plantbrain

This is a tank for a client: mas: Regards, Tom barr

If possible buy some KH2PO4, this is much easier to work with than Sera or other brand names. Then dosing is standard for any and everyone as well as costly you much less $$$$$. I typically have about 20ppm NO3, 2-3ppm of PO4, 20-30ppm K+. If you go higher or lower, you will be fine. the main errors are when people go from using a very limited PO4 dosing routine to adding more nutrients and then the CO2 starts to be used up really fast. This causes more CO2 use and then unless more CO2 is added to account for more growth demands from the plants,m you end up with stunted plants and algae. So make sure when you change one thing, to be sure you take care of the CO2. This is easier in general if you use less light. Adding more light makes this issue much more sensitive and likely to cause a problem. Which is good if you are interested in the dynamics, you do not have to wait long and get a strong response each time. But bad if you just want a nice aquarium without algae or worrying about running out of nutrients for the plants. High Light can cause many to have poor results and not know why, whereas lower light will be much more forgiving. Hope this helps, Tom Barr

If the members/Administrators here wish, they can put a sub forum with questions for me they would like to ask. I will do what I can to answer. Regards, Tom Barr

I also have the powerpoint presentations that will be made available for members through this web site. This way you can view and read them, have them translated etc at your own pace. This makes things easier. Also, you can see how the aquascaping was done in more detail and sit down and think about things more as you do your own aquarium. I also have many other articles and have added some new ideas for DSM as the possible issues involved and trade offs become more apparent. Large hillsides that are really tall, much like the scape I did at the event are an example. I posted some info about it in a thread about the DSM on another subforum section here already. I do not read Portuguese well, but know a fair amount of Espanol and can figure and predict what aquarist might ask. Communication is listening to what the poster/aquarist mean, more than what they actually say. Thank you all. Tom Barr

Obrigado Alexandre, Thank you all. Regards, Tom Barr

I have not tried using this species, however, Tropica is able to grow it Hydroponically and several other people in the USA have grown it easily emersed. In smaller tanks, the hill sides work well, but like the Display I did for the scaping portion, the hills can be too tall and not get enough water, while the front and lower sections get too much water. Keep this in mind. There's a solution however.................a sneaky one:-) Here's how: You simply use this same method to grow plants(whatever species), in a small amount of ADA aqua soil in a tupperware plastic container before, or while you also grow out the aquarium in the lower spots. you are basically pre growing the HC, Ugrammifolia, Hair grass etc in a small side container with the same sediments. Once you are ready to fill the aquarium, you carefully remove the U grammifolia (Ug) as so not to disturb the roots from these small plastic grow out containers. Then you simply make a small depression, hole etc on the higher ground, to plant the Ug being careful to not harm the roots. Then you fill the aquarium. This way you can add pre grown well rooted plants into the ADA sediment right away no matter how tall the hillside might be in the aquarium. Since the ADA sediment is the same in both cases, in the aquarium, as well as the plastic grow out container, the transition is minimal. This is another twist on the Dry start method that does not even include the aquarium! There are many simple options here. I do not pretend to know them all, but as problems with the scape are shown, like really tall hillsides, little clever methods can find ways around them and use the same basic principles that started the DSM in the first place. This idea is nothing new, but how to apply it to your situation is fairly novel and obvious. Same deal here with the tall hillsides. You could even grow out the HC, Ug, etc, and then add the plants much like "sod" turf grass over any shape you might have. Then mist a couple of days and fill the aquariums. The plants are already rooted, the sediment under the sod is the same. Just an idea. Regards, Tom Barr

I asked if there was some rocks or other regions in your country where one might find inspiration for rock scapes etc: There are many many places. So you can go out and find the rocks and look, plenty to pick and chose from right in your area. Regards, Tom Barr

Thank you all for having us come and speak. Had a wonderful time. I have some articles that we discussed about being translated into Portuguese. These will be made available much like a magazine , monthly. More details will come soon as we figure out how to implement the articles into the web site here. Some are open source, some will be specifically for VIP members. Support the site that supports the hobby and helps you folks learn more. BTW, here's my site: www.BarrReport.com Fairly sleepy, which is what I prefer, more a place to find info, rather than a social gathering place/web site. I will also send some plants over at some point in the coming weeks that are not available there. These will be free for VIP membership enrollment. Not a bad deal. Regards, Tom Barr

You all better behave, or else this guy will Kiiiilll you! (think "Achmed" from Jeff Dunham) I Kiiiillll You! But be careful also, make a face and you might get stuck this way for all eternity: Haha Regards, Tom Barr