# The Forgotten Valley - 60l



## aaronnorth (20 Apr 2008)

I just thought i'd show you guys my 60l, I set this tank up approx 3months ago.

Lighting - Interpet 36w PC (2.5WPG), i can lower this but have never got round to it.

co2 - Nutrafin, diffused by ceramic diffuser

ferts - 2ml TPN+ daily

plants - 3 A.Swords, Dwarf hairgrass, Anubias Barterii, Java Fern

Fauna - 7 RCS, 15 endlers, 4 otto's


I am having a bit of trouble with Hair algae, i have removed loads today (i have just done a 50% w/c so tank is a little cloudy, i'll post a fresh one tommorow ) I am dosing excell to help. iI also removed the blyxia japonica i had, it didn't look right with the grass and look i wanted. I've removed the moss balls, they were there to help with algae until grass established.The wood is positioned so that it slopes in towards the middle of the tank,

HERE WAS THE PLAN   





FRONT VIEW




HARDSCAPE




VIEW I GET WHEN I ENTER ROOM




Thanks, Aaron


----------



## Ed Seeley (20 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

I really like that.  Nice and minimal and once the hairgrass carpet grows in it'll look great.  I had algae problems with DIY CO2.  I added EasyCarbo too to help and squirted it directly on the algae to kill it every day.


----------



## aaronnorth (21 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*



			
				Ed Seeley said:
			
		

> I really like that.  Nice and minimal and once the hairgrass carpet grows in it'll look great.  I had algae problems with DIY CO2.  I added EasyCarbo too to help and squirted it directly on the algae to kill it every day.



Thanks, when i did the w/c, i put some excell on the anubias to help, seem to of removed more than i thought actually.


----------



## Steve Smith (21 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

I can vouch for Excel too   Killed off all of my hair algae on my little tank.

Your tank looks really nice   Will look great when the hair grass fills out more


----------



## aaronnorth (21 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> I can vouch for Excel too   Killed off all of my hair algae on my little tank.
> 
> Your tank looks really nice   Will look great when the hair grass fills out more



Thanks, unfortunatley they only had 3 pots of hairgrass otherwise i would of got more and it might of almost carpeted   It will be cut down to the substrate to create a lawn effect and it will be slpoed up to the back etc so it isn't just flat.


----------



## Steve Smith (21 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

Do you know which species of hair grass you have?  I have a load of Eleocharis Acicularis, you're welcome to a chunk of it   It might grow to a different height to your plant (15cm) and add some extra layer/texture...  If you have Eleocharis Parvulus (dwarf hairgrass) it grows to about 10cm apparently/.

Let me know if you want some


----------



## aaronnorth (21 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

I have Eleocharis Parvulus, thanks for offer but i think i'll stick to the same species.


----------



## Themuleous (22 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

Looking good 

Sam


----------



## aaronnorth (22 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*



			
				Themuleous said:
			
		

> Looking good
> 
> Sam



Thanks, i think i might get an overhead and cut down to 30w as i took the hood off and it looked really good! I might get some lily pipes aswell... and an external heater. (that's another Â£150  :? )


----------



## Themuleous (22 Apr 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

Haha there is always something else to get, hey? 

Sam


----------



## aaronnorth (17 May 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

A small update, the grass is covering well and i have just added some tropica windelov fern (from TGM) in place of the a.barterii. i had to use phone as camera battery's are dead.


----------



## aaronnorth (28 Jun 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

I haven't updated this in a while, it has gone through a few rescapes! Sorry about the quality, took it on phone camera:






i added the windelov fern in the end, and i chucked the large anubias by accident  I wasn't going to use it but someone cpuld of made use of it.

It is now more like an iwagumi:











LondonDragon is kindly sending me some dwarf riccia and some willow moss, i am going to add a small leafed stem behind the largest rocks, and i am temted to get some Pogostemon Helferi? Any thoughts on this? 

How much P.Helferi approx do you get in 1 pot of tropica?

I think my scaping skills have come on a lot, since i last did this tank, i have ripped out a lot of the grass, and took quite a few leaves with the algae, hopefully it is gone, still aiting for my plug adapte for my CO2, ordered it last week  

All critisicms welcome.


----------



## Mark Evans (28 Jun 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

lookin good mate.

p helferi is certainly a nice looking plant. was recomended to me by george. seems a good plant for making transitions from 1 variety to another. mine wasnt tropica, it was the other firm that maidenhead stock. aquafleur i think. in there pots there were at least 5 plantable plants and in some pots there was lots of new growth.

actualy there hc was much better than tropicas(more of it) i have some spare hc (2 pots)if you want any.


----------



## aaronnorth (28 Jun 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

aquafleur are good, i might go to MA tommorow, and get some rotala wallichi, i am having another look first to make my mind up on the stem plant.

thanks for the offer of HC, i have the riccia & moss coming from LD first though so i will see about space & looks


----------



## Mark Evans (28 Jun 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

i was torn wether or not to have a variety of stem plant. glad i didnt now.


----------



## aaronnorth (28 Jun 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> i was torn wether or not to have a variety of stem plant. glad i didnt now.



then again the wallichi turns red, i am trying to stick to green if possible, maybe micranthemum micranthemoides, that is a nice plant


----------



## aaronnorth (28 Jun 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

i have ordered 15 x micranthemum micranthemoides.

My decision of the pogostomen will depend on what it looks like when all the plants i have coming look like


----------



## JamesM (28 Jun 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

I had 7 stalks of P. Helferi from MA, and they looked great, growing nice too - up to 12 stalks after 8 weeks 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g197/ ... IM1374.jpg

I agree with sainty on the HC. My aquafleur pots from MA were huge compared to Tropica pots I've seen, and MA supply them 5 pots for Â£10. Its just a case of finding a good MA who look after their plants. Or do what I do and go in the day the plants arrive, so snails and algae doesn't get them first.


----------



## aaronnorth (28 Jun 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

i always go if possible when the plants arrive... first chioce  

they are 5 for Â£12.50 at my MA


----------



## aaronnorth (9 Jul 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

Quick update, i have put int the plants LD sent me (cheers mate) the MM wasnt in the best condition but they have a fresh batch in a few days back and are sending me some more for free   
I have also added the P.Helferi which i have been wanting to try for ages, i got that from lstratton (thanks). 

So my tank is looking better (and so is the UKAPS bank   )


----------



## aaronnorth (1 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

Everything is growing mega quick now the pressurized CO2 is running smoothly! You cant tell someone how good it is until you have used it. Someone had turned the large knob on the reg and emptied my bottle    but i got one the next day from Dan (thanks). 

Everything is growing well except the java fern. i have had it 6 months now, it came with 1 leaf on the rhizome and i am up to 4    It's slow growing but this just takes the michael! Any reasons?

I also took out the dwarf hairgrass, it was to formerly arranged.

The MM has filled in nicely but i still dont know what plant to use in the back left? any suggestions? I was thinking about a large thicket of java fern. Ade has offered me some mexican oakleaf but i dont know whether it will go well with this scape?

My mums got the camera so i will get a picture later.

Thanks, Aaron


----------



## aaronnorth (1 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

Pics as promised, all the plants have been trimmed earlier this morning, the riccia is doing great,





I changed the WB on this one







I did try a pararama shot but i did it the wrong way round    





I will do another sometime or i might just edit this one


----------



## aaronnorth (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

microsorum pteropus 'narrow' has come this morning from AE (thanks), just needs attaching to something now then i will post a full tank shot. i also bought some proper back blackground so there are no more lines that you could see on the previous one. The outside thermometer has gone with a bit of elbow grease, i dont know how you can move them! On the packaging it said removemable   They only record the glass or room temperatur anyeay heater is set a 24/25C and that was saying 28C   





I took that shock mainly for pacticing a bit of photography and i think it come out great, i changed the brightness on the camera as before it was coming out bright green.

Thanks for looking.


----------



## aaronnorth (13 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

I invested in a grid for the riccia, looks neater now but it is too high so next ime i will cut it in half. The MM has taken off now as i gave it a good prune last weekend, excuse the P.Hekferi which is so neatly placed, it will change - i am just waiting for the plantlets to get a bit larger.





The patch on the grid is where some Riccia fell off :angry:

I also moved the 2 outer rocks slightly as reccomended by George, i like the right hand rock as you can now see a bit more shape to it.


----------



## aaronnorth (22 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

well i was doing my weekly maintenace and i decided to seperate all the P.Helferi plants, looking more natural now. I also halfed the riccia grids which also looks better. I took some of my sand out as it went anerobic, hopefully this will help. Everything is growing better than before. I did an 80% w/c incase of any NH3 spikes, i will also do a 50% w/c tommorow aswell as trimming the MM. My mum went to fetch a chinese and on the way back she saw smoke in the feild (nursing home field)next to us (you can probobaly guess whats coming) Anyway it looked like a bonfire (thought they might of been burning off some grass or something) so i ran upstairs and there were a fair bit of smoke coming from a tree, then all of a sudden flames started to appear  anyway i phoned the Fire brigade and they were out in 4 minutes. after 25mins they had been & gone, took them as long to wind the hose back up as it did to put the fire out lol. They had to jump over the fence and have a good 200-300metre walk. I got a few pics:

THEY ARRIVE:




CLOSE UP:




THE FIRE:




THE FIELD:




PACKING UP & CROWD GATHERING:





Respect for the Notts fire Team :nod: 

Thanks for looking!


----------



## aaronnorth (23 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

some pics of the tank this time!











enjoy


----------



## aaronnorth (27 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

the HC arrived today (thanks Mark) i never realised how small the leaves were!!! I knew they were smaller than glosso but i never knew they were that small. It took me 2 hours to plant it all (ouch, my back & neck  ) it looks good though and i think it will compliment the scape well. He also sent me some E.Tennulus which i positioned behind the microsorum pteropus narrow. Excuse the pics, i really couldnt be bothered lol




















comments & critique welcome 

anyine got any ideas for a name? The valley/ forgotten valley? Ideas please


----------



## aaronnorth (27 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

do you think i should get some blyxa japonica for behind the 'narrow' instead of the e.tennulus as it grows taller. Not sure how it would look?


----------



## Mark Evans (27 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

wow, its vitualy covered your foreground. it looks though you could plant it a little deeper. the stems above the substrate might start growing up wards. let it establish for a week or 2 and start to trimm it. you gotta keep it low   

it already has made an improvement to your once Barron foreground.

The valley!

mark


----------



## aaronnorth (27 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*



> it looks though you could plant it a little deeper.



You know i used to like you Mark    



> the stems above the substrate might start growing up wards. let it establish for a week or 2 and start to trimm it. you gotta keep it low



I will see how it does, i just planted it so the roots and a bit of the stem were in the substrate as i thought it might rot.



> it already has made an improvement to your once Barron foreground.



Thanks, it lt the whole tank down, cant wait until it grows in   



> The valley!



1 Vote to the valley then   

How do you trim it? Do you just treat it like a stem plant?


----------



## Mark Evans (27 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*



			
				aaronnorth said:
			
		

> I will see how it does, i just planted it so the roots and a bit of the stem were in the substrate as i thought it might rot.



you can put an inch in the substrate, leafs aswell. it will take.



			
				aaronnorth said:
			
		

> How do you trim it? Do you just treat it like a stem plant?



i just went along with sharp trimming scissors. re plant what you've cut.


----------



## aaronnorth (27 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

thanks, does it matter if i put the top of the stem in the substrate?


----------



## Mark Evans (27 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

no it dont matter. ive planted an inch in the substrate with just 2 leafs slightly visible, and its grown back. you see( im no expert) i think because its come from a submerged state already, you stand a better chance of its survival  so less need to worry about it if you bought it in its emersed state if you get my drift...


----------



## aaronnorth (27 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> no it dont matter. ive planted an inch in the substrate with just 2 leafs slightly visible, and its grown back. you see( im no expert) i think because its come from a submerged state already, you stand a better chance of its survival  so less need to worry about it if you bought it in its emersed state if you get my drift...



yes, i have read that it is better to leave it in the pots for a few days to acclimatise it


----------



## aaronnorth (27 Aug 2008)

*Re: Aaron's 60l Low Maintenance*

i think i need some better scissors seen as it is so small! I dont need the whole set so dont reccomend UKAPS set (although i would like one    )

i will have a look on ebay. I think my local MA had some JBL ones in last time. If i remeber rightly they were Â£20  :?


----------



## aaronnorth (31 Aug 2008)

*Re: The Valley - 60l*

Good news - The HC was pearling so that is a good sign.

bad news - i have lost my tweesers   god knows where i have put them, i have 2 tanks, and i always put them in 1 of the cupboards  :?: maybe i might get the UKAPS kit after all!

Thanks.


----------



## Dan Crawford (1 Sep 2008)

*Re: The Valley - 60l*

We have 9" scissors available separately if you like?


----------



## aaronnorth (1 Sep 2008)

*Re: The Valley - 60l*



			
				Dan Crawford said:
			
		

> We have 9" scissors available separately if you like?



How Much? and are they straight or curved?

Small update, HC is producing new shoots and has filled out slightly, getting lots of pearling now from all the plants.


----------



## aaronnorth (13 Sep 2008)

Update:

I have took the windelov fern out and will be using more pogostemon helferi in its place to kee the midground simple, HC is filling in nicely as are the stems, bushing out really well now.

i have upped the dosing to 10ml daily and there is a remarkable difference!

Unfortunatley this wont be ready for the AGA competition (deadline is monday 15th  ) i really hought it would ake it but the CO2 running out while i was away really set it back when i got BBA everywhere  Maybe next year 







Excuse the mess (it is bloodworm  :blush: )


----------



## aaronnorth (13 Sep 2008)

i have just had a look through the whole of this journal and i cant believe how mcuh it has progressed, especially the stems, there were only about 7 at one point!

Great to look back on.


----------



## JamesM (13 Sep 2008)

Looks good mate, stems are filling in well nice.


----------



## Mark Evans (13 Sep 2008)

yep. looking great aaron. coming on nicely


----------



## Thomas McMillan (13 Sep 2008)

This tank's looking great. I love how it's evolved from the start, good work.


----------



## Garuf (13 Sep 2008)

Very nice. Can't wait to see if fully grown in.


----------



## aaronnorth (14 Sep 2008)

Thanks guys, next step is to get rid of the endlers, not sure what to get, i think i might get some black neons, or some embers.

They might have some new fish in though, havent been for a few week.


----------



## Thomas McMillan (14 Sep 2008)

I think Embers are just too shy. Black Neons would be good or maybe Harlequins or something?


----------



## aaronnorth (14 Sep 2008)

Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> I think Embers are just too shy. Black Neons would be good or maybe Harlequins or something?



Everyone has harlequins so i am trying to stay away from them (and cardinals/ neon tetras), i think they had some green neons too, 

thanks for the tip.


----------



## Thomas McMillan (14 Sep 2008)

aaronnorth said:
			
		

> Thomas McMillan said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yeah, Harlequins are quite popular I suppost. The main thig is if you like them and they suit the scape then what does it matter. Black Neons would be great though. I'm not too keen on Greens.


----------



## aaronnorth (14 Sep 2008)

> then what does it matter



because i want my tank to be different


----------



## Garuf (14 Sep 2008)

I think something more subtle is called for, I like the endlers though. lemon tetra or xray tetra would be my pick.


----------



## aaronnorth (14 Sep 2008)

i like nedlers, but there is too many and with them not shaoling, they make the tank untidy and it looks like bits of debris floating about on the pics sometmes.

I have had x-ray's before and i didnt like them, they were always hiding.

Lemon tetras are nice, i have also thought about rummynoses, but they are quite poular too.


----------



## aaronnorth (14 Sep 2008)

just had a quick look at some fish out a book and i like these:

flame tetra
loreto tetra
emporor tetra
espe's pencilfish


----------



## Thomas McMillan (14 Sep 2008)

aaronnorth said:
			
		

> i like nedlers, but there is too many and with them not shaoling, they make the tank untidy and it looks like bits of debris floating about on the pics sometmes.
> 
> I have had x-ray's before and i didnt like them, they were always hiding.
> 
> Lemon tetras are nice, i have also thought about rummynoses, but they are quite poular too.



I think Rummynoses would really suit this scape actually, probably more so than the other tetras. Being popular isn't a bad thing.


----------



## aaronnorth (14 Sep 2008)

black phantoms
scissortails
copper rasboras are all nice.

too many choices :?


----------



## Thomas McMillan (14 Sep 2008)

aaronnorth said:
			
		

> black phantoms
> scissortails
> copper rasboras are all nice.
> 
> too many choices :?



Black Phantoms are too bold and bulky for this scape I think. The other two are perfect.


----------



## jay (15 Sep 2008)

Espei's are great looking, but at around 8 quid a fish you wanna start saving  
Really liking pencils at the moment, you should maybe look at some of the other species would look good in your tank.


----------



## aaronnorth (18 Sep 2008)




----------



## Stu Worrall (18 Sep 2008)

thats filled out really well, looking great!


----------



## joyous214 (21 Sep 2008)

looks nice, starting to really fill out there...


----------



## aaronnorth (4 Oct 2008)

Nearly a month since i last updated this! i will get a pic tonight or definatley tommorow, the growth rate that is happening now is insane! The stems are getting to the surface evey week now! Today i have cleaned the rocks, done a large trim on the HM, and done a large 80% w/c. I have cut back on the dosing from 10ml to just 5ml daily. See how it goes   

stil not got rid of me endlers  lol  

thanks for looking


----------



## aaronnorth (4 Oct 2008)

here is a macro of the hemanthius micranthemoides pearling  






Thanks for looking! 

Aaron


----------



## aaronnorth (5 Oct 2008)

here it is:


----------



## Tom (5 Oct 2008)

Looks nice


----------



## Stu Worrall (5 Oct 2008)

thats grown in really well and is looking great. have you thought about swapping the stems and the java fern around so you get more of a slope from left to right?


----------



## aaronnorth (19 Oct 2008)

stuworrall said:
			
		

> thats grown in really well and is looking great. have you thought about swapping the stems and the java fern around so you get more of a slope from left to right?



to many of them   

Mark is sending me some Vallis nana for the back left side, hopefully it should sort the problem out  

Nice thick carpet of HC


----------



## Mark Evans (19 Oct 2008)

hey aaron you got a good carpet now mate. i'll be wanting some back   (kiddin) 

well done


----------



## GreenNeedle (19 Oct 2008)

This scape is looking very professional now matey. lookin good.

AC


----------



## Thomas McMillan (19 Oct 2008)

I'm liking it! I know this is a bit weird, but it just looks a bit green. Obviously it's going to look green...but it just looks very green to me. Maybe it's just the photos.


----------



## aaronnorth (19 Oct 2008)

Thanks everyone,

the pics do make it a brighter green than it really is, i just cant seem to get the right WB


----------



## JamesM (19 Oct 2008)

Use Photoshop or The Gimp. Reduce green, add some blue, done.


----------



## Mark Evans (19 Oct 2008)

quick job aaron....


----------



## LondonDragon (19 Oct 2008)

Looking great Aaron, that HC is coming along nicely, I might give that another go when I get rid of my glosso


----------



## aaronnorth (20 Oct 2008)

thanks James & Mark, i am just having a go...

I love HC, now it is has filled in, how long did you leave it for last time LD?


----------



## aaronnorth (20 Oct 2008)

1)




2) Mark




3) Mine




I didnt add as much blueso mine looks a bit washed out, i know what to do know though, thanks


----------



## aaronnorth (1 Nov 2008)

I have just got 8 black neons, when in the sop i thought there would be enough but now they are in the tank they lookk tiny  I will be getting another 8 i think, great fish.

I have euthanised the endlers because they were deformed and were not suitable to sell on or take back etc. I use the ice cold water method, went much better than expected, soon as they touch the water they instantly knocked out, i was worried i were going to do it wrong  

some half decent photos:


----------



## Thomas McMillan (1 Nov 2008)

Nice! I'm not sure I would have chosen the same fish choice, but they are great fish all the same.

I know what you mean about them looking small once they're in the tank, I get that all the time! I think it's because there's so many fish in such small tanks at the shop.


----------



## keymaker (1 Nov 2008)

saintly, looking at your tank pictures I just realized that in my nano tank I'll have to put my Hemianthus Micranthemoides in the BG instead of the mid-ground. Too much growth for just 24cm (9") of height. Funny I bought it to be a FG plant. 

Thanks for the inspiration, mate.


----------



## Mark Evans (1 Nov 2008)

keymaker said:
			
		

> saintly, looking at your tank pictures I just realized that in my nano tank I'll have to put my Hemianthus Micranthemoides in the BG instead of the mid-ground. Too much growth for just 24cm (9") of height. Funny I bought it to be a FG plant.
> 
> Thanks for the inspiration, mate.



 maybe wrong journal my friend. this is aarons journal


----------



## LondonDragon (1 Nov 2008)

aaronnorth said:
			
		

> I love HC, now it is has filled in, how long did you leave it for last time LD?


About 3 months, until glosso too over it, but it didn't grow much in those 3 months and most of it turned dark green at one stage.


----------



## keymaker (1 Nov 2008)

OK, it was Aaron after all. I was so happy to find the solution that I didn't look.
And you confused me with your photoshop tricks and posting modified pictures of Aaron's tank....


----------



## aaronnorth (2 Nov 2008)

The HM can be used as a forground if you are good at trimming plants, or you have a really large tank! I hacked away at it the otherweek and no it has really bushed out and thickened up.



> About 3 months, until glosso too over it, but it didn't grow much in those 3 months and most of it turned dark green at one stage.



HC likes a lot of CO2 and Nitrogen, if it wasnt any of those then it is just you :!:


----------



## PM (7 Nov 2008)

Boy do black neon females get FAT! hahahaha, mine are massive, they do have some really cool behaviours though, (they get quite territorial, and display their colours to each other in a little dance sometimes). They're much more bold than the little males.

Enjoy, tank looks good, esp the HM, I hope mine grows that nicely


----------



## Steve Smith (7 Nov 2008)

Edit - wrong info posted


----------



## keymaker (7 Nov 2008)

Steve, I wonder how they keep it so nice and low. Do they trim the top? Or is it just the lighting level?


----------



## Steve Smith (7 Nov 2008)

Trimming, good light, CO2 and nutrients


----------



## aaronnorth (7 Nov 2008)

Steve, isnt that HC?

Thanks for the nice comments.


----------



## Steve Smith (7 Nov 2008)

No, I thought that at first but it's not!  Amazing or what?


----------



## aaronnorth (7 Nov 2008)

SteveUK said:
			
		

> No, I thought that at first but it's not!  Amazing or what?



the leaves are so small! Great job they've done


----------



## Mark Evans (7 Nov 2008)

hm?...it looks like hc. if thats the case i had hm in the henge. im confused now


----------



## keymaker (7 Nov 2008)

Mark, I checked the pictures from your blog. I think you had HM. The leaves are just longer then the HC which has more rounded leaves. You can check my journal below, I only have HM and HC in my nano at the moment. Those in the TGM tank are definitely HM.


----------



## Mark Evans (7 Nov 2008)

i don't believe it, i think it was hm, that means you've got hm aaron. i don't know the difference between the 2 as I've never had them side by side.


----------



## Dave Spencer (7 Nov 2008)

Hemianthus micranthemoides is the stem plant in Aaron`s tank. Hemianthus callitrichoides is the carpetting plant, which is also shown in the TGM tank.

Dave.


----------



## Mark Evans (7 Nov 2008)

Dave Spencer said:
			
		

> Hemianthus callitrichoides is the carpetting plant, which is also shown in the TGM tank.


thats what i thought. so i did have hc. i thought i was going mental.


----------



## aaronnorth (7 Nov 2008)

saintly said:
			
		

> i don't believe it, i think it was hm, that means you've got hm aaron. i don't know the difference between the 2 as I've never had them side by side.



you got me confused then lol!

hm - hemanthius micranthemoides (stem plant) is called baby tears
hc - hemanthius callachtricoides (carpeting plant) is called dwarf baby tears

They are similar hence the common name.


----------



## Steve Smith (8 Nov 2008)

The pic I posted of the TGM tank is a carpet of HC.  I just re-checked the original journal for the tank!

Sorry for the confusion all!  I'm sure Jimmy said it was either HM or even Micranthemum Umbrosum.


----------



## aaronnorth (8 Nov 2008)

SteveUK said:
			
		

> The pic I posted of the TGM tank is a carpet of HC.  I just re-checked the original journal for the tank!
> 
> Sorry for the confusion all!  I'm sure Jimmy said it was either HM or even Micranthemum Umbrosum.



lol

quick close up of the HC:


----------



## aaronnorth (9 Nov 2008)

pictures 

I have spread the microsorum pteropus 'narrow out onto a large piece of driftwood i had, i didnt realise how big it had got! It was huge. i feel much happier with it now, the transition from background to midground is much better. When the vallis nana starts to grow up the back in the left corner i think it will look great.


----------



## Mark Evans (9 Nov 2008)

that looks great aaron.   

maybe just watch the stems (right hand side) you can see the lower parts of the stems which are not so nice. maybe some more microsorum to the right of the stems too? looks great though.


----------



## aaronnorth (9 Nov 2008)

Thanks, yeah i am struggling to get the stems to bush out, there is only a few there and it is hard to do. The shape of the rock doesnt help either as at the back it sticks out


----------



## Thomas McMillan (9 Nov 2008)

Looking great! It still looks a big green for me... I know it's wreird. Maybe it's my screen or something, I dunno.

I think the stems are getting there, but I think like Mark said it might look good to have some more Narrow Fern on the right of the stems. The right hand side is looking a little bit too open compared to the left and this might help.


----------



## aaronnorth (9 Nov 2008)

i havent edited the photo as advised like last time, the photo is very poor quality and editing it doesnt help, gives it a cartoon appearence   

maybe i could have more stems rather than the narrow there? I can then shape them going down to the HC so it doesnt look as open?


----------



## aaronnorth (13 Nov 2008)

I have just planted some more stems, i dont think there is enough (width ways) but i didnt want to rip up too much of the HC carpet


----------



## steve123 (13 Nov 2008)

yups defo more Hm in there... yeeehaaaaarrrrr ... allow it to drape across them rocks..   nice scape lookin forward to seeing it a lil matured


----------



## aaronnorth (15 Nov 2008)

few more pics:


----------



## Themuleous (23 Nov 2008)

What co2 system you using on this tank?  Your P.herferi looks great, wish mine looked that good!

Sam


----------



## aaronnorth (24 Nov 2008)

Themuleous said:
			
		

> What co2 system you using on this tank?  Your P.herferi looks great, wish mine looked that good!
> 
> Sam



I have a 2kg fire extinghuisher.  apart from CO2 i am also dosing 5ml of TPN+ daily so that could also be why the PH looks good. In another thread it was said that it responds well to traces and easycarbo/ excel dosing.


----------



## Themuleous (24 Nov 2008)

Yeh I find P.He to be great for early signs of trace deficiency, as it turns white pretty quickly, but is easily covered by adding more trace.

Sam


----------



## aaronnorth (7 Dec 2008)

Another update:







Again i havent cleaned the tank for 3 weeks, and this time i started to get a small amount of algae, and i also noticed that i have got a lot of organic matter under my HC - probably the cause of Algae








The HC has needed a good trim for a few weeks now. It is the most growth i have had from all my plants for some reason, so today i literally hacked away at the hemanthius micranthemoides, making quite a mess of it but i couldnt really help it. 








I also planted some more stems to the right, which i will be graduallly sloping down towards the side. I also started to trim my HC but the underneath had already strated to turn yellow, so i decided to rip the whole carpet up. I also thinned out my P.Helferi. This will be creating a ammonia spike, so i did a 80% w/c and i will do more 50% w/c for the next couple od days to make sure i dont get any algae. I will also replace the HC tommorrow (it is sitting in a bucket at the moment)








What do you think to spreading the HM right along the back to the side of the tank, but keeping it trimmed low?

Thanks for looking


----------



## Thomas McMillan (7 Dec 2008)

I dunno about keeping it low, but I think a 'well' of stems is always really effective and looks great.

I think this tank looks great how it is though.


----------



## Themuleous (14 Dec 2008)

Blimey! quite a change in there!  If you can keep it low, HM along the back could look good 

Sam


----------



## aaronnorth (14 Dec 2008)

Themuleous said:
			
		

> Blimey! quite a change in there!  If you can keep it low, HM along the back could look good
> 
> Sam



Here are the updated pics, some may know i started a thread HERE asking for advice on the scape, i havent made many improvments on it yet but i have my plans.






Thanks


----------



## Themuleous (14 Dec 2008)

Its really tricky offering advice on a scape.  I always find checking things like the CAU guys website gives me lots of food for thought.

Sam


----------



## aaronnorth (20 Dec 2008)

I just liked these shots particularly because the colour is similar (not green as usual lol) although i think i know why, i looked at the spectrum of my tube and it has a huge green peak, so that could be the cause - I couldnt decide which was the worst  








Some more news, i took the 5 vallis nana plants out, stripped off all the old leaves and found a few new shoots growing   so perhaps it has just taken an extremely long time to change from Mark's parameters to mine - which is weird and the only possible problem that i would think is viable, but it still seems strange :?


----------



## aaronnorth (31 Dec 2008)

The first picture was taken on my old camera, the second is on my new one, which you can see is loads better, i have also learned why photoraphers bang a load of lighting over their tank, it took me ages to find the correct setting lol.

Depth of filed is also much better, not as 2D as before  

I have also ordered some Borneowild driftwood (5 XS pieces) which i will position them coming out from the back left corner (the rocks are going), and also some Cryptocoryne wendtti 'green' to plant around the base of the wood, the vallis nana has grown some new shoots  but they are staying at the front until they grw a bit larger, they will then go back to their original position in the back left corner. So hopefully i will have a nice triangular scape 

Thanks.


----------



## Thomas McMillan (31 Dec 2008)

Looking good, I prefer it now you've switched the rocks over. I think it'll be better suited with the BorneoWild aswell. The fern has got massive! 

This is just from reading aquascaping articles, but wouldn't it produce a better sense of scale/depth to have the smaller leaved plants (your stems) in the back left and then the fern to the right of them?


----------



## aaronnorth (31 Dec 2008)

Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> Looking good, I prefer it now you've switched the rocks over. I think it'll be better suited with the BorneoWild aswell. The fern has got massive!
> 
> This is just from reading aquascaping articles, but wouldn't it produce a better sense of scale/depth to have the smaller leaved plants (your stems) in the back left and then the fern to the right of them?



Thanks, TBH i am not sure how it would look, but i will see how it looks when the crypts & wood go in, because then the stems will be trimmed even lower.


----------



## Wilis (4 Jan 2009)

Hi Aaron, Nice scape n great jounal,it'll be interesting to see the changes soon too. Hope to be starting my own in the not too distant future    lol


			
				Themuleous said:
			
		

> I always find checking things like the CAU guys website gives me lots of food for thought.
> 
> Sam


Just wondering Sam if you could expand on this for me, CAU?

Regards
Will


----------



## Mark Evans (4 Jan 2009)

Wilis said:
			
		

> Just wondering Sam if you could expand on this for me, CAU?



http://www.cau-aqua.net/index.php


----------



## Thomas McMillan (4 Jan 2009)

I've been a bit sneaky and looked on your TFF journal  8) I love the wood, your tank looks much btter now.


----------



## aaronnorth (4 Jan 2009)

Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> I've been a bit sneaky and looked on your TFF journal  8) I love the wood, your tank looks much btter now.



 

You couldnt wait 10mins so i could post on here   





Thanks


----------



## Thomas McMillan (4 Jan 2009)

No, it's a bit improvement, definately. The wood looks bigger than I imagined.


----------



## aaronnorth (4 Jan 2009)

Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> No, it's a bit improvement, definately. The wood looks bigger than I imagined.



I agree, i am very proud of it, still some tweaking of the wood though, but i cant put my finger on what needs changing


----------



## chump54 (4 Jan 2009)

I'm liking this one too... the wood seems to pull you into the tank and lead you into the open area. works really well with the fern.

whats the plan for the open area to the right?

Chris


----------



## aaronnorth (4 Jan 2009)

chump54 said:
			
		

> I'm liking this one too... the wood seems to pull you into the tank and lead you into the open area. works really well with the fern.
> 
> whats the plan for the open area to the right?
> 
> Chris



I am leaving the front right open, then the rest will be covered with HC.


----------



## billy boy (4 Jan 2009)

Very nice, That diffuser could do with a good clean


----------



## aaronnorth (4 Jan 2009)

billy boy said:
			
		

> Very nice, That diffuser could do with a good clean



I have only just got the CO2 working again (changed the pipe), so it has been stood - and i cant be bothered to change it right now


----------



## aaronnorth (8 Jan 2009)

I have had at a long shot like Mark was advising to do on another thread   


Then some of the plants:


----------



## Mark Evans (9 Jan 2009)

your images have improved no end aaron. 

look at your tank a little harder and look for the dense foliage  when highlighting areas. theres a little to much in the way of shadow on image 2 and 3. still great shots, but a little broken up. if your highlighting leaves which i think is what you were trying to do?.... place the leaf or subject in the golden ratio/ rule of thirds. good stuff all the same.

the first one is brilliant. just keep trying and it will improve


----------



## aaronnorth (9 Jan 2009)

saintly said:
			
		

> your images have improved no end aaron.
> 
> look at your tank a little harder and look for the dense foliage  when highlighting areas. theres a little to much in the way of shadow on image 2 and 3. still great shots, but a little broken up. if your highlighting leaves which i think is what you were trying to do?.... place the leaf or subject in the golden ratio/ rule of thirds. good stuff all the same.
> 
> the first one is brilliant. just keep trying and it will improve



Thanks


----------



## aaronnorth (17 Jan 2009)

Last photo for now until ADA competition. It isnt that far of off being completed


----------



## GreenNeedle (17 Jan 2009)

That wood is a lovely colour.  Your photos are doing it a lot of justice too.  Plants are looking great.

AC


----------



## Thomas McMillan (18 Jan 2009)

Looking good Aaron, nice to see the tetras out and about.


----------



## Mark Evans (18 Jan 2009)

SuperColey1 said:
			
		

> That wood is a lovely colour. Your photos are doing it a lot of justice too. Plants are looking great.



i'll second that. the picture quality is ten fold and showing your scape in a new light. isn't the borneowilde wood great? I've got it in my 60cm.


----------



## aaronnorth (18 Jan 2009)

I am loving the borneowild driftwood, if i ever get a larger tank i would definatley consider using it. I fed the tetras a bit of food to get them to come out!
The vallis nana is producing new shoots albeit very slowly. I might get them to grow the full heigth of the tank by May  

Thanks for the comments.


----------



## aaronnorth (24 Jan 2009)

The first picture i have got of the tetras


----------



## Thomas McMillan (24 Jan 2009)

Nice photo, Aaron. How are they doing? Still a bit timid?


----------



## aaronnorth (25 Jan 2009)

Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> Nice photo, Aaron. How are they doing? Still a bit timid?



Yes, that picture is them at the back of the tank, notice the heater cable


----------



## TDI-line (25 Jan 2009)

Looking good Aaron.


----------



## aaronnorth (1 Feb 2009)

Thanks Dan, i think the vallis has been on steroids, it has doubles the amount of plants i had 3 days ago lol  sorry couldnt resist the speeh on it  





practicing with border


----------



## Thomas McMillan (1 Feb 2009)

haha, nice photography and captioning! the border looks good apart from you might want to continue it around dthe sides


----------



## aaronnorth (2 Feb 2009)

Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> haha, nice photography and captioning! the border looks good apart from you might want to continue it around dthe sides



yeah that wasnt supposed to happen but i left it to see how it looks.


----------



## aaronnorth (17 Feb 2009)




----------



## ceg4048 (17 Feb 2009)

Coming along nicely Aaron. Looks like you've a better handle on color balance now.  

Cheers,


----------



## chump54 (17 Feb 2009)

growth is looking great, are you going to grow the HM more on the right?

agree with ceg the pics are looking great. 

Chris


----------



## aaronnorth (17 Feb 2009)

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Coming along nicely Aaron. Looks like you've a better handle on color balance now.
> 
> Cheers,



haha, i now use custom WB  My fish pictures are coming along great too  



> growth is looking great, are you going to grow the HM more on the right?
> 
> agree with ceg the pics are looking great.



I am in 2 minds about the HM, i think it needs to go the full length of the tank otherwise it divides it in two, however if i do grow it the full length i can see now that i will have problems in covering the bottom half of the stems where they tend to get a bit leggy/ messy. I have thought about adding more crypts but then i feel it will upset the balance of the tank, and if i do this i will have to grow a full carpet of HC.

As you can see one thing leads to another  I have some thinking to do.


----------



## JamesM (17 Feb 2009)

Looking great mate, pics are sweet too


----------



## keymaker (17 Feb 2009)

Now that HM is HUGE! It should really be sold as a BG plant... 
The tank is looking really good.


----------



## Mark Evans (17 Feb 2009)

i see massive amounts of improvement here aaron. very well done.   

the tanks looks great along with the images also.


----------



## YzemaN (18 Feb 2009)

Looks great, now that the HM is filling out! I can see what you mean by the "two halfes", but isn't it just a question of pruning to the right shape?
And great photography too!


----------



## George Farmer (18 Feb 2009)

Looking good, Aaron - both 'scape and photos.

Have you considered moving the mass of stems to the left, behind the fern, creating a classic triangular composition?


----------



## aaronnorth (18 Feb 2009)

Thankyou for all the comments - George i think moving the stems is the only option, i might do it this week seen as i am off school  
I just wish the vallis would start to grow, it seems to have gone back to its old ways again since i moved it  

Thanks.


----------



## chump54 (18 Feb 2009)

oh, that is a good idea... moving the stem. I can see it, it'll look great!

chris


----------



## aaronnorth (18 Feb 2009)

chump54 said:
			
		

> oh, that is a good idea... moving the stem. I can see it, it'll look great!
> 
> chris



I think it looks better, it was suggested to me months back but i wanted to see what it looked like before i moved it!








Excuse the water marks  I could of sworn i took pictures after i cleaned the glass  The fern is huge... much bigger than i previously thought and the crypt roots were about 6" long or more  I dont think the wood looks right though, perhps i should have no hardscape and fill it in with staurogyne sp.

I'd just like to say thankyou to everyone for their continuing help and support, whether it be aquascaping or photography etc i wouldnt be as good if it wasnt for you guys  

Thanks.


----------



## aaronnorth (18 Feb 2009)

I could get some blyxa for the back centre (TGM has some tropica in finally  )


----------



## Tony Swinney (18 Feb 2009)

Hi Aaron

I'm no expert, but that looks alot better to me.  I think something like Blyxa to help the slope of greenery down to the bottom right hand corner would be great !  I like the wood, except for the bit that seems to come down in to the foreground (front and centre) - it just seems to go against the direction of the other wood.

Tony


----------



## aaronnorth (18 Feb 2009)

Tonser said:
			
		

> Hi Aaron
> 
> I'm no expert, but that looks alot better to me.  I think something like Blyxa to help the slope of greenery down to the bottom right hand corner would be great !  I like the wood, except for the bit that seems to come down in to the foreground (front and centre) - it just seems to go against the direction of the other wood.
> 
> Tony



thankyou, although i am not too sure which piece(s) you are talking about. Do you mean the tiny piece at the back right and then the piece that is touching the HC?

Thanks.


----------



## Themuleous (18 Feb 2009)

Really nice  like the composition, varying textures without going overboard and having to many.

Sam


----------



## George Farmer (18 Feb 2009)

Much better, Aaron.  Well done.


----------



## Tony Swinney (18 Feb 2009)

Hi Aaron

Sorry - not a very good explanation !   A pictures worth a thousand words (as an old boss used to tell me   ) so here's your scape without the branch I was talking about !   

Tony  (hope you dont mind)


----------



## Fred Dulley (18 Feb 2009)

aaronnorth said:
			
		

> I could get some blyxa for the back centre (TGM has some tropica in finally  )



Just placed an order for 2.
Will let you know of the quality. I expect it will be good because it's Tropica and the boys at TGM.


----------



## aaronnorth (19 Feb 2009)

Fred Dulley said:
			
		

> aaronnorth said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks Fred

Tonser, i thought you meant that wood, and i did change it (flipped it so it was pointing in same direction) but it didnt look right and due to the shape it was hard to do,but now you removed it (good editing skills BTW!) it does look good - i'll see what i can come upwith 

Thanks Sam & George  

Just done another 50% w/c to make sure ammonia doesnt trigger any algae, thats 3 x 50% water changes 3days in a row now! I think i remember Dan saying he did it for 5 days before the final photo shoot and his plants responded well.


----------



## LondonDragon (19 Feb 2009)

Tank is looking good Aaron and the photography has improved a great deal  congrats mate


----------



## Thomas McMillan (20 Feb 2009)

I remember suggesting this several pages ago   

It looks 100 times better, nice one.


----------



## aaronnorth (20 Feb 2009)

Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> I remember suggesting this several pages ago
> 
> It looks 100 times better, nice one.



I know, quite a few people did


----------



## Fred Dulley (20 Feb 2009)

Quick delivery.






There's a lot there. Probably more than I needed. 
One of the hardest plants to plant, keeps coming back up like a bad sea-food meal.


----------



## aaronnorth (20 Feb 2009)

It was quick, looks very good - i can remember when i had it, it was a pain to plant, ok once it roots though  I wonder how this will do once planted as blyxa doesnt travel well, with it being tropica it may differ as i have found with my crypts - hardly any melting at all!


----------



## Mark Evans (20 Feb 2009)

angled tweezers are best for blyxa planting!


----------



## aaronnorth (20 Feb 2009)

Ok, this tank could be ripped down sooner than i thought  My Mum will be ordering the carpet in 10days so it may be up for another 3weeks max. (selling tanks, having new carpet in then having a 240l tank instead  ) When they said that i sort of had a sinking feeling in my stomach - i love this tank more than i realise!

So i wont be getting any blyxa as there is no point spending any more money on this tank, plus it may have started to melt as it comes to the final photo shoot!

Please dont post on here asking for anything, it will all go up in buy & sell section - ukaps members always get first dibs 

Thanks.


----------



## Thomas McMillan (20 Feb 2009)

What a shame... At least you get a massive tank instead, and we get a new journal!

Any idea when the plants will be in the Buy etc section??


----------



## aaronnorth (20 Feb 2009)

Thomas McMillan said:
			
		

> What a shame... At least you get a massive tank instead, and we get a new journal!
> 
> Any idea when the plants will be in the Buy etc section??



2-4week i would imagine - or i may try and move the tank just so i can keep it running a few more weeks so it is finished... hmmm....


----------



## Fred Dulley (20 Feb 2009)

Gutted mate. However, look on the bright side, this change may be quite beneficial  
The ideal of starting from scratch on a larger tank is very appealing.


----------



## samc (20 Feb 2009)

the more tanks you do the better you get


----------



## aaronnorth (1 Mar 2009)

Fred Dulley said:
			
		

> Gutted mate. However, look on the bright side, this change may be quite beneficial
> The ideal of starting from scratch on a larger tank is very appealing.



me too when i found out, although the new tank brings back the happiness 



> the more tanks you do the better you get



lets hope so!

All Plants are for sale now (see buy & swap section)

Thans guys.


----------



## aaronnorth (4 Mar 2009)

Personally i dont think they are bad for a first attempt, forgot to use the old hairdryer trick though  lol


----------



## JamesM (4 Mar 2009)

Ironing the blanket might help too


----------



## Thomas McMillan (4 Mar 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> Ironing the blanket might help too



 I noticed that.

I think they're brilliant first time shots! It turned out to be a nice scape, well done.


----------



## aaronnorth (4 Mar 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> Ironing the blanket might help too



i know, it is too late now though  ruins the shots but we learn from mistakes even if they are stupid ones


----------



## Superman (4 Mar 2009)

Boom!
B-E-A-You-tiful.


----------



## Dan Crawford (9 Mar 2009)

Nice one mate, you made the PFK newsletter


----------



## aaronnorth (9 Mar 2009)

Thanks, Clark and Dan


----------



## John Starkey (9 Mar 2009)

Hi aaron,cracking layout mate ,well done,regards john


----------



## LondonDragon (9 Mar 2009)

Congrats on the PFK Newsletter  latest shots looking great, as mentioned the background doesn't do it justice


----------



## aaronnorth (9 Mar 2009)

thanks guys. 
the background is really starting to annoy me now Paulo


----------



## skinz180189 (6 Jul 2009)

Only skimmed this, will give it a proper read tomorrow. I have the same tank, so it's nice to see what others have done with the same space for inspiration. I like what I've seen so far of this thread though.


----------



## aaronnorth (7 Jul 2009)

skinz180189 said:
			
		

> Only skimmed this, will give it a proper read tomorrow. I have the same tank, so it's nice to see what others have done with the same space for inspiration. I like what I've seen so far of this thread though.



Thanks


----------



## skinz180189 (7 Jul 2009)

Well I've just sat and read through it. From what pictures are still left (most are dead links now), you can see the tank has really progressed. I liked the rocks more personally than the wood, but that's because I'm a rock person!


----------



## aaronnorth (7 Jul 2009)

skinz180189 said:
			
		

> Well I've just sat and read through it. From what pictures are still left (most are dead links now), you can see the tank has really progressed. I liked the rocks more personally than the wood, but that's because I'm a rock person!



yeah, sorry about that i cleared up my photobucket account forgetting about links to lots of other threads & journals  I hated the rocks at the time but when i look back they werent that bad!


----------



## mr. luke (12 Dec 2009)

Is this stil running?
Got to have been a chunk of growth if it is


----------



## aaronnorth (12 Dec 2009)

mr. luke said:
			
		

> Is this stil running?
> Got to have been a chunk of growth if it is



unfortunatley not, final photos are on page 18, It was taken down earlier than I hoped for in March (cant believe it has almost been a year!).

I am working on this tank now:

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5661

Thanks, Aaron


----------

