Building up aquascape substrate - General Discussion - Forums
One tip is to put lava rock in media bags and use it to add height. You can use small plastic pieces and strategically placed rocks to hold the substrate as ...
@Lizzie Block
Rachel O'leary did a video years ago on scaping and showed how they create large hills etc by using if I remember right, foam and rock like lava rock that is then covered with a layer of aqua soil.  Maybe <anchor>@Lizzie Block</anchor> can help more, since she has done competitive aquascaping.
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# Lizzie Block

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12. Lizzie Block

    ## Care Packages for C.A.R.E. Forum Members!

    Lizzie Block replied to
    Lizzie Block's topic in General Discussion

    Hey everyone! I haven't posted on this thread for some time, so it's time for a revival 😄 Meaning more Care Packages for a few of our favorite forum participators! These folks have been positively contributing and helping the community for awhile now, so let's give them our appreciation for their journals, posts and helpful experience -

    The Care package recipients this round will be.......... *drumroll*

    @Colu

    @Patrick_G

    @quirkylemon103

    We thank you for all you do in this community and for helping to make it a place for learning, understanding and most of all - fun! Hope you enjoy all your Care package goodies and hope to see you around in the future! And if I don't have your shipping address already, I'll be sending a pm on here soon. Thanks all, see you on the next one ~

13. Lizzie Block

    ## Ro water needs minerals

    Lizzie Block replied to
    Krazyboy's topic in General Discussion

    Under 200? I'd just do one scoop in 5 gallons if you still have the little spoon it comes with. It's really tough to know exactly how much without measuring. I believe I used around one scoop give or take to achieve 100 TDS in 5 gallons of RO water. So maybe you could add a little more. But I always measure as I go to make sure I'm not adding too much.. highly recommend getting a TDS meter if you don't have one already. If you're trying to achieve an exact level of TDS.

14. Lizzie Block

    ## bettaShow off your Betta!

    Lizzie Block replied to
    Lee Miller's topic in Photos, Videos & Journals

    @TrishOmg you're too kind, thank you! 💜 He is still with me and he's honestly doing better than he's ever been! He's almost 2 years old now and I learned his original coloration is called 'butterfly' in the betta world. But, his white color faded away entirely after he got that bad case of fin rot. Now he's this gorgeous bright blue turquoise all over with a little patch of orange on his head! hah! no idea where that came from.

    Hope your tanks are doing great too!!

15. Lizzie Block

    ## CO2 system for 10g tank?

    Lizzie Block replied to
    Daave's topic in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

    @Irene Yes! We just had this conversation. More people are getting hyped about CO2 lol.

    @Daave I run 5 lb cylinders on 10 gallon tanks. Paintball cylinders for smaller nano tanks. If you're just getting into CO2, I wouldn't start off with a paintball cylinder. It can get tricky with different regulators and adapters and you're more prone to leaks, have to refill more etc etc. For a 10 gallon, I've gotten a 5 lb cylinder to last 6+ months easy before the tank even got low.

    There are lots of different types of regulators out there, it's hard to know what you want until you start playing with them lol. Amazon has a lot to choose from. CO2Art has been in the game for awhile and makes reliable products. I tend to lean towards CO2Art - their dual stage reg with solenoid and bubble counter is my favorite. However, I did replace the inside plastic ring with a rubber one to prevent leaking. And I generally recommend having some thread tape handy because it can help you stop leaks too.

    It's super important to remember that adding CO2 to an already established tank will affect your water parameters as the dissolved carbonic acid lowers the pH of your water. Depending on how high your pH is now, it could be a significant change if you start pumping lots of CO2 in suddenly. I always recommend a longer term, gradual change so that livestock can get used to their new water conditions. 🙂

17. Lizzie Block

    ## Care Packages for C.A.R.E. Forum Members!

    Lizzie Block replied to
    Lizzie Block's topic in General Discussion

    Hello everyone! It's me again, so you probably know what that means by now lol. 😛

    And if not, well I am here to give away some well-deserved goodies to three wonderful forum members who have been actively posting content and just generally making the forum fun place to hang out! Three Care packages will be sent out total and they'll be going to:

    @Aubrey

    @Kirsten

    @H.K.Luterman

    !! Congrats !! Shout out to these members for being active on here, posting fascinating journals and photos and helping others out wherever they're able. Thank you, friends!

    And THANK YOU to EVERYONE for participating and being a part of our community! Anyone can win a care package - So, I will see you all next time on this thread 🙂 Have a great evening ~

19. Lizzie Block

    ## Care Packages for C.A.R.E. Forum Members!

    Lizzie Block replied to
    Lizzie Block's topic in General Discussion

    Friends... it's time to give away more Care Packages! Can you believe it's already been a month since the last round?! Shout out to the winners last time and thank you guys for sharing the unboxings with us.

    As per usual, three lucky Nerms will once again be receiving a fun Co-Op care package with all types of goodies for being a positive contributing member of this Care forum. These folks have actively been creating topics and posts, sharing journals, photos and more during their time here. A huge thank you for inspiring others and making this community feel like home:

    @Maggie

    @James Black

    @Betsy

    Time to celebrate 🥳

    And finally, the last shout out goes to... EVERYONE. For being part of this forum and making it possible. Thank you forum members!!

    Have a wonderful evening everyone. Till next time -

20. Lizzie Block

    ## Rate my Red Sword's health

    Lizzie Block replied to
    outspoken's topic in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

    That looks like red flame sword to me 🙂 I gotta agree with Brian, I don't think it would hurt to have root tabs on hand. My guess is the sword is fairly happy now anyways since you've added a bunch of osmocote. In theory, you probably wouldn't need root tabs for some time. If it's growing new leaves, I'd just leave it alone and see what it does. It appears pretty healthy. If growth slows or stops, then try adding root tabs.

    Only thing I noticed was you buried the plant fairly deep. Normally I'd recommend planting above the crown (base of plant, where roots meet stems). Especially in sand substrate which can become more compact over time as the tank matures. Just something to consider if you notice the plant suffering at all.

21. Lizzie Block

    ## Question

    Lizzie Block replied to
    Connor Elliott's topic in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

    I'm not completely sure if i'm looking at the same thing - are you referring to the long spiral shaped thing? I've seen those occasionally on the Jungle val that the Co-Op sells. I think it's a flower stem from when the plants were growing out at the farm. It's normal for them to die off and come back as the plant grows. I hope that's what you're looking at anyway lol 😛

    Jungle val propagates by sending out baby val plants via a thin stem along the substrate line. So if it's doing that in your tank, you're in good shape, just let it do it's thing and provide plenty of light and fertilizer. Even if you just have healthy roots, a plant can bounce back in time.

22. Lizzie Block

    ## Help! Cryptocoryne Wendtii Melting!

    Lizzie Block replied to
    Slash's topic in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

    @Slash I wouldn't overthink it - my guess is that your crypt melted due to the drastic change in water hardness and buffering capacity (KH). If I were in your shoes, I'd go with crushed coral to bring that up as it lasts way longer than a wonder shell. Therefore getting more bang for your buck. The one key with crypts is absolutely no change in parameters, or you will likely get melt. Long term, best way to keep them thriving is not to change anything.

    Next. Phosphate pads will not hurt your plants - I mean, I wouldn't run them forever in the tank, because it's usually not necessary. And because yes, it's true that plants need a small amount of phosphate as nutrients. But this is a very small amount we're talking. Maybe just give one pad (you can cut it down to size) a try over the course of a few weeks or so to see if that makes a dent in the hair algae. If not, it's something else. Excess nutrients, light, too much iron there are a number of causes for hair algae. You'll have to trial and error: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/pages/algae-identification-guide-1

    Third question - Pea puffers looove plant cover. I'd go with some java fern, anubias of different varieties, maybe some water sprite. If you're content on the sand substrate, I would add root tabs if you want to plant into the sand. But the plants I have just listed don't even need to be. If you go to our website, you can filter plants by low light to see all your options 🙂 https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/live-plants/light-requirements_low-light-plants

24. Lizzie Block

    ## Mermaid Weed (Tips, Tricks, CO2)

    Lizzie Block replied to
    Ariel S's topic in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

    Mermaid weed is a super unique and cool looking plant, I would have picked it up too! I've had it grow just fine with medium-high light and fertilizer in a non-Co2 tank. It stayed a greenish-yellow color. I've also grown it with Co2 and high light and that's how I found to get much more reds out of the plant.

    It can be finnicky for some, but I find plenty of nutrients and light do the trick. It's also really interesting to grow it under water and above water because the two forms are so different. I wish you all the luck!

26. Lizzie Block

    ## Care Packages for C.A.R.E. Forum Members!

    Lizzie Block replied to
    Lizzie Block's topic in General Discussion

    Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all are having a great week. To make it even better, let's give away some Care Packages!! 🎉

    As many of you already know, the Care packages are sent to a few members for contributing positive and thoughtful topics, photos, journals and posts throughout their time here on the forum. That being said, we wouldn't even have a forum without ALL the wonderful folks on here. So, shout out to each and every forum member for being part of this great community and for making The Care forum a fun and enjoyable place. Thank you!

    As for this Care package - recipients are...

    @ADMWNDSR83

    @Alesha

    @Fish Folk

    Thank you, friends, for being such a positive and welcoming presence around here. And for sharing your photos, journals and experiences for everyone to benefit from. Your contributions are greatly appreciated! Hope to see you all around and feel free to send me a pm if you have any questions.

    Have a wonderful weekend, everybody! Cheers ~

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