Rescaped

[JakeVS]

Hey everyone!

So, I was bored yesterday and decided to rescape my 5g. Low light (8 watt cfl) DIY co2. Wondering what everyone thinks of the changes.

Before

And after

 

[blert]

Very nice.

 

[JakeVS]

I was also wondering if anyone could give me an ID on the small plant in the front with the dying leaves(the guy at the lfs said that he believed it was a black sword, but wasn't sure) and the large plant in the back center that has outgrown the tank(which I was expecting)

 

[mohican]

Love the new layout, the driftwood adds a lot of dimension!!! As for the plant, definitely a sword but to hard to tell quite yet. maybe a better pic could help id it.

 

[Coursair]

There are a ton of Swords, maybe a baby Melon Sword ??? I would trim off the worst of the damaged leaves at the base and make sure it's not shaded out too much by the big Sword.

Yes, time to sell or give away your Amazon Sword. Try more Crypts , much slower growing and easy in small tanks. My C wendtii Mi Oya is one of my favorites, and will eventually be sold once it outgrows, but it's doing great for now.

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Looks a lot better I would go for a black background on the tank to make everythjsng stand out more.

 

[CherryBarb123]

Love the layout - very nice

 

[JakeVS]

Thanks! I do already have a home for the large sword, which will hopefully give the other smaller one a chance to thrive. I might move the one in the front on top of the driftwood to have it in a spot where the light is most intense, and maybe finally see some lasting growth out of it.

 

[JakeVS]

So, I'm considering another rescape. This is my tank as it stands today.




I'm looking for some more suggestions, but my plan so far is to buy a smaller, taller piece of DW, for the centerpiece, which will have 3 anubias nana petite attached to it. The plan for that is so that the crypt and sword that are currently hiding in the back can be showcased on either side. When I pick up the DW, I plan to buy more micro sword to help fill in that front left corner, maybe some stones to keep it somewhat contained, with the remainder of the smaller crypts and small Mellon sword continuing over to the right side.

 

[emerald76]

Nice!Stock?

 

[JakeVS]

As of right now, 1 rosy barb(in the process of being rehomed) 1 silver tip tetra, 2 black phantom tetras. So fish is something that needs to be organized, rehomed and restocked.

3 crypts(all the same, can't remember the species) 1 amazon sword, 3 anubias nana petit, 1 melon sword, micro sword.

 

[emerald76]

Yes,all those fish need rehoming
I love the driftwood in there!I love my green foxtail if you are looking for a cool low light plant
At least mine is low light I think it is a mutant-a java moss crossed with a green foxtail LOL

 

[JakeVS]

Hmm, I do like it. How thick does it grow? I haven't had much success with stem plants, especially with keeping them planted.

 

[JakeVS]

So, I'm wondering if anyone has done a planted filter, I was thinking of doing it like a riparium. My idea for it was to use a porous rock large enough to not get into the filter, but still small enough to plant in. What are the odds of having issues with root rot if the actual plant is above the surface with the roots growing down into the stones? (was planning to use a mesh of some kind to keep the plants above the water surface). Would it also be beneficial to add a divider between the media compartment and the mechanical side to help keep the stones away from the filter?

Any ideas or suggestions would be wonderful!

 

[Coursair]

So, I'm wondering if anyone has done a planted filter, I was thinking of doing it like a riparium. My idea for it was to use a porous rock large enough to not get into the filter, but still small enough to plant in. What are the odds of having issues with root rot if the actual plant is above the surface with the roots growing down into the stones? (was planning to use a mesh of some kind to keep the plants above the water surface). Would it also be beneficial to add a divider between the media compartment and the mechanical side to help keep the stones away from the filter?

Any ideas or suggestions would be wonderful!

I've seen planted filters. Some of my club members do this.

 

[JakeVS]

Any idea what kind of material they use in the filter to plant in? I have been looking into it, and was wondering if pumice would be good, fairly inert as far as I could tell, biggest issue I think I would have would be added silicates. But it would be porous enough to provide a lot of surface area for BB to thrive.

 

[jetajockey]

You could just use a pot, elevate it in the tank as needed. The plant would benefit from some sort of soil anyway.

 

[JakeVS]

That would be a good idea, surround it in something pleasing to the eyes, as I do not have a background on my tank. Would help contain the soil, as well as limit the flow of water to the plant.

 

[JakeVS]

Still playing around with the look. Current scape.



Sorry for the reflection.

 

[JakeVS]

Does anyone know of a good way to encourage horizontal growth from micro swords? I'm finding they are growing taller, opposed to spreading further and carpeting. I've heard more light and co2, but would trimming the leaves shorter help?