L plated planted tank

[johnjo]

My first attempt at a planted tank....or an aquarium full stop for that matter.....or posting pictures on a forum so i hope they appear where they should.

Photos are off my iphone so sorry about the quality.

The aim is not really to create anything amazing more learning to grow plants and understand the subject better. so...

Got a piece of sumatra from my local LFS and a rock from the garden and came up with this:

Once i had put the substrate, heater and filter in there i changed my mind, it looked too cluttered for the size of tank. Got plants and started planting on Saturday when i had a spare 5 minutes. The Sumatra was going in the following day as i wanted to attach a fern and moss to it and needed more time. Plant list was:

Anubia nana bonzai
Narrow leaf Java fern
Crypt wendii
Crypt...not sure?
Pogostemon helferi
Stem plant unknown
Corkscrew Vallis
Vallis
Christmas moss
Cladophora ball

Not sure if all are a good idea but we'll see..

Tank kit is:
35L tank (reckon there's only 30l in tank at best due to substrate and plants)
Amazonia new
11w T5 lamo
Tetratec EX600 filter
Heater

......and this is how it looked after submerging them apart from wood:

Final pictures below after wood had been put in the tank:

Things i must remember when setting up again.... Check where spray bars are pointing, it looked more like a fountain than a planted tank when i first got the filter going and don't plant Vallis directly in line with it until its pointing at the angle i want or i'll be forever replanting the stuff due to changing the angle and the vallis clining to my hand...same goes for the heater! Heater...position it as discreetly as possible BUT MUST BE somewhere i can get at it without disturbing all the plants AND SEE THE TEMPERATURE DIAL or i risk most of my plants rising to the surface as happened Saturday and yesterday as the heater wasn't warming the tank properly and i couldn't tell if i was increasing or decreasing the temperature due to not really being able to see the dial.......and remember the temperature dial lies as well! What else.... that will do for now, just hope some of the plants make it through the first fortnight!

Cheers
John

 

[foxfish]

Good effort, keep us posted as to the development...

 

[whinnie]

looks nice, amazing what you can do with a small tank

 

[darren636]

that first lay out had promise 🙂 made the tank look bigger.

 

[johnjo]

that first lay out had promise 🙂 made the tank look bigger.

Don't be saying that Darren you'll have me ripping everything up and rescaping before too long! I liked the first scape better as well, it just looked cluttered once all the gear was in... i might come back to it if i get a slightly bigger tank.

 

[sussex_cichlids]

Hi John

Lovely setup going to be nice with some growth shows that getting the right information first hand pays off for a first tank looks very nice and stunning first attempt.

 

[darren636]

in Aquascaping happiness is temporary 😉

 

[johnjo]

Good effort, keep us posted as to the development...

Thanks Foxfish im sure i'll be back on soon enough needing more help, im surprised how fast some plants (my Crypts) are already growing!

looks nice, amazing what you can do with a small tank

Thanks Whinnie, only problem is i'm already thinking i'd like a bigger tank to try some other ideas out where i'd have more room to play!

Hi John

Lovely setup going to be nice with some growth shows that getting the right information first hand pays off for a first tank looks very nice and stunning first attempt.

Cheers mate, really appreciate the comments and your right, having the support of the UKAPS members makes something that looks a little daunting and confusing at first a lot more manageable and more importantly..fun!

in Aquascaping happiness is temporary 😉

[/quote]

Good analogy on life that! .....Or as Lao Tsu use to say: Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy.

Cheers,

 

[darren636]

also... If you doubt your powers, you give powers to your doubts.

 

[johnjo]

I feel a new thread coming on....Zen and the art of aquascaping maintenance or the Tao te scapeching