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Hi,

As you may have noticed, we have not opened the June contest. This is because I've been traveling since the end of May and only now have returned home.

We are 3/4 of the way through June so it may be better to wait and skip this month. Apologies for this.

All the best,

Art

I have good nutrient, CO2 and light levels, why do my plants still grow poorly​

Many hobbyists spend time perfecting tank parameters, nutrient, light and CO2 levels, thinking that this automatically translates into optimal plant growth. While these factors are important, there are many other factors that affect plant growth.



For example above we have two groups of Lysimachia parvifolia growing side by side. Both groups have access to the same parameters, CO2, light, nutrients, substrate. However, the group on the right is growing poorly with darker, melting leaves and the group on the left is growing super vibrant red, with hardly a blemish.

This is not due to some arcane reason such as water flow hitting one group but not the other. The reason here is much simpler - the group on the right has been trimmed back repeatedly and allowed to grow in the same spot for a few months, while the group on the left was uprooted in the last month, divided and replanted. Overcrowding, both above and below the substrate, resulted in poorer quality new leaves being produced for the group of the right. This poor growth happened despite great growth parameters, a ton of CO2 and nutrients in the water column etc.

Different plants have different tolerances for overcrowding and aging. Some plant species regenerate well from repeated trimming cycles, others need replanting more frequently. Having great growth conditions delay deterioration of old growth, but most plants grow more optimally with regular replanting to clear congested rootzones and old growth.

Trimming and replanting cycles​

The exact number of trimming cycles each species can regenerate from, and the time it takes for old growth and root zone congestion to take effect is different for each aquarium environment. Generally, if aquarium conditions are more spacious, and there is more substrate depth and stable growth conditions, plants can grow in one spot longer. Stressful growth conditions, poor nutrient/CO2 levels and even poor microbial balance accelerate deterioration of old growth.

Interestingly, on the opposite end, overcrowding and root zone congestion also happens more quickly in fast growth aquariums. Hobbyists that throw a ton of nutrients and CO2 at their plants run headfirst into the brick wall that is overcrowding. This can be countered somewhat by using a portion of slower growing plants in an aquarium. The slower growing plants can be worked less often, while the fast growers are on a more regular replanting cycle.

Many aquascapers avoid stem plants because they require much more frequent replanting to grow well. Species such as Anubias, Bucephalandra and Cryptocoryne species on the other hand, have extremely long replanting cycles, and can grow for years without needing to be uprooted.



In this stem plant heavy aquascape that is around 7 months old, every single plant cluster has been replanted at least once. A sample of the replanting cycle for each species:

• Rotala blood red SG - every 4 months
• Rotala macrandra mini type 4 - every month
• Lysimachia parvifolia - every 2-3 months
• Xyris difformis - every 5-6 months
• Elatine triandra - every month
• Rotala florida - every 3-4 months
• Staurogyne purple - every 5 months

Uprooting, cleaning, replanting:​

To refresh stem plant bushes, we will replant the fresh tops of the plants, while discarding the older bottom portions.

The first step is to uproot the entire stem plant bush. To control the mess when pulling up the soil, we recommend using a water siphon to vacuum the area when pulling up plants. The siphon should be held very close to the point where the plant is being pulled up to catch the soil debris.

We will try to remove as much of the old root system as possible and also remove any organic debris that has accumulated in the area. While organic debris contributes small amounts of nutrients through decomposition, a build-up of organic debris will interfere with root formation for more delicate plants and will also trigger algae. To stir up the organic debris, we use a turkey baster to spray jets of water onto the substrate while vacuuming with a siphon. The aquasoil should look clean before we start replanting.


The next step is to sort the uprooted stems and select only the healthiest heads for replanting. (A) is a middle portion and already has several branches. It is a poor choice as it will give rise to very uneven growth. (B) is a weak cutting- observe how thin the stem is, and the lack of colour. If replanted, it has a lower chance of success. (C) is ideal. A thick, singular healthy top with healthy new leaves.

Enriching the substrate with new aquasoil​

When plants are uprooted, we can take the chance to enrich the substrate. There are two main ways to replenish depleted aqua soils. The first is to use nitrogen-rich root tabs. The second is to add fresh ammonia-rich aquasoil periodically. A good rate is adding 1% of new ammonia-rich aquasoil per month. For example, if you have 30kg of aquasoil in an aquarium, adding around 300 grams per month will work well. You can add new aquasoil during plant replanting cycles. Simply remove a portion of old aquasoil with a water siphon or spoon, then add and mix in the new aquasoil. This method may be cheaper than using root tabs in the long run



Replanting entire planted aquariums regularly is not feasible for most aquarists. So having an aquascape consisting solely of fast growing stem plants can be a nightmare when overcrowding and age sets in. Aquarists should plant a mix of slower growing species and species that do not need frequent trimming/replanting. Then the fast growing bunches can be replanted on a rotation basis - only one species is replanted during each weekly water change for example.Replanting work requires skill and dexterity. It is often difficult for beginners to manage, until some experience is gained. It becomes much easier with practice and time.

In this aquarium, Rotala florida, Xyris difformis, Syngonanthus species are all plants that can grow for months without replanting.



With consistent maintenance, aqua soils do not need to be replaced. The aqua soil in this aquarium is 1.5 years old APT Feast. Regular enrichment and clearing of detritus allows the substrate to perform like new. By renewing plant growth continually through replanting, and enrichment, planted aquariums also become more algae resistant.

This article is a slightly condensed version as I know folks don't like to be redirected, the full article can be found here:
Good parameters, Good CO2, Good light, Poor plant growth?

Lesser Snipe submitted a new resource:

EU sources of micronutrients - Overview and compositional comparison of EU sources for micronutrient powders.

I've assembled a list of sources for micronutrient sources in the EU, especially in powder form. While this topic has been discussed some on for example the UKAPS forum, I couldn't easily find a comparison like this or even just a single source of dry micros available to me (from non-UK sources).

The list contains an normalized breakdown of the Fe, Mn, B, Zn, Cu and Mo (and others, where applicable) content, normalized to Fe for easy comparison. Mirconutrient content is color graded in each...

Click to expand...

Read more about this resource...

ARC has the Netlea pre-filters on sale for $29.99

Netlea G1/G2 Pre-Filter Sale

Sorry, but I just find this hilarious! Perhaps they'll ask scientists if there's a way to turn down the brightness and photoperiod of the sun.

Headline:

"Reflecting Pool woes: Trump administration turns to hydrogen peroxide in latest bid to beat back algae"​

As the title suggests, I would appreciate recommendations from you experts for a good all-in-one fertilizer. My plan is to dose daily using a dosing pump (with additions after water changes.)

Preferences:
Can buy in larger quantities, 500 or more.
Can be purchased somewhere local or with free shipping
Reasonable price is always appreciated.

Links are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Well, as this thread exists in a few places, I figured why not have it here also. Perhaps we can take up the baton and keep it active and bring some value to hobbyists.

For those of you that don't know, I got into thinking much more about my micros when I read this thread on another forum. It was started by our very own @GreggZ. It was spurred into existence because of our own @Burr740 and his work with micro fertilizers. Some really good discussion followed and a lot was learned.

I don't want to steal Gregg's thunder with this so I hope he posts his current thoughts on the subject and we can all take it from there.

All the best,

Art

Hey folks, this marks the first time I've had more than one journal at a time, but I'm beginning work on a new 120x60 low-iron, rimless aquascape. I've been inspired by Hendy8888 and @Naturescapes_Rocco to try to make a really high quality stand. I have tried making a stand before, but it was a 2x4 stand with reclaimed wood facing, and it ended up looking pretty amateur. I'm trying to go high-end on this one in part because I want to be able to build cabinets for various projects around the house, and my wife will be less upset if I botch a fish tank stand than if I botch a new kitchen build.

I love seeing these stand builds, but they've always seemed somewhat under-documented to me. So this is starting from the very beginning - the design.

Under the influence of Rocco I did some 3d modeling for the tank. The pictures are a front view, one without the top sheet one, and one without the doors on. I used Shapr3d, which is free for one project. Let me know what you think of the design, and if there is anything I could work on!

Era of AI slop is truly upon us. Firstly, no one holds the Oxyguard analyzer's probe as it takes 15-20mins to get a reading.
Size of the box is wrong and no shadows below the box, caps missing and a strap that goes nowhere. Aquarium looks fake as well. Real pic below for comparison.

Hi guys!

I'm new here, but not entirely new to planted tanks though I've been out of the hobby for the better part of the last decade between kids and moving a couple of times - but finally in a spot where I can do something again. I'm mostly going to be making things up as I go along, but plan on a lot of automation (I want to integrate everything into home assistant) and a lot of DIY as I love the challenge of building things out myself.

The starting point:

I picked up a 90P rimless, low-iron tank on a great deal.



I have a rough idea in my head for a stand to be built from plywood - just have a couple other house projects to finish off before starting that built.

Wife says I can only have one aquarium, so for this tank, I want to go all out with a sump to allow for auto top off, and auto water changes, auto fertilizer dosing etc. etc. I have half a plan in my mind.

I've also started on the light fixture which I've modeled up in CAD, and plan on making out of an 8020 extrusion, and some 3D printed bits.

I'm using bridgelux gen 3 thrive CW (3000k) and WW (5000k) LED strips which have super high CRI at 98+ along with some specific XPE2 wavelengths that I'll solder onto some starboards. Far Red (730nm), Red (654nm), Cyan (495nm), Blue (455nm), Visible UV (415nm). Each segment of the white channels will be on its own driver so I can adjust left to right brightness in thirds, and each colour channel on its own driver so I can vary each channel on a time-based approach.

These will be run from a custom PCB board with Meanwell N-LDD drivers, and will run ESPHome on an ESP32 so it can link up with my Home Assistant installation.


That's it for now, this will probably be a very slow build so be warned if you follow along!