26g Bow Front - My First Dutch Inspired Scape Journal

[aqua_chem]

I don't have any tanks set up at the moment due to a recent cross country move and school. I'm planning on getting a few set up in early 2013, at least one of which won't be planted. You guys will be the first to know.

 

[gman42]

I have the plant rivercat said was the plant id. Its a great plant, and has grown like crazy with low light and excel in my 20g.
Ill post a pic of it tommarrow.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Yeah I was thinking it looked like a bacopa... i could've sworn i saw rotala something or another in the name written on the glass from the tank it was purchased.. only 50 cents a stem, not bad... anyway, you guys think it could be Lindernia rotundifolia 'variegated'?

 

[gman42]

Heres a pic of it.

It needs to be trimmed pretty bad.

 

[Rivercats]

Yeah I was thinking it looked like a bacopa... i could've sworn i saw rotala something or another in the name written on the glass from the tank it was purchased.. only 50 cents a stem, not bad... anyway, you guys think it could be Lindernia rotundifolia 'variegated'?

Can't tell what the leaves look like in the pic so do they look like this...
Google Image Result for http://plants.indoaquascape.com/images/plant/Lindernia%20rotundifolia%20Variegated.jpg

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Wow... Cool site.. I'll have to bookmark that one along with Tropica's site for ID'ing flora.

In kinda looks like that. There's 3 white veins on the leaves. The leaves appear smaller and thicker than bacopa. From the pic you linked, the veins look somewhat different, but also have white veins.. I give up.. Haha

 

[Rivercats]

Sites like that do come in handy sometimes!

 

[aqua_chem]

anyway, you guys think it could be Lindernia rotundifolia 'variegated'?

Yes. I recognized it from the second picture you posted but couldn't come up with the name after fruitlessly looking for it for about 30 mins. I would say that's probably what it is.

 

[RobbyDoom]

The setup looks great Brian!!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Thanks Robby!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Well... I'm having some reservations on the Finnex Ray 2 on a tank this tall. It appears that it grows plants well, BUT with two problems (I think). 1... The red plants or plants that usually color up with high light are all green at their tops where new growth has occurred. And, 2... There's algae everywhere on the glass and on the white sand.

Although i can't fully blame the light because i was gone for a few days and the co2 was off. Still, when co2 was fine last week, I have yet to see plants color up... This got me scratching my head!

Anyway.. I'm going to get to scrubbing, do a PWC, and add some floss and Purigen to the filter.

Here's the mess I came home to.

 

[Billbug68]

Oh man!!! That's filthy! Haha. Most likely because of the co2 fluctuation. Is the tank cycled already? For the red plants, do you have iron root tabs? Some extra iron may help them color up.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Yeah, it's more likely to be a co2 issue than just a light issue. Adding iron really is a great idea. My red tiger lotus was throwing out some green leaves and I added iron to the substrate right under it and it colored right up.

 

[bud29]

Well... I'm having some reservations on the Finnex Ray 2 on a tank this tall. It appears that it grows plants well, BUT with two problems (I think). 1... The red plants or plants that usually color up with high light are all green at their tops where new growth has occurred. And, 2... There's algae everywhere on the glass and on the white sand.

Although i can't fully blame the light because i was gone for a few days and the co2 was off. Still, when co2 was fine last week, I have yet to see plants color up... This got me scratching my head!

Anyway.. I'm going to get to scrubbing, do a PWC, and add some floss and Purigen to the filter.

Here's the mess I came home to.

Hmm well I WISH one of my tanks looked like that, so I can't really call it too much of a mess

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Well when i first added the floramax substrate i added a flourish tab every 4 to 5 inches or so. Do you guys think that the flourish tabs don't have enough iron?

Edit: Oh and yes... tank is cycled BillBug

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Okay... hours later, lots of scrubbing, cleaned the filter sponges, added Purigen, and got the co2 working... here's the fruit of all my labor! Haha

Oh and I cut the tops off the L. Aromatica and replanted

About the PURIGEN

I had a dilemma with what type of media bag to use or even to go with pantyhose because the Purigen beads are so small.. I was very tempted to buy "The Bag" made by Seachem to use specifically for Purigen. However, I thought it was pretty expensive ($8) for a media bag. Well just when I was going to buy the pantyhose, I stopped by my local Petsmart to buy food for my dog... I stopped by the fish section and found some media bags that have a VERY fine mesh for less than a buck each... Anyways, needless to say.. these Aqua-Pure media bags work for Purigen! Just an FYI for those looking for a cheaper alternative to "The Bag."

 

[Rivercats]

Brian what are your nitrate and phosphate reading? You could just get some iron root tabs, I get mine at AquariumPlants.com and put one by each of the red plants. But also to get the best red color you may need to alter your dosing like I did to running a low nitrate (10ppm) and high phosphate (1 to 1.5) tank. Phosphate has alot to do with coloring non-green plants up but also nitrates have to be kept low.

 

[aqua_chem]

Did you end up getting Val. spiralis, or did you get another variety? It looks nice.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Brian what are your nitrate and phosphate reading? You could just get some iron root tabs, I get mine at AquariumPlants.com and put one by each of the red plants. But also to get the best red color you may need to alter your dosing like I did to running a low nitrate (10ppm) and high phosphate (1 to 1.5) tank. Phosphate has alot to do with coloring non-green plants up but also nitrates have to be kept low.

Thanks Rivercats.. Okay I'm going to try this advice and get iron tabs. Which phosphate test do you recommend (api, searches, etc.)? And where do I buy the phosphate if needed? Is it the Mono Potassium Phosphate on GLA?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Did you end up getting Val. spiralis, or did you get another variety? It looks nice.

Thanks Aqua! I ended up ditching the Val. Spiralis and instead used Hygrophila Angustifolia and Cyperus Helferi in the right corner.