new 3ft setup

[mordrake]

3ft setup on 05 march 2004.

ph 6.5-6.8 kh 4
122 watts 10 hrs
co2 cylinder type using internal reactor 2-3 bps (soleniod)
just started liquid fert dosing today using easylife pro-fito (weekly dose)

the lotus leaves has holes due to mishandling during transfer from a 2ft planted that i tore down.

fishes:
40+ cardinals
20 rummy nose
6 rainbow fish
8 gobies
50+ shrimps
2 rams
10 badi badis
10 guppies
8 otos
4 cories
4 pencil fishes


sorry can't seem to post pics directly here.

see pics http://www.petfrd.com/forum/showthre...;threadid=6626

[Aeon]

Can see the pics without registering in a forum i don't visit?

[lorba]

very nice color combo and leave shape transiton, mordrake, I thought it was a 4ft.

You have mostly background plants, how about some mid ground?

The plants seems to be a little too pack, you might want to space them out a little or reduce the number?

[mordrake]

[juggler]

Seems very carefully planned because of the neat arrangement and nice colour combination.
However, the plants used are mostly stem plants. That could make maintenance tedious in the long run.
Well, enjoy trying out new plants.

[Fei Miao]

[quote:c97de45cea="mordrake"][/quote:c97de45cea]

Nice Colours, the layout and plants selection makes it looks bigger than a 3ft.

[Aeon]

Some foreground plants will complete the nice setup.

[mordrake]

thanks for the compliments and suggestions

actually planted both e. tenellus and glosso as foreground coverage.
they are separated by plastic sheets inserted into the gravel, glosso getting the strip nearer the front glass and e. ten further in.

hope this little experiment works for the foreground.

[Fei Miao]

[quote:04dc43b35b="mordrake"][/quote:04dc43b35b]

Nice Colours, the layout and plants selection makes it looks bigger than a 3ft.

[Aeon]

Oh I see the glosso and tenellus now... the plastic strip idea is pretty good!

The red plants are kinda distracting, too many of them I feel. Because they are near both sides, i feel my focal point getting pulled apart.

[lorba]

[quote:95e9efbd00="mordrake"]thanks for the compliments and suggestions

actually planted both e. tenellus and glosso as foreground coverage.
they are separated by plastic sheets inserted into the gravel, glosso getting the strip nearer the front glass and e. ten further in.

hope this little experiment works for the foreground.[/quote:95e9efbd00]

Hi mordrake, I think tenellus is not really suitable for your plant choices, since it gears towards to a dutch style. It will actually turn the tank into a more 'Natural' (Messy) one which spoils the taste.

A round cluster of well grown Cryptocoryne can sometimes be unique in such an set up.

APP or glosso alone will be good.

[mordrake]

lorba

i do have some crypts in there but too spaced out. you are right, need more
also, if the glosso fail, think i will try HC or APP.

time to go plant shopping again hehe :P

[mordrake]

an update.

pic taken before weekly trim and water change.
glosso not doing so good
think it's because i only have 2x25w fl and 2x 36w pl for this 3 x 1.5 x1.5 ft tank... not enough lights right?

ph 6.4 kh2

removed the moss on the driftwood due to bba. stem plants got it too so most of them removed. the b.japonica on the left is new so still abit yellowish (leftovers floating on top)...
aiyah, basically the tanks looks abit messy.

[vinz]

What really what really caught my attention are the stem plants in the middle, behind the driftwood. Really beautiful. You should build the scape around that. What plants is it anyway?

[mordrake]

if i'm not wrong, should be Limnophila aromatica.

[mordrake]

hi, did a rescape last month.
got really frustrated with the maintenance required for the stem plants (not to mention the bba).
and since this tank is not at my place (in-laws), thought i'll try my hand at doing a low-maintenance setup.

before
=====


after
====

[a_scape]

Hi bro,
Do you also change the lotus as the color is different?
Cheers,

AChen

[Fei Miao]

What did you replace the Limnophila Aromatica with?
...Can't see clearly from the image but looks like Hygrophila polysperma sp. ?

If it's Hygrophila polysperma, it's going to be fast growing and needs frequent trimming as well.

[mordrake]

AChen - there were 2 types of lotus. dunno what happened, they rubra disappeared/stop growing. think maybe it was killed during one of the pruning sessions.

Fei - yep i think that's the name of the plant. it's the only fast grower so not too bad. just do the weekly snip and throw. can't seem to reduce nitrate level to bring out the red in the reverse side of the leaves though. nvm lah, as long as growing well and no bba