Mini Outdoor Garden

[fuurrr]

Hey guys I went to set up a mini garden along my corridor recently (by recently I mean last night ) and am keeping some crypts and anubias in it.

Tank specifications:
30cm x 20cm x 22cm high covered in cling wrap.

Flora:
Crytocoryne Wendtii "Green"
Crytocoryne Wendtii "Tropica"
Bunch of different Anubias, not sure of ID.
A few strands of hairgrass

Substrate:
ADA Amazonia

The reason why I started this was because I bought an excess of crypts and anubias and have no place for them temporarily. So instead of throwing them away I thought why not keep it and try to grow it emersed! Read online that Crytocoryne Wendtii are one of the easiest crypts to grow so hopefully it'll manage to grow out and produce more plants for my future use.

http://i.imgur.com/qV4i4Gq.jpg

On the left side is the Crytocoryne Wendtii "Green" while the other is Tropica. The middle are different species of anubias tied to rocks to separate them.

There is currently a pool at the front of the tank as I sloped the soil backwards. Am thinking if I should suck the excess water out. Any recommendations or tips would be great! Thanks for reading.

[fuurrr]

I seem to have trouble uploading pictures here from imgur. Anyone with more experience able to help?

[NanoScaper]

I seem to have trouble uploading pictures here from imgur. Anyone with more experience able to help?

Hello, fuurrr.

I assume you want your images to appear in your post and not just a link to it.

In your imgur account, click on images and then click on the photo that you want to share.

A window will open up with codes to Image Link, Direct Link and etc.

Copy the one that says BBCode (message boards & forums) and paste it into your post and preview to make sure it displays nicely before submitting your post.

You can also choose the size (at the bottom of the window that opens) before copying the code. For example, Large Thumbnail will appear nicely here with a width of 640 pixels.

Hope that helps.

[fuurrr]

Hello, fuurrr.

I assume you want your images to appear in your post and not just a link to it.

In your imgur account, click on images and then click on the photo that you want to share.

A window will open up with codes to Image Link, Direct Link and etc.

Copy the one that says BBCode (message boards & forums) and paste it into your post and preview to make sure it displays nicely before submitting your post.

You can also choose the size (at the bottom of the window that opens) before copying the code. For example, Large Thumbnail will appear nicely here with a width of 640 pixels.

Hope that helps.

Hi thanks for this! I tried uploading using my phone but I figured it was the problem. Went onto my laptop and it's fine now.



Anyway here is how it looks like.

[fuurrr]

This is what happened at around 1130am just now when the sun was at its brightest. Condensation happened throughout the tank and I could barely see through it. Do you guys think I should open it often to let air in every few days or just leave it be?



Added a thermometer into the tank to measure the temperature. So far highest it goes is 34 degrees and drops to 30-31 after.

[SeVenZ]

You should allow some air exchange to happen , so yeah i would suggest you open up to let air in every day. There isn't much you can do about the condensation.

[fuurrr]

Thanks for the tip! I kinda figured it would be necessary too. I thought it would be self sufficient as they produce oxygen by photosynthesis during the day and CO2 by respiration at night.
Do you think I should drain the excess water at the front or just leave it be?

You should allow some air exchange to happen , so yeah i would suggest you open up to let air in every day. There isn't much you can do about the condensation.

[SeVenZ]

You could try looking at eternal terrariums , its been stressed that balance is not that easily achievable. I guess that's something you are trying to achieve here. Another method is to slowly acclimatize your plants to the environment. Gradually lowering the humidity by introducing holes to the cover and then eventually removing it. However, with the plant choice, you probably have to mist them quite abit if you do that haha.

I personally would drain the water , I find it unsightly haha. However, the last time I did something like yours, the soil started to grow some white mold/fungus. It probably has to do with it being damp all the time.

[illumbomb]

If the crypts have emersed leaves, they should be able to survive without the cover. You have to slowly increase the opening bit by bit to test them. Drain the water will help to prevent mosquito breeding. BGA algae and molds easily grow for such set up so if you grow them in individual plastic containers (those used for take away food), you will be able to flush the soil with water regularly to clear the algae. The current set up with such a deep tank will make the task of clearing algae more challenging.

[fuurrr]

If the crypts have emersed leaves, they should be able to survive without the cover. You have to slowly increase the opening bit by bit to test them. Drain the water will help to prevent mosquito breeding. BGA algae and molds easily grow for such set up so if you grow them in individual plastic containers (those used for take away food), you will be able to flush the soil with water regularly to clear the algae. The current set up with such a deep tank will make the task of clearing algae more challenging.

Another method is to slowly acclimatize your plants to the environment. Gradually lowering the humidity by introducing holes to the cover and then eventually removing it. However, with the plant choice, you probably have to mist them quite abit if you do that haha.

Hi guys, thanks for your input. What will be the difference if I keep them covered the whole time vs gradually lowering the humidity? Apart from not needing to put a cover and completely free air exchange of course. Maybe the difference in the plant itself? Currently I believe the plants are in submersed conditions as I can see that some crypt leaves have melted and a only 1-2 new leaves from the Wendtii "Green".

Illumbomb - I guess I'll keep the current set up as it'll be quite difficult for me to redo it and I'll need to find the time to do it when I book out from camp. Not to forget it also looks much more pleasing to the eye.

[fuurrr]

Just an update, the Wendtii "Green" has shown some form of melting on some leaves and a few new growths can be seen. Nothing much going on with the "Tropica".







New leaves growing. Looking very cute!



Anyone can help with the ID?



The Anubias have shown new smaller & greener leaves growing. I would consider the growth to be fast as it has only been a week. Some leaves are however showing some form of deficiency by having holes in them as seen in the first and second picture. Should I cut them off along with the yellowing leaves?



Replaced the cling film with an acrylic sheet bought from artfriend. Looks cleaner now compared to using cling film.



Aerial view of the plants.

Thanks for taking time to read!

[SeVenZ]

From the chart, it could be due to potassium deficiency.
The other shifus here may be more of a help with this.

Without a pump to circulate the water or proper drainage, doesn't the tank smell foul ?

[patrodion]

This idea is a great one! I've seen many mini outdoor garden and I'm surprised by the fact that many people are embracing this concept. Even I've started creating something similar. The difference is that I'm using a huge glass container, combined with flea flogger from https://www.growgardener.com/best-flea-fogger/ in order to assure the plants the perfect conditions. One day, I'm going to have a room full of plants, but until then I have to be satisfied with something smaller. After all, every single plant requires maintenance in order for them to stay healthy