photoperiod

Looking glumly at my main aquarium. The tenner is doing so nicely, I wish I could get the balance right in the thirty-eight as well. I did what I've done once before- sat down with a piece of paper and went through backlog of posts here, making notes of dates I changed things with the lights and ferts, and what I'd noted of plant conditions. I think I had been expecting results to alterations too quickly- really the plant response can show a week or two after. So it's difficult to look at the record and keep in mind that when I change something, the state of growth or algae a week later is what to make note of...

That in mind, looking back it seems things were doing better when I had the photoperiod starting up with warm spectrum, then full intensity for midpoint of the 'day'. And during the weeks just after I had tried cutting back on dosing micros. So maybe that was correct to do after all...  Once again trying a change. The light strip is still up on its blocks with one thin plastic sheet for diffusion. I reset it this morning: 2 hour fade in/out, 7 hours color spectrum, 5 hours of that full intensity (with whites). I suddenly have fine thread algae busting out all over plant surfaces- almost like thin fur viewed at a certain angle- I think it's because I put in root tabs recently. Maybe on days I give root tabs I should step back with the other ferts...

So still trying to get it right.

I know I can get it there, the tenner is so clean and healthy looking right now I sometimes just sit and stare at it in amazement. The skull is becoming clean and white again, no algae except on older anubias leaves. I swear some of the buces even have new leaves emerging, and they don't seem to be rotting to mush like those in my thirty-eight. One of the 'isabelle' bunches came completely loose and it settled against those others tied to little stones. I let it be- maybe it will reach down a root and hold itself. I don't want to get into the tank and mess around just to retie one plant, since it seems to have settled in a suitable place.

And since I'm making a note about that tank- I'm continuing to find tiny ramshorn snails, but not so many as before. I see several a day and usually manage to pluck out one or two of them- it's hard to keep a grip on something so small with the tweezers. I simply crush them for Oliver to eat.