# Green Stuff ( ex 0.3 gallon Jar)



## ao

One of my many jars 
My juvie betta girl graduated from this jar and is now in a 2 gallon. So I was wondering what else I could put in it. It seemed like cheap shrimp would be a good idea~
So off I went and got 4 ghost shrimps for this jar. Honestly I've kept caridinas and neos before but never had much luck with these guys...they always died after a month or two.

i guess I'll see how it goes ^_^










Any suggestions/questions are welcome :3


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## fish monger

You have incredible talent for creating the most natural looking tiny environments. Great job. Good luck with the shrimp. I don't have any experience with them.


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## JDM

Very nice looking jar-scape.

I'm just dabbling in the small realm with a jug and some plants now... this gives me some ideas though.

I've seen those bio-ball things with shrimp and they claim that they last of a year or two with shrimp and they are a sealed ball. I would think that a jar with an open top would be easier to deal with and better for anything inside. Ist 0.3 gallons large enough for a handful of shrimp? Perhaps if you change the water frequently... that may make a difference in their longevity.

The only thing I might do different is go with shrimp that are more colourful. Just easier to see them.

Jeff.


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## ao

bioballs? ecospheres? those are cruel little pretty things that takes advantage of the opae ula shrimp's hardiness  please don't support them T_T basically the shrimps starbe and feed off their own body mass, getting smaller an smaller until they die.

If you ever set up brackish/SW mini tanks, opae ula shrimps are a wonderful species to keep. they are very hardy and can live many many years.

I've done many jars  and all of them hold a steady system. it's kind of interesting, nature always tries to balance itself out.

I once had another 0.3 gallon jar with a bajillion scuds and one cherry shrimp! 
another one i had was a 3x3in cube container which held a blackworm culture and quite a few snails 

the blackworms and residents are still alive and reproducing and the water has never been changed. ditto the scud jar.

I believe the trick is to always use fast growing low light stems, preferrably from a sungle species, the right temperature lighting, some snails to start the process off and it will survive by itself for a very long time.

Truthfully I'm not a big fan of floaters alone for water quality, as most are not true aquatic plants (ie. they will die if submered)

I have another gallon tank for the more colorful shrimps XD For my tanks I rarely do timed water changes. I like to repurpose my tank water. eg: Sometimes I use tank water to water my plants, after which I simply top up again.

Here's the ghosties munching on algae wafer bits. My favorite brand is omega one. they dont fall apart the way other algae wafers do in water and seem to decompose at a slower rate;










here are some other shrimps I keep in the 1 gallon:
caridina balbauti (excuse the spelling)









Rili









Yellow neo


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## JDM

Ah, you've obviously got the visible shrimp going on elsewhere.

I liked the look of those ball things but a sealed system just seemed odd. Setting up my own in jars would be much more fun anyway.

Jeff.


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## jentralala

I have jars of plants on my windowsill with snails. Some of my plants actually grow better like that, and my snails seem to do fine. I usually just suck up some water in a turkey baster every once in awhile to water my other plants, and then put in a mix of tap/tank water.

I put a cutting of anacharis in a plastic soda bottle and left it for a month or so and when I pulled it out it was around 3ft long.


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## ao

"visible shrimps" lol!

I did the same thing with elodea oO mine got to two ft cos it snapped. haha
I don't have any more of the plant though. doesnt seem to do too well on the windowsill in summer~
My favorite weed plants are naja grass and m. mattogrossense XD where water wisteria and all the other stuff are kind of stiff and get way too big, these are a good size for small containers, are flexible, have small leaves and tend to grow around the shape of the jar with style...

The rotalas and ludwigias I prefer to leave in my highlight tanks where I can actually enjoy the pretty colors


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## Chesh

Very pretty little environment! I have similar jars all over my windowsills, planted, but not quite as pretty as that! I always keep pond snails in them because I can't kill them and don't want them in my tanks - never considered putting shrimp in them, though! I might have to try a copycat version one day


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## thekoimaiden

I'm actually trying something very similar this summer! One of the bathrooms in our house has a terrarium window (seems like a terrible place to have lots of windows lol). I'm putting some of my old betta bowls in the terrarium window with some crushed gravel, ramshorn snails, and anarcharis (in one) and hornwort in another. I'm growing catgrass there, too, and plan to water that with just water from the snail bowls and top off the bowls with tank water or tap water. If it goes well I might make one bowl a ghost shrimp bowl next summer! 

I'm really glad to hear you guys have had great success with anaracharis in window bowls. Maybe we should have a contest to see who can grow the longest anarcharis this summer! XD


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## ao

you should put ghost shrimps and other shrimps in a pond!!!
I'm a little paranoid of temp fluctuations by the window come summer though.


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## JDM

aokashi said:


> you should put ghost shrimps and other shrimps in a pond!!!
> I'm a little paranoid of temp fluctuations by the window come summer though.


I measured my jug on the weekend. 70F in the sun when it was well below freezing outside. I would expect that it would easily climb over 90F in the summer... or higher. I will be moving the jug away from the direct light as the spring rolls into summer. I only have plants in it so far... I think that with shrimp in the jug that it would need to be more stable. I don't think that the plants need the direct sunlight as long as they get lots of light... perhaps. For me, I'm not interested in having to provide additional lighting.

Jeff.


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## ao

yep I agree ^_^
All my jars survive off ambient lights from my tanks~ I'm using insane amounts of lights for really small tanks, so there's plenty to share around


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## JDM

I've got LEDs that are pretty focused, not a lot of ambient tank light. We have other large indoor terrestrial plants that do well so I think the aquatic stuff will be fine.

Jeff.


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## ao

yep they will~I grow a lot of emmersed plants too!

I've heard feed back about led (finnex rayii) vs Fluorescent (cfl, t8,t5). And that the fluorescent bulbs brings out better color from the plants. not sire how true that is. I've ordered a led bulb from ebay to test this out ^_^

on the other hand there are pricier Leds that create awesome lighting. But the price tag keeps me at bay.


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## JDM

aokashi said:


> yep they will~I grow a lot of emmersed plants too!
> 
> I've heard feed back about led (finnex rayii) vs Fluorescent (cfl, t8,t5). And that the fluorescent bulbs brings out better color from the plants. not sire how true that is. I've ordered a led bulb from ebay to test this out ^_^
> 
> on the other hand there are pricier Leds that create awesome lighting. But the price tag keeps me at bay.


If the LED is rated for that 6,500k range then it may only be the lux at depth that may be of issue. Any plants with a bit of red might lose some of that colour as the plants produce green instead in response to the lower light level. I have considered doubling up on the light... briefly.

Mine's a Marineland Doublebright, 6,500k I think. Lots of growth. About 1800lux at the bottom I expect.

Jeff.


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## ao

He was comparing this light with compact fluorescents.

I'm not too familiar with the lux, but I'm pretty sure the PAR and light levels are similar.
I think red plants are red due to a couple of factors, including high light, limited nitrites and iron.


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## fish keeper 2013

Regarding the OP...

Nice looking Jar! :-D It sure looks a lot bigger than .3 gallons though. Also, is .3 gallons enough for that many ghost shrimp? Won't they breed? Do you need to cycle a ghost shrimp only tank? Thanks in advance!


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## ao

is .3 gallons enough for 4 ghost shrimps...? good question XD I guess we'll fine out  I AM keeping 6 adult shrimps and many babies+lots of snails in a gallon tank with .75 gallons of water... so~ it should.

This is how I set up my jars.
they can't be "cycled" as they dont have a filter. 
The plants generally need an adjustment period. 

I will use a thin layer of whatever substrate. and put the plants in.
usually prodominently low light, small leaved, hardy fast growing stems. then I add a couple of floaters. 

In these setup my best friends are pond snails. Depending on the jar size I will put in a few snails.
pomd snail cleans up the tank as well as completing the plant/animal cycle.
food -> snail waste -> plants

I give the tank a month or two before stocking with shrimps. the tank tends to balance itself out by then.


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## thekoimaiden

Burning the midnight oil! Aokashi, could you give us a plant list of your little jar? :3 I can figure out what they all are except for that stem! lol!


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## ao

myriophyllum mattogrossensse and mayaca fluitans...
probably spelt them both wrong. lol!


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## JDM

The jar will cycle, filter or not. The bacterial colonies still do their thing and you leaving the jars to sit for a month or two allows this to happen. They won't spike like a large tank... mostly due to the moderate levels of ammonia, but they still cycle.

Jeff.


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## ao

I'm pretty sure that if there are any bacteria, the plants don't give them a chance. as long as we're talking about the nitrogen cycle. lol.
I've never gotten nitrogen readings on these setups. or in my planted tanks. a combination of floaters, and fast growing stems seems to take care of the minimal bioload.

but in an established Jar, the PH settles down too. i dont doubt there is bacteria in te tank, but probably not significant nitrifying bacteria colonies as there is no oxyen flow sent down to them. I think if they didn't need this oxygen, mini cycles wouldn't happen to those people who lose power to their filters.

if we're talking about the plant cycle then sure, fish>waste + CO2 >plants> oxygen> fish


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## JDM

Well, they are still there. It's not like the plants aggressively stalk the ammonia, there is always some floating around and the bacteria do develop, albeit on a much smaller scale. Obviously with so many plants, the point is entirely moot as you don't need them anyway.

Jeff.


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## ao

Lol, speaking of which, I used to arbitrarily remove and replace my filter media with purigen on one of my tanks to remove tannins, then I'd wash the cloggy filter media.. no effect what so ever on readings


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## ZivaD

JDM said:


> The jar will cycle, filter or not. The bacterial colonies still do their thing and you leaving the jars to sit for a month or two allows this to happen. They won't spike like a large tank... mostly due to the moderate levels of ammonia, but they still cycle.
> 
> Jeff.


Agreed - the cycle is not about the presence or lack of a filter - it is about the presence of the "ingredients" in the environment - ie ammonia in the water causing the development of the BB. This happens in any container/tank/etc where there is an ammonia source whether or not it is filtered. In fact, in a cycled aquarium with a filter a good portion of the BB population is maintained outside of the filter housing on the hardscape within the contianer/tank.


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## ao

what cycle are we talking about? I'm assuming bacteria based nitrogen cycle?

The tank is cycled in the sense that the plants eat the nutrients and has adapted to the jar environment. Oldfishlady calls this the silent cycle.

I never said there isn't presence of bacteria in an aquatic environment. but there definitely isn't enough to cater for a system in a flowless tank....

If some one has cycled a tank with nothing but water in it, no water movement or a light source, I'd like so see that...

I said there was no need to "cycle"(<- note qutation marks) as in bacteria dependent cycle a jar...
I didn't claim that a cycle disn't exit >.>
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JDM

aokashi said:


> ....
> This is how I set up my jars.
> they can't be "cycled" as they dont have a filter.
> The plants generally need an adjustment period.
> ....


Sorry, I mistook "can't be cycled" as an implication that it couldn't exist.

An empty cycled tank is non-argument. Who would bother keeping such a tank? 

Here I digress....

Point of the matter is that the tank would be, technically, cycled as most understand it. Seeing as these organisms appear as soon as there is ammonia indicates that they are already present in some form and quantity... either that or they get beamed down.... I prefer to believe the former. Adding water with even trace amounts of ammonia will generate them, no ammonia, no new organisms. Also, water is never stationary... unless you freeze it, and some would even argue not even then, although I will admit that there would be no nitrifying going on. You cannot have water still enough that, even in a dark empty tank, it does not move through some convection or even on some molecular agitation level. Whether the organisms need light, I am not certain. Given some of the environments that they exist in I would hazard a guess that they do not, or least not very much at all.... apparently they thrive in canister filters and those are pretty dark. 

Keep in mind that these nitrifying organisms, unlike plants, do not need a plethora of nutrients. Pretty much oxygen and ammonia/nitrite. If both are present, they will grow and multiply to the level required to consume those ingredients. Once they exhaust these, they are known to go dormant.... not die off, not quickly anyway.... until such time as the nutrients are present again.

I think referring to the cycling of a tank is mostly a misnomer as the nitrogen cycle is what is referred to anyway, not the act of pushing the organisms to grow, they do that on their own. We just help it along the best we know how to a point where it is stable for our purposes. 

The tank is always cycling ammonia to either nitrates or to plant growth. Either method is satisfactory even though both occurr in any planted tank. Taken one step further, the planted tank cycle has the added benefit of going all the way from ammonia to nitrite to nitrate to plant material. The more plants, the less reliance on the organisms. 

Jeff.


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## thekoimaiden

aokashi said:


> myriophyllum mattogrossensse and mayaca fluitans...
> probably spelt them both wrong. lol!


Myrio! I love that plant! Didn't know it could be grown in bowls. I have to try some when the plants in my shrimp tank get large enough to have clippings lol! And don't worry, you spelled that last one close enough that I was able to get a picture of it. Cute little stem! I never knew there were so many types of stem plants.


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## ao

lol Jeff, as detailed as always. I accept and totally agree  Bacteria doesnt need light, I was propsing a unlit tank so algae cant play a hand on that setup.


@izzy, there are soooo many stem plants out there~ 
I think I have more than 20 different species XD 

Now You made gave me an urge to count and list the all D< 

HC, HM, Hygro polysperma, Mayaca, Myrio, Cabomba Furcata, Star grass ( no idea what the latin name is), Staurogen repens, Macranthemum umbrosum, Hygro difformis, Rotala Nanjenshan, Rotala rotundifolia, Rotala Gialai (Gailai? whatever) Ludwigia arcuata, Ludwigia sp. red, Cardamine lyrata, Blyxa Japonica, Egaria Najas, Lindernia rotundifolia, Persocaria Kawa-something, Rotala vietnam, Limno mini vietnam, hydrocotyle triparta... I think that's it? 

THAT ^ is what we call collectoritis >.>


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## JDM

aokashi said:


> ...
> I think I have more than 20 different species XD
> 
> Now You made gave me an urge to count and list the all D<
> 
> HC, HM, Hygro polysperma, Mayaca, Myrio, Cabomba Furcata, Star grass ( no idea what the latin name is), Staurogen repens, Macranthemum umbrosum, Hygro difformis, Rotala Nanjenshan, Rotala rotundifolia, Rotala Gialai (Gailai? whatever) Ludwigia arcuata, Ludwigia sp. red, Cardamine lyrata, Blyxa Japonica, Egaria Najas, Lindernia rotundifolia, Persocaria Kawa-something, Rotala vietnam, Limno mini vietnam, hydrocotyle triparta... I think that's it?
> 
> THAT ^ is what we call collectoritis >.>


Quite a list. I actually recognize some of those :shock:

I really should brush up on my Latin one of these days.......

Jeff.


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## ao

i kind of got these names drilled into me. once you cross the domain where plants no longer have a common name, ur in trouble 

Most of these guys are small plants. and for things like the cabomba, I only keep one stalk. same with the wisteria, and also because it's a variegated variation. 

Before i've only seen pics of h. Augustofolia online. And I was like... ooh I like those leaves~ I want one.
But when I saw it in person for the first time at petco I was like : omgbbq what is this gigantisaurus?!

oh, I did forget one: Limnophilla aromatica XD


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## thekoimaiden

aokashi said:


> lol Jeff, as detailed as always. I accept and totally agree  Bacteria doesnt need light, I was propsing a unlit tank so algae cant play a hand on that setup.
> 
> 
> @izzy, there are soooo many stem plants out there~
> I think I have more than 20 different species XD
> 
> Now You made gave me an urge to count and list the all D<
> 
> HC, HM, Hygro polysperma, Mayaca, Myrio, Cabomba Furcata, Star grass ( no idea what the latin name is), Staurogen repens, Macranthemum umbrosum, Hygro difformis, Rotala Nanjenshan, Rotala rotundifolia, Rotala Gialai (Gailai? whatever) Ludwigia arcuata, Ludwigia sp. red, Cardamine lyrata, Blyxa Japonica, Egaria Najas, Lindernia rotundifolia, Persocaria Kawa-something, Rotala vietnam, Limno mini vietnam, hydrocotyle triparta... I think that's it?
> 
> THAT ^ is what we call collectoritis >.>


Holy crap. That is collectoritis!! There are a ton more stems than I thought! *goes to look them all up*


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## ao

hahha, don't expect them to be spelt correctly XD


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## fish monger

aokashi said:


> lol Jeff, as detailed as always. I accept and totally agree  Bacteria doesnt need light, I was propsing a unlit tank so algae cant play a hand on that setup.
> 
> 
> @izzy, there are soooo many stem plants out there~
> I think I have more than 20 different species XD
> 
> Now You made gave me an urge to count and list the all D<
> 
> HC, HM, Hygro polysperma, Mayaca, Myrio, Cabomba Furcata, Star grass ( no idea what the latin name is), Staurogen repens, Macranthemum umbrosum, Hygro difformis, Rotala Nanjenshan, Rotala rotundifolia, Rotala Gialai (Gailai? whatever) Ludwigia arcuata, Ludwigia sp. red, Cardamine lyrata, Blyxa Japonica, Egaria Najas, Lindernia rotundifolia, Persocaria Kawa-something, Rotala vietnam, Limno mini vietnam, hydrocotyle triparta... I think that's it?
> 
> THAT ^ is what we call collectoritis >.>


Following is a link from Aquariumplants.com showing the Latin name for the Star Grass they sell. Thought you might like to know.
Heteranthera Stargrass (Heteranthera zosterfolia)


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## ao

oooh thanks! I'll attempt to remember it XD
With these plants I think its due to the factbetter known by their common name that there us too little usage of their sci name to make it worthwhile rememebering  I mean if I was like Hygrophylla difformis or something people will be like wha...?


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## ao

Came home after 10 days~
All 4 shrimps are still alive n kicking!


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## thekoimaiden

It's looking great! Those little shrimps are so cute! Glad you've been able to keep them alive!


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## Chesh

Wonderful! Your shrimp jar makes me happy


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## ao

Thanks ^_^
I cleaned up my other tanks today too~
they were a mess when I came home

Before









after









This was my other tank, Didnt take a pic before lights out... but it's a lot cleaner now ^_^


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## Chesh

That Frogbit makes me happy, too  Beautiful tanks . . .


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## thekoimaiden

You do have gorgeous tanks! Goes to show size doesn't matter! 

What is that other plant growing from the water next to the frogbit?


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## ao

Lindernia rotundifolia XD 
They're kinda cute poking out that way, so I left them


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## ao

and it flowered!

















_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JDM

Nice!

Jeff


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## fish monger

Nice photo. Pretty little flower.


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## thekoimaiden

So cute!! It almost looks like a snapdragon!


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## ao

I know right? and ever so tiny!
It's still blooming ^_^ makes me happy just to see it 

I got my shiny new rimless tank today! need to stop myself from stroking it >.>


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## fish monger

Lol


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## Chesh

I can't wait to see it grow!!!


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## fish keeper 2013

aokashi said:


> I know right? and ever so tiny!
> It's still blooming ^_^ makes me happy just to see it
> 
> I got my shiny new rimless tank today! need to stop myself from stroking it >.>


What tank is it? Brand?


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## djembekah

ahhh so gorgeous!


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## SinCrisis

Ahh, rimless tanks are beautiful. Looking forward to seeing it filled.


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## ao

it's scaped, but wont be filled for a while


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## ao

Derailing my own thread XD but oh well...

Tank is an "aqua pro" you can get ot from ADG for about $50.
This one's 10"... the 12" one is also available~ same price, but I prefer smaller tanks.

using DSM....probably wont fill it for a month or two. I actually love emmerse setups XD.
















_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ao

Back on track. 
Jar is getting really over grown with the random moss clippings I've been tossing in there....
I think the shrimps like it though. 
I have yet to do a water change... how long has it been?


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## Chesh

Love the jar. . . love the tank, too! These things make me feel all happy and swoonish inside  Keep posting, please! Your pictures are zen!


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## JDM

Chesherca said:


> Love the jar. . . love the tank, too! These things make me feel all happy and swoonish inside  Keep posting, please! Your pictures are zen!


Yah, and my little jug gets, "is that, like, swamp slime?", at home.:roll: Of course if you really look at the surface of the lake around here.... it is actually the same thing.

I'm going to change to jars so they can see everything going on inside like yours.

Jeff.


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## ao

JDM said:


> Yah, and my little jug gets, "is that, like, swamp slime?", at home.:roll: Of course if you really look at the surface of the lake around here.... it is actually the same thing.
> 
> I'm going to change to jars so they can see everything going on inside like yours.
> 
> Jeff.


You mean those proteins films? My pond snails takes good care of my surfaces XD 
they keep it polished and shiny!


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## JDM

aokashi said:


> You mean those proteins films? My pond snails takes good care of my surfaces XD
> they keep it polished and shiny!


Nope, the surface is clear, no film what so ever, the water under the duckweed is clear. It's just that the mass of duckweed does resemble the surface of the lake next door once it gets covered in green... which doesn't get slimey either. Apparently green covered water = nasty water.

Jeff.


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## ao

oh! lol that's healthy film :3

I took down a tank today @[email protected] plant shipping day tomorrow....


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## MoneyMitch

really cool!!!!


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## ao

yeah I'm pretty sick of packing plants... I havent packed the dwl yet  and there's already like 8 diff plants in your package....

i reccommend floating everything XD


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## MoneyMitch

sick lol, not sure what all goes into packing them but im sure its more then some packing peanuts lol. floaters are exactly what I need. again thx so much!


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## ao

well they're not all floaters... but I did grow most of them floating cos there was simply not enough room to plant them >.> some plants I'm giving you because I think your t5ho can really bring out their colors =D


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## MoneyMitch

=D plan on doing a w/c when they get in since timing will prob be able same. pics b4 cleanout and after with the new additions ^^


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## ao

To be honest I'm not sure whether there's even enough to make a noticeable difference in the aesthetics of your tank... expect some pretty ugly plants  that way you wont be too dissappointed XD


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## MoneyMitch

considering you can barely see more then 3 inches into the tank im not that worried. just want something to help with my situation. not expecting any overnight changes but rather steps down the raod to balance.


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## ao

oh dear, I kept a GW culture before to feed some daphnias, managed to get it to this really nice opaque consistency. couldn't see 1/2 in past the glass XD


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## ao

picture update on the rimless





































Placement (next to the 1 gallon)


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## JDM

Very nice start. 

Jeff.


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## thekoimaiden

Such cute little mosses!!!


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## SinCrisis

OK so this is a really long thread and I haven't had a chance to read everything except the last couple of pages of posts so apologies if this has been asked before. 

I see you're using the DSM to get your planting started. Are you going to be injecting CO2 for the tank? Open top tanks tend to lose CO2 quickly and require injection, esp for plants that will need to change from emersed to submersed.

The layout is awesome, I can't wait to see what it looks like with the plants grown in and the tank filled.


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## ao

SinCrisis said:


> OK so this is a really long thread and I haven't had a chance to read everything except the last couple of pages of posts so apologies if this has been asked before.
> 
> I see you're using the DSM to get your planting started. Are you going to be injecting CO2 for the tank? Open top tanks tend to lose CO2 quickly and require injection, esp for plants that will need to change from emersed to submersed.
> 
> The layout is awesome, I can't wait to see what it looks like with the plants grown in and the tank filled.



I actually dont intend to inject CO2 at all ^_^ I'm used to the high light / no CO2 route, so I'll continue to do that  hc is my only challenge in this case~ but I'll figure that out when I get there, if it doesnt do well I can always switch back to HM


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## Chesh

haha, love that last image. Your Betta is being all nosy. . .
"What's going on over there? I see moss. . . some rocks. . .?" 

I agree, it_ IS_ a lovely start! Gonna be shiny when it's done


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## ao

Thanks ^_^

I actually forgot about thr jar for a few days. need to count my shrimps when I get home tonight XD


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## ao

All the shrimps are still alive :3

Looking up and seeing the fat little oto smack bang in the middle of my tank glass yesterday made me reallllly happy ^_^


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## JDM

Very cool.

I'd start playing with more small tanks but too much on the go as it is.

Jeff.


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## Chesh

. . . fat little otos make ME happy, too! Keep posting, please. I love!


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## ao

JDM said:


> Very cool.
> 
> I'd start playing with more small tanks but too much on the go as it is.
> 
> Jeff.


Pico tanks are not high maintainance at all 
I leave them on auto pilot when I go on trips and stuff.

XD I still trying to get down to just the one betta~
The oto and my panda garra are awaiting new homes :/ someone wanted the oto, but the two hang out together so I couldn't bring myself to separate them...

My panda garra had an "upstream" adventure and ended up in the HOB. I was glad I found him alive and double blocked the HOB. 
I had previously blocked it off, but it wasnt enough >.>
I've also seen otos trying to go "upstream".  hillstream fish, sigh. lol


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## JDM

aokashi said:


> Pico tanks are not high maintainance at all
> I leave them on auto pilot when I go on trips and stuff.


Yah, but they need to be thought out and set up, that's the time I am missing.

Jeff.


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## ao

IMO small tanks are sooo much less work 
I think there are two ways to go about it. the 1 gallon actually started off being temporary =D It was such a fun proccess. and even now I'm constantly pulling things out and putting things in (just took out a big wad of fissidens and tied that to some manzanita) ^___^


found some pics of it's progress... I think I started it off in September, took a loooong time to get this stage.


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## JDM

Funny, I was thinking about this last week, see pic, but realized that it was too small yesterday when I went looking for it.

Jeff.


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## ao

LOL! that looks really small! How big is it? I'd totally plant it XD


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## JDM

750ml.

That makes it about 0.2 gallons. 

Jeff.


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## ao

Been there, done that  I think my black worm container was only about half a litre, the dimensions were 3.5x3.5x6. lol! (googled it, Total Volume = 0.15 Gallons US) =D

I like the dimensions of that vase so much more, the thin shape gives it quite a bit of scaping potential!


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## JDM

I know, I was thinking little branches and tiny plants... moss, dirt. My daughter wants to go to Walmart and look for other neat containers to setup... maybe I can get her to do the work and I'll act as a consultant. 

Jeff.


----------



## thekoimaiden

I have to agree with aokashi! Little tanks are fun! Big tanks are neat because of the variety of fish, but little tanks are fun because you have so little space to make things work. It's a challenge! 

And I think I might have that same gallon tank! I bought it intending to make an all-plant tank, but that kinda failed. I didn't bother with water changes and my room has a lot of evaporation. So I'm going to make it into a terrestrial moss terrarium! I <3 moss


----------



## Chesh

Who knew jars on windowsills could be so much fun!!? Three cheers for inspiration!


----------



## ao

JDM said:


> I know, I was thinking little branches and tiny plants... moss, dirt. My daughter wants to go to Walmart and look for other neat containers to setup... maybe I can get her to do the work and I'll act as a consultant.
> 
> Jeff.


It will definitely be a great project  Those 1 gallon glass hars with lids are also really great! I used to put one on a lazy susan so I can rotate the entire tank*ahem* i mean jar~ ^_^



thekoimaiden said:


> I'm going to make it into a terrestrial moss terrarium! I <3 moss


 that sounds awesome! You better do it! lol! I was going to set up a 12x12x18 terrarium~ but never had the time.  had it sitting around and was using it to store stuff....going to give the terrarium to someone else >.>



Chesherca said:


> Who knew jars on windowsills could be so much fun!!? Three cheers for inspiration!


They are fun! I just hoisted my 6.6gallon emmersed plant setup on my window sill.~ nothing beats some good old fashion natural light! gonna pop all my emmersed jars up there soon as the weather gets even warmer. I might even do an aquatic plant project outside when the weather gets a little more predictable!
Gonna turn off that big ol 42w cfl until next winter ^_^

Maybe there should be a Jar club or something on TFK? lol XD


----------



## JDM

aokashi said:


> Maybe there should be a Jar club or something on TFK? lol XD


Jarheads is already taken...

Jeff.


----------



## thekoimaiden

aokashi said:


> ...
> 
> I might even do an aquatic plant project outside when the weather gets a little more predictable!
> Gonna turn off that big ol 42w cfl until next winter ^_^
> 
> Maybe there should be a Jar club or something on TFK? lol XD


I'm working on starting a summer tubbin' club! lol!


----------



## Freshcatch

thekoimaiden said:


> I'm working on starting a summer tubbin' club! lol!


I'm right with ya!


----------



## SinCrisis

im a big fan of small tanks as well, but in my experience, the small tanks has some major risks like water chemistry issues. With only plants its not as big a deal but if someone was cleaning around and a little detergent got into the water... O.O


----------



## ao

SinCrisis said:


> im a big fan of small tanks as well, but in my experience, the small tanks has some major risks like water chemistry issues. With only plants its not as big a deal but if someone was cleaning around and a little detergent got into the water... O.O


LOL! I'm the only one that goes in my room~ and I never touch my tank water because i'm afraid of the same thing  the top is covered though XD The weird thing is I never had a water chemistry issue  I think it's cos I'm a habitual plant stuffer


----------



## ao

*Vid!*

I took a vid with all 4 ghost shrimps in the shot ^_^
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y2...1E5B818-2980-00000348CD079202_zpscc2f545f.mp4

And... My oddball pair who are still looking for a new home T_T I'll miss them sooo much! they're like my puppies...

(you'll need to be on the desktop site to view vids)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y2...C3749AA1-761-000000DC4420B00E_zpsd1b8efac.mp4

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y2...C6179BE-2889-0000033F9F8266FB_zps8b135bd6.mp4

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y2...AB6119E-2889-000003410A331F0C_zpsdde1378b.mp4


----------



## Chesh

Oh my. . . aww! They do act like puppies.


----------



## thekoimaiden

Shrimps and puppy fish! They are all so adorable! And your betta, Kuro, is gorgeous, too! I just love blue and white!! 

Do you have planting tongs for your tanks? I noticed the little "tree" of moss in a corner of Kuro's tank and thought to myself I could _never_ get that in with my fingers lol!


----------



## ao

XD Kuro's always hungry. When I took the wid he was staring at the substrate with his "I swear I saw some food in there" expression.

And I do have planting tweezers!
I got them for $3 on ebay! hahaha
dunno what I'd do without them~ I try to keep my hands out of the tank as much as possible... the small volume of water is too easily contaminated D:

oto's been going crazy today, might be breeding season >.>


----------



## ao

my newest invention!


----------



## thekoimaiden

I gotta get me some planting tweezers! I get so tired of replanting stems in the shrimp tank! 

AWWWWW!!!!!! That is SO CUTE!!!!! And the best picture sequence to show it!


----------



## ao

thekoimaiden said:


> I gotta get me some planting tweezers! I get so tired of replanting stems in the shrimp tank!
> 
> AWWWWW!!!!!! That is SO CUTE!!!!! And the best picture sequence to show it!


buy one here!
1pcs Aquarium Live Plant Tank Curve Scissors Stainless Steel Tweezers 27cm | eBay

heck buy 10!!!!
LOL
I love mine ^__^

takes a long time for it to arrive though.


----------



## thekoimaiden

Ohh!!! That is a great price! I don't mind long delivery times. Good things are worth waiting for!


----------



## ao

When you get them... you will wonder what you were doing all these years without one >D

I took my emersed 6.6 petco bookshelf tank out todayfor some sun. And to grab some plants for the next swap meet.

Took some photos AFTER i cleared out half the stems. must be because of the warmer weather... my stem plants have been growing like crazzzzy


----------



## thekoimaiden

Oh wow! It's really pretty! You do have a lot of emmersed setups. It's a neat look. Did you by chance get those scissors at the same place that you got the tweezers?


----------



## ao

Nope, I got the scissors off another hobbyist. I could ask where he got it from if you'd like 

Guess what? I got my insanley bright light today!!!!
I love it!!!!

(note, for comparison of brightness...tank on left is a 23w CFL directly over a 1 gallon)


----------



## thekoimaiden

I'll poke around on ebay and see if I can find some scissors. Those would be almost more helpful than the tweezers. So much easier to snip leaves rather than ripping with fingernails. 

 Congrats on wrangling the sun into a lightbulb.


----------



## djembekah

Now I want to try an emersed setup this summer...


----------



## ao

XD I'll let it back out tomorrow morning, I promise.


bekah! I CANT LIKE YOUR POST!!!!! WHY????? D: WHERE'S THE LIKE BUTTON????


----------



## Chesh

*squints*







That _IS_ bright. . . crazy!

My like and thank button periodically vanish, too. I suspect I use them entirely too much. I just like stuff. Can't help it!


----------



## ao

More pics from my emmerse 6.6. I think the plants are really loving the natural sunlight. I'll need to do a roak soon....


----------



## thekoimaiden

Aww! Little clovers! <3 Sunshine is good for everyone! 

How do you keep your immersed setups so wet? And do they really need to be kept that wet?


----------



## djembekah

ah it looks so good! i started my own immersed setup today just for fun. I'm gonna start a thread too!


----------



## ao

I saw it  ! 

you need you cover it with saran wrap to keep the humidity in if you disnt already. I couldnt tell if you did. my saran wrap at home is crappy quality and is extremely non invisible.


=============
The shrimp Jar is 1 month and 7 days old and NO WaTER CHANGES! 

I'm now too scared to do one! what if i completely displace the water params?! D:


----------



## thekoimaiden

You could just use like an eye dropper and only take out a few milliliters of water a day. I certainly wouldn't do any large ones. Have you not had to top off any water?


----------



## SinCrisis

just leave it, if your water params are stable, it should be fine. In my soil setups, I change the water maybe once every 4 months, to remove the tannins from the wood in the soil, and only 25% of the tank at a time and my fish are all thriving and growing/breeding so it should be OK as long as your inhabitants are all healthy.


----------



## ao

haha ok! I've ben without a test kit for like.... half a year


----------



## SinCrisis

Well, I still test my tank to make sure the parameters are ok... once every 2 weeks generally.


----------



## ao

Imy params kept testing 0... so I was like: what's the point of having a testkit? and sold it. I probably should get the gh kh ph tests soon... >.>


----------



## beaslbob

aokashi said:


> Imy params kept testing 0... so I was like: what's the point of having a testkit? and sold it. I probably should get the gh kh ph tests soon... >.>


 
Sound like a good idea.

I found the kh and gh were important or at least sensitive to the substrate. Both rose to high values with a sand substrate but kh stayed a 4 degrees and gh at 9 degrees when peat moss was in the substrate. Also neon tetras did much better.

Either way pH was 8.4-8.8 (api high range test kit)


my .02


----------



## JDM

beaslbob said:


> Sound like a good idea.
> 
> I found the kh and gh were important or at least sensitive to the substrate. Both rose to high values with a sand substrate but kh stayed a 4 degrees and gh at 9 degrees when peat moss was in the substrate. Also neon tetras did much better.
> 
> Either way pH was 8.4-8.8 (api high range test kit)
> 
> 
> my .02


I don't think that the sand was the culprit as it is mostly inert... as long as it is a quartz sand even if it did have a small component of limestone or shell material. I had the same thing happen in a tank that the water was not changed in for months and it was a gravel substrate.. dGH was up to 19... don't recall the KH now. It was due to topping off the water instead of changing it (sounds familiar?) and now it sits at 9dGH with regular water changes. I'm not sure how the peat would offset this evaporative increase in hardness offhand though.... needs some thought unless someone knows?

Jeff.


----------



## ao

Thats some crazy params 

I know out of the tap water my water is 2dgh/kh
ph is around 7... I don't remember whether it drops or raises after it sits for a while
I usually supplement my inverts with that mont... somethingorrather calcium clay for proper moults and proper shell development.

*Izzy, Sorry I totally missed ur Q. 
I cover mine with a saran wrap XD


----------



## SinCrisis

AH, i keep testing just incase something goes horribly wrong so I can catch it. I get 0's on my tests as well, but you never know. better safe than sorry.


----------



## beaslbob

JDM said:


> I don't think that the sand was the culprit as it is mostly inert... as long as it is a quartz sand even if it did have a small component of limestone or shell material. I had the same thing happen in a tank that the water was not changed in for months and it was a gravel substrate.. dGH was up to* 19...* don't recall the KH now. It was due to topping off the water instead of changing it (sounds familiar?) and now it sits at 9dGH with regular water changes. I'm not sure how the peat would offset this evaporative increase in hardness offhand though.... needs some thought unless someone knows?
> 
> Jeff.


Actually that was my kh. 19+ degrees. GH was in the 35-40 degree range. :lol:

(after years of operation)

With peat moss in the substrate kH stayed at 4 degrees and gh at 9 degrees for 2-3 years or so.

pH in both cases was 8.4-8.8 api high range test kit.

my .02


----------



## ao

i feel like I'm going to be rich soon if you keep posting here 
As ecocomplete and whatever else seems to increase hardness, my water is pribably harder. At certain times I can really tell when the water's too soft, All my snails refuse to come out of their shells. lol.


----------



## ao

Trimmed the emmersed yet again. My poor smothered rosette plants are all like "help us! what is going on?!" I may have to elimiate the stems completely soon. lol


----------



## MoneyMitch

is there any way to not have atleast one side of glass in a immersed setup not be all foggy and moist? been thinking of trying one but I don't like the condensation all over.


----------



## ao

maybe some kind of anti fog product?


----------



## MoneyMitch

do you just deal with the moisture or are you able to get a clear viewing side?


----------



## ao

if I want to see it, I get a soft tissue and wipe the moisture off. lol
So I guess I just deal with it.


my favourite thing about the tank is the moss covered DW XD It's so soffftt!


----------



## JDM

aokashi said:


> maybe some kind of anti fog product?


The moisture is so high that the condensation would still happen, it would just bead and run rather than fog.

Jeff.


----------



## djembekah

i've got to get a little chunk of dw. my moss is tied to a rock but its a smooth rock


----------



## ao

you should! I just got another piece from the latest swapmeet to do another!


----------



## ao

Floater shot! always one of my favorites~
Azollas are going out this monday...


----------



## Chesh

Gorgeous! I'm going to call it one of my favorites, too  Your Azollas are stunning *nods*


----------



## thekoimaiden

I saw a little red floating plant at a landscaping store today! I wish I had taken a better shot so you could ID it! Yay floaters <3


----------



## ao

Did I post this one up before?
My 1 gallon (.6/.7 ga of actual water...)saggitaria ridden shrimp tank...
I have one amano, two yellow neos, two rilis, a caridina babaulti, 1 horned nerite, 2 blue ramshorns, many ramshorn babies and atleast 10 juvie shrimp
and ofcourse pond and trumpet snails...


----------



## ao

peas in a pod~
left-------.3 gallon breeder box------7in cube vase-----10in rimless cube-----.3gallon Jar-------right


----------



## Chesh

lol... the sun tank is SOOOO insanely BRIGHT in comparison! All are just beautiful! I love your peapod! ^_^


----------



## thekoimaiden

You have such beautiful little planted tanks!


----------



## ao

So my red root floaters flowered! they're a bit battered from when I nuked the tank with h2o2 . I took Kuro out, so I went a bit reckless with the peroxide T_T


----------



## Chesh

Gorgeous! I love all of your gorgeous floaters!!! Are the Red Roots as difficult to keep alive as their reputation would have me believe?


----------



## ao

XD mine's been doing well~ I need to remember to pull it out next time I wantto do some tank nuking


----------



## thekoimaiden

Those are such cute little flowers!!! Do they have a fragrance? Or are they just pretty?


----------



## ao

hmmm they don't smell like anything. just.... tiny?


----------



## Chesh

THEY SMELL LIKE TINY!!!! 

(cutest smell EVAH!)

*SWOOOOONS*

I covet ALL of your red floaty plants. . .


----------



## ao

smelling like....tiny???? *sniffs


Elephant ear betta went to a new home today! 125gallons! 

In other news... le horned betite I photographed for a snail ID yesterday~









Annddd i got new plants today.
plus the emmersed is due for yet another trim. wanna see how long I can go without a trim???


----------



## SinCrisis

have you had any problems with wood molding? Last time i tried DSM, I had to remove all my wood hardscape cuz it started growing this white fungus on it.


----------



## ao

hmm... not at all. the moss has really taken over most of the wood though... but I have another dsm and there's no mould. the tank is fairly dry compared to dsm standards.


----------



## ao

I seem to be missing a ghost shrimp  need to double check when I get home T_T
Shipped some plants to redchich last week... hopefully I didn't accidentally pull a poor shrimp out with the plants.

A long over due update on my DSM (i doubt it will ever be flooded.... i really like it dry.)
Everything is dont melting (thank goodness) most of the HC died off. three surviving clumps are making a come back. I attribute the melt off to over fertilisation >.<
lots of algae on the substrate  

the moss is turning out really nice and lush (under the brown bits)...

and if anyone wants to know how to id peacock moss an xmas moss emmersed... peacock moss seems to grow darker...

hair grass is sneaking under the rocks to the front. will need to pull those out when they grow thicker.

xmas moss making a nice green come back beneath the brown. much lusher peacock moss behind the mess









whats left of the HC and more moss









blurry hair grass photo >.<


----------



## thekoimaiden

So pretty! I love these updates you give on your immersed setups! It's something really different and I like it! Hopefully you and Bekah can inspire some more people to try it out this summer!


----------



## ao

I hope so too!

here's more! with actual IDs. lol

bacopa sp japan moxed with staurogyne repens... ludwigia sp. red









left to right...
HC, random moss, Java fern trident, littorella uniflora between the rock, bacopa Japan









Ludwigia arcuata smothering my poor downoi yet again... glosso in the bottom left side... microsword on the bottom right side









Crazy tall marsilea quadrifolia...and rotala gialai, rotala rotundifolia








this was 8 days ago, taken from a similar angle  
posting it here again so growth can be compared~


----------



## Chesh

STOP MAKING ME JEALOUS!!! 

Thanks for the plant ID's. . . I've been wondering exactly what it is you have growing in there. The growth you're getting in this setup is astounding, and . . .just. . . _GORGEOUS!!!_


----------



## djembekah

Its all SOOO pretty!!! I hope mine gets there. wow. its just so lush.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## ao

Thanks XD I think it's pretty too! But only in the morning when the walls are not all fogged up~

Here's a pic of my moss taking over my HOB...
stingy darker green submersed growth and light, more rigid emmersed growth...


----------



## JDM

That's cool. Intentional I presume. What else do you use in the filter, just some sponge or floss? I might consider this for the office tank HOB.

Jeff.


----------



## ao

i have whatever came with the filter. It 's this sponge block. The moss is actually just clippings that got sucked through the filter and got stuck on top. I added to it later


----------



## ao

_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## thekoimaiden

That is a gorgeous picture!!! I love mosses!!!!


----------



## djembekah

Yay! So pretty.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Chesh

That picture is stunning - and so is the plant! I'm with Izzy on this one. Moss = <3 What kind is it?


----------



## ao

i have nooo idea 
stray moss???

speaking of moss..my moss took over my hob


----------



## SinCrisis

Are you not worried about it getting stuck in the propellers?


----------



## ao

propellers are on the other side~ thankfully >.<


----------



## ao

At almost four months, the final shrimp (female) was struggling to stay alive. I believe their deaths were mostly due to the heat. I had three, then when the heat waves hit, two mysteriously vanished. the last was being very sluggish, so I took her out and plopped her in my greenwater tank. since the green water is so thick, i have no idea whether she is still alive.
-And so ends te story of my little .3 gallon jar. However the emmersed tank still lives on, I have gotten a few different plants over the past month, pulled out the ludwigias, rotalas, microsworda, crypt nurii and most of the marsilea, obtained an eriocaulon aquaticum, some mini microsworda, Utricularia graminifolia which I think i mentioned in my last post....
over all itis still very jungly, I'm still leaving certain areas empty for future additions

So without further ado...
the emmersed tank photo update:

Jungle: 










Beyond the driftwood









Front right corner:Limnophila vietnam









New Erio still transitioning:










HC, UG and lots of java fern trident:









front: HC...









I also got into tillandsias recently


----------



## djembekah

It looks so pretty!! I'm jelly forever. ps i miss u <3
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Chesh

Beautiful, always beautiful. . . I'm jelly with Bek!


----------



## ao

djembekah said:


> It looks so pretty!! I'm jelly forever. ps i miss u <3
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


miss you too! havent seen you in chat... thought I'm logging on at the wierdest times these days



Chesherca said:


> Beautiful, always beautiful. . . I'm jelly with Bek!


The jelly club! =D *wobble*


----------



## Chesh

"They weeble and they wobble but they DON'T FALL DOWN!" . . . totally weak at the knees, girl - for alllll your pretties!!! ^.^


----------



## thekoimaiden

You have some beautiful tanks!! You're an artist with plants!


----------



## Boredomb

thekoimaiden said:


> You have some beautiful tanks!! You're an artist with plants!


Izzy right! I couldn't have said it better myself!! Awesome thanks for sharing the pics!!


----------



## ao

Thanks ^_^
Showed ches my latest (actually my first as well) diy project- DIY light stand, she said i should post it up 
I'm actually kinda proud of it even though the siliconing is kinda messy









and since I reallly havent taken a photo of the only fish I own for quite a while, I present to you.... Kuro!









I also own a patch of abused and weedy glosso. Abused, because i keep piling its own weedy tentacles upon itself as it has a nasty habit of taking over the personal space of its fellow plants.


----------



## thekoimaiden

That's a nice looking light stand! I'm going to try to make one for myself in a bit (for a super-secret project!) I'll be sure to let you guys know when I'm done.


----------



## Chesh

YAY!!! You posted it! It looks great, girl, job well done. Can't wait to see what you do with the rest of it! <3 Kuro, such a pretty little fishy. . . and you be nice to that pretty patch of "weeds!" I love them!!! Thanks for sharing with me, too! *HUGS*

IZZY! NO SECRETS!! SPILL IT, GIRLY!!!


----------



## ao

long overdue update!
lots of new growth. I removed the bacopa and ludwigia >.< the stems were getting too messy D:
blurry full tank shot...









My happier side of the tank..









Downoi really loved the extra ferts!









Staurogyne repens









P. Kawagoeanum (terrible spelling)









Staurogyne low grow









c. Wendtii... NEW LEAVES?









java fern "trident"









Weedy UG!!! (finer one's all the new growth)









where the UG meets the HC









I also got some anubia petites....my anubias hiatus has been long enough


----------



## Chesh

SOOOO PRETTY, KITTY!!! Three cheers for new leaves on Crypts - and for Anubias, and all of the lovely things! Your setups are always so beautiful, love that java trident, too - and hmmm, a few of these plants look really familiar to me! ^.^

Can you give ALLLLL the boring details of your setup? Pretty please? With spaghetti-O's on top? Inquisitive minds want to know your secrets!


----------



## ao

Boring details... hmmm... 
1-3 in(slope) of MGOCPM capped lightly with use eco complete in a petco 6.6 gallon bookshelf tank.

Top is saran wrapped off to keep humidity in.

I have one piece of driftwood and a few lava rocks in there with which I scaped with:

took out the driftwood on the left a while ago as it wasnt contributing to the look...









then... I planted the drift wood with moss... stuffed java ferns under the wood.... 

and the rest just happened on a whim.

I didnt used to fertilize, but recently I've mixed a small amount of miracle gro ferts (in those green bottles) with the water I use to mist the set up with...

I mist pretty much on a whim. the tank is so tightly sealed it can take care of itself for months before I need to add more water 


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----------



## ao

So what happened to that Jar?
well it's housing some of my xmas moss which weren't doing so well emersed  
the other jar has some fissidens



















6.6 petco bookshelf tank...
My fav plants right now ^_^ love the frilly leaves! did i say this already?









from the right









From the left...somehow I'm running out of space yet again 









crazy growers... gap is still there, I'm going to take note of how long it is taking to fill...









UG is TINY due to drier substrate and lower humidity 









of course the brat had nothing better to do than nomming his tail









Last but not least DIATOMS in my neglected tank.... wha?


----------



## Chesh

Was so dazzled by all the pretty shiny piccies, I had to regain composure before I could get back and reply! 

Thank you for sharing all the boring details with us! You make it look so easy! Your tiny lil' bookshelf tank looks _WAY_ bigger than it should when photographed - great layout! I'd love to see a full tank shot the next time you feel like un-fogging it. . . want to see what it looks like NOW! 

I'm in love with your Downoi, too!_ Such _a pretty little plant. Glad it's doing so well for you_. AND_ three cheers for the return of Aubias love! Can't wait to see how your lil' Nubies do . . . and hear all about your newest arrivals! ^.~

Now _THOSE_ jars look more like my snail jars, lol! RIP 0.3 shrimp jar. You were a thing of beauty. . .

I <3 Kuro. EVEN when he's naughty! Give the baby a blackworm and put him in time out! I can't blame him, though. . . those fins are SOOOOOO pretty, but they sure must get in the way sometimes! Glad he's healing up well. Silly bettas. . .

OH! Before I forget:







^.^


----------



## Boredomb

Ao you gotta help me with turning my tank into an emersed tank. If I drain it and empty it out then put in MGOCPM (or would soil be better?) And cap it with the sand I have in the tank now. Would that do OK for a substrate??


----------



## ao

Boredomb said:


> Ao you gotta help me with turning my tank into an emersed tank. If I drain it and empty it out then put in MGOCPM (or would soil be better?) And cap it with the sand I have in the tank now. Would that do OK for a substrate??


You don't need to cap it with anything 
just plain ol' MG will be just fine~ are you going completely emmersed or just dry starting?



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----------



## Boredomb

Completely emersed

When you say plain ol MG it doesn't have to organic?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Boredomb

How do you keep it moist? Do you let the humidity do it for ya? Do mist so often? Do you have to spray fertilizers?

Sorry I know lots of questions!


----------



## ao

Boredomb said:


> How do you keep it moist? Do you let the humidity do it for ya? Do mist so often? Do you have to spray fertilizers?
> 
> Sorry I know lots of questions!


If you're going emersed I would go for a deeper substrate  MGOCPM is usually preferred. but it can just be garden dirt or whatever...as long as the humidity is up there (keep a saran wrap on! or invest in a vesa top to go ontop of the saran wrap 

I keep my set ups pretty dry...which isnt a conventional method...

So I'm not sure whether its a good idea for me to advise you on emersed set ups 


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----------



## Chesh

aokashi said:


> So I'm not sure whether its a good idea for me to advise you on emersed set ups


lol, Kitty. . . it's a_ GREAT_ idea! You've helped lots of people - including me ^.^ you make things easy peasy!


----------



## ao

XD that's great to hear. here's the defogged pics you requested Jes 

definitely needs a trim. I also took a chunk out of the HC at the front so it's really not looking its prettiest right now >.< apologies





































here's the terrarium I've been trying to make time for. still hunting for a large piece of driftwood to go in the back 
looking pretty ugly right now >.>










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----------



## Boredomb

aokashi said:


> If you're going emersed I would go for a deeper substrate  MGOCPM is usually preferred. but it can just be garden dirt or whatever...as long as the humidity is up there (keep a saran wrap on! or invest in a vesa top to go ontop of the saran wrap
> 
> I keep my set ups pretty dry...which isnt a conventional method...
> 
> So I'm not sure whether its a good idea for me to advise you on emersed set ups
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Deeper then??? 3-4" OK or are you talking deeper then that? The tank already had a vesa top. That's all I use on my tanks. I can't stand the look of the hoods they come with! LoL 

I have some MGOCPM somewhere lol soo I can use that no problem. Just didn't know the preferred soil. 

You keep yours pretty dry you say but the humidity has to keep it some what wet in there through(you must be doing something right! I mean look at your tanks!!)? Do you let your tanks breathe every so often?
So how wet are you suppose to keep one? This is done by spraying/misting the plants and substrate? How often does that have to be done? I know you hardly do it but what's idea without going overboard? Too much is bad right? If the dirt is too soggy it form fungus? Do you gauge the misting off of the looks of the plants? Sorry Ao for all the questions on your thread!!! :|


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## Chesh

Questions belong on thread, ish what they're for!!
The Great Aokashi must share her wisdom with the masses!!! *mrowl*
^.^

Kitty, it looks great, thanks for the new de-fogged pics! Your 'not it's prettiest' AND 'pretty ugly' are _BOTH_ kind of gorgeous to my eye!
Is the new terrarium project the one you built the light stand for? I think it's looking good!!!
How long have these tanks been set up now? (sorry if you said that somewhere back there and I forgot *looks at past thread pages in dismay*)


HC?!!! You darn plant-heads and your initials! Ish Dwarf Baby Tears, neh? Hemianthus callitrichoides? 
I don't see a missing chunk, looks like a nice carpet growing in to me! 
What are the two plants in the center - just to the right (and one just behind) the driftwood?

THREE CHEERS FOR QUESTIONS, pretty green things, and updates on threads!!


----------



## ao

Gah! Sorry if it seems I'm ignoring your posts! I usually read them and promise to reply later and I WANT to "like" it but the darn like button is missing from this app! D:

Yep HC is dwarf baby tears  soon you'll become quite the plant expert Jes :3

My terrarium is an actually terrarium. the tank light stand tank is still empty.... >.<

So I got home at 11.30 tonight and what do I do...I restart my neglected 1 gallon tank.

Not sure why I did it... I have a meeting at 9 am tomorrow with our client and tonnns of laundry to be washed.... not to mention a really messy room to clean. but nope, just had to clean out the darn tank.

I might be doing this too early since the weather is still quite warm... but what the heck.... If I get diatoms and bga I'll just restart it again  I'm so glad sometimes that I don't have a 120g  

uh so I pulled the heck out of my Baby tears.... and everything came out... except for the crypt webdtii red and the marsilea quadrifolia 



















I must've rinsed the substrate like 10 times before I replanted...water was still kinda brown by the last rinse. But it's 12am and I really dont need sparkling clean substrate. my crypt might hate me and melt...



























Heh banishd the betta. Netted him out while he was still dreaming, he hates me now. Betta abuse in the 1/4 gallon until my plants do some growing again.










And yay, done! Really not trying to scape this time. just want to get some plants growing  Besides I've run out of driftwood to use for now. Maybe somr manzanita in the future. meh

raised the light so its not as bright as usual (I used a 23w cfl)
sleep time... 


















*mini update* this morning :3












oops missed your q John >.<
blame jes, her giant post totally obscured yours 



Boredomb said:


> Deeper then??? 3-4" OK or are you talking deeper then that? The tank already had a vesa top. That's all I use on my tanks. I can't stand the look of the hoods they come with! LoL
> 
> I have some MGOCPM somewhere lol soo I can use that no problem. Just didn't know the preferred soil.
> 
> You keep yours pretty dry you say but the humidity has to keep it some what wet in there through(you must be doing something right! I mean look at your tanks!!)? Do you let your tanks breathe every so often?
> So how wet are you suppose to keep one? This is done by spraying/misting the plants and substrate? How often does that have to be done? I know you hardly do it but what's idea without going overboard? Too much is bad right? If the dirt is too soggy it form fungus? Do you gauge the misting off of the looks of the plants? Sorry Ao for all the questions on your thread!!! :|


3-4 in is good  i like to slope my substrate just for the sake of being able to see all my plants from the front of the tank. you get more space that way too

I would suggest to mist daily at first. emmersed setups are quite forgiving and you will eventually work out your own misting formula for your own setup 

I found that for my current selection of plants, that I don't HAVE to air them out. they do just fine without being aired....

Ive never had a really wet substrate... so I dont know much about fungus... technically if you have some fast growing plants in there there shouldnt e a fungi problem. i did get very little bga at first. but it was insignificant and eventually went away.
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## Silverfang

Amazing!


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## ao

Awww~ thanks

Today... A king betta happened....










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## Chesh

^.^
How's the big guy doing today?


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## ao

Chesh said:


> ^.^
> How's the big guy doing today?


Alive but a little shy to eat. he did take a few pellets  which is nice. I'm hoping to acclimate him to my finger soon 

I think that's the shortest post I've seen from you Chesh!


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## aussieJJDude

Wow, love the king! Super pretty! 
What is happening the your "banished" betta? 
Awesome terrium BTW!


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## Chesh

HAHA! I really wanted to know how he was, and was trying really hard not to get sucked into TFK at bedtime!!!

Glad to hear he ate something! A few pellets is enough! . . .though a big boy like him *might* need _TEN!!!_ ^_~
He's pretty, for sure. Big! O.O Can't wait to see him after he settles in and colors up for you!

Awww, banished! >.< poor Kuro! How's his tail healing?

The tanks (and jars!) are ALL pretty! A little kitten told me about growth in the bookshelf terrarium! I wanna see it pre-pruning (and post!!!) 

How's the drained tank converting?

Whatever happened to the mystery buce?!

*demands answers*


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## ao

Training the bettafish! This is a new plakat~ free to a good home ^_^
The king is now rehomed to a big big tank!

vid( pardon the diatom invasion)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y2...63BD99A-2889-0000024E94223BE0_zps1cf0b3cc.mp4

Also pulled a giant ball of moss mess from my old shrimp tank 









Mystery buce.... I gave it away


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## aussieJJDude

Awww, your betta training is super cute! Now I want to start up a betta tank!!


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## ao

heehee~ Bettas are the best! Personality plays a biggggg part. I get bored with schooling fish...
Panda garras is another stubborn fish species I adore for their personality 




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## Chesh

Oh my, he's gorgeous, and WOW! I'm amazed at what a long way he's come under your care! Great work, girly! I don't know how you can bear to give him away. . . that's the problem with personality fish - for me, anyway. I fall to hard for them, I couldn't ever give one of my babies away!

Gave. . . Buce. . . *dies* You're _too_ darn nice!!! Karma better be repaying you! *hugs*

That mossy mess is SO MUCH FUN! There's almost nothing better than a mossy mess, except *maybe* a Jes mess. But those I always have to clean up, so. . . that's no fun! 

How's Kitty's pretty little emersed setup doing?


----------



## ao

I have moooar moss! emersed grown on larva rock. I went to home depot for larva rock today, they disnt have any. poop 










also.... I finally started up my new tank!
doing a riccia floating mat... lets see how that turns out. I plant to grow plants on that drift wood. again...not quite sure how that will turn out just yet... I'm planning to take this project reallll slow










I also found out that my plakat is an over half moon fellow. The first one I've ever owned!




















Also a belated pic of the king betta in his giant tank. he tends to just sit in the bottom corner...which is a trait I've been noticing in bettas that are placed in fairly large tanks....










And last but not least... my 1 gallon! 
I bought wayyyy too much riccia...









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## thekoimaiden

Oh! Lovely plakat! They are my favorite bettas without a doubt! I can't wait to see plants growing out of the driftwood. That seems like an awesome idea! What plants will you put up there?


----------



## ao

thanks izzy!
I swear if i ever do bettas againt it will be a plakat too!

I'm testin the humidity in the tank with an open top right now and whether my emmersed grown plants have adapted to it....
so in this tank is some hydrocotyle tripartita and persicaria kawagoeanum from my terraium. they both seem to be doing well after 24 hours! no drying up and stuff!
Later on i think I'll do anubias or buces  we'll see... like i said. I'm reallly in no rush ^_^ just excited to slowly scape (or try to) again~ and enjoying the process <3



















ooohh I would like to mention tht I need lots of pond snails!!!! if anyone is willing to spare... 1or 2.... or 50....


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## thekoimaiden

Ohhhh!! I am so excited to see how this newest tank progresses. I might be really tempted to try something like this next time I set up a tank if yours goes well. Are you getting buce fever now, too?


----------



## BWG

Give into the allure of Buces! Not that you need them to make nice scapes, I just want someone else to keep them too.


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## Chesh

Your Plakat is SOOOOOOOO PRETTY! *swoooons* I luff him ^.^

I hope the King is happy in his new home - dunno if chillin' in the corner = happiness to a fish, but I can't imagine that he'd be miserable in a gorgeous tank like that one  

The 1g looks GREAT! Contrary to popular belief, one can NEVER have TOO MUCH Riccia! Love, love, LOVE that plant! Your mossy rock is drool-worthy, too! Can't have too much moss, either, I think. . . *giggle* 

I'm super excited to see your newest tank (slowly) develop, too - so far everything looks to be going brilliantly! Keep up the good work, Kitty - your scapes are always so pretty!!! I'm sure this will be nothing short of a masterpiece when it's finished!


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## ao

Updates! This is what I call the ugly stage. In the Ugly stage I'm just happy that the plants grow. Those P. Kawageanum stems are the biggest weeds I've ever seen. They mustve shot atleast 2in since I plopped them in. Two feeder endlers are in the tank to help the system along 



















The drift wood kept tannifying the water, I plopped a bag of purigen in, but it seems to be in need of a recharge soon 

Putting stuff in, taking stuff out 

















I also had algae I really liked... but the nerite proceeded to clear it all for me 





















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## ao

algae gone  BGA is also vanishing... I guess the balance is getting there 

I'm wondering what to grow under water =D crypts? hair grass? I dunno! help me out here people!


----------



## JDM

Crypts come in so many sizes and shapes and hair grass sounds pernickety.

I vote for crypts.

Jeff.


----------



## ao

I'm not limited to just these two plants XD I'm open to basically any rosette or rhizome plant :3

Im going to stick to the persicaria in the back  I'm definitely going to order some c. petchii... but I'm thinking about leaving that emmersed as well 



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## thekoimaiden

Anubias barteri var nana! I just love anubias! Crypts are also fun and beautiful. I vote crypts, too!! And a buce


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## BWG

I don't think I vote crypts well unless it was like parva, petchii, or wendtii green gecko. The rest would just get big enough to ruin the look. I like the Anubias idea.


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## Boredomb

Think Anubias will look great in there as well! 

Any updates on the tank kitty???


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## ao

yep! lol... I keep fiddling with it. This time I decided I didnt like the riccia enough and moved it all to one side until I decide what to do with it...

nothing special yet... just a lot of moving around...







































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## Boredomb

Ohhh your Asian stone catfish!!! It looks awesome!


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## ao

It gobbled up some black worms with rare enthusiasm yesterday! I don't where it is now, it likes to vanish during the day T_T


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## Boredomb

Glad he ate for ya! Hopefully he will continue too!


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## thekoimaiden

SQUEEE!!! Those things are so cute!!


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## ao

Update time 

This morning I woke up to....babies.... say what? it's only been a month (double checked date.... two weeks).... how the heck did the female double in size already?










The two cat feeshies are doing great. They hide amongst the persicaria bush during the day and come out at night. I drop in a few black worms at night... Never seen them eat... but hey, they're still alive 

(oops accidentally hit the post button here)

The plants realllly need sorting out. I might get rid of al the riccia. It's everywhere  I knew it was going to be too messy, but curiosity killed the cat, I just had to try it once in my life XD





















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## Chesh

HUZZAH FOR BABIES!!! ^_^ 
Great shot of the lil' thing. *SQUEEE*
Riccia IS a messy plant, but so much FUN!
Love those stone cats, some of the coolest little critters. . . glad they're eating for you, too!
The tank looks fantastic, can't wait to see how it progresses!


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## aussieJJDude

Wow, I love all the pic, such cute babies and love the layout plus the cats!  More pics, please!


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## ao

heehee I take plenty of photos... I'mjust a lazy uploader. Photobucket is also a horrible resizer... it makes everything blurry :/

Here the male guppy... he's rather elusive









Group shot with the more active cat!
The female is a serious glutton. She's been trying to eat her frys all day...










The lazier cat. This one was the last ones left from one of petco's shipments (excluding the body of another...), never looked too healthy, I keep thinking it's going to die on me sooner or later. Couldn't find it today and panicked...looked all over the tank, flipping bushes inside out.

Didnt expect it to be camouflaged with the driftwood... in plain sight.










Noticed a really interesting thing about these fellows, they switch between different shades of brown... depending on their surroundings. Little chameleons XD



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## djembekah

Waaah for some reason I wasn't subscribed to this?! Yay babies!


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## ao

Babies! Rawr


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## Chesh

Heehee, gotta love the ninja fish! I had noticed that they seem to be different shades in the pictures you put up, but photographs are tricky like that - apparently your kittyfish are, too! ^_^ Glad all is well, I hope the not-so-hyper one is okay, and just lazy cuz' he's being fattened up on blood-worms! Speaking of fattening up!!! nom nom nom nom BABIES! O.O NO, momma! Don't eat those lil' fry guys!!! T_T And no rawring at babies, Kitty! It scares them, and makes them cryyyyyyy!

I agree - Photobucket is a dirty rotten picture destroyer! Rawr at PB instead of babies! Don't see what you're complaining about - nice shots, as always!


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## ao

Babies are only cute until they grow up  

i never liked guppies because the females are so darn ugly D: (and big)

Did I ever tell you the story of why I got these two in the first place? I was browsing for a nerite snail at petco when I notice these two tiny feeders (well... they're not tiny no more...). I felt bad that they probably might die in there and ask the petco fish guy to put them in with the nerite XD 
I always seem to end up with fish i don't want to keep 

another long work day.....
I haven't been home to work on my tanks at all! I can't wait!


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## Chesh

Haha, it's truuuueeeee! Well, mostly. Some babies STAY cute! ^_~
I'm not a huge fan of guppies, either - and you are _NOTORIOUS_ for rescuing (then re-homing) feeshes! It's a good thing, I think. <3 They appreciate it, I'm sure!

Hope you get oout of work early enough today to snag some zen time playing in your tanks!!!


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## thekoimaiden

Ya. Babies are cute, but guppy babies always mean more and more babies. Baby stone cats would be cuter!! I can't get over how adorable those cats are!


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## ao

yep >.< everytime I see baby guppies I think about whether I should feed them to my plakat O_O it's like gahhhh so kyuttteeeee and pokeable! BuUuUuUuT my tank can't sustain your existance (and super breeding powers)!


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## ao

Updates! a few exciting things....

FLOWERS. OMG I sooo would not have noticed if it weren't for Cheschers talking about her emersed setup and how dry it is last night... and then I was like hang on, I have the driest set up out there, lemme take a pic. And I found... FLOWERS!

This is the "Dry" Emersed tank. There's not a spec of condensation in this tank =D you can see my rescue orchid. it's on it's way to growing a new root. It lost all it's old ones to rot 










flowering Persicaria! (well not quite yet...but I'm sure it's on it's way to flowering!)











flowering.. Ludwigia? I honestly have no idea... In my move from tank to tank I've lost track of what plant this one is XD I might have to re-transition it back to submersed to ID this one. 










I show a lot of emersed plants, but I hardly ever show emersed plants changing back into a submersed form..
So here I present to you... Ludwigia arcuata reconverting back into it's submersed form. You can see the dramatic different in leaf form and color. 

oh, and... spot the hydra!










Full tank shot as of this morning. Yea it's ugly... still work in progress XD










full tank shot when moving stuff around....it didn't take too long to settle... but it did make me realize that flourite sand is an extremely light substrate...










FEESSSH





































My Wendtii over grew my 6.6 emersed  it's on it's way to chesch










Got some runnuculus inundatus


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## djembekah

Flowrrs!!' The urple ones are way prettier than my pennywort flowers were. I'm definitely going to try this again next year in a ten gallon 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## thekoimaiden

Feesh is so tiny!!!! EE!!! 

Glad to hear your orchid is doing better. It'll be a surprise what flowers you get! All of your tanks look gorgeous!


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## ao

djembekah said:


> Flowrrs!!' The urple ones are way prettier than my pennywort flowers were. I'm definitely going to try this again next year in a ten gallon
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


do it!!!!

XD

Izzy- 
i got pygmy cories today!
and rehomed giant guppies! XD
even more tiny feesh!


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## thekoimaiden

So are you now questing for the world's smallest fish? Aquarium breeds one of the world's smallest fish! | News | Practical Fishkeeping I'm surprised you haven't already tried to get these guys!


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## BWG

thekoimaiden said:


> So are you now questing for the world's smallest fish? Aquarium breeds one of the world's smallest fish! | News | Practical Fishkeeping I'm surprised you haven't already tried to get these guys!


Good call! I've seen Danionella translucida and Danionella dracula both for sale at different times.

There's even smaller species, but not in the trade. (This whole post is just an excuse for me to finally subscribe. Seemed nice than me offering to steal the dwarf anchor cats or the Tillandsia.)


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## ao

hahah the anchor cats are definitely going to out grow my tank! The pygmys would too ^_^

I was tempted by some chilli rasboras and was choosing between those and the pygmys. ended up woth the pygmys because they're just 100 times cute <3


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## ao

Up is down 



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## djembekah

Enter that in the next contest!


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## ao

are mods allowed? XD

I also have a short vid of my pygmy cories for you lovely fish loving people!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y2...09800C-25724-000020FC1D28343B_zps679c0015.mp4


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## djembekah

They're so leeeeetle!


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## Chesh

GORGEOUS shot, Kitty! 
Mods are allowed to enter - you should!
I'm so in love with your kittyfish!!! <3 <3 <3


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## rsskylight04

aokashi said:


> Up is down
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App


This is an excellent photo; artistic, but also totaly natural. Beautiful!


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## pennyls9332

ahh i love the picture!! and the cories


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## ao

Thank you ^_^!
I guess I'll give next month's contest a shot 

Here is the tank as of today...need to mack justttt one more moss rock >.>











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## Chesh

lol, one more rock would be perfect, but it's gorgeous just the way it is! Everything is growing in beautifully!!! *luffs*


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## ao

Heehee!

Happy Turkey Gobble Gobble day!!!!
I actually went out today and got some cherry shrimps! The guy was wayy too nice and gave me a ton of shrimp! But now i have too many... >.<

Does anyone want 10 shrimps or so? free of charge! Come pick up in NYC!

I also bought a red BN pleco. I'm not a pleco person and this little fella will be gifted to someone else for xmas  

uber nice Cherry Shrimp guy also gave me samples of various ken's fish foods. I don't know what Ken puts in his foods, but both the cories and rcs were swarming around it like crazy. Did I mention that half these shrimps are the size of my Pygmys or larger? XD


























I also paid my adopted-out plakat a thanksgiving visit ^_^











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## djembekah

Oh mu goodness the pleco!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ao

Yep ^_^ two of them....
teeny and tiny  the smallest one is sooo teensey 









Feeding Frenzy!


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## djembekah

Awwwwwwwww I love the plecs


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## pennyls9332

awww i love it!!! so cute! 
are those worms or am i just seeing weird reflections?


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## ao

They're definitely worms 
I love black worms, the ones the cories don'tget to in time burrow into the substrate, then comes night time and the hara jerdonis dig them up XD Happy fish bellies all around!

Moar pics! I'm in an upload happy mood! might as well!



















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## Boredomb

Ao your tank is looking really great!


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## ao

not yet! but hopefully it's getting there!


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## Chesh

it SO is, girly!! ROCK ON! I'm loving watching an authentic (and BEAUTIFUL!) Ao tinytank grown from scratch! ^_^
. . . love your way!


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## ao

I got a japan blue guppy from my secret santa today! :O
I have to figure out what to do with this single male fishy! He's super friendly, and was practically eating the moment he hit the tank. Definitely signs fish who had a very close relationship with his breeder!










I moved the driftwood to catch the bristlenose pleco and couldn't stuff it back in its original position without creating a muddy tornado. I also didn't want to accidentally squish any snails/ shrimps by accident pushing the wood back down. So now it sits higher than it used to sit...not too terrible, but will definitely look better with some hair grass growing on the left hand side behind the moss rocks.










The HC on driftwood is showing some interesting growth patterns, itms growing downwards!










look, a ramshorn flower!!!










I finally got my PAR levels on this tank today. the HC gets around 170PAR... The unshaded substrates gets 60-80

interestingly the source is only got about 1/2 the par reading my cfl is showing, but perhaps due to the directional nature of leds, and the way my desktop cfl lamp is positioned more light from the led is hitting the substrate. This is just my observations and speculations, im by no means a lighting expert.



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## rsskylight04

Beautiful small tank.so full of life and nature, and so green! So nice to see green stuff in the middle ofa long,cold , barren upstate NY winter. Excellent photography too.
Thank you, and best of luck to you and your fish ( and shrimp, snails, worms, plants...)


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## Chesh

tee-hee, a ramshorn flower! <3 How sweet!

I am so giggling that your secret Santa got you a GUPPPY!!!! *giggles* 
(my secret santa got me the most amazing crypt I have ever seen O.O - thank you again, Kitty! ^_^)
At least it's a single male, so you won't get over-run. . . you know I'm not a huge guppy fan, but he is _BEAUTIFUL!_ I love that shimmery blue, it really pops out against the darkness of the driftwood. . . what _are_ you going to do with him? He stays???! *nods* Ish pretty!!!

The tank continues to grow in gorgeousness each time you show it - I like the wood just fine as it is now, and must agree. . . neither dirty tornadoes nor squashed inverts are a good thing. The HC is such a lovely plant, and growing so well for you in here (and really. . . everywhere you have it, neh?! Green thumb!) I love how it's growing along the driftwood, and down suits the scape to a "T."

I wanna get ahold of a PAR meter sooooo bad!!! Thanks for the information. I *DO* consider you a lighting pro, at least compared to me! >.< 

I feel like I never have anything to say here except *SWOOOOOON* But it is what it is! Love it Ao - and all of your *other* tiny tanks, too! Speaking of other tiny tanks. . . how's the terrarium growing? I feel like it's been ages since I've seen it (of course I can't talk, having never managed to get a pic uploaded of mine! *fails*)

*demands more pics*


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## ao

My emersed tanks have been largely the same  I pulled stuff out for the last swap meet so it's rather bare. Winter also means dormancy for most of these plants  I did get a buce yesterday! i'll post a pic up when I can!


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## ao

buce!











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## Chesh

A BUCE!!! Oh, Kitty has a pretty, PRETTY!!! ^__^ 
What flavor is it? Not Green Tea! ~.^ Now you gotta collect them all!!! *nods*


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## Boredomb

Kitty..... hows are things going over there in your tanks???? 
*wants an update!*


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## ao

I'm in Australia! I promise to upload some photos after I hand in my stuff for work! (yesh I'm working remotely D: )


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## Chesh

Goodness, girl - take a break!!! *hugs* Have a safe trip!


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## ao

I AM having fun XD

Here's the water lily in our tub pond. We only have one plant in there and it puts out one flower at a time, we get a new flower every 3-4 days 

you can vaguely see the golden scales of our king of the tub, just under those leaves.


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## ao

you know your tank is neglected when....









it starts growing mushrooms....


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## Chesh

GAAAAAH!!!! BUT THEY'RE SO PRETTY!!! 
I know this is prolly weird, but I _WANT_ to grow mushrooms soooooo bad! >.<
That's just neat! Do you have any idea what kind of mushroom they are!?
hahaha... you're way too cool, Ao! ^__^


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## ao

I have no idea XD but I took them out because I'm allergic to pollen and dust and stuff... and the mushyrooms covered everything in orange spore  It's like an alien take over!

I know a hobbyist who grew mushrooms in her hob on a drift wood that stuck our from the water, she would pick a mushroom and rub the spores on the wood. Then wehn she gets new mushrooms she simply repeats the process ^___^


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## Chesh

heehee... I might have to try that! 'Cept my only HOB is currently FULL, lol. Can't imagine how I'd get driftwood in there! Sounds like something you should make a wish while doing. . . *rubsmushroomsmakeswish*


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## ao

The Persicaria sao paulo flowered!
http://i.imgur.com/I50gouI.jpg


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