Other plants and aquarium

[Optimist]

This year, I backed off on buying orchids, and decided to purchase a few other plants that I have been interestd in. I got several "Russian" African Violets-- some outrageously weird. I also bought more aquarium plants. Before it gets too cold I am getting some tissue cultures for aquarium plants-- can't wait. Well, I guess I have to wait because, like orchids, aquatic plants are notoriously slow. I did buy a few orchids: Cattleya lueddemanniana, Cattleya trianae, and Paph. Shireen (glaucophyllum x philippinense).

I am buying the aquatic plants because I have a 2nd planted tank in the works--a used 60-gallon hexagonal tank (huge) that I bought for 45 dollars which was quite a steal. I plan on thickly planting, but not overstocking with fish. I have a population with 2 angelfish, and several tetras, which will go into the hex, and the 75 (15 gallons more) will have the 2 blood parrots, pleco and another group of tetras.

Right now the blood parrots and angelfish are roomies.

[WaterWitchin]

I'm a big fan of the Russian hybrid violets. Do you ever shop at The Violet Barn?

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

I'm a big fan of the Russian hybrid violets. Do you ever shop at The Violet Barn?

Gosh! I forgot I made this post! I hope you return!

I have not shopped at Violet Barn, but I have looked at the website and see some I would really love.
The ones I am dreaming of now are heavily variegated. Like Rose Bouquet, Happy Harold, Fisherman's Paradise, Lillian Jarret, or Tiger.

I have a few with Tommy Lou variegation, but none where the whole leaf has little white specks, and I would love a few.

I have a few interesting leaf types. I have Senk’s Snowy Egret, which is both variegated and has longifolia leaves, and Ma’s Melody girl, which has "girl" foliage with a lot of pink in it.

My list:

RS. Driada
Silverglade Apples
Water Sprite Vodonia
Senk’s Snowy Egret
Wrangler’s Boot Stomping
Wrangler's snow bride
Vat Light in the Night
LE Mojito
Live Wire
Picasso
Optomera Rhapsodie Michelle
RS Gertsoginia "DUCHESS”
Ma’s Melody girl

Russians: RS Driada, Water Sprite (Vodonia), Vat Light in the Night, LE Mojito, RS Gertsoginia "DUCHESS”


So far, I have gotten most at a nursery about 1.5 hours drive from my house. They are mostly from the vendor "Harmony." I have only passed on one that now I am angry at myself for not getting. I like looking at plants before buying. (Even with Orchids, I would like to actually see the plant in person before buying it). I have one (Silverglade Apples) that I got as a leaf plug on eBay. It is finally getting big (I got it last summer). I also had a bad experience with leaf cuttings and I decided not to risk it again. I bought about 12 from 2 sellers and I lost all but one. I did not even choose the one that grew (RS Driada), it was a "bonus" plant. So, I will not try leaves again. That was an expensive mistake.

[WaterWitchin]

Well howdy. I'm unfortunately not big on keeping the names of violets. And have lost a fair share of tags on orchids, I will also confess. One of the worst about remembering names and keeping tagged. But I can sure still talk violets and aquariums.

I have several Episcia (flaming violet, chocolate soldier) that I've had for over fifty years. Well, you know what I mean. The original starts were from my maternal grandma, who got me hooked on planting any and everything when I was a very young child. They're my favorites of course.

You have any mosaic leaf violets? I had some of the old style ones, but gave away when my orchid frenzy awoke about twenty years back. One of them appeared like the Lilian Jarrett seen on VBarn. I really want a BloodShot (standard) but have been trying to control the impulse. Did you see the newer Russian LE Mont St Michael? What an interesting bloom. Must have. Or PT Beautiful Signorina?

I know what you mean about wanting to see any plant up close and personal before purchasing. Violet Barn has done an excellent job though, or I wouldn't recommend. At a fair price, I think. Yes, leaf cutting purchases are highly overrated. Think how hard it is to start them from one's own plant, let alone have them shipped.

And Oh, aquariums. LOL... so many hobbies, so little time. I have a 150, a 75, a 55, and two 20 longs. All in storage in my garage. I'll start hauling them back out one by one someday. When I retired (water garden owner) I was super tired of all the water changes, etc, etc. Do you use C02 in your aquariums?

Okay, I have to stop before I go buy a new violet or dust off an aquarium.

[MrHappyRotter]

I've got a handful of 10 gallon planted tanks sitting around. I keep things simple these days, though. No particularly fancy/rare plants anymore, simple LED and fluorescent lighting, minimal additives, etc.

In years past, I used to breed killifish. That was a second job (along with the orchids and other pets) and it got to be too much to handle to my standards. Over the past 4 or 5 years I kept the sexes separate, and with time, the population died back and sold off. I'm now down to a clown pleco, the last male Fundulopanchax gardneri, and multiple cherry shrimp colonies. That's much easier to manage than a dozen plus 10 gallon tanks and dozens of tiny fry tanks. It may be awhile before I'm completely fishless, since clown plecos can live a long time (I had one that lived for 13+ years) and these non-annual killifish can have surprisingly long lives as well.

Eventually I would like to have a single larger sized tank (maybe a 40 breeder) with a school of a small, colorful Australian rainbow species like Pseudomugil gertrudae. However, I don't foresee that happening any time soon.

[Optimist]

I thought I had a mosaic leaf with the Wrangler's snow bride. At first the leaves were kind of spattered with specks of yellow on light green. I now know that something went wrong with the poor thing. As it grows from the center some nice thick white TL varigation is happening.

I don't have CO2 I just have a bunch of amazon swords, in a 75 gallon with blood parrots, tetras and some angelfish.

I have a small 29 with low light plants and kuhli loaches and glass cats, and amano shrimp.

I have a 60 gallon hex in the garage that I would like to put the 2 blood parrots in.

I work from home for the most part so taking care of fish and flowers is not too much of a hassle.

Oh, the plant tags thing: My standard MO is bringing them home, and then going into the computer and writing the name down (in the computer). I can mark the plant up any way I want after then. Tags with coinciding numbers is a good way to go. I just go into the computer when I need to look up the name.

The AVs mostly have tags. I keep them in small self-watering pots that are 2 part, an inner and an outer pot. I put the plant tag inside of the pot in between the inner and outer wall of the pot.

I will take a few pictures of the flowers as they show up.



Oh, I forgot, I really don't know how to distinguish hobby from work. I work as a fine artist (sculptor), and part-time 2 year college teacher (English), and have a variety of hobbies: other arts, (painting etc), Languages, (Russian, Spanish, and learning French, and several more, Italian, Romanian, Dutch), Plants, fish, sewing (now with a serger!), and then I am also passionate about things like cooking (I make bread, wine, pickles, and good old-fashioned "all other than I can." That's about all. I also have to keep up on business stuff like website building, accounting, and meeting with vendors, clients etc. Obviously, I can not do all this every day, all the time. But I mostly keep busy.
I don't understand what "having nothing to do" is all about.

[WaterWitchin]

I looove killifish! I was first introduced to them by a shipment of water lilies purchased from a wholesaler in Florida. When we started to repot, all these gorgeous little gems started flopping around on the table. Had to look them up, as I'd never been introduced.

Thus started a few years with a 150 tank full of killifish. You can imagine how that tank glittered. Y'all are gonna get me started with fish again... stop it!

I asked about CO2 because Optimist was talking about a planted tank. I've never used it... too much maintenance for me... but some of the aquascaped tanks I've seen, especially the competitions, are beyond gorgeous. Like looking into a whole different world.

On the work vs hobby comment... what's work? If I don't like it, I don't engage. I've never been bored for a moment in life thus far. What's bored? I could start a rant about it, but I'll refrain.

Just started a search for making the perfect SanFran sourdough bread. Have a really old starter given as a Christmas gift two years back. Man, is there ever a learning curve to sourdough. I've made bread for years and thought I was pretty good. It's been a humbling experience, and I'm still learning. Plus even the mistakes are pretty tasty.

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Just started a search for making the perfect SanFran sourdough bread. Have a really old starter given as a Christmas gift two years back. Man, is there ever a learning curve to sourdough. I've made bread for years and thought I was pretty good. It's been a humbling experience, and I'm still learning. Plus even the mistakes are pretty tasty.

Sourdough and cycling fish tanks have a lot in common. Newbies to aquariums wonder where the beneficial bacteria (Nitrobacters, Nitrosomonas) come from. It is a real reach for some people to understand that you are trying to get invisible floating microorganisms that are "everywhere" into your aquarium. This is totally the same thing that his happening with sourdough starter. You put some flour and water together in a cup and then the little floating microorganisms float right into it.

It is totally interesting to think that there is an invisible world that we can't see and that we are symbiotic with. Like they say there are millions of foreign "animals" living in each of us. The human body contains trillions of microorganisms — outnumbering human cells by 10 to 1.

And "work" to me, means an occupation (that you would not do otherwise) that monopolizes all of the time that you could be doing work that enriches you, while it also allots to you a fraction of the earnings (on the arbitrary belief that your time is worth X-money) actually made by that occupation, meanwhile making other people rich while you are made a "debt slave."

Kind of breathy definition. I'll work on it.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Optimist

Sourdough and cycling fish tanks have a lot in common. Newbies to aquariums wonder where the beneficial bacteria (Nitrobacters, Nitrosomonas) come from. It is a real reach for some people to understand that you are trying to get invisible floating microorganisms that are "everywhere" into your aquarium. This is totally the same thing that his happening with sourdough starter. You put some flour and water together in a cup and then the little floating microorganisms float right into it.

It is totally interesting to think that there is an invisible world that we can't see and that we are symbiotic with. Like they say there are millions of foreign "animals" living in each of us. The human body contains trillions of microorganisms — outnumbering human cells by 10 to 1.

And "work" to me, means an occupation (that you would not do otherwise) that monopolizes all of the time that you could be doing work that enriches you, while it also allots to you a fraction of the earnings (on the arbitrary belief that your time is worth X-money) actually made by that occupation, meanwhile making other people rich while you are made a "debt slave."

Kind of breathy definition. I'll work on it.

LOL... That "what is work" question was rhetorical. But I agree with your breathy definition.

[estación seca]

I cannot believe all of you are tantalizing us so, and not posting ANY PHOTOS.