryptocoryne wendtii, "Windelov" java fern and a standard java fern, Amazon Sword, Argentine Sword, and java moss.
- water changes every Thursday evening... about 2 gallons at a time
A few days after that I started planing the tank with an argentine sword, a standard java fern, and the windelov java fern. Shortly after that I went to another aquarium store and got an amazon sword, cabomba, and the crypt wendtii. Shortly after that I added 3 guppies, checked the water parameters for a few days, added 3 cories about a week later... and just yesterday added the cherry shrimp.
The cabomba has grown like crazy and I've already trimmed 4 of the 6 stems I bought and re-planted the cuttings, which are starting to grow like crazy all over again. The java ferns are both covered in spores that are growing their own new leaves now. The crypt is starting to spread out and the red color starting to get more visible. But the swords aren't doing much of anything. The Argentine sword is just sorta sitting there. The amazon sword is turning yellow and is absolutely covered in some type of hair algae. That hair algae is most of the reason I wanted to pick up the cherry shrimp. And the Java Moss is almost dead and I'm about to yank it. It didn't look fantastic when I bought it, and it has only gotten worse.
So now I'm just going to keep trimming and propagating the Cabomba. Would like to eventually get a full backdrop of it. Trying to figure out how long I can/should/must wait before plucking the spores on the Java Ferns and propagating them. Trying to figure out if I need CO2 or if Flourish Excel will handle the carbon needs. And trying to figure out why the amazon sword hates me.
Glad to be back in the hobby. Had forgotten how fun and relaxing it is.
