# I finally did it!



## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

Remember my mountain??










I finally got the guts to pull it out....



















This wasn't easy, it not only turned over half the substrate but it also split the driftwood in half, I found roots going into the driftwood and pale white crypts growing inside the cavities of the driftwood where no light ever reached, still, they were about 6 inches long! I even found plants I didn't know I still had in the middle of all that 

I wish my tank was bigger and that I didn't have to pull this colony out, it all started with a single little crypt....

....... now I miss my crypts 

Regards
Giancarlo Podio


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

wow....quite impressive...and sad  How long did it take to grow that big? Is that a wendtii green?


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Giancarlo,

I hope you're going to be replanting some of that group, that was gorgeous! Way to go on growing that group, I don't usually have the patience to leave an aquascape alone for the time needed to grow a colony like that from multiple plants, let alone a single plant.

Best,
Phil


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## jerseyjay (Jan 25, 2004)

You send me an email asking if I want some of that cryptocoryne . Were you itching to pass that entire bunch :lol: ?. Well done. Having stable tank for such long period of time will evidently promote such healthy flora.


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

That took around 15 months to grow but a lot of individual crypts were removed during that time to distribute to others. It was given to me as wendtii brown, it's certainly not as green as the "w. green" but not as brown as I'm used to seeing.

The dust has mostly settled and I realize I have only scratched the surface....










I guess the java ferns are next to get pulled 

Phil, I did actually leave a crypt, it somehow survived the uprooting and it wouldn't surprise me if there is more to this little guy below the substrate than one would think










Jay, yes I'm guilty... I think I will put it on aquabid and see if I find a good foster parent. I do however have a few individual crypts that have broken off the main colony, if you need any....... :lol:

I miss my crypts now  I think the rest of the mountain is getting moved to the 90 gallon tank, I don't think I have the heart to pull those ferns and anubias off the wood....

Here's the tank as it looked last night










There's a lot of brown java ferns that were shadowed by the crypts, everything should look nice again in a couple months.

Giancarlo Podio


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

that's amazing, did you sell all those crypts? i bet you could make a fortune!


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

Well a fortune I don't think so, if I do I'm changing profession 

I ended up placing them on aquabid along with the red tiger lotuses that were next to the crypts. Hopefully someone with a large enough tank wants them. If not, they are going in the pond.

Here's the link:
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?liveplantsr&1081732059

Giancarlo Podio


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## angelfishman (Feb 11, 2004)

man i could use that in my 75.so i just placed a bid on it.hope I win!!!!!!!!!!


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

in the pond? that's so cool!!! how do you get crypts to survive outside ?!?


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

I haven't tried them yet but I have enough to add a couple to the pond. Not sure what the lowest water temperature for them is, but many other plants I throw in the pond do well. Problem for me is winter, they all die by then if I don't bring them in.

Giancarlo Podio


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

gpodio said:


> I haven't tried them yet but I have enough to add a couple to the pond. Not sure what the lowest water temperature for them is, but many other plants I throw in the pond do well. Problem for me is winter, they all die by then if I don't bring them in.
> 
> Giancarlo Podio


GP, I'm interested to hear what plants you have had survive in your pond. So far, I've had parrot's feather and duckweed do well in my pond.


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

Oh yes, duckweed and frogbit does great in a pond, winter is the only thing that gets rid of it  

I have lotuses, hornwart, ludwigia, bacopa.... most of the stem plants will do fine. Plenty of bog plants but none that I keep in the tanks. Water temperature is my main enemy, I can grow just about anything in the summer but as soon as the water temperature starts to drop they start to die. If you are in a warmer climate you shouldn't have any problems growing anything really. Your fish may also find some of the plants tasty, all my fish dies last year from a disease introduced by a new koi so I should have better success this year with plants.

Giancarlo Podio


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

gpodio said:


> Oh yes, duckweed and frogbit does great in a pond, winter is the only thing that gets rid of it
> 
> I have lotuses, hornwart, ludwigia, bacopa.... most of the stem plants will do fine. Plenty of bog plants but none that I keep in the tanks. Water temperature is my main enemy, I can grow just about anything in the summer but as soon as the water temperature starts to drop they start to die. If you are in a warmer climate you shouldn't have any problems growing anything really. Your fish may also find some of the plants tasty, all my fish dies last year from a disease introduced by a new koi so I should have better success this year with plants.
> 
> Giancarlo Podio


This pond sounds terrific! Do you have a thread regarding this pond with pictures too? I'd love to hear more about it!!


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

I may this summer, we built it at my brother-in-law's house, I have little room for a pond since the "boss" wanted a pool :wink: . There are thought's of moving the pond this summer and bringing it closer to a detached waterfall that currently feeds the pond by way of underground tubing. It was a bad design to start with and too much water is lost due to leaks so we will need to do something about it this year. Not sure if there will be enough time left to plant the pond however, it took most of the summer for everything to grow in nicely. Just the thought of getting in there and raking all the leaves out.....  

Giancarlo Podio


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

Heck, GP, I'll go out there and rake the leaves for you _for free_!! Do you live in the Bay Area? With the magic that you work in your house with your aquariums, i expect nothing less than a huge stand of flowering bacopas among others!!!


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

I'm in philly but c'mon up and rake the pond!! You will find plenty of mud, rocks to move and probably some skeletons to fish out as well :lol: 

My potted plants don't get nearly as much attention as my fish tanks though, my thumb is only green when wet.

Giancarlo Podio


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