# My first NPT - A 10 Gallon Journy



## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

*My first NPT - A 10 Gallon Journey*

I received my plants yesterday. Unfortunately RL decided to kick me with lots of pressing matters so its wasn't until 10 p.m. that I got to start planting. I was afraid of leaving them packed another night (which I now think I should have done).

My tank has some Hydrocotyle Leucocephala on the left back corner;
Ludwigia Arcuata as the front most background, little on each side.
Bacopa Monieri on the right side back corner
Egreia Najas mixed into the background
3 Anubias attached to the wood
2 java ferns

I'm using ~1in. Organic Choice that is actually about 2 years old. I topped this with fine gravel.

I have a power head providing circulation and mechanical filtration on a temp basis until the particles are removed. After that I have a submersible pump that will providing circulation.

Lighting is 2 - 23W 6500k daylight CF bulbs, currently about 10 inches above surface level (this can be adjusted). I plan on 2 6 hour perios with 4 hours off between them.

This morning the water was yellowish and murky, I did a 100% water change and there is just a bit of murkiness now... I now the wood is still leaching tannins (even though I've had it submerged for about 2 years now lol.)

I'm going to be adding a variety of snails today and maybe some Frogbit.

I felt completely overwhelmed while planting and even though I've kept fish for almost 2 decades now, this is my first attempt ant plants and it has me way more intimidated that I expected.

I've read Mrs. Walstad's book a couple times, and visit these forums frequently but practice is always harder than research.

I'll be keeping a journal of my experiences here and hope you all will help me along. 

Oh, the fish... I don't have them in yet but I will be putting a betta and several rasbora's.


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

So far, so good. Frogbit would be a great addition. Looks like you have to wait for a few weeks until the tannins are gone through water changes.  Nice tank!


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Day 2:

Ammonia, N2 and N3 are all at 0. The is slightly brownish form the tannins. I don't mind this and expected it to happen.

I added some duckweed which is given away freely by the reptile/fish store I frequent.

The B. Monieri looks great as has several stems at the water's surface, so does the E. Najas.

The H. leucocephala doesn't look so great. It was first planted and because it took so long to plant the whole tanks the leaves on these started wilting, though the roots remained wet and planted in the soil. The stems are green and some of the leaves did brighten up but there are many that have dark, wilted looking edges.

They are all large enough where the tops are floating on the surface so I hope that they will take and revive themelves. With my inexperience I don't look forward to having to remove them.

The anubias look great; the java ferns have black patches on the several leaves. Is this normal for purchased plants?

I've added a half dozen pond sails from our koi pond.... They're already copulating, lol.

Going to be adding some fish in the next couple days I think.


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

hello firefiend,
i set up a 10 gal npt about a month and a half ago; had lots of problems.
i started off with way too many fish--9 or 10--and had lots of ammonia, plants dying, fish sick, ph dropping. reduced fish to 4 platies, 1 male/3 females. lots of babies now--no idea how many, but probably 20 or so--they're all healthy, and the plants are showing new growth and lots of runners.
my java fern got very dark, almost black. i almost threw it out. but since the tank has gotten stable, the fern has turned much greener and put out lots of new shoots; it's looking good.
sounds like you're off to a good start; hang in there, it'll come around.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

@hornedtoad1... thanks for the comments; definitely calmed me down a bit, haha. This is my first attempt an NPT, or any aquatic plants for that matter. I guess the key is to resist the urge the make any huge corrections and changes and just let the tank do its thing. 

I'm gonna let it site another day, maybe two and then add some rasbora's (or maybe cherry barbs)... I'm thinking 5.

Do you keep toads also? We (e.g. my family and I) have three poison dart frogs. That enclosure was a fun build. They're about three years old now.


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

hi firefiend,
glad to help; all this is a little daunting, sure was for me. i did it all out of the book, and had to guess at some of it. trial and error; you just have to trust the process. it's a good one.
i'm setting up a 5-gal with the dry start method, and when that gets submerged i was thinking about putting in some shrimp; won't have to worry about any fish diseases, and the shrimp look like neat little buggers. i don't have any frogs; hornedtoad1 is because i live in the desert.
you have poison dart frogs? wow. do they really have poison? send some pics.


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

hi firefiend,
i mispoke, said java fern, when i was thinking about java moss. sorry about that, read it too fast i guess.
the moss did look pretty bad at the beginning and came out well; i hope your j fern does the same.
hornedtoad1


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Day 3...

NH3/NH4, N2, and N3 are still at 0 so I will be looking to put some fish in there today.

The water is still stained with tannins, which though it doesn't bother me, I am a bit annoyed since the wood I have in there has been soaking for 2 years.

There are several egg sacs scattered around the tank so the pond snails are reproducing already (I know its not hard to breed pond snails but hey, every little victory, right?)

The H. leucocephala still doesn't look great. The floating portion looks nice and green but all the submerged leaves are blackening around the edges. I hope this is just the normal transition from emersed to submerged.

There isn't much difference in the other plants at this time.

My goal for today is to place some fish and maybe a few java moss threaded rocks.

*Pics of my dart frogs coming as soon as I take new ones or find the ones I posted on Denroboard.com*


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

day 3 (evening)... I bought 5 Harlequin's today and got 6... they seem to be loving the current.

I've never had a tank with this much water movement.

You can see the nice mass of duckweed I have going... hopefully this is stave off any algae attacks... you can also see that several of the H. leucocephala have floating leaves; one of the stems is even fully ariel and it's sprouting a new leaf. I hope this means that I wont have to worry about the wilting submerged leaves to much.

The E. Najas also has some floating leaves with one shoot definitely moving ariel.

Today was also the fist day where the siesta period was utilized. Two 6 hour photo periods with a 4 hour siesta.

I'm very interested in everyone's feed back so don't be shy.


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

really a nice job on the stand; looks good.
just a thought on the water circulation--npt's apparently don't produce a lot of C02, and it's easy to lose it to the air if there's a lot of water movement. you might want to turn down the submersible pump a bit.
i've still got tannins in mine, after a month and a half. apparently the soil releases lots of nutrients for awhile.
looking forward to seeing pics of those poison frogs!


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Day 6...

I'm noticing some fine green hair thin algae growing on the java fern and some of the E. Najas.

The Duckweed is growing like mad and there are couple of stems emerging from the water.

I want to curtail the algae growth asap so what do you all think I should do?

decrease light time? water change?

There are a lot of stem plants that are have black stems and leaves, should I cut these off and remove them?

I haven't tested the water today but will be later.

Should I put in a oto or two?


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Purely from a design standpoint, I find the white rock on the left distracting. I suggest removing it and replacing it with a dense planting of some short species.

Other than that, the tank is looking good.


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

firefiend said:


> Day 6...
> 
> I'm noticing some fine green hair thin algae growing on the java fern and some of the E. Najas.
> 
> ...


hello firefiend,
i would definitely remove the black parts of the stem plants, and replant any parts that are still green.
i'm having problems with algae myself in the 10-gal; it's fur and string type stuff, doesn't grow very fast, but it does grow pretty steady, and it's spreading. what i've done--
added floating frogbit.
removed some of the fish (the babies).
it's got a 23w cfl, and that's been moved away from the tank a bit.
the light is on a siesta schedule, and i've extended the rest time from 4 hours to 5 (read about this on the forum). 5 hours of light in the morning, 5 in the evening.
there's some duckweed that came in on the frogbit, i'll let that grow.
remove any algae i can.
put duct tape over the s/s at the end of the tank where the sun hits it. 
blocked the light from the window.

probably keeping the glass clean, cleaning off the larger leaves with a toothbrush, and putting in some mechanical filtration to remove the waterborne algae would help, too.
with an npt, the plants need full light to really clean up the tank, so you might want to continue with the regular light, just not too close to the tank. also, with an established tank, water changes would remove nutrients that plants need for vigorous growth, but in a new setup with algae, i really don't know; that's a good question. probably wouldn't hurt to make some water changes just to remove some of the excess nutrients. 
algae eaters might be good for awhile, and your snails and frogbit sound good.
i hope this is helpful.

i've made my changes within the last week or so, and don't know if they will work or not. just have to wait and see. i'm new at all this, and what i've done is pretty much what i've read in ms walstad's book, especially chapter X on algae control. i wish i had more experience; i guess i'm getting it now, tho. i'll post the results.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Well, it's not looking so good... not sure what to do.

On the Up-side... The algae seems to be under control... The duckweed is propagating like mad and I've had to dump bowls full of it into my pond. I also put in three Zerite snails and an algae eater in they've munched up all the visible algae.

On the down-side... only the anubias and B. Monnieri seem to be thriving. The Bacopa is even going ariel.

Everything else is dying and the tank is littered with leaves; not sure how to get them off.

also, I put in 6 rasbora and 5 of the died. All water testing comes back clean.

And suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated.


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

hey firefiend,
good news about the algae, looks like those algae eaters are really getting the job done.
maybe you could loosen the dead leaves, get down there with a pair of scissors and prune them, net the leaves out. stir them up a bit, and let a mechanical filter remove the rest. 
is it possible your plants are starved for nutrients? 
dead fish--maybe there was a lot of difference in chemistry between the bag the rasboras were in and the tank; that's about the only thing i can think of.
my 10 g is still growing fur/hair algae; the stuff grows slow but very steady. nothing i've tried so far has much effect. the plants are mostly doing well, tho, so that's good. i really don't want to start dosing it; just have to see how it goes.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

hornedtoad1 said:


> my 10 g is still growing fur/hair algae; the stuff grows slow but very steady. nothing i've tried so far has much effect. the plants are mostly doing well, tho, so that's good. i really don't want to start dosing it; just have to see how it goes.


I think once the duckweed acclimates it will really help your algae problem... also trying picking up 2 or 3 Zerite snails.

As far as my tank goes, I'm not giving up on it just yet. The Bacopa seems to be doing well as are the anubias. I lost half of the E. Najas but there are few stems that are responding well.

There is one rooted H. leucocephala but the rest melted at their planting spot and have since becoming floating (which as I have read is perfectly okay for this species) and seems to responding well.

My biggest lost seems to be the L. Arcuata which just doesn't seem to be recovering after losing all it's leaves... however, the stems seems mostly okay so I'm hoping that with a little more time they'll recover and it was just them adjusting to submersion.

I'm hoping I find a Vancouver/Portland local who can hook me up with some crypts to fill in the blank spots.

As far as the fish loss, I'm think it was mostly due to the fact that they were petco fish. I did a slow enough acclimation that water chemistry shouldn't have been an issue but it's always a possibility.

Oh, there is a new symptom... I'm noticing air bubbles in the gravel and every so often a small air bubble shoots up to the surface. My soil is MGO but it is also two years old and should have gased out but I guess it wasn't quite done, lol.

Anyone know what the effects would be on fish? The Ammonia, N2 and N3 are all at 0. Makes me wonder if I have a dud test kit.

Hey Toad... Here is the link to my Viv for the Dart Frogs... I'm still working on the pics with the actual frogs, lol.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Day Thirteen...

There is a lot of rotting plant material that I need to remove, some white fungus is starting to appear on some of the dead plant matter. This will be tomorrow's project.

Still seeing lots of gassing of the substrate. This surprises me since the soil is two years old.

The pics attached show the the Bacopa submerged and going ariel. You can also see the some of the newborn pond snails. 

Note the duckweed... on Tuesday I cleared all but maybe 4 sq. inches of it. Three days later it needs another thinning out.

I'm most likely going to remove the rock. Then I'll shift the wood to the left a bit more (but still off-center). Then maybe fill the gaps with a nice flooring of crypts.


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

firefiend said:


> I think once the duckweed acclimates it will really help your algae problem... also trying picking up 2 or 3 Zerite snails.
> 
> As far as my tank goes, I'm not giving up on it just yet. The Bacopa seems to be doing well as are the anubias. I lost half of the E. Najas but there are few stems that are responding well.
> 
> ...


hey firefiend,
thanks for the link to your viv; that's really an incredible piece of work. i have a relative who teaches 
elementary school, she's been talking about having her class set up something like that, i'll send her the link.
sorry to hear about the plants dying. 
my duckweed is really thriving, as is the frogbit. everything in the tank is doing pretty well, including the algae; i guess i just need to be patient:mmph:. it doesn't show any sign of dying out. there was something on the forum about how flourish excel can take care of the algae; i think i'll get some and try it out. nothing else seems to be working. i did a 30% water change today, there have to be a lot of nutrients in that thing if the plants are growing like they are.
i've gotten some of those bubbles from the s/s too; course, mine's a fairly new tank. the only time they smelled bad was when a plant died and the roots rotted; the rest of the bubbles smelt ok. yours might be oxygen if the roots in that spot are really strong, especially if your amm, n2 and n3 show negatives.
i got some hitchhiker pond snails with the last batch of plants; they're multiplying like crazy. haven't done the job like the zerites, tho.
yeah, petco fish. i've had bad luck with them myself.


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

hey ff,
just came across this in the book, page 69, the q & a, about gas bubbles. says not to worry.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

hornedtoad1 said:


> hey ff,
> just came across this in the book, page 69, the q & a, about gas bubbles. says not to worry.


awesome, thanks, toad... I remember reading about bubbles but didn't a chance to go back for more info.

The tank is really messy but I think the plants are really starting to take off... the Hydrocotyle is floating because it didn't take root but all research says this plant does just fine as a floater so I'm not worried, especially since it seems to be getting its vibrancy back. Maybe I can eliminate the use the duckweed.

The Bacopa has several stems that are ariel, one of them is even an inch or more above the water line. These are really taking off well seem to all be really healthy.

Several of the E. Najas have developed side shoots. I'm waiting till they grow in more before trimming and replanting them. A couple of my original stems of these didn't quite make it though.

The L. Arcuata seems to be the only wild card so far... they lost most of their leaves but since then seem to be stabilized. The jury is still out though.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Well I thought I got rid of the hair algae but today I see that my java fern has a couple leaves just loaded with it... it's the only algae I see in the tank though. This fern's leaves were very black when I received it and I just don't think it "take root" quick enough to stave off the attack.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Well, did some work on the tank today... took the rock out and re-attached the anubias to the wood.

The Hydrocotyle is floating now and held in place along the left side of the tank with some suction cup airline tube holders.

I need something to fill in the left side... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The tank isn't pretty. There is no aquascaping and I feel like there are far too many bacopa, they seem like they'd be a nice accent stem with a stem or scatter into the background. I love how they growing emergent though and think I'm going to have them in my 55g for sure.

I love the E. Najas and I have several stems that are growing really well. I think this can be a beautiful bushy background plant.

My ludwigia has not done well and seems to be mostly gone now.

This is my first experience with planted aquariums and it hasn't been all that encouraging; I feel way out of my league. However, today I'm taking this tank for what it is was meant to be... a learning experience.

I'll keep this tank going indefinitely because even though I'm green now, I do love this hobby and this tank is just another step on my road to my 55 gallon.

I'm looking to do as little manipulation as possible, letting the flora and fauna to do it's thing. However, I am willing to spot dose on temporary basis and maybe root tabs on a quarterly basis.

What plants do you suggest with this in mind.


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

hey firefiend,
nice looking anubias; looks like the algae's pretty much gone, too.
i read something about just putting lots of fast growing plants in to get the tank set up, and doing the scaping later. 
frogbit has worked pretty well for me; i got 4 plants 3 1/2 weeks ago and now it covers the whole top of the tank; have to move it aside to feed the fish. duckweed's thriving, too.
you might try some ech. tenellus on that left side. i got maybe half a dozen a couple months ago and now it's made a carpet over most of the bottom. 
good luck,
toad


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

some changes on the 10-gallon.
the algae looks like it's retreating. the glass used to have small strands of algae, but now it's pretty clean, and the algae on the heater isn't as dense as it used to be. still lots on the older leaves, but not a whole lot of new strands. i got 4 amazon frogbits about a month ago, and they've spread over the whole top of the tank. that stuff is really effective. plus i've ordered 3 nerite snails, be here next week.
also, there's not as much mulm as there used to be. i've got a thin sand s/s, maybe the stuff is going thru it into the soil?


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## hornedtoad1 (Jun 24, 2011)

update on the 10-gallon--the algae is definitely in retreat, that frogbit sure does the job. it's been thriving, i've had to throw some of it away from time to time; same with the duckweed. that's weird to do, never had excess aquarium plants before. there's still algae on the older leaves, but the glass is staying clean, and the newer leaves are still pretty much algae-free.
the nerite snails arrived and have settled in; they're just doing a clean-up job now.
the theory of an npt made sense when i read it; it's really great to see it play out in practice, and wind up with thriving plants, healthy fish and a win against the blasted algae.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Glad to hear things are working out well, Toad.

I don't have any pics quite yet... I'm planning a rescape, which will involve adding some more plant variety. My BBA started getting bad so I treated with H2O2... it totally destroyed all traces of BBA in a couple days. It also killed my three Nerites, 1 large pond snail and all my E. Najas. 3 mL of H2O2 per gallon is too much for a daily dose! Lesson learned.

The plants that are left are really doing well but the half the tank is empty. The hydrocotyle is doing awesome as a floating plant and I'm thinking I'm going to get rid of the duckweed when I rescape. It's just a time consuming plant, lol. I'm confident that the Hydro will do the job just fine.

My Bacopa (you'll see when I get a pic up) is just growing awesome... lots of new shoots and some great emergent growth. One stem is probably 6 inches out of the tank and two emergent shoots are starting up.

The anubias are doing fantastic as well.

I have a few L. arcuata still sitting in there. Their growth is slow but they're still hanging in there.

For the rescape I'm gong to add some Bylxa Japonica, some pygmy chain swords in the forground, some java fern (which I already have actually), a couple of crypts (species undecided), and maybe one focus catching plant to place with the DW and anubias (unless this in itself in focus catching enough).


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## JeffyFunk (Apr 6, 2006)

A couple of comments... First of all, it's always great to see people try plants. So far so good. It just needs time to mature. 

Second, I would suggest moving the HOB filter to the side to create a better flow pattern. You can look up most things by Niko to see what I mean. I personally think having the powerhead in the front left facing right and having the HOB filter in the back right facing left would make a nice flow pattern. 

Third, as you've discovered H2O2 is a great snail eliminator. Unfortunately, it's not selective in which ones it kills. 

Finally, I like the plants you want to add. I've always done well with Sagitarria subulata, all the common crypts and blyxa japonica even in a NPT. A word of warning, though. Crypts in a NPT never stay small, even C. Parva... That said, a nicely grown crypt (with a nice anubia behind it) is plenty attentive.. And low maintenance, too. Good luck.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

JeffyFunk said:


> Second, I would suggest moving the HOB filter to the side to create a better flow pattern. You can look up most things by Niko to see what I mean. I personally think having the powerhead in the front left facing right and having the HOB filter in the back right facing left would make a nice flow pattern.
> 
> Finally, I like the plants you want to add. I've always done well with Sagitarria subulata, all the common crypts and blyxa japonica even in a NPT. A word of warning, though. Crypts in a NPT never stay small, even C. Parva... That said, a nicely grown crypt (with a nice anubia behind it) is plenty attentive.. And low maintenance, too. Good luck.


Thanks for the comments. I was actually planning on moving the HOB and pump as you described with the rescape. However I'm probably going to do the opposite direction as you because I want use the HOB as a riparium and grow something in the filter box. BEcause of this, having the HOB on the left places it into the room as opposed to the corner wall. My pump is a true 100 gph so when that thing is going the water is definitely moving.

I've been considering placing some subulata in there as well; since I'm getting some my 5 gallon project I might stick a few amongst the blyxa for contrast.

Well, below is the pic of my emergent bacopa monneiri.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Well, my rescape plans will hopefully be executed either next week or the week after. THe image below is what I'm planning on with a couple rocks mixed in on the left.










This doesn't show the Hydrocotyle that will be floating and emerged along the back and right edge.

So, my next questions is... I'm going to be keeping the Anubias and Bacopa and Hydrocotlye that are currently in the tank but because the tank is sparse with plants the BBA is getting out of control.

I've started some H2O2 treatments again (at a lower dose than I previously used) but what will I need to do to make these plants safe and clean for the rescape?

I've heard that removing the infected leaves is necessary but I'm afraid that after I do that I'll have nothing but rhizomes and stems left... if that's the case should I just buy all new plants? Or is it totally cool to plant a tank with a bunch of 1 -2" stems and bare rhizomes?


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Remove the leaves. Nick the rhizomes 1/3 way through and they will branch up at each nicked area. Soon you will have full leaved anubias. It encourages growth. If you are dealing with only BBA use excel. It won't hurt snails and will kill BBA. Your C pontedefoilia will grown about 10-12" tall Seems a bit tall for where you have planned to place it.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Tex Gal said:


> Remove the leaves. Nick the rhizomes 1/3 way through and they will branch up at each nicked area. Soon you will have full leaved anubias. It encourages growth. If you are dealing with only BBA use excel. It won't hurt snails and will kill BBA. Your C pontedefoilia will grown about 10-12" tall Seems a bit tall for where you have planned to place it.


Thanks, Tex Gal... yes it's just BBA on the leaves... there are some green spot algae on the glass, now that the Zerites are dead but I'm not worried much about that as it will correct itself once I get the plant mass up things get back in balance.

Just nick the rhizomes? do you mean a small v-cut or simply a small straight-cut? I've heard of this technique with terrestrial plants but have never actually practiced it.

Thanks for the tip on the C. Ponte... everything I've read suggests it reach 8" though I've heard people mention that crypts generally grow larger in NPT tanks. Perhaps I'll swap it with the Beckettii


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I just do a straight cut down in the rhizome. I have so much growth that way. Seems to grow faster to - or maybe it's just my imagination....


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Well, I finally managed to complete my re-scape.

Subtrate: Soil with a pea gravel cap.
Flora: Bacopa Monnieri, Rotala Roundiflora, Hygrophila Difformis, Ludwigia Repens, Cryptocoryne Undulata, Cryptocoryne Lutea, Anubias Nana Petite, Dwarf Sagittaria Subulata, Helathium Tenellum, Hydrcotyle Leucocephala.
Fauna: going to be cherry barbs and yet to be determined companions.
Ferts: 1mL 1.5% Glutaraldehyde Solution daily.
Lights: 2 23W, 6500K CFL.

So... after some planning and lots of waiting my 10 gallon B. Monnieri garden, which had some super great emergent growth was trimmed out and the clippings were used to replant this tank, a 5 gallon with a pending journal, and my office 1 gallon.

The only other plants that survived the original planting and subsequent H2O2 misadventure were the Anubias, and Hydrocotyle so they were reused, of course.

I have a HOB on the left side which directs flow from the left rear of the tank, across to the right. On the right side I have a pump that directs flow from the front right across to the left.

I added a background... 95% limo window tint. This was my first time using this product and there is definitely a learning curve. Overall, I'm pleased with the result and will use this on my 55 when I set it up. It allows some light pass through which so if you desire a solid opaque look, this might not be the best option.

I'm also pleased with the way the scape came together. I only have 1 plantlet of Lutea because, well, I just didn't get a good pot. I'm going let the plant dealer know... It was the only disappointing part of the plant shipment.

Well, that's it... here's the FTS!


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

*Re: My first NPT - A 10 Gallon Journey*

18 Day Update!

Well, things are going along rather nicely I think. The L. Repens is growing up and is almost emergent. The C. Undulatus is coming in slowly after a little melting; the C. Lutea however is really taking off. I had planted only 1 rhizome that had three leaves on it because the pot only had two rhizomes that were in good condition. Honestly, I though this plant would be a bust but the three leaves has turned into eight and there are several new plantlets forming around the original rhizome. There are also three other plantlets that I think belong to one (or maybe both) of the crypts; it's too early to tell.










The E. Tenellus is adjusting great. One of them is sending out runners like mad.










I have some serious diatom issues that have developed. So today I went out to get some more Zerites (since I killed my first three with an H2O2 treatment). They're leaving behind a nice trail of clean gravel as they travel along, haha.

Also, picked up this little guy.



















Oh yeah, all the dark spots on the leaves are actually snail excrement! Pond snails make a lot of poop!

I'm still letting the plants grow-out a bit before I start shaping the tank... for instance, I'm going to keep the L. repens short and bushy and I might be adding some stems in the right corner instead of the S. Subulata that is currently there.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

1 Month update!

Hi all, so the oto and apples snails made quick work of the diatoms but now I see some GSA popping up.

I'm pretty sure that its just because the tank hasn't balanced yet but I don't want to let any algae get out of control. I understand that GSA is usually the result of low phosphates, yes?

If that's the case what's the best method of adding phosphate to the tank... I don't currently have any fish aside from an oto.

What's the best source of phosphate and how do I supplement it? I'm completely new to ferts and since I'm using a soil subtrate I want to keep my dosing to a minimum.

The only thing I'm currently adding is 1 - 1.5mL excel a day.

In addition to the GSA that's starting to pop-up I've notice these tiny white-translucent worms on the glass... they're really tiny, less than half a centimeter.

After doing some research, everytime "tiny worms" are mentioned, the response is planaria; this is followed by feed less. Well, I have only a single oto so I don't put any fish food in the tank.

So, anyone have some advice or insight on these might be... I can try to get a pic but they're so small and I only have a cell phone cam so it'll be a challenge.


I could really use some feedback about this... I feel like it's on the verge of getting out of control if I don't do something. Of course, maybe the best thing is to let it run it's course?


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Worms first--there are a variety of tiny worms that find their way into aquaria. The great majority are harmless. Planaria are distinctly flat, with tiny eye spots on the triangular head end. Again, disgusting but common and harmless.

The comment about GSA being caused by low phosphates applies to tanks with water column dosing, and isn't usually true of soil-based tanks. I suspect this will go away on its own. You might try reducing your photoperiod. And--this is just a hunch--the first thing I would try is to stop the gluteraldehyde. A one month old soil tank is probably producing plenty of CO2 from decaying organics in the soil. You don't really need the glute for carbon, and it may be throwing other things out of whack. It is toxic, after all, and we should remember that.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

Michael said:


> The comment about GSA being caused by low phosphates applies to tanks with water column dosing, and isn't usually true of soil-based tanks. I suspect this will go away on its own. You might try reducing your photoperiod. And--this is just a hunch--the first thing I would try is to stop the gluteraldehyde. A one month old soil tank is probably producing plenty of CO2 from decaying organics in the soil. You don't really need the glute for carbon, and it may be throwing other things out of whack. It is toxic, after all, and we should remember that.


I see your point... but here is the caveat; The soil is actually 2 yo... it was sitting the tank for two years before I planted it or even added water. I'm adding glut to my 5 gallon and 1 gallon that is using soil from the same bag.

However, the advice still holds merit. My photoperiod is 4 on, 4 off, 4 on so I'm not sure how much lower I can make it.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

If the soil was sitting dry for 2 years, it will behave more or less like new soil when first submerged.


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## firefiend (Aug 17, 2009)

*Re: My first NPT - A 10 Gallon Journey*

Okay, been a while since I updated this and I wish I could say things were going swimmingly (hehe).

My current lighting is 2 23W 6500K CFL's 19 in above substrate; 8 hrs with 4 hour siesta.
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
5 ppm nitrate

The tank has mostly fishless until a few days ago. I now have a couple SAE's, 5 cherry barbs and 6 black neons so I expect the nitrate to be going up over fairly soon.

I dose 1 mL excel strength glut daily and for the past week I've been dosing trace elements according PPSpro dosages. My Hydrocoytle has been showing signs of Fe deficiency.

Most importantly is I'm battling major BBA again. Today I cut off nearly all my anubias leaves and quite a few crypt leaves and Pygmy chain sword leaves.

I have to get this under control... my 5 gallon and 1 gal are doing awesome but this 10 gallon has been a real challenge.

The nearest thing I can figure is my CO2 to lighting is off balance, which then exacerbated my lower nitrate issue.

According to Hoppy's latest article at Aqua Botonic my lighting is higher than the recommended PAR range of 20-30 with a PAR of ~38










So, I have a couple choices... I can replace the bulbs with 20W bulbs which would put me just above the high end of the range or I can use 15W bulbs which would put me closer to mid-range ~24 PAR.

I can't raise my lights more than a couple inches without replacing the conduit raisers but I can lower it (which better supports the lower wattage).

Additionally I'm on day two of double dosing excel.

So, what do you all think?


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