Began about 2 years ago. Basically I was an outdoor gardener and plant enthusiast, but was looking for a way to enjoy plants from the warm comfort of my armchair throughout the winter months. I liked the idea of a palludarium, but my knowledge and experience with aquatic flora was limited to fishkeeping in my teens back when planted tanks were far less the norm. I bought Elodea and Cabomba as oxygenators and sanctuary for my fish, but beyond this, understood little about what plants could 'bring to the party' in an aquarium.
Years later, terrestrial gardening helped me to understand plant's needs and their relationship with light and soil-types. I also experimented finding out what plants will grow happily in my soil-sites if I add nothing and do little....basically, which plants or shrubs 'like' where they've just been put...and which ones do not.
So this was how I began my foray into aquatic plants. Which plants would like my 25 litre nano, my bog-standard regional tap-water, and my unspectacular lighting arrangement?
This was how this experiment looked. (below)
At this stage, I was injecting DIY C02 using the yeast/sugar method, and had the tank at 28 c. I had not committed to any substrate as yet as I was curious about water column dosing alone and it's limitations.
The rectangular plastic container held dwarf baby tears under a slice of plastic mesh on top of some pea gravel. There was some growth initially but mainly melt and rot. Indeed, most plants were unremarkable in their progress, and there were many casualties that just didn't make it.
Then I progressed to this (below)
I added a substrate layer. I also had a snail outbreak, and after experimenting with alum, potassium permanganate and diluted bleach as plant 'dips'....I discovered that assassin snails could help curb the unwanted snail population. Which they did...sort of.
Continuing (below)
I was getting reasonable growth, and the tank was now cycled so 8 phantom tetras were added. At this stage I was experimenting with all manner of weird and wonderful ways to diffuse my DIY C02 into the water.
This was still not an 'aquascape' though. It was still just an observation tank for me to learn from with trial and error methods regarding ferts, photo-periods, water-flow etc...
Onward (below)
External filter purchased, and pressurised C02 also. (getting serious this..) The Alternanthera Reineckii was also removed as it was becoming an algae magnet and taking up far too much space. Hereafter, there were some good results and the filter really turned the water over well, increasing water clarity which gave me a big lift. Staurogyne repens however, did not want to grow in this tank, which was disappointing because I had imagined a lush carpet of this....but this was what the tank was telling me, so I had to accept it for now. Shortly after this pic..... algae attack....the solution....more plants....a lot more plants....and hell....why not try a 'scape' whilst I'm at it...
See Below (sorry for blurry pic)
From hereon in.... things improved. Balancing C02 with an airstone to get some oxygen into the external filter and adjusting waterflow and adding some root-tabs...it felt like I was getting there..
Progress
Yes that's a lush raft of HC in the foreground with Pogostemon Helferi tied onto bogwood mid-tank. Two mini-power heads were pushing C02 into all nooks n crannies I ran C02 24/7 and just put an airstone on a night time timer. I also changed the substrate (carib-sea)
Healthy, Green, Algae Free, (below)
So this ended my initial learning curve with a planted tank. This tank ultimately remained very stable, easy to maintain and caused little to no stress to the system. But I still had lots more to learn....and I mean LOTS!!
But that's a tale for another journal....!!
Thanks for reading, and any questions most welcome!!
Cheers
Mike
Years later, terrestrial gardening helped me to understand plant's needs and their relationship with light and soil-types. I also experimented finding out what plants will grow happily in my soil-sites if I add nothing and do little....basically, which plants or shrubs 'like' where they've just been put...and which ones do not.
So this was how I began my foray into aquatic plants. Which plants would like my 25 litre nano, my bog-standard regional tap-water, and my unspectacular lighting arrangement?
This was how this experiment looked. (below)
At this stage, I was injecting DIY C02 using the yeast/sugar method, and had the tank at 28 c. I had not committed to any substrate as yet as I was curious about water column dosing alone and it's limitations.
The rectangular plastic container held dwarf baby tears under a slice of plastic mesh on top of some pea gravel. There was some growth initially but mainly melt and rot. Indeed, most plants were unremarkable in their progress, and there were many casualties that just didn't make it.
Then I progressed to this (below)
I added a substrate layer. I also had a snail outbreak, and after experimenting with alum, potassium permanganate and diluted bleach as plant 'dips'....I discovered that assassin snails could help curb the unwanted snail population. Which they did...sort of.
Continuing (below)
I was getting reasonable growth, and the tank was now cycled so 8 phantom tetras were added. At this stage I was experimenting with all manner of weird and wonderful ways to diffuse my DIY C02 into the water.
This was still not an 'aquascape' though. It was still just an observation tank for me to learn from with trial and error methods regarding ferts, photo-periods, water-flow etc...
Onward (below)
External filter purchased, and pressurised C02 also. (getting serious this..) The Alternanthera Reineckii was also removed as it was becoming an algae magnet and taking up far too much space. Hereafter, there were some good results and the filter really turned the water over well, increasing water clarity which gave me a big lift. Staurogyne repens however, did not want to grow in this tank, which was disappointing because I had imagined a lush carpet of this....but this was what the tank was telling me, so I had to accept it for now. Shortly after this pic..... algae attack....the solution....more plants....a lot more plants....and hell....why not try a 'scape' whilst I'm at it...
See Below (sorry for blurry pic)
From hereon in.... things improved. Balancing C02 with an airstone to get some oxygen into the external filter and adjusting waterflow and adding some root-tabs...it felt like I was getting there..
Progress
Yes that's a lush raft of HC in the foreground with Pogostemon Helferi tied onto bogwood mid-tank. Two mini-power heads were pushing C02 into all nooks n crannies I ran C02 24/7 and just put an airstone on a night time timer. I also changed the substrate (carib-sea)
Healthy, Green, Algae Free, (below)
So this ended my initial learning curve with a planted tank. This tank ultimately remained very stable, easy to maintain and caused little to no stress to the system. But I still had lots more to learn....and I mean LOTS!!
But that's a tale for another journal....!!
Thanks for reading, and any questions most welcome!!
Cheers
Mike
