From reef to planted: musings and build thread

[Anonymous]

true siamese flying fox will decimate hair/thread/mebbe even 'beard' algae

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Vitz. Think I'm going to give one a shot, see if I can find one this weekend. I -think- I've got the thread algae under control and on the decline now, but manual removal of this stuff from hairgrass is an annoyance I'd just as soon skip in the future :lol:

The ludwigia arcuata I bought off another hobbyist came USPS today while I was at work. MUCH nicer than the straggly stems I got last time from a vendor. These are a really gorgeous red, and once they grow in a bit they're going to look awesome. They're just cuttings, so currently only about 4"-5" tall.

Batteries for the digital camera are charging, so gimme a day or two and I'll put up some pics.

 

[Anonymous]

8)

 

[Anonymous]

(waits patiently for pics)

 

[Anonymous]

Tom doesn't know the meaning of patience. He's waiting, tapping his fingers on the desk in an irritating way.

 

[Anonymous]

 

[Anonymous]

Heh! Sorry to keep you all waiting, photos will probably be up tonight at some point.

In the meantime, I just got a box o' fish delivered from liveaquaria this morning. It was supposed to contain an SAE and a pair of otos. Instead, there's no otos and the SAE isn't, it's a false SAE. That's the last order I place with liveaquaria, I think.

I've no experience with False SAEs, but hopefully they eat thread algae like true SAEs do. Anyone with any experience want to pipe up?

Also picked up a pair of aphyosemion australe. Couldn't help it

 

[Anonymous]

Heh! Sorry to keep you all waiting, photos will probably be up tonight at some point.

In the meantime, I just got a box o' fish delivered from liveaquaria this morning. It was supposed to contain an SAE and a pair of otos. Instead, there's no otos and the SAE isn't, it's a false SAE. That's the last order I place with liveaquaria, I think.

I've no experience with False SAEs, but hopefully they eat thread algae like true SAEs do. Anyone with any experience want to pipe up?

Also picked up a pair of aphyosemion australe. Couldn't help it

heh i was gonna mention not getting the false one, but i figgered you were already aware-to the best of my knowledge, they won't do nearly the same job, and may get abit too 'boisterous' as they get bigger/older

fyi i haven't seen true sae's very often-and most stores don't know (even realize) the diff

 

[Anonymous]

Also picked up a pair of aphyosemion australe. Couldn't help it

Ohhh purty!!!

 

[Anonymous]

BTW, you do realise that, thanks to you, I no longer fantasize about having a marine tank again, but fantasize about having a planted tank again?

Thanks! 8)

 

[Anonymous]

He also inspired me to do a planted tank, though with my new work schedule it will have to wait a few more months until things ease up :?

 

[Anonymous]

It's going to have to wait until I move house in all likelihood. So another 4-5 months at least I think.

 

[Anonymous]

I only have a minute for a quick post, so.... here's some photos

 

[Anonymous]

Two more....

 

[Anonymous]

If you look, you'll be able to see some patches of thread algae and a tiny bit of black beard algae. Mostly in the hairgrass. I didn't do any cleanup before snapping the photos, mostly because I want to see how the false SAE does with the stuff over the next few days.

An interesting note regarding the killifish, after just a few hours in the tank they started spawning in the HC. Wouldn't have thought they'd use HC as a spawning medium, but hey, cool.

Vitz:

fyi i haven't seen true sae's very often-and most stores don't know (even realize) the diff

Yeah - that's why I went the online route for one. I figured I'd have better odds of actually getting an SAE that way. Not that it worked out that way, though :evil:

Lawdawg:

He also inspired me to do a planted tank, though with my new work schedule it will have to wait a few more months until things ease up

Yeah, noticed you keeping a low profile around here lately. Well, no worries if it takes awhile for your tank to come together, I'll have cuttings for you whenever

Tom:

BTW, you do realise that, thanks to you, I no longer fantasize about having a marine tank again, but fantasize about having a planted tank again?

Heh. Glad to serve. I'd send you cuttings too, if you weren't on the other side of the pond.

 

[Anonymous]

have you thought about trying some cherry shrimp, or their relatives ? i'm fairly certain they'll do a number on regular thread/hair algae-dunno about the nastier 'bluegreens' algaes though

plus, they're purty and really kewl!- especially in smaller tanks

i had some in my desktop nano (the bowfront i did a thread on in this forum awhile back)-multiplied like the devil easily, too i started with about 6 and had to give 'em away, heh-you get small 'flashes' of scarlet/red pokin' out at ya from all over the place, and their very active and almost always viewable (not extremely shy with gertrude's or aphyosemion size fish

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, noticed you keeping a low profile around here lately. Well, no worries if it takes awhile for your tank to come together, I'll have cuttings for you whenever

Work is one reason for that as my new schedule is a 40hr straight shift from 0600am Sat to 1100pm Sunday. I'm still working towards a tank, but am enjoying yours by default

 

[Anonymous]

Heh. Glad to serve. I'd send you cuttings too, if you weren't on the other side of the pond.

Heh. You're not helping any with these pics. Looking very, very good. 8)

How are you finding the CO2? That's the bit I hate most about both planted fresh and marine in truth. Adjusting the CO2 caused me more stress than anything else. :x

 

[Anonymous]

have you thought about trying some cherry shrimp, or their relatives ? i'm fairly certain they'll do a number on regular thread/hair algae-dunno about the nastier 'bluegreens' algaes though

I've thought of them myself. But truth to tell I'm really not a huge shrimp fan, even in saltwater. And I read somewhere that for algae control you really need a fair number of them.

If the current solutions don't work, I may reconsider.

 

[Anonymous]

How are you finding the CO2? That's the bit I hate most about both planted fresh and marine in truth. Adjusting the CO2 caused me more stress than anything else. :x

I really stressed a bit bout the whole pressurized CO2 thing before I set it up, to be honest. But it's been such a simple and painless thing that I can't complain at all.

I really, really love the ADA disposible can system for small tanks...

$200 and add a solenoid for $60-$80. $11 for a disposible can which lasts for a wee bit more than two months on my 15 gallon. Not as economical as using a five pound refillable canister, but so much less hassle and so much less space required. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat for any tank 20 gallons or less in size.

I just use a drop checker for monitoring concentrations of CO2 in the water. You can see mine in the upper left front corner in some of my photos. Gives me a way to tell with a glance if I've got enough, too much, or not enough CO2.

I'm not sure who the regional distributor for ADA products in the UK is. Any idea, Tom? EDIT: Ah, I found it. Here you go: http://www.adaeuro.com/