some crypts and barclaya longifolia

[bencozzy]

barclaya longifolia(the leafs are red but i had to use a cr*p camera, mom broke the good one)

crypt wendti "tropica"

crypt parva

crypt wendti "green gecko"

[OrionGirl]

Very nice! These are in mamcozzy's tank?

[bencozzy]

no my 25g

the only crypts in her tank are some of my wendtii "tropica"

[djlen]

I'm not sure whether it's the camera or what, but the Barclaya looks very nutrient deficient. I'm not using the color as a guide, but the veins are very pronounced. I've never had my Barclaya that pale looking. Are you feeding them?
Also, just an observation, but your plants would probably be appreciative of some smaller diameter substrate. A clay-base would really be appreciated by the Crypts.

Len

[bencozzy]

i have been dosing ferts k n and p with some mag and iron.

i do need to switch substrates though.

id love to give a soil based substrate a try, never done it before.(1" base of soil with flourite on top??)

[djlen]

Some people like the soil. I personally have never used it and never needed it. I've always thought it could get really messy and was unnecessary with a flourite substrate.
I do use a sprinkling of ground peat moss on the bare glass before laying in the flourite. Tom Barr suggested that to me years ago and I've used it in every tank I've set up since.
Cryptocoryne and some other Fe loving plants do better, IMO with a clay/Fe rich substrate. It's also much smaller in diameter with the roots do well in.
So that's what I'd suggest.
Sounds like your fertilizing enough. They just looked a little peekid in the pictures.

Len

[bencozzy]

will the peat have a effect on water chemistry?(ph and hardness)

[djlen]

It does act to soften the water, but it only requires a very small amount to be effective. I call it a light dusting.......maybe a handful sprinkled over the bottom before the substrate goes in.
Once I started doing this, I noticed that the tanks I used it in matured faster resulting in fewer diatoms and other 'start-up' algae. And what there was, went away more quickly, IME.
I sprinkle it over the bottom, then squeeze the dirty filter sponges from a filter on a healthy tank on the peat. That gives you "instant bio-colony" which will attach itself to the flourite.
Lay in the flourite. Put a shallow bowl (soup bowls are great for this) on the surface of the flourite. Start filling the bowl with water and let it over flow the bowl and fill the tank SLOWLY. Leave the bowl in the tank even after the water has risen above it and concentrate the slow water flow into the tank on the center of the bowl.
This should result in next to zero clouding.
Flourite can be messy, but I give it a light rinse and dump it in and have never had any serious issues with clouding. If you fill a tank with water not using the above method you will probably have a tank that looks like it's filled with coffee. Really messy!!!!!

Len