My 1-week old 4ft planted tank

[acc]

Tank: 4ft x 16" w x 2ft h
Lights: 54W x 3 T5HO
Eheim 2028

This is intended to be a lower-maintenance tank so I have kept stem plants to a minimum to reduce the need for frequent trimming. The water was cloudy for 5 days but turned clear 2 days ago. Plants are + pearling and no signs of algae yet, so keeping my fingers crossed. Comments and suggestions welcomed

[Panut]

I see that you have planted some anubias into the sand.. Maybe you like to tie them to something, because if the rhizomes are covered they will rot...

But otherwise nice spacious tank!

[jasonchua1982]

Nice setup but foreground like a bit bare

Maybe can add in more fauna

[the_r0ck]

You want to get more ferns to thicken the branches?

The right side looks pretty nice but the left is a little thin at the moment.

Any chance that we can have a frontal shot?

[acc]

Thanks guys for the comments. I have teased the anubias slightly so that the rhizome is no longer buried in the gravel. Ya agree the left side is a bit bare The crypt balanese I bought online is a bit smaller than I expected haha. I guess I have have to be patient and let it grow and fill up the space.

[acc]

I also squeezed some stem plants behind the driftwood with the moss this evening. The "cabbages" on the left foreground is sending out lots of new roots into the gravel.

[Verminator]

the "cabbages" being Downoi? If so i'm really diggin' them, they'll look amazing when they've grown in together. The leaf shapes on them will look stunning close together once they fill out.

Crypt Balansae will certainly fill out the corner once its grown - patience is a virtue.

Good move on uncovering the rhizomes of the anubias, they never last with when their buried. They do best tied to a rock or wood of sorts.

[CWelch]

What is the name of that red and green plant directly right of the piece of wood? (the tall one that is red at the top...)

[acc]

The "cabbages" are indeed Pogostemon helferi (Downoi) while the red and green plants are Ludwigia ovalis.

[Verminator]

**Drools**

Downoi is simply stunning when grown in. If they do well in this set-up, judging by how far you've planted them they will form stunning little cohesive groups.

[the_r0ck]

You might want to remove the rock on the left hand side. Or you can add more rocks to line the main scape, otherwise a rock there of that texture looks a little funny. Why not extend the scape further to the sides of the driftwood by planting much more plants?

[acc]

Thanks guys for the comments. Ya I do agree the rock does look a bit out of place will remove it soon haha

[the_r0ck]

Thanks guys for the comments. Ya I do agree the rock does look a bit out of place will remove it soon haha

Do keep us updated. Plant it thicker bah, so much space for you to play with, don't waste it.

[acc]

Here's the tank 3 weeks after planting out. The plants have grown quite a bit, and there are some thread algae growth but they seem well under control. The water has a yellowish tint though, not sure why. Could be the driftwood? Will be performing a 50% water change this weekend and remove the rock at the front left. Any suggestions on what other stuff I can do espy to make the water clearer?

[bossteck]

It is most likely due to the wood.

Well you have plants tied to it so you can't boil it. And this being a planted tank, so adding carbon to remove the tinge is not a good idea either.

I don't think there's much you can do aside from regular water changes. (regular, not excessive).

Frankly, what you should do now is to sit back and enjoy your scape.

[feide]

you might like to trim the lotus (since it is near the fore ground), i notice it is a bit tall. After some triming, it will be tamed and turn out to be a nice little bush.

[acc]

Bought 4 junevile discus from Happy Discus in August and they are all growing well with no casualties. Similarly for my cardinals and 6 corys Fought a bout of green water and hair algae due to heavy feeding but things are finally under control now Lighting has been reduced from three to two 54W T5HO for 10 hours a day to save $ and the environment.

[fishking]

Thats a very healthy growth of plants. I like the downoi very much

[benjamin.fxj]

i love the mass of plants on the right side and how its on a gradient. how'd you do that? are they all tied to a single piece of wood?

[acc]

Thanks guys. The mass of plants on the right was planted directly into the gravel and slowly grew into its current size over a couple of months.