3 tank

Thanks! Hopefully the Java Fern behaves itself this time

 

Now that is the way you re-scape a tank. Looks like you have done you homework well.

Did you have to place a rock on the spider woord to keep it inplace or was it well soaked before the time?

Later Ferdie

 

Thanks Ferdie!

Yeah, unfortunately I had to put a rock on top to keep it sinking. 1 day is definitely not enough for it to get waterlogged. Hopefully by the end of the week i can take it off, but definitely going to go slow with that.

 

So, giving some time and a 50% water change this morning, the tank has cleared up nicely. Not 100% clear, but getting there.

Morning sun:


What the substrate looks like at the back:


The dirt pretty much fell through the gaps left by the crush rock, but i'm not too concerned. Total substrate depth is about 4cm at the front, with no dirt or rock, to about 8cm at the back with dirt and rock.

I've been enjoying watching the amanos bombing around the tank. It gives me ideas about trying out cherry shrimp for the first time

 

Nice sunny spot you have going.

Make sure your cleaning crew know what to do. Them sun is either going to be a blessing or a curse, but well worth a try. How long do you get direct sunlight on the tank?

Later Ferdie

 

It's a north facing window, so from about 7:30 to about 12:30. It starts with the whole tank getting sun, then shadows move in from left to right. The limnophila aromatica and hemianthus micranthemoides get the most sun. If it starts giving problems it's pretty easy to shunt it further out of the sun and put something up to block it though.

The amanos and pond snail army look like they're doing a pretty good job so far. Some of the older anubias leaves still have some BBA, there is some algae on the glass and some parts of the spiderwood are getting that funny white fungus thing, but otherwise the tank is looking pretty clean

 

Water is almost totally clear, so happy about that. None of the crypts have melted either, which is great. I'm not totally sold on the java fern, but i think that's because it is still in emersed form with long stems on the leaves. Hopefully new growth will be shorter and denser. All stems are now completely vertical too. I don't know if it's just my fond eyes or a trick of the sun, but the limnophila and crypt undulatus red already appear to be picking up some colour.

If this little experiment goes well, i might have to shift the tank completely in front of the window. It won't get any direct sun in summer, but winter it should get buckets. It will also help the heater out.

 

Well, hair algae is starting to creep in. i can see a few small patches appearing on the tips of the s repens leaves. Also, annoyingly, some of the s repens is starting to melt again. Not all of it, thankfully, but leaves are definitely turning transparent. The cleanup crew are sorting them out though. I may need to go get some more amano shrimp or maybe some ramshorn snails if i can find them.

 

1 week update:

Plants are all looking good, barring some of the s repens leaves.
The anubias are looking healthier than they have for a long time, though some of the older leaves are a BBA nightmare and falling apart. Nothing a good prune won't fix.
Needle leaf java fern is looking: RATTY. Hopefully it's just going through the emersed to submerged transition.
Bolbitis is looking fine. Tips of the leaves are starting to die off, but again it is hopefully just the transition.
Hygrophila pinnatifida is a bit difficult to tell, seeing as it is at the back of the tank. From what i can tell, it is looking fine.
Crypts are starting to put out some growth, which is starting to get that jungle look i'm going for. The undulatus "Red" did not melt and is putting out 2 leaves already.
AR Mini is getting some colour, but not much growth. I'd heard some anecdotal evidence of amano shrimp devouring AR variants, but no sign of that yet.
Rotala rotundifolia is putting out some lovely compact growth. No colour change yet, but not too focused on that.
Limnophila aromatica is also exhibiting some compact growth, and is getting quite pink on the undersides of the leaves. Definitely a fan of this plant so far.
Hemianthus micranthemoides is going nuts. It has probably tripled in size since planting. I'm hoping the high lighting will help to keep it flat and not grow too much vertically, but i suspect it is going to be the maintenance and nutrient hog of the tank.

Daily has been a 50% water change, followed by 15ml of Scape Bac-Up, 5ml of Seachem Excel and 3 pumps of Scape Complete. Scape Complete is based on one of the Tropica liquid ferts, i forget which one, so finding dosing recommendations for "EI" (not really EI, but close enough for now) is easy.

Pond snails don't appear to be taking over the world, but i have noticed a couple of egg sacks on various parts of the system. The algae on the glass is mostly keeping itself under control, except a pretty dense mat of green hair algae on the left side panel. I actually kinda like it, so i have left it alone.

I'll see if i can grab some shots this evening, when lighting isn't such a menace

 

Photos as promised.

Anubias:


Crypt undulatus red:


Hemianthus micranthemoides, limnophila aromatica and out of focus bolbitis heudelotii:


Alternanthera reineckii mini, rotala rotundifolia and hygrophila pinnatifida:


Crypt wendtii green and crypt axelrodi mix with AR mini in the background:


One splendid algae wall:


Full tank shot:


The algae on the back glass isn't doing much, but it's starting to develop nicely on the right panel as well. With any luck it can cover both left and right panels, meaning i don't have to try and make a moss or subwassertang wall

 

What's weirdly satisfying is that, when i turn up the canister, it sways like long grass in the wind. The amanos really like it too

 

So, quick test reveals that the spiderwood is now fully soaked, so no more lump of dragonstone weighing it down. What the test also revealed is that it is tenuously joined together at best, so i may need to grab some cotton pads and superglue and really bond them together. It's a little annoying as i would have liked them to remain separate so that i could use them as individual pieces, but that's a future problem. I gave the pieces a good scrub with a new toothbrush to get some algae off too.

Hygrophila pinnatifida has spread nicely already - direct sunlight seems to be good for it
I copied Jurijs Jutjajevs and chopped all the leaves and roots off the bolbitis and java fern. They were almost entirely in emersed form, so i figured i'd save myself the hassle and give the plants a bit of a boost too.
Staurogyne repens appears to be doing ok. Stems are either swarmed in green filamentous algae or growing like a bomb. I might take the tops of the healthy plants, replant those and chuck the rest.
Limnophila aromatica is much the same as the last update, just a little taller.
Rotala rotundifolia hasn't got any of the famous red colouration yet, but is growing really well and putting out new shoots.
Alternanthera reineckii mini appears to have some new leaves sprouting, but will wait and see.
Crypts are doing their thing. Not much else to be said
Hemianthus micranthemoides has been trimmed 3 times already. Thankfully, being so aggressive and relatively spindly, it does not mind at all. I even saw some pearling post-trimming.

I'm not happy with the current layout. The tank being right next to my workspace gives me plenty of time to think about it, and i am strongly leaning towards a fresh start with the same plants but triangular layout and no carpeted foreground. Maybe sand instead.

Or maybe lockdown boredom is still giving me itchy fingers, it's hard to say

 

I think that tank will grown in well with that central spiderwood setup, personally. Like an explosion from the center. Maybe a few rocks around the base area could be cool? And that algae wall is amazing, makes me want to try the same on some plastic panels.
I accidentally bought some Hemianthus micranthemoides yesterday, not realising it's pearl grass (which I have plenty of). Doh! Next to hornwort, possibly the most bulletproof plant out there.

 

Happy to share some! Nice plant.

 

I think rocks are what's missing. I'm useless when it comes to rock work, so maybe this is a good time to practice. They'll also fill in the gaps where i have nothing but bare soil.

Yeah, i'd keep pretty much everything, maybe add the lonely pot of h tripartita that is keeping the betta company. The front right corner would probably end up being the sand area.

I'm going to leave it alone for now, purely to let the plants settle and establish. Trimming the rotala and limnophila then replanting the cutting should help make the background much more dense, and give me more stems to play with in future scapes. Also, i really need to get a spring brush or something for these lily pipes and canister filter tubes