My new setup

[larlee]

Hi all,
Tank was setup on the 5 Oct 2008.
I know I don't have enough plants and all the plants I have should be slow growing but I don't have any idea what plants to use to fit my current setup. Suggestions welcome

2ft tank
24W T5HO
6 hours light
CO2 1 bubble per sec
ADA 2
Lushgro macro and micro and prosphate
28C with fan

Spiky moss on wood
80% crypts (wendii green and brown)
Bottom right corner dont know what plant (any idea?)

[fishking]

Hi...nice clear tank..but from what I see, you seeem to be spreading your plants of the same species all over the place..espcially the crypts. Need to plant them together...if you want slow growing, can try some nanas...

[Tony]

Maybe paste a black or dark green card board (cheap option as opposed to oyama ) on the outside of the back of tank for better contrast and will help to hide the hang-on stuffs from view. Use 3 or more layers of rotala sp. green with sloping height tallest from left rear corner to half of the rear tank and some moss carpets?

[Mizu World]

A very decent sized tank for scaping. It should be one of the easiest size to do up.

You definitely need more hardscape in there as well (wood, stones) and you MUST get the other 90% bare spots planted. Stem plants are a good way to go since they are beautiful and they take up a lot of nutrients in the beginning.

Otherwise, having such rich soil and so little plants is a sure receipe for disaster.

[larlee]

Thanks for the advise. I am looking at crypts but crypts are slow. I don't want to end up having a battle with algae so was wondering whether to add more crypts to the tank would that help?

[fishking]

Many causes to algae and not only slow growing plants will result in algae...too much light, by-products etc also cause algae growth..So by choosing any plants, so long as you control other parameters well, will not really induce the growth of algae.

[Mizu World]

Althought Crypts are slow growing, they take in a lot of nutrients via the substrate. Planting them in masses will do quite well for your tank.

You can then add some floating plants to soak up excess nutrients in the water column to avoid a major algae outbreak.

[beetlejuice403]

Hi larlee,

agree with bro Ben that maybe adding some more hardscape(s) to your tank will help to remove that 'empty' look/feel in your tank...

Crypts are sure slow growers, but will be nice once they'd finished adapting to the water parameters & start growing. You had done up a very nice slope in your tank with the substrates, simply get some stem plants (some Rotala species, Didiplis Diandra etc) to start planting at the background. For the backdrop of your tank, alternatively you can do up a moss wall to cover up the wirings behind... As for floating plants to absorb excess nutrients in the tank, you may wish to get some duckweeds, salvinias, amazon frogbits or just plant/dump in some strands of Hornworts...

Hope to see updates soon...

[larlee]

Thanks all for your input.
Pardon me for asking, where do I placed those stem plants? left or right would fit better?

[Biotopeshop]

Thanks all for your input.
Pardon me for asking, where do I placed those stem plants? left or right would fit better?

Hi,

IMO, since your driftwood is on the left, you are attempting to create more "weightage" towards the left side. You can plant stem plants behind the driftwood (rotala rotundifolia Green, didiplis diandra, rotala najean, ludwigia arcuata, rotala wallichii etc), while planting some nanas below your driftwood.

At the left, you might want to place java ferns tied to a smaller piece of wood, with smaller rocks in front.

The use of rocks will help to create depth and perspective.
The use of crypts with help to soften the "hard" image of the rocks.

AMII is rich in nutrients, hence we would do more frequent water changes initially to remove excess nutrients from the tank. You can also place one pot of hydrophila difformis (while it is still in the pot) into the tank, just to help absorb the nutients too. You can remove it after a month or decide that you want to plant it in between the branches.

best of luck in your scaping

regards

Thio

[freshfish]

sweet .... do share more pictures when the tank matures ?

[larlee]

Hi all,
my current tank layout after about 2 months.
Removed some plants cos it turns out dying and rotting.
also moved the crypts to mid row as it turns out growing higher than i expected it to be.
Sorry for the poor quality pictures taken by my cell phone.

Please comment.
Thank you.