# Talk some sense into me?



## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

Hi everyone! I'm brand new here. I've read Walstad's book. I haven't committed it to memory but I did read it so I'm not completely clueless. But also I am, completely clueless.

My name is Gabriela and I live in Panama City, Panama. I'm an artist. I have a Masters' in Art Education. I'm 34. For whatever it's worth, lol.

I used soil from my planters, 2-4mm gravel, and driftwood and plants from a local aquarium store. The water temperature here is fluctuating between 25C to 27C. About 7gal of local tapwater (the best in the world?). I have it next to a window and we get about 12hrs of sunlight year-round. It's also in my living room and we hang out here every night so there's artificial lighting until bedtime. My plan was to put a lamp if I found it to be lacking, or lower the blinds if I started getting too much algae? From previous experience, I think there's enough light. 

Day 1 - I submerged the soil.
I brought the plants home from the store but didn't plant them right away, I kept them in a container with water.
Day 2 - Put the gravel in and planted the plants at night
Day 3 - Realized I had forgotten the driftwood, and I boiled it
I observed the plants and there was some nice pearling in about half of them or more
Day 4 - Boiled the driftwood again and also let it soak in room temperature water for a while, I took all of the plants out and some of the gravel. I put the driftwood in and replanted everything and replaced the gravel I had taken out. I was really silly and accidentally kind of destroyed some of the roots of the floating lettuce. I made a huge mess which resulted in about a 100% water change. I did this all around noon.
Day 5 - Did nothing but observed the plants and they were pretty much not pearling except for like maybe in three places.
Day 6 - Today, also did nothing but observe, and the plants are NOT pearling...
The water has started to brown but the lady in the store said not to worry because this lowers the PH and "the tetras love it" (I don't have any fish yet and am not planning on tetras, lol) she basically said unless you don't like it, don't worry about it. I don't mind. I have other concerns.

Concerns:
- Fertilizing the plants with fish food, 

I've read conflicting opinions about when to insert fish. I'm concerned if the water sucks they will die and I don't want to deal with dead fish so soon.
What about if I just do a snail in the meantime?
- Larvae

You don't simply 👌 leave stagnant water in Panama, so to keep larvae from happening, I can either put a fish in there, or cover the tank. I'm getting a cover made at the local acrylic place but I won't have it right away. Snails don't hunt larvae down.


I haven't tested the water levels yet (I have like an ammonia, nitrate, ph basic kit) but basically I want to like, make the plants happy and not feel so insecure about adding animals.

I'm going to also include a list of the plants I have, and if anyone is able to correct me and/or help me identify the big leafy one I will highly appreciate it. This list is from what I was able to put together from what the lady in the aquarium store gave me.

hygrophila *_*
rotala rotundiforia
rotala vietnam
vallisneria
polysperma rosanervig
altenanthera *_*
ludwigia repens
*__*
(floating)

lemnoideae
pistia __
pistia __
salvinia



day 5









day 6


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## Koi Dragon (Jan 23, 2017)

Welcome! That is a great looking start. I don't think adding some snails would be a problem.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

I'm worried because all of the plants are looking slightly deteriorated and there is minimal pearling.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

In these photos the plants look healthy. Pearling only occurs in strong light under ideal conditions. Many very successful aquaria never show pearling.

For mosquito larva control, and ideal inhabitant would be a betta. The small size of the bowl will not be a problem for a betta, and mosquito larva are their natural food.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

A small guppy is good for mosquito control too. I don't see much dirt in the bowl. It's usually an inch of dirt. It could be nutrient deficiencies. I would take out the driftwood. A lot of time, anaerobic spots will develop under rocks and wood.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

mistergreen said:


> A small guppy is good for mosquito control too. I don't see much dirt in the bowl. It's usually an inch of dirt. It could be nutrient deficiencies. I would take out the driftwood. A lot of time, anaerobic spots will develop under rocks and wood.


Hi! Yes there is about an inch of dirt, it was the angle of the photos.
The driftwood has been in there for like a total of four days, and it was expensive, and I had to redo the whole thing just to get it in there, so I’m not really keen to take it out? Don’t plenty of people have driftwood?


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

I can’t find anything on driftwood in the @dwalstad book, there’s one question that mentions “bogwood” but she doesn’t address it in the response. Is it maybe known by a different name?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Bogwood & driftwood should be the same. It's just any mass would blocks O2 flow into the substrate will cause anaerobic conditions.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

here’s a photo from the top, and I’ve kind of marked what parts are sitting on the gravel… do you think this much driftwood is problematic?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

You can leave the woods to see. If the bowl smells like rotten eggs in the future, remove the woods.
You can use little branches of wood to decorate and shouldn't affect the substrate.


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

I checked the levels yesterday and got

Ammonia 0.25ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 2ppm
PH 7.2–7.6


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

lol I did a comparative study and especially the floating plants seem to be growing pretty fast


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## gabi.loraine (Dec 8, 2021)

mistergreen said:


> Bogwood & driftwood should be the same. It's just any mass would blocks O2 flow into the substrate will cause anaerobic conditions.


OH OH OH, what if I push the wood all the way to the bottom of the tank? that way none of it would be ON the substrate and it would just be AROUND it?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

gabi.loraine said:


> OH OH OH, what if I push the wood all the way to the bottom of the tank? that way none of it would be ON the substrate and it would just be AROUND it?


Yes, I’ve done that and it works.


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