Journal 120 Dutch Ft. Yugang Reactor (Horizontal CO2 Reactor)

[TurtleDragon]

My SAE enjoyed any soft leaf green plants, I could not keep moss or hydrocotyle trip without them decimating it in a very short period of time. Great fish and cool personality, but they are happy to munch on your scape if it suits them.

In case anyone is still looking at this thread, TRUE SAEs do not go after plants/mosses. There are three species of fish that look so alike, that it took me hours of carefully looking at traits to make sure I was getting the true SAE when I bought mine. I had to be careful because only the true SAEs are shrimp safe, as well. (They will try to go for the babies, but are too clumsy to really succeed). Out of the original three, I still have one that is now about 7 years old. He goes crazy over Spirulina flakes/wafers and loves the occasional black worms I throw in the tank. He’s a little bossy towards my Habrosus Corries and Otocinclus during feeding time, but never truly harasses them, even though he totally dwarfs them at about 6” long. I’ve never once seen him eat plant leaves or mosses and he still nibbles at the plant surfaces. (He’s become my daughter’s pet favorite.) Honestly, none of my SAEs did as good a job at algae control compared to the Otocinclus and Horned Nerite snails, but they also never harmed any of my plants.

I had ramshorn snails hitchhike on floaters into a tank that I was using for quarantine purposes. There were sometimes months with no fish in there with those ramshorns, so no feeding. Those Ramshorn chewed up my plants, putting little holes in them (same fertilizing regimen as in my other tanks). None of the plants in my other tanks showed the same damage, even with the Nerites. I would suspect the pond snails for the plant damage…

 

[Unexpected]

LOL that's why I don't have any planted walls. "Goddamn it's fuckin' tedious," love it

We couldn't stop laughing last night. She's a trooper lol.

 

[Unexpected]

I believe the wife did a pretty darn good job with the Trip. Just have to make the side panels and remove the moss on the right.

 

[Burr740]

Wow that Tulu getting fat!

 

[Unexpected]

Wow that Tulu getting fat!

Well, some tops do well then go south. I’m not sure how to keep it all happy and healthy.

 

[Burr740]

Well, some tops do well then go south. I’m not sure how to keep it all happy and healthy.

I wouldnt sweat a few here and there if the vast majority is thriving

 

[Unexpected]

I’m ready to pull my hair out. I completely forgot to double dose after water change and boom…algae and more stunting. Now I know why my Pogo is upset!

Scape still not looking good. Poor color contrast and the streets look like trash. I had to squeeze everything inward to account for the side walls and I’m thinking I’ll need to drop plant count to 17. Anyways, another meh week.

 

[FrankZ]

it doesn’t look to me like anything patience won’t fix. I know having me say have patience is pretty stupid since I have less than zero.

Maybe change the spacing in your reds. Three of them are almost the same distance across the tank, but you probably already noticed that yourself.

Take comfort in that I did some dumb stuff this week due to lack of patience and being lazy. Moving stuff around and replacing plants without doing a water change. Got too cocky for my own good and it resulted in a nice curtain of crunchy GDA to scape off and vacuum out.

 

[Unexpected]

it doesn’t look to me like anything patience won’t fix. I know having me say have patience is pretty stupid since I have less than zero.

Maybe change the spacing in your reds. Three of them are almost the same distance across the tank, but you probably already noticed that yourself.

Take comfort in that I did some dumb stuff this week due to lack of patience and being lazy. Moving stuff around and replacing plants without doing a water change. Got too cocky for my own good and it resulted in a nice curtain of crunchy GDA to scape off and vacuum out.

Yeah, I have non as well. I want to make sure I have enough red this time but 4 might be too much to manage. Too much yellow going on also.

 

[FrankZ]

Yeah, I have non as well. I want to make sure I have enough red this time but 4 might be too much to manage. Too much yellow going on also.

Even without my poor camera skills, which turn everything yellow, I have to much yellow LOL

 

[Burr740]

Yeah now isnt the time to skimp on macros. That H trip wall covers about the same area as the whole floor of the tank, its gonna suck some ferts! I learned that with my first moss wall, and moss is a lot slower than that

Good eye from Frank on the spacing. You can also kill some symmetry by having those groups different size/shape/height. All those reds are doing about the same thing atm

Main thing to me is it still lacks a strong focal point. I guess youre planning on the swords or whatever that is to get big, and that might work. As long as there's something that commands attn in the 1/3 point(s)

Its really looking great though

 

[Unexpected]

Thank you both! So with said feedback, I’ll try expanding the Ludwigia (back left red) to the left to get it wider. I think I’ll pull the Natans and replace it with a Lotus I have (command attention area?). It’s the more green type. I’ll move the Little Bear sword and extend the Tulu all the way to the right street.

Can’t recall the name, but the plant in front of the Hygrophila will get swapped with Blyxa J. and move it to the right in front of the Val that can’t be seen yet.

The right side front is kind of a plant holder at the moment.

 

[Unexpected]

Yeah now isnt the time to skimp on macros.

I think I need to start skipping the beer

 

[Burr740]

I think I need to start skipping the beer

Or drink more of it! I do some of my best work with a little buzz on...

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

Was gonna say, the only reason we haven’t thrown this S**t to the curb is the booze

 

[Yugang]

I’m ready to pull my hair out.

You give credits to your wife, and from time to time blame yourself. You're a good man @Unexpected

 

[Unexpected]

You give credits to your wife, and from time to time blame yourself. You're a good man @Unexpected

I try, but I’m definitely a butt head at times

 

[Unexpected]

How in the hell? He was one of my bigger ones.

 

[Unexpected]

The wife is giving him a proper burial.
She’s taking him to the backyard.

 

[Count Krunk]

That sucks man

What do you think happened?