The Puffer Forum

So here's the new 30Gal that's cycling for the F8's. I hope the vals do ok which will add upper level LOS breaks. Probably add some smaller hidey holes if I get the shrimps.

More Photos

Your tank looks nice.

I tried spiral vals, and they seemed to do OK for a month or so...but then they slowly died. My water was at 1.005

However, they were spiral vals. Yours look like the normal/straight kind, so let us know if they do better.

Eric

Yeah these are regular Vals, not too sure on the exact species but I've heard them refered to as elephantine vals, but who really knows. I have some in my 25gal FW tank, they never really look "great" but they're a a fast grower. We'll see how things turn out in the next month

Very nice looking tank! The white sand/ black rocks should set off the lovely colouring of the F8s. Great choice!

You seem to have other stuff growing in the 20G, besides the Java Fern, so looks like there's something in the water which helps plants overcome the salt handicap, so the Val should be OK too!

I would not bet on the plants lasting in BW, but I wish you luck.

I have straight and twisted vals in my F8 tank. I'm not having much luck.

I'm optimist. Not inteligently so, but I hope

The javaferns in the 20gal are doing fine now andd the Cabomba seems to still be green and growing so I'm pretty sure they'll be ok. The rest are all experimental.

If there's one thing I prefer for my tanks is a "natural" feel to them. No funky colours, no toys, I like something that looks like what coould be found in nature. There are some compromises like the rock formations done to make sure the fish have variable terrain vertically as well as at the bottom.

I am astounded that the Cabomba is doing so well in brackish!! I'm guessing there would have to be CO2 added to make this possible?

The natural look certainly becomes these tanks ...

... I don't want to be picky or anything, but where have you ever seen underwater Pagodas in a River????

I don't inject C02, but I do add an organic carbon fertilizer. The first few ones I had in the 20gal didn't fair too well after a month but I think it was more to do with the BGA infestation I had. I don't have any photos of it but it was looking like a complete strip down of the tank, but a weeks worth of doing the right things cleared it ALL up.

The big vals aren't doing so well after a week, but then the ones I put in the FW 25gal didn't do too well either for the first week or so. I just trim off the dieing sections and keep up with the fertilizer. Hopefully they'll turn around like the others did, if not, at least I tried.

Suuuure.. I've seen underwater pagodas.. called flood plains

I swear by Yamato Green fertilizer. I use no CO2, just Jobe's sticks in the substrate (by roots). I have 4 48" striplights over my 90g tank:

Pufferpunk wrote:I swear by Yamato Green fertilizer. I use no CO2, just Jobe's sticks in the substrate (by roots). I have 4 48" striplights over my 90g tank:

Jobe's sticks? What are those.

I'm running double tube T-5 stips on all our tanks. That's only 36watts a tank, though they're very bright for the output.

Jobe's plant fertilizer "spikes", for house plants
13-4-5

Aha. They also seem to produce a version for aquatic plants 06305

Didn't know that.

Wow, what a jungle Pufferpunk! Does the 13-4-5 refer to the Nitrogen/ Phosphorus/ Potassium ratio in the Jobe sticks? If so, which is which? I usually use Phostrogen for my plants, which works really well, but is probably something like 7-7-7. If they did slow release chicken manure pellets that would be good.

Anyway, what a good idea to add slow release sticks, much better than adding more stuff to the water, and I think plants trying to grow in brackish water definitely need a helping hand.

But I'm thinking if something as delicate-looking as Cabomba can do well in brackish, then maybe I'll have a go at adding some of the Water Wisteria, which I added to my FW tank cos Vixen said hers did well, and, which has grown to the top of the tank and is now running roots all the way back down to the sand!!