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Thread: Low light Java, moss and Crypt tank *update*

  1. #1
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    Low light Java, moss and Crypt tank *update*

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    New setup started a few weeks ago. 3ft tank, low light setup, no co2, weekly ferts added (K and Mgso4, traces), no water changes yet!
    It still looks a bit bare but once the moss grows in it should look a bit better. Unfortunately the only moss I can get my hands on here in South Africa is Vesicularia Dubyana. I understand that this moss has been reclassified as Taiwan moss, is this correct? Would like to add a few more species of moss but so far I have'nt found any. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks.

    Flora includes:
    Cryptocoryne Wendtii, brown and green,
    Cryptocoryne Pontederifolia
    Cryptocoryne Parva
    Sagitaria Sabulata
    Cladaphora moss balls
    Microsorium Pteropus, Windelov and Long leaf
    Bolbitis Heudeloti
    Vesicularia Dubyana
    Riccia Fluitans
    Anubias Coffeefolia
    Anubias Nana

    Fauna includes:
    White cloud mountain minnows
    Lampeye Killifish
    Clown Killifish
    MTS and Neritina related snails
    Chrystal Red Shrimp

    Here's a full tank shot


    Anubias and Java ferns


    Cryptocoryne Pontederiifolia


    Cryptocoryne wendti green


    Kind Regards
    Cameron James

    Gan : I have replaced the space in the url with '%20'

  2. #2
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    Cameron,

    The pictures are not showing. If you have problems uploading them, send them to me by private email and I'll post them for you.

    Taiwan Moss is Taxiphyllum alternans while Singapore Moss is Vesicularia dubyana. What you have in South Africa is probably Java Moss, formerly thought to be V. dubyana but is actually Taxiphyllum barbieri. Read this article to find out more.

    Let me have your address through private message and I'll get some mosses to you, Cameron.

    Loh K L

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    Cameron,

    I like the rock and wood placements. They provided a good foundation.

    I am not so sure about the plant, it's a bit difficult to envisage the end result. However, the bunch of crypt at the right back corner looks great.

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    Wow. In the right foreground side of the tank, that lit candle on top of a rock is unbelievable!

    Nice tank Cameron.

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    Is it just me? How come I can't see the pictures while others can?

    Loh K L

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    All you need is a candle in the tank to see the setup. Nothing to it

    BTW, Cameron, I was thinking you took the photo before adding water. That was until I enlarged the image. Nice arrangement but in dire need of more plants. Cutting off the distraction from behind the tank would improve the focus, I think.
    I'm back & keeping 'em fingers wet,
    Ronnie Lee

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    I couldn't see the pictures too within this forum. I had to cut and paste the address to a different window to see it.

    Cameron,
    Before you post an image, try previewing it first to test if it will show and then submit.

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    Quote Originally Posted by timebomb
    Cameron,

    The pictures are not showing. If you have problems uploading them, send them to me by private email and I'll post them for you.
    Hi Loh

    I uploaded the pics to my webspace and just linked back to them here. If they are'nt showing for you its because of our very slow servers and bandwidth, its not you. My apologies. Are they showing now for you?

    Quote Originally Posted by timebomb
    Taiwan Moss is Taxiphyllum alternans while Singapore Moss is Vesicularia dubyana. What you have in South Africa is probably Java Moss, formerly thought to be V. dubyana but is actually Taxiphyllum barbieri. Read this article to find out more.
    Thanks for that link, that explains alot. At least now I know.

    Quote Originally Posted by timebomb
    Let me have your address through private message and I'll get some mosses to you, Cameron.
    Loh (is this your first name?)
    That would be absolutely fantastic (jumping for joy).
    Please listen to this story b4 you send, I don't want you to waste any money on postal fees. I posted a while back asking this forum for Riccia and Fissidens and Marco Aukes offered to send me some Riccia in exchange for a plant that I have. The package of Riccia from Marco never arrived as it was marked 'plants' and was probably stuck at customs!
    However, the plant that I sent to him did actually get through to him in the Netherlands (this happened about a week ago). It was quite expensive for me to send that package so I don't know what your postal charges are so I do not want you to go through all the effort for nothing. I think if it is sent as a normal package and not marked plants it should make it here.

    Thank you for the kind offer, I will pm you.

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    Quote Originally Posted by fc
    Cameron,

    I like the rock and wood placements. They provided a good foundation.
    I am not so sure about the plant, it's a bit difficult to envisage the end result. However, the bunch of crypt at the right back corner looks great.
    Its a very low light tank so I'll post an update in about 5 years time and we'll se how it looks then

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    Quote Originally Posted by RonWill
    All you need is a candle in the tank to see the setup. Nothing to it

    BTW, Cameron, I was thinking you took the photo before adding water. That was until I enlarged the image. Nice arrangement but in dire need of more plants. Cutting off the distraction from behind the tank would improve the focus, I think.
    Dear Ronwill

    Yes those are special...ahem...underwater candles

    All of those plants in that tank have come from existing tanks, I just had to use what I had at the time as I'm experiencing a shortage of funds at the moment and did'nt want to buy plants...call me a cheapskate

    I do agree that it needs more plants though, I did add more Anubias to the rickwork over the weekend and a HUGE anubias Congensis was added to the background. Its looking better but still a tad bare. I'm also thinking of adding a white background as I think it will match the sand foreground and make the pipes and wiring less visible, what do you think?

    Many thanks for your comments, appreciated.

    Warm regards
    Cameron James

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    Cameron,

    I can see the pictures now. Thanks.

    You know, I always get confused when people asked me about first and last names. This is because we Chinese don't see our names as such. In other words, we do not have a first, a middle or a last name. With our names, what you see is a family name which is right in front and what follows that is our given name. In my case, Loh is my family name. My daughters are Loh Pei Si and Loh Pei Ying. Kwek Leong is my given name. Kwek isn't a middle name although it appears in the middle. A small percentage of Chinese have only one name which follows the family name. For instance, Li Ao. In this instance, Li is the family name and Ao the given name. But don't worry if you get it wrong. It happens all the time. The fact that some Chinese who live in the West choose to put their family names after their given names only add to the confusion.

    Speaking of names, yours reminds me of a certain movie, the one about the ship Titanic You sure you didn't get your first and last names mixed up?

    Don't worry about the mosses. I'm quite sure they will get through customs. If they don't, just write me and I'll try again. I no longer have Riccia fluitans in my tanks or I'll send some of it too. But let's see how it goes. I may be able to get some from the fish shops. No promises though. R. fluitans is no longer a popular plant here. Many hobbyists think it's like Aids, in that, once they are in your tanks, it's impossible to get rid of the plant when you don't want them anymore.

    Loh K L

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    Quote Originally Posted by timebomb
    You know, I always get confused when people asked me about first and last names. This is because we Chinese don't see our names as such. In other words, we do not have a first, a middle or a last name. With our names, what you see is a family name which is right in front and what follows that is our given name. In my case, Loh is my family name. My daughters are Loh Pei Si and Loh Pei Ying. Kwek Leong is my given name. Kwek isn't a middle name although it appears in the middle. A small percentage of Chinese have only one name which follows the family name. For instance, Li Ao. In this instance, Li is the family name and Ao the given name. But don't worry if you get it wrong. It happens all the time. The fact that some Chinese who live in the West choose to put their family names after their given names only add to the confusion.
    Thanks for the explanation, Kwek Leong. Yes it is indeed a tad confusing but I will try my best to remember what you just taught me. Thanks.

    Quote Originally Posted by timebomb
    Speaking of names, yours reminds me of a certain movie, the one about the ship Titanic You sure you didn't get your first and last names mixed up?
    LOL. I get that all the time. And for what its worth, Titanic was'nt the best movie I have made

    Quote Originally Posted by timebomb
    Don't worry about the mosses. I'm quite sure they will get through customs. If they don't, just write me and I'll try again.
    Holy smokes batman, are you serious? That would be fantastic. Lets be positive and take for granted that they *WILL* arrive the first time. MANY thanks for this.

    Quote Originally Posted by timebomb
    I no longer have Riccia fluitans in my tanks or I'll send some of it too. But let's see how it goes. I may be able to get some from the fish shops. No promises though. R. fluitans is no longer a popular plant here. Many hobbyists think it's like Aids, in that, once they are in your tanks, it's impossible to get rid of the plant when you don't want them anymore.
    Not to worry about the Riccia, I was able to get a small section from Tyrone Genade who I believe is a regular here. In fact I have received several great plant species from Tyrone. If you can manage to send me any types of moss that are'nt the 'old' java moss we have here, that would be perfection.

    Thank you kindly
    Warm regards
    Cameron James

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    Kwek Leong,
    The 'middle name' actually has some significance. It is call the generation name, i.e. It tells you which generation you belongs to within the clan. e.g. for the Gan clan, anyone with the middle name of Cheong will be generation no 'X'. 'Gan Kah XXX' for my father's generation, Gan Cheong XXXfor my generation and Gan Boon XXX for the next generation. So the middle name is not something you randomly pick. There is a book which you can lookup to find out which middle name you should use for each generation and this applies only to the son. Of course not all Chinese, especially the younger generation, follow this so it is not always true but I know for a fact that many in the Gan clan follow this tradition.
    If you are into Nature, check out the new NSS Nature Forum.
    See my Nature photos and Butterfly Blog

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    I'm aware of the generation code in our names, Gan. If you noticed, my daughters have the same middle name - "Pei". My brothers' daughters all carry the same middle name too. My daughters are Pei Si and Pei Ying while their cousins are Pei Yan, Pei Hong and Pei San.

    But the tradition of using a generation name is slowly dying. These days, parents place more importance on choosing a good English name for their children. There are even parents who have decided not to give their children Chinese names altogether.

    I"m one of the few people in my generation who chose not to give my children English names. Really, I'm a dying breed.

    Loh K L

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    I do noticed but the generation code typically do not apply to the daughters because they do not carry on the family name.


    Quote Originally Posted by timebomb
    But the tradition of using a generation name is slowly dying. These days, parents place more importance on choosing a good English name for their children. There are even parents who have decided not to give their children Chinese names altogether.

    I"m one of the few people in my generation who chose not to give my children English names. Really, I'm a dying breed.
    Loh K L
    I agree with you. Sometimes the younger generation ae even a shame of their Chinese name
    You are not alone. I do not give my children English name as well.
    If you are into Nature, check out the new NSS Nature Forum.
    See my Nature photos and Butterfly Blog

  16. #16
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    Hi everyone

    I have an updated picture of my tank that I would like to share. I added more moss to cover the driftwood and rocks. Also added a few more Anubias. And a big thanks to Loh K L who kindly posted me 2 packets of moss and are now residing in the tank. Is it a big no no to mix moss species? I currently have 2 species in the tank.

    Ronwill: I know you said it needed more plants, I think I have added enough for now and it all just needs to grow in. I still have'nt found a background yet that i am happy with so all my equipment is still showing, if possible try and see past this little glitch

    Gan, I was hoping you might enjoy all the Anubias.

    Heres the updated pic. Thanks for having a squizz.



    Kind Regards
    Cameron

  17. #17
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    It's okay to mix the mosses in your tank, Cameron. Sometimes, this is discouraged but only because you may have problems sorting them out later and not because the mosses can hybridise into new species.

    I try to keep my mosses separate but with so many species, it's a lost cause. I can no longer differentiate the Singapore Moss from the Christmas Moss in my tanks because these 2 species look very much the same. I can still tell Taiwan from Erect from Weeping from Spiky but this is provided only they are growing well and there's a fairly big bunch of it. It's impossible to tell one frond from another.

    I see your tank is shaping up nicely. What's your temperature like? It's okay to go without CO2 for mosses and ferns but still, I think it will make a difference. I'm partial to CO2 injection because before I discovered this thing about CO2, I tried for years to grow aquatic plants without any success.

    Loh K L

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    Cameron,

    The tank looks promising. You just got to wait :P .

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    Quote Originally Posted by timebomb
    I see your tank is shaping up nicely. What's your temperature like? It's okay to go without CO2 for mosses and ferns but still, I think it will make a difference. I'm partial to CO2 injection because before I discovered this thing about CO2, I tried for years to grow aquatic plants without any success. Loh K L
    Dear Loh K L

    Thanks for the notes about the mosses, appreciated.

    The temp in the tank at the moment is a bit on the low side, 19 degrees celsius. Its winter here now and I'm in the Highveld which means it gets bitterly cold. Apparently this is going to be the coldest winter Johannesburg has seen in years, I have blankets and jackets, gloves, scrafs and wooly boots ready ....I don't tolerate the cold very well
    Will have to add a heater to the tank if it drops any lower.

    About the co2: Its difficult to get pressurised co2 over here so most of us do it DIY. Do you think it will still help? This tank has only got 13watts (Flourescent bulb) with a reflector under the hood. Do you think the co2 would make a difference under such low light?

    Warm regards
    Cameron

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    Hi Freddy

    This is such a low light setup that its taking ages for the plants to grow, like watching paint dry . I think I may take Loh K L's advice and start pumping co2.

    Regards
    Cameron

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