Would this be true for Glandulosa also?
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Journal Frank's Dutch Attempt
- Thread starter FrankZ
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Possibly. It doesnt exactly translate to ludwigia ime, where you can look at it and say for certain. But it could beUnexpected said:
AR, all varieties, and fine leaved rotala stunting (with good color) are the two most reliable indicators that I know of.
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- #83
FrankZ
Well-known Member
Going with 10 mls micros puts me at 0.11 Fe. I’ll try that. It’s easier to measure out that 11.73 mls to get me to 0.13 Fe. I think the lesson here is to it’s better to be lean than rich on the micros
I can mix up a new batch later with different micro levels. I have almost 750 mls left from this batch.
I wonder if the meeboldi green I had with the wrinkled leaves was from the micros. They sure have flattened out since I put them in the low tech tanks. But the light there is less than half of my Dutch so that as an effect I’m sure.
I can mix up a new batch later with different micro levels. I have almost 750 mls left from this batch.
I wonder if the meeboldi green I had with the wrinkled leaves was from the micros. They sure have flattened out since I put them in the low tech tanks. But the light there is less than half of my Dutch so that as an effect I’m sure.
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- #85
FrankZ
Well-known Member
Looks like the powerhead incident, subsequent clean up/rearrangement, and filter cleaning triggered some algae after all. It was a busy week so I didn’t get to pay much attention until a bit ago.
GDA everywhere, I did a quick glass cleaning for the FTS, side walls and back are covered. Also for the first time in years, I have GSA starting on plants. Specifically on the limno rugosa.
My CO2 had drifted down to 34 mls/min from the 37 it was at, I’m not sure if this is enough to trigger the GDA/GSA. The silt from the powerhead mess was settling out in the rugosa the worst of all the plants so maybe that has something to do with it. I also found a nice size clay blob was pushed through the sand thanks to a tank of a trumpet snail. That couldn’t have helped the situation either. The clay has got to go…..
Lots of cleaning tomorrow on maintenance day and trimming out of the infected leaves.
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- #86
FrankZ
Well-known Member
Almost forgot, I got all the baby plecos out last weekend. They were chowing down on the rugosa so I think their health is a bit more comprised than anything else. I’m not to worried about the algae at this point, patience and husbandry will fix it.
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- #87
FrankZ
Well-known Member
Had to do a hack and slash trim before jumping on a plane Thursday. Just finished my water change and other maintenance this morning. GDA explosion has slowed down to a slight eruption so I’m guessing the filter is maturing back to a stable level after the major disruption.
Some of the plants aren’t pleased and I’m not sure why. The downoi has deteriorating older leaves, limno rugosa has GSA, and rotala mac went yellow. The ludwigia super red got super droopy and started putting out tons of green side shoots. The downoi, limno, and l super red seem to have slowed down with their symptoms but the rotala mac is still canary yellow.
20 days ago, just before the power head mess, I dropped NO3 from 20 to 15, I also reduced micros from 0.17 Fe to 0.11 Fe shortly after that. I am not experienced enough reading the plants to say if either of those is the culprit. I am using DTPA (0.09 ppm) and gluc (0.02 ppm) iron for my burraqua recipe so the DTPA might be an issue since I have no alkalinity now. Mainly just thinking out loud with the thumbs.
My gut says CO2, so I need to get my @Yugang reactor finished and installed. Like most everything, it will end up being a sequencing nightmare. I have 5 other things I need to do when installing the reactor it’s not a simple 30 minute job.
The AR mini is putting out almost perfect new leaves so I think the micro levels are good, maybe the iron source is the issue for the other stuff.
I found some blyxa japonica for sale on eBay. It looks like steamed spinach when it got here but it hasn’t turned into goo yet so it maybe survive. I want to see if that will work better than the rosette swords in the front right.
What's the sequence of tasks that have to be done to allow for the yugang reactor ?
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- #89
FrankZ
Well-known Member
Build it, paint it black, clean the outside of the back glass, reinstall the black background (so the reactor isn’t visible through the tank), mount the reactor on the back of the canopy, replace the fluval ribbed hose with Nyla braid, and redo the filter inlet to accommodate the new hose.
So like 10 min tops? What’s the problem 
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- #91
FrankZ
Well-known Member
GDA is coming in nicely. 
Lol @ the snail trailsView attachment 3719GDA is coming in nicely.
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- #93
FrankZ
Well-known Member
Rarely does doing nothing pay off. In this case it did!! Thanks @raj for the courage to do nothing and leave it alone. GDA is completely gone in the front glass thanks to the snails. They are making a dent on the sides. The back is dying rapidly.
The ludwigia super red was looking ugly from GDA settling out on the leaves so I mowed it down. I couldn’t see what was happening due to the slime but whatever. It will grow back just fine.
AR mini is looking way better. It going to need a trimming to remove the old twisted leaves.
The pogo stellata and mermaid weed both started growing strange. I think the stellata had issues with the GDA like the ludwigia but not sure what happened with the mermaid weed. It’s the Cuba variety so maybe that’s why it was looking ugly to me. This if the first time I’ve grown this variety. So I kept the best looking stem and added a stem of myrio red next to it to see which one I like best.
On an another bone head note. Take notes and set reminders. I cleaned my RO/DI container because it was smelling musty. I forgot to add Seachem Safe to it and add more Safe to my tank when I did the water change. I forgot both and killed all but 3 fish in the process. Was able to restock with a quick trip to petco. 12 scissor tail rasboras and 7 diamond tetras. Two species I haven’t had before and haven’t seen in the store so it will be interesting to see how they work with the scape.
That helferi is blossoming! Really starting to spread looks beautiful. What is that basil looking plant in front on the right?
Those tetras look cool nice choice
Those tetras look cool nice choice
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- #95
FrankZ
Well-known Member
We've all made mistakes like forgetting to add the dechlorinator. I remember I once got busy while refilling the tank. Of course, it spilled all over our wood floor. In my rush, I also forgot to add dechlorinator to my heavily chloramine-filled tap water and the result was very painful.
Since then, I have a water change checklist document that I scan every water change. May be a little too much for some but it gives me peace of mind that I won't skip any step accidentally.
Since then, I have a water change checklist document that I scan every water change. May be a little too much for some but it gives me peace of mind that I won't skip any step accidentally.
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- #98
FrankZ
Well-known Member
@Yugang reactor is complete and mounted to the canopy. After the cat pointed out how messy I was with the glue and how dumb it looks with white PVC I spray painted it flat black.Back wall of the aquarium is now painted black. Odds and ends are here for the filter suction and discharge work to occur tomorrow.
On a plant note, 3 days after the GDA disappeared off the front glass it started coming back. So I started digging into CO2 first. I found my filter started sucking air then dripping water at the purge valve. The FX4 has a separate valve on the bottom for using it for water changes and filling, I find it kind of dumb because you vacuum the substrate during a water change and this valve puts the junk right back into your filter. Anyway, this leak was causing a huge air pocket in the top of the canister besides the drip onto the floor. I got a new valve and have it stalled. So far no drips and after tomorrow it won’t have to worry about having co2 blasted right into it.
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- #99
FrankZ
Well-known Member
I have been at it since 5 am. Everything is complete and running leak free. I do have a weird issue since starting the co2 to the @Yugang reactor.
My co2 flow is jumping all over like a check valve is sticking or my regulator isn’t strong enough. There should be less restrictions now so I don’t know what’s going on.
Could it be my cheap needle valve? Flow is jumping between 30 ml/min and 50 ml/min. It didn’t do that yesterday so I’m guessing I knocked something out of whack or exposed my regulator for what it is.
My co2 flow is jumping all over like a check valve is sticking or my regulator isn’t strong enough. There should be less restrictions now so I don’t know what’s going on.
Could it be my cheap needle valve? Flow is jumping between 30 ml/min and 50 ml/min. It didn’t do that yesterday so I’m guessing I knocked something out of whack or exposed my regulator for what it is.
How are you putting CO2 in?
