Unexpected
Member
Haven't seen anything from you recently. Must be the hustle of summer! How's the tank going and any updates for us? How are you doing?
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GreggZ Planted Rainbow Tank!
- Thread starter GreggZ
- Start date
GreggZ
Member
Thanks for checking in. Summers are short here in Michigan so the tank does not get the full attention is deserves. Here it is from yesterday. Not ready for prime time but going to whip it into shape soon. It needs a good cleaning and general maintenance to get everything back on track.
Also just had a few new plants arrive and need to put my thinking cap on and start getting more serious about placement.
As far as updates have slowly been turning back up the light. Was down at 70-80 PAR for quite a while. I guess I just can't drive 55, so lights are back up to about 140 for most of the day then up to a little over 200 PAR for three hours. Dosing is steady targeting 24:8:30 NO3 : PO4 : K in the water column at all times.
Other than that all is well. I have a daughter getting married in a couple of months and seems like that has taken over my life!!!
Unexpected
Member
Excellent, still looking good even while on autopilot. The Bows are looking nice too!
What are the new goodies?
GreggZ
Member
You should see very shortly. Joe Harvey sent me some new ones and I have to work out how I fit them in. Likely going to lose a few species as I am just overloaded.
First weekend in a long time not traveling or some other event going on so hope to whip things into shape real soon. Will report back once I get things going again.
Ed Wiser
Member
Glad to find you are here. Always enjoyed reading your thread on the planted tank forum. So sad about the Mod.
GreggZ
Member
Hey Ed yeah the whole thing was stupid. I posted what is commonly known among a very successful group of planted tankers from around the world.
He disagreed and I was gone.
GreggZ
Member
Had a chance to work on the tank today. Not the money shot but you get the idea. Seems like I always have a vision but getting it there takes time.
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Ed Wiser
Member
The scape crunch site seems to be down.
Will check with Art about it.
Here is a link to the pdf of Aquarium Hobbyist issue your article is in.
Will check with Art about it.
Here is a link to the pdf of Aquarium Hobbyist issue your article is in.
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GreggZ
Member
Thanks Ed! Let me know what you find from Art. I'd at least like to get a copy of it if the site is not going back up.
Ed Wiser
Member
Checked with Art. He has been to busy and doesn’t have the time right now for keeping the site up.
He did send me a link for the article in web archive.
web.archive.org
I was wanting to work on changing my current tank to a Dutch style like yours.
He did send me a link for the article in web archive.
Meet Gregg Zydeck - Dutch Inspired good guy - ScapeCrunch
Gregg Zydeck Dutch inspired aquascaper is stunning. In this indepth interview, Gregg shares his secrets to success with planted aquariums.
web.archive.org
I was wanting to work on changing my current tank to a Dutch style like yours.
GreggZ
Member
Thanks Ed!Checked with Art. He has been to busy and doesn’t have the time right now for keeping the site up.
He did send me a link for the article in web archive.
Meet Gregg Zydeck - Dutch Inspired good guy - ScapeCrunch
Gregg Zydeck Dutch inspired aquascaper is stunning. In this indepth interview, Gregg shares his secrets to success with planted aquariums.
I was wanting to work on changing my current tank to a Dutch style like yours.
My tank would likely get DQ'd in a Dutch competition. It's more "Dutch" inspired as it does not follow many Dutch rules.
Your tank is looking great. If you go with more stems just be prepared......they grow.....a lot! Maintenance and pruning/trimming time will go up significantly.
GreggZ
Member
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So what are the new plants names? Not that I don't like playing "spot the differences", but might be better if you tell us 😉
I see you also whacked the tulu and replanted a small stem. What's up with that?
PARAGUAY
Member
GreggZ
Member
I am always amazed at the level of detail that people pick out of my tank pics. Right now I have a bunch of new plants that are just sprinkled in amongst the regulars. Joe Harvey sent me a nice mix and it will take some time to see how they do and find them permanent homes.
Most are not all that “exciting”. There has been a trend of people wanting to find and keep “rares”. I have found that many times the rares are not that great to scape with. I am actually going back in the other direction and putting back in some tried and true favorites of mine.
What I try to do is mix a variety of colors and leaf shapes to create something that draws your eye around the tank. Sometimes I am more successful than others, and I have found that some folks love it and some folks hate it. In the end matters little as I pretty much just do whatever is pleasing to my eye. If I can sit for a long time staring at the tank and not lose interest then it’s what I set out to do.
So let’s take the Tulu you mentioned. I’ve kept it for a while but it has a similar color and leaf shape as other species that I keep. With everything else that I have I just don’t have a good spot to place it where it adds a lot to the presentation. That being said I kept a single stem just until I see how everything shapes up. Same for Macranda Variegated. I’ve kept the same batch going for about 8 years now. In my tank very similar color to Rotala Blood Red SG. I can only have so many red/pink plants or it could get overwhelming, so it might be time to phase it out. I feel like you need a balance with greens and other colors. I’ve seen some tanks where it's almost all reds and it doesn’t work for me. Of course in the meantime I did keep one stem just in case I change my mind!
Here is the list of what’s new.
Blyxa octandra, Hygrophila corymbosa 'Compact', Ludwigia Repens 'Rubin', Physostegia Purpurea, Rotala Mexicana Goias, Isoetes lacustris, Staurogyne spatulate, Lobelia cardinalis Mini.
I needed something grassy in the mix and the Blyxa Octandra should work well. Larger grassy plant stays green/yellow. Brings a nice contrast to other species. I wanted to add a large leaved red plant so added Ludwigia “Rubin”. I am going to keep it medium height as I like the way it is framed by the L. Cuba and Bacopa behind it.
Added back Hygro Cory Compact. Nothing special, easy to grow, but adds a burst of green at the foreground with a nice leaf shape. Same for L. Cardinalis mini. Common plant but should be nice in the foreground once it spreads and fills in.
Right now the R. Mexicana Goias is just sitting to the right of the Barclaya. The next step will be moving it to the foreground once it settles in a bit.
So right or wrong that is how my thought process works. These pics are really of a tank in transition. I have a vision of where I want it to be. Less species with fuller groups. A bit more “Dutch” like if you will.
But heck I could probably always say it’s a work in progress. Funny thing is some people see my tank and think it’s always the same. But rarely do I take a pic where everything is in the same place as the previous one. Subtle changes that few would notice but I do.
Now are your sorry you asked?😀
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Ed Wiser
Member
GreggZ
Member
Perfect! If you go full Dutch you will have plenty to fill your time! Looking forward to updates.Gregg I am retired.
I'm glad I did. As we say, a picture is worth a 1000 words but it's good to hear the artist behind the work too!
Exactly that's the only thing that matters. The rest is superfluous.
Nice. A few that I have never grown.
The only problem I see with that plant is that it needs to be located at its final place from day one as any uprooting and replanting seem to affect the plant heavily and it takes quite some time for it to have a good shape again. I've been trying on my 60cm tank to shape it an it's giving me headaches. I think the tulu would look very nice in the center of your tank at the back as a big bush but it would take several months to grow to a good size.
GreggZ
Member
Yeah I have thought about that. But as you know Tulu is subject to sudden stunting. Why? Who knows it just doesn't like something.
I have found I have no problem growing it. Plenty of side shoots and gets nice and bushy over time. But when it pouts it takes a while to come back to peak form. I get a similar color/look with the Rotala Macrandra Caterpillar just to the left of the Furcata. And it is totally drama free. I can literally pull out the entire bunch out, rip off about 5 inches, then plop it back down and it never skips a beat. So choosing to go down the path of least resistance. At least for now. These things are always subject to change.
