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Two worlds [THE END]

clonitza

Member
Joined
13 Jul 2011
Messages
723
Location
Brasov / Romania
Hi boys and girls,
After a long absence I wanted to tell you a thing or two about my aquarium.
Unfortunately I had a problem using the old account so I had to register a new one.

So.... the aquarium:

5912639929_01b60c0c8c_b.jpg

A week ago ...

The tank
- 70cm long x 35cm wide x 30cm tall - optiwhite glass

Soil
- ADA Power Sand Special S
- ADA Forest Sand Orinocco
- ADA Amazonia 1

Fertilizers
- TNP+

Filtration
- Eheim Ecco Pro 300

Light
- 2 x T5 24w Osram 965 + JBL SOLAR Reflect

CO2
- 2Kg + Dennerle Profi 2000? + Sera solenoid valve + JBL glass diffuser + Glass CO2 tester

Inhabitants
- Apistogramma cacatuoides (1 pair)
- Hemigrammus rodwayi (8)
- Otocinclus vestitus (2)
- Caridina multidentata (3)

Plants
- Marsilea Hirsuta
- Hemianthus Callitrichoides
- Glossostigma elatinoides
- Staurogyne repens
- Blyxa Japonica
- Micranthemum Micranthemoides
- Echinodorus Regine Hildebrandt
- Hygrophila Polysperma
- Ludwigia Arcuata
- Ammania Gracilis
- Ammania sp. Bonsai
- Rotala rotundifolia
- Rotala macrandra red
- Ranunculus papulentus
- Cryptocoryne parva
- Anchor moss
- Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides
- Hedyotis salzmannii

+ 3 new to arrive:

- Prosperpinaca palustris
- Rotala macrandra green
- Rotala sp. 'Vietnam'

I've started this setup in March (see Lush Cavern in journals) but for various reasons I couldn't balance the flow so I decided take all the hardscape out and use only plants in here.

I had various problems with BBA, diatoms due to the decaying wood, my JBL filter stopped working so I've replaced it with an Eheim but now is on the right track. I don't know how it will look like, I just trimm and add various plants in there, see what I like, what I don't, how can I mix them to look alright. This 'scape started with 5 plant species and now I have 18 (might be others in there) and 3 new to come and I won't stop here :lol: so it's going more to look like a collector's scape in the end :)

5820215405_3084515436_z.jpg

One of my three hard working dudes

And the tank today (well ... yesterday)
5930698813_3d7e5ea52d_b.jpg

I was lazy enough to pull the hardware out for a proper shooting.

No the big challenge is to turn them red, hopefully I can do this without lowering the nitrate.

Mike
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

Very neutral looking tank, Lots of plants in there but doesn't look overly busy!

Do you think you should move the drop checker to the other side of the tank of the diffuser for a more accurate reading?
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

Thanks, glad you like it, I do keep some main plants and others just to have them, it's hard to find the ones that I want in my city so I stock them :). Hopefully later this year I can buy a CO2 unit for the other tank and move the plants I don't need for this scape there. Regarding the drop checker you are right, I should move it, I've forgot it there since I had the diffuser on the left.
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

Thanks guys glad you like it. It's my first time I have success running a "high tech" planted tank :lol: last time I've grown more BBA than plants, now hopefully it's on the right track, learning from you guys (Mark, George, Ceg, Viktor) so cheers for that :thumbup: you're doing a great job here.
I'll keep you updated, now I want to get em plants red so I've started pouring all the trace bottle I have in there :lol:

Cheers,
Mike
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

And the red pretzel shaped plants are in here to recover, no worries in a couple of days they will be green!

5940601153_288f33d492_b.jpg

The fish are finding posing boring so they went to sleep again.

Green like this: :lol:

5940601793_07e5440a12_b.jpg

Damn those green plants!

Dammit, I need to wait a month for my supplier to bring the fertilizer I've tried a long time ago for red plants, I hope it still works. :) Anyway I had some fun trimming HC for the first time.

Mike
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

This is how it's going to look like. The new plants still have to recover though for a proper shot:
5942441521_fab0550bd1_b.jpg
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

I really love it! It looks so natural and lively! Really inspirational to me. Makes me wonder, how did you plan where to put the different plants, because the outcome really looks natural and clean, despite the huge amount of different plants. I also like the way you mixed the powersand with the soil, gives it even a more natural touch.

Greets,

Vince
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

Thaks Vince. I usually don't plan anything except where the swords or crypts should be planted, if I use any, or how the slope should look like. These are things, on the long term, that can't be changed very easily, moving swords is a nightmare 'cause they send their roots everywhere, except that, I can uproot any plant and move it around. Regarding plants placement I usually use 2-3 main plants and let the others to fill the gaps and make the transition from foreground to background or give a little bit of contrast to improve the tank's depth.

This is my view now and I still have a lot of work to do especially regarding trimming but I need to let some of the sterns to develop more so there's a lot of room for improvement. So I'll keep you folks updated, the next picture/s will be taken at the end of the week ;)

Mixing powersand and soil wasn't planned, it just happened! :lol:

Cheers,
Mike
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

I had a little bit of spare time to take some pictures:

5974535127_b979d1a7a9_b.jpg

Notice I moved the hardware around a bit.

Looks a bit untidy after the last trimming but I'll leave it like this until the end of the week when I planned another one. I did cut blyxa, it was my first time and I've wondered if I can cut it like hairgrass and it worked, new leaves are growing and I'm happy I don't have to pull it and replant it. I try to avoid this because the soil is 2cm deep in that area.

5974535311_01326883e8_b.jpg

Rotala sp Vietnam (yeah I know it should be red but ... it ain't, high nitrates over 60ppm)

Plants are heavily pearling at the end of the day but I'm still unsatisfied with the flow, I've ordered a spraybar extension from JBL, hopefully they have it stock if not, well, I have to wait until they order it from Germany.
I was planning to buy a lily pipe to improve aesthetics but I did a simulation and the flow is crap, the water goes from side to side but it doesn't turn back, I think my tank is a little bit to wide for using a lily, so I'll stick with the spraybar.

Still waiting for the "magic" red plants fertilizer :lol:

Mike
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

Looks really really good I like how it looks natural even without a hardscape as such but the plants take on the hardscape roll due to it's shaping excellently done!!!
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

Thanks collins for your kind comment.
Changed again the diffuser placement, it's gonna stay on the right side until the up atomizer arrives. :)
So, another trimming another picture:
5982260668_8d09969686_b.jpg

This is the plants final placement not going to move them until the final shot, though I still have a lot of work until then.
I'll try this weekend assembling the background lighting and try a shot without hardware.

Mike
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

Busy installing the UP Atomizer, until a new tank shot enjoy the one with my lady and her nursery:
6035884868_e5cdddde47_b.jpg


Mike
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

True! :)

I usually don't take pictures before trimming but today's an exception:
6037266413_2c91831d9d_b.jpg


Unfortunately the chinese guy sent me the Up Atomizer for a larger hose than I have so even if I was able to fit it, it just kept leaking. I've replaced it with an external reactor (Aquatic Nature Tornado) for now.

Mike
 
Re: Plant-O-matic

I'll try to find one mate :)

Trimming over, had to cut all the shaded leaves and now going to take a shower after that I need to remove all the hardware and clean the glass. Weekend fun! :lol:

6037551981_17c2b71e2c_b.jpg

Leftovers.
 
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