Comments on tanks

[baranne]

Hi all,

Ok, this is my first time posting my tanks and hoping for comments/advises to improve my tanks further. I know there are tons to improve upon but currently this is what I have. As I am still very much a "plant idiot", I only arranged the plants into the tanks based on my feels...

Please do not hesitate to let me know how you feel about the tanks.

Tank in Bed Room:


Tank in Living Room:


Sorry about the filters and thermometer in the 1st tank which is not hidden by the plants as in the case of the 2nd tank.

[vinz]

Hi Joe,

I think it's a marvelous job for a beginner. I'll really like to see these tanks mature.

About the living room tank, the fern like plant on the left, behind the flat rock... is not an aquatic plant. An aquatic plant that can take it's place in terms of likeness is Bolbitis heudolotii. Otherwise the scaping is quite well done.

The bedroom tank... it's going to look great when the java fern forms a nice bush. Be careful with those anubias... being open to the light like that, it'll be prone to spot algae. Consider shifting them to fill up the emptiness under the driftwood. I'm not sure what can reaplce them... maybe more moss. The vast foreground is a little too empty. Perhaps you can shift the dirftwood forward and plant some tall thin vertical plants in the background... like Vals, or Sagittaria subulata. You can try some light coloured rocks to break the monotony of the foreground.

[baranne]

Hi Joe,

I think it's a marvelous job for a beginner. I'll really like to see these tanks mature.

About the living room tank, the fern like plant on the left, behind the flat rock... is not an aquatic plant. An aquatic plant that can take it's place in terms of likeness is Bolbitis heudolotii. Otherwise the scaping is quite well done.

The bedroom tank... it's going to look great when the java fern forms a nice bush. Be careful with those anubias... being open to the light like that, it'll be prone to spot algae. Consider shifting them to fill up the emptiness under the driftwood. I'm not sure what can reaplce them... maybe more moss. The vast foreground is a little too empty. Perhaps you can shift the dirftwood forward and plant some tall thin vertical plants in the background... like Vals, or Sagittaria subulata. You can try some light coloured rocks to break the monotony of the foreground.

Thanks for your comments!

To mature would take a while though as both tanks are non-CO2.

Bolbitis heudolotii - where would I be able to get this plant?

I think the long stem plants behind the non-aquatic fern like plant can be more dense, would that be a good idea?

For the room tank, yes I have encountered the nanas getting algae easily when it was in the other tank which has a higher light. I am hoping that it would be less of a problem in this tank which has lower light. As for the foreground, would foreground plant like glasso be suitable? I may try some light stones to as well.

Living Room:
------------
- 1.5 ft (45 x 27 x 26cm)
- 2 x 13W PL
- non-CO2
- Temp from 26-28

Bedroom:
---------
- 1 ft cube (30 x 30 x 30cm)
- 1 x 9W
- non-CO2
- Temp from 26-28

[vinz]

You can order Bolbitis from most shops that lets you order plants.

The stemmed plants can be denser, but I don't think you have to plant more... just prune them... they should produce multiple stems from the cuts. Trim them short in front and progressively taller towards the back.

[|squee|]

Nice 2nd tank! I agree with vinz, neaten up the stemmed plants into a nice bunch and get some bolbitis in!

The tank in your bedroom really needs a foreground. A bare foreground doesn't work here imho because the layout is not defined enough. I get the feeling that the whole arrangement is about to "fall apart" if you get my drift.

[budak]

Love your first tank.. unique and starkly impactful.....
I would replace the Selaginella ferns (the stiff land plants on the left) with a bunch of crypts, which would do ok in the shade provided by the stem plants behind... keep the blyxa and hairgrass... they seem to be growing nicely... The hygrophila will grow very fast and their large leaves may not contrast well with the blyxa (and may shade them too). You could try Hygrophila polysperma (the red version), which has smaller leaves and a nicely constrasting colour.

[cherabin]

Nice tanks! What's the sp of pencil fish u have in the 1st tank?

[baranne]

You can order Bolbitis from most shops that lets you order plants.

Anyone out there might have some to sell to me? Think I will start a thread to look for this.

The stemmed plants can be denser, but I don't think you have to plant more... just prune them... they should produce multiple stems from the cuts. Trim them short in front and progressively taller towards the back.

Nice 2nd tank! I agree with vinz, neaten up the stemmed plants into a nice bunch and get some bolbitis in!

Thanks for the tips, guys! May do some trimming this weekend if I find the chance.
Hope to show a better pix in time to come!

Love your first tank.. unique and starkly impactful.....
I would replace the Selaginella ferns (the stiff land plants on the left) with a bunch of crypts, which would do ok in the shade provided by the stem plants behind... keep the blyxa and hairgrass... they seem to be growing nicely... The hygrophila will grow very fast and their large leaves may not contrast well with the blyxa (and may shade them too). You could try Hygrophila polysperma (the red version), which has smaller leaves and a nicely constrasting colour.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions!

What crypts would you suggest?

Actually I have a question about the hygrophila. When I first bought it, the newer leaves at the top were pinkish, now it had turned green. Is it due to the lack of strong light?

Nice tanks! What's the sp of pencil fish u have in the 1st tank?

Thanks!

These are Nannostomus beckfordi I believe.

[Phillipians]

sorry to go OT here, but i though bolbitis is super duper ex and extrremely hard to keep ? low temp and not too much lighting

[ching4ever]

great!!
non co2 also able to grow the plant so nice. u did a great job!!

[andrewtyr]

haha! Good job, Joe. It must have taken you an weekend to reconceptualise and arrange.

[benny]

Joe,

I like both the tanks. Very nice. I think the first one seems fairly easy to maintain and the dark substrate works well to give it impact.

The living room tank probably needs a bit more time to settle in. Still don't look quite natural yet.

Don't forget to update us later!

Cheers,

[baranne]

great!!
non co2 also able to grow the plant so nice. u did a great job!!

Thanks for the comments, the living room tank started as a DIY CO2 tank but have converted to non-CO2 for close to 2 months already. Less maintenance (read: I am lazy )... The only plant left over from the CO2-era are the hairgrass and blyxa...

The other tank has been non-CO2 all along.

haha! Good job, Joe. It must have taken you an weekend to reconceptualise and arrange.

You bet! Actually it was more of re-arrangement of plants from one tank to another, moving of the DW to the bedroom, etc. Somehow BOTH the tanks seemed nicer after that. It wasn't much of a sight before...

Joe,

I like both the tanks. Very nice. I think the first one seems fairly easy to maintain and the dark substrate works well to give it impact.

The living room tank probably needs a bit more time to settle in. Still don't look quite natural yet.

Don't forget to update us later!

Cheers,

Yup, the first tank (bedroom) was meant as a very low maintenance tank, so far I have only been topping up water and feeding the fishes. I have managed to get rid of my snails/shrimps dying problem in this tank as well after I did a thorough wash of the black gravel when I realise the leaking ferts are killing them.

I will probably do some minor re-scaping of the living room tank after I managed to get hold of some plants suggested by the helpful comments here. Shall keep you guys posted!

Also starting an all shrimp tank in my new office as well...

[andrewtyr]

Other than the setups, I realised that the images are very sharp. Much much better than the ones I get on my 5 yr old Coolpix. Gotta get you to help me snap some of my tank pix.

[baranne]

Other than the setups, I realised that the images are very sharp. Much much better than the ones I get on my 5 yr old Coolpix. Gotta get you to help me snap some of my tank pix.

Sure thing bro, just let me know when.

[jakey]

wad camera are u using to take the photos?

great job on the tanks. for the one in your room mayb u can get some foreplant?

[baranne]

wad camera are u using to take the photos?

great job on the tanks. for the one in your room mayb u can get some foreplant?

The camera is Canon 350D.

Thanks Any suggestions on the foreplant?

[jakey]

hair grass will give the tank a more of wild look. HC will give it a more pleasant and neat look. depending on your preference of which type of look. personally i would go for HC.

[victri]

I like the tanks a lot! The bedroom tank has a lot of potential. It already has a good calming effect. Maybe some skinny crypt tonkinensis or val in the back corner, a nice bunch of crypt wendtii in the left midground and then some sparse hairgrass or tenellus foreground. That should keep with the low maintenance theme and help fill up the bare spaces.

Love the algae on those branches!

[CT]

like the tank is the bedroom... Simple and nice.....