all comments welcome (my planted tank)

[checkerboard]

Hi all,

below is the url to my photo album on my planted tank.
if cannot access, don't blame me because i am an IT idiot.

http://sg.photos.yahoo.com/tyk1027

also all comments and criticisms are welcome and more details would be made available on a later date. Thanks!

[geoffrey]

Very nice. That ball of reneckii is particularly eye catching.

[apollo]

Hi

Only 1 word. Gorgeous!!!

You make me want to go home now to tear down my tank!

[SwimDuck]

Great Job!!!
You can take part in the planted tank competition...



What fert you used?

[hwchoy]

do you have algae on your grass? if not, got any special lobang?

[juggler]

[heads bowed]... "we're not worthy"....

What's you tank size and lighting? Very nice, man!

[lorba]

nice one. So have u submitted for the competition?

[checkerboard]

Hi all,

thanks for the generous compliments and I look forward to hearing more comments and criticisms indeed. I have yet to submit it for competition but I aim to do so within the next few days.

My tank:
Dimensions: 4ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft
lights: 2 x 30W FL and 2 x 36W PL (lots of sun in the day as well )
filter: ehiem 2226
fertilizer: seachem flourish, iron, nitrogen, phosphorus, k2so4 and mgso4.
substrate: JBL base fertilier and lonestar gravel
CO2: canister and manual

plants: bolbitis heudelotti, blyxa japonica, didiplis diandra, mayaca fluvalitis, rotala wallichi, rotala sp, tonina sp, eriocaulon setaceum, alternanthera reineckii 'bronze', barclaya longifolia, crytocoryne willisii, crytocoryne retrospiralis, cyperus helferi, valliseneria natans, eleocharis acicularis

main fishes: danio choprae, cardinal tetras, ruby tetras

will post my vietnamese paddy stream biotope tank in 2 weeks time!

[apollo]

by the way, what is the name of the red plants on the right that shape like a ball pls? nice.

[Allen_1971]

that would be alternanthera reneckii

[lorba]

anyway, are you a fan of taiwanese style aquascaping? Yours reminds me of them.

[vinz]

I shall be brutally honest...

The plants look fantastic!!! However, the layout can be improved. But I think begin able to grow plants great is a much bigger achievement. Getting the scaping right is subjective... so as long as you're happy with it.

But definitely, you must submit for competition.

[FC]

Hey checkerboard,

Finally you got it! Much better than the last time I saw it.

Now I understand your island concept, indeed, it create virtual depth like you wanted. IMO, if you allow it to outgrow abit so that it is not unnaturally round (like some taiwanese do), it would be better. But still keep tight/dense and low form to maintain the result you wanted.

I like your hair glass. I have not been sucessful on this plant because my cory stebai keep digging them out. I had given up, I now have Byxa instead. Works well.

Well done .


Regards,

Freddy Chng

[Allen_1971]

I agree with vinz in that the plants look great... good gardening. Generally the layout looks ok.

Undoubtedly, the ball of reneckii works to capture the focus in the picture. For me, I prefer a more natural layout, and the ball of reneckii just looks far too contrived... as such, its forms the focal point of dislike... overall though, its a great effort!

[checkerboard]

Hi all,

Thanks Allen, Vinz and FC for the constructive crtiticism and generous compliments at the same time

I am no fan of taiwanese aquascaping. the ball of reineckii forms used to be taller and more irregular. but laziness got the better of me as i no longer uproot to cut the bottom. i just snip the tops and regular pruning can turn it into a ball if one so desires.

as FC has mentioned for me. this layout was my experiment with creating some depth by odd placement of plants. the reineckii was meant to capture the focus, but the concept was to make it an island (decided to make the island round) surrounded by hairgrass and other green plants such that it stands out and that the empty space behind it to give the "illusion" of distance and the tonina was delibrately left short to give the same feel.

will be dismantling this design soon to change to a brand new concept that i had in mind. will submit the current one for the competition though!

Thanks and i look forward to more comments. afterall, it is subjective and i am still learning as well!