# First try - 65L (now with a short clip)



## schraptor (23 Dec 2010)

Hi guys,

My first attempt to planted aquarium. I'm still having some algae issues but hoping to resolve them once Koralia finally gets shipped. Any tips would be appreciated.

Aquarium Specifications:
Aquarium - 60x30x36cm normal glass (float)
Lighting - Hagen (2 x 24w Phillips 865), 8 hours
Filtration -  TetraTec EX700 external
CO2 -  2kg pressurised, glass diffuser
Fertilisation - weekly 3x1ml EasyLife Profito, 7x 4ml EasyLife EasyCarbo, 3x EI macro
Decoration - 5-6kg local garden stones
Substrate - ADA Amazionia 9L



Some pictures of the tank:

Setting up hardscape about 1 month ago





Filling up




First day




Three weeks later







Recent one (sorry for the mess   )


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## chilled84 (23 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

First try! well done, HC is a hard plant to most for the first try! Well done!


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## Arana (23 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Great Job  looking forward too seeing it grow in


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## Garuf (23 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Bloody hell, you've some skill to do this well first time. Care to share your set up procedure?


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## flygja (24 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Impressive first try. And what a nice place to put it to.


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## schraptor (24 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Thanks guys   

I started the tank without fully functional filtration (first 4-5 days due to leaks) and DIY CO2, but I had to plant some plants urgently. The store in which I have ordered the tank was having 2 weeks delay, while I  already had some plants in the bucket. I think this delay, freshly started filter and lack of proper flow is the reason why I'm still having some algae issues. Some of the plants were not really in best shape (e.g. Eleocharis Parvula) and were having a lot of brown leafs. HC, being freshly bought, was ok as can be seen on the pics.
First week I did 20-30% water changes everyday, second week every 2 days. Currently I do 20% water changes every 2-3 days, 50% on Sundays due to using EI.
I started micro and macro ferts with 1/3 of a dose after two weeks, now I use around 1/2 of normal dose. I've been overdosing EC since the beginning (~4ml a day), but am planning to decrease the dose since I recently started using pressurized CO2.


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## Angus (24 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

amazing, really nice tank let alone it being a first try! i sympathise with the issues you had at startup, but you did everything right and it looks amazing if only i could do that on my first try!  the scape looks really nice, any chance of a recent front on full tank shot?


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## schraptor (24 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

@fozziebear

Here are some taken this morning, cloudy winter day outside thus the colours and myself still learning how to properly shoot in manual mode 

Front view - not sure why part of background plants grow unevenly as they were all trimmed to the same length, and yeah, I need to get some glassware. Those plastic pipes look really ugly. Same goes for lack of proper background, I might go for a pure black or blue one, something similar to Mark's "Prairie Lands".




Kitchen view (you can see a bit of my photo wallpaper pearling   ):




Room view:




Room view close-up:


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## Angus (24 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

looking super lush mate  like it a lot.


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## schraptor (27 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Thanks 

Yesterday I've made a radical trimming plus I've removed Bacopa from the tank (didn't really like the look of it in a tank of such size). Thinking about decreasing number of species and exchanging some plants with smaller ones or with smaller leafs. I would like to add some red-ish accent to the tank, any suggestions on the plants choice?

I'll try to post some pics once I'll get back from work


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## Ben M (27 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

this tank is looking great. Have you trimmed the Limnophila to make it grow bushier? I think it is one of my favourite plants when bushy. As for the red plant, what sort of size are you looking for? if you want a small plant, maybe Alternanthera 'mini'?

cheers


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## schraptor (27 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*



			
				pest control said:
			
		

> this tank is looking great. Have you trimmed the Limnophila to make it grow bushier? I think it is one of my favourite plants when bushy. As for the red plant, what sort of size are you looking for? if you want a small plant, maybe Alternanthera 'mini'?
> 
> cheers



Thanks ! Yes I've already trimmed Limnophila three times. It grows incredibly fast and when reaching the surface tends to get this browny colour on the leafs, but at the same time it shades my HC carpet and parvula. As you mentioned, it gets bushier with every trim and you can see a lot of new runners. Same goes for Hydrocotyle leucocephala, which is almost not visible on the pics right now, as I cut it down really hard recently, but two small stems grow into 1,5 meter long ones (almost 3 times a length of the tank ) in no time.
Regarding Alternanthera 'mini', I can't seem to find it anywhere. Is it also known under some other name?
Ideally I'm looking for something of a size of Hemianthus micranthemoide or Micranthemum umbrosum, with interesting leafs pattern (small ones) and being red 

Here are some recent photos of a tank after the trim:










Also can someone confirm the name of the plant visible on the left side, here is the top view of the same:




and a bottom / front view:


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## Ben M (27 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Hi, it looks like Hygrophila corymbosa 'siamensis' to me. As for the Alternanthera, I'm not sure if it has another name, but it isn't what you're looking for, it has quite big leaves. I can't really think of a red plant with small leaves.

cheers


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## George Farmer (28 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Superb, especially for a first attempt.  You've certainly got plant growing skills!

The set up looks great in your kitchen.

Suitable red plants could include - 

Alternanthera 'mini' (supplied by Aquafleur, available in some Maidenhead Aquatics)
Ludwigia arcuata 
Ludwigia glandulosa
Ludwigia repens 'Rubin'
Rotala rotundifolia (there are different varieties, Far East variants tend to be redder AKA R. indica)
Rotala wallichii
Nesaea pedicellata
Pogostemon stellata
Proserpinaca palustris ''Cuba''


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## schraptor (28 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*



			
				pest control said:
			
		

> Hi, it looks like Hygrophila corymbosa 'siamensis' to me. As for the Alternanthera, I'm not sure if it has another name, but it isn't what you're looking for, it has quite big leaves. I can't really think of a red plant with small leaves.
> 
> cheers



Cheers for that, I also thought this looks like siamensis, but was not sure. It was given to me for free when I was buying the tank and other plants. From info I have gathered it seems to be a fast grower, so I will need to cut the tops and re-plant to make it more dense.




			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> Superb, especially for a first attempt.  You've certainly got plant growing skills!
> 
> The set up looks great in your kitchen.
> 
> ...



Thanks George. Looking at your tanks I still have a long way to go.
I will browse through the list and choose something suitable. I still have some doubts regarding Alternanthera 'mini', any links you can share? I can't seem to find it even on the list provided by Aquafleur http://www.aquadistri.com/nl/aquafleur/9999/


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## George Farmer (28 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

I can't find any links either, but I have seen it in the flesh in two of my local stores, as it's something I've considered myself.  It must be a new addition to their line-up, and they haven't updated their website yet.


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## Mark Evans (28 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

take a look here...click on "RYOBOKU: gallery and check out image number 61  

http://www.adaitaly.com/galleria.html

Now it looks like rotala to me, but it'll give you an insight to different ways of achieving different looks just by trimming differently. 

I love the way Amano has achieved 'lines' just by trimming high and what appears to be 'trimming the old lower leaves off' Just like a 'proper' artist he's painting not with paint, but with plants...The mans a genius  

check all the other scapes...they'll make you fall in love with the hobby all over again.

Your on the right road to more and beautiful scapes, keep up the enthusiasm and the doors will open


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## Piece-of-fish (28 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Hi, nice scape you have there. I will be trimming ludwigia arcuata and could send you some. PM your address if you want it as your red plant. I am in love with this plant recently


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## schraptor (28 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*



			
				Piece-of-fish said:
			
		

> Hi, nice scape you have there. I will be trimming ludwigia arcuata and could send you some. PM your address if you want it as your red plant. I am in love with this plant recently



Well, thank you very much for the offer, but I'm afraid this would be a total waste of nice plants as am I'm not a UK citizen  
I'm Polish and live in Poland (yeah, I know strange ... not UK, London   )

I'm reading through UKAPS forum since few months now, and I find it very interesting, providing valuable input and what is different when compared to other forums - a *constructive* critique. I simply hate trolling ...


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## schraptor (28 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*



			
				Mark Evans said:
			
		

> take a look here...click on "RYOBOKU: gallery and check out image number 61
> 
> http://www.adaitaly.com/galleria.html
> 
> ...




Thanks Mark, I love these scapes. Looks like Amano is really patient with his trimming regime or he pays his employees well 
I've seen yesterday a 3 part youtube (~30minutes) presentation from the visit in Amano's gallery and from the commentary provided there it looks like Amano is pretty much providing a good start to a scape and then a finishing touch, while all the maintenance in between is done by his padawans    
Also many of his scapes are 2-4+ years old, the oldest one is 7 or 8 years old I believe.


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## Stu Worrall (28 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

love the scape and its superb for a first one with everything looking super healthy.  Im a sucker for HC lawns


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## schraptor (29 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*



			
				stuworrall said:
			
		

> love the scape and its superb for a first one with everything looking super healthy.  Im a sucker for HC lawns



Thanks, HC carpet looks a bit better on photos than in reality tbh. I still have some brown algae remains on the leafs and small uncovered with HC pieces of substrate. I've read that having brown algae is quite normal in newly setup tanks and when all matures and stabilizes it should disappear by its own. Hopefully it will happen soon.

Btw. my Koralia nano has arrived yesterday, we will see how increasing the flow will influence the overall condition of the tank


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## Ian Holdich (29 Dec 2010)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

excellent first scape!


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## schraptor (5 Jan 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

A few recent close-ups. I simply love pearling HC 



















And a full tank view after some hard trimming on background plants:


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## Piece-of-fish (5 Jan 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Looks great, and you have added some color


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## schraptor (6 Jan 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Thanks 

That red accent is my Alternanthera reineckii, which was there since beginning, but after spending 2 weeks in a bucket was in really bad shape. Seems it started growing after 1 month of vegetation (fingers crossed). You can also see Rotala rotundifolia in the middle, getting redish nicely.
I'm really happy with the HC carpet, after reading many posts on how hard it is to grow it healthy green and compact.
Next time, I'll give it a try with Glosso maybe.

I have to say, that after adding Koralia nano into the tank, some plants seem to be growing less towards the surface, but are getting a bit bushier due to the high water flow above them. I think Mark Evans made a similar observation regarding the way Crypts grow in his tank.

I still need to decide on the shrimps and fishes. Is there a big difference on how well Amano's are handling algae in comparison to Caridina cf.Babaulti or Red Cherry?


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## schraptor (15 Oct 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Hi folks,

I guess its time for a new layout and new plants   

Hardscape:
Wood + black lava

Plants:
Alternanthera reineckii
Glossostigma elatinoides
Rotala rotundifolia
Staurogyne repens
Hydrocotyle sp. japan
Christmas moss (Vesicularia montagnei)
Weeping moss (Vesicularia ferriei)
Flame moss (Taxiphyllum sp.)
Java moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri)
Anubias barteri var. nana


Hardscape with plants, no water yet





Christmas and Flame tied to wood








Filling the tank. Old Amazonia that I have re-used has created a nice mist 





Finished. Now I only need to wait for the plants to kick-in.




I'm not so experienced with growing mosses yet, so fingers crossed.


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## spyder (15 Oct 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

1st time I've seen this thread, do you have a final shot of the old scape? It looked fantastic.

Moss's are straight forward. Shrimps help keep moss clean and worth considering.

New scape looks great, will be watching this one grow in.

Good luck.


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## Iain Sutherland (15 Oct 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Thats a really nice looking scape again, good job!
I love mosses but had no luck until adding cherry shrimp, my amanos dont seem to touch it but the cherrys groom it all day long.
Looking foward to see this one grow in.


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## schraptor (15 Oct 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Thanks guys for your comments.



> 1st time I've seen this thread, do you have a final shot of the old scape? It looked fantastic.



Spyder, previous scape has been evolving a bit but there was no real final photo taken. Here are the two shots showing pretty much how the old tank looked like most of the time, I only did occasional trimming.









To all of you trying to grow health HC carpet - don't be afraid to prune it hard, I cut mine to the point where I could see my Amazonia and yellow / melted bottom leafs. In a week or so you will have a more dense and healthy looking carpet than before. I did mine circa every 2 weeks. Let's see how I'll manage with Glosso, but it is supposed to be easier to grow and maintain than HC.

Also, if you look at Alternanthera reineckii shown on the picture, it is the last time it had such big leafs. I find cutting it often makes it much more bushy with smaller leafs. Not sure though how to make its red / purple colors a bit more 'juicy', especially reddish top side.
Similarly Staurogyne - the more I cut it, the healthier / dense it gets.

I forgot to add, that new layout features also Microsorum pteropus 'Philippine' and Lomariopsis lineata.


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## schraptor (20 Oct 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Hi guys,

It has been a week since a restart and the tank is doing fine. No major signs of algae as of yet, I think matured filter and daily water changes help alot. I was a bit nervous when I saw all the mud coming out from my Amazonia during re-scape, but I've sucked almost all of it during water changes. I can only see some green algae in the substrate next to the glass.
New life has entered the tank - guppys and fire red / baubaulti shrimps which I've been given (circa 45 of them, different generations / sizes) for few plants from my previous scape.
I'm dosing 1/2 of my normal micro / macro (EI) since day one and 2 ml EasyCarbo every day. Lights are currently set to run for 7h / day.
I had to reduce the flow a bit from my Koralia Nano, as plants have not grown enough yet and it was creating to big whirlpool for fishes and shrimps to handle. As it doesn't have any regulation built in, I have cut half of a round plastic container and simply covered half of Koralia's 'intake' holes (or should I say, Koralia sucked the plastic and it remains like that till I power it off).

Here are some pictures from today:






















Day 1 vs day 7








I can see some growth on mosses, rotala and anubias. Hydrocotyle sp. Japan has also kicked in, soon it should start spreading nicely. I've added temporarily some Hydrocotyle leucocephala and Limnobium laevigatum to stabilize the amonia levels quicker.
Any comments / feedback is welcome.


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## schraptor (30 Oct 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Its me again, 2 weeks update 

Hydrocotyle sp Japan growing nicely and getting more dense.








Front tank shot - need to buy some tripod as it is hard to shot from this side with camera in my hands and no real vision on what I'm shooting (wall standing in between).




2 weeks vs 1 week vs day 1:


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## schraptor (10 Nov 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

4 weeks, therefore I shall spam some more   
Glosso and Hydrocotyle sp. Japan have kicked in. Mosses are doing great, no problem with these so far. Other plants are doing ok, although I see some deficiency as new leafs of Anubias and Staurogyne repens are a bit to yellow for me.

View from the kitchen:




View from the living room's couch   






Some Mark Evans style PS edits   :










And finally my nine months old precious keeping an eye on dosing regime


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## flygja (10 Nov 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Hi, that is growing is very nicely and doesn't like there's even a speck of algae. Beautiful photography too.


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## schraptor (10 Nov 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Thanks flygja for your comment. There are some minimal signs of algae, but the tank is still quite fresh and I'm using old Amazonia which released a lot of stuff into water during rescape. I'm thinking about buying some Purigen, will see if this helps.
Photography wise, I'm trying to improve my skills, therefore I tend to ask / check what are the settings and light conditions used for photos that I like.


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## Broomy (17 Nov 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Stunning scapes you've created there, makes me wish I'd come across this site before I stuck gravel in my tank.


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## schraptor (17 Nov 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Thanks Broomy ! This is my second scape, but I can assure you, that having a good substrate (e.g. Amazonia) is one of the key factors. If you take into account that I've only put 9L of it into my 65L tank and the fact that I'm using it second year now really makes it a good choice. Of course overall cost will depend on the size of the tank, but you can always go with an island or a sandy beach foreground scape. I have achieved a bit higher slope in this scape by using black lava rock, which is nice due to number of reasons:
- easily covered by moss, which attaches to it very quickly
- black means usually quite neutral color in the scape
- weights a lot less than normal stones
- costs around 50p / kg if you don't need ADA logo


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## NeilW (17 Nov 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Looks awesome, one to be proud of  . I really like the red. That Hydro looks very healthy indeed and really dense. 

The only thing I'm not so sure on is that light, but then its obviously given you results so it does the job! Would look amazing with pendant lighting. 

Keep up the good work


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## schraptor (21 Nov 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Thank Neil for the comments. I agree that having pendant lightning would add to the overall feeling, but I'm stuck with Hagen Glo 2x24W for the time being. Looking at the tank live it is not so disturbing though. I'm still thinking about glassware, but am afraid I will brake it quickly. Also this would need to be cleaned often to look nice.


In the meantime reinforcements have arrived for my cleaning crew:















And the tank shot from the left:


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## schraptor (27 Nov 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

A few shots taken while changing the water and cleaning the filter.I've also trimmed Glosso and Hydrocotyle sp. Japan a bit. Hope you like those.












After the change:










A few close ups:


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## gmartins (29 Nov 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

hi,

I'm sure you really enjoy sitting next to your tank and just stare at it for hours. It looks very healthy and good. 
Those close-up pics are really nice.

Keep the pics coming

cheers,

GM


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## schraptor (30 Nov 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Thanks GM for your comments. I really enjoy watching how this small Eco-system is running.
I shall spam from time to time showing how the tank is progressing 

Once it fills-in nicely I plan to have more serious photo session, you know - extra light sources, removing all unnecessary equipment, cleaning the tank to be spotless, etc.


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## schraptor (9 Dec 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Small trimming update.

Glosso / Hydrocotyle sp. Japan 'carpet' before trimming:











After the trimming (in 2-3 weeks it should fill out nicely to previous state):


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## schraptor (15 Dec 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

10 days after trimming the Glosso/sp.Japan carpet. This grows way to fast ...






And a full tank shot:


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## Westyggx (16 Dec 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Wow great growth mate!


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## justjason88 (16 Dec 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

really like the moss you've grown on the wood, looks fantastic


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## AndersH (17 Dec 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Amazing!


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## schraptor (17 Dec 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted (yet another guppies)*

Thanks guys for your comments. I really like textures of different mosses and their contrasting colors against lush greens of Glossostigma and Hydrocotyle sp. Japan.

My single female guppy gave birth to new generation (again) - around 40 or so of them. This is getting too much for a tank of this size, especially that it is supposed to be planted one 







I've made some test video in 1080p. Picture is shaking a bit as it is hand-held but I shall find a nice tripod under the Christmas tree this year   . Appreciate any tips on good quality, yet affordable tripod for EOS 550D (160+ cm preferred). I heard Manfrotto is a good choice.


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## AndersH (17 Dec 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Did you mix christmas mos and javamos on that particular branch? And do you just trim it, to keep it low and dense constantly? Cos it looks really good.


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## schraptor (17 Dec 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*



			
				AndersH said:
			
		

> Did you mix christmas mos and javamos on that particular branch? And do you just trim it, to keep it low and dense constantly? Cos it looks really good.



AndersH it is only Christmas moss. I have trimmed it three times since the tank restart (2 months) but not too hard, well maybe last trim was a bigger one. Apart from trimming and vacuuming it with hose during weekly water changes, I don't have too much work with it. What I have learned is that when you want moss to grow-in nicely and cover certain piece of wood / stone, it is better to spread it across the whole surface, not stacking too much in one place. See page 3 for some pictures on initial setup. One small cup of Christmas was enough to get it into current state in no time.


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## AndersH (18 Dec 2011)

*Re: First try - 65L planted*

Yeah saw those pics. I might have misread that you mixed the mosses. 
Thanks for the answer. I'm expecting some mos (spikey) in a few days, so great tip in the spreading.


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## schraptor (19 Dec 2011)

A short clip made with EOS 550D, now re-edited with music.

http://vimeo.com/33805432


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## schraptor (1 Jan 2012)

*Re: First try - 65L (Welcome to the jungle)*

I've been quite busy lately, no time to trim and a few plants have gone mad 


IMG_1346 by Damian's Aquascape, on Flickr



IMG_1321 by Damian's Aquascape, on Flickr



IMG_1337 by Damian's Aquascape, on Flickr



IMG_1333 by Damian's Aquascape, on Flickr


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## Mark Evans (1 Jan 2012)

This looks great! 

Are you sure that's Christmas moss?


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## schraptor (1 Jan 2012)

Thanks Mark. I believe it is, I've bought it via Internet and it was marked as Christmas although I can't be 100% sure. I'll try to grab a close-up on the moss so I can compare it with the googled one.
Apart from Christmas, I've also flame, java and weeping moss in the tank. I like mosses more than e.g. riccia due to their lower growth rate, but on the other hand riccia's cuttings float on the surface, while moss cuttings float everywhere in the tank and can be only suctioned during water change effectively.

HM visible in the last picture is a survivor from previous scape. I've ripped all of it around 4 months ago, then re-scaped tank, yet HM has somehow re-appeared 2-3 weeks ago. A single stem must have survived in the substrate and is now spreading


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