Extensive Hygrophila Growth
It's been awhile since I've posted an update. A lot has happened since the beginning of December although the general makeup of the tank hasn't. The Crypt Wendtii has completely died out and I pulled the remnants of the root system out. I may try again with Crypts but not for awhile. We'll have to see. The Hygrophila has grown extensively and is almost to the top of the tank again after being cut down in half. I've cut some of the stems out and put them on the left hand side where the Crypts used to be. I've also relocated the Vals to the left side to see if they grow better. I have a hypothesis that the constant stream of water from the filter wasn't allowing them to grow.
The temperature theory I had earlier hasn't been proven true or false. I assume it helped but not in an observable way. My new theory is the hardness of the water is hurting growth. I had some guppies which quickly died and I assume it is because Boston water is incredibly hard. I bought a pillow softener which I plan on using whenever I do a water change. It's turned the water a little brown but hopefully it will help.
Besides the hygrophila, the Anubias Nana has a new leaf which is growing quickly. Additionally although the Java Fern is struggling itself, it has two daughter plants which are growing well. I'll probably wait until after Christmas and then disconnect them and put them somewhere. Now for some pictures:
Entire Tank
Left side
Right Side
Center Close-up
Post-Thanksgiving Update
I left the tank by itself over thanksgiving break with a timer setup for the lights. After coming back it appears the hygrophila has grown a little bit. Also the Anubias Nana is starting to grow a new leaf. The Val is still not doing too well and neither is the Java Fern. Hopefully things begin to take off but I may have to buy dry fertilizers. I don't really want to have to because it's kind of a pain but we will see. Here are the latest pictures:
Entire Tank
Right Side
Left side
Possible Solution to Java Moss Death
I've been doing a little research about java moss, slow growth rates, and other assorted planted aquarium topics. I recently bought a heater and I've been keeping the temperature high. I just looked my my temperature monitor and it is approximately 84 degrees fahrenheit.
One of the problems people are saying about Java Moss and planted aquariums in general is that higher temperatures (especially those about 80 degrees Fahrenheit) make for poor plant growth. Java Moss was specifically pointed out in some forum posts as doing poorly under higher temperatures.
For now I've turned down the heater and I'm going to try to keep the aquarium at around 75-76 degrees fahrenheit. We'll see how this does in the long-term. Hopefully the Java Moss starts to come back.
New Hygrophila Plant
I haven't updated for awhile but there have been some new developments in the aquarium. First it doesn't appear as though the Crypt is going to make it. The small leaves that were growing melted yet again and died. Now there are just two stumps left. I'm going to go away for Thanksgiving and if they don't come back or at least show some signs I'm going to pull the stumps out and garbage them.
Left side of the tank where the Crypts should be.
I also bought some Pygmy Chain sword and some Hygrophila for the tank. I'm not sure what type of Hygrophila it is so if anybody has any ideas or suggestions feel free to let me know. The Hygrophila is growing like a weed now that it has been in the tank for a week or so. The Chain sword isn't doing as well, likely because of the light level. We'll see how it develops over the next several months.
The Hygrophila in the back and the rearranged right side
The whole tank
Crypt Re-growth Progress
The crypt I cut completely down is making some progress. One of them isn't growing back at all yet, but the other one is starting to put back a leaf. We'll see about the progress as it continues. I'm hopeful.
Crypt Wendtii Regrowing
Additionally I now have a heater and I'm keeping the water around 82 degrees Fahrenheit. I moved the java fern back in the tank more. I plan on going to Skipton's Pet Center this week sometime to get some more plants that will go in the front. Maybe some pygmy chain sword to go in the front. I also might have to get rid of the Java Moss because it's dying and I'm not sure why. I'll give it another week.
Entire Tank Picture
Here is a bonus picture of two of the remaining glowlight tetras playing in the Java Fern.
Glowlight Tetras and Java Fern
First Fish Death
The first death in the aquarium has taken place. When I woke up yesterday one of the glowlight tetras was sitting dead on the bottom of the tank. This wasn't completely unexpected but I can take complete blame for actions I took.
Usually when using live animals to cycle the aquarium you expect some difficulties and even fish death due to a rise in Nitrites and Ammonia. However I also was beginning to get some fuzz algae growth on plants and my driftwood. So after reading an article online I decided to overdose on Flourish Excel. Usually a 1-2x dose is good for removing algae but I wanted to push it. It was combination of hatred for algae and a desire to see my plants grow quickly that led me to overdose more than necessary. By my estimations I did a 3x dose. Now on the website I read this on it said 3x was ok, but it was running into risky territory in regards to fish health.
Clearly I hit that barrier and cause the death of one of my fish. Fortunately it was a $2.00 fish and not a very interesting one at that.
On a good note the fuzz algae is beginning to die off and I should do a water change tonight probably. Additionally the Crypt Wendtii that I cut back completely is starting to grow back. Not much, but the plant closer to the glass has grown by probably 2mm. Nothing but but definitely noticeable. Perhaps by Thanksgiving it will grow enough to start having leaves again.
Cut back the Crypt Wendtii completely
So the two Crypt Wendtii I bought were melting completely so I decided to completely cut them back to the roots and see if they grow back. In the pictures I'm attaching you can't see what is left but there are two small stems on the left side of the tank. Hopefully with Flourish Excel dosing and light they will grow back.
Left side of the tank
I'm also getting a little bit of white/grey fuzz algae. I'm slightly overdosing on the Flourish Excel to attempt to get rid of this. Additionally I removed a decent amount and scrubbed some of the plant leaves to get it off. After this I did a 40% water change so things should improve, especially as the tank cycles.
Whole Tank
On the right side of the tank the Val in the back had some leaves that were cut when I got them. These leaves were deteriorating and although they were pearling it didn't look pleasant. So I pruned the leaves that were brown and all that is left is healthy, shorter, growing leaves. We'll see how that goes and whether it grows high. My only worry is that it is planted directly under the filter output so it may grow weirdly or be pushed into the tank and not grow straight up. We'll see how it goes.
Right Side with Trimmed Val
Aquarium Page Added
I've added an aquarium page to the website to track by new 10g setup. I'm going to be combining this page and blog updates as a personal aquarium journal. This way I can track the growth of my plants, fish, and other assorted creatures in the tank.
The aquarium is a 10g Aquatic Edge setup that I've been slowly tweaking as I go. I have Flourite Black Sand substrate, a small piece of driftwood, and a large rock from Chinatown in terms of decoration. For my flora I have a combination of plants that are listed on the aquarium page that I've recently added. I'm planning on dosing the tank with Flourish and Flourish Excel for plant nutrition. Right now in terms of fish I have five Glowlight Tetras just for the sake of cycling the tank and providing some entertainment. I hope none die but if they do I can replace them with more attractive and entertaining fish once the tank is cycled.
Once the tank is cycled I intend on putting either Neolamprologus Multifasciatus or German Blue Rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) in the tank. They require different water qualities and I'm not quite sure which direction I would like to go yet.
I'll be taking pictures and uploading them to the blog, picture album, and aquarium page so if you want to follow the tank development feel free. Email me if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions.