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Cleaning U.Gibba container

Hi everyone



Just got my 1st urtic about a week back from edward from a trade(thanks) Since then the water level has drop quite a lot and its just sitting there probally just 2 cm or less of water and about an inch of peat thingy that i have no idea what is it at the bottom..So they say i have to clean there container..so how do i do that?

The gibba is already attached to the pot...so do i have to like take the peat out together with the gibba all out clean the container throughly or do i just replenish the water after it drops to just wet peat and clean just a little at the sides?Anyone can share how you do it?



Ken
 
I don't quite understand the situation. Can you get a picture?
 
Hi Capensis

So far i only can get ictures in here through my sister (longstory) sooo i can't.....My point here is how do i actually clean a gibba container? My gibba's condition now is in about 1-2cm of water and also an inch of peat thingy at the bottom so how should i clean it to prevent algae growth..

Ken
 
Oh, algae. I don't think you can prevent algae, but either way, it won't harm the U. gibba.
 
Hi Cap

I thought algae can be lethal to aquatic species of urtics? Anyways there is also something floating on the surface of the water its like a layer of greenish stuff? Like the picture when they show the pic of urtic giba close up in Savage Garden..I hope thats not dangerous too..So you mean i don't really have to clean the container?

Ken
 
do people in the wild clean natural Utriculria's habitats?
 
Gibba would grow in rather stagnant conditions so algae would not bother them. Leave the algae, it will feed the animals that the gibba feeds off of.
 
Hi guys

So i don't have to do anything??? And all i have to do is just replenish the water when its not enough right? Okays thanks

Ken
 
I have been growing U. resupinata and it gets that film on the surface of the water. I blast it with a spray bottle and that keeps it at bay. I find the spray bottle also makes very little disturbance to the peat below the water level, keeping the water fairly clear so you can see the bladders. I have had no problems with algae, probably due to the acidity caused by the peat.
 
  • #10
Oh, algae. I don't think you can prevent algae

It is difficult to prevent algae from spreading and taking over if there is a little already in the jar/area.

it won't harm the U. gibba.

Absolutely not. Algae can choke out an entire colony of gibba... I've lost several containers full of U. gibba because of it.

Ken - since you live in a warm climate the algae will grow faster. At least for me, the higher the temps, the faster the U. gibba grows -- along with the algae.

If you're very concerned, you can tear off a piece of U. gibba from your main colony wash it thoroughly and put it in a new container.

Hope all goes well... but if it doesn't, you can just get some more of the stuff. There's no shortage of it.
 
  • #11
Jeff is right - algae is bad. The smaller your container, the worse it is. In the wild there's stuff that keeps it in check, but not so in cultivation. My trick for small Utric specimens is to take the whole colony out of the water, change the water and scrub out anything on the container, then spray the Utric with water on an inclined surface like a large bowl. The algae falls away easily, leaving you with clean, more-or-less intact Utric stolons. It doesn't look quite as pristine as wild-grown colonies, I'm sure, but it's a good way to bulk up a small clump until it's big enough to take care of itself. If you use a container with peat or something as a substrate, you may want to skip cleaning the container and just do a water change, as I suppose you might get some beneficial critters living in there eventually.
~Joe
 
  • #12
Hi so you mean that layer on top is algae or wat???Anyways i just added water in my container with bottled ROwater..

Ken
 
  • #13
Without seeing it I can't be sure, but you probably have some algae growing on the top. If it's green and gooey and not fibrous, then it's algae, not a Utric. If you take it out of the container and spray it with water and it dissolves, then it's algae, not a Utric. If it looks fluffy and translucent and kind of like snot while underwater, then it's algae, not a Utric.
Making aquatic Utrics happy without a pond or other natural waterway to raise them in requires some observation and persistence. Watch yours carefully, prod at it occasionally and read up on it (and ask questions - just helps if they're specific questions.) Hopefully somebody has easier advice than mine and will chime in, but I've been growing these plants for a while now and this is the best I know.
Best luck,
~Joe
 
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