# The Corner Desk - My first Walstad Method build



## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

Hello, APC!

This is “The Corner Desk”.
It is a simple L-shaped table that I built in the corner of my office, and I hope for it to one day be a thriving jungle of both aquatic and terrestrial plants.

I’m starting this thread as a place to document progress, share photos, ask questions, etc.
To start things off, here are a few photos after initial setup this morning.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

*INITIAL BUILD DETAILS

Glass*
ADA 60P (17 Gal)
ADA 60F (10.8 Gal)

*Substrate*
Kellogg Garden Organics - All Natural Garden Soil
CaribSea Super Naturals Peace River Gravel (Main Cap)
CaribSea Super Naturals Sunset Gold Sand (Decorative)
CaribSea Super Naturals Zen Garden Gravel (Decorative)

*Lighting*
Kessil A360X Tuna Sun

*Plants*
Ludwigia Arcuata
Ludwigia Peruensis
Ludwigia Natans
Staurogyne Repens
Hemianthus Micranthemoides
Nomaphila Stricta
Ammania Gracilis
Alternanthera Bettzickiana
Alternanthera Rosanervig
Nesaea Pedicellata
Rotala Indica
Vallisneria Spiralis
Limnobium Laevigatum
(Currently waiting on additional floating plants: Lemna Minor, and Phyllanthus Fluitans)


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Very cool arrangement of the the two tanks! It fooled me at first, it looked like a custom build. What PAR is the Kessil giving you?


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## erose (9 mo ago)

Wow, it already looks so nice! I'm looking forward to watching it mature (that is, if you intend to post regular updates  ).


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

Michael said:


> Very cool arrangement of the the two tanks! It fooled me at first, it looked like a custom build. What PAR is the Kessil giving you?


Thank you! The reflection where the tanks meet creates a fun optical illusion when viewed at the right angles - wasn’t planned, but I’m not mad about it. 😃

The lighting is still “in progress”, to be honest.

Currently, it is mounted ~3’ above the water surface on the 60P. This height was desired to simply give me more room to observe/maintain the aquaria, as well as enhance the general look (I personally feel that equipment on/in a rimless aquarium destroys the aesthetics).
I’ve also added the 35 degree reflector to help narrow the spread, and bump up the light intensity for this height.









It is a bit hard to tell from the photo, but the light is horizontally positioned over the seam where the two tanks meet - I assume this is adequate for the smaller tank, as the left side of this desk does receive some natural light from a window.

A quick shot of my PAR testing this morning:








I used the Apogee Instruments SQ-520, and their ApogeeConnect software to grab a few readings.

I took 6 readings in each tank: Left, Center and Right - both at the surface, and at the substrate. All readings were taken “centered” in terms of front to back depth of each tank. The actual readings were rounded +/- a few PAR to produce the below numbers:

ADA 60P:
Surface: [L:80, C:80, R:40]
Substrate: [L:15, C:40, R:20]

ADA 60F:
Surface: [L:10, C:40, R:90]
Substrate: [L:10, C:30, R:40]

So.. This gives me an average PAR at the substrate of around 25 for each tank. 
I have lots of room to lower the light, if additional intensity is required - but this configuration seemed to get me closest to the general lighting recommendations.



erose said:


> Wow, it already looks so nice! I'm looking forward to watching it mature (that is, if you intend to post regular updates  ).


Thank you! Of course - my intention is for this thread to be my “build journal” - I’ll circle back periodically with updates as things progress.

*UPDATE*

I tested the water paramters for the first time today - the tanks have been live for ~1 day, so I figured this would be a good time to get some initial readings.
One thing that I found interesting is that both tanks share identical params. I expected the tanks to have some difference, given that they contain different levels of substrate and plants. I’m curious to see how they might both take different paths over time.

PH: 7.3
Ammonia: 0.5
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Temp: ~72F

Given the above, my interpretation is that the soil is leaching ammonia into the water column, however the presence of a nitrosomonas or pseudomonas colony is not yet detectable.

I’ve also received my shipment of floaters in:


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

Are the_ alternanthera _one of those species that have emergent as well as submersed versions of itself?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Good luck with the duckweed.
Cool, didn't know Apogee made a sensor you can plug into a computer.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Healthy plants can absorb ammonia faster than beneficial bacteria will become established. In Walstad tanks, plants assume the role of biological filtration.

PAR of 10 to 15 mmol at the substrate is pretty low. I like to see it at 20 or above. You might lower the Kessil, or let the plants work it out on their own. If I understand you correctly, it seems that the back corner is getting the least light.

All and all, the most original and interesting set up I've seen in a long time. It is modern and minimalist.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

johnwesley0 said:


> Are the_ alternanthera _one of those species that have emergent as well as submersed versions of itself?


I don't have experience growing Alternanthera above the water, so I'm not sure if the growth would be drastically different.
That said, I recall reading that most (all?) of the Ludwigias I purchased will have different appearances when emergent vs submersed.
I'm curious to see how these plants react to the lighting/co2/temp/etc - I believe several are generally considered mid/high tech species - fingers crossed that some of the red persists. 



mistergreen said:


> Good luck with the duckweed.
> Cool, didn't know Apogee made a sensor you can plug into a computer.


I'm observing rapid growth with the duckweed - and its only been 10 minutes! Clearly, no luck is needed.

_(pray for me)_



Michael said:


> Healthy plants can absorb ammonia faster than beneficial bacteria will become established. In Walstad tanks, plants assume the role of biological filtration.
> 
> PAR of 10 to 15 mmol at the substrate is pretty low. I like to see it at 20 or above. You might lower the Kessil, or let the plants work it out on their own. If I understand you correctly, it seems that the back corner is getting the least light.
> 
> All and all, the most original and interesting set up I've seen in a long time. It is modern and minimalist.


Thanks for your feedback on this, Michael.

The side nearest the corner of the wall (the left side of the 60P if you were to face it) is getting 15, and the left side of the 60F (where the sand is) is getting 10.
With the 60P, it was a bit challenging to get my arm in there in such a way that would not block some level of the lighting, so a PAR of 15 (while likely close) is not 100% accurate.

I've lowered the light ~ 6", and it appears that I have ~12" of additional room to lower as needed. Any lower than that, and I would need to come up with a new solution for wall mounting this.
I have not yet remeasured the PAR, but I assume I'm much closer to (or over?) 20 in all planted areas.

Follow up question for you:
How concerned should I be with the "hot spots"? The area directly under the light exceeded a PAR of 20 at the substrate (by 2x prior to lowering the light).


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Don't worry about the hot spots, all aquaria have them. It is common to get a higher PAR reading next to the glass compared to the center of the tank. You can use this to your advantage by placing plants that require higher light level in the hot spots and using low-light species in dimmer areas.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Clever and promising setup. You need more light. I have a PAR at water surface of 200-400. At substrate 20-40 umoles/m2/sec. I would lower that light until you get a decent light intensity, especially for floating plants.
Also, consider the photoperiod. I use 13 hours, with or without a 3-4 hour Siesta. (I still don't understand why people are recommending a photoperiod less than 12 hours?)


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

dwalstad said:


> Clever and promising setup. You need more light. I have a PAR at water surface of 200-400. At substrate 20-40 umoles/m2/sec. I would lower that light until you get a decent light intensity, especially for floating plants.
> Also, consider the photoperiod. I use 13 hours, with or without a 3-4 hour Siesta. (I still don't understand why people are recommending a photoperiod less than 12 hours?)


Thank you for your feedback, Ms. Walstad.
I’m going to lower the light as far as I can with the current mounting system, and will circle back with updated PAR readings.
May I ask - are there instances in which you would not want a siesta on a particular aquarium?
When reading about the benefits of this in your book, it seemed compelling enough to always use a siesta.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

AquaticMeditation said:


> May I ask - are there instances in which you would not want a siesta on a particular aquarium?
> When reading about the benefits of this in your book, it seemed compelling enough to always use a siesta.


I would try to get more lamps for your tanks. Here, you've made a valiant effort to grow plants in a beautiful setup and you've shortchanged them on the one thing they need most--light. I don't think that a single spotlight is enough no matter how much you lower it. And once you lower it, the light beam will be more and more confined to a single area. I would add two desk lamps, at each end of your "L." shape. You need "spread" as well as light intensity for this particular setup.

If you were just growing ferns, you _might_ be able to get away with that one spotlight. But here you've got floating plants and submerged plants underneath.

As to Siestas.....In my current tanks for guppy breeding, I don't use a Siesta. My reasons are somewhat arbitrary. I am retired now and spend a lot of time fussing with the guppies during the midday. I didn't like the lights shutting off while I was catching guppies, etc. More importantly, though, I wanted to keep the floating plants growing for that extra 4 hours. They can get air CO2, so a Siesta, theoretically speaking, will not benefit them and will probably slow their total growth. So with this exception, I highly recommend Siestas.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

*UPDATE*

Well folks, I've got some bad news on this project...

A power outage in my area has fried the Kessil. 
I've tried plugging it in to different outlets - nothing. 
I've tried disconnecting the controller to test if the light would work manually - nothing.

So... It appears that I'll be reworking the entire lighting setup now.. 😑
I do have some temporary lights I can put on the tanks - unfortunately, nothing with enough intensity to really get me by for an extended period of time.

At least now I can focus on getting adequate lighting for the setup(?). (really trying to find an upside in this lol)

Stay tuned..


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Plug your devices into a power strip to protect them from power surges. I had to learn the hard way when a surge killed my computer.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

mistergreen said:


> Plug your devices into a power strip to protect them from power surges. I had to learn the hard way when a surge killed my computer.


The light was plugged into a surge protector.
Perhaps the surge protector didn't do its job, however I would assume it (or other items) would be damaged / non-functional, which is not the case.
Thankfully my duckweed seems to be doing well.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

*UPDATE

Lighting*

Prior to the Kessil, I had the Fluval Plant 3.0.
I loved the light - I got great plant growth with it, and the level of control provided with their free app was great.
_"So - why the 'upgrade' to the Kessil?"_, you ask.
I saw a system running the A360X and was blown away by the color, and the "shimmer" created by the light... So I ordered one.

Fast forward to earlier today, and the Fluval Plant 3.0 was collecting dust in my abyss of random aquarium products I've purchased while experimenting with this hobby.
So I dusted it off, and put it on the 60P.
I then drove to the local pet store and bought another Fluval Plant 3.0, and put it on the 60F.
I now have seemingly abundant light for both systems, and even observed some of my plants pearling this evening after the addition!

Assuming no power outages take out this lighting system, I'm done making changes to the lights.
While it doesn't have the same aesthetic as the initial setup, I think I owe it to the plants to keep things consistent for a while.

*Duckweed Part I*

Ok, I have a confession to make...
I've read about the drama surrounding Duckweed, and have generally thought the benefits outweighed the cons.......................
That is until I willfully purchased Duckweed (yes, willfully) and added it to these aquatic systems.
I had no idea that it sticks to ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.
So... You win, mistergreen.  

My general plan at this point is to let these systems get more established, and then remove. 
(With the goal of permanent removal 🙏).

Wow that escalated quickly.

*Duckweed Part II*

One of the main reasons I added Duckweed to these systems is due to fact that many recommended species of floating plants are considered invasive in my region.

I want to get the benefits of floating plants, however I've found several floating species in the past to be "slower" to grow.
I've used Red Root in the past - it honestly did not do well, however it was in a system that had moderate flow on the surface. So I hope to have better luck given there is zero flow in both of these new systems.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

*UPDATE

Water Chemistry*

Some small shifts have occurred.
**Note, I'm using the API Master Test Kit - I am guesstimating the value in cases where the test tube shows a color that falls between two colors on the provided chart.

PH: Both tanks appear to have risen to ~7.5 (I regretfully did not check the temps, so it is unclear if water temperature may be contributing to this).
Ammonia: The smaller tank (60F) persists at ~0.5ppm, however the Ammonia in the larger tank (60P) has dropped to ~0.3ppm.
Nitrite: Both tanks show no detectable level.
Nitrate: Both tanks show no detectable level.

*Observations*

I continue to see oxygen bubbles form on several of the species of plants - it is most apparent:

In the roots of the Limnobium Laevigatum.
Forming on the tip of the leaves of the Nomaphila Stricta.
Forming near the nodes(?) of the Hemianthus Micranthemoides.

Several of the plants appear to look as good as (or perhaps better than?) the day they were planted.
Specifically the Ludwigias - they all appear to be doing great! The Staurogyne Repens also seems quite happy.

I'm observing some melt.
Most of the Nesaea Pedicellata has transparent leaves at this point. If I recall, it was the plant that appeared to be in the worst shape on arrival.
Not sure if this is an emergent>submerged conversion happening, or if I'll end up losing these altogether as the tanks mature.
I observe a similar state with both of the Alternantheras.

The rest of the plants appear unchanged.

*Free Pets*

I did observe some hitchhikers: 

A few small snails cruising on the glass - most of which have a very circular shell structure that appears to indicate they are Ramshorns(?).
A few Bladder Snails that are slightly larger than the Ramshorns.

*Questions*


For the plants that appear to have melting leaves - is it best to let the plants work this out on their own, or is it best to remove any of the organic material that does not appear healthy?
I have observed a few small gas bubbles in the gravel substrate - I assume this is simply trapped oxygen from the time the gravel was added to the tanks. Is this okay to leave as is, or should I poke the substrate in attempt to release this trapped gas?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

It's ok, you'll have duckweed whether you like it or not. 🤣


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## maico996 (Nov 6, 2016)

Poke the substrate a couple times per day until the bubbles decrease or stop. The plants will sort it out so don't worry about melt. I don't remove dead leaves from my tank as they contribute food for snails and shrimp.
Duckweed...hope you like green carpet. 🤣


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

*UPDATE

Water Chemistry*

Today is the second day where I'm reading 0ppm of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate.
PH appears to have stabilized.

*Observations*

The water is crystal clear.
There is a slight biofilm beginning to form on the surface - most noticeably near the larger collections of floating plants.

The glass remains clear, with no signs of algae forming on the surface.
There is, however, duckweed ALL OVER the edge of the glass from evaporation.
_For those of you just tuning in - I'm really enjoying this duckweed stuff..._

My Vallisneria appears to have turned into an oxygen factory.
There is a steady stream of bubbles coming off the tips of the leaves - very satisfying to watch.

The Ludwigias continue to look fantastic. Some of the reds are starting to take on a rich purple color.
One plant was found "uprooted" this morning - I was likely a bit too rough with this one when measuring par. I'll go ahead and tuck this back into the substrate, and hopefully it will continue along without issue.

Yikes - the Nesaea Pedicellata... There are _maybe_ 2 or 3 plants that still look somewhat like a plant.
I'm hoping this pulls through somehow.

The Rotala Indica has been pretty interesting.
It appears to be taking on a more "curly" structure - the stem spiraling upward, with the plant tips now pointing straight at the light source, and turning more of an orangey-pink.
Some are starting to show signs of melt that I did not observe previously.

Everything else appears unchanged.


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## Javadan3 (Mar 28, 2021)

Aquatic Meditation said:


> *INITIAL BUILD DETAILS
> 
> Glass*
> ADA 60P (17 Gal)
> ...



Very nice! I'm going to be moving shortly and think I will set up 2 tanks that way in the new place. Such a simple idea that works so well. Thanks for the idea!

I agree that duck weed can be quite a pain. Goldfish love to eat it, though. Amazing how much of it they can eat and how fast they grow from eating it. I have some frozen for future use in homemade ripashy for all the fish. It's high in protein. 

I got a tip, on here I think, to skim it off the top of tanks with a comb. Works best of all I tried. I have the added problem of having to skim it out of shrimp & fry tanks that have an abundance of riccia, too. All that is skimmed off has to sit in clear plastic shoe boxs with tank water in them for shrimp & fry rescue. 

Your tanks already look very nice. Will be magnificent with a little time.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Are these your first tanks? The plants you purchased may have been emergent and are now shedding their leaves as they transition to their submerged form. The transition can be difficult for plants just getting started. Then, you have the lighting issues. It's best when plants start growing right off the bat to get a jump start on algae.

Here is the NICREW C10 LED light I just bought. It works well on a manual setting. It is similar to my old Beamswork. I have about 6 Beamswork that are now 4 and 5 years old. I don't have any of my lights on surge protectors. I have dropped them in tanks a couple of times and they still worked fine--after I drained and dried them out. Maybe I'm just lucky....


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

dwalstad said:


> Are these your first tanks? The plants you purchased may have been emergent and are now shedding their leaves as they transition to their submerged form. The transition can be difficult for plants just getting started. Then, you have the lighting issues. It's best when plants start growing right off the bat to get a jump start on algae.
> 
> Here is the NICREW C10 LED light I just bought. It works well on a manual setting. It is similar to my old Beamswork. I have about 6 Beamswork that are now 4 and 5 years old. I don't have any of my lights on surge protectors. I have dropped them in tanks a couple of times and they still worked fine--after I drained and dried them out. Maybe I'm just lucky....


I'm loving what I've read about the NicrewC10. Had the feeling since my first Nymphoides/nymphaea that I should have more control over the color spectrum of my lighting and my recent experiences with all glass tanks really makes the ability to control intensity highly desirable too. I just wish it had been available 7 months ago!


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

Javadan3 said:


> Very nice! I'm going to be moving shortly and think I will set up 2 tanks that way in the new place. Such a simple idea that works so well. Thanks for the idea!
> 
> I agree that duck weed can be quite a pain. Goldfish love to eat it, though. Amazing how much of it they can eat and how fast they grow from eating it. I have some frozen for future use in homemade ripashy for all the fish. It's high in protein.
> 
> ...


Thank you! I hope to see a build journal of your aquaria when you get settled in. 

And thank you for sharing the tip RE Duckweed!
I think I found a solution for it (fingers crossed) - more in the update below. However, if I was unsuccessful, I'll certainly keep this method in mind.



dwalstad said:


> Are these your first tanks? The plants you purchased may have been emergent and are now shedding their leaves as they transition to their submerged form. The transition can be difficult for plants just getting started. Then, you have the lighting issues. It's best when plants start growing right off the bat to get a jump start on algae.
> 
> Here is the NICREW C10 LED light I just bought. It works well on a manual setting. It is similar to my old Beamswork. I have about 6 Beamswork that are now 4 and 5 years old. I don't have any of my lights on surge protectors. I have dropped them in tanks a couple of times and they still worked fine--after I drained and dried them out. Maybe I'm just lucky....


These are my first attempts at "low tech".
I've had several planted tanks in the past, however these have all leveraged expensive aqua soil, overpowered canister filtration, injected co2, etc... 
That said, this aquatic experiment has required a fairly significant shift in how I approach planted aquaria.

I understand that the plant melt that I'm observing is due to where I've sourced the plants, and how they chose to farm their product.
Partially or fully converted plants (along with stable lighting) would have been ideal from day 1 - no arguments from me on that.
This has all been part of the learning process for me - mistakes that will hopefully not be made on the next project. (MTS is real, folks 😭🤣) 

I will say - experimenting with your method has really opened up my eyes to how much more fragile the system becomes for every new element introduced.
Aside from the known errors made - this system has been hands off... While not the perfect first attempt, it is beautiful, and has brought tremendous joy to my work space.
Thanks for taking time to share your knowledge, and for helping nudge this project in the right direction.

*UPDATE

Water Chemistry*

I continue to measure 0ppm of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

*Observations*

I'm observing some decent growth.
The stars of the show: Ludwigia, and its co-host, Pearlweed.

The Nasaea is starting to have a come back.
The main stem on several plants is starting to look healthier, and I'm observing some new leaves popping out at the top, above the melting leaves.
So... We might have luck with this one after all! 

The Rotala seems to have grown quite a bit as well. Not anything like the pearlweed (which has doubled in length in some places), but a few stems have easily grown a couple of inches.
I'm also seeing some of the stems splitting off - like branches on a tree.
The new growth has a beautiful light pink under the leaves.

The Alternanthera Bettzickiana is looking pretty nice.
The other specie, a little melty.

There is no visible biofilm on the surface, however one of my new snail friends seems quite a bit more interested with the surface of the water than the surface of plants/glass.

Everything else appears unchanged.

For those interested, I'll likely post some updated photos next time around.

*Duckweed Part III*

I sacrificed a fish net, along with some of the floating plants, in effort to get the bulk of the Duckweed out.
I was then able to suck the lone survivors off the water surface with a pipette.
A few leaves have popped up that I believe were overlooked on the first pass - again, easily pulled off the surface with a pipette.
Hopefully it will last - but if not - the pipette method seems to handle the job pretty quickly.


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

Aquatic Meditation said:


> MTS is real, folks 😭🤣


I'm guessing you don't mean, malaysian trumpet snails?


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## erose (9 mo ago)

johnwesley0 said:


> I'm guessing you don't mean, malaysian trumpet snails?


Multiple Tank Syndrome.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

You have a good attitude. 

Yes, a picture of the tank would give us a better idea of how the plants are doing. The main thing, though, is that you are enjoying the tank.


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

My nicrewC10 just arrived. I love that it has more white LCD lights than my previous purchase. And that you can dim either of two "channels" all the way from 0 to 100% (the "blue" channel is currently at -0%)

But how do you program a siesta into the mix? I only see one "on" and one "off" option.


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## maico996 (Nov 6, 2016)

johnwesley0 said:


> My nicrewC10 just arrived. I love that it has more white LCD lights than my previous purchase. And that you can dim either of two "channels" all the way from 0 to 100% (the "blue" channel is currently at -0%)
> 
> But how do you program a siesta into the mix? I only see one "on" and one "off" option.


From their website: Compatible with NICREW Single-channel timer and Single-channel timer Pro to simulate sunrise and sunset.
So...looks like you'd have to purchase a timer from them, or you could probably use a regular "lamp" timer?


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

maico996 said:


> From their website: Compatible with NICREW Single-channel timer and Single-channel timer Pro to simulate sunrise and sunset.
> So...looks like you'd have to purchase a timer from them, or you could probably use a regular "lamp" timer?
> View attachment 75401


Ah, but here's the rub: IIRC, every time the light is turned off manually (which is what an external timer simulates), it loses the programmed intensity settings and everything comes back on at 100% intensity. I may have to try this light without a siesta period for a limited period just to see whether it has an effect on algae - and then switch back to my old light?


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

Big Edit: Also LOVE the slooww sunrise/sunset aspect of the programmed on/off setting (which I suspect is also lost, if the light is turned on by an external timer.)


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## maico996 (Nov 6, 2016)

johnwesley0 said:


> Big Edit: Also LOVE the slooww sunrise/sunset aspect of the programmed on/off setting (which I suspect is also lost, if the light is turned on by an external timer.)


Do you know if they offer a programmable timer? I didn't look too deep on their website. Or you could get a Fluval which has a built-in app that controls all sorts of things making it really easy to set up sunrise/sunset/siesta and control all kinds of spectrum and intensity.


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

maico996 said:


> Do you know if they offer a programmable timer? I didn't look too deep on their website. Or you could get a Fluval which has a built-in app that controls all sorts of things making it really easy to set up sunrise/sunset/siesta and control all kinds of spectrum and intensity.


This is why I don't throw away boxes. What serial number Fluval do you have?

EDIT: NVM. I can already see that for this price point I won't find anything more programmable. I'm lucky to have the additional white LED lights (from 60 up to 67) and fewer blues (from 12 down to 7). I'll just have to use my floaters as natural dimmers (and stay on top of culling them) and use the external timer I've been using in order to continue having a siesta break for the plants.


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## maico996 (Nov 6, 2016)

johnwesley0 said:


> This is why I don't throw away boxes. What serial number Fluval do you have?


I have a Fluval Fresh & Plant 2.0 with the optional wifi controller. The newer versions (3.0) come with wifi built in so nothing additional is needed to control the light.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

*UPDATE

Water Chemistry*

After a number of consecutive tests that all pointed to stable water conditions, I have decided to reduce the testing frequency.

I will likely do weekly tests for the next month (more on the ‘why’ below), then reduce testing to more of an ‘as needed’ frequency based on observation.

*Lighting*

The Fluval 3.0s seem to be doing the job.
The programmed sunrise/sunset and siesta are all working flawlessly.

*Flora Additions*

I felt like there wasn't adequate visual separation between the foreground and the mid/background plants.
While I didn’t want to make a big change and disrupt both systems, it seemed fairly harmless to introduce small amounts of a foreground plant from a trusted source….
So, I added a bit of hairgrass to help achieve the look I wanted. 

*Fauna Additions*

We have new friends, folks!

The observed plant growth and water stability gave me confidence in introducing some snails and fish to both systems.
The 60F has a small group of Danio Erythromicron.
The 60P has a small group of Dario Dario.

(This is the ‘why’ for the continued short term testing mentioned above)

*Observations*

The water remains ‘clear’ in terms of visibility, but has slowly started to get a bit of a green/yellow tint.
I believe this to be in the water column, as opposed to growth on the glass surface.

The plants seem to be working things out - some have done very well, while others have struggled a bit.

I am already seeing runners and new growth from the hairgrass!

The Ludwigia has roots that have sprouted from the main stem, and now seem to have made it down to the substrate.
The roots were a bit unsightly at first, but are starting to become blocked from other plant growth - so not as unsightly as the rest of the plants fill in.

The Limnobium roots have grown so long that a few of these plants are actually ‘anchored’ in place.
(*Question*: should I keep these roots trimmed, so the plants are more ‘free floating’ - or is this an aesthetic preference that doesn't affect growth?)

I’ve really been enjoying this addition to my office, and appreciate you all taking some time to share this adventure with me!

Here is a quick photo update of the in-progress aquatic jungle - its about that time to add some water, and maybe even trim and replant a few of these stems! 😃


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Tanks look great! I've always wanted Dario but never tried them.

On the_ Limnobium_, the long roots are a sign of health. The species thrives in some of my tanks and sulks in others. Where it thrives it always develops the long roots. It is one of the reasons your water chemistry is stable and you do not have algae problems. I don't ever trim the roots, but thin the plants weekly to get the aesthetics I want.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

Thanks for feedback, Michael - I’ll go ahead and let the frogbit keep doing frogbit things.

I highly recommend trying Dario Dario at some point - their behavior is quite fun to watch, and their coloration/pattern is pretty stunning.

*UPDATE*

I have a confession to make…

Do you all recall (just a few posts ago) where I mentioned the ‘realness’ of MTS?
(No, johnwesley0, we’re not talkin’ snails…)

Well… It turns out there are actually 3 tanks on the corner desk 
What?!?!?!?!?!?!?

UNS 90B 
Stocked with the same plants as the other tanks (the exception being some Anubias (unsure of the exact varieties), Nymphaea Zenkeri, and Hydrocotyle Tripartita).
You might also spot a school of Paracheirodon Simulans

The tank had some explosive plant growth, and a few plants could definitely use a bit of love (the Hydrocotyle specifically needs some attention).
So, please excuse the mess.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

A quick follow up thought on the above post - specifically* for anyone new to the hobby that may be viewing this thread*:

Both of the shallow tanks displayed here were an experiment to see if I could create stable aquaria without having 100% of the substrate covered in plants.
Specifically, I wanted to add sand/rock/driftwood to create some visual interest beyond the flora/fauna.

For reference:
The ADA 60F has ~75% plant coverage.
The UNS 90B has ~60% plant coverage, or less.

The UNS 90B was a *struggle* to get started, if I'm being completely honest.
While it is now at a stable point, and showcasing great plant growth and happy fish - I would *not recommend* anyone try this unless you have experience in the hobby, and the time needed to hold the hand of such a tank for the first couple of weeks.

If you are starting out - stick with the wisdom that Ms. Walstad has shared in her book - plant heavy, and enjoy.


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## maico996 (Nov 6, 2016)

Tanks look great!!


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

*UPDATE*

Just wanted to share a few photos from breakfast time - all of the fish are coloring up beautifully!

The Paracheirodon almost look electric, their stripe is so vibrant you can see it across the room - very stunning to see them gather and swim as a school.









The Dario have a really wide range of color. I wasn't able to capture a photo of the dominant male - they all seem to have a metallic blue and black stripe on their pelvic fins, but the dominant male’s is significantly more vibrant. 
This photo is of one of the least colorful males, and is still stunning, in my opinion.









The Danio are wicked fast - darting all over the tank, weaving in and out of the plants. Very hard to get a photo, but if you look closely on the left side, you’ll see one of the males:









Clearly time for a bit of maintenance 🫣🤫
But thought you all might enjoy photos of some happy fish anyway!


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I love the fish, photos, and red plants. Nice to see.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Great! Please refresh my memory, how many Dario do youi have in what size tank?


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

Michael said:


> Great! Please refresh my memory, how many Dario do youi have in what size tank?


If I recall correctly, I've got 5 of them - they are in the largest tank.
I've read mixed reports about aggression, so I've been watching them pretty closely (and have extra aquaria ready in the event they need to be separated).

So far, I'm happy to report that they largely keep to themselves. None look stressed or appear to be exhibiting concerning behavior. They are also eating well, which many folks online report as being a pain point when keeping Dario Dario.

*UPDATE*

The plants in all of the tanks are absolutely going crazy!

Several Ludwigia stems are now starting to peek out of the top of the water.
The emergent growth is a gorgeous deep red.

The Rotala is long enough to be doing the same, however it appears to curl over and lay across the water surface, much like the Vallisneria. It seems the stems are maybe not strong enough to stand upright out of the water(?).

WE HAVE BABIES! I repeat - we have babies!!!!
When feeding the 60F (the shallow tank with the Danio Erythromicron) - a little one caught my eye.
It took me a while, but I think I've counted 6-8 of them.
They are all free swimming - approximately 1/4" in length. Too small for my camera to focus on, so I don't have photos to share quite yet.

*Question*: What should I be feeding them?
My assumption is that they have found a food source in the tank, given their current stage of growth.
Currently, I feed this tank frozen baby brine shrimp (which I assume is too large for their little mouths?).
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

You can try First Bites. But in my experience, nothing will take the place of whatever it is they have found on their own:
Hikari First Bites, 0.35-Ounce [2-Pack] + Free Shipping (amazon.com)


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

Thanks for the link, John.



johnwesley0 said:


> ...But in my experience, nothing will take the place of whatever it is they have found on their own...


Can I simply interpret this as "don't stress, and let mother nature do her thing"?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Oh cool. I didn’t know D. Erythromicron were cold water fish. The first week, they’ll feed on paramecium and such. After that you feed bigger things like microbites, micro worms, bbs.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

Happy Holidays, APC!
It's been a few months since I've done any sort of maintenance on these aquatic experiments - so I figured it would be a good time to share a quick update as well!

*UPDATE*

ADA 60F - "The Pond"

The plants appear to be doing fantastic!

Red Plants -
You can see that the Ludwigia is happily growing up and out of the water. I plan to trim these back - a few of the leaves appear to be burned(?) from their proximity to the light.
Both the Ludwigia and the Ammania have a beautiful deep red color that sadly doesn't come through in the photos. 

Foreground Plants -
The hairgrass is spreading like a weed. The pearlweed, not so much... It appears to be thickening up, but not expanding much beyond its original home.

Fish -
The Danio fry are doing well!
They are all around 1/2" in length now - still very small. I'm not sure of the exact number I have. I'm estimating somewhere around 20.










ADA 60P - "The Lake"

Everything seems to be moving along nicely here as well.

One thing I've noticed with this tank (not present in my other tanks) is that several of the frogbit plants appear to be 'chained' together. 
Most of the frogbit appears to be a singular plant, but there are a few that have thick roots that connect to other clusters of frogbit like 'nodes'.

Fish seem to be doing quite well.
The plant mass has helped break the line of sight, so the Dario do not seem to exhibit the territorial behavior that I observed in the beginning.










UNS 90B - "The River"

This tank needs the most love right now.

The water in this tank is becoming a bit cloudy. I think this is to be expected, given the experiment with the reduced plant mass. My assumption is that I have more nutrients in the water column than the current flora can use. 
My current plan of attack is to do a fairly large (50%-75%) water change, and introduce more floating plants.
I'll share additional photos once I get this one back in shape.

But.... I can't leave without sharing "Lotus Island" - which I may be renaming to "Lotus Explosion"..


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Nice. Did you make the acrylic stand where the light is sitting on? I'm looking for those clear plastic screws but haven't seen any.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

These look wonderful, and you are obviously enjoying them very much.

Your frogbit vigorous, happy, and reproducing asexually. The thick roots are stolons or "runners", connecting the parent plant to its offsets.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

mistergreen said:


> Nice. Did you make the acrylic stand where the light is sitting on? I'm looking for those clear plastic screws but haven't seen any.


I purchased the acrylic light risers off of Amazon. 
Try searching 'clear acrylic screws' - it appears there are a number of sellers that sell packs in a variety of sizes.



Michael said:


> These look wonderful, and you are obviously enjoying them very much.
> 
> Your frogbit vigorous, happy, and reproducing asexually. The thick roots are stolons or "runners", connecting the parent plant to its offsets.


Thanks, Michael - your knowledge is always appreciated!

*QUESTIONS*

We may have a problem, folks..
Upon thorough inspection yesterday, I found some new inhabitants that appear present in each of the aquaria:

A: What I believe to be a filamentous algae
I observed some very fine green 'threads' that appeared to be tangled in a cluster around several plants.
I was able to use forceps to pinch a piece of this algae, and pull it out - which ended up being surprisingly long - over a foot in length, if I had to guess.

I spent a decent amount of time pulling out what I could find from each of the tanks, though I am confident I was unable to manually remove all of it.

Given that I've not made changes to these environments in quite some time, it is unclear to me what the cause could be.
After some quick research online, I have found a number of hobbyists recommending various liquid carbon treatments... However, I'm not excited about the idea of adding harsh chemicals to a 'natural system', and am concerned that it would likely cause more harm than good (especially for the Danio fry).

B: What I believe to be Hydra
I observed very very (VERY) small green threads that appear to be attached to the surface of the glass.
They are similar in both appearance and behavior to feather dusters or anemones, for those familiar with saltwater aquaria.
A tubular base, with tentacles at the end - touching the tentacles with the tip of my forceps causes them to react, and retract into the tubular base.

The appearance (color / size) is very similar to the algae mentioned above - so I'm not sure if there is some sort of relationship between the two organisms..(?)

I've not experienced either of the above situations in my previous adventures in the hobby, and would greatly appreciate any advice on safe removal / prevention (assuming they are problematic).

Thanks!


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Aquatic Meditation said:


> Try searching 'clear acrylic screws' - it appears there are a number of sellers that sell packs in a variety of sizes.


thanks!

Regular sailfin mollies eat thread & hair algae.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

A small amount of slow growing hair algae is common, and not concerning. Just keep pulling it out.

Hydra are not usually a problem unless you are trying to raise very small fry. They are micropredators, and typically eat larger microorganisms like paramecia. Presence of hydra means you have a flourishing microfauna. Some species of fish, especially gouramis, will eat them. There are chemical treatments for them, but the population is often self-limiting. The few times they have shown up in my tanks, I just reduced fish food and they went away.


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## johnwesley0 (Feb 23, 2021)

mistergreen said:


> Regular sailfin mollies eat thread & hair algae.


Wait. What? Why am I just hearing this!? 😆


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

johnwesley0 said:


> Wait. What? Why am I just hearing this!? 😆


This is their natural habitat. Plenty of food for them. No need for expensive siamese algae eaters


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

The only hard part is finding real mollies that look and act like that, instead of the typical deformed inbred mutants in the pet store.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

The inbred mollies still prefer vegetable matter like their wild brothers and sisters but can live off fish food too. I think SAEs are like that. They eventually stop eating algae and feed exclusively off fish food.

Those wild mollies look way better than what you find in the pet stores.


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## Aquatic Meditation (5 mo ago)

mistergreen said:


> Regular sailfin mollies eat thread & hair algae.


I think I'm 'at capacity' in all of these tanks  but I'll definitely keep this in mind for the future - thanks for sharing!



Michael said:


> Hydra are not usually a problem unless you are trying to raise very small fry.


Follow up question on this -
Can they injure / prey on the fry - or are they problematic because they are consuming the fry's food source?


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