40B Dutch
By: aquabotanicae
March 11th, 2018
5:48 pm
Hi everyone!
This is my first journal in this forum. In November 2017, I came across a craigslist ad about someone selling their unused 40 gallon breeder tank. This was perfect because I had a beautiful wooden cabinet that perfectly matched the dimensions of that tank. So, I decided to set up a new planted tank.
Hardware used in this set-up:
Eheim Classic filter
T5HO lighting fixture
Aqueon heater
CO2 regulator
Ista Inline CO2 Reactor
CO2 drop checker
I decided to go for a Dutch set up in order to challenge myself to keep up the tidy rows of plants to mimic Dutch streets. I know it requires tedious trimming, which I don't mind.
The first thing I did is that I painted the background into black.
The Substrate
Next, ADA Aquasoil Amazonia arrived in mail. Three 9L bags were a perfect amount!
The Dry-Start
The tissue culture plants arrived a few days later, and I planted them according to the plan, which has changed so many times since then. One of the few parts that remain constant is the curving "street" of Staurogyne repens. The other plants here are Althernanthera reineckii 'Mini', Hemianthus callictroides 'Cuba', Hydrocotyle tripartita, and Lobelia cardinalis. I planted, sprayed them thoroughly, covered with plastic cling wrap, and left them alone for four weeks to allow them to root well and grow.
The most important part was to leave one corner of the tank slightly open for ventilation and to make sure that there is always enough condensation within the tank, which meant it was humid enough for the plants to thrive. The lights were on for 9 hours a day, and the plants seem to like that.
Post Reply
44 comments on "40B Dutch"
April 17, 2019 at 10:42 pm
FTS.
Upon Joe Harvey’s (@Burr740’s) suggestion, I moved bright green plants to the corners to visually expand the width of the tank.
Eriocaulon ‘Feather Duster’ (what a weird name!) is growing thicker, and Pogostemon erectus will need trimming soon.
Tonina fluviatilis is growing slowly, but I like the new bright green stems coming out. Last time I planted T. fluviatilis, all of them melted. This new growth gives me hope.
On the other hand, I gave up hope on Cryptocoryne sp. ‘Flamingo’ which didn’t really take off.
As for Pogostemon helferi, I suspect someone is nibbling on new leaves. Could it be shrimps? Or maybe twig catfish?
Helanthium bolivianum angustifolia is thriving. As long as you keep an eye on aggressive runners, everything should be fine.
April 18, 2019 at 11:19 am
Well its official
this Will win AGA if you enter.
Let things thicken up a bit more, otherwise you have first place in dutch category.
Once you start getting advice from joe then you know your pretty much set for success...!
As for the nibbling, doubt it'd be the twigs... more likely shrimp if anything... hmmm... i hope you catch them in the act or something!
Everything is looking beautiful in there, i mean like Really beautiful. Hard to describe.
April 18, 2019 at 4:43 pm
Well its official
this Will win AGA if you enter.
Let things thicken up a bit more, otherwise you have first place in dutch category.
Once you start getting advice from joe then you know your pretty much set for success...!
As for the nibbling, doubt it'd be the twigs... more likely shrimp if anything... hmmm... i hope you catch them in the act or something!
Everything is looking beautiful in there, i mean like Really beautiful. Hard to describe.
Thanks for the kind words, but this doesn’t even come close to competitive tanks. It’s overcrowded with too many species, I don’t uproot and replant tops (I just cut them down). [emoji4]
April 18, 2019 at 6:34 pm
Thanks for the kind words, but this doesn’t even come close to competitive tanks. It’s overcrowded with too many species, I don’t uproot and replant tops (I just cut them down). [emoji4]