 03:21:53 | I'm doing okay, just trying to organise my stable a bit lol |
03:19:13 Crowley | Myth| I am great! I had a wonderful training session with Hellion yesterday! |
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03:15:45 Dae| Im good! Got some new art XD I love the cartoon style one second Ill show |
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Hello how are you? :33 |
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I am great. Had a wonderful training sssion with May yesterday! |
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Ouhh wow! He's niceee |
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A small bowl is not a good envroment for goldfish. Actually any bowl isn't that good for a goldfish unless it's a pond. I've raised them before along with other carp fish, and that inculdes a monster 1.5 foot koi that had an attitude problem, the damn thing kept trying to bite both the cat and dog that wanted to drink from the pond. And anyone who has been in the hobby will tell you the same thing I did. Yes some of us do have huge tanks or had huge tanks. The largest tank I ever had was a custom 300 gal tank and a 450 gal pond in my yard, however since I've moved a few times I only have a 6 gal tank with one betta in it. I even consider that a little small for him, but since he's the only fish in it the tank itself is not over stocked he's happy with his habitat. Tell me this in the 6 years you've had them have they grown any? If they have good, but if they stopped growing their organs do continue growing, and will eventually kill them. A lot of hobbiest now unless they specifically raise goldfish for showing tell people not to get them because of care involved with them. 1.) They are a very messy fish and produce a huge amount of waste. So if you don't do daily to weekly water changes on a small bowl you are poisoning them with their own waste. 2.) Because of the waste issue you need a good filtration system in place along with regular water changes, and a small bowl isn't really equiped to handle filters, unless it's one of those globe 1 gallons you can find at Wal-Mart and pet stores for 100 dollars or so, and then finding replacement filter cartages can be a bitch. 3.) Goldfish are not a hardy tropical fish, they are a cold water fish, although they can survive in water up to about 85 degrees it stresses them out. 4.) Their slime coat is very sensitive. Any amount of stress can cause damage to their slime coat. 5.) They tend to rip their scales off each other. They are a canablistic fish. And along those lines if you keep them with smaller fish they will eat anything they can get their mouths around. 6.) They like to be in schools of 5 or more. 7.) The Bubble Eyed ones are prone to their sacks popping. That can kill a fish. The Lion Heads can get liver and swim bladder desieses easily, and a lot of times their heads get to heavy they can't swim any more. 8.) A lot of times some types of gold fish have swim bladder issues and can't swim propperly. 9.) They can grow up to 2+ feet in length depending on the species. 10.) If you got feeder fish they usually don't live long since they are so inbred and used as food for other carnavorus fish like Piranah and other closely related fishes.
Sephyrus said:
I'm not killing them. They are perfectly fine. The bowl is big enough for them all. I was just saying "small" because i'm assuming some people on here have huge ass aquariums. I've had them for around 6 years. They are perfectly fine.
Hawkeye Farms said:
Okay this is going to sound mean, but you are killing those poor fish by keeping them in a small bowl. For 3 goldfish you need them in the bare minimum of a 75 galon tank. They can grow to over 12 inchs long, and a small bowl just stunts their growth and destroys their internal organs. They also produce a high amount of waste, and need a good filtration system in place. Sephyrus said: I have 3 goldfish in a small bowl. Nothing to whoop and cheer about lol.
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Alright I'll try and get some protein ritch food for them and see how they do. Hopefully that is all that I need to do to stop them from dying all the time. |
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PK Rescue Stable said:
Hastings if I EVER have trouble with my guppies I'm coming to you! I have a 10 gallon with gravel, live grassy plants to hide in, no decor, good filtration, and about 10 feeder/endler guppies. It's here because myself and my clowder love to watch them. The cats drink out of the top of the filtration and never bother the fish. I really don't need them to breed, survival of the fittest here lol! Occasionally I get an influx of a friends well bred endlers to keep out TOO much inbreeding. The tank is very self sufficient, with my little snail friends keeping everything clean. When I was in hospital for months, they barely got fed and yet survived and thrived. However, i'm putting you...Hastings...on speed dial hahaha!
Lol I'm honored to be on speed dial!
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Unus1 said:
Alright I'll try and get some protein ritch food for them and see how they do. Hopefully that is all that I need to do to stop them from dying all the time.
If you are still having problems with them dying I would like to see some pictures and if possible a few swim videos, it'll let me get a better idea of what's going on as well. |
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Been a while, Eh? Let's dive in! I know I have been away for quite some time but I'm here now. First off I'd like to address something, Yes I watch this forum like a hawk watches a mouse. This is NOT a reddit forum, I'm NOT being paid to tell you what you want to hear, I asked and started this forum to help you, Not so you could treat it like a place to troll and use it like a playground, If you want to play 'games' Check either Steam or Gog, Thank you. Update: I was put on a 'ping list' for an aquarium light which was back in April and never got contacted -_- so I'm still waiting, This month I'll be stocking back up on filter media for my 45 gallon tank and buying the glass lily pipe, intake and the heater for my Oase 250 Bio thermo filter, and maybe 2 bags of the Seachem Flourite Black sand, I also need to add a black background to my 45 I was going to do it in April but some stuff came up and I couldn't. For today's lesson, This will NOT be for those with a weak stomach, Yup, we're talking about internal organs and what 'dwarfism' does to them. There is no such thing as a 'perfect' fish, Externally is how we judge 'Beauty' yes the fins and scales, and body might look as though they're brand new, The fish is eating and everything seems to be going flawlessly, But that is simply not the case. Externally the fish is fine, internally however the fish is a mess, Said fish is supposed to be 10+ inches long and almost say, 6 inches wide, Massive right? Well, it's been a year and he's still as big as the day you got him, This is when you begin to panic, The body cannot grow if the organs cannot expand and grow with the body, Bones, tissue, ligaments, tendons, Growth plates, Everything is halted, The fish slowly begins to decline, The symptoms will vary, the fish might not act differently at all, or will rapidly, Most frighteningly of all, Something's got to give and yes it will. The body will never grow, the fish either becomes a rubbery lifeless husk or the poor thing survives and it's organs continue to grow, without the correct amount of space...the organs will eventually burst out of the fish killing it instantly. Another thing that is quite common, When a fish displays weakness in a community tank the tank boss will notice and kill or bully that dwarf fish to death. Diet has almost nothing to do with it, Genetics are the main factor in 'dwarf' fish though the better term for 'dwarf fish' is 'Man-made fish' Fish who are not typically 'dwarfs' in the wild are going to be sold with a boat-load of health issues and of course it'll make YOU look like the villain, it's not your fault, you are however at fault for buying that fish in the first place. Here's a question I get often, How many Goldfish in a 75 gallon tank? My answer is now, Just 1, If you want to own those gorgeous fish please own them responsibly, I can't force you to heed my advice but I can only hope that you take it too heart. Inbreeding, It's no secret, Every supplier does it, or will do it eventually, Inbreeding and Hybridization play a huge role in dwarfisim in our fish, it can happen accidentally though in fish stores this is no accident, I call it 'Mass sale breeding' Where suppliers breed their fish and do not care if it's inbreeding or not. Hybridization: This is where two fish of two different species are cross-bred to make something 'unique' It is usually unsuccessful and a catastrophic failure, It is why when breeding fish the tank needs to be a species only tank, live barer females need to be moved into a different tank so she can give birth in peace, As for egg laying fish, if the parents are more interested in eating their eggs you will have to take the eggs and raise them yourself. Lastly, Another horrible symptom or symptoms of dwarfism is blood clots and something I like referring to as 'Razor scale death' Where the scales will begin to break off and shed or invert and stab into the fishes body, Both of which are painful, Most importantly dwarf fish do not live as long as Google says they do, Some of them will be lucky if they make it to a year old, Whereas others only live for about 2-6 months, Am I saying just don't buy dwarf fish? No but buy with caution, If you ask questions and the seller refuses to give you a straight answer, Don't buy from them. Constant infections: No I'm not talking about external infections, I mean internal infections, medications can fix most of them, But torn or damaged internal organs cannot be corrected or 'fixed' or 'cured' with medications, diet, water changes, Etc it can't be repaired there's literally nothing you can do except for making the fish comfortable or as comfortable as possible. Fish friendship: We've seen it all before, some of us have fish of different species who are friends, This is usually because both fish are the same gender (Female and female) or (Male and male, No females in the tank, Same with the females) This is when nature does something truly incredible, (Most common in cramped community tanks unfortunately) Two female fish suddenly lay eggs without a male present, There can be one or two reasons for this, The females were kept for breeding before you got them and are laying unfertilized eggs, Or, Survival kicks in and one female changes it's gender into a male or a male into a female, This is rare but it can happen and result in dwarfisim. How? Simple once a sibling switches gender the inbreeding will thus begin and spread like wildfire, It quickly gets out of control and you will find yourself over your head in a couple of weeks. You will run out of room, if there isn't enough room for your fish they will cannibalize each other even if there's enough food for everyone, Again this is survival, they won't stop eating one another until very few or none are left. Can you prevent something like this from happening? Yes and No, If you are a solo fish breeder you will not be able to get this under control, If you've got a partner you can divide out the males and females and sell them to each other or clients if you have any, Coming prepared before starting any breeding project is always the best route, For example: During the Spring and Summer months is breeding season for your fish or pairs, For egg layers they will not need this process so feel free to gloss over it, For live barers, During the mentioned months keep the males and females together, When the Fall and Winter rolls around move the females and place them into a tank where they can relax and just be a fish, or start/stop whenever YOU the breeder/owner needs a break so that way you don't get overwhelmed and can bring in new genetic lines, though if you are breeding for profit, any males or females should always be selected carefully, In other words be as nit-picky as much as you want but always ALWAYS go in person and if you can't, ask for several videos of the fish you are interested in, Never just take their word for it. That'd be like leaving me with a baby and saying 'Okay have fun Hasty, I'm going to Japan for a month!' I would be either completely insane or terrified of infants for the rest of my life, Why? Because simply leaving someone with a baby is like getting a fish without asking questions and then things go fins up and you're screwed because the parent or previous owner is not responding to your emails, texts or calls, Scary right? 'What do you mean by nit-picky?' Judge the fish, Is the tail longer than the dorsal fins? Are the fins longer than the body of the fish? Does the fish look sickly compared to the rest? Maybe the fish swims differently than the rest, You have to see that and ask yourself 'Do I want to introduce that into my breeding program?' Fish genetics are the most complicated thing to a lot of people, Confusing as well. Let me show you what genetic code makes a Black Lace Angelfish as an example. Sire: D / +,+ / +,+/+,+ / +,+ / +,+ / +,+ / + Dam: + / D, +,+ / +,+ / +,+ / +,+ / +,+ / +,+ +/+ (Both genetic codes go on longer than that but this is just an example.) What does all of that mean? So in other words your Black Lace Angelfish has the following genetics on both parents sides. Silver 25% Black Lace 50% and Double Black 25% A fish is only really ever a 'purebred' in it's original origins, Or wild without modern genetics ever being introduced, A fish will always be crossed with a different colour genetic even if your fish are all the same colour or breed, one day a fish will hatch or be born and look different, So say if you breed Super Red Koi Angelfish but one fry out of 100 hatches and grows up completely black with a single red or yellow or orange spot or Koi speckled fins, this comes from it's ancestry, From either it's Dam or Sire, it is impossible to tell. This can also happen with live barers too, though in both cases is quite rare, No it's not a bad thing it's just how the genetics or gene pool turned out. I did not mean for this to become some what of a biology lesson x..x Sorry about that, I had thought of posting about fish genetics but I was worried that I might bore everyone. More genetics talk: Genotype and Phenotype As mentioned precentage above, These are all factors of Geneotype and Phenotype, No two are exactly a like unless inbred, Inbreeding causes a chain of broken Genotypes and Phenotypes, Causing a list of birth defects, Kinked spines, Internal failure, etc, If avoided, Most Genotypes and Phenotypes are strong and slowly over time new Genotypes and Phenotypes can be introduced provided that neither of the two are from the same place or familial lines, To make sure your fish are not inbred, The best thing you can do is get the Dam from one breeder and the Sire from a different one entirely, This process should be repeated once every year for serious competitive breeders and once every 5-10 years for small new breeders, provided either has the space to do so. Broken Genotypes and Phenotypes: In most cases this is what causes dwarfism as well but inbreeding, poor living conditions, poor diet and overall bad husbandry and misinformation is ultimately the final nail in the literal coffin. Should I be a fish breeder? Yes, but make sure to do it the right way, Seek out a mentor and meet up as much as possible, They are there to teach you so ask all the questions you want and make sure to take notes and study, Do a lot of studying, No you don't need a PHD or Masters Degree but knowing what you're doing is better than not knowing. Anything else? Yes, If you're not sure, Take a step back and picture it, Do you have the time, space and money to afford a breeding project? What is in the most demand and can I get a pair of 2 or 4? Wrack your brain with the hard stuff first, don't just dive into the 'easy' stuff that's how you end up in a dire situation where you might have more fry than you've got space for and no clients or family/friends willing to buy your fry or fish. How should I measure tank size? There are two ways, The one inch per gallon or the irrisponsible way 1 fish per gallon, So if a fish gets to 6 inches long or tall you would want to keep that fish in a 55 gallon tank or larger, If a fish gets 12-14 inches long than that fish should be kept in an aquarium of 400-1,200 gallons or larger, This is where having enough or more than enough space needs to be a top priority. Space is vital, Would you like it if I put tape or paint on your floor and had you step into it's parameters and expecting you to live within those parameters? You would not be able to step out of them, expand or ask for more space, You wouldn't like that would you? Neither do your fish, of course like every pet they can't speak and tell us 'Hey my tank is too small, I need a bigger one before I get sick and die, Can you get me a bigger tank?' If they could speak and ask us for a larger aquarium they would. I know I keep going off topic but it's my way of giving your minds a break from my science lingo. Hopefully I cleared some things up and if not please feel free to ask me and I will try and get back to you as soon as possible but I have been busy as of late. That's all I've got for you for now, Byee! until next time! |
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Update and where I have been, Let's dive in! I went poof and didn't say anything about it, now I'm back and I feel a little better about posting again. My grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he is home now and is doing much better. I took a break not just because of my personal life but because I have started cycling my 45 gallon aquarium, I HAD an Oase thermo biomaster 250 canister filter with a 200 watt heater, Well once I attached the glass intake/surface skimmer and orchid lily pipe, My canister filter started making a really weird noise, long story short, the motor had been damaged and thus caused water to go everywhere, luckily I unplugged it before things got really bad, Now I am using my Fluval C4 HOB filter -_- I really don't like HOBs for various reasons, the lid on mine likes to come off easily but putting it back on however that can take over 20 minutes, I am also using my Oase 100 internal filter, Don't worry I am also using the Oase 200 watt heater from my messed up canister filter since it still works. Speaking of heaters, I might have discovered something that (hopefully) will make keeping bigger tanks less of a chore. Let's just say you have a 75 gallon aquarium but now you've got a problem, How many heaters do you need? 1, 2,3,4? Neither. If I'm right placing a 400 watt heater in the path of your water flow should keep the whole tank properly heated, Keep in mind that I am still doing research into this, If the heater is not set on high settings 82F+ a 400watt heater might be sufficient enough, However if higher settings are required than an 800 watt heater might be needed to keep up with the temperature demands for exotic or tropical fish, When I have put more time into my research I will be posting here. To driftwood or not to driftwood, That is the question. 'Is introducing driftwood that I found on beach or at the lake safe for my aquarium?' No, you don't know where it's been, what lived in it or on it, Or how long it's been floating in the sea/lake, introducing something like that to your tank might negatively impact your under water eco-system, Or worse cause your tank and cycle to crash. The benefits to live driftwood are, Black/Yellow water or Tannins, They can soften the water and lower PH but if you're like me, where your tap water is already soft you really shouldn't make it any softer, conditioning your fish to overly soft water has a higher fatality rate than it does survival, Yes there is such a thing as water that is too soft or too hard, GH, This is something you need to keep a close eye on after every water change, Don't test the water right away after a water change, otherwise you'll end up with an insanely high GH and it could cause you to freak out, Especially if you're still new to the hobby.
'What is a good GH?'
I can't give you an exact number nor answer, each species of fish has different GH requirements. Think of GH like this. Say if you have allergies and when once they start they don't stop, Unless you take allergy medication, Etc, Well fish are the same in this way, some need a GH of 4 whereas some might need it even higher, Around 180+ GH, Remember, Your GH also ties into your PH if the GH levels are erratic and unstable then you're PH probably isn't doing so hot either. Let's get a little off-topic here, Have I ever told you just how much I am beginning to HATE applying black static cling backgrounds to my aquariums? Yeah..I'm starting to dislike it lol But I know I'm not done adding backgrounds just yet since I plan on getting more tanks, I might even be getting a 90 gallon aquarium, Finding one that isn't drilled for a stupid sump however has been quite the challenge but I'm not a quitter. Okay that rant is over. Back to the driftwood. They always tell you to boil your driftwood. But they never tell you how many times you need to boil it. Truthfully you will never completely 'remove' the tannins they will always be there, The bigger the driftwood the harder it is to fit into a pot to be boiled in and it is even more difficult to boil it. In order to somewhat remove tannins is to yes boil the driftwood (DO NOT boil driftwood if it is attached to a slate or some stone/rock etc) 'What is the most important part of fish keeping?' Routine, If you don't have one perhaps fish keeping isn't for you. And by that I mean, if you do water changes once a week say every Tuesday in the morning then that is your routine and sticking too it like clockwork is what will help keep your fish and aquarium healthy. Straying from your routine will open your fish up to a plethora of parasites, diseases, fungus, and pairs might even stop spawning or begin fighting, Like I said, this hobby is not for the lazy or the extremely busy, if you rarely have time for yourself then chances are you don't have any time for your fish. The same is applied if you are lazy. Now, I'm just gonna go and- 'Ahem..Hasty, Forgetting something?' I have a cesar bacon salad in the fridge? 'Not that' I need to take inventory of my aquarium supplies? 'Anything else?' UGH! 'It's time to debunk some myths!' -_- But I just re-grew my brain cells from the last time, Fine, Let's just get this over with. ''The betta fish I saw on Google Images is real, I'm gonna order one'' Yeah, No, it's not real, That 'gorgeous' betta is actually photoshopped, If you go ahead and attempt to order that 'fish' all you'll get is regret and maybe a photo copied picture of that 'betta fish' Congrats. ''Omg, I bought a table-top aquarium but it's smaller than it was advertised'' Do you know what a scam is? You got scammed into buying an expensive livingroom decoration -Claps- ''An Eel is not a fish, it's an eel'' Nope, it's still a fish, and you're still an idiot, Yaay us. ''If a catfish can croak, Can it sing?'' For fuck sake -__- No it can't sing, it just croaks as it's name entails. ''Do saltwater tanks smell bad?'' One way to find out, Smell the filter and hey if you don't pass out from the smell or chemical exposure or die from it, Good for you. OH one more thing before I go. Remember those worthless fish bowls? I know what they can be used for. Fake small house plants Storing your keys. And if you're one of those. A swear jar-Ahem bowl. Oh and if I don't post again for a while it's probably because I moved -_- I'll make a post about it, If or when I move, On a more positive note, tomorrow I will be getting the iPhone 13, No this is NOT a flex, I have had my old phone since 2018, What does this mean? It means (If I can figure it out) Better pictures of my aquariums, Fish, and products that I use, fish food, filter media, chemicals etc, I'll be sure to let you know how that ends up going, I'm always helping or trying to help my grandparents with their iPhones...even though I have no idea what I'm doing XD Until next time, Byeeeeee! |
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Sooo I have a female betta fish. I have had her for two days and she's really come out of her shell, she is a halfmoon lavender dumbo betta, I named her Averi and don't worry I'll be sharing pictures of her soon, Right now I'm letting her get used to living in a 20 gallon aquarium, Anyway when you guys finally get to see Averi, her tank will be aquascaped and she will have two nerite snails to boss around. So that's my update for now, Thank you for reading this! :3 |
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Update and something else, Let's dive in! Where have I been? Well, I took a break for many reasons, the big one being that I have spent most of that break, Measuring, Researching, And of course experimenting. Now about that 'Something else' We need to talk, yeah it's about Co2 and how to make it. First off you'll need something to put your Co2 canister into. Why? Because it's going to get cold. Got your bin or whatever your going to set your Co2 canister inside of? Good. First you'll need to remove the solenoid from your Co2 canister. (Keep this within reach, you WILL need to quickly screw it back on) Next you'll need a funnel, this should sit in your now open Co2 canister, Now you'll need to add 1 leveled scoop of Citric Acid (Food grade) Followed by 1 leveled scoop of baking soda (Food grade, Both should be Non-GMO) Here's where things get interesting, The last thing you need to do is use a measuring cup (Make sure it's clean) and add about 500Ml of cold tap water, Remove the funnel and tilt your Co2 canister at a 45 degree angle and rock it carefully for about 5 seconds, Now you need to quickly screw the solenoid back on (MAKE SURE THE VALVES ARE CLOSED) Bring your Co2 canister to it's respective bin and proceed to hook it up. Yes I know this is a lot to process but we're not done yet. Co2 means that your plants will have a better chance of thriving, Now about those bubbles, Bubbles should be produced SLOWLY, A slow supply of bubbles will mean that you won't have to make Co2 as often, though you'll still need to make it. How do I know if there's enough Co2 in my aquarium? Using a drop checker will make your life easier. Too simplify it. Blue = No Co2 Yellow= Too much Co2 Green= Co2 levels are where they need to be. How does the drop checker work? First you'll need to add approx 5 drops of the Co2 solution to the drop checker, Next you'll add about 1.5ml of aquarium water to the drop checker and solution (Yes you'll need a sterile syringe without the needle) If you see air-bubbles in the drop checker after adding it to your tank it means you've done it right. How long does it take for the drop checker to change color? That depends on the amount of total dissolved Co2 in the tank, For some people it takes a few minutes, Others a few hours and in some cases a day or two, it really depends your tank. That one maddening thing about Co2. Ah-yes the dreaded Co2 Diffuser, The best thing you can do is just soak it in aquarium water for about a day (For smaller tanks) Though if you have a bigger tank you'll want to soak it for 3 days before doing anything with your Co2 canister. A few people have forced the process by turning the Co2 on full blast just to get the diffuser up and running, Now that is a huge waste of Co2 and money. How many bubbles? I will be excluding 5 gallon tanks since I don't think they should be used for aquarium plants due to their size. For 10 gallons 1 bubble a second (Remember, slow bubble production is better than fast bubble production.) For 20 gallons 2 bubbles a second. and for 30 gallons 3 bubbles a second. Larger tanks: 40 gallons 4 bubbles a second. 50 gallons 5 bubbles a second. 60 gallons 6 bubbles a second. 70/75 gallons 7 bubbles a second. For even larger tanks. 80 gallons 8 bubbles per second. 90 gallons 9 bubbles a second. 100 gallons 10 bubbles a second. That's as far as I got with those calculations, They will only be accurate based on the following. Plant quantity. Plant placement. Plant health. Plant size. (Height and if they are a flowering plant or not) and most importantly. Plant maintenance. (How often they are pruned or trimmed) How often do I need to refill my Co2? Again that depends on the size of your tank, Another thing to monitor is your bubbles, if you start noticing that your bubbles aren't being produced, shut off your valves and unplug your Co2 it might be time to refill it. Remember when you said the Co2 canister was going to get cold? Right, It will get cold, the canister is going to sweat as a result hence why placing the canister (Upright) in a bin is a good idea. You should NOT touch the canister until it is time to refill it, Still caution needs to be used here, you should you wear thermal or insulated gloves, That might sound a bit extreme but the canister can get cold enough to give you frost bite like burns, I call them cold burns and if handled for too long it might even cause permanent nerve damage. About those dreaded diffusers. For larger tanks you might need to use two of them, As for placement that's up to you, Most commonly Co2 diffusers are placed behind the aquascape. Solenoid Low pressure should be 75 PSI and no lower. For High pressure 1,500 PSI and no higher or lower, if you are noticing that your PSI is bouncing then something is wrong and you need to change out the Solenoid with a new one, DO NOT WAIT. If you decide to wait you might notice that your getting a headache, Yeah that's what happens when your Co2 is leaking that is why it is so important to make sure that your Solenoid is on correctly (Not lop-sided, tilted etc) and it's O-Ring is on, checking the O-Ring BEFORE making Co2 is the first thing you should be doing before you unbox your Co2 canister. Why Diy Co2? Have you seen the prices of filled Co2 canisters online? I have been monitoring them for about a year and they have gone up in price, There is also this variable, Say you bought a pre-filled Co2 canister, Great, X amount of time later it needs to be re-filled, You can't do it yourself you don't have the equippment to refill it, In some parts of the world, Paint-ball companies will refuse to refill your Co2, LFS will charge you an insane amount of money (This is especially a fact when you have more than 1 Co2 canister that needs to be refilled, Or they want you to have an extra O-Ring that their website or social media failed to mention, The bigger the canister of Co2 the more money it's going to cost you to refill, That is why I chose the Diy route.) What if I don't want to do the Diy route? You don't have to, it's just a little more cost effective. Timers: You probably should set your Co2 on a timer, Turning on every 1-2 hours and shutting off immediately after, this should prevent you from wasting or even dumping your Co2. Bulk buying: If you can, buy your Citric Acid and Baking soda in 5LB or 10LB bags if possible, Always check and make sure that neither bags are expired or have chunks inside them. A little more about that update. I have been slaving away to make sure my fast approaching project goes off without a hitch. Whaaat? I am buying yet another aquarium stand and eventually a new tank, Where I will be moving Averi my betta fish into once it's cycled. Once I get the tank and [REDACTED] I will then fill and make sure it's not going to explode. SCIENCE! What? I HAD to do that, just once. So, That was..a lot, I think I covered everything, if I forgot something I will update this post. That's all I got for you for now, Until next time. Byeee! |
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It's been a month!!? Let's dive in. (For an update, Sorry..) I have been biding my time, Doing..perhaps excessive research into Red aquarium plants, and aquarium plants in general. There's also a brand I wasn't sure about, but that's in the past, I will be testing it once I FINALLY scape my 45 gallon aquarium. (Yes it's still sitting there like a lazy lout, These things take time.) Now that I have pulled my face out of my notes and research, tomorrow I will make another post and share what I have finished studying, though most of it felt like a no brainer. (No brainer = Obvious) A fair warning, my next post will be long, and contain science lingo, No worries I will translate everything so that you are not sitting there scratching your heads. Until tomorrow, Byeee! |
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You'll want to read this, Let's dive in! As I said before the health of your plants is determined by many factors, But today we are going to be discussing two key factors about aquarium plant lights. PAR What is that? Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR for short) Now before you freak out, It's NOT that type of Radiation, Your PAR values are important, High light plants require more Red and Blue and less White, Warm LEDs and should be placed directly under the light or where it is the brightest. I should turn off my White/Warm LEDs? No you still need them but turning them down should improve the condition of your plants. Medium light plants: They still require Red and Blue LEDs but not as much as High light demanding plants, I cannot tell you how much to give your plants that is something you will have to experiment with. Low light plants: You can get away with lessening the Red and Blue LEDs but again you'll still need them. Without proper PAR Measurement/Values your live plants will not last very long. What about the algae? There is no way to prevent algae blooms, but you can stop them before they get bad, treating the filter, heater and tank, along with getting snails that actually eat algae will help keep you sane. UMOL/PAR What's UMOL? UMOL = Micromole (No not that type of mole, one finds on their skin or the animal mole) UMOL's and PAR go hand in hand, you cannot have one without the other. An example of how to measure UMOL/PAR. If your UMOL sits at 56 inches on the surface of your tank than your PAR will sit 9 inches (Dead center) of your tank thus providing your high light demanding plants the lighting they require. (The above calculations are NOT an exact measurement they are just an example) Red plant liquid supplements: All plants require a liquid supplement, choosing the correct one can be stressful, Remember that brand I mentioned? (I am still doing research so this section of my post is subject to change without warning) It is called 2HrAquarist, Yes they're website helped me study UMOLS/PAR (Which I am still studying though it feels kind of obvious) The liquid supplement I will be testing (When I scape my 45 gallon aquarium) Is the APT/ 3 Complete, I will be dosing daily approx 5.1mL and just the faintest drop of Seachem Excel (I might not even use the Excel, I will be adding API Co2 Boost and Leaf Zone, Approx 25mL or less.) Speaking of 2Hr Aquarist, I will be using Jazz (Root tabs) and APT Start, Along with the following nutrient layer. (Yes I finally settled on one) ADA Power Sand Advance M 6L (x2, One bag at a time as it is expensive, $125CAD or $137CAD per bag) ADA Substrate Additives: ADA Bacter 100 (The Bacter Ball version goes in your filter, You can add the Bacter 100 to your filter but I will be adding it to my nutrient layer.) ADA Clear Super. ADA Tourmaline BC. ADA Bottom Plus. ADA Iron Long. and ADA Bottom Multi. All of that for two nutrient layers? Yes it is required otherwise you risk not providing enough micro/macro nutrients to your plants. But the nutrient layer is on the bottom. Indeed. Plants grow, Not just the stems and leaves, the roots will grow as well, meaning that they will get longer and they're reach will eventually become wider, So yes saturating your nutrient layer with nutrients and additives is necessary. Root tabs: (Seachem pack of 40) You will need to get a little medieval here. Purchasing a Mortar and Pestle and crushing the root tabs into a fine powder and covering your aquasoil layer with it should help your tissue cultures and mature plants get the nutrition they need. (Still studying this but tests will be carried out soon) Next bury your root tab powder with yup, more aquasoil, Once you have the correct amount (Weight of aquasoil depends on the size of your tank) Add a little more of that powdery goodness to the holes you've (hopefully) made with your fingers and begin planting, once the plant roots are sitting on that powder add a full root tab, It can be 2Hr Aquarist or whatever brand you prefer, Bury them but watch that Rhizome don't bury it, If you do say bye-bye to your plants. Too Iron or not too Iron, that is the question. In a more recent study I have concluded that adding Iron to Red plants actually has nothing to do with their redness, Adding just the smallest amount or none at all is perfectly fine, Though I wouldn't add Iron except for the substrate additive and that's it. Leaf melt: This can happen if your plants are getting too much light or not enough, Poor water quality, Incorrect water parameters, Activated Carbon can cause this, as carbon dissolves liquid and eventually the dry nutrition for your plants as well. Are plants like fish, if you don't acclimate them, will they die? Although plants and fish are vastly different from each other acclimating them is a good idea. How? There are several methods, For tissue cultures since they are far more sensitive than a mature plant, Drip acclimating them and then doing a PP dip BEFORE introducing them to the tank might be for the best. (PP = Potassium Permanganate) But they are tissue cultures, Why dip them? Think of the PP dip as a preventitive measure, Like a flu shot, Dip for 5-15 minutes, 5 Minutes for tissue cultures, gently rinse off and then plant the tissue culture. For potted/unpotted plants, You will need to dip for 15 minutes, Remember the larger the plant the longer the PP dip is going to take. How much of that liquid supplement will I need to use? I can't give you the answer to that, Because I don't know, it all depends on the volume of your plants (How many you have) Their species, Nutrient and light demand and of course how often you trim/prune your plants, That is something you will have to experiment with, Though testing must be done in small doses, Increase slowly or until you begin seeing the desired results. Hasty, those substrate additives you mentioned before, What are they? Essentially, they are responsible for activating your nutrient layer, Yes nutrient layers have micro/macro nutrients already in them but they remain entirely inert without the correct dry additives, if you use a nutrient layer without the additives you have a gross, muddy, expensive mess in your tank (I should know, I learned that the hard way) Do I need to replace the additives? ADA additives do not need to be replaced (I will look into this even more but I am confident that they will not need to be replaced) How often do I need to give my plants root tabs? Again, that will depend entirely on the volume of plants you have, But you should probably buy your root tabs in bulk just to be on the safe side. Can I do water changes after I just scaped my plants? Yes, but avoid putting your siphon too close too your plants especially if your plants are less than two months old. Why? If your plants were placed close together (In bunches) they're roots could be overlapping, Meaning that if you slosh (Create a whirlpool with your siphon) You run the risk of uprooting your plants, All of them. How do I avoid uprooting my plants? This is a method not everyone is privy too. You'll need a siphon, Bucket, Mesh filter media bag, Hair elastics (Approx 2) Don't have elastics? Use some twine and tie the filter media bag onto your siphon, Make sure that the filter media bag cannot come off easily, Now you can do your water change without uprooting your plants, though you should avoid making direct contact with them, Swirling (Slowly) above or beside your plants should be okay to do, For the debris that couldn't be collected during the old filter media bag water change method, You'll have to go in and manually remove it with tweezers or your gloved hand. What is a fast growing plant? This is facny talk for, A plant that grows faster than most, it also means that the plant will absorb more nutrients than a slow or medium growing plant, That is why a nutrient rich enviroment is recommended. All plants require different nutrients. Some are Potassium hungry. Others are Nitrogen hungry. Some are Iron hungry. And then there are the Calcium hungry plants. That is why I strongly advise using a complete or all in one liquid fertilizer, It will help with measuring doses in the future. Now what? Now, you monitor, track and maintain your planted tank. This is about all that there is left to do. What if my plants start to reproduce? That is an excellent sign! But just in case that does end up happening you might want to keep another tank on standby. If you have more shoots than you know what to do with, Consider selling the tissue cultures to comptent hobbyists only (If your plants are Red or rare, For the more common/saught after you can sell to a novice, Just inform in your ad that you are not responsible for any dead or dying plants after they leave your tank.) I have had this plant in my tank for years and it's HUGE keeps producing runners/shoots after every trim or prune. Ah, yes a Mother plant, This is a plant that has reached it's full maturity, it will continue to reproduce, This phase in it's life will not end until the plant dies of old age or becomes so old that it stops reproducing to conserve it's energy, Usually the tanks parameters etc are not fluctuating and remain entirely stable, even if they are stable, A plant will stop reproducing on it's own, So no there isn't really anything you can do about it, Unless you want to risk crashing your whole tank, This is one of those 'Let nature decide' things. Well I think I've talked your ears off enough for one day, Until next time, Byeee! |
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