zonkkie's first rock scape

[zonkkie]

Updates and answering my own questions...

HC is growing well and starting to creep. Thanks to blue33 for overall aquascaping tips and Alvin for HC growing tips... The right of the tank looks like this now....



from...



The tall HC I think it's HM mixed in with the HCs that I got... I have moved them to the rear of the tank...



Unfortunately... getting green spot algae on my tank walls and mini nanas...



Clean up crew added!

[alvinchan80]

Very nice bro zonkkie... You will get a full HC carpet soon.. From the looks of those creeps, in a month or so, they will flood your foreground.. Haha..

By the way, I have reset my tank.. HC, rocks, bagged lava rocks totally removed.. Now is a plain sloped shrimp tank.. Haha... Plants will go in later I guess.. But not alot like last time.. Going for non creeping plants since I have achieved a good HC growth mission..

[zonkkie]

Thanks bro Alvin..really appreciate your advice on planting the HC. Got picture of your new look shrimp tank? Why take it out? Too lazy to prune every 2 weeks? Also update your DSM tank leh...

[alvinchan80]

Thanks bro Alvin..really appreciate your advice on planting the HC. Got picture of your new look shrimp tank? Why take it out? Too lazy to prune every 2 weeks? Also update your DSM tank leh...

No problem.. Just sharing my advices..
My shrimp tank now empty and totally nothing except for a ball of subwassertang & few stalks of red rotala.. Haha..
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1298996910.964975.jpg

My intention of removing all my HC and scape is due to water conditions keep being unstable due to rocks which increases my GH and water PH seems to be stuck at near 7..
So removed all my rocks, bags of lava rocks, plants & top up with 5L of new soil together with 100% water change and cycle for a day.. Shrimps added in just the next day..
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1298997144.234603.jpg

I never did any DSM before bro.. Haha..

[zonkkie]

Oopps.. Sorry! Confused with Alvin Koh..

[zonkkie]

FTS... around 6 weeks now.

Flora: HC, Rotala Rotundifolia, Eleohcharis vivipara, Crpyt Parva, Staurogyne, HM, Mini Nana.
Fauna: 5xHorned Nerite, 1xZebra Nerite, 2xOto, 10xMalayan Shrimp, 10xSakuras, 5xEndlers

Happy that managed to get HC to carpet... that was one of the things that I wanted to achieve. Regretted getting vivipara, they grow very fast and is a pain to trim. Part of my slope not held up by stones are coming down but not very obvious.

[blue33]

well done. everything looking good. as told before, vivipara is a messy plant, need skillful trimming to control them into good shape, but the rate it grow is amazing. Pics below is for your references.

[zonkkie]

Thanks Adrian for teaching the high tech, low maintenance methods. Really can spend more time appreciating the scape more than maintaining the scape. Unfortunately the vivipara really messes things up... easy to grow but hard to grow nicely. Might cut it off soon. Well, but really an improvement over my first "scape"!

[blue33]

lol... the "high tech, low maintenance methods"(and low cost too) is proven workable, to those i taught and apply correctly, now we can relax and enjoy this hobby longer. i only teach those i meet personally.

[alvinchan80]

lol... the "high tech, low maintenance methods"(and low cost too) is proven workable, to those i taught and apply correctly, now we can relax and enjoy this hobby longer. i only teach those i meet personally.

Yeah.. And guided me to a useful use of co2 & light balance which proves a useful lesson till now.. Hehe...

[blue33]

Glad to hear another successful story. You have done well.

Yeah.. And guided me to a useful use of co2 & light balance which proves a useful lesson till now.. Hehe...

[zonkkie]

First get the plants to grow... then it's trimming. Trimming vivipara is a pain...



Totally unrelated, but HC roots can really grow deep....

[alvinchan80]

How is the growth of your plants now bro zonkkie? HC all ok?

[zonkkie]

Hey Alvin... yeah, plants all doing well. Just need to be careful not to overfeed the fishes and then no GSA. Even my horned nerite snail is pearling!!!



Now a bit like you... achieved objective of HC carpet already... feel like moving on to other things... haha. How's your "bare" tank coming along?

[alvinchan80]

Hey Alvin... yeah, plants all doing well. Just need to be careful not to overfeed the fishes and then no GSA. Even my horned nerite snail is pearling!!!



Now a bit like you... achieved objective of HC carpet already... feel like moving on to other things... haha. How's your "bare" tank coming along?

Haha.. Pearling Snails... Actually you can achieve a thicker HC carpet.. Give them a little while more..

My bare tank become not so bare now already.. Added some plants along the background.. Haha... But no fertilizer for me this time round, just using high lights and co2 emission..

[Alvin Koh]

zonkkie, congrats on your foreground!
Your HC is really spreading well and low.

[zonkkie]

My endlers like to hang around together.... look like they are schooling but all point different direction.... I think red fishes still look the best against green background - i.e. ember tetras, etc.

[zonkkie]

major crop before decomm/rescape.

[DYLAN]

Thats too major la! So different from what I see just now.

[zonkkie]

just now you complain too long, now complain too short. anyway, decomm soon, let me know if you want to collect some quality HC.