Since the previous update, i have made a number of changes. The circulation pumps have been unclogged and are running fine now. No more fish losses ever since, apart from a pencilfish that decided to jump out of the tank! -_- i think the honey gouramis may have just been a dodgy batch. I have cut off the dead growth on the black peppermint plant and refrained from spraying water onto it,
The Tillandsia Flabellata has been moved from its original 'planted in the substrate' position and has been mounted onto the hygrolon 'wall'.
Planted-
aannddd Mounted!
My carnivorous Utricularia Livida has grown really well and looks much healthier than when i received it and I have put it into its final position-
However, i am carrying out an experiment- I have put a small pinch of utricularia livida onto a patch of moss in the substrate which comes heavily into contact with the nutrient-rich water, to see how it fares. It has been there for a week or so and it seems to be doing okay. If it goes well, i may move it again in a way that it comes into contact with the substrate rather than keeping the substrates seperate with cling film-
I have also added some polygonum sp 'sao paulo' in emerse form, it has taken well to emersed growth. I placed several stems around different areas of the tank, some with lower humidity, some with higher humidity. A couple of them did wilt, however they are laid across the substrate in the emersed section and i can see new growth already. Don't give up!
Also, after much thought about what to do with my 'walls', which were very dry and not ideal for moisture loving plants, i decided to google 'drought-resistant plants', and it came up with sedums, which i thought were a very good idea! They were cheap too, so didnt matter too much if it didnt work out. I bought an assorted mix bag of clippings from ebay for roughly 4 quid and cable-tied them to the 'wall'. It has been about a week now and they seem to be doing well and putting out roots already!
Just after planting, just over a week ago-
Roots!
I have also managed to kill my first plant- An orchid called Bulbophyllum gracillimum. However, it did arrive in very bad condition, with only one leaf left. I have moved it into another spot in the tank in the hope that it will come back, regardless. Fingers crossed!
One of my Juncus effusus 'spiralis' doesnt seem too good either- think i placed it in too dry an area of the tank.
And also, i saw this little plant pop up from in amongst the mosses! I love seeing unexpected plants! Could anyone ID it for me?
😀 Dead centre of the photo-
Problems and such aside, here are some photos!
This was my first orchid- Brassavola Cucullata. I absolutely love this orchid! It is doing really well, and has had some noticeable growth, however it hasn't given me any flowers yet.
These are some of the newer orchids, recieved around the same time as the one that died- probably just over a month old. No flowers yet-
Haraella Retrocalla
A very small Ascocentrum Pusillum
This is one of my favourite plants in my tank and i think it suits it's position well!
Muehlenbeckia Complexa
Emersed anubias- The older leaves do not seem to have adapted to emersed growth well, however, note the new leaf spike
😉
Emersed twig absolutely overgrown with riccia! (note, i didnt put the riccia there in the first place! -_-)
Tillandsia Ionantha, has been there since the early stages, no flowers so far-
After being DESTROYED by aphids a couple of months back, my hydrocotyle seems to be making a comeback!
Uncinia Rubra (red hook sedge), one of the newer plants in the tank, some new healthy growth, however some of the leaves have died back. Will see how it goes.
Emersed moss portion that was made with java moss and hygrolon since the early stages of the tank. It has grown amazingly well and looks more like a part of the structure rather than a stuck on piece of hygrolon with a few pads of moss on it! I love the transtition into the water too with the riccia pieces.
This is the result of a MASSIVE portion of moss that i bought from a very generous member, it is a mixture of dark riccia, Riccardia Chamedryfolia, monoselenium tenerum, and fissidens fontanus. Here's to seeing how it will grow in!
Two of the newer plants- Peperomia Angulata bottom left, Doryopteris Cordata (antenna fern) Center.
The antenna fern seems to be sending out some antennas!
I bought two plantlets of Crinium Calamistratum, and they arrived today, and wow what a crazy looking plant! I love the texture! These are just before i planted them-
One of the plantlets seems to be sending an offset!
And finally, a photo of a spider which seems to have taken up residence on my peperomia pereskiifolia! Slightly off-center.
These were all taken with an iphone, so please excuse the crappy photos. I am currently refraining from taking pictures of the underwater section because it is slightly messy at the minute- the glass needs algae cleaning, lots of plants floating about waiting for me to get rid of them, and lots of pads of moss that i havent decided what to do with yet. Aside from that everything is very healthy!
Hope you guys all like it and please let me know what you think of it so far!