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How long to boil?

  • #21
Avoid large snails, small ones won't damage the utrics.

Leave the tank to settle before introducing the utrics. Grains of peat still floating after a few days can be removed with a seive. The water ought to be a dark yellow-brown, but very clear. If you put the utric in there while there is lots of peat floating around then particles of peat will stick to the plant, providing a perfect location for the attraction of algal particles and a rapid colonisation of the plant by algae. You want the plant as clean as possible to remove anywhere for algae to get a grip - as it were...

Use plants to leech nutrients from the water. I use Carex panicea, Typha minima and Eichorrnia crassipes - all are small and the latter can just be thinned as appropriate. The dead leaves of typha and carex are allowed to fall to the bottom of the tank, where they release humic acids which acidify the water a little and deter algae, as well as benefitting the utrics. If bullrushes or robust carex spp grow near you, collect some dead brown leaves, chop them up, boil them well and lay them on the top of the gravel base to deter algae (but this really is optional!).

Avoid flowering plants or regular pond ornamentals as accompaniments - there will not be enough nutrients in the water to support them and they won't generally flower. My water hyacinths are now very stunted!

Daphnia from a local petshop (sold as fish food) can be a quick-fix if algae starts to take hold. If algae really takes over the tank there is nothing to be done but start again with a whole new load of fresh water and with a cleaned utric. Again, leave the tank to settle before putting the plant back in. I use boiled rainwater.
 
  • #23
Gah! I already put the utric in! Stupid stupid STUPID! *slams his head into the wall and passes out* [15 minutes later] Egh... the utric got stained by that coffee kind of thing peat goes through when mixed with water, should I wash it off or what? x.x; Not even 24 hours and I already screwed up! *slams his head through the wall*
 
  • #24
If you want to be on the safe side, take the utric out, rinse it, and just put in some water in a jar for a day or two while the tank clears properly. It will be fine for just 48 hours.
 
  • #25
Right! *teleports to the utric*

Ah! I checked the water and the water is yellowish, it's A LOT better than it was before, should I still rinse off the utric?
 
  • #26
It's completely up to you. if it looks like it has peat particles all over it then a rinse is a good idea. If it looks like most have fallen off then don't worry.
 
  • #27
Well it just looks a little stained but the water is SUBSTANTIALLY more clear than it was before, now it's a soft yellow color and I'm not sure rinsing it would do any good.
 
  • #28
As an aside. When you do this in the future, it's a lot easier to get a tank stabilised with other plants, snails and a little life for a few weeks, and then add the utric. That way you know if your balance is right for avoiding algae in advance without risking it going all over the utric.
 
  • #29
Okay, I'll remember that. I was thinking about how I was going to set it up all week but I didn't even find a container until I got the utric. I'm hoping it recovers alright. It's pretty big so I think it can pull through. *crosses his fingers*
 
  • #30
It's..only..been....2...days.. AND THERE'S ALREADY ALGAE ON IT!!! What do I do, WHAT DO I DO?! I'm not losing another utric to that darn algae!!! GRRR!! THIS TICKS ME OFF SO MUCH!
 
  • #31
Shade it a little more. Get some daphnia and small snails in there. A little algae is no problem. Great sheets of it are a problem.
 
  • #32
[b said:
Quote[/b] (ChronoKiento @ Aug. 17 2005,2:26)]It's..only..been....2...days.. AND THERE'S ALREADY ALGAE ON IT!!! What do I do, WHAT DO I DO?! I'm not losing another utric to that darn algae!!! GRRR!! THIS TICKS ME OFF SO MUCH!
First of all, stop panicking
Secondly, scrape off as much as you can and leave it
When you intoroduce the utric, keep scraping the algae off ntill the Utric gets big and outcompetes the algae
 
  • #33
I scraped some off this morning. And I don't have any daphnia, they don't sell them in stores and there aren't any ponds near my house. I also looked in my pool to see if there was any daphnia and I didn't find any. I'll try to get a ride to the pet store to get some snails sometime this week. I just hope the utric works faster than the algae and hits a growth spirt.
 
  • #34
Yeah, as Starman says, just keep cleaning it if the tank is generally ok. If the tank gets infested and swamps everything there is not much to be done but start again with fresh water. Nothing is a cure-all for algae, and snails and whatnot only help, not solve the problem. It's a bit of a black art.
 
  • #35
[b said:
Quote[/b] (ChronoKiento @ Aug. 18 2005,10:08)]I scraped some off this morning. And I don't have any daphnia, they don't sell them in stores and there aren't any ponds near my house. I also looked in my pool to see if there was any daphnia and I didn't find any. I'll try to get a ride to the pet store to get some snails sometime this week. I just hope the utric works faster than the algae and hits a growth spirt.
You dont need to use Daphnia

Just keep scraping the algae off untill the Utric gets large and dominates the algae
 
  • #36
The U. vulgaris, is large enough to out compete the algae. The little Unknown, might have some trouble with it..
 
  • #37
Yeah..that thing really is tiny. It gets stuck to the vulgaris a lot.
 
  • #38
Think thats bad.. I gave it all away.. Didn't keep any for myself..
 
  • #39
Lol, that's weird. Whenever mine gets bigger I'll send you a cutting.
 
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