90gallon Planted Discus Community Tank continued!

because I don't have either of those readily available...and I already have a couple boxes of the twinings rooibos tea (ordered a few boxes when it was on sale and no one liked the taste of it).

 

found out about it online

Ignore the algae on the walls...I'm tired of wiping it daily and have some plecos on order
1st picture added a pot containing 2 teabags, 2nd picture added another pot containing 3 teabag. Subtle staining that you'll notice moreso towards the bottom quarter of the tank.

 

The Plecos are coming, The Plecos are coming!!!

In anticipation of their arrival I ordered a few of my favorite pleco breeding logs from Ken'sFish which luckily arrived today.

The 7 juvi L183's that I finally gave in and ordered should arrive sometime tomorrow (edit, I just found out it looks like they won't be here until tomorrow- here's hoping they'll be ok 2 days in transit). I'm hoping once they grow out a bit that I'll end up with at least 1 breeding pair. Sooo Anxious!!!

Oh, and by the looks of it my bigals order should arrive tomorrow too. Looks like I'll be able to get the eheim 2236 up and running on the tank finally and also be able to start dosing the tank with some flourish excel (I know some plants that will be happy happy happy).

 

Small buggers, really hard to get a good photo...but here's a few from when they were in the 10gallon holding tank.​

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151300802237222.568208.548002221&type=1&l=871da5ce3e

 

The Homemade divider is in!
The smaller divided section with the driftwood contains the L183's and some neon tetras for right now.

 

Lol, yea..they are itty bitty. They hide extremely well too...I find myself trying to find them and hoping they are all eating!
I have one that I can always easily find- loves hiding between the top of the heater and the intake extension of the xp4 & another who is simply in love with the driftwood...clueless as to where the others are?!?

 

Stocking is thinning out a bit due to several discus being rehomed.
Remaining discus:
Silver Pigeon
Pigeon Blood (blue I think-I believe it was the pigeon blood red I rehomed. but they look so similar I could be wrong?).
2 Marlboros
1 Fire Red female that I swear is a marlboro
1 Brilliant male

 

1. Water tested. Ammonia 0, nitrite o, nitrate 5.0, phosphates o or 2.5 (hard to distinguish between the 1st & 2nd color).
2. Inside walls on the Discus side were brushed clean (tom cleaning wand & toothbrush dedicated for fish tank use)
3. Compact sword on L183 side was moved to the rear of that side, current kept uprooting it (the roots were VERY short which seems to be the issue). Also added 2 of the taller sprigs of cabomba just along each side of the driftwood.
4. Pulled the spongebob house that's in the front of that section (so gawdy, and the plecos didn't seem to be interested in it...still left the one in the back though- figuring it can "grow" algae. Haha!)
5. Partial performed-Prime and Flourish added (still have a bit left from an old jug so I'm dosing it weekly after partials are done).
6. All 6 L183's accounted for- tossed in a Hikari algae wafer for them hoping they'll munch on it.
7. In the morning I'll add the Flourish excel (I'm adding it daily), although I can't say I'm seeing any difference with adding it though? Plants seem at a standstill.

 

Today's Picture...I think the plants look like they are at a standstill when it comes to growth, but then again maybe it's too soon? The prior photo was from a week ago & this photo is from today.

 

New Pictures 7-30-12:
PAIR OF RAMS

SCHOOL OF ROSELINE/DENISON BARBS

SCHOOL OF GLASS CATFISH

CLOWN LOACH

STARLIGHT BRISTLENOSE PLECO

 

The new plecos are doing great, little poop machines! Amazing how much of a mess they produce in comparison to the other bristlenoses that I've kept. A couple have already doubled in size and they are extremely active grazers (24/7 wood & glass) in comparison to the other ones I had which would lazily ignore algae and just wait for a wafer to land in front of them.

Plants are showing growth now too, the wallichii have easily doubled to nearly tripled in height...cabomaba's getting some height too (just not as fast as when I previously kept it, which strikes me as a bit odd)...wendtii still seems to be at a standstill (alive, just not any new growth or seedlings...and previously that stuff did awesome for me in the 90g) & the Banana plants leaves are looking larger with long stems growing out/alongside the bananas.

I truthfuly think they changed the eco-complete somehow. The appearance/grain size was different & I found several "white" stones (calcium). I think this is why i'm seeing a difference in plant growth in comparison to when I kept the same types of plants in this substrate previously (without dosing) and the growth was amazing back then.