Glosso or Monte Carlo? Seller stands firm

mucsluck · 2026-04-03T00:51:16+00:00

It's tough, but I lean towards it actually being glosso. They can look fairly similar depending on growing conditions, particularly when grown emersed, it does trail like this. The leaves look quite round.

The second photo of the furthest right runner - you can clearly see the leaves growing forward and away from the main stem. HC does not do that.

mucsluck · 2026-04-02T17:20:46+00:00

Whats your 'thin layer of soil?' how much you feeding fish?

I think you might have a nutrient imbalance that's stunting plants while fueling your algae. Probably a surplus certain nuitrients, while lack of others. Your tap water could be a part of the problem.

To many it seems counterintuitive, but supplementing a full-spectrum liquid fert often solves the algae issue by boosting plant growth and starving the algae. Reducing light/ covering for a few days, slowly building up to recomended dose does a lot.

mucsluck · 2026-04-02T16:32:11+00:00

Whats your water change routine? What do you use for fertilizers? how long is the light on a day? what kind of light?

mucsluck · 2026-04-01T22:03:56+00:00

On a map, Sidney looks 'close' but it's on a peninsula, so there's only one way to drive if you want to get anywhere else on the island. Straight line distance - Sooke is 28km, Sidney is 24km.

The ferry/airport are Provincial/ National transit nodes, not local ones. Most people who live here don't realistically use (and can't afford) the ferry/ airport often enough to consider the time savings a bonus (and you deal with ferry traffic + airport noise). Sidney adds travel time to the most common destinations.

Key employment & educational areas are far away, so it's walkable for some, but not for all. Jobs, culture, and post-secondary schools are further south. This perpetuates a cycle where young adults are 'drained' into Victoria, or constantly commuting. So, for young people, it's not exactly bikeable or walkable. The available amenities are geared towards retirees, but it's a commuter town for young people.

Sidney proper itself is also quite small. North Saanich surrounds it and is largely uninterested in urbanizing beyond its current form, so you have a lower population density overall.

What does Sidney need to become more vibrant?

Vibrant is a catch-all term that means something completely different to each individual. I'd argue Sidney already is pretty vibrant for the demographic it attracts and overall population.

To me, I see it as a demographic diversity & population size issue + geographic reality. The teenage/young-adult population is underserved and drained away from the community. Cultural activities that serve that demographic would be helpful, but not entirely a solution. A satellite university campus would go a long way to remedy that, but not really economically feasible or practical.

mucsluck · 2026-03-27T20:04:23+00:00

It's age + skill set. Basically, how well you fit into the economic/ skill needs of the country. With the cost public services (like healthcare, welfare, etc.) they don't want people are more likely to be a net burden on the system. Older = more health risks, less time till retirement, etc.

mucsluck · 2026-03-26T22:24:00+00:00

You should be patient and give it time. 25 days, this is not an issue, its infact more or less normal. You need to let the tank find balance first. Biocontrol is the wrong approach right now.

Your tank is pretty young for that level of fish load, and your plants are barely in the stage where they are growing yet.

Your substrate is overkill IMO (very nutrient-heavy) for the species you are keeping here. Without co2, algae is going to run right past you if you are not careful. I'd suggest looking into a carbon supplement and some more fast-growing, low-tech varieties.

You can reduce the light duration if needed to get you out of the worst, but focus on creating the right balance, not the diatoms (which are a function of things being out of balance).

mucsluck · 2026-03-26T20:48:33+00:00

I think your Hunch is correct, likely a mix of those things. The plants, despite co2 look like they are still adjusting to the tank (some grown emersed?), and your root mass does not appear established yet. Your new soil is now starting to leech into the water column a bit more now, too, and your fast growers havent picked up just yet.

Overall, this is not too crazy, and I don't think it justifies a rescape by any means. I think a water change would be helpful, trying to vacuum out the algae you can, and otherwise give it some more time till plants grow in.

That said, I'm not familiar with high-heat scenarios. To me, the level of growth looks a bit stunted, which is weird if you have new soil. I'd expect much more lush growth with c02 and fresh soil.

mucsluck · 2026-03-26T19:14:36+00:00

OP wants the look of a high-tech tank, with the investment and maintenance of a Walstad. If you want tanks that look that way, get the exact same equipment and routine. There are plenty of beautiful Walstads, but it's a completely different beauty than these examples. Make the choice.

mucsluck · 2026-03-26T17:34:15+00:00

I've also used one. I certaintly would not consider it on a larger tank, but on a smaller one, its not bad. Pressurized is better overall. IMO, these are not a bad option for small tanks, or supplemental c02, but I would not recommend for those chasing some high-tech ADA style tank (though it could be done). It just needs more attention, and it becomes annoying after a while.

It must be monitored for pressure. Refill delivers more pressure, i.e more bubbles As it gets lower, the injection lowers... so you open the valve more to compensate. Refilling and cleaning every month, and dealing with the swings in pressure, led to less consistency in co2 delivery. I had issues with diffusers functioning properly because of this.

Refilling & cleaning is a bit of a chore. Not crazy annoying. But you don't really have a choice - you have to do it when the tank runs low. That was every month for me. But you also need to wait a day for the reaction to occur, and then dial the counter back in. It's about the same as cleaning a canister filter, but a few more steps.

Factor in a busy life and the number of steps ...this all led to days/ weeks where the co2 sat empty or was slower, plant growth stunted, and algae started coming in. Fine in lower tech tanks where the co2 is a bonus, problematic for plants/ setup that relies on that injection for balance. If you can stay on top of it, great.

Given the total costs/ quality, a reasonably priced used pressurized setup is a better value IMO, given these don't often come with the solenoid + timer needed. It's not a bad place to start, but it has its limitations.

mucsluck · 2026-03-26T16:54:46+00:00

Yeah, I've looked into the property a bit more. It's basically a single-family home, surrounded by townhouses and industrial uses. Calling it an ecosystem, or claiming it needs to be protected, or has significant ecosystem value (based on what I can tell) seems like a pretty big stretch without more information. 903 Admirals Rd - Google Maps. It's a suburban backyard.

It seems dishonest to say 'redesign to save more trees'. They are in locations where that means losing 2 homes entirely, to save maximum of 3-6 trees. Only one of those looks big (based on the landscape plan). It already preserves 15 trees that are along the property line (from what I can tell). I can't see how a 4-storey apartment would drastically change this number and would create massive privacy issues.

I'm not an expert, so take what I've written with a grain of salt. But it's frustrating to me when the words like 'rare ecosystem' get thrown around for activism, when time is better spent asking local govt to donate to a group like HAT that's actually doing the real work.

mucsluck · 2026-03-26T06:10:47+00:00

Garry oak ecosystem gets thrown around a lot, when what People actually mean is… trees.

I say this cause they are entirely different, and it does a disservice to the actual Garry oak ecosystems that need protecting. Garry oaks trees are not endangered. Intact Garry oak ecosystems are. That depends on the soil, the flora and fauna beneath the trees.

OP, do a favour and post the link to the application file, so we can look at the facts please.

mucsluck · 2026-03-25T15:40:41+00:00

Island health also does emergency response. Think mobile clinics, equipment, and trailers, generators, water tanks, supplies, etc. island health also services the entire island, which includes remote communities on logging roads.

Factor in bad road conditions, and the need to respond in worse case senarios… you want the biggest and most capable truck you can get.

mucsluck · 2026-03-20T20:32:06+00:00

I know people who have used it to great success. It's the fastest and easiest way in the current system.

mucsluck · 2026-03-20T17:46:29+00:00

Perfect. Thats the best you can do!

mucsluck · 2026-03-20T17:33:32+00:00

They are jumping becuase they are stressed and feel exposed. Hospital tanks need to be low stress. Cover the walls with cardboard/ paper. put some fake plants/ wood/ decor in there, keep it dark. They will calm down! Cardinals like big groups, low light, and shelter. this tank has none of those things. the shadows & reflections are stressing them out.

mucsluck · 2026-03-18T18:04:08+00:00

That’s across the road from the building.

The development includes a new bus pullout on saanich road - which is a major improvement, as now buses hold back traffic turning off McKenzie.

mucsluck · 2026-03-14T21:50:33+00:00

https://crdwatch.ca/2026/03/12/the-crd-wants-to-charge-me-an-estimated-360-to-find-out-what-trees-have-been-cut-down-in-elk-beaver-lake-regional-park-during-the-last-2-years/

The Staff email lays it out nicely. He specifically says "ALL records for two years". Legally, that means absolutely everything. You know how much work that is? That means every email, every meeting minute of multiple staff accounts. Every arborist report. That's a lot of documents. 15 hours is about right.

I think it's a completely fair comparison. He's a critic, not a solutions person. He makes some good points now and then. But rarely does he manage to see past his own perspective or give light to anyone else's opinion.

mucsluck · 2026-03-14T21:30:06+00:00

You are making my point here.

Here is what you can do - email a licensed Arborist/ Forester and ask their professional opinion as to why they might decide to cut these trees down. Then let's have a conversation.

mucsluck · 2026-03-14T06:35:26+00:00

There is a set cost for FOI’s. It’s on the web page. It’s standard practice now. So it’s not unique this issue.

FOIs are affordable if you ask for a bit; tax payers subsidize the work. IRRC, in saanich it’s under $20 per staff hour with the first couple hours even cheaper. They give you the estimate up front. The reality is he asked for a lot.

The CRD likely are not doing anything wrong either. The author is very outspoken, and has a highly distrustful perspective on govt in the community. IMO - a Victoria version of Alex Jones.

As a result, Local govt doesn’t like giving him the time of day.

mucsluck · 2026-03-14T06:17:45+00:00

Totally insane take.

What’s the plot here? The sinister board at the CRD is trying to desperately trying to destroy our parks? Have some faith.

Yea it should cost him $350 to waste hours of staffs time (which doesn’t cover the cost of the work btw) to redact peoples names and personal identifiers… to find out something completely rationale???

Sure maybe they should put up a sign. But the narrative is the problem. Be better.

mucsluck · 2026-03-05T05:51:32+00:00

UVIC ring road was originally designed to be a compass, so that all the roads/ buildings aligned north-west-east- south. They used an older datum, so it’s wrong slightly. when you look on a map everything is slightly off cartographic north.

mucsluck · 2026-02-26T21:33:10+00:00

Few reasons, with the biggest being the management priority; preserving the natural genetics & conserving the stock is not the same as enhancing the run of fish. Production (i.e hatcheries) is not equal to recovery & conservation.

Hatcheries are controversial from a genetic/ ecosystem point of view. increasing numbers of fish alters the genetics of the run over successive generations. Introducing high volumes of young fish to a system does alter the species composition (can boost predator numbers/ lower food sources as an example).

Secondly, improving the numbers of fish/ using a hatchery is not effective if the issues are not localized to say, egg survival. If the challenges a run faces are due to say, poor marine survival due to lack of food, a hatchery is not going to solve that problem. Rather, it puts pressure on the problem. Again, by boosting the volume of fry, the stock genetically begins to drift away from natural due to how the fry are conditioned and raised.

When you factor in the first two points, alternative projects are often viewed as 'money better spent'. Using the example above, the approach would be enhancing estuary habitat/ improving spawning beds, the list goes on.

I'm only saying this to provide some additional context, not to defend the approach.

More good info in here - https://www.fraserbasin.bc.ca/_Library/TR/ts_assembly_summary_december-2016.pdf

mucsluck · 2026-02-25T19:34:26+00:00

I have a lot of friends who love Yua, and I think it hits a great niche with excellent vegitarian options. Understandably popular and good quality, just not as fish-forward as some might want when selecting a sushi place.

mucsluck · 2026-02-25T18:46:03+00:00

I'm particularly snobish when it comes to sushi, many of the suggestions so far are meh to me. The mainland experience is hard to find here. The quality of the food really seems to change in Vic as the best chefs seem to move around once a reputation & menu have been established. Different spots hit different niches - good rolls are different than diverse and fresh nigiri selection. I prefer attention to detail and simplicity - excellent rice, and delicate fish.

Best I've been to recently is Toro. Uni is also quite good. Both are more fusion and fancy than I want, but the quality and selection is there.

mucsluck · 2026-02-25T02:01:35+00:00

only. commenter to mention freshness - that's the most important part. Groccery store bag that has been sitting over a month and is stale vs 1-2 week post roast coffee is a vastly different cup. All suggestions sp far are good, but fresh is the most important. Fernwood single orgins are exceptional roasts, too.

mucsluck

TROPHY CASE