a hindsight pic report - Journals

standoyo · 11-22-2005, 07:35 AM

hi all,

i started this tank without knowledge of the APC contest. so digging up these pictures over the last 4months to post here has even surprised me how much it's changed...

this picture is when the tank is two months old i think. i just added in ADA amazonia in the foreground for fun to plant some downoi and eriocaulon cinereum.

at this time i was still very into lotus plants though i know they are gonna outgrow
this 3X2X2 tank. about 270-300liters
180W fl
eheim 2028 pro II
surface skimmer
co2 injection+reactor

tiger lotus, green lotus, rainbow lotus, weeping moss, bolbitis, hottonia palustris, golden nana, sag subulata
limnophilia aquatica, aponogeton crispus, a longiplomus,

standoyo · 11-22-2005, 07:42 AM

the tank was moved to another corner of the house to make way for a bigger tank and i decided to change the layout a bit. the DW direction is more 'fengshui' now haha...
stuffed in more plants like the HM...even had a moss nursery inside...
added 40W of lights and boom...everything is growing like crazy...

exiled all the SAE's save one for eating up the moss.
had to take out most of the lotus as they took up too much space...
oh, just got my altums...about three inches tall...

standoyo · 11-22-2005, 07:51 AM

just heard about contest but not really thinking about it. rather worrying about whether to take out the last lotus in the tank...the queen of siam...
everything was growing well since i added 40W from 180W of FL...some starting grow well except my cinereum. two vanished...
very happy about the altums as they add another inch plus to their height.

give up on the cuba's as the fish keep flicking it up...

i like this layout but i felt it was too clean...trust me to mess it up...
i had so much bolbitis hidden behind the crypts, i knew i could use it better...
oh i just began the crypt nut phase...
i have at least 12 kinds in there...haha

standoyo · 11-22-2005, 08:33 AM

finally words to the picture...
the colours reminded me of spring and the altums were always ready to attack or flee! ha!
as it is all that waiting and cajoling finally yielded a nice formation...
altums are 6 in tall now...

so here it is and decided the lotus unfortunately had to step down as she covered a lot of the plants below causing them to brown and under her umbrella...

aquasox · 11-22-2005, 08:57 AM

Awesome tank!! It love the dark atmosphere and very natural feel to it.

standoyo · 11-23-2005, 08:54 AM

thanks...
will let it grow out a little and put in ADA contest as well? haha...
thinking of making it more 'biotope' looking...
reducing the number types plants as well...

modernhamlet · 11-28-2005, 08:50 AM

Phenomenal progression. That final shot is very evocative.

standoyo · 11-28-2005, 09:47 PM

thanks,
it's nearly impossible to be original and keep it looking fairly natural...
in future i will try to do a more biotope setup...

Martian · 11-29-2005, 05:27 PM

Hi Stan,

Your tank is looking good. Are you using Sg. moss? Sure looks like the moss that I am having too.

Btw...where did you get the elatine triandra? is it a demanding plant?

Rgds,
Isaac

standoyo · 11-29-2005, 10:23 PM

hi isaac thanks for comments,

it's weeping moss...
hemianthus micranthemoides is undemanding. grew too quickly for my liking and you may get it at your lfs depending on your location.
i gave away a big bag of it before my last layout...