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Windswept Eternity

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Thanks Tim...The power of the clean up crew should not be underestimated😉

For the record - I think next scape I'll set CO2 to acceptable levels for critters from day one so I can add a clean up crew ASAP after cycling...it's always the way I've done it in the past, and it's worked well. Experimenting with turning the gas up didn't pay off for me...at least this time.

The new light was an experiment as well and I think I may have got a handle on it now. The Radion is set to 55-60%, main photoperiod of 5 hrs with a ramp up and down either side of 30 mins; total 6 hrs.

Much less light than I started with, which was 80-85% with a main photoperiod of 6 hrs, and with 30 mins ramp up and down a total of 7 hrs.
 
Sounds like a plan is coming together.. :thumbup: Looking great.. Glad you pulled it through.. 🙂 This only can get better..
 
Thanks Marcel...just looking for planting inspiration now🙂
 
Well you got already HC up there 🙂 takes time but that will look stunning a year from now.. At least it took me over a year to get this from a few little floating HC cuttings ending up in the moss.. It grows as good emersed as submersed, emersed it grows even smaller leaves and more dense. Now it starts creeping all the way down, it's already half way.. I not sure yet if i want that, it's overgrowing some anubias.. Maybe i take those away and see if it grows all the way down into the substrate.. I supose that's also how it grows in nature if the condition are favorable, into the water instead out of the water.. 🙂
DSCF7241.JPG

In time you will experience as i do, having a dense creeper well developed emersed makes it easier to grow other plants as well, the HC will provide a very good support layer for other plants root to find hold.. A year ago i used ricia as base and now all ricia is outcompeted by all i planted in the ricia.. 🙂 What you see on top is Bog pimpernell, eventualy planted this into the HC and see what it is now. 🙂
 
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Nice...ecological succession in an aquarium...
That's the idea, part of the take time to let it evolve plan😉
 
There aint much choice, a few epiphytes, but they are so difficult with air humidity, takes ages to get them used to less and then they still do not grow. I got one anubias nana planted 5 mm bellow the surface, it took a year for 5 leaves to pop emersed. And with the non epiphytes you need some structure to give hold to it's roots if you don't have substrate close to the surface. Then you can grow about anything as long as the roots are in the fertilized water. 🙂 In time they might even attach to the wood if there are cracks to grow into. Also got an anubias ducky now growing emersed for 8 months now, but still not established, it grows a new leaf and dies a leaf, java is to sensitive for open top, bolbitis also as is buce, these last 3 realy need a terrarium or paludarium. Plants planted 20cm deep i only mananged to get the echinodorus popping the surface, they are very hardy even will survive on the window sil. Cyperus (helferi) might also do very good. Maybe try to find big emersed grown mother plants for in the back substrate.. Some lfs offer them. Still can be difficult, ive grow a hygrophyla emersed in a greenhous till big enough, put it in the tank in the substrate behind the wood partialy emersed and still just withered away. Didn't like it. I guess for instand succes from the startup you would need to dry start everything you like to grow emersed at first. Till this all pops over the tanks top, then fill it up and plant the submersed part.. 🙂 That's what i'm going to try next.. 🙂

http://www.wasserflora.de/aquarienpflanzen/mutterpflanzen-w26
 
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Thanks for the info Marcel.
I've always found it very strange...I'm always reading about how much aquatic plants (but not true macrophytes) hate being submersed. If that were the case surely they'd grow happily just above the water surface.
In fact you'd expect them to be positively striving to break free at every opportunity...and not drying up and dying once they did, even taking in to account transition😵
Maybe they're better adapted to life underwater after all...
 
Congratulations 😀


Troi said:
As soon as I'd introduced them I noticed an immediate improvement in the algae situation.
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It's amazing how much algae control a few shrimp or tiny otos can exert overnight!


I allowed 😉 my non tech window tank to get absolutely green in preparation for the baby otos (that seem to be what's shipping recently - good news is that they seem to arrive quite healthy & minimal losses if placed in tanks with algae 🙂) - after 3-4 days glass walls are down to the hard green spot algae & otos started in on the soft green algae that was beginning to infiltrate the M 'Monte Carlo' & M crenata (which incidentally still produces a nice mix of those "umbrella" shaped leafs associated with emerse culture ... will be interesting to see if these vanish with winter sky) so tank has morphed from Algae Haven to something rather nice that I can actually see again - in less than 1 week :wideyed:
 
Troi said:
you'd expect them to be positively striving to break free at every opportunity...and not drying up and dying once they did,
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except I think many come from decidedly tropical air conditions - (oppressive) humid, warm compared to my room atmosphere, especially with close lights
 
Yeah you're absolutely right...I'll never underestimate their worth again, I kinda thought I could take them or leave them, I was wrong.
My otos, have nice round bellies but I've now started to try and supplement their diet since the algae has disappeared - at least to the human eye.
I just hope I have better luck feeding them than I have in the past...they just were not interested in anything I gave them. I think I may have a different species this time, so I'm hopeful.
I fed the Amanos last night as well with algae wafers...it was fight night...I've two big females and they literally wrestled for the fragments...the poor little males didn't even try, and as for the cherries...
I ended up dropping bits in here and there to make sure everyone of them got something.

alto said:
except I think many come from decidedly tropical air conditions - (oppressive) humid, warm compared to my room atmosphere, especially with close lights
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Fair comment😀
 
Troi said:
Thanks for the info Marcel.
I've always found it very strange...I'm always reading about how much aquatic plants (but not true macrophytes) hate being submersed. If that were the case surely they'd grow happily just above the water surface.
In fact you'd expect them to be positively striving to break free at every opportunity...and not drying up and dying once they did, even taking in to account transition😵
Maybe they're better adapted to life underwater after all...
Click to expand...

I monitored the humidity for a few months with a tiny electronic hygrometer an inch above the surface, averagely it was 45% during the summer, in the winter with the central heating burning it plumited sometimes to 25%.. That is surprisingly low so close to the water surface. My first open top iis now running for about 18 months now and i tried every plant to grow emersed above i also have submersed.. only few species did of the 30 i tried, the ones that did good, where HC, UG, rotala's (except 1), Lilaepsis Brasiliensis, MC, and finaly after a very long time an anubias. ANd i started all as litlle rooted baby cutting just poping the surfac for a milimeter and leave it be.. The only plant going back into transition from submersed to emersed again from the substrate 20 cm deep without much pain was the echinodorus en the rotala indica bonsai. At the time i'm trying a Pogo Stellatus, becaue i see it growing a very thick stem it's tip is already emersed, no idea yet if it goes back to emersed transition. 🙂 I got it allso in a wabi kusa and its quite hardy plant taking lower humidity relatively well. 🙂..

My next project will also be a shallow 40x40x20 cm, i also want to experiment more in emersed growth. Open tops with emersed growth are addictive.
 
zozo said:
I monitored the humidity for a few months with a tiny electronic hygrometer an inch above the surface, averagely it was 45% during the summer, in the winter with the central heating burning it plumited sometimes to 25%.. That is surprisingly low so close to the water surface. My first open top iis now running for about 18 months now and i tried every plant to grow emersed above i also have submersed.. only few species did of the 30 i tried, the ones that did good, where HC, UG, rotala's (except 1), Lilaepsis Brasiliensis, MC, and finaly after a very long time an anubias. ANd i started all as litlle rooted baby cutting just poping the surfac for a milimeter and leave it be.. The only plant going back into transition from submersed to emersed again from the substrate 20 cm deep without much pain was the echinodorus en the rotala indica bonsai. At the time i'm trying a Pogo Stellatus, becaue i see it growing a very thick stem it's tip is already emersed, no idea yet if it goes back to emersed transition. 🙂 I got it allso in a wabi kusa and its quite hardy plant taking lower humidity relatively well. 🙂..

My next project will also be a shallow 40x40x20 cm, i also want to experiment more in emersed growth. Open tops with emersed growth are addictive.
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My next project will also be a shallow 40x40x20 cm, i also want to experiment more in emersed growth. Open tops with emersed growth are addictive.:thumbup:😀😉

Sorry to butt in on this great thread.
Go for it Marcel You are so right I am slowing down on Wabi-Kusa 😉 And changing over too Shallows tank scapes the best of both worlds :hungry: Shame your Ducky is not doing well .Mine died🙁🙁 It does need high humidity like all anubias The pog stellatus will do well but need high light an humidity to turn red.The Pog s in my shallow just stays green.

It all a learning curve 😱 Big plus we are all learning together and sharing info 😎
 
Hi roy, you too?? intresting. :woot: That's going to be fun.. :thumbup: It's actualy your ducky still growing above my low tech.. As said, growing a leaf and dying a leaf and before it's dead it grows a new one.. This is already going on since you send it to me somewhere last year. I guess in time it will addapt, probaly when more grows around it breathing humidity. More plants close together do better when it comes to air humidity.. Sorry to hear your ducky died, if mine takes of i'll send you back.. 😀 And Waby Kusa still is great to prepare plants for the open top shallow. BTW my pog is growing under natural light in a little greenhouse under the roof window, it's dark green with a burgundy hue, but still small. Not yet ready to show off with.. That wabi Kusa stands for 8 months now, all grown from tiny baby cuttings i took out the tank, it's finaly getting somewhere. I'll take some pics soon.. :thumbup:
 
Hi Troi, This took ages to read - its got such a nice strong hardscape - I love it.

So far from my low tech goals - but that carpet looks so healthy and amazing... I may have to rethink my approach! And also have a new found appreciation for the wonderful Amanos!
 
Thanks guys, this is great, some fantastic discussion and suggestions.
Without your contributions it wouldn't be much of a journal:thumbup:

Big clown said:
Simply stunning tim regarding feeding the ottos perhaps cultivating algae on things that you can add to the tank temporarily would keep their bellies nice and round
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Clever idea Andy, why didn't I think of that🙄
Manisha said:
Hi Troi, This took ages to read - its got such a nice strong hardscape - I love it.

So far from my low tech goals - but that carpet looks so healthy and amazing... I may have to rethink my approach! And also have a new found appreciation for the wonderful Amanos!
Click to expand...
And thank you Manisha, that's kind of you🙂
 
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