[CrownMan]

Well, it was getting real crowded so yesterday I pulled all plants out, added a couple of pieces of Malysian driftwood and added back about half of the plants. This is my first scape as I have always just planted in bunches and whereever there was a free hole.

Had my new Rena filter leak on me but thanks to help in another thread, found the problem and got it back up and going.

First pic is the 4 to 5 week old very overgrown tanks. The next 4 are the new scape which now marks the 7 week anniversary of this tank.

Any suggestions for improvement will be welcome as this is my first aquascape.

Thanks for looking.

This is before aquascape yesterday: http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u325/PlantedMike/FrontView.jpg

This is first after aquascape yesterday: http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u325/PlantedMike/NewScapeFront.jpg

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u325/PlantedMike/NewScapeFrontfromSide.jpg

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u325/PlantedMike/NewScape3rdPic.jpg

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u325/PlantedMike/NewScape4.jpg

 

[littlecich]

Very nice.

 

[orlando]

Very nice 40..That Hygro Compact will need vigorous trimming. They grow fast and HUGE>

Regards, Orlando

 

[Tex Gal]

It looks very nice! I do think you will end up with no log showing. Love the lobelia that you have on the left side. I think I might only have the lobelia there and not the grasses too. Are those small plants right in front just lobelia babies or is that something else?

 

[MacFan]

What is the plant in front of the yellow test probe? (second from the right)

 

[CrownMan]

Thanks for the kind comments and suggestions everyone.

Orlando, If the Hygro Kompakt grows too large, I may just pull it out and replace that row with a Anubias Nana about 8" long attached to the back of that piece of wood. You guys think that might work? It's funny but the info card for the Hygro Kompakt from Florida Aquatic Nurseries called it a Foreground Moderate Light plant!. I bought in at the Fish Gallery.

Tex Gal - I also like the lobelia on the left side. 2 of the plants are normal size and the one in front is supposedly a dwarf lobelia and it's leaves are a lot smaller. The grasses are MicroSword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis) and Hair Grass (Eleocharis acicularis). I guess my "collectoritis" side shows up even when I'm trying to supress it. What about the Blyxa Japonica? Should it stay or should it go also? I don't have anything short to go in front but I could spread the hair grass out so you could see right through it. What makes this more difficult is that this tank is only 12" deep so it's hard for me to get a background, midground and foreground. I do have a large Anubias Nana Plant, about 8" long by 5" tall counting root ball and rhizome. I also have 5 or 6 Anubias Nana Petite rhizomes with about 10 leaves each.

MacFan - The plant is Mermaid Weed, Prospernica Palustris. I have this in 3 of my low light tanks but I had no idea it would turn into this beauty under 5wpg and high CO2. It's still a slow grower even under CO2. It just grows fuller. It is a nice golden yellow on the very top. Niko told me once that he had difficulty growing this plant so I always try to bring him a stem to each meeting.

You guys see anything I don't please speak up. It will be greatly appreciated. Any opinion welcome.

Plants now existing in this tank are:

Ludwigia Cuba, Prospernica Palustris, Echinodorus Bolivianus ("Cheryl Rogers"), Blyxa Japonica, Bacopa Carolinia, Alternathera Reneckii (thanks MacFan), Hygrophila corymbosa 'Kompakt', Lobelia
Cardinalis normal and dwarf, Hygrophila Angustofolia (thanks Niko), Rotala Indica.

Plants I pulled out and plants I have at my disposal from other low light tanks:

Large Lotus, Aponogeton Bolivianos?, Rotala Vietnam (8 nice bushy copper stems), Rotala Nanjenshan (very fragile plant), Ludwigia Repens, Limnophila Aromatica (8 to 9 stems), Many different large to medium crypts, Purple Cabomba Furcata (10 stems), Limnophila Aquatica (green), Hygro Corymbosa Green, and long narrow leaf java fern.

I didn't check my spelling but I think I'm close enough!

 

[Tex Gal]

I think your tank is really pretty right now, but if that is blyxa you better enjoy it while you can because it will get much bigger than that and you will not see your log or your lobelia. Why not put your lobelia in front all together, big cuping the small form maybe. You could have your blyxa kinda curving from left side thicker and coming toward the middle thinning down to one plant.

It looks like you have a piece of downoi on the left side beside the lobeila. That would also be nice in your foreground. Maybe you could let that multiply. I like the idea of your anubias. It would be a nice compliment to your lobelia and hygro. Would it fit somewhere on your log?

Ya know, the fun to me is enjoying the tanks in each stage. That's why I move things around as they get too big in one spot. I love tinkering with it. I really like what you did. It just won't stay this way!

 

[CrownMan]

Hi Tex Gal. I notice I have a couple of baby Downoi plants breaking through the gravel along the stem of the mommy plant. I thought about removing the Hygro Kompakt from behind the left driftwood, tie the anubias nana to the driftwood, remove the blyxa, add a couple more Cardinal plants for the center and really string out the eleocharis so that it is like a transparent screen in front of the wood (I can trim it down to a foreground size). I also have about 5 rhizomes of Nana Petite and can tie them to the other driftwood. Maybe this weekend I will do that and post another picture.

Thanks for the ideas. I got to go near the Fish Gallery tomorrow. Who knows, maybe they have glosso or hc for sale?

Mike

 

[niko]

Nice!

I wish I could have such clean tanks. And I know you are not really trying...

The only thing I know you are missing is a sickle. Big one. Once these stem plants take off you will find it handy!

--Nikolay

 

[CrownMan]

Niko, Is that a sickle in your pocket or are you just happy to see me!

On a serious note,

My stem plants have been planted for about 6 weeks now under high light, high co2 and EI and have only now gotten to the top of the tank. Except for that weed called Hygro Angustofilia which is growing the fastest. As the stems outgrow this tank, I will replace them with slow growers. I would like to get some HC for the foreground, bolbitis and maybe christmas or taiwan moss for one of the driftwoods. I may bring back the Limnophila Aromatica as it is a very slow grower. BTW, I do like your Hagen Elite reactor. I have it in my 15 Gallon growout tank and will replace the Duetto with one this weekend. Since I went with co2 on 2 tanks, I am having to work quite a bit harder with the chemicals and water changes.

 

[Tex Gal]

Hey CrownMan, I have some xmas moss I can donate to your cause! pm me! L. Aromatica has been a speedy grower for me. Are you fertilizing? I'm shocked you haven't had uncontrollable growth! The px before your scape looked pretty awesome!

 

[JAXON777]

yea mike mine (limno) have almost hit the top of my 100 gallon. They arent very red but they grow I would said moderate to fast.

 

[CrownMan]

Tex Gal - I will take you up on your offer for the moss. Thank you.

Tex Gal and JAXON777, I don't know why the limno aren't growing in my 40 so I setup a 15H with aquasoil and another co2 sysem and moved all of the plants that were filling up the 40 and that I wasn't going to use in the rescape of the 40g. Using Nikos Nuclear Reactor, my ph is 5.2 and the Limno is starting to grow. I am not doing any water changes with this new aquasoil. The water is golden color, Nitrites are high but the plants love it. I will do my first water change this weekend and will have to spread out the limno as they are getting bushier in this tank. I will take a picture first and put it out here. They must not have liked someting in the 40g. Not red but not totally green either. I have read that these plants can be slow growers at times. The 15g is running a bit lower lite 4wpg, the 40 is running about 5WPG. I have also just recently increased my Flourish Comprehensive to 5ml daily in the 15G and Fourish Fe to 5ml daily. Phosphates are about 3ppm, nitrates about 10ppm. K is not measured by I use Equilibrium with my Macro dosing.

Thanks guys.

 

[JAXON777]

Mike, I have noticed that when I move my limno it does take a while for it to take root but then it takes off. This week I havent added the extra iron when I dose my csm+b and the limno is almost completely yellow in color. I am starting to think it is the iron that is getting mine to color up.

 

[xavierj123]

Boy, that's a beautiful sickle! I've never seen one like that. I guess you might say I'm a knife collector too but that one is too handsome to use.