Re: 32 Litre "Tapestry Garden" Tank!
I've been receiving a number of queries about the plants in this tank, seems there is some interest in them. I'm new to these plants too, so this is also a learning experience for me.
To share some additional insight and a closer look, here are some of my own preliminary observations on the various plants in the tank.
Aciotis Acuminifolia
This plant is quite unusual in that it has a very striking purplish-red coloration on the stems and undersides of the leaves... the color is very intense and it looks almost "unreal" when one sees it for the first time. I had people who looked into the tank asking me if this plant was real or fake.
The stems and leaves on this plant are strong. Easy to plant into the substrate and it grows side roots very quickly.
Hygrophila Polysperma 'Sunset'
Very interesting plant, it has leaves which range from green on the bottom to pink at the top. The leaves have an whitish vein patten which is apparently caused by a virus in the plant that blocks the production of chlorophyll in the leaf veins. The virus is only specific to this plant though.
This plant is a fast grower, so i'm looking forward to propagate it for my other tanks once its starts growing taller.
On a side note, as the current flow at the left side of the tank is much stronger, i found that the Hygrophila Polysperma 'Sunset' ended up getting constantly buffeted around and bent by the strong current (this plant has rather soft stems and leaves), so i swapped its position with the Aciotis Acuminifolia (which has a much stronger stem and leaf structure).
Rotala Wallichii (previously i mis-identified it as Rotala sp.'Nanjenshan'), Bacopa Caroliniana, Ludwigia Palustris, Bacopa Monnieri, Lindernia Rotundifolia 'Variegated'
All fast growing stem plants, each in different shades of colors. Some interesting features of note...
The top leaves of Rotala Wallichii have a nice pink/orange coloration. The leaves actually close up during the night and open up during the day.
Bacopa Caroliniana has spade shaped bright green leaves, while in contrast Bacopa Monnieri has rounded tear drop shaped leaves with a more neutral green color.
Ludwigia Palustris has a deep maroon coloration on the stems and undersides of the leaves, with the reddish color fading into green at the tips.
Lindernia Rotundifolia 'Variegated' has round light green leaves with a striped patten, at certain angles they kind of resemble mini watermelons!
Cryptocoryne Parva, Cryptocoryne Willisii 'Lucens', Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Mi Oya'
Cryptocoryne plants are relatively low demand, adaptable to different conditions and come in a wide variety of different shapes and sizes, ideal for both low and high tech tanks.
Interestingly, the ones in this photo were only planted a week ago and they have already started sprouting fresh new leaves.
Overall the plants seem to adapting well to the tank conditions so far, hopefully over time they'll grow large enough to be propagated too.
Thanks for sharing. Would love to have an underwater garden like that in a spare tank! 10/10!
Have you considered compartmentalizing (wow! this word actually exists) the soil to make it easier to manage in case the roots/runners start intertwining?
I'm getting itchy fingers.
Hmmm... interesting idea, though i haven't seen anyone do that so far yet, i guess most people just let the plants mix together naturally to create a merged scape. When its time to re-scape, it'll just be the usual massive uprooting session.Originally Posted by Alvin Koh
Thanks for sharing. Would love to have an underwater garden like that in a spare tank! 10/10!
Have you considered compartmentalizing (wow! this word actually exists) the soil to make it easier to manage in case the roots/runners start intertwining?
I'm getting itchy fingers.
Though if the tank was a "farming" type setup to grow out plants for other tanks, perhaps putting the plants in small plastic pots and then embedding them into the substrate could be an option, then it'll be much easier to just take them out to transplant to another tank. Thanks for the suggestion!
The red plant with green top is look more like Alternanthera reineckii rather than Aciotis acuminifolia, different leaf structure
You're right! Alternanthera Reineckii does look like it too... my goodness, this plant is proving to be tough to ID, i see the photos of so many similar plants on google image search and all look slightly different with different ID, what a big headache.
If only LFS can just label their plants properly, solve all the guessing games!
could it be ludwigia glandulosa? basing it off Tropica pictures
-=I work in the dark to serve the light=-
Ludwigia do not have 2 separate color top and bottom.
ahh..good to know. Thanks Robert
-=I work in the dark to serve the light=-
Re: 32 Litre "Tapestry Garden" Tank!
Managed to take a close-up snapshot of Otocinclus Cocama (aka Zebra Oto) resting on a leaf...
nice shot!
if you cannot find in lfs , get it online, thats what i always do. freshnmarine.
Re: 32 Litre "Tapestry Garden" Tank!
Quick update... the tank is now in its 2nd week and the plants have transitioned well. The plants are growing and still maintaining their bright green and red colors too.
I measured the various stem plants and the majority of them grew 1-2cm in height over the course of a week, sprouting new leaves and lots of new roots to anchor themselves into the substrate. The fastest grower so far is the Rotala Wallichii which grew around 2-3cm taller.
At this growth rate, the background stem plants would probably reach the water surface in about a month, so it'll be time for a trim then. I would probably rate the growth speed as moderate, which is what i was aiming for, so that the plants don't overrun the tank too fast, and i don't need to keep constantly trimming them every week.
Surprisingly, the Staurogyne sp. 'Repens' actually rooted in and grew quick enough that i was actually able to cut the tops off a few of the taller ones and replant them, had to clear a portion of the Hemianthus Callitrichoides on the left side to make space for them though.
The Cryptocoryne plants are growing new leaves too, which are starting to form a bushy look.
I'm currently dosing Tropica Plant Growth Specialised Fertilizer as well as Seachem Excel, both at double dosage to factor in the higher plant density. So far so good, no algae issues and plants are looking healthy.
Looks like the tank conditions are suitable for the plants and they are filling in well... though my main concern now is figuring out how to catch and transfer out all the fishes once my main tanks are ready, since they all like camping deep inside the plant mass.
This tank has no CO2 injection?
Yeah, no Co2 injection, just dosing Seachem Excel as carbon supplement.
Always great to see the variety of plants you can grow with just liquid carbon. Cheers.
That looks fantastic. You have such excellent photos.
looks like a nursery!
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