New Miscellaneous Ramblings and Discussion: January 4, 2026

[Phish Tank]

@gnatster, at least your shrimp were in insulated bubble wrap, mine from Buceplant didn't even have bubble wrap. 30 shrimp in a baggie in a cardboard box in December.

 

[techman81]

Yeah this has definitely been a weak point for Buceplant, not shipping in the packaging you expect, or even paid extra for. On the positive side, if you contact them and include a photo of how your order arrived, they will give you store credit...at least they did for me.

Oops! Wrong button.

 

[BenB]

There's this one

@Koan @techman81 and @gnatster I did a search on videos while I was in bed before I turned out the light. I found this one and marked it to watch later. Thanks for the rec. Good to know I found something useful for once. It was a pain to wade through the junk. As the YouTube discussion in @Jeff Miotke thread, there is so much crap in the planted tank world and it is very beginner oriented, just obviously wrong, done 100 times already, or over hyped for gullible morons. It's hard to find anything useful. I don't see how good creators rise above the

@Dennis Wong that was exactly the type info I was looking for. I'll watch your videos that @Koan referenced also. I've been doing this forever, but I've always been a farmer. I just like to grow plants. I'm going to try to do some scaping. The artistic part will take more time. I've seen plenty of those type videos and plenty of in person demonstrations.

 

[BenB]

From the page where I ordered shrimp.

"**Note: All livestock orders will come carefully packaged with solid wall Styrofoam insulation and shipped via 1-day shipping only. No extra insulation needs to be added to your cart for your livestock."

I was looking at the pic of the box and thinking, that one cup of tc is all jumbled to hell. Then I got to your last pic.

I ordered some tc yesterday as well. Mine is coming from Aquatic Plants Factory. We'll see how it goes. Shipping is so expensive, but most of us don't have a place with tc nearby. I have a place with some here, but it's still a 20-25 minute drive and sometimes I'd rather just click.

 

[gnatster]

Yeah this has definitely been a weak point for Buceplant, not shipping in the packaging you expect, or even paid extra for. On the positive side, if you contact them and include a photo of how your order arrived, they will give you store credit...at least they did for me.

I was reluctant to contact them since I'm playing with house money for this order. I don't want to seem ungrateful. Then again, if they don't know, they can't try and fix, so I wrote.

FWIW I have found this is how Aquatic Arts ships, and Wet Spot too

Aquatic Arts is the model for shipping livestock. Always well packed, with informative inclusions.

I've not tried Wet Spot yet. I usually try to order livestock from vendors nearby, OH, to minimize handling delays.

 

[Kwyet]

I won’t order from AA anymore, after multiple problems. I’ve always had great experiences with Imperial Tropicals. I made a couple of orders from The Wet Spot last year, and they’ve been great so far.

 

[BenB]

I ordered from Aquatic Plants Factory on Monday, they said they shipped on Tuesday, but in reality, it went out today. I could have had it maybe Friday or Saturday, but it's coming Monday after it gets back cold. Ugh

 

[techman81]

I ordered from Aquatic Plants Factory on Monday, they said they shipped on Tuesday, but in reality, it went out today. I could have had it maybe Friday or Saturday, but it's coming Monday after it gets back cold. Ugh

Potted, stems, TC or combination? It seems to me that TC wouldn't be as much of a concern in cold temps.

 

[BenB]

TC. I think it will be OK, but my frustration is in that they didn't put it in the mail until a day after they said they shipped it, and I made an effort to order during warm weather and they crapped all over it.

 

[gnatster]

Mesh Lid Kit advice please.

UNS 5T 14.17 x 8.66" area

Needs to have "cutouts" in each back corner. Not to scale image.

The red area must remain open for Lily Pipes and the ATO.
I've viewed various kits online, and they all lack sufficient corner pieces. Please keep in mind that I do not drive, so access to the local Ace Hardware to have something made is not an option.

Thanks.

 

[Koan]

I've viewed various kits online, and they all lack sufficient corner pieces

This guy does great work

Custom cutouts, whatever you want then you just order the metal track pieces from Home Depot. You'll want to use a miter box to cut them nice and square, so you don't pinch them shut ask me how I know

 

[gnatster]

How much moss would one need to order to cover a 7x10-inch surface?

In 3D printing news, my brother is printing screen corners for a mesh top and endcap shades for the Chihiros WRBG Pro 2. Link to endcap shades

 

[BigWave]

How much moss would one need to order to cover a 7x10-inch surface?

In 3D printing news, my brother is printing screen corners for a mesh top and endcap shades for the Chihiros WRBG Pro 2. Link to endcap shades

If your the patient type order maybe 2 or 3 TC cups of your choice of moss. Then use this technique to grow it out. Of course you would have to create the backdrop out of something.

 

[gnatster]

Then use this technique to grow it out.

Working on those.

Mixed mosses pulverized with Controsoil and RO water. Brushed on lava rock in a humid environment. Growth after 5 weeks.




The same mosses were also individually wrapped or glued to smooth rocks and grown immersed. Mistakes were made here. Moss doesn't grasp onto smooth rocks well.



The question about the quantity of moss required to cover an area pertains to another new project, http://glassaqua.com/diy-aqua-darium-guide/

This mostly retired thing leaves me with too much time on my hands and a 2-page document with future plans and ideas.

 

[BenB]

I made a post like this last year, and I have a feeling I'll be making one every year.
I'm fairly certain this little crack in my thumb is attached to every nerve in my body.
Last year, @Koan recommended the remedy below. The crack healed before it could ever get here, but I still have it and about to try it.
Working on the aquarium just makes it worse and mine is a jungle right now. It needs some trimming.

 

[gnatster]

@BenB Bag Balm works for me.

 

[BenB]

@BenB Bag Balm works for me.

I hate all of it, but sometimes in winter, I have to do something. I use Gold Bond, but I'm willing to try something else.

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

@BenB

https://www.adana.co.jp/en/contents/support/pdf/AJ231/Master_the_Beauty_of_Plant_Cluster.pdf

This may help as well, there’s a lot of good resources in the ADA journal if you scroll enough

 

[BenB]

@BenB

https://www.adana.co.jp/en/contents/support/pdf/AJ231/Master_the_Beauty_of_Plant_Cluster.pdf

This may help as well, there’s a lot of good resources in the ADA journal if you scroll enough

This is awesome! Thanks
Many years ago I had a subscription to the Aqua Journal. It was in Japanese, but I still loved it.

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

Here’s another useful article: ADA Review ‘Seven Steps to Creating Beautiful Aquatic Plant Clusters’ | AQUA DESIGN AMANO