Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Planted Odyssey

[Fresh2o]

Looks like you’ve got things under control in there. Lots of plants!
Directing a stream of water at the diffuser will result in more smaller bubbles and more co2 in the water. You may find that you can decrease the bubble count and still get good growth.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Looks great! Your fish look happy.

Thanks, TMaier! With the addition of the Hydor Nano 240, the Harlequin Rasboras are swimming in the midground more. I only have 6, so it may be time to add a few more. They have been a wonderful fish over the past few years.

Looks like you’ve got things under control in there. Lots of plants!
Directing a stream of water at the diffuser will result in more smaller bubbles and more co2 in the water. You may find that you can decrease the bubble count and still get good growth.

Good idea. The CO2 bubbles used to bother me, but it actually doesn’t anymore.

The Anubias nana “Pinto” looks like a goner. It was nice to at least see what it’d look like in this tank. I may just cut off some Anubias nana “petite” and put it in its place. I’ll look into getting some more in the summer when it is warmer.

 

[fishenthusiast]

The Anubias nana “Pinto” did end up melting away. Oh well, I’ll just grab a few when the weather warms. It feels like the arctic tundra outside. For now, the tank is in a wait and see approach for the next few months. I had to buy some fish food and filter media from Drs. Foster and Smith, and to get a discount, I had to buy another item. I ended up buying some Flourish Advance, which contains phytohormones for root growth. I’m curious to see if it has any benefit, considering that I have a lot of heavy root-feeders in this tank.

I had the tank light on 60% two weeks ago, but I put it back on 30% a few days afterwards. It was mainly to see how much pearling I could get—just some experimentation. Even in low lighting on 30% intensity, I’m still getting some pearling from the NL Java Fern. I didn’t get any of that with the reactor. I think I’m getting better CO2 distribution with the atomizer and the powerhead, which makes sense.

 

[Delapool]

That’s a shame on the Anubias - be interesting to see how the flourish advance goes.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Just a thought for the future, but I had an idea about a future foreground that I could do. There is a variant of Java Fern that is known as Mini Windelov Java Fern, and I was thinking that I could attach some to some stainless steel mesh and place it in the foreground. It’d create a bushier appearance than the Crypt parva, and I think it’d look interesting. Any thoughts? I know some people do the same thing with moss. As long as the rhizomes weren’t buried, I think it’d succeed.

 

[Caliban07]

Sounds like a good idea. Would be very interesting. In all my experience with rhizome plants, I’ve always been successful planting the rhizome or burying crowns. For this reason, if it were me I’d just plant a small section in to the substrate and see how it goes. If it grows well (which I imagine it would) it would save you the tedious and frustrating process of tying it to mesh. If you don’t find the process tedious or frustrating because you are patient (unlike me) it’s a win win.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Quick Update:

The tank is really growing in well. The Buce is gradually gaining size and leaf quantity. The NL Java Fern is starting to gain size as well. The only thing that isn’t to my liking is the foreground. The Crypt parva is starting to get “old” and boring. I’m thinking I’ll ditch it here in a month or two, and go with something else. Pygmy Chain Sword is the top option at this point. I can order some of it in TC. Parts of the background need some foliage. The Corkscrew Val that I bought a few months ago didn’t survive because of melthing, but I plan on getting more of it in the future. I’ll provide some pictures today or tomorrow.

 

[Fresh2o]

Pygmy chain swords sound like a good idea.
What livestock do you have in this tank?

 

[fishenthusiast]

Pygmy chain swords sound like a good idea.
What livestock do you have in this tank?

I still have a few Harlequin Rasboras, some Cherry Barbs, and a few Kuhli Loaches left. I’d like to bump up the Cherry Barb number to around 10 or more. They look great against the greenery, and I’d like to get some females in the tank to get a vivid red coloration out of the males. I think the Harlequin Rasboras are starting to get old, so I’d rather not up their numbers and just get something else in the next few months. Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish or Furcata Rainbowfish are options. I also want to add a group of Corydoras and Amano Shrimp.

 

[fishenthusiast]

 

[TMaier]

Looking great!

 

[fishenthusiast]

Update:

The NL ferns are getting bigger as the months pass. Soon enough, they’ll reach near the top of the tank. I’ll be swapping out most of the Crypt parva soon for Helanthium tenellus and some Marsilea. I’d like to add a background Echinodorus to the right side of the tank for some color and large leaf contrast. I’ll have some excess plants to sell away soon, so keep watch if you are in need of Crypts, a little bit of Buce, Christmas Moss, and maybe even some NL Java Fern. I’ll post some update pics in a few days.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Time for some pics. I like how this tank is coming along. It just needs a few plant swaps and additions.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Looking good fish [emoji108][emoji106]

 

[fishenthusiast]

Looking good fish [emoji108][emoji106]

Thanks, Bert!

 

[Delapool]

Looking good! I like the buce (I think it is?).

 

[fishenthusiast]

Looking good! I like the buce (I think it is?).

Thanks, and you are correct! After a year of being in the tank, some nice leaves have grown in. I’m still waiting on them to attach to the driftwood though. Buce roots grow slowly!

 

[Delapool]

Your not wrong! I found weeks of waiting to get a few new leaves and then they would get chomped on overnight...

 

[Fresh2o]

That tank looks pretty stable. What is the name of the low growing Crypt with the “tiger stripes”?

 

[fishenthusiast]

That tank looks pretty stable. What is the name of the low growing Crypt with the “tiger stripes”?

That is Crypt nurii “Rosen Maiden”. It is one of my favorite Crypts, and an impulse buy that turned out to be a good one. I’m hoping it’ll produce some runners eventually.