# Soil is down, plants are in, what's next?



## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

So, I finally took the plunge after gathering the soil and equipment. I was delaying and delaying so I could research what plants I wanted and basically over thinking it. Well after attending a meeting of the Chicago Aquatic Gardeners Association meeting, I met a bunch of great folks that pushed me over the edge with a ton of great plants on Sunday!

The set up, I can't find my receipts right now so I'll estimate the costs:
-old 20 gallon I had since childhood
-Home Depot top soil - giant 40lb bag for 99 cents
-Schultz Aqua soil - 10lb bag $7
-Stealth heater - $30? it's submersible and about half the length of the tank. I mounted it towards the bottom of the tank horizontally. I don't have any filters or movement in the tank so I'm hoping this will create a bit of convection movement
-old 20 watt flourescent light with a "plant" bulb and an old 18 watt flourescent with a regular bulb. sorry, i'm not more technical. i'm just a neophyte.

I put down an inch of topsoil, picked out the little bits and crumbled it by hand. There was a surprising amount of gray clay in the soil. I left it in. It looked like a soft art eraser. I covered it with an inch of rinsed Aqua soil.

Then I realized that I have no idea how to plant the plants.  I got quite an assortment of plants, some with roots. I don't know the names of anything. I think a few are swords of some variety, some type of moss, some floating "baby tears" (looks like tiny duckweed?) and some other stem type plants. It was a big challenge as the Aqua Soil is really light and didn't hold down the plants very well.

After a long night, stirring the soil a few times by pouring too fast, and planting woes, I got frustrated and gave up for the night with most of the plants floating. 

Well here is a pic of the water finally cleared up. Not much thought to the layout. I just was happy to get it all in the substrate. LOL!

So, the water is looking good so far. Time to find some critters for the tank.

Heading to a Chicago Cichlid swapmeet this weekend. Hoping to find some driftwood and some nice rocks to flesh out the tank a bit more.

I'm thinking of making a moss carpet in the front/center.

When should I expect the algae bloom? It's looking pretty clear so far! I didn't dechlorinate the water. Is that bad for the plants? I have some stress coat but didn't use it as I wasn't sure how it would affect the plants. I was thinking of keeping a bucket of water under the tank to refill the evaporation. Would water that sits out for a week be "cured" and safe for fish?

I'm looking around for some pygmy cories. My goal is to create more scale by using little fish. Any recommendations would be appreciated. I'm considering dwarf gouramis, sparkling gouramis and cherry shrimp.

Anyways, I'm now a part of the NPT club! yay!


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

I noticed today that as the water cleared up it left a fine dusting on the leaves of the plants. I'm thinking this is harmful to the plants? I'm going to do a partial water change to try and clear this sediment dust out. 

Also, I got a few grains of the Aqua Soil in the nooks and crannies of the sword plants. Is that harmful to the plant?

I still have some of the plants with rhizomes unrooted as they won't stay down. Is it ok to cut the rhizomes apart and plant them individually?

Where do we stand with dead leaves in a NPT? Do we leave them in to rot or is it crucial to remove them?


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## travdawg (Mar 3, 2005)

good question about the dead leaves.. wondering that myself. 

Anyone use plant weights to weigh down plants in their NPT?


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

Since tank is (very) new, I'd be inclined to remove obviously dead leaves.

I'd get a test kit before getting any critters. An ammonia spike is pretty common when starting out w/ soil.

Plants w/ rhizomes are generally either tied to something (have any rocks, soaked driftwood or other hardscape?) or planted such that the rhizome sits on the surface of the substrate. Crypts and swords are an exception to this rule of thumb and can be planted normally.

Stem plants, including most ground cover species can be planted in the soil. Many like to use a long set of tweezers to poke the plant into the substrate very deep, tehn gently pull it part-way back out, to desired depth. This technique helps hold skinny stems in place.

You may want to consider adding some coarse sand/fine gravel as a top layer to your substrate.

I'd also consider adding a sponge filter or power head to provide some circulation.


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## Red_Rose (Mar 18, 2007)

yum said:


> Where do we stand with dead leaves in a NPT? Do we leave them in to rot or is it crucial to remove them?


If you have snails in the tank that are quick to eat up dead leaves then you can just leave them in there but if you don't then it would be best to remove them. The only time I remove dead leaves from my tank is when some of the older crypt leaves are starting to die. Sometimes they(crypt leaves) can start rotting rather quickly.


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

Squawkbert said:


> Plants w/ rhizomes are generally either tied to something (have any rocks, soaked driftwood or other hardscape?) or planted such that the rhizome sits on the surface of the substrate. Crypts and swords are an exception to this rule of thumb and can be planted normally.
> 
> Stem plants, including most ground cover species can be planted in the soil. Many like to use a long set of tweezers to poke the plant into the substrate very deep, tehn gently pull it part-way back out, to desired depth. This technique helps hold skinny stems in place.
> 
> You may want to consider adding some coarse sand/fine gravel as a top layer to your substrate.


Are you saying I should add sand on top of the Schultz Aqua Soil? Won't it fall into and mix into the Aqua soil eventually.

I ended up cutting the plants with rhizomes into separate plants to make it easier to plant. I hope I didn't kill them? 

I'm hoping to get some driftwood and rocks today.

Now that I have the substrate already down, do I want to dig holes and put driftwood and large rocks all the way down on the bottom of the tank? Or can I put it right on top of the Aqua Soil?


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## Moose-Factory (Feb 13, 2008)

yum said:


> Now that I have the substrate already down, do I want to dig holes and put driftwood and large rocks all the way down on the bottom of the tank? Or can I put it right on top of the Aqua Soil?


I'm curious about this myself. I'd be worried about anaerobic pockets forming under the driftwood, but then again if you put it below the substrate would the driftwood be more inclined to rot / cause other problems? I'm curious as to what people's approaches are to placing these hardscape features in the tank.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

When using driftwood I usually leave it on the surface unless I want it to stand upright and then I poke it in. In order to increase stability I will sometimes sink the driftwood into the capping substrate without going down into the soil layer. I normally have plants with extensive root systems like Crypts, swords, Nuphar japonica, etc that will grow under the driftwood easily to help keep the anaerobic pockets from forming. 

For the stones it would depend on the size of the stone and the amount of area the stone would cover as to whether I buried it down to the bottom or left it on top. Small stones used to anchor plants I'd leave on top. Large stones I tend to dig in. Also consider the chance of any of your tank inhabitants undermining the soil beneath the stone. Driftwood falling against the side glass is one thing, stone is quite another.


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

If relatively undisturbed and coarse enough, gravel will sit on top of soil.

Pretty well the only rhizomes that should ever be planted are Crypts & Swords. Anubias, ferns etc. are generally tied to wood or rock or plantes such that the rhizome sits on the substrate with only roots/root hairs penetrating it.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

what was the point of the aquatic soil


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

bratyboy2 said:


> what was the point of the aquatic soil


Here is a link of the product: http://www.schultz.com/ProductCategories/Soilsamendments/AquaticPlantSoil/

I used this to cap the soil instead of sand or gravel, mainly b/c it was at Home Depot when I purchased the top soil and was convenient. I also hoped that it would do a good job of holding nutrients for rooted plants and also absorb more of the top soil nutrient so it would not flood the water column and cause an algae bloom. pure speculation on my part!

so far so good, however, it's going on day 8 and not a hint of algae.

i picked up 3 nice pieces of malaysian driftwood for $5 a piece at the swap meet yesterday and a giant bag of java moss for $4. i have the wood soaking to get some of the tannins out and the moss is just sitting in a giant ball in the tank. since i have no water movement in my tank, do you think it's necessary to tie the moss to the wood to get it to attach? or can i just lay it on top?

is it normal for the plants to "pearl" in a NPT? i noticed a lot of air bubbles on the leaf undersides and also a steady stream of tiny, tiny bubbles running up the leaves of my swords. i thought this was more likely in a CO2 injected high light tank?

thinking on the driftwood placement issue: the wood is much heavier than i expected! so, i am thinking of using something to prop up the wood underneath the substrate. like some stainless steel screws or something inert. this would sit just under the surface of the substrate so the weight of the wood would not be compacting the substrate but rather rest on the supports.


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

You may want to soak the DW in hot water to be sure all tannins are leached out (unless you like the "iced tea" look).

You will want to at least temporarily attach the moss to the wood, even if it's just tucking a bit into nooks and crannies.

Pearling in NPT can happen (I think), but as you just moved plants in, it is much more likely a "leak" - damaged portions of plants often leak a bit of their internal gasses into the water - that fine stream is a give-away. Pearling is a slower process generally associated w/ CO2 injection and/or established plants.

The contact patch of DW shouldn't be big enough to cause serious issues. I'd just wiggle it a bit when setting it in tank so that some of it is in contact w/ the bottom of the tank.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

i have to agree about attaching the mos to the wood anything that may be in the tank (fish another plant) that hits it will just fall off getting you P-Oed just take some wire or string and tie it down loose.thats it. i have not had any algae in mine yet so (knock on wood) you should be fine but if you do find you are seeing a bit get some trumpet snails or malaysian trumpet snails they will work wonders. the driftwood in my opinion just set it in there it will be fine. just no digging fish ugh thats just disaster.


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

thanks for the info.

i soaked the DW for 3 days in hot water. the last water change the water was only slightly tinted so i put it into the tank. i've been lazy and have not done anything with the moss yet. it's still a massive clump in my tank. 

it's been set up for 10 days so far and not a spot of algae. i take that as a good sign? i have not gone to the LFS to get a test kit yet. most of the plants look fairly well. by this i mean they are still bright green. some of the leaves are looking thin and disintegrating but i think it's b/c i keep uprooting them and moving them around. i just can't seem to get the right layout just yet. :heh:

i'm thinking of using a thin mesh to create a "mobile" java moss carpet. this way i can move it around without disturbing much.

i also am going to get a turkey baster so i can "dust" the leaves of the plants. does anyone else do this?


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

yum said:


> thanks for the info.
> i also am going to get a turkey baster so i can "dust" the leaves of the plants. does anyone else do this?


I dust the leaves of my plants too. A turkey baster will work quite well, sqeeze the air out before you put it into the water to avoid scaring your fish if you have any. Water works better for "dusting" than air anyway. Do you have a filter or quick-filter to collect the debris? If you don't it will just keep settling back down on the leaves.


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

cs_gardener said:


> I dust the leaves of my plants too. A turkey baster will work quite well, sqeeze the air out before you put it into the water to avoid scaring your fish if you have any. Water works better for "dusting" than air anyway. Do you have a filter or quick-filter to collect the debris? If you don't it will just keep settling back down on the leaves.


No, I am running filterless as the goal of this project is to have as few cords as possible. Just a heater and some lights. I "dusted" the plants again by hand while I was in there mucking around.

I finally tried to do something with the java moss. I think I have way more than I need. I ended up wrapping a giant wad of completely around a piece of driftwood to see how it will grow. I spread the other bits on top of another piece but it's sorta just sitting loosely on top. I put 2 rubber bands around it but it's still loose fitting in most places.

I have totally mixed up my top cap and soil substrate by now. I keep planting and replanting, moving things around. How do you guys prevent mixing the top of the substrate with the soil underneath?

I also got 3 nice pieces of java fern from Will5 and rubber banded it to a 3rd piece of driftwood.

So far the layout is just a mess. I have no clue what I'm doing. I just sorta stuck the tall stuff in the back and the short in the front.

I guess I'll do a few water changes and see if that clears out some of the mess. I'm hoping to add fish soon. Is it ok to add fish soon after a water change?

Ack! I'm so impatient to get some shrimp in the tank!!!


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## ItsDubC (Jan 12, 2008)

Welcome to the NPT club 

Letting water sit out in a bucket for a few days allows the chlorine and/or chloramine in the water to outgas, which has the same effect as using a straight-up dechlorinator. I've never done this tho so I've always used a dechlorinator of some sort before putting water into my tanks.

As for suitable small fish, otocinclus are great algae-eaters and are really the only 100% shrimp-safe fish. Microrasboras such as Boraras brigittae and Boraras maculatus would also be good tankmates for shrimp since they are so tiny, but they may eat shrimplets unless you provide cover for them to hide in until they grow up. Your choices for pygmy cories really comes down to 3 species: Corydoras pygmaeus, Corydoras habrosus, and Corydoras hastatus. Pygmaeus is said to be the hardiest out of the 3 but I have no personal experience to verify that.

My 3gal NPT with no filter/powerhead that I set up at the end of December has been going great and I've seen a lot of growth. I have a compact sword in there (which, despite being "compact", is still outgrowing this 3gal) which exhibited something resembling pearling but like Squawkbert said, it was more likely leakage from the plant and/or the roots spreading throughout the soil. I haven't seen bubbles coming from it for a month now.

Your patience will pay off in the long run. NPTs are vulnerable in the beginning, and graduating to a long-term stable tank will be very satisfying. If you're unsure as to when to add fauna to your tank, I'd highly suggest getting a test kit if you haven't already done so already and use it periodically to make sure the water is ok before putting any shrimp/fish in there.


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

You will find that most people use Seachem Prime for dechlorinator. It's the best out there. You can buy it at Petsmart where it will be cheaper than most fish stores.

Click on the link to read about it. http://seachem.com/products/product_pages/Prime.html


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

Thanks for info ItsDubC and will5.

What about topping off the tank with water from a Brita water pitcher? It is said to remove 99% of the chlorine and 67% of aluminum sulfate from the water. I keep my pitcher for drinking water on the kitchen counter so it's room temp. I'd think it would be safe to just top off the tank every few days from the pitcher, rather than having a bucket full of water sitting around, or having to treat small batches for top off?


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

I think that could be considered RO water and if it is you would not be adding anything bad to the tank because the water would be pure. If anyting it would remove the chlorine and maybe chloramine.


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## HoldingWine (Oct 7, 2007)

All a Brita filter contains is carbon. It has the same effect as filtering water through a carbon aquarium filter. As in, it removes chlorine/chloramine, some heavy metals, etc. Not the same as RO or DI water.


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

HoldingWine said:


> All a Brita filter contains is carbon. It has the same effect as filtering water through a carbon aquarium filter. As in, it removes chlorine/chloramine, some heavy metals, etc. Not the same as RO or DI water.


Thanks i was not sure if it would be or not.


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

Ok, here is the tank as of today.

Mucked around a bit more trying to figure out what to do with the driftwood and the java moss.

I have a giant clump floating that I want to tie to make into a carpet. I just need to find some kind of sinking screen to attach it to.

full tank shot:


left side of tank, i kept fussing with these 2 pieces of wood. haven't figured out something i'm happy with but there it is. i rubber banded some moss to the top of the big piece. i hope it takes.:


right side of tank, the floating moss and the open area below it for the carpet:


I had the water tested yesterday, as I was really excited to put some fish in it, but the water tested with "safe" levels of ammonia and not "ideal". It may be b/c I stirred the substrate that morning. All other levels tested well. I changed 5 gallons last night and I hope to put some critters in today.

I have a tiny amount of algae on the front of the glass now. It's just barely noticeable, hopefully an otto will take care of it.


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## strange_screams (Apr 10, 2005)

i tested the water out of a brita water filter once, it was in houston, which has pretty bad water out of the tap, it did nothhing for the amonia but did take all of the clorine out, but keep in mind that was with a new filter

if you let water sit out, not only will the chlorine gas out, but so will any fo the amonia that is already in tap water, and the ph will be more stable too, sometimes the ph crashes after coming out of the tap because they buffers they use are not always stable

i would let it sit out for almost a week if its just stagnant
i use a nano filter, got it for about 12 bucks at petco, and took out the filter insert, just let the filter stir the water, the gas exchange happens faster that way


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

The tank is looking great. Great work.

I would go for two to three oto's for for that size tank. I have 10 gallon that has two in it and they do a really good job. They really like to be in groups.

If you have any more trouble with algae the I would say get a pair of SAE. I have three that you could come by and take a look at so you don't buy the wrongs one. They are often named wrong and there is one fish that looks like it 
(false SEA). The only down side is the there is a real good chance that they would eat your moss.

Another option is a pair of Bristle nose pleco aka ( bushy nose pleco). I have a pair in my 29 gallon tank that are breeding. They are great algae eaters as well,but will bot eat Hair and BBA algae like the SAE will.


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

Went to the LFS tonight but didn't get any fish. Waiting to talk to the manager tomorrow as he quoted me different prices than what was on the tank. 

Instead the girl there gave me 7 snails... I think they are Malaysian Trumpet Snails. They are fairly large (a few 1.5") with long, hard spiral shaped shells. They burrowed under the substrate within minutes. Poof! Complete Houdini! The store worker warned me that they would soon become a nuisance but I think that any extras will go into my dad's tank to feed the loaches. Heh. Is that evil? 

LOL! Not really I guess since I plan on putting any extra trimmings in there too, to feed the silver dollars.

Anyone have any experience with MTS to share? Why did the snails bury themselves right away in my tank but yet were running around all over the LFS tank?


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

MTS are a great member of your clean-up crew. They are live-bearing so the population will increase easily. My kuhli loaches don't bother them and my yoyo loaches only killed a few when I first put them in the yoyo's tank. The MTS have a trap door that they can close tight and a tough shell too, so it's hard for the loaches to gain access to the snail. My loaches decide to look elsewhere for an easier meal.

I normally see my MTS out and about in the late evening or at night. A few will be out during the day, but not many. I don't know why they were out at the LFS, but it's perfectly normal for them to want to find safety in a new location, especially during the daytime.


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## peteski312 (Feb 15, 2008)

might wanna be careful with the java moss so close to the surface and not having a lot of water current....algae bloom central. might consider thinning it out or moving it down. Whats your watts per gallon? any filtration yet?


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

peteski312 said:


> might wanna be careful with the java moss so close to the surface and not having a lot of water current....algae bloom central. might consider thinning it out or moving it down. Whats your watts per gallon? any filtration yet?


algae on the moss? i didn't think of that. i was judging the moss health by how bright green it is.

i'm just under 2 watts per gallon.

are you referring to my giant floating mass or the bit that is tied to the top of the driftwood? the giant mass is going to be made into a carpet mat once i find a suitable material to attach it to.

i unfortunately have a bit of red algae and green algae on the front of the glass. it's only on the front of the glass which makes me wonder if it's b/c of the different bulb i have in front.

i was not planning on adding filtration. i'm seeing how far i can push the "low tech-ness" of the tank.

i've got 3 ottos floating in a bag acclimating and 7 cherry shrimp. i'm hoping they take to the tank. crossing my fingers.


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

yum said:


> algae on the moss? i didn't think of that. i was judging the moss health by how bright green it is.
> 
> i'm just under 2 watts per gallon.
> 
> ...


Go to Walmart and buy some plastic canvas and then tie your moss to it. That way you can hang it on the back of the aquarium or lay it on the substrate like a carpet plant.

I have some you should have told me you were looking to do something like that with the moss when you were over here last time.


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

will5 said:


> Go to Walmart and buy some plastic canvas and then tie your moss to it. That way you can hang it on the back of the aquarium or lay it on the substrate like a carpet plant.
> 
> I have some you should have told me you were looking to do something like that with the moss when you were over here last time.


I got some plastic mesh and loosely tied patches of the moss to it with white polyester thread. It's fairly thick, though, about half an inch; should I be spreading it into a thin, single strand layer? Will the polyester thread pose a danger to the water quality?


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

yum said:


> I got some plastic mesh and loosely tied patches of the moss to it with white polyester thread. It's fairly thick, though, about half an inch; should I be spreading it into a thin, single strand layer? Will the polyester thread pose a danger to the water quality?


I don't THINK the polyester thread will cause a problem. The moss should not be too thick, but it does not have to be single thread thin.

Keep us posted.


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

I got a morimmo moss ball today from the LFS. Neat! So fuzzy it feels fake. I hope it does ok in my tank.

I believe I have a hair algae problem. It looks like an incredibly thin white mesh tangled in my java moss. My RCS, snails, or ottos don't eat it. I saw that flag fish will but I think they will eat the shrimp. I was considering borrowing one of my dad's flying foxes but I think it will be a nightmare trying to catch him once he's done cleaning the tank.

I was also considering black mollies but I'm not really interested in keeping mollies. Perhaps I could get one to eat the algae and then donate them to someone else?

Any kind of snails, shrimp or small fish I could use?


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## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

yum said:


> I got a morimmo moss ball today from the LFS. Neat! So fuzzy it feels fake. I hope it does ok in my tank.
> 
> I believe I have a hair algae problem. It looks like an incredibly thin white mesh tangled in my java moss. My RCS, snails, or ottos don't eat it. I saw that flag fish will but I think they will eat the shrimp. I was considering borrowing one of my dad's flying foxes but I think it will be a nightmare trying to catch him once he's done cleaning the tank.
> 
> ...


I would watch out for the morimmo(clado algae) ball. if it spreads in your tank you may never get rid of it. Amano shrimp will help in controlling it should it spread.

Olive nerites are great algae and they look awsome. Do a search on them if you like them the lady I work with sells them for like 1.50-2.00 each. Her name is Wilma Duncan and you can do a search of her name on here as well. The link to her site is in my sig. If you like them let me know and i'll give her a call.


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

yeah, i recall you and someone else warning me about if this moss spreads. i keep an eye on it and turn it/dust it every day so i think that should keep it under control.

however, do you know if you can get this moss to spread and carpet on purpose? say on a nice piece of slate? perhaps another method of creating a thick green carpet.

my current java moss carpet is looking miserable. it's being strangled by hair algae. grrrr....

at any rate, i got a mated pair of beautiful red guppies and a pair of generic fancy guppies. i really only wanted the reds but the gf wanted the fancies too. i put them in the tank on sunday and the red pair has already spawned! so now i've got about a dozen fry in the tank. the female fancy keeps trying to eat the red fry to make room for her brood that looks like it's soon to come. oh noes!!! what did i get myself into? i knew these guys were going to breed like rabbits but i had no idea it would be so soon! as soon as these babies get a little size, off to the LFS they go! unless i can find good homes for them.


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## Shurik (Mar 22, 2008)

:shock: And what happened next? :smile:


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

Well, it's been a while since I last updated. The plants are growing like nuts, but I have some holes in the leaves (old growth and new growth). I think someone mentioned I have a phosphate deficiency? Still haven't looked into it. Too busy doing other things. Everything is growing at a breakneck pace though. I'd say I have to trim every 2 weeks but some of the growth looks a little thin. My moss ball is still a deep green but hasn't grown.

I think my guppies snuck in another batch of fry. I am not sure of this but I suspect as much since I found 3 extremely tiny fry that couldn't just be the runt of the first batch. My red cherry shrimp is holding another clutch of eggs and has turned a fantastic deep red and I finally saw my first baby shrimp.

I added 2 ping pong ball sized apple snails to the tank but sadly one of the died the next day. I think he/she was sick. Poor thing. The other is still alive. I think I will try and get a blue one next swap meet.

Huzzah! After hunting everywhere I finally got 6 cory hastatus! These lil guys are a joy to watch. I hope they do well in my tank and possibly spawn.

If I get the time tonight, I'll upload some photos of my overgrown salad bowl and the critters.

Ok, here are some shots of Day 50 in my no brainer tank. My camera doesn't have a macro mode and it's hard to get the color right without the flash. Sorry for the blurry pics.









By phive5, shot with u710,S710 at 2008-04-17









By phive5, shot with u710,S710 at 2008-04-17









By phive5 at 2008-04-17









By phive5, shot with u710,S710 at 2008-04-17









By phive5, shot with u710,S710 at 2008-04-17


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

> I would watch out for the morimmo(clado algae) ball. if it spreads in your tank you may never get rid of it. Amano shrimp will help in controlling it should it spread.


No, I'm afraid thats incorrect. Marimo balls, Cladophora aegagropila, is a type of algae, but it is completely harmless, non evasive, and will not spread in your aquarium. It grows extremely slowly. Shrimp and algae eating fish will NOT eat it. It does OK in low light and comes from cold water lakes in Japan and northern Europe.

Schultz aquatic plant soil is actually baked clay gravel made from the clay known as fullers earth. It will absorb nutrients from the water in a sense. The term is cation exchange capacity, meaning it will attact positive ions which includes some minerals. You better be real careful moving plants around. A couple inches isn't very much to cover the top soil.

The dust on the leaves of your plants is from the clay gravel. You should remove it. Any form of silt on plant leaves will block the pores of the leaves and prevent them from proper photosynthesis, and enable algae to grow on the leaves.


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## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

Thanks for the input. I'm thinking of moving it to a glass cylinder of some kind so I can put it in the sun. It's got no real space in my tank now and doesn't seem to be growing at all. It still feels firm and fuzzy but I think it could be "happier". Now it just gets covered in snail poop. yuck. heh. I have to "dust" it everyday.

The aquasoil is very light indeed. The RCS have no problems picking up each granule and rotating it in their little claws. I am dreading the day that I have to uproot some of the swords or pygmy chains.


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## Shurik (Mar 22, 2008)

Dear Yum. If you are talking about the aquarium in the shape of cylinder – I got 10 gal one. I would stay away from irregular shaped tanks because they are real royal pain to work with. If I knew it before, I would never get one like that. Well, they look interesting, but when you have no flat surface area, it is just difficult to deal with. 

Cheers!


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