60 Lush

[richardcunliffe]

Starting a journal in which to share both my scape(s hopefully!) and random thoughts along the way which don't fit well in other forums. (Ooh look at this, how gross are these lily pipes, this made me laugh, doesn't this angle on an aquarium look kind of cool etc)

The title here is aspirational. I'm quite proud of where it's got to so far, though I certainly wouldn't rate it with the best. I would say 'lush' is the ultimate goal for any planted tank in my opinion. If I can achieve 'lush' I'll be a happy boy.

Background: This is my third tank, and the only one I now have running. My first was a Fluval Edge, started at the end of 2020, and the second a low tech epiphyte and house plant Dennerle 30 cube. Both were fairly successful (enjoyed) and I particularly liked just how low maintenance the cube was.

It was a very gradual process getting hold of the equipment (at least a year). It feels financially less painful that way, but also means that I searched for bargain second hand equipment. I did pretty well per item, but in retrospect, I think the cheapest way to get a bargain is to buy an entire setup second hand. Needless to say, by the time it got to fill-up day I was very excited.

Full disclosure, I started this tank last year in October, but I'll catch the journal up in installments

Equipment:

• APS(?) 60X40X40 Optiwhite tank (paid £40 Facebook)
• Chihiros WRGB2 60 (paid 90AUD on Ausy Facebook)
• Oase 350 Thermo (paid £80 with two sets of Lily Pipes Facebook)
• No CO2 at the start but I have an Eheim regulator on a fire extinguisher with in-tank diffusers of dubious effectiveness (because yes, this was Facebook too, except the extinguisher which was kindly given to me)

Hardscape:

• Tropica substrate, with lightly used Tropica aquasoil (another secondhand buy) as well as some fresh aquasoil, and JBL volcano material in mesh bags from a previous set up.
• A couple of large (for the tank) pieces of bogwood (second hand of course) and a bit of red moor root(?) (yes, you guessed it, Facebook)
• Black lava rocks and some sand of unknown origin.
• "Driftwood root" bundle from ebay for details

The layout was inspired by the wood, and is sort of like a shoot growing from an older larger rotten stump.

Plants: Mostly from the previous tanks which gradually went from scapes to plant holding boxes as they were broken down and the hardscape removed in case it was wanted here:

• Crypt Parva
• Crypt Wavy Green?
• Crypt Undulata Red
• Crypt Albida Brown?
• Siamensis 53B
• Heteranthera
• Pogostemon Erectus (keen to bring this back from only two or three stems)
• Bacopa Compact (possibly some Carolina)
• Various anubias, nana gold, something smallish, something biggish
• Java fern (narrow?)
• In vitro Marsilea Minutia (worked ok in previous experience)
• In vitro H'ra (new to me, looking forward to red)
• In vitro Hydrocotyle Tripartita (new to me, inspired by lots of cool scapes I've seen)

Above water (initial list):

• Peace Lily
• Spider Plant
• Tillandsia

Here's the hardscape in its final form (bar missing sand area) after months of playing around and leaving it sit and coming back and wondering about where the waterline mark will be and where the houseplants will be wedged and how the flow will go and what to plant where and whether I was using too much volume up with hardscape and etc.

 

[Imran #786]

Looking forward to your scape...
Will u be attaching any moss? Those branches seem to be screaming for some greenery

 

[Mike Singh]

Amazing work with the drift wood. It really does look like a tree stump. I don't think the black lava rocks matches with the brown wood or substrate. It just sticks out to much and unbalances the layout. I'd suggest using Dagon stone to improve the aesthetics. With all the knicks and crannies at the base of the wood I'd recommend panting heavily with Anubias and Bucephalandra; as many species as you can! Some Hydrocotyle could be planted and trained to grow up the wood. Some tall Echinodorus and Vallis in the background will reach up nicely to compliment the height of the tree trunk.

 

[seedoubleyou]

I think the wood will really darken over time anyway.

 

[richardcunliffe]

Will u be attaching any moss?

I have thought about it. I'd quite like to try sometime, but I wasn't sure where would work best and as it went on I was worried it would just end up covered in BBA

Amazing work with the drift wood.

Thanks Mike!

Dagon stone to improve the aesthetics

The inline image is just substrate and not the soil, which is much darker (see attachments) Initially, I wanted to go wood only, but also wanted the sand area and needed something to separate the aquasoil. Imo dragon stone would be too similar colour and the texture would detract from the wood. Probably, I shouldn't have gone with the sticky up bit but I got carried away with the feeling it creates from very low down looking into the cave like area. Actually, I think this doesn't work great because it's on a different scale to the other elements and planting which is more NA/Jungle than diorama.

 

[Aqua360]

your hardscape is quality, well done. Look forward to seeing the next stage!

 

[Imran #786]

What's your take on patience vs procrastination

 

[richardcunliffe]

@Imran #786 both are enforced by family, health and finance. Having limited time to work on it actually has the effect of making me more hesitant, because having to make big redos is a time luxury I don't have.

 

[richardcunliffe]

Here it is immediately after planting, after fill up and the day after. I hadn't intended for the big anubias in the back, but for the first while I think it worked ok to get some green height.

 

[Mike Singh]

Here it is immediately after planting, after fill up and the day after. I hadn't intended for the big anubias in the back, but for the first while I think it worked ok to get some green height.

Waw that's impressive! It looks great!
What's you list of plants? What's the big plant sticking out in the back right?
The big Anubias may suffer as it's to close to the light.

 

[richardcunliffe]

See the first post for the plant list @Mike Singh

 

[richardcunliffe]

At three weeks I introduced 6 otos along with the handful of nerites that had been in there from the start. Plenty of wood moulding to get literally stuck into at this point

6 weeks and I was getting impatient for the Hra sunset look, but enjoying my first experience of the Tripartita. Still hadn't cleaned the lily pipes!

Plenty of scares about not seeing otos (also new to me) when I even took the whole central wood piece out and didn't see any. Then saw 5 shortly after. I had also introduced some yellow neocaridina by now.

 

[Mike Singh]

It looks fantastic and lush!

 

[richardcunliffe]

Ok, just to skip ahead to now.
Week 8ish added 5 cardinals/neons (a mix) and a lonely ember. A tiny sprig of Begonia in the top from a resurrected houseplant also added
Week 9ish the rest of the stocking, totalling 17 cardinal/neons (one since then jumped?) and 3 honey Gouramis (turns out to be 2M 1F 😬), with the (hopefully still) 6 otos, nerites and shrimp.

Week 12ish and I was finally seeing the first Hra on the back. At some point I also moved the large anubias out to another holding tank and shuffled another mid sized one from the right to the left.
Week 16ish and I was keen to get the Hra going a bit quicker and introduced CO2, still no ferts happening
Week 20 I saw the two Gouramis sizing one another up. Was a cool display and haven't seen any nipping or injury to date. Would be cool to get babies though, so I will probably exchange at some point.
Week 22ish added floating plants to try to limit light in the mid ground and for the duckweed index when I start needing to dose. BBA is a thing, particularly on the lava rock near the inlet outlet and some crypt leaf edges and more annoyingly the anubias and marsilea minutia carpet.
Current status:

• The begonia is going great.
• 
  
• The floating plants are requiring thinning more than weekly. I'm trying to keep the red root floaters some of which are coloring up nicely. (Is it just me, or are they the least floaty of all floating plants?)
• I reinstated the sand patch which I gave up on for a while; I'm convinced the shrimps move the soil when I'm not looking.

 

[Cazza]

Looks superb! Agree about the Red Root Non-Floaters!

 

[richardcunliffe]

I think my BBA is pearling 🤪

 

[Mike Singh]

I think my BBA is pearling 🤪View attachment 218347

Well an algae got to breath 🤷🏾

 

[richardcunliffe]

I never remember to take the 'before' photos but things were getting out of hand with floating plants (despite more than weekly removal of large handfuls) the Hra, and everything generally getting a bit nuts (in a tangly lack of light kind of way). Did a pretty brutal trim of the Hra that I hope will pay off. I'm enjoying seeing the 'sky' again, though looking forward to it filling back in more densely. I usually just take the longest stems and replant but that looks more straggely. The pogostemon e. is getting some more tops at last, and I planted in some myriophylum sp ruoryma from Tai in that same back corner. Unfortunately, it's where the floating plants end up so I need to get a feeding ring or something to make sure they get light.
Still have the 2m, 1f honeys, but haven't seen any naughtyness. They tend to keep themselves in their own little areas.
Shrimp population is insane as ever. I'm not one for weekly prefilter cleaning, but when the flow was looking a bit sluggish and I got around to it, there were 40 shrimp in there. DM me if you want some at better than eBay prices!
My BBA is still growing beautifully . And the begonia leaves are getting big!
I gotta get that one going-red suction cup in some bleach some day...

 

[richardcunliffe]

It flowered!

 

[richardcunliffe]

Mini update following an enthusiastic trim.
Somewhat suddenly spotted this rather large leaved water lettuce (?) that's been growing nicely. I'm still removing floating plants on a more than weekly basis just to keep the surface clear enough for some light below.
Using some CO2 tubing to create a floating ring on the back corner is helping things for the pogostemon and myriophylum I hope. They are still pretty straggly though. The pogostemon has never been as good as my first tank with some south facing sun.
On the right I've introduced the smallest imaginable sprig of mint to see what happens. For some reason it's really struggled in our patio pots this year so let's see if it can magically burst into glorious life, like the begonia.
Also on the right I'm hoping for some emersed 53b, which went a lovely pinkish colour in my neglected nano low tech I'm supposed to be caring for for my dad. Got a little now, though no pink tones, and I think the relatively large distance to the aquasoil below isn't helping general stability!
Also introduced some weeping moss from @Cazza in a few places. Would love it to cope in the emersed but dampish bits, though I suspect it might get too dry under the light.
Actually removed some BBA from the wood today, though the lava rock I left alone. Now that the CO2 has run out it'll be interesting to see if it survives, but I'm hoping taking it away from the wood will at least give the moss a chance to set going before a potential survival of the fittest situation.
The usual Shrimp fest when I vacuum the sand patch back to vaguely clear of soil!