Recent content by gpodio

I've been using needlepoint graph for growing riccia, I sandwich the riccia between two pieces of it and tie it with cotton thread or fishing line. You can add a couple small pebbles between the two graphs to give it some extra space inside and weight as it can float up when pearling... You can...

Perhaps the downoi looked better but it's too early to say. Once the lobelia turns bright green it will have a different effect I think. Plus submerged growth is usually a little smaller... You could plant one corner with lobelia and the other with downoi then decide which one you like better...

Looking great, I like how you're using the lobelia.

Mostly light I believe, it grows green in my tanks lit with 6700K bulbs and very red on low 4500K bulbs and the supposedly 9325K Aqua Rays which are in no way the kelvin claimed... Nutrients could also change things a little, but I find light spectrum to be the biggest player in bringing out the...

Oh that's funny, I thought that was a picture of your lobelia :-) Phyllanthus is great, it's quick too! I also use dwarf water lettuce as it seems to be the faster of the ones I have tried. I got rid of my duckweed because people have a fear of it, personally I have never had too much problems...

Yeah that thread wasn't going anywhere... To be honest I was just passing by to see what vitz and Bob were arguing about lately :wink: I usually tell people to go to a LFS, pick a cheap fast growing stem plant and buy all of it until your desired plants arrive :-) Otherwise I ship them a bag...

Looking good! I agree, plant heavily from day 1! I can never get HC to stick in my main tank due to the ancistrus in the tank, but I have a lot of fun with it in a little 2.5g tank I setup just for this one plant. Dwarf lobelia is another favorite of mine, talk about a low maintenance plant...

This reef belongs to a friend of mine, it too runs on regular tap water:

The theory is there... but plants are not fast enough at consuming trace elements to clear up any "problem" values before they harm the fish exposed to them. If you were treating the water in a plant only tank prior to use this could work, but chances are if this is working for you, your tap...

Wow, sounds like you have bigger problems than fishtank water there... 45ppm is indeed high, I am quite certain 45ppm is in the "unsafe" region for drinking water... or very close to it! These levels in conjunction with PO4 and ammonia can certainly help algae, but your biggest problem is the...

Most tap waters are quite fine in FW tanks. The 3 key items to cover are chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals, all of which are easily taken care of with a single complete conditioner. I've run into some really bad well water in the past which I would not use, but I have yet to find myself in a...

Yes, if you're going to keep live plants you should try to avoid certain types of african cichlids, I haven't heard many success stories with mbuna and live plants but I did stumble onto this clip for what it's worth... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRpwIKXhnW4 Given the opportunity, I would...

There ya go! :D

Yeah the common ones they tend to leave alone are anubias, java ferns, hornwart and bolbitus. All of these require anchoring in rocks or driftwood so they make a good first choice. Certain hygrophila such as corymbosa, siamensis and angustifolia will likely be left alone or will grow fast enough...

On average 3 days to hatch, another 3 days to free swimming stage... Hope that helps