Cryptocoryne Parva Carpet

[Akwaskape]

Thought I'd post up a picture of my Parva Carpet, its about 2 years old and going stronger than ever.

 

[Greenfinger2]

Good looking Carpet there

 

[Akwaskape]

@Greenfinger2
thanks I do love my parva 😉

 

[foxfish]

Looks great!

 

[Akwaskape]

@foxfish
thank you

 

[EnderUK]

I was slowly doing the same with Cryptocoryne pygmaea until I stripped my tank, that's the mission over the next year 😀

 

[Akwaskape]

@EnderUK Slowly being the operative word 🙂. Im really happy with it, this tank had been a thick matt of plants for so long. Took this picture a few months back when I finally got the courage to start hacking it into shape. At one point it had rooted frogbit that had grown 4 inches above the surface and ludwigia drapesing all over the edges.

 

[Akwaskape]

 

[Matt Warner]

That carpet looks really nice. What are the specs of your tank and what fertilisation are you using?

 

[Martin in Holland]

awesome thick carpet...also thick substrate layer, did you do this on purpose?

 

[Akwaskape]

@Matt Warner @Martin in China
thanks for the likes 🙂
The tank is a Clearseal 18x10x10 so prob makes the bed look a bit deeper. But agreed it is a little deeper than you'd expect.

Starting at the top the tube is an Arcadia freshwater T8 11w if mem serves me And the photoperiod is 10 hours.
The water column has no supplements whatsoever, the only chem I use is prime.
The filter is an eheim pickup 45 with the sponge taken out. Nice constant flow for the crypts. Consistency is king
The substrate is tropica growth dirt capped with Seachem onyx sand (it's actually more like gravel, I don't do sand)
And it's about 18 months old.

 

[Akwaskape]

 

[Akwaskape]

 

[Akwaskape]

 

[Akwaskape]

Above is a few pics last one is pretty recent.

 

[EnderUK]

@EnderUK Slowly being the operative word 🙂. Im really happy with it, this tank had been a thick matt of plants for so long. Took this picture a few months back when I finally got the courage to start hacking it into shape. At one point it had rooted frogbit that had grown 4 inches above the surface and ludwigia drapesing all over the edges.

I'm guessing you're doing what I'm doing, plant, let it grow, take out and split the rosette into small bits and replanting?

 

[Akwaskape]

@EnderUK
no I just bought about 5 pots from tropica. I split them down, got about 3 bits from each pot and planted them and just let them do their thing. I didnt think they liked being messed about with too much.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Sorry if I've missed the crucial detail but is it a low-energy tank? Superb carpet either way tho'...

 

[Akwaskape]

Hi @Troi
specs are above ^ im not sure where I would put it.
I love the 'low energy' label btw

For me high tech is around water chemistry.

This has a light, a pump and a heater but no co2 or liquid carbon nor any ferts so im leaning towards Low tech. And it's dirted.

 

[Jose]

Its low tech which doesnt necessarily mean low light.