Stan's freshwater 240 gallon extravaganza. Trials and tribulations of a sunlit aquarium
- Thread starter Stan510
- Start date
About two weeks ago I added Water Wisteria. Today? I noticed they looked very thinned. One of the Rainbows has enjoyed the taste. I haven't seen who the culprit is..but my hunch is a female of no ID that I've seen eating my star grass into extinction. Whatever she is,she has a strong herbivore urges in her. Tripartita,Ludwigia palustris and any of the fine leafed Watermillfoils type water plants tried over the last 2+ years have all been food. Cant say its all her..the other big Rainbows or even Roseline barbs might be helpers.
For now she can stay. I actually have a plant already in there that being overgrown that can fill that spot. A marbled Sword is even too tough for her and the thems!
For now she can stay. I actually have a plant already in there that being overgrown that can fill that spot. A marbled Sword is even too tough for her and the thems!
I thank FF. net for letting me keep a journal because I truly lost track of when I made the last water change. Oct 14th and now its November 22. Water is clear,no tint and plants are looking better then I have ever seen them. All that BBA or BGA or even that black hard stuff on the Anubias is all nearly gone. Its like I used some algae killer and all it is,is that the algae is being starved out of what makes algae happy and the plants are getting more of what they like. Plus,I'm a heavy feeder of my happy fat Rainbows some of 5 1/2 bulky inches.
I still clean the filter and of course top off the aquarium. I also add potassium and Seachem iron in modest amounts for the size of the aquarium. Yet..The Syngonium shows its luv for iron by growing large and lush deep green leaves..and Tiger Lotus,well,ALL the plants have put on a spurt.
I also bought an air pump and run that into the powerheads venturi. I swear that also is making a difference sending out a froth and many fine bubbles into the big tank. I have that powerhead right next to the 1,2000 gph filter pump so things are moved around well.
I still clean the filter and of course top off the aquarium. I also add potassium and Seachem iron in modest amounts for the size of the aquarium. Yet..The Syngonium shows its luv for iron by growing large and lush deep green leaves..and Tiger Lotus,well,ALL the plants have put on a spurt.
I also bought an air pump and run that into the powerheads venturi. I swear that also is making a difference sending out a froth and many fine bubbles into the big tank. I have that powerhead right next to the 1,2000 gph filter pump so things are moved around well.
I can only blame- I mean credit-the wife for stopping the weekly water changes. I tell you my Alternanthera leaves are cleaner than they have been in months. Rainbows were flashing like I had made a water change in the morning.
How about this? My Tiger Lotus is not only growing better than ever,the newest leaves are red. They had been more burgundy brown and I thought that was the best it would do with my lighting and my no Co2 ways. All I have done is not make a water change in over a month or so. A photo later. With new and old leaves still on it to see the difference..
The Tiger on no Co2 or super lighting. I was happy it grew..but never thought it would start to color up like this. Again,no water changes in a month. Topped off of course. Also,glass algae has been near non existent. Before? I was scrubbing that front glass once a week. All plants looking better than ever.True.
One photo is a bit dark but you can see new redder leaves with older brown-red leaves.
One photo is a bit dark but you can see new redder leaves with older brown-red leaves.
Attachments
once the plants started to grow like crazy the algae stopped to grow
i-i think i got exposed.... i sometimes forget to weekly WC
It's a hard balance to get. I had many plants but they were all in slow motion so I kept water changes going and that in turn kept the plants weak and the algae strong. I guess this is why aquascapers spend big upfront on enough plants to fill the aquariums. Only this aquarium was just too big for me to do that.
i started with one small specimen of each plant i have, and with a strong light they can slowly fill it up, 1 year almost
lol,SAME HERE. Every plant started as one..or about. Bolbitis was a 8" strand. Cryptocoryne balansae was a single sliver of a plant. The Pearl Weed looks like those horror movies of something that grows from tiny into gargantua. It was a $1.90 or so at PetSmart just 4 months ago. You remind me how i have a 24" long plantings of C. wendtii and that was a single plant for a year. Then it was three smallish plants for another..then I moved them into a lines fronting the Anubias. Since the end of weekly water changes it has reached far larger sizes. Nothing else needed. Not more light or even iron. I just stopped changing water.
Funny thing is? Fast is still not so fast I am removing extra Anubias or Bolbitis..but they are filling gaps like never before and Bolbitis leaves are getting longer and wider looking more like a houseplant fern by the day.
Just today I noticed that my C. balansae has reached a deeper green color then ever. Glossy too.
oOP! I forgot to mention that I also added that air pump to the powerheads venturi. So that churning of bubbles..might be also helping.
Funny thing is? Fast is still not so fast I am removing extra Anubias or Bolbitis..but they are filling gaps like never before and Bolbitis leaves are getting longer and wider looking more like a houseplant fern by the day.
Just today I noticed that my C. balansae has reached a deeper green color then ever. Glossy too.
oOP! I forgot to mention that I also added that air pump to the powerheads venturi. So that churning of bubbles..might be also helping.
wow! removing anubias means that it grows super fast!
Anubias are one of the slowest growing plants I have experience with...
Most reactions
-
244 -
211 -
196 -
172 -
167 -
153 -
141 -
132 -
109 -
102 -
96 -
86 -
82 -
81 -
59