180 Litre Complete Rescape

[Verminator]

Thought i'd add an update.

Update: Nothing much to add. Growth is slow, very slow. Plants without colour that looked malnourished are slowly picking up. HG has just been trimmed as i read from another thread it encourages new growth and thus it spreads. So fingers crossed there. Crypts that were planted as small plants each with est 3 leaves have since grown and now have est of 6-8 leaves each Good ol' crypts eh. Even crypt parva has new life! It used to be flat and very small, there now sticking up and have fresh light green leaves. Anubias is surviving as always, hardy plant. Gymnocoronis Spilanthoides is stalling recently. New growth looked promising, except my fish ate the new leaves and old ones, so its looking dishevelled once more. Ludwigia Repens is slowly regrowing from that sole 1 inch stem i had left. Currently about 3 inch of stem now haha. Due to me dosing alot of the excel products i have noticed my Vallis at the back left corner has pretty much completely died off, i'm willing to sacrafice this plant in order for others to grow. Will probably replace with Echinodorus Uruguayensis or Rubin. Java ferns are slowly growing bigger too. So to sum it up, my tank looks basically the same as the last photo's i planted, literally

I replaced my lights. Bought 2 30W T8 lights. Unable to get T5 lights yet, due to having to buy entire new light unit to fit them - yikes! Thing is, when i turn them on only half of them iluminate? Is this normal? I shall try and get a picture to show you all. My last lights the entire tube lights up, but these only half does, the other is dull. I'm unsure if this is normal or not? I took them out and put them back in again and the same thing happens?

If no one can help me here i may just ring up the shop i bought them from, but something tells me its not right. I think i'm loosing light from them, which can't be good for the plants.

[blue33]

Thought i'd add an update.

Update: Nothing much to add. Growth is slow, very slow. Plants without colour that looked malnourished are slowly picking up. HG has just been trimmed as i read from another thread it encourages new growth and thus it spreads. So fingers crossed there. Crypts that were planted as small plants each with est 3 leaves have since grown and now have est of 6-8 leaves each Good ol' crypts eh. Even crypt parva has new life! It used to be flat and very small, there now sticking up and have fresh light green leaves. Anubias is surviving as always, hardy plant. Gymnocoronis Spilanthoides is stalling recently. New growth looked promising, except my fish ate the new leaves and old ones, so its looking dishevelled once more. Ludwigia Repens is slowly regrowing from that sole 1 inch stem i had left. Currently about 3 inch of stem now haha. Due to me dosing alot of the excel products i have noticed my Vallis at the back left corner has pretty much completely died off, i'm willing to sacrafice this plant in order for others to grow. Will probably replace with Echinodorus Uruguayensis or Rubin. Java ferns are slowly growing bigger too. So to sum it up, my tank looks basically the same as the last photo's i planted, literally

I replaced my lights. Bought 2 30W T8 lights. Unable to get T5 lights yet, due to having to buy entire new light unit to fit them - yikes! Thing is, when i turn them on only half of them iluminate? Is this normal? I shall try and get a picture to show you all. My last lights the entire tube lights up, but these only half does, the other is dull. I'm unsure if this is normal or not? I took them out and put them back in again and the same thing happens?

If no one can help me here i may just ring up the shop i bought them from, but something tells me its not right. I think i'm loosing light from them, which can't be good for the plants.

You are lacking of lights and CO2, whats your CO2 rate currently? Your gravel maybe one of the reason not growing well, but light is the main problem. Need at least 4 tubes of light for the size of your tank, T5 would be great to have at least.

[torque6]

Some pics will help. But having fishes to uproot or nip on the recovery plants isnt the best of scenerios.

[Verminator]

Unfortunately the cost of upgrading my lights from T8 fitting to T5 is prooving a little limiting. I've heard its expensive and so im yet to make the switch. Alternatively i need to just buy a new light unit, thing is my current one cost me £200 (roughly $540 SPD) So as you can see, mega expensive haha.

torque6, as i mentioned. Growth is the same as last time, virtually exactly the same as the last pics i posted. So if you want a visual of how it looks, thats where to look

I have rummy-nose tetras, which i'm guessing are the culprits. Snacking on them at night when lights are out. Either its them or my young clown loach, do you reckon there herbivorous when young? Who knows...

Would a light unit consisting of 2 or 4 T5 lights be a worthwhile investment then? I'm concidering the possibility of converting my existing lights to fit 2 T5 lights, maybe 4 seing as there so small. I'd need to research who to go to though to have that sort of modification done to a good standard.

[blue33]

Unfortunately the cost of upgrading my lights from T8 fitting to T5 is prooving a little limiting. I've heard its expensive and so im yet to make the switch. Alternatively i need to just buy a new light unit, thing is my current one cost me £200 (roughly $540 SPD) So as you can see, mega expensive haha.

torque6, as i mentioned. Growth is the same as last time, virtually exactly the same as the last pics i posted. So if you want a visual of how it looks, thats where to look

I have rummy-nose tetras, which i'm guessing are the culprits. Snacking on them at night when lights are out. Either its them or my young clown loach, do you reckon there herbivorous when young? Who knows...

Would a light unit consisting of 2 or 4 T5 lights be a worthwhile investment then? I'm concidering the possibility of converting my existing lights to fit 2 T5 lights, maybe 4 seing as there so small. I'd need to research who to go to though to have that sort of modification done to a good standard.

I'll vote for clown loach.

[Verminator]

Pesky blighters are killing off my recovering Gymnocoronis Spilanthoides and they arent letting my HG root in properly.

I may call this attempted "replant" a failure after 1 month of virtually no improvement. A week this wednesday i plan to buy a new cabinet capeable of housing my existing 2 footer, and x2 1ft cube tanks to try my hand at smaller scale planted tanks. As a note too; i shall be having T5 lights not T8 on these new set-ups. I've given myself a budget of £500 to use between my 4 tanks tops. Roughly £100 in total on each cube, £200 on my 2 footer revamp leaving £100 to add a few excessories to my 3 ft 180 litre. The plan for my existing tank is as a sparsley planted crypt tank with more rocks/wood caves for my fish to skulk away

I shall keep my head up high, and come back with avengance on planted tanks

So watch out for new threads (aka attempts) at planted tanks from me in the future. Untill then, i shall be reading up and watching others advice/expereiences untill then.

Thanks, James

[StanChung]

Should be a sign somewhere saying no digging fishes somewhere if you intend to plant anything! Actually no fishes except middle to top swimming ones would be better. Let everything root before introducing fishes.

No laughing matter but sometimes we do have to learn through trial and error. Better other people's error though.

[Verminator]

I knew this initially. The only reason i had fish in there was due to this being my first ever tank three years ago, and recently wanting to get my green fingers dirty by trying a propper planted tank. Thing is obviously my existing livestock has created far more problems than first anticipated.

So i shall try smaller tanks with little or no fish in, maybe otto's and japonica shrimp for algae control.

[Quixotic]

You should be aware that your clown loach loves nibbling at soft or fine leaved aquatic plants. It's part of their diet requirements.

[Verminator]

Yup, i've observed this. Haha, never mind. I may just revamp my 2 footer and have only japonica shrimp and otto's in, using most of my plants in my 3 footer i think, they'll perk up given time and nutrition.

I just dropped a ramshorn snail into my main tank, fully grown adult specimen. Its been there less than 5 minutes and already my clown loach has eaten it and left the shell They're such a nuisance Alas, i shall prevail. Persistance is the key to success they say.

[Verminator]

Latest; added a few more plants and growth is dawdling

Ludwigia Glandulosa
Lobelia Cardinalis
Gymnocoronis Spilanthoides [another one]
Cryptocornye Willinsi
Unknown Crypt [probably walkeri]

Shall post pictures on Sunday when i have a day off.

Eleocharis is spreading. New shoots are forming at the sides and its fresh light green growth, thing is they don't stay rooted and it actually appears to be decreasing in numbers. Hmmm.

I suck at this aquascaping. Just bought a 35 litre tank to have a small "test"

[Jervis]

Interesting new plant addition You shall start your new tank this Sunday

[Verminator]

New tank may start at a later date, i just bought the bargain yesterday when i saw it - got to plan it first

[Verminator]

Its been over a month and so i thought i'd add atleast an update of how my tank is looking. I've basically given in with the "planted tank" idea, seeing as though my lighting was inadequate and i couldnt upgrade at the time. So since its become a Jack Dempsey tank, which i shall rescape soon to make more permanent for them over the years of there life. My 2ft tank will become my planted tank when i eventually get it started. So picture time once more...

Tank over view as it stands currently (temporarily dull loooking)


EDIT: Just to add i'm aware this tank looks like a random collection of "momentary inspiration". Basically over the last month i have randomly looked at areas and though "this must go", "this shall go here" and "oooh, i think that can be added here". The result is a tank which has so many different and badly done sections i'm actually ashamed of it. Thus i'm going to tear it down, start over and source properly plants, plant quantities, rocks, wood, substrate and lighting units before i attempt anything further. Then once this is done, i can focus on getting my actual planted tank (ottos, shrimps + 1 male gourami) and 2ft high hexagonal tank (ottos, shrimps + 1 female gourami tank)

[Verminator]

Crypts growing well apparently under moderate lighting - as you'd expect


Hygrophila Rosanervig after being trimmed - surviving and growing but not excelling. It certainly would benefit from higher lighting. This will move to my 2ft scape when i get round to do it.


Sorry for sideways view, didnt have time to rotate it Ludwigia Glandulosa surviving to say the least. Growth is minimal, very slow. Could definately do with more substancial light. This will also transfer to a different tank - a 2ft high hexagonal planted tank.

[Verminator]

Tankmates currently.

Male Jack Dempsey (named J.D simply)


Female Jack Dempsey (named Sky due to her lack of colour currently)


Rummy nose tetras (9 in total)


Flyiong Fox (2 in total)


Otto (1 sole surviver from 4 initially)


Clown Loach (3 in total) Being evicted from 2ft tank when replanted, to be added in next week or so


Thats all for now, thanks.

C&C welcome, even though it'll be tore down and redone soon. Opinions always welcome.