My Managerie of Tanks

[CassCats]

Cories shoaling together while refilling their tank today during water changes.

Love watching this group shoal.

Actually went back and checked when they hatched, they turned 1 year old November 4th.

From egg to now:

They're not full grown though, but these guys can take a couple years to reach max size.

 

[CassCats]

Video of the 6 footer tonight. Really need to get used to Hammer being gone, it feels weird just 2 goldfish, but I'm going to resist the urge for a 3rd as long as I can.

The filters are crazy with plants. Especially the hydrocolotyle. The little wood stand with the glass tubes are the planters I'm growing the seeds in.

Neowise

Spotty

Both boys together

And the Paraguay tank fresh after water change and a minor trim

 

[Jinx_]

Was my 4th try with rotala
Some plants just don't work for some people, but hey, sometimes several tries can yield results, but looking like rotala is going into my "not compatible" plant list along with wisteria and water sprite lol

Did another oven baked cory today tol, brochis splendens this time. This one's a Keychain
View attachment 355644

4th try is crazy
I gave up on my first try
Would have to try from Tropica range, I've had some luck with theirs. My first one was from someone's tank, and it just kept melting away lmao.

I love these oven baked cories! They're so adorable! I gotta get some of the clay and make some things too ngl. I used to do these with my father when I was a kid

 

[MattW]

What species of Rotala? For some reason, Rotala rotundifolia does really well for me but only the H'ra variant. The green variant has always died back. Rotala nanjenshan is a new one I've been trying which is sort of doing ok. I'd love to try macrandra but I might need C02 injection for that.

 

[CassCats]

What species of Rotala? For some reason, Rotala rotundifolia does really well for me but only the H'ra variant. The green variant has always died back. Rotala nanjenshan is a new one I've been trying which is sort of doing ok. I'd love to try macrandra but I might need C02 injection for that.

Rotundifolia and indica, both just go poop on me. Either collect algae or vanish haha because the "easy" ones done well and they're the only ones I can get cheap locally, everything else I have to order online and I can't justify paying more just to know it'll likely die off for me.

4th try is crazy
I gave up on my first try
Would have to try from Tropica range, I've had some luck with theirs. My first one was from someone's tank, and it just kept melting away lmao.

I love these oven baked cories! They're so adorable! I gotta get some of the clay and make some things too ngl. I used to do these with my father when I was a kid

Took 13 tries to get duckweed to live
I've tried rotala from another hobbyist locally a couple times and store twice.

Took 5 times to get java ferns going, and only got going for me once I got them from a local hobbyist and started dosing potassium on top of my normal fertilizer lol

Sometimes some plants can be that way. I don't write it off as a failure of a plant until after 4x failing lol its funny because a local friend of mine does fantastic with ludwigia, we have similar/same water source and both low tech and I can't keep that alive under water either!! Grows like a weed out of water for me though he can also grow pogostemon helferi and I can't haha.


As for the oven baked clay, these are the first times I've ever played around with this type of clay. In the past was always just the reusable clay or sculpting clay. I definitely prefer these, but we bought it for my kid so these will be the last I use because I want him to enjoy it, not mom use it all on him



My plants that don't work for me:
Water wisteria
Water sprite
Bacopa caroliniana
Bacopa monnieri
Ludwigia except "orange'
Pogostemon helferi
Hygrophila strict
Hygrophila corymbosa



The funny thing with bacopa is that I can grow bacopa australis like a weed, stuff does fantastic for me, but not the others, especially caroliniana which I can't even grow emersed

 

[Jinx_]

Rotundifolia and indica, both just go poop on me. Either collect algae or vanish haha because the "easy" ones done well and they're the only ones I can get cheap locally, everything else I have to order online and I can't justify paying more just to know it'll likely die off for me.


Took 13 tries to get duckweed to live
I've tried rotala from another hobbyist locally a couple times and store twice.

Took 5 times to get java ferns going, and only got going for me once I got them from a local hobbyist and started dosing potassium on top of my normal fertilizer lol

Sometimes some plants can be that way. I don't write it off as a failure of a plant until after 4x failing lol its funny because a local friend of mine does fantastic with ludwigia, we have similar/same water source and both low tech and I can't keep that alive under water either!! Grows like a weed out of water for me though he can also grow pogostemon helferi and I can't haha.


As for the oven baked clay, these are the first times I've ever played around with this type of clay. In the past was always just the reusable clay or sculpting clay. I definitely prefer these, but we bought it for my kid so these will be the last I use because I want him to enjoy it, not mom use it all on him



My plants that don't work for me:
Water wisteria
Water sprite
Bacopa caroliniana
Bacopa monnieri
Ludwigia except "orange'
Pogostemon helferi
Hygrophila strict
Hygrophila corymbosa



The funny thing with bacopa is that I can grow bacopa australis like a weed, stuff does fantastic for me, but not the others, especially caroliniana which I can't even grow emersed

I failed with so many plant lol, I don't even remember their names. Bacopas used to do well, now they don't do well anymore. My crypt beckettii is doing so well it sent out a new shoot that grows like mad. My vallis, it only touched the topsoil, that and the good lighting. It grows like a weed, 2-3 days enough to grow soooo long! My java moss is doing very well too, it wouldn't grow if it was from someone elses tank. This time I got it invitro and it's doing so well..

I gotta get more plants tho, but once I get some money going lol. Will probably get some staurogyne repens since it used to do well, until it started melting away for a random unknown reason.


I used to do different clays as a kid, was really into art (the passion is dead now). Our oven isn't so good tho lol, on brink of dead. So I might try sculpting with clay one day

 

[CassCats]

I failed with so many plant lol, I don't even remember their names. Bacopas used to do well, now they don't do well anymore. My crypt beckettii is doing so well it sent out a new shoot that grows like mad. My vallis, it only touched the topsoil, that and the good lighting. It grows like a weed, 2-3 days enough to grow soooo long! My java moss is doing very well too, it wouldn't grow if it was from someone elses tank. This time I got it invitro and it's doing so well..

I gotta get more plants tho, but once I get some money going lol. Will probably get some staurogyne repens since it used to do well, until it started melting away for a random unknown reason.


I used to do different clays as a kid, was really into art (the passion is dead now). Our oven isn't so good tho lol, on brink of dead. So I might try sculpting with clay one day

Ooooh these "oven bake" clays use a hair dryer! I was reading the instructions and was surprised it said to use a hair dryer.

This was what we got
CiaraQ Polymer Clay-Oven Baked... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B085HJC6VN?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share


Staurogyne repens did horrible for me, but staurogyne sp bihar does fantastic for me. Doesn't grow the same though. It's a taller plant.

 

[fishorama]

That stauro. bihar is pretty! I can only keep s. repens alive for a short time in most tanks. I've given up on it for now but maybe not forever

 

[Jinx_]

Ooooh these "oven bake" clays use a hair dryer! I was reading the instructions and was surprised it said to use a hair dryer.

This was what we got
CiaraQ Polymer Clay-Oven Baked... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B085HJC6VN?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share


Staurogyne repens did horrible for me, but staurogyne sp bihar does fantastic for me. Doesn't grow the same though. It's a taller plant.

View attachment 355935View attachment 355936

Yeah I think hair dryers work the same lol

You know, I might actually get s.bihar if I find it. I do miss my s.repens tho lol

 

[CassCats]

Yeah I think hair dryers work the same lol

You know, I might actually get s.bihar if I find it. I do miss my s.repens tho lol

I do recommend! Does need good lighting at least, but it's low tech otherwise. It'll look a bit like hygrophila polysperma when grown emersed, so don't be surprised if it looks really different when you buy it

This is what mine looked like when it arrived

It's a funny plant. It grows tall though, unlike repens, so it won't work for a foreground plant. But it's pretty lol

 

[Jinx_]

I do recommend! Does need good lighting at least, but it's low tech otherwise. It'll look a bit like hygrophila polysperma when grown emersed, so don't be surprised if it looks really different when you buy it

This is what mine looked like when it arrived
View attachment 355966


It's a funny plant. It grows tall though, unlike repens, so it won't work for a foreground plant. But it's pretty lol

I'll keep it in mind, thank you!
My hygrophilas melted a bit, but I haven't taken care of my tank for a bit

I'm looking at different plants I wanna get to fill holes out once I get some money going

 

[CassCats]

I'll keep it in mind, thank you!
My hygrophilas melted a bit, but I haven't taken care of my tank for a bit

I'm looking at different plants I wanna get to fill holes out once I get some money going

The eternal struggle lol some other good ones to consider:

Pogostemon "octopus"
Bucephalandra kedagang
Limnophila sessiliflora
Heteranthera zostifolia
Echinodorus "yellow sun"
Bacopa australis

 

[Jinx_]

The eternal struggle lol some other good ones to consider:

Pogostemon "octopus"
Bucephalandra kedagang
Limnophila sessiliflora
Heteranthera zostifolia
Echinodorus "yellow sun"
Bacopa australis

Thank you, I'll check them out once I can!

 

[CassCats]

That old lady emperor with the male traits.

Paleatum pics

Old Bolivian ram developing cataracts this year. Still doing okay, just not in his/her prime anymore.

Apistogramma borelli sitting in my pogostemon gayi

Lorgie Georgie

And the Heternanthera zostifolia has been looking very crisp this week

 

[noahm]

I'll keep it in mind, thank you!
My hygrophilas melted a bit, but I haven't taken care of my tank for a bit

I'm looking at different plants I wanna get to fill holes out once I get some money going

I go with the method of try lots of things in lots of places. I am not going to fight nature too much. If it grows poorly, I let it peter out and disappear rather than buy a bunch of supplements or change up too much.

I use real soil but have hard water, so haven't seen any nutrient issues with substrate-planted plants. Some things have failed in ways that
seem pretty related to water type. Others, floaters especially, can show deficiency if the tank is too pristine.

Placing them in different locations can result in surprisingly different performance. Light and flow can be all the difference.

In any case, I generally try twice and then give up while using the successful ones in more places. I am about to try some compact Java fern in a higher light situation. Compact forms often developed in shallower higher light, so it's a better candidate.

Best of luck. Also, if you see a member with lots of plants you like. I wouldn't hesitate to ask if they would be willing to ship some. It can get to where you throw away a lot of good material.