There’s wood in there somewhere... (Dennerle scaper 35)

[aec34]

Thanks Darrel, another plant needing pruning by the handful then! I really like its little buoyancy aids.

 

[Karmicnull]

Madagascar lace plant

homalomena sekadau south

Bizarrely these are both ones I've purchased excitedly in the last six months. The HS is a very happy epiphyte in my hard water tank and the MLP has got enormous planted in my mostly-rainwater tank. Both low tech low light. I really like them both so I reckon you've made some great choices there!

 

[aec34]

I really like them both so I reckon you've made some great choices there!

EXCELLENT! This is great news, especially the MLP.
It was so nice to find and buy things in the flesh!

 

[aec34]

Post WC - also showing the cheeky annex this tank has magically acquired (will be useful when I break the main one down).

Speaking of annexes, fancy crypts doing well in their little sticky cups - why built out when you can build up?!

 

[aec34]

Finally got round to thinning my floaters, cleaning the glass and filter (= rinse sponge in tank water and give it a good squeeze), and some very light trimming. Otherwise my regular maintenance has been weekly 30-50% ish WC + the odd dash of iron and magnesium.
Saw my first snail in ages - which is nice since given I thought my younger and less tolerant self had made this tank totally inhospitable to snails (following the Black Friday Nerite debacle).
Some mid-WC photos:

Amazed by how big these crypts have got! Loving the textures.

 

[ScareCrow]

Finally got round to thinning my floaters, cleaning the glass and filter (= rinse sponge in tank water and give it a good squeeze), and some very light trimming. Otherwise my regular maintenance has been weekly 30-50% ish WC + the odd dash of iron and magnesium.
Saw my first snail in ages - which is nice since given I thought my younger and less tolerant self had made this tank totally inhospitable to snails (following the Black Friday Nerite debacle).
Some mid-WC photos:
View attachment 191198
View attachment 191199
Amazed by how big these crypts have got! Loving the textures.

Everything is looking really lush and healthy.

Do you know what the crypt with the stripy leaves and red petiole is called?

I'm very jealous of your Aponogeton Madagascariensi. It looks very healthy and compact. Is it staying quite small or are you removing older leaves?

 

[aec34]

Hi @ScareCrow I’m afraid I don’t know what that crypt is: I’m pretty sure it was one of two I was given from someone I bought a fancy secondhand light off. I know I’ve bought wendtii green and lucens, and I think I was given a wendtii brown, but I don’t think it’s any of those.

The Madagascar has only been in about 6 weeks, and so far the leaves are staying a nice size and shape - I’ve lost a couple from the bottom, since it’s a bit gloomy and crowded. It is a lovely plant, and growing like mad.

I’ll be taking the tank apart fairly soon and moving into my 60p - drop me a message if you’re interested in any offspring if I find any.

 

[aec34]

And as a general observation on the tank, the blyxa japonica and the pogostemon helferi are just about clinging on, but not thriving. I half expected this without CO2, but you never can tell.

It strikes me that a real joy of having small tanks is quickly filling them, meaning spare bits to swap for unexpected other plants, or plants that you just don’t mind giving a go even if you’re not optimistic (like the two above).

 

[Ossie]

It is a cosy fish livingroom … beautiful …

 

[aec34]

The harvest begins. Catching the 6 ember tetras was way more difficult than I could have ever imagined, and in the end had to be done after pulling plants out.
So many crypts, tons of Java fern and Sagittaria subulata. Tank is now basically upside down while I work out what stays and what gets passed on.

 

[aec34]

A final pic of the buce, the only plants lefts, before the Big Shrimp Hunt and close down:

This has been a lovely little tank, and I hadn’t realised how much joy I’ve got from it being on a low table and looking down from above. Absolutely going to set it up again some time 🙂