GeoffinSTL

this is one nice looking big tank. do you have any larger sized pictures of the whole tank? id love to see it in more detail

Zapins

Woooooooahhh... that hardscape is totally amazing! I really like the rocks and the moss on wood effect.

A great deal of aquascapes don't strike me as very good, but this one really impresses me. Great job!!!

shewey

I agree with everyone, this tank looks fantastic. Its great that you have battled through the algea problems and are now on the way to being free of it.

The only thing I don't like are the big balls of moss on some of the branches. I think it would look better if they were spread down the branch more, or trimmed to be closer to the branch. That would make oit look a bit more natural.

A very inspiring tank and I congratulate you on all the hard work.

Cheers,
Mark

BryceM

You are all very kind. Sometimes I just need to sit back, relax, and spend some time doing nothing but looking at it.

Shewey, I totally agree about the moss pom-poms. I've been meaning to trim them way back and spread them up and down the wood a little bit. I've never done the moss-on-a-stick thing before. It kind of surprised me how quickly it became a big giant ball. It's never grown that well for me before. Work is just killing me lately. Everyone wants their surgery done before the end of the year because their deductible is already met. Hopefully I'll get a few hours over the weekend to give the thing a big mow.

GeoffinSTL - I'll post some high-res photos of the setup when it starts to look a little more like "the plan". It's graduated from its childhood phase and is now in that awkward adolescent stage. In about a month I'm expecting it to fill in a bit.

I have to say though, for the moment, the plants are looking healthier than I've ever seen them. The Bacopa colorata has enormous leaves and they're coloring up quite nicely as they get closer to the top. As soon as the crypts get established and the HC foreground grows in I'll be much happier. I'm still kind of bummed out about the background of the middle. That big, ugly return pipe needs to get covered up. I'm hoping to do the trick with either L. 'cuba' or P. stellatus 'Broad-leaf" but they're taking their own sweet time growing out. It only takes about a million of them to cover a space that large.

Bert H

Kelley

Is that Crinum calamistratum that I see in your tank? It is so cool looking! Where did you come by it?

BryceM

It is Crinum calamistratum. I've always wanted to try it and I finally got some from aquariumplants.com. They usually have in stock. It's a bit on the expensive side, but these plants arrived in good condition at a pretty good size.

It's actually proven to be quite hardy. It weathered a severe brown algae storm when many other plants died out. In fact, it's actually been growing at a pretty good pace. In 2 or 3 months it's doubled the number of leaves and the old ones continue to get longer. It certainly has a unique growth pattern and interesting leaf texture.

BryceM

Here's an update to start the new year off with. The photography still isn't the best - still a work in progress. The L. 'cuba' is doing nicely, there is much more C. helferi now, and the HC is finally starting to fill in. My favorite part at the moment is the HM that is forming a very dense grouping in the right foreground. I'm starting to think it might have looked better as a midground plant, trimmed slightly taller.

There are still a few odds-n-ends plants in the tank, but they'll be gone soon. I'll probably pull the hairgrass out too. It just attracts junk and won't grow evenly. Maybe I'll extend the HC over toward the middle. What do you guys think?

mulligan

Hey Bryce, congratulations on a great looking setup. I'm working through this all myself with an 85 gallon over in the DIY section. Very impressive job and thanks for keeping up the informative journal.

redstrat

wow it really looks great!!! goes to show that some patients really pays in this hobby. GREAT WORK!!!!