Innocent Garden [5.5g]

Sold half of my submerged UG! Now to figure how to make it grow a little shorter and more rootier, instead of bushier. :D

Ever wondered what to do with that big mess after you've mowed down your UG lawn??

Utricularia graminifolia makes a wonderful grass-like foreground in a planted aquarium. I have it mainly in my 5.5g Innocent Garden aquarium. That tank has higher light and higher concentration of CO2 being pumped in. I have placed it in my lower light aquariums, it did live, however it eventually uprooted itself and is now a floating clump exploring around the tanks. I also noticed the UG in my 5.5g stretching towards the light and can see the roots being exposed, so I thought maybe it is time to mow this baby down, to help get some more light to the bottom of the leaves.

Well if you ever mowed down a UG carpet, you know what a huge mess it makes... tons of green leafy blades just floating all over the surface of the water. And if you got some serious water circulation, this mess isn't just at the surface of the water; it's all over the tank getting caught onto other plants and equipment! I looked at these wonderful looking leaves and wondered if there was something useful I could do with them rather than netting all the leaves and just tossing them into the trash.

So I took several pinches of the mess and stuck some on top of the biomax in my Aquaclear 20. There it would stay nice and wet, and not get swept away by the current. I did notice some growth over the several weeks I had it there, and finally when I decided to clean my filter just a few days ago, I took out the Biomax and 'lo and behold the UG had indeed grew and rooted and was clinging on for dear life onto the Biomax baggie.

Well what about the rest of the leaves? Again, I didn't want to waste such nice looking leaves! Not only did I salvage those few pinches on to the filter, but I used my fish net and swept out as much of the leaves I could. I prepared a plastic container with a mix of sphagnum peat moss and sand on the bottom. I also put some lava rocks on that right corner and covered it with some peat/sand. I sprayed the peat with lots of tap water to get it moist, it sure is hard to get peat wet again after it's been dried. Well after a while I got it wet enough so I spread the UG clippings all over the peat. I also had a trimming of Limnophila aromatica so I stuck that in the opposite corner to the lava rocks. Although you do not see the L. aromatica, it has grown fairly well and needs to be trimmed since then it has reached the top and is being inhibited to grow taller by the plastic wrap!

I made sure everything was fairly moist and then covered the container with plastic wrap and stuck it next to a window for some natural sunlight since I have no spare light fixtures. I started this "project" on September 1, 2011 and today I took some pictures for my final results.

As you can see, there has been quite some growth, it looks pretty and 'wild' I think. The original trimmed leaves sent out roots which then sent out new leaves.

This is a picture of a trimmed leaf that got stuck to the wall and I was too lazy to shove it down to the dirt. As you can see, root-like structure has also formed!

So if you have a spare container, some peat and sand, and a windowsill; and want something to do with your mess of UG clippings then you can either grow them emersed, or just stick it in your filter (if you got one similar to mine) and grow some extra UG submersed! Never ending supply of UG, yay!

Day 21 - Innocent Garden [5.5g]

Quick and dirty pics, yes i still have algae problem, I think I need a Nerite, but the water is really acidic. All the pest snails in there I just poke them LIGHTLY and SPLAT!!! They are squished.

Day 1 - Borneo Fantasy [10g]

Borneo Fantasy, a little bare now but hopefully things will grow in. The inhabitants a currently (7) Chili Rasboras, (7) Blue Axelrodi, and (2) Orange Eye Blue Tiger Shrimp. Borneo because supposedly the Chili Rasboras and Blue Axelrodi can be found in Borneo.

 

 

Day 14 - Innocent Garden [5.5g]

Busy busy busy

On August 18, 2011 my sister had to move into her dorm at the University of Northern Colorado. I woke up early because my sister wanted to the be the first one there so she can claim her spot, so my mom said we should leave the house by 7am. However, my sister was still asleep and so we didn't leave until around 8:40am. I was pressed for time, because I was expecting some packages with live items and didn't want them to roast in the summer heat inside a mailbox.

When we finally got there we lugged everything up and claimed her space. Boy are my arms, shoulder, and neck sore! I helped my sister set everything up and then we went to pay her tuition and get her textbooks. I left at 1pm and on my way home had a Goodtimes Deluxe Burger with Wild Fries and a Strawberry Lemonade. I was starved, didn't eat breakfast cuz I tend to get sick.

Grrrr, me boogie monster.

Anyways, when I got home my packages we here. To my disappointment, the box of moss I was expecting from msnikkistar wasn't here and I began to panic and think that it got lost yet again. However, it was because she hadn't sent the replacement yet. I PMed her and she said she sent it out today (8/18) so I guess I'll expect them to show up on Saturday. I then proceed to open a box from Caton which supposedly had some live fish food; Microworms and Vinegar Eels. I was worried they might have been cooked, but I took a flashlight to both containers and saw nice wriggly movements. So I separated the cultures into my own medias so they can get going. My other package contained the textbooks needed for the classes I'm taking this Fall.

Microworms.

So today, my mom and I went back to UNC to deliver the rest of the stuff my sister needed. Then we left and had lunch at Chick Fil A. I had the Spicy Chicken Deluxe sandwich meal and my mom had Grilled Chicken sandwich. We then went shopping at Target and Sam's Club. At Sam's Club we bought a bag of Spicy Asian Chicken Wings. They taste good, they kinda remind me of something but I can't put my finger on what.

Spicy Asian Chicken Wings

Day 7 - Innocent Garden [5.5g]

As you can see I have a little bit of an algae problem.

Day 1- Innocent Garden [5.5g]

Rescaped the 5g tank.

And once again I blog.

Yesterday after school, my sister and I decided to visit the Butterfly Pavilion because we haven't been there for a long time and I had a $2 off coupon. The last time we went there was probably sometime in 2001, so maybe about 10 years ago was our first time at BP.

After paying the admission fees, we headed towards the exhibits to look at the bugs. Of course there was Rosie, a real live tarantula that people can actually hold. I held her back then, but this time I didn't; besides there was a long line of kids waiting to hold her. BP also has a little section for aquatic invertebrates such as jellyfish, lobster, horseshoe crab, and starfish. The best part is entering the butterfly exhibit; boy was it hot and humid in there! Plenty of species of awesome butterflies and plants to look at. While in the exhibit a butterfly landed on my head, and one landed on my sister's knee.

After that, we went to the gift shop and looked around. I bought some chocolate that had big black ants in it. There was four pieces of chocolate, and each piece had only two black ants in it. I think that was cheap, they should've put a few more in! Last time I bought some roasted mealworms.

Butterfly Pavilion 2011

Anyways, today I rescaped my aquarium. There was a problem with having too many plants overcrowding each other blocking light which caused some of the plants to fall ill and die. I am also having some algae issues but hopefully it'll clear up soon. Below is a picture of what it looks like now, it may look empty but I am waiting for some Eleocharis spp. 'Belem' to arrive in the mail so I put it in the empty spaces in front. I'm hoping it'll grow into a nice carpet. If this plan doesn't work out, there would be Plan B...

I also planted one of my Pinguicula primuliflora into a glass vase along with some clumps of Utricularia graminifolia. I'm hoping the UG will spread around the butterwort like grass around a larger plant. I really love Carnivorous Plants. My favorite type are definitely Butterworts, and if the climate here was a bit more suitable for them and I had the funds I'd have a room dedicated to CPs.

In the evening, my sister and I went fishing at the St. Vrain State Park. Not much action today, all I caught was a baby fish while my sister caught a moderately sized Black Crappie.

Cool

Yesterday I went to Aqua Imports to meet up with two The Planted Tank members. I bought some Taiwan Moss from one of them, and handed over my paintball CO2 to the other one to see if he could help fix the leaky CO2 problem. I saw some nice aquaria like Gertrude's Rainbows, Celestial Pearl Danios, Sparkling Gouramis, Brigitts Rasboras, and Crystal Shrimps. They also supposedly had some Cardinal Shrimp and Furcata Rainbows but they were sold out.

I haven't been remembering what I've been dreaming about lately.

I can't wait for my new 10g setup to cycle so I can get some Crystal Shrimp and not have them die in a vat of ammonia again.

Mass Dieout at Petco and Last night's dream

Today I visit the Petco in Longmont, there was at least 1, if not more, dead fish in EACH and EVERY tank including fresh and salt water. Seriouszly... what happened there? Turning into a Walmart or something?

Also last night, I dreamed I was with my sister and mom and we were wondering about how to go to the zoo. So I asked a bunch of bad-ass looking guys for directions and they told me to take the subway. When we got there I remember seeing a huge line for a Ferris wheel and close by was the zoo.

Directions
To dream that you are following directions, represent your need or ability to accept criticism. It also relates to your feelings about authority.

Subway
To dream that you are in the subway, denotes that you are reaching your goal via unconscious methods. By recognizing the hidden aspects of yourself, you are able to move forward in life. Alternatively, a subway suggests that you are making a hasty decision.

Line
To see a line of people or objects, indicates that you need to be more aware of some situation or relationship.

Ferris Wheel
To see or ride on a Ferris wheel in your dream, suggests that you are going around in circles. You are headed nowhere. Alternatively, it is symbolic of wholeness and the circle of life. Life is full of ups and downs.

Zoo
To dream that you are at a zoo, symbolizes loss of freedom. Alternatively, a zoo suggests that your abilities and talents are going unnoticed. You or an aspect of your life feels caged in. The zoo may also represent chaos and confusion as implied by the common phrase "this place is a zoo!" You may need to tidy up some situation in your life.

Started paintball co2

I started a paintball co2 setup for my 10g tank. Having some troubles adjusting it, but it seems to be working pretty good. I had turned off the co2 at night and when I turned it back on in the morning the tubing went flying off and scared the bajeebies out of my dog (and myself).

I'm also going to get the WaterPlant drop checker, and the 2 in 1 diffuser next week as soon as they are in-stock at Green Leaf Aquariums. I can also see some of my plants pearling and being happier. My order of Root Medic fertilizers also shipped out today, so I should get them pretty soon. I am excited to see some cool results. My tank is still moderate light, but the CO2 and new ferts should still bring out some improvements.

Unforunately, I will be moving in a couple weeks back to my parents place so I have to take it down as quick as I had put it up. Hopefully things will settle down when I move. I still have to contemplate on where to put all my tanks, soon there will a tank in each room! The house is kinda small, so I need to start brainstorming now.