Looking back: evolution of this tank [Part 2]
[Warning: Long post]
In setting up a scape or fish tank, sometimes (no matter how experienced you are) one may make a few mistakes or encounter hiccups. It is inevitable that you overlook some minor thing or some kind of trouble transpires. Hence, it is a God-sent that such a forum like UKAPS (and of course others too) exists. When one is at a wit’s end, and being a beginner who knows close to nothing about plants or algae or whatever that seems rocket science at first glance, the quick technical know-how of veterans who have been in the hobby could prove vital to the success of your setup.
In my case, it was an assumption that proved costly in the beginning.
This was Version 1.0 of my scape. I had all the plants quarantined for a few days and was ready to put sand in (yes, sand could go in later: that’s the beauty of using only sand as your substrate- they don’t cloud the water as much as aquasoil or dirt). Which I then did.
All of the plants were purchased from a nearby LFS. Except for the floaters on the water surface, they were all Anubias. I wanted to have another different plant for the background, to break the monotony of Anubias monopoly, so lo and behold my excitement when I encountered the said background plant. It was a fern, I had never seen it nor used it in my previous set-ups and it had ‘leaves’ (fronds?) of a particularly intricate design. A sucker for unique patterns in an aquarium, my first instinct was to purchase a few bunch which were all tied onto blocks of wood.
A few days in, some of their leaves started to break and shed off. It was strange, I thought, because the Anubias were going strong, even the floaters were forming new growths!
Then, to my horror, the Internet revealed what the plant really was: Peacock Fern.
It was semi-aquatic, a swamp plant and would rot when submerged in an aquatic environment.
Disappointed, I disposed all of them into the trash bin (money down the drain, sobs) and began pondering of a back-up low light plant as a substitute.
Often in this hobby, we seek out plants of novelty, to challenge ourselves or be a tad different, more exotic from the crowd. But sometimes, that same old boring plant, the tried and tested so to speak, could be the more suitable one for the parameters of your tank.
Indeed, Java Fern was that plant which saved the day for me. Not my favourite but I had limited choices due to a lack of substrate.
My story did not end here, because while at the LFS searching for Java Fern of suitable height for my scape, my curiousity for new plants engulfed me. I feel in love with Bucep!
I also had a go with H.tripartita on wabi-kusa and xmas moss when initially I had wanted to stick simply with Anubias as mid ground plants.
My only gripe from this experience is the unethical business practice of selling unlabelled non-aquatic plants. It has become a mission of mine to advise beginners at LFS these days to reconsider if I notice they have in their hands any non-aquatic plants.
Lessons Learnt:
- research, plan and ask around when shopping for plants, especially those you have never had experience with
- it is fine to go with the tried and tested; better boring yet safe than exotic with horror stories
- don’t let setbacks stop you; work around it and be creative: experiment, try new things out
- help others who wish to be helped in the hobby, at LFS or in forums like this; do pass your knowledge and experience to someone who needs it more
[End of Part 2, to be continued...]
