first planted attempt

[johnson529]

Hi all,
I started this journal on another site but have decided to bring it here too as I think I'll recieve far better help and advice with regards to the plants. Any way this is by no means an aquascape and nor is it any good but Imy main aim here is to try to learn to grow healthy aquatic plants and then one day hopefully progress to a full well planned design.

Spec

Tank - 24x15x15 optiwhite
Filtration - Eheim 2213 with added flow from a nuwave powerhead
Lighting - 3x 24w t5 (only 2 in use at the moment) comes on at 1600, goes off at 2300
Heater - Hydor ETH 200 External
Co2 - Pressurised 2kg FE with solenoid and in-line diffuser. Comes on at 1400 and goes off at 2100
Substrate - Eco complete covered by sand, fine gravel and coarse gravel
Ferts - EI dosing with ferts made up from dry salts as per cegs tutorial, dose NPK saturday, monday and wednesday, and trace mix Sunday and Tuesday
Water changes - 50% water change done ever Saturday

I started off with good intentions of having minimal equipment in the tank with glass lillies on the filter, Glass in tank diffuser and an external filter. In practice though, I found the glass pipes and absolute nightmare to keep clean, and the lily didnt seem to give enough flow, so they went and were replaced with the original eheim spray bar and intake. The filter is no where near enough flow output required for 10x turnover so had to bring in the powerhead until I can afford to buy in another external. and I found the in-tank Co2 diffuser didn't distribute co2 very well in my tank, everything seemed to be lost to the surface so I decided to try the in-line UP atomiser and can now see little bubbles all over the tank when the Co2 is on.

Plant wise in my tank has been:

HC
Echinodorus Bleheri
Vallisnera
java moss
Pogostemon Helferi
Alternanthera Reineckii
cryptocoryne Wendtii brown
bolbitis Heudelotii

I still have all of these in there except the vallisnera which died off in a big way. HC has been a nightmare as it wouldn't root for nothing and was constantly flaoting off. Thats why I brought in the fine gravel to cover the sand and try to hold it a little better. It seems to be working and is slowly spreading now. I've reduced the swords too as there were far too many and they were taking over.

The only livestock I have in there at the momet are amano shrimp which are doing a grand job of cleaning the bottom for me. (apart from 2 which jumped out and were found the next morning)

21 May 2010

28 May 2010

28 May 2010

06 Jun 2010

11 Jul 2010

07 Aug 2010

05 Sep 2010

05 Sep 2010

05 Sep 2010

 

[oliverar]

I agree with the decision to get rid of the blue stones! It is a shame you had to use the gravel, as that to is a little unnatural looking, but I suppose I can't think of a much better solution, I know you were saying it was not an aqua scape, but a few pointer's on how you could improve would be vary the height in the substrate, have it sloping down towards the front, and maybe have some more mid ground plant's because you have got the carpeting ones, and then you just sort of jump to the big ones, which looks a bit odd, unless you were doing a scape like a valley when you have the gap in the middle etc. But it has come a long way, and is an awesome first attempt, it serves it's purpose and look's good at the same time! Please post some pic's of the shrimp's!

 

[johnson529]

I agree with the decision to get rid of the blue stones! It is a shame you had to use the gravel, as that to is a little unnatural looking, but I suppose I can't think of a much better solution, I know you were saying it was not an aqua scape, but a few pointer's on how you could improve would be vary the height in the substrate, have it sloping down towards the front, and maybe have some more mid ground plant's because you have got the carpeting ones, and then you just sort of jump to the big ones, which looks a bit odd, unless you were doing a scape like a valley when you have the gap in the middle etc. But it has come a long way, and is an awesome first attempt, it serves it's purpose and look's good at the same time! Please post some pic's of the shrimp's!

Thanks for the reply. Believe it or not the stones are actually grey. I have no idea why they look so blue in the picture, although they were never intended to stay in the tank. Their sole purpose was to stop my rootwood floating away as I didnt have enough time to waterlog it fully before setting up the tank. Thanks for the input about the plants, I fully see what you mean about the mid-ground. I am waiting on getting to my lfs and picking up some more crypyts for the mid-ground but if you can recommend any others that would look ok in this tank I would much appreciate it. Another thing is my plants don't have the healthy, lush, vibrant green look that I see often in other peoples tanks. What can I do to improve this? Any pointers would be great.

 

[oliverar]

Your Plant's look al right to me, the really lush look normally comes after they are properly settled in, and you are pruning them, but my only suggestion would be maybe to have the co2 on at mid day, and the light's on at 1300, your hours seem a little short, but I am not an expert at that. As for the plant's I might try:
Malay Fern
Indian water fern
Eustralis Stellata
Limnophila Aromatica
Nymphaea Lotus Zenkeri 'Red'
Tonina Fluviatilis
Rotala Macandra

Are all nice, if you do think to introduce any of these PM me and I can tell you how to get them!

 

[oliverar]

Not all of them, just 2 or 3, sorry reading back over it made it look like I meant all of them!