Any updates? Planning to rescape my 2ft hahah, need some inspiration.
Any updates? Planning to rescape my 2ft hahah, need some inspiration.
Small update...
So far, i've been allowing a thin layer of green fuzzy algae to grow on parts of the twisty wood, but on closer observation, i've noticed that there are actually many other types of algae growing and competing with each other for space on the wood too.
In one particular spot, the algae has a noticeably different growth (probably a different algae species), it is more filamentous and seems to be growing much larger and faster. I felt that it detracted from the overall look, so it was a good opportunity to document my method to remove it.
This algae was really tough to remove by hand and it was securely attached to the wood, and i can't remove the entire wood structure to scrub it off easily (i wasn't keen to kick up the substrate and create a huge mess)... so i decided to do a spot treatment on it using Seachem Excel.
I used a syringe with a long applicator needle and 2ml of Seachem Excel (non-diluted), switched off the canister filter, then injected the solution directly onto the bunch of algae. I let it settle into the algae for a few minutes, then switched the canister filter back on to resume flow in the tank.
Here are the results:
Very effective... after 24 hours, there was almost no more trace of the algae.
Wow.. Always read about excel algae killing ability... Nice of you to document it with pictures. Do you have marimo in the tank... As the algae looks like cladophora algae.
Inspired by Amano Limited by Yusof Ishak
Interesting method to kill off algae.. maybe i shld squirt some on the glass surface to kill off some algea
Yeah, i think it resembles cladophora algae too, very similiar dense filamentous texture. No marimo ball in the tank though (none of the equipment, hardscape or plants have been in a tank with marimo ball either), so i guess its just one of the many algae that hitchhiked in on the plants.
Bro UA, does this method works on all algae? I see some filamentous brown algae on my bucephalandra ( I must have missed out some during preparation). I want to remove them entirely before it spreads to other plants.
So far i've used this method on various filamentous algae and Excel is effective in melting them... but if you dose undiluted Excel directly on algae that are attached to plant leaves, very likely the plant leaves will also tend to melt too.
You could try diluting the Excel solution, then do spot treatment on a small leaf first to see the effect. If the leaves can't be saved, i guess you'll just have to trim them off to prevent further algae growth.
Some progress to share...
A combination of overseas travel, projects and work (along with lots of procrastination), meant that i didn't get around to do any tank maintenance for more than 2 weeks.
As expected, the Rotala sp. 'Rotundifolia' and Micranthemum Micranthemoides quickly grew up to the top, then proceeded to keep growing across the water surface forming a dense canopy and started to overshadow the other plants.
Due to the lack of water changes, a noticeable layer of oily film built up on the water surface too, creating a "rainbow" effect on the surface reflection.
The whole tank started to look rather dim, though the fishes and shrimps seemed to like the shaded environment.
Time for a proper trim... proceeded to chop off the overgrown tops.
I also noticed there was one bunch of Blyxa Japonica in the front which grew so much that it was blocking the view... so i decided to just remove it.
Uprooting established plants like these will always tend to cause abit of a mess, so i used a pair of tweezers to just pull the base crown of the bunch a little, let the dust settle, then pull it out abit more each time. With abit of patience, i got it out neatly without clouding up the water.
To fill in the gap, i relocated a few Anubias sp. 'Petite' and spread them out to cover that area.
Notice in the above photo, the Anubias sp. 'Petite' have already grown roots which established in the soil substrate. When relocating them to another area, it'll be better to just snip off the longer roots to allow for easier placement and positioning. The roots will grow back out and establish again in time.
Here is the tank after some plant maintenance... and a much needed water change.
Now just waiting for the other plants to fill in.
I bought the syringe and applicator needle from fellow forumer qngwn... i think you could also probably check at art/craft/hardware shops or maybe health/medical shops.
The alternative is to use a small pipette from hardware shops or Daiso, those can work too.
Love how the Anubia are growing!
Drawing inspiration from your tank, I got some driftwood to change my iwagumi wannabe haha
Last edited by Ingen; 23rd Oct 2013 at 00:39.
I got the syringe from sim lim square, those shops use it to refill printer ink haha.
Those larger guardian stores selling plastic syringe with sizes from 5ml to 20ml...
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