saintly's pastel shades (part 2)

[divadnart]

Looks very nice.
Btw, what kind of bubble counter is that?

[Jur4ik]

Originally Posted by divadnart

Looks very nice.
Btw, what kind of bubble counter is that?

must be something like this one, Counter im japanischen Stil - Blasenzähler - Aquasabi , very nice one

Mark,
fully planted your tank allready looks IAPLC ready
the water clarity right after filling up is stunning. Can you advice something to achieve the same with AS?

[saintly]

Originally Posted by divadnart

Looks very nice.
Btw, what kind of bubble counter is that?

i honestly cant remember. it was about £30 of the net.

thanks jur4ik, hopefully in a few months and trimming it will look more like my imagination.

here's fully planted and full of water.


24 hours forward and water is crystal. the HC is pearling a lot too....

[saintly]

jur4ik! sorry my friend i forgot to add....when i fill with water, i put news paper inside the tank (fill it with paper) i saw Oliver knott do it this way and it works very well.

i'm certain it works with AS. i've used AS before and it is good for water clarity, but NS is better IMO

everything is pearling especialy the HC

[Jur4ik]

Thanks Mark, will try it soon

[saintly]

well, i've added the shrimp. there are 10 in all. one is huge and i found that the others like to take a ride. they also clean him/her. see the pic.

also the other pic is of the pearling amd the Marsilea hirsuta. the shoot you see has grown in 4 days.

thanks for at least looking no flash just yet.

[Jur4ik]

what is your maintenance and dosing regime?

[saintly]

a simple regime to follow,for the first week until HC has settled

50% WC everyday,
KNO3 everyday
PO4 everyday,
Trace everyday

easycarbo everyday,

my HC now, has settled in and is now sending out horizontal runners instead of the vertical type.

i've found planting in clumps allows the HC to spread in this way, it works better than single stems IMO.

maybe my lighting is keeping it low too. I'm not sure to be honest.

maybe i'm just lucky

[Jur4ik]

you are not only lucky Mark, you have a green thumb, as we say in Germany!
And which amounts are you dosing every day? Which brand are your trace elements, macro ferts? Sunday I have started a second attempt on UG, hope to have more luck this time.

[saintly]

I always dose over the recommended....so

1/2 TSP KNO3
1/4 TSP PO4

trace from aqua essentials.

easy carbo @ 3/4 ml per day.

when my plant mass gets larger, I may dose more. and often i have to raise PO 4 due to GSA.

The Alternanthera reineckii 'Pink' is looking gorgeous...

[Jur4ik]

So you use powders only (except of easycarbo)
When will you start dosing Nitrate?

After my current failure with the nano I try to learn more about dosing regimes and ferts.
Thinking to switch away from EI to powders or ADA stuff (but that only for the nano as it is very expansive)

[saintly]

Originally Posted by Jur4ik

So you use powders only (except of easycarbo)
When will you start dosing Nitrate?

After my current failure with the nano I try to learn more about dosing regimes and ferts.
Thinking to switch away from EI to powders or ADA stuff (but that only for the nano as it is very expansive)

i am dosing nitrates mate, KNO3.

ADA gear very expensive

[saintly]

just for the record, I'm aware that trace should be dosed on different days to NPK, it's just on start up and with 50% WC everyday, I don't want a short fall

[bonjovi]

who the hell rated your thread with only 3 stars?
this is one tidy project and the layout is well managed...
awesome

[Jur4ik]

Originally Posted by saintly

just for the record, I'm aware that trace should be dosed on different days to NPK, it's just on start up and with 50% WC everyday, I don't want a short fall

why this? concentration levels cant become too hogh because of the 50% daily wc.

[saintly]

i add everything each day due to 50% WC. it is similar to 1 week ferts in 1 day. it wont work for everyone, and now for me i will retreat in doising now HC is doing good.

i'll resume normal dosing.

1 week old. the addition of 10 shrimp 6 neons 10 ottos and 3 pencil fish, bring about a sense of life within.

plant growth has been 100% positive. everything doing what it should

a few pics.

[JamesM]

Awesome mate! That lighting really makes a difference!

[samc]

looks great mark the lighting looks awsome too and doing you well by the look of things.
the colour of the lighting looks great too

[saintly]

cheers guys.

hey samc, nice to see you here

yes, the lighting is real special. the whole effect is great, shimmering etc but more importantly the plant growth!

luckily I've found a good height without experiencing any problems. the HC hugging the bottom

[saintly]

life within....a new macro lens is on it's way