FresH2O's 20g planted rescape

[Fresh2o]

I’ve have two types of dwarf sag in my pond: one short and one tall. I plan on using the shorter type.
No too concerned with plant growth TBH. The idea of providing a fish friendly environment probably stems from prior episodes of gassing them with co2. Would even consider getting a group of hasbrosas or kuhlis.

 

[Fresh2o]

So far I have been ok with my 24/7 preprogrammed light cycle. But I have so many algae eating critters I might never know.

I wonder if there is a light with a built in timer and intensity options that doesn’t cost a fortune.

That last part might be a gotcha. IDK, your tanks are looking great.

 

[Delapool]

No tank re-scapes over xmass?

 

[Fresh2o]

No tank re-scapes over xmass?

Oh, no. Too busy. But I will be posting a dozen pics showing the changes for 2017.

 

[Fresh2o]

12 pics of my planted tank in 2017. Got away from a jungle of stem plants and had a run with HC Cuba as a carpet. Added Blue Mountain Seiryu Stone to a scape that did not change much. Transitioned to Staurogyne repens as portions of the HC Cuba did not stay firmly rooted. I expect a change in direction in 2018.
https://i.imgur.com/d5fgdxG.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/KRd94RB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MVNYF1A.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/4h5Wa8Q.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JOc52oZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vxJyxZS.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/5lAQwIV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/T02PvXW.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/S36t6kG.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Et9qSZx.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Y76aQoo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/hwwrIHU.jpg

 

[Autumnsky]

That's a lot of shake, rattle and roll!!! Interesting to see what comes for 2018!?!!

 

[fishenthusiast]

I’ll be interested to see what you come up with! That Gold Tetra in there seems to be invincible. I bet it could survive a nuclear winter.

 

[Fresh2o]

Well, pulled some smaller dwarf sag from my almost frozen pond today. They are soaking in a cup of water with hydrogen peroxide (to kill off the algae and nasties). Going to plant them in the Planted tank later.
Oddly enough, there is still some green HC Cuba in the pond despite the freezing temps. The stuff above the water level died off.
As for the gold tetra, it’s actual age is debatable. In 2007, I picked up 6 of them. In 2011, I was able to raise a few from an unexpected spawning. So this one is either 6 or 10 years old.

 

[Autumnsky]

6 or 10 - pretty awesome!!!

 

[Fresh2o]

6 or 10 - pretty awesome!!!

Back in 2011 I even put the gold Tetras outside for the summer. Had a wicked fungal outbreak that killed everything. Pulled these guys out before they got it. Brought them in in October when the temps started to get into the 50s. They started breeding shortly thereafter.
Last night I planted some dwarf sag in the tank. Despite multiple hydrogen peroxide soakings and vigorous rinsing under the tap, there are some strands of hair algae that are still present. Hope I did not just open Pandora’s box.

 

[Bert2oo1]

Back in 2011 I even put the gold Tetras outside for the summer. Had a wicked fungal outbreak that killed everything. Pulled these guys out before they got it. Brought them in in October when the temps started to get into the 50s. They started breeding shortly thereafter.
Last night I planted some dwarf sag in the tank. Despite multiple hydrogen peroxide soakings and vigorous rinsing under the tap, there are some strands of hair algae that are still present. Hope I did not just open Pandora’s box.

A tank that’s balanced like yours should kill off the hair algae pretty quick fresh also the cleaning crew will sort it out. I recently bought a anubias batari that was covered in algae at the pet shop and put it in the 60g. After a week the leaves were completely clean and looked brand new [emoji16]

 

[Fresh2o]

A couple of hours ago the tank was so cloudy that visibility was no more than a few inches. This was after pulling out most of the plants and shifting some substrate from the left side of the tank. It has cleared up for the most part, though the CO2 misting is contributing to the haziness.

I decided to flip the two stones on the left so that they could be used as a barrier and I moved the substrate out of the left end of the tank. My first inclination was to put pool filter sand there but my OCD cannot deal with that. Instead, I will move a bit of the substrate back from the middle hill to the open area to a depth of 1.5-2”. There I will Plant the dwarf sag. On the hill will go the staur repens since it grows thick roots pretty rapidly. I will put 1-2 AR mini along the back.
Hard to scape when so much college football going on. [emoji458][emoji481][emoji226]

 

[Autumnsky]

Okay, getting ready for the newest rescape _ Fresh New Year 2018.

As usual, I am a little nervous seeing the tank so bare.

 

[Fresh2o]

Plants are in an old deli platter with a wet paper towel on them. The thought of going plantless with just rocks and leaf litter has crossed my mind. More of a blackwater setup.
Anyhow, as soon as the water cleared, I did not like then rock placement. So i moved them around again. I need to wait for the water to clear before I decide how this looks. I’ll leave you with this...

 

[TMaier]

Hahaha and the fish are wondering “is he done YET?” Lol

 

[Bert2oo1]

If you like the idea of easy care (less trimming etc) have you thought about getting some more rocks and going a heavy rock scape with just carpet plants, s repens, ar mini and mosses? Maybe even a pogo here and there?

Maybe a new plant order to fresh things up with abit of variety?

Over the last 6 months I’ve noticed you getting abit bored with it all so though maybe abit more plant variety might bring the spark back [emoji16]

Maybe something like these?
https://i.loli.net/2018/01/01/5a49eab09db10.jpg
https://i.loli.net/2018/01/01/5a49eab3a3110.jpg
https://i.loli.net/2018/01/01/5a49eab667d84.jpg

 

[Autumnsky]

Hmmm no plants??? just black water??? DW and rocks, there is pressure there because all has to be very well done, as it is all visible all the time!

Here's an inspiration piece
2016 AGA Aquascaping Contest - #26

 

[Fresh2o]

Hahaha and the fish are wondering “is he done YET?” Lol

I really should have removed have them. On the other hand, the SunSun did a good job clearing the water. Almost afraid to open it up now. Gunkzilla.

Hmmm no plants??? just black water??? DW and rocks, there is pressure there because all has to be very well done, as it is all visible all the time!
...

I know this is torture leaving a cliff hanger like this. Not going plantless yet. In the past I have used plants to hide my hardscaping skills.

If you like the idea of easy care (less trimming etc) have you thought about getting some more rocks and going a heavy rock scape with just carpet plants, s repens, ar mini and mosses? Maybe even a pogo here and there?

Maybe a new plant order to fresh things up with abit of variety?

Over the last 6 months I’ve noticed you getting abit bored with it all so though maybe abit more plant variety might bring the spark back [emoji16]
...

Yes, I’ve become lazier. And I’ve seen those tanks you posted (all are beautiful and well done). Serious hardscape needed to pull those off. Sort of a hybrid of Dutch + stones. Yes, so MANY stem plants I have yet to try.
Not sure what drives my aversion to grow anything tall at this point. I enjoy the openness of the tank. Yet i want to provide some type of cover/relief for the fish as well. Part of me want to try something original. For instance, the “island jungle” look (mix of DW and stones in a vertical arrangement surrounded by sand) started getting traction in 2016 and became quite popular in 2017. I missed that boat.
For now, I went with a basic hill of substrate with embedded stones. I left gaps between the stones and filled them in with substrate. In these “channels” I planted Staurogyne repens. I left the downoi on the right side and put dwarf sag on the left. Once this fills in I’m hoping that substrate will only be visible is a few areas up front. I am open to trying a few different stem plants along the back. Also, I stopped fighting the algae on the stones.
Here are a few pics. Detritus is still evident in some of the pics. Water is clear except for the CO2 mist.

 

[Fresh2o]

Just trying something out. The video capture app I have been using for the last few years is not compatible with iOS 11 [emoji35]. Trying out GoPro Slice here (which will not upload to YouTube unfortunately). Fingers crossed...
https://splice.gopro.com/v?id=7zzMvM
It starts out with the bubble counter at slightly less than 1 BPS and shows the amount of CO2 mist in the water column.

 

[coralbandit]

Nice !
Worked well for me , music and all.
Have you looked into the Dr Chihiros for algae control?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chihiros-3...hash=item25e7391752:m:mOMmg3RF9sX0c4904c76b0w
I run 3 in different tank.. I know a few other plant heads that swear by them...
The disk may last a year in soft water ,less in hard. They are replaceable and I am on second disk in all 3 after more then a year.