Just not sure about these plants - I need an honest opinion

[John44]

Hi

So im on week six of my tank, everything is growing, the grass at the front is really slow to grow.

I have a photo period of 6 hours, co2 of 6 hours (it starts an hour before the lights come on) my kh is approx 35ppm, some of the lower leaves are not brilliant ?

I have good flow and there is no area that does not get flow.

I just feel it looks messy - so honest opinions sought (I need to learn)

selection of pics from different angles are below


Regards
John B

 

[tim]

Hi John, scape is great for a first attempt especially in a trigon, honest opinion though( you did ask for it 🙂) you are lacking foreground and mid ground planting, hair grass is notoriously slow growing (and disheartening) I would recommend adding some micranthemum Monte Carlo and helanthium tellenum to the foreground and uprooting and mixing the hairgrass in with these, add more cryptocoryne to the mid ground, possibly some java fern mini or trident, maybe tie some moss in places to the wood, the background planting is great, the stems just need pruning and replanting for denser bushier groups, cut the stem maybe an inch or two above the substrate as they grow tall and thick, just above a leaf node, this will ensure the emersed leaves the stems came with are removed and the submersed growth that regrows from the cut stem shouldn't lose leaves, replant the cut stems to increase plant density, all in all IMO a few months down the line you'll have a cracking scape.

 

[John44]

thanks, that is just what i needed - Watch this space.

John B