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Old 24-01-2011, 10:22 AM   #41
fireblade
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nice start boss!!

I seriously think that you should abdon the DSM and flood the tank ..
the temp is quite high . you have all the high tech equipment and chiller and no fish currently, this is the best time to blast the CO2 and overdose the fertilizers..
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Old 24-01-2011, 10:50 AM   #42
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Hi Alvin, thanks for sharing. i was thinking of doing such a setup until i chance upon your post. Do keep us updated if the plants will grow faster this way as compared to fully submerge method.
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Old 24-01-2011, 11:25 AM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fireblade View Post
nice start boss!!

I seriously think that you should abdon the DSM and flood the tank ..
the temp is quite high . you have all the high tech equipment and chiller and no fish currently, this is the best time to blast the CO2 and overdose the fertilizers..
agree. using dsm you will face issue with plants like hc during the acclimitisation from emerse to submerse many will turn yellow and die before the could shrink.

blast co2 and lights will be best. anyway lovely journal! cant wait for ur next entry!

Last edited by jest1081; 24-01-2011 at 11:26 AM.
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Old 24-01-2011, 11:46 AM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alvin Koh View Post
WOW, nice !!

"1/3 size" rule really make the set up more dramatic.
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Old 24-01-2011, 01:00 PM   #45
Alvin Koh

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Quote:
Originally Posted by fireblade View Post
nice start boss!!
I seriously think that you should abdon the DSM and flood the tank ..
the temp is quite high . you have all the high tech equipment and chiller and no fish currently, this is the best time to blast the CO2 and overdose the fertilizers..
FB, thanks as usual on the kind comments!
Wahaha, how can you temp me to flood the tank so early (even though it's my inner desire ).

I have a few reasons:

1) DSM helps the plants to grow faster.
2) UG floats too very easily and I am hoping it will root first before I flood.
3) Not enough UG for a nice carpet, so it's much less risky in emersed form (which I already have).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Heuer View Post
Hi Alvin, thanks for sharing. i was thinking of doing such a setup until i chance upon your post. Do keep us updated if the plants will grow faster this way as compared to fully submerge method.
Heuer, I think it should theoretically be much faster if you don't mind the transitional phase when flooding the tank. Emersed plants can be quite a sight to look at too.

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Originally Posted by jest1081 View Post
agree. using dsm you will face issue with plants like hc during the acclimitisation from emerse to submerse many will turn yellow and die before the could shrink.
blast co2 and lights will be best. anyway lovely journal! cant wait for ur next entry!
Thanks jest1081! I agree, and it does take patience to not see any water flowing in the tank. My main reason is the UG floating if I flood early and it's a much more forgiving plant when emersed compared to submerged. I hope to build up the mass first before I flood.

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Originally Posted by amiidae View Post
WOW, nice !!
"1/3 size" rule really make the set up more dramatic.
Haha, Ben, thanks. You should start a planted!
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Old 24-01-2011, 01:27 PM   #46
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Originally Posted by Alvin Koh View Post
Haha, Ben, thanks. You should start a planted!
I did thought of setting up one Nano planted using Dymax IQ5 but my wife said "SURE", just tell me which current tank will go ?

Well, if I do start, I will follow your "1/3 size rule" as well.
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Old 01-02-2011, 12:59 AM   #47
Alvin Koh

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Week 3 (31 January 2011)

Dry Start Method (DSM)

I have made a few tweaks to the DSM configuration and routine. I increased the lighting to 4x39w and introduced a humidifier (water + airstone). The humidifier helped tremendously in keeping the upper soil hydrated.

What I noticed however, is an increase of Cyanobacteria or Blue-Green algae. I had this issue previously with my emersed UG culture and it's most likely due to soil that's too wet, especially at the foreground. I dug a 'well' at the foreground corner and inserted a short tube. I have been removing excess water from the well with a large pipette.

I have also stopped supplement of diluted liquid fertilizer and hope that the spread of Cyanobacteria will stop. Also applied some Seachem Excel at 50% dilution to visible patches of algae and rinsed after. The increased lighting could also be responsible for the algae and I may cut back if I do not see any improvement.


--------------------

Plant Additions


My plant selection is progressing rather unhurriedly while waiting for the UG foreground to fill up. This is also due to lack of actual experience with the almost myriad varieties of plants that I have not used before. I spend much of my leisure time reading up on the various species I come across in fish shops and trying to envision how they will fit in my scape. Occasionally, I do find something I like.

My updated list of plants in the tank is as follows:

1) Utricularia graminifolia
2) Downoi - Pogostemon helferi
3) Staurogyne repens
4) Anubias barteri v. 'nana golden'
5) Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
6) HC - Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'
7) Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Tropica'

Lilaeopsis brasiliensis and HC were already in my collection but just added today after I confirmed they could fit the scape setting. They are planted in the background so as to provide a different texture to the UG.

My scape is shaping up to be a south eastern tropical rock/hill scape instead of the more popular and striking japanese-styled Iwagumi which tends to give a sense of surrealism and fantasy.

It's more familiar to me I guess, bringing back memories of hiking Mount Ophir and visiting the mountainous regions of western Kalimantan.

Thanks for reading!


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Old 19-02-2011, 12:28 AM   #48
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wow... jus by reading it i get impatient already. u really takes your time in planning and cultivating yr tank. haiz... Patience - a virtue iwhich i dont have
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Old 19-02-2011, 01:26 AM   #49
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DSM is actually one of the best method to start your tank if u can tahan the no fish no water period.. since the soil and plants will be wet/moist.. the plants adapt much better when you flood the tank, compared to buying emmersed plants from LFS..

i have seen HC and UG grown in DSM and then flooded in US forums.. they don't seems to have any melting nor dying of plants.. and growth rate is usually faster compared to submerged growth.. But i have yet to try DSM though, only read about tom barr's DSM thread and many other DSM tanks in US forum.. i don't think i can tahan the no fish, no water period so i better don't try.
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Old 19-02-2011, 02:52 AM   #50
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Week 4 & 5 (19 February 2011)

The tank is approximately one month old now and here are some minor updates. I decided the Utricularia Graminifolia (UG) was not spreading fast enough for me, thus I ordered another batch of UG from C328 LFS. The quality & quantity this time was great. I planted them about a week ago in most of the empty spots I could find. I reckon I need another 4 weeks before I can see a foreground carpet with good coverage.


Bushes (Plants on rocks)

I purchased a batch of Weeping Moss (Vesicularia ferriei 'Weeping') online and received it within a few days. After trying out several plants on rocks, I am more inclined to use mostly Weeping moss for the 'bushes'.

I am still growing other plants on rocks such as US Fissidens (Fissidens fontanus), Riccia Fluitans and Singapore Moss in case they come in handy later. Lacking experience in attaching plants to rocks, I chose the easiest method - netting secured with cable ties.

------------------

Dry Start Method (DSM) Issues

Almost 100% of the Cyanobacteria (Blue-Green Algae) is gone. The soil surface is kept rather dry most of the time. Seachem Excel also worked really well to keep the BGA at bay - I use it both as a diluted mist spray for wide coverage as well as spot application at more serious spots and the BGA turns white/translucent usually by the next day.

Some other issues include white flies, mold and occasional melting of leave tips where it gets too dry/hot. I am testing spot Excel application on the white moldy spots. As for the white flies, I introduced 4 ladybugs to the tank, but they don't seem to be hungry.

--------------------

Flood & Drain

Just last week, when the BGA was more rampant and killing some of the foreground plants due to slime; algae at the edges of the tank and higher recurrence of BGA, I decided to flood the tank to get rid of the excess nutrients leeching from the soil. I filled the tank with several inches of water, which also made it easier to locate where the slimy BGA is (as the slime coating floats a little) - allowing easy removal using long pincers.

After draining the water, the tank maintains it's algae-free state much longer and it helps me to hydrate the upper levels of soil as well.

I first did a flood & drain on a small scale in my emersed HC tank to remove trimmings after pruning tips to encourage horizontal growth and noticed that the setup seemed to do better (less algae/mold issues) after each flooding.

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