Keep your eye on the look out for this recently introduced breed, we don’t think it will be hard though. The new captive strain that was first introduced at Aquarama has been spotted by Aquascaperz all over the place for around $15-$20 a pop. We are sure to see the price go down as soon as more people start breeding this fish. No harder to keep or breed then your average Microgeophagus ramizeri, needing soft to medium hard water of low pH (5-6). They prefer water temperatures in the mid to upper eighties F but will do fine in the lower eighties F and of course a heavily planted aquarium. Photo above from Harn Sheng.
This is a video we made while visiting the inimitable Aqua Forest Aquarium in San Francisco, CA. If you have never been to AFA, it is arguably the nicest overall store dedicated to just freshwater aquatic plants with several very nice display tanks and the newest and most highly sought after plants and shrimp in the aquarium hobby. The video above shows a roughly 200 gallon aquarium which is laid out in one of the hardest to master compositions, the Iwagumi layout. At over six feet long, this is the largest iwagumi plantscape we have ever seen and this tank which is visible outside the window is truly stunning from both sides of the tank. The aquarium and all the equipment follows the ADA recipe to the letter, using all ADA products, filters, diffusers and lily pipes and we imagine that it was quite a lot of work to keep all the glosso and hairgrass perfectly prim. Alas, it is no longer possible to visit this composition in it’s iwagumi form. The last time we visited about a month ago the tank was dry, with substrate and wood in position but no water or flow. We did not get a chance to ask what would be the next iteration of this fabulous tank but seeing how inspiring the AFA shop is overall, we have no hesitation in prediciting that it will be another masterpiece of aquaplantsmanship when it gets going again.
ADA as always is hard at work, with the recent release of the Do!aqua product line and its already born superiority over the majority of the rest of what is being produced in the industry, it would only make sense that original Nature Aquarium Goods would have to step up the game. The new Pollen Glass Type-3 is the glass diffuser created exclusively for 60cm tank line up. With its beautiful and elegant looks and excellent diffusion efficiency we think that this is perfect for anyone looking to clean up their 60p. ADA states that they have made significant improvement on the silicon joint area, making the tube arrangement around your tank nice and neat and free from tube-bending troubles.
Traditional fish for the planted aquarium have always included such groups as tetras, rasboras, and danios because of their relative peacefulness, ease of keeping, and plant-friendly requirements. While colorful and active, they pale in comparison to some of the other fish in the freshwater hobby that are not commonly thought of as plant-compatible. African cichlid species such as Pseudotropheus demasoni, shown above, make incredible fish for larger planted tanks. P. demasoni is a dwarf cichlid that is plant friendly, does little digging, exhibits highly complex behavior, and has eye-popping coloration. While they possess the aggression common in many African cichlid species, their hostility is mainly limited to conspecifics and is greatly moderated if kept in a tank with plenty of room and available cover. Planted aquariums are also ideal breeding environments for these fish as they provide exceptional cover for the young fry. When provided with good light and adequate CO2, a wide variety of plants will easily tolerate the medium- to hard-water requirements of these fish and the keeper will be rewarded with a stunning fish that contrasts with the colors of a planted tank like few other fish in the hobby.
With the plant aquarium hobby becoming more and more popular people are also realizing the importance of starting off with quality products. What is the most important thing when it comes to an aquarium, water right? So why spend tons of money buying bottle after bottle of dechlor, reverse osmosis water or costly water purifying systems. Many people may not realize that there are tons of household drinking units for under $100 dollars that will produce up to 10,000 gallons of quality water for your aquarium before your first filter change. These units cost less then comparable RO systems in purchase price, operation and maintenance and don’t strip the water of the things you don’t need to take out. Why buy something that requires you to add more money in supplements right back to the thing you took them out of? Next time your at your local hardware store stop in to the plumbing section and take a closer look at activated carbon filters. We found all different types that are easily fitted to your sink faucet and can be stored out of the way until your next water change. Majority of the activated carbon filters we have seen reduce up to 99% of Chlorine, VOC’s, THM’s and soften your water while not completely voiding it of vital elements needed for your plants and fish to thrive. Oh and no waste water like an RO system, so greener plants and more green in your wallet!
So you may like the expensive imported fertilizer systems but don’t like paying for them. Well then you will be happy to know that we have found a cheaper and simpler alternative to cure your dosing woes. Pfertz produces a full regimen of quality ferts in much higher concentration than most other brands with an easy to use methodology. So you spend less for more and dose less for better results! We are not sure how the competition likes that but I know that the consumers love it. Check out www.pfertz.com for a closer look at what they have to offer along with some customer testimonials to back it all up. Don’t forget to check back with us soon to see some more in-depth information of what, why, and how to dose in your setup.
If you’ve watched what’s been happening to fluorescent lamps over the last decade, you will have noticed the trend from T12 to T8, then T5 lighting (each number following the ‘T’ corresponds to an 1/8th of an inch in diamater). It should come as no surprise then that with the ever shrinking bulb sizes we would eventually get some T2 lighting for our aquariums. T2 lamps are 7mm in diameter and like the skinnier tubes before it, the decreased diameter makes these lamps easier to drive, more efficient and definitely more narrow. The T2 lamps are rated for VHO (very high output) and by comparison, many of the spiral twist compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) are T3 in diameter. The largest T2 currently available is just over 20″ long, 13 watts but with up to 73 lumens per watt, these lamps are no slouch in the efficiency department. T2 lamps are not new but the increased Kelvin rating of newer lamps makes them increasingly suitable for aquarium use. The trouble is, with such a narrow tube the lamps are limited by their length because much larger than that and they cannot be properly driven. The aquarium designed bulbs retail for about $14, of if you prefer you can purchase the bulb and fixture unit for only $35. We are excited to see these new T2 lighting bulbs hit the aquarium market where they won’t replace high intensity lighting, but at least for smaller biotopes and shallow plant tanks the new lamp format should raise the bar a little bit.
Few of the plants we commonly keep in our aquariums will ever flower in their submersed state. However, through the use of an open-topped aquarium with good lighting, many aquatic plants can be encouraged to produce emersed (above water) growth, and with it some often amazing flowers. Most plants, if allowed to grow above the surface of the aquarium will begin to produce emersed foliage in short order. Emersed foliage often varies considerably from the submersed foliage of the same plant and these changes can be almost as interesting as the flowers. After an aquatic plant has been allowed to produce emersed foliage for a period of time, it will frequently begin flowering. This may be the most rewarding part of growing emersed aquatics. In fact, many aquatic plants can only be positively identified by examining their inflorescences. Even the most mundane looking aquatic plants may produce stunningly beautiful flowers, as evidenced by the bright blue flowers of Bacopa sp. ‘Colorata’, shown above, and the fragrant and spectacular night-blooming flower of the red tiger lotus (Nymphaea zenkeri), below.
A brand new Eriocaulon from Thailand promises to be one of the most exciting dwarf Erios in the hobby. The new plant is called Eriocaulon “Ban Ba Wa” after the region of Sakon Nakhon in the Northeast of Thailand where this petite Erio was discovered. Eriocaulon “Ban Ba Wa” is a miniature species which reaches just over 1″ in diameter or about 4cm. When compared to the grain size of the regular Aquasoil in which it is planted, it is easy to see that this is one tiny Erio. So far we have only seen this plant distributed in Hong Kong and Japan but hopefully it will be a matter of time before we see some “Ban Ba Wa” around in the U.S. freshwater plant hobby. Big thanks once again to Daniel^~^ for sharing the wonderful image of this exciting new plant and follow the break for another look at Eriocaulon “Ban Ba Wa”.
The electronic CO2 regulator from AquariumPlants.com is a very unique apparatus uniquely suited to ultra precise control of CO2 gas. The electronic CO2 reg can dispense the precious plant-growing and aragonite-dissolving substance at a rate from 0.1 to 10 seconds per bubble. The rheostat control know is somewhat counterintuitive to use because turning the knob in a clockwise direction will increase the length of time between bubbles so cranking it to eleven will actually reduce your CO2 release rate. If you’ve ever wanted to pull you hair out because you found it difficult adjusting a consistent bubble rate, the elctronic CO2 regulator should be just the fix. AquariumPlants.com claims that this electronic device was built completely in house, and we believe them, but at first glance we totally believed this was an OEM product. The complete electronic CO2 regulator from AquariumPlants.com is $189 or just $149 for the electronic control box to add on to your existing reg with 1/8 or 1/4″ brass fittings. There is also an Uber-precise version with an 8 digit LCD display which will run a $100 more than the complete regulator set at $289.The LCD display is a bubble-odometer so it keeps track of how many bubbles have been released and the counter is user resettable. Also, when used with high pressure and turned to maximum flowrate, both versions of the E-regulator can release a maximum of 4 bubbles per second. Click the link to see full product details and another look at the gear.
.
Leave a comment
So you may like the expensive imported fertilizer systems but don’t like paying for them. Well then you will be happy to know that we have found a cheaper and simpler alternative to cure your dosing woes. Pfertz produces a full regimen of quality ferts in much higher concentration than most other brands with an easy to use methodology. So you spend less for more and dose less for better results! We are not sure how the competition likes that but I know that the consumers love it. Check out 
