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25 Liters - Low Tech

I read somewhere that sometimes "fake" Marimo algae are sold labelled as true Marimo. Those are just a ball of algae really similar to Marimo algae (Scientific name: Aegagropila linnaei \ Cladophora aegagropila). So the fake Marimos probably still belong to Cladophora genus, like the true Marimo, but they are a different and more invasive species.
I don't know if that's true. Another option could be that those people bought Marimo that carried some other algae on them. Then they didn't keep the Marimo ball in proper conditions, causing it to fall apart and disgregate, and at the same time the other "bad" algae took over the tank. Since both have similar structure, those people thought that that invasion was due to marimo ball hairs that came off. I think that only an algae expert could tell if those invasion of algae hairs belongs to Aegagropila linnaei or to another species.
 
20\05\2016

Tied the excess of Marimo algae to some wires. I'm not sure it it will work, but I didn't want to throw it away.

Microsorum 'Narrow Leaves ' isn't doing well. Fronds gets brown spots when they are still young. They don't die, but the look of leaves with brown areas isn't the best. What do you think about adding some Anubias with tiny leaves to fill that vertical part and hide the filter better?

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I have about 5 different java sp. in my low tech. They all kinda develop thos brown leave tips on new grown leaves at a certain age, but goes away again while maturing. Once the plant gets older and denser the young leaves doing that will be over shadowed and camouflaged. Me too at first i thought it was a definiency of some kind, but after searching for this it seems to be a grow characteristic of java.. A lot of people report this.. 🙂 So your ferns are probably still young, doing well without looking so for now.. Takes time and patience in low tech..
 
I don't really like stem plants, so I'm trying to avoid them. H.pinnatifida has a nice fern-like look, but I don't like to constantly cut stems and prune plants because they reach the surface.

Ok, I'll wait and see if Microsorum grows. I was thinking about adding some Bolbitis to java ferns, but Bolbitis makes big leaves compared to my little tank. I prefer to grow it near the bottom so it appears smaller.
 
01/09/2016
Moved everithing a bit .. as I have always been doing since I started this tank. Cryptocoryne melted a bit because I cut most of the roots to move them without messing all the sand and rocks.
No more Bolbitis on the bottom, but all tied now. I'll wait some months to judge if keep it or replace with something else. Since autumn is coming, cooler temperatures could help it grow better.
I got rid of almost all the Creeping Moss pieces. Maybe I'll add some Christmass Moss as transition from Crypts to rocks.

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13/10/2016
Nothing much changed except for Lomariopsis lineata that is breaking into small pieces that get stuck between rocks and rot/die/get eaten from Theodoxus fluviatilis.
A big news: changed my ugly lamp light to a Chihiros A401 Led Lamp. It has 6 light levels and I setted it on level 3.
Now all the thank gets light in an uniform way and not only the left side.
I still didn't got rid from all the Creeping Moss I put in the tank about a year ago, but now that I have more light I want to try Weeping Moss or Christmas Moss, in the central part to create a transition from Cryptocoryne/Anubias and the rocks area.
Hope that Bolbitis and Microsorum will boost their growth thanks to the better lighting.

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17/11/2016

I saw one Aplocheilichthys normani egg on the sand and tried to put it in a floating cup with very little holes for water flow. After a week a fry hatched from the egg but after a couple of days I found the cup on the bottom of the tank, sinked. No trace of the fry obviously.

Bought a cup of Spiky Moss (Taxiphyllum sp.). It has been in my tank for some weeks only, but I like it's growing habit for the moment.

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24/12/2016

Moss mesh are one with Spiky Moss and one with Creeping Moss (maybe this time with more light its growing habit will be better).
I had to tie Spiky Moss again saving only the green tips because the old parts of the stems were dead, probably because they grew in the cup with gel and not submersed.
There are some algae, especially on Anubias and Cryptocoryne leaves . I just don't add fertilise and they seem to stay under control.
I cut Bolbitis and Microsorum rhizome dead parts. I'm tired to see them doing nothing, but just slowly browning. Maybe if I tie them on rocks instead of cable ties they will start to grow from real, but I don't know how to put rocks on a high position to cover the filter and attach plants on them.
I'll wait 2 months and then replace Bolbitis and Microsorum with Anubias 'Bonsai' or 'Petite', but they're hard to find. Anubias barteri 'Nana' is the only Anubias I can find here but it's too big for my tank. Or of Spiky Moss will grow well, I can use it to hide the filter.

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