Shady pool - Low light - Low maintenance?

[AndyMcD]

My existing aquarium has reached a point where I feel I need to start again. My previous design, After The Riffle (https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/after-the-riffle.38821/) has a large piece of driftwood across the middle of the aquarium, with an area for stem plants at the back. I’d like a design which makes better use of the depth (front to back).

I’d like to change to a lower light, lower maintenance aquarium.

Over the past few years, I have taken advantage of sales etc and ended up with enough hardscape and substrate to create a new aquascape.

I’ve managed to grow a lot of low light plants - Anubias Petite, Crypts, Buces and Java Fern Narrow. These have been exposed to too much light and the uppermost leaves will need to be removed, but there should be plenty for the redesign.

The aim is to have two sets of driftwood, with plants attached. The wood will be placed on soil surrounded by rocks. The rocks will be surrounded by sand. Various small leaved crypts will be planted around the wood. Any additional plants that I can find in the aquarium (Tropica Easy only) may be transferred also.

As I’ve already invested in CO2, I’m planning to add a small amount for the health of the plants and hopefully to keep algae down.

Key facts:
- Optiwhite aquarium 800W x 450D x 400H
- Mini landscape rock
- ADA Aquasoil Amazonia
- Azalea root driftwood
- Unipac Samoa Fine Sand
- ADA Congo Sand

I arranged the hardscape at the weekend. I appreciate that the rock looks like walls, but I hope to soften this with smaller rocks or more smaller pieces of driftwood over time (like the piece on the left).

Thoughts and suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[AverageWhiteBloke]

As I’ve already invested in CO2, I’m planning to add a small amount for the health of the plants and hopefully to keep algae down.

It's the future, get easy plants that you could get away without any additional co2 and give them a little. Everyone's happy including the scaper 😉

 

[Matt @ ScapeEasy]

I have found that to soften the line of a rock 'wall' (in my case normally one that's holding back substrate) the best strategy is to ensure that the line of the rocks at the very front is a jagged as possible so rather than lining then up to make a perfect curve as such, try to have a more natural line where the rocks touch the sand... does that make sense?

 

[AndyMcD]

I have found that to soften the line of a rock 'wall' (in my case normally one that's holding back substrate) the best strategy is to ensure that the line of the rocks at the very front is a jagged as possible so rather than lining then up to make a perfect curve as such, try to have a more natural line where the rocks touch the sand... does that make sense?

It makes very good sense. Thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AndyMcD]

I spent yesterday rescaping the aquarium between 7:30 and 21:00.

As I’m running two external filters with mature filter media and transferred some sand and volcanic mineral, I’m hoping I have done sufficient to provide good filtration and seed the new tank. I’m going to do large, regular water changes.

This is the rock layout I ended up with, but I made a rookie mistake in not taking the rock back out and adding a layer of soil underneath. When I added the sand (thicker at the back), it was like a thick layer of snow had fallen and hid the detail and made the stream much wider. It would also given the rock more height.

Also, I smashed a rock I had rejected, which allowed me more materials to break up the edge. I have some ADA Congo Sand, which I can use to break it up too.

I’m not going back and doing it again. Too much work. Pity I had to cover the rock with wood.

 

[Daveslaney]

Nice rock work. Course gravel works well to soften the edges on the rock where it meets the sand also.

 

[AndyMcD]

Nice rock work. Course gravel works well to soften the edges on the rock where it meets the sand also.

Thank you Dave. I may try to rescue some of the smallest Anubias and attach to small pieces of rock too.

 

[AndyMcD]

This is with the wood added. The rocks marked with a red dot on the left are holding the wood down and will be removed. Once the wood sinks on its own, I’ll try to reposition so the wood meets over the top of the stream. I’m going to add more rock (small) to narrow the stream at the back, add gravel (ADA Congo Sand) and Anubias Petite.

I wasn’t joking about keeping the light low.

 

[AndyMcD]

I’ve added more, smaller rocks, I rescued a few more plants from the previous scape and have added Bolbitis Heudolotoii to the back right corner.

I’ve still moving the small rocks around. Once settled, I’ll add the ADA Congo Sand between the rocks.

Keeping the lights low and trying to keep up with regular water changes.

 

[AndyMcD]

I’ve added one pot of Micranthemum Monte Carlo. Crypts, anubias and buces all putting on new growth. Hoping Bolbitus will fill top right. I’m removing most damaged leaves where new leaves appearing. Plant growth slow, because light is low. I’ve been doing a water change every 2 to 3 days. Algae situation so very much better than before. Still need to add ADA Congo Sand, to soften rock / sand boundary.

 

[AndyMcD]

Thank you to Ady34, Konsa, CooKieS, Onoma1 and jayp for the likes!

 

[AndyMcD]

Before doing the upgrade, I tried writing a plan. I’m not saying this is the best way to do this, but having typed it up, I thought other people may find it helpful even just to think through what they would do. I’ve marked with a * the steps I thought about but didn’t take. It took me about 14 hours to do this. I was fortunate to have a spare aquarium and two external filters. If I did it again, I’d try to do more preparation (e.g. cleaning rocks). I didn’t spend much money, but would have replaced all external filter tubes and pipe work.

AQUASCAPE PLAN

• Do a dry run with hardscape outside the aquarium. Take photos then try again.
• Soak driftwood. If not soaked long enough, may need to weigh down with spare rocks if it doesn’t sink
• Prepare the room. Move furniture. Put down plastic sheeting.
• Move temporary stand / cupboard into place
• Run extension cable to power items in temporary stand / cupboard
• Clean outside of glass of main aquarium
• Replace blade on glass cleaner
• Get hardscape, sand / gravel, driftwood and other materials together
• Wash and clean temporary aquarium, containers, sieves, colanders etc that had been stored in a shed
• Put temporary aquarium onto the temporary stand
• Smash any rocks that are too big
• Wash rocks with toothbrush. Soak in warm water with a few ml of Easycarbo in a washing up bowl
• Wash sand / gravel using sieve / colander and washing up bowl
• Make up a spray bottle with water and dechlorinator, for plants and to dampen soil
• Clean up any recycled filter parts, e.g. spray bars (*)
• Cut filter tubing to length and reconnect (*)
• Cut and rejoint CO2 tubing (*)
• Fill temporary aquarium with water, some from old aquarium. Fill with tap water with dechlorinator first, to keep filters going in main aquarium for as long as possible to protect the bacteria
• Move filters and in-line heater from main to temporary aquarium. Disconnect CO2.
• Empty some water from main aquarium into buckets, to clean filters
• Put all biological media into the one running filter on temporary aquarium.
• Remove driftwood with plants attached into large plastic box with water. Close lid. Spray regularly.
• Catch fish, shrimp and snails and move to temporary tank
• Can I move any plants on rock / wood to temporary aquarium for fish to hide?
• Clean algae off glass in main aquarium
• Remove air pump. Switch off. Put air stone in diluted Easycarbo.
• Remove some sand / gravel from main aquarium, as biological media to seed new sand / gravel. Keep damp.
• Remove and separate crypts and other rooted plants.
• Remove worst effected leaves from crypts. Trim roots.
• Put plants in bags. Blow into bags and tie, for humidity, CO2 and protection
• Remove old sand and discard
• Remove soil and separate out some volcanic media as biological media to seed new soil
• Remove old rocks and discard
• Empty all remaining water and sludge
• Clean aquarium
• Place new rocks in main aquarium and mark out positions. Measure out rule of thirds.
• Place card dividers in tank (*)
• Add volcanic mineral (bacteria may dry out - spray with water)
• Add some ADA Amazonia soil
• Add sand / gravel
• Place new rocks in aquarium on soil (*)
• Remove dividers (*)
• Add remaining soil. Add any fertiliser tabs
• Add ADA Amazonia Powder on top of ADA Amazonia
• Add ADA Congo Sand to blend boundary between rocks and sand (*)
• Discard worst affected plants on wood
• Can I cut any existing wood into pieces and retain wood with plants attached? (*)
• Could any existing rocks with plants attached be used in the new set up?
• Remove best plants from driftwood and keep
• Dip plants in diluted Easycarbo to kill algae
• Wash plants
• Put plants in bags, inflate and tie until ready to use
• Tie plants to new driftwood
• Dampen soil with water from spray bottle, to try to avoid soil moving
• Add some sand from previous aquarium to pass bacteria to new hardscape
• Fill main aquarium with water using colander, enough to cover soil
• Place wood with plants attached in main aquarium
• Plant crypts etc around wood
• Fill aquarium half full, to cover plants. Use some water from temporary aquarium.
• Rinse out external filter. Replace filter pads. Replace filter wool in filter.
• Move filters back to main aquarium, putting filter media back in original filters
• Add air pump to main aquarium
• Move fish and snails back to main aquarium
• Use more water from temporary aquarium to fill main aquarium
• Add Easycarbo to provide source of carbon. May help to avoid sudden algae / bacteria outbreak
• Reconnect CO2
• Empty temporary aquarium completely
• Move furniture back to normal
• Reconnect CO2 on timer
• Put lights on timer, shorter period / lower light level

 

[AndyMcD]

So, the plants are beginning to grow. With the lights so low, it’s like growing garden plants in February. The iPhone camera appears to have thrown the colours.

The crypts at the back of the tank in particular have responded really well (see photo).

My previous aquarium had a massive hair algae problem, due to the lights being too bright and insufficient CO2.

With the anubias, I am gradually removing the old, dead algae covered leaves as new leaves come through. Same with the buces. I figure even the effected leaves are helping the plants to grow.

Is this the best approach? Would I be better to take off all affected leaves? If I strip back to the main root / rhizome, would the plant have the energy to create all new leaves?