Fishenthusiast's 30 Gallon Planted Odyssey

[fishenthusiast]

Time for some photos. I have placed all of the plants in their final spots. Here's the updated plant stock list for those who may want to reference it:

Microsorum pteropus "Threadleaf"
Microsorum pteropus "Needle Leaf"
Microsorum sp. Ishikawa Island
Anubias nana "pinto"
Anubias nana "petite"
Anubias nana
Bucephalandra sp. Apple Leaf
Bucephalandra sp. Green Wave
Bucephalandra sp. Emerald
Bucephalandra sp. Brownie Hermes
Bucephalandra sp. Hades
Bucephalandra sp. Royal Blue
Dwarf Sag
Crypt parva
Crypt wendtii "Green Gecko"
Crypt nurii "Rosen Maiden"
Crypt wendtii "Bronze"
Crypt pontederiifolia
Crypt lucens
Crypt wendtii "Red"

Photos:

Threadleaf Java Fern and Ishikawa Island Java Fern

FTS shots:

After the Crypt wendtii "Red" stops its melt and the new filter and CO2 reactor are in place, tank maintenance will be pretty low.

 

[TMaier]

Looks good. I can't spot the difference in the two Java ferns?

 

[fishenthusiast]

Looks good. I can't spot the difference in the two Java ferns?

Look a little closer on the 6th photo. The Threadleaf Java Fern is in the front and has a thinner leaf width. It won't get taller than 6-7 inches. The Needle Leaf Java Fern is a few millimeters thicker. The NL Java Fern is off in the background. On the 5th photo, you can also see how thin the Threadleaf Java Fern is. It's more noticeable in person.

Edit: It'll also be more noticeable once everything grows in. Han Aquatics, which is where I got the ferns from, probably has better pictures of both.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Good news: The filter is installed and working well. The flow is much more improved.

Bad news: The barb on the CO2 reactor broke off as I was installing it. Will be getting a replacement part soon. Just a small bump in the road.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Good news: The filter is installed and working well. The flow is much more improved.

Bad news: The barb on the CO2 reactor broke off as I was installing it. Will be getting a replacement part soon. Just a small bump in the road.

Yea your better off going brass, those co2 lines are so tight to get on the barbs I had to use pliers last time

 

[fishenthusiast]

Yea your better off going brass, those co2 lines are so tight to get on the barbs I had to use pliers last time

I'll probably get a hair dryer to loosen it up a bit next time. It'll be interesting to see how the plants react. The Crypt parva leaves are gently swaying now. In the end, I'm happy that I didn't get the Eheim 2217. The tank would've been a whirlpool.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Just an evening shot . . .

 

[Caliban07]

Looks great fish. Just wondered if you had considered a different colour background? I think a black or 'earthy' coloured background would add a more natural feel to this type of scape.

 

[fishenthusiast]

Looks great fish. Just wondered if you had considered a different colour background? I think a black or 'earthy' coloured background would add a more natural feel to this type of scape.

I did have the recommendation of changing the background to a lighter color. I think a black background would make the tank too dark, but I may be wrong. If the background didn't have a heavy black to it, I think it'd look fine. I'll try to find one online. I've thought about getting a frosted background, but I haven't put a ton of research into it yet. The main drawback of a lighter background, like what you see in ADA tanks, is algae can be spotted better. I think the tank would look a little weird with a frosted background too. Although, the plants stand out more. If I can make the tank feel more natural, I'm all for it though. It wouldn't be a huge investment, so it wouldn't be hard to change. I'm always up for recommendations!

 

[Caliban07]

I just feel the blue of the background is taking something away from a fantastic scape. My eyes are always drawn through the scape towards the background. Could just be me. I think it would be worth a try. If you know anyone who can photo edit you could get a few samples. One of my friends works in that field and I'm sure if I sent him your pic (with your permission) he would be will to do some editing for you.

 

[fishenthusiast]

I just feel the blue of the background is taking something away from a fantastic scape. My eyes are always drawn through the scape towards the background. Could just be me. I think it would be worth a try. If you know anyone who can photo edit you could get a few samples. One of my friends works in that field and I'm sure if I sent him your pic (with your permission) he would be will to do some editing for you.

Sure, by all means! I'd like to see how the tank looks with a black background. I think it's worth a shot. I'd love for the ferns to stand out more.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Sure, by all means! I'd like to see how the tank looks with a black background. I think it's worth a shot. I'd love for the ferns to stand out more.

Yea blacks awesome for making the plants pop. It will close in the tank tho and make it look abit smaller but it's a small price to pay for the "pop" factor.

The fogged backgrounds need to be back lit or they look crap if u ask me. Generally focused towards higher light setup's.

I looked into fogged backgrounds myself and couldn't find fogged contact anywhere [emoji848]

 

[fishenthusiast]

Yea blacks awesome for making the plants pop. It will close in the tank tho and make it look abit smaller but it's a small price to pay for the "pop" factor.

The fogged backgrounds need to be back lit or they look crap if u ask me. Generally focused towards higher light setup's.

I looked into fogged backgrounds myself and couldn't find fogged contact anywhere [emoji848]

Haha, this tank is small anyway, so that wouldn't be a big deal. It's easier to find the black backgrounds anyway. You have to go to hardware stores and get the fogged window film, and then apply to the tank. I would've had to of gone to Lowes for something like that.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Haha, this tank is small anyway, so that wouldn't be a big deal. It's easier to find the black backgrounds anyway. You have to go to hardware stores and get the fogged window film, and then apply to the tank. I would've had to of gone to Lowes for something like that.

Dam u Americans and your good shops. Aus needs Walmart and lowes lol

 

[fishenthusiast]

Dam u Americans and your good shops. Aus needs Walmart and lowes lol

Oh man, you Australians can have all the Walmarts you want. That is my least favorite store! We need more mom and pop fish stores in the US. The chains have ruined it.

I have a black background in mind already. It is something I'll ponder over the next few days.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Oh man, you Australians can have all the Walmarts you want. That is my least favorite store! We need more mom and pop fish stores in the US. The chains have ruined it.

I have a black background in mind already. It is something I'll ponder over the next few days.

Most of my fish shops are locally owned so they are pretty good. Some still have crap conditions tho.

U can use black garbage bags [emoji16]

 

[Fresh2o]

I used black garbage bags for a few years. It was pretty dark but not jet black with a mat finish.

 

[fishenthusiast]

I was thinking about going with one I'm more familiar with (http://m.drsfostersmith.com/product...d=PLA_G_6194&gclid=CJC_6teT09QCFdG4wAodhBYIyA). The blue version is the one that I'm currently using. There isn't too much that I'd have to move behind the tank to get a new background on. The difficult part is the 4" of free space.

 

[TMaier]

I cut a sheet of this and taped it on the edge. Very easy to handle in a small space.

https://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/plastic_sheets_rolls/hdpe_m_m_opaque/258

 

[fishenthusiast]

I'm thinking I'll end up going with the background swap, but I'm going to make a few changes to accommodate it. On the left side of the tank, I'd like for green plants to be against the background, so I'm thinking I'll move some of Crypt wendtii "Red" to the left side to accommodate the Bronze Wendtii. In the end, it'll only look more natural. I'll get a pot of Crypt wendtii "green" to go in front of some Crypt balansae or a smaller variety of Val. In the meantime, today is water change day. The Dwarf Sag looks sort of sluggish and is a bit yellowish, so I'm going to put some iron tabs under them. That should be an easy fix.