Unfortunately I need to scrape the tank before it matures as I need to move into my new apartment. Most of the stem plants didn't survive the transfer very well as they were kinda neglect about 2 weeks prior to the transfer and has got covered in algae quite badly.
anyway decided to go to TGM and buy myself some happiness. Spent 40 quid in TGM and bought some quality plant and on my way back, thought I'll just check out the garden centre nearby and stumble across a nice little tropical plant section where they sell pogostemon helferi for £2.95 per pot! Grab myself all remainder 4 pots that is available there and then!
Just a few pictures of the plant before I plunge them in my tank.
As I was trimming the plants, I was shocked to find how much I've actually purchased! Ended up having to put 2 pots of pogostemon stellatus, 1 pot of java fern, 1 pot of HM and 2 big mother plant of limnophila in the spare planted tank to grow. The cutting from the main limnophila plant was enough to fill my tank up! There was so much plant that I can't find any space for the bogwood that was in the tank previously. After hitting myself in the head a few times, I decided to go with the jungle look and crammed the tank with plants and go totally high tech with the tank.
Tank spec :
Tank size : 24"x18"x12"
Substrate : 20kg of akadama approximately 4-5" in most of the place
Lighting : overtank luminaire by EQJ trading with 2 daylight bulb and 2 grow lux. Total wattage 96w running at 9 hours daily
CO2 : 3bps running on 10l CO2 tank with solenoid through rhinox 2000 diffuser straight into the external filter
Filtration : Tetra tec 1200 running at max lph
Ferilisation : EI dosing and water changes 50% every 2 weeks or every week if I'm free
No heater at the moment. Water heated to room temperature which is somewhere between 22-25 degree
Tank inhabitants : 3 otocinclus, 3 SAE
Plants list
1. Cryptocoryne Bullosa
2. Cryptocoryne Undulata
3. Cryptocoryne Balansae var crispatulata
4. Limnophila aromatica both emerge and submerge form
5. Pogostemon stellatus both emerge and submerge form
6. Pogostemon helferi
7. Glossotigma elatinoides
8. Java fern narrow leaves on bogwood
9. Rotala Najenshan
10. Ludwigia inclinata var verticillata var. panatal
This is what the tank look like on day 1. will need to make everything much more bushier by multiple trimmings.
If there is anyone thinking about saving bucks and purchase from the far east, I would say think twice. The plant I bought from the far east was posted in the earlier post in the blog. comparing the amount of money I spent there and the amount and quality of plant I get, there is no way that I will do that again.(well not unless tropica don't stock those plants) Tropica plants rocks!