# DFW Aquatic Plant Club Meeting May 14, 2016 ... meeting for April 30, 2016 canceled



## bsboust (Nov 26, 2014)

A DFW Aquatic Plant Club meeting will be held on May 14, 2016 at 2:00 pm at the home of Brandon Pope (Pope) in Arlington. The previously scheduled meeting on April 30, 2016 has been canceled and will be rescheduled at a future date.

Brandon would like the meeting to include a lesson on pruning and plant selection for warm water fish. He is currently running a new tank with GBRs and some of the plants seem stressed. He has also had trouble with his HC taking over his high tech tank. While this is not a warm water tank, the HC grows around and over other species and he prunes to no avail. 

All are welcome but the plant swap is only for paid members (annual membership is $20 due in Jan but each quarter is prorated, contact CrownMan for details).

Please bring drinks or a snack to share.

DFW-APC members will receive an email with meeting details. For others wishing to attend please send a PM request to Crownman or bsboust via dfwfishbox or dfwapc.

Brad Boustead (bsboust) 

Secretary: DFW Aquatic Plant Club


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## Pope (Jan 30, 2016)

Thanks for relaying my comments regarding the meeting. I was the best man in a wedding this weekend and have been consumed with duties outside of the normal work routine. 

I have a 500 square foot back porch which is covered. I am planning for everyone to meet there unless it happens to be too warm. I have 9 chairs and a folding table for everyone to place plants they wish to trade. 
I am excited to have someone look at my tanks. I have only been in the hobby just over a year. I have three tanks at home and two at work. Nobody in the hobby has every seen my tanks and I am looking forward to the feedback. 
I will be taking the hi-tech tank down after the meeting to start from scratch. I hope to get some ideas from you guys. 
I assume my address has been passed along in an email. If I need to post it here, I can. Just let me know.

Pope


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## bsboust (Nov 26, 2014)

Hey Brandon,

Mike (Crownman) has emailed your address out to APC members and anyone else can pm one of us for it. Better to not post any personal infomation.

bsboust


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

would love to come but might need a ride. my struts still need to be replaced, and there not cheap. so I can't go to far on them. I'd would be looking for low light easy plants.


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## CrownMan (Sep 12, 2005)

I'm bringing a lot of Crypts and Ludwigia Glandulosa. Made a big trim on my 60 gallon tank this week. The club purchased a few TDS and pH meters that will be up for grabs for a few lucky members that win them in a drawing we will hold during the meeting.


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## mscotty12321 (Jan 31, 2015)

CrownMan, do you happen to have any Crypt balansae? I have been interested in trying that one. Thanks.


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## CrownMan (Sep 12, 2005)

I will be bringing a fair amount of Crypt Balansae.


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## mscotty12321 (Jan 31, 2015)

Great. I hope I am able to get some of those. How tall do they grow for you?


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

it's at 2pm right, and not one correct? also need the address sent to me.


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## CrownMan (Sep 12, 2005)

In my high light CO2 tank, they have grown about 30" tall. 

They do better in mid to low light but I have read you can train them to grow lower like you do with the lotus plants.

I should have enough for several people to get a couple of nice stems.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

just saw brandon (pope) post on DFW fishbox.
My son's tennis tournament was delayed due to rain. I will not get home until 1:30, so please don't arrive early.


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## Pope (Jan 30, 2016)

Thanks for relaying the message from fishbox. Please remember to bring a folding chair. I have seating for 9.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Pope, thanks for hosting! Great meeting, very well attended, and your dog was very entertaining.

Being the lucky recipient of one of the TDS meters, I quickly put it to use. Just let me say that I REALLY know which tanks need the water changes.


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## mscotty12321 (Jan 31, 2015)

I agree. It was a great meeting. Thanks for hosting, Pope. Thanks CrownMan for setting aside some Crypt balansae for me and for sharing your Buce with all of us. Thanks everyone else for sharing your plants. I came home with some interesting varieties to try. I am officially out of space for more plants. Before long, I will have to make the tough decision of which ones stay and which ones go.

Thanks for randomly selecting me for a TDS meter. Does anyone know of a good link that will help me determine acceptable TDS levels?


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## mooncon (Oct 12, 2011)

I really wish I could have made the meeting but with the weather forecast for the coming week I have to work when the weather allows.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Michael said:


> Pope, thanks for hosting! Great meeting, very well attended, and your dog was very entertaining.
> 
> Being the lucky recipient of one of the TDS meters, I quickly put it to use. Just let me say that I REALLY know which tanks need the water changes.


Maybe not. Stable tanks with TDS exceeding 300 (actually 400-700) do just fine. It's all in the long establishment process. Tanks setup in a hurry with lots of light, CO2, etc can only benefit from lower TDS (lower fertilizers) but they have other fundamental issues too.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Niko, that is interesting. My water out of the tap is 160 ppm. In my long established Walstad tanks that get good maintenance (for me that means a partial water change every two or three months), the TDS is about 250 ppm. These tanks have the healthiest fish and plants. In one neglected tank that has algae issues, it was about 400 ppm. That's the one I did the big water change on today.

None of this surprises me. If you had asked to guess which tanks would be high and which lower before I got the meter, I would have been correct.


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## Pope (Jan 30, 2016)

No worries on hosting. Any time! 
I appreciate all the advice I received from everyone regarding trimming and canisters. I am going to put many of the leftover clippings to use after talking to many of you about scaping a new tank.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

my tanks are doing poop. I've been kind of letting the tanks ago. the 93 I've let skip a few water changes, my sell it. I need to save up for c02 and decent lighting.


it was a nice meeting, funny to see pope wife drives a Subaru. brandon if she has any questions about her outback let me know.


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