FresH2O's 20g planted rescape

[KingKoopa512]

Alot growth nice. Jus got a spec v cycled so transfered all shrimp to it. But yea man big difference

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[Ziggy953]

Looking good! I hope my newly planted AR Mini will grow in nicely like that!

 

[fishenthusiast]

The tank's looking good fresh. I like the red touch that the AR mini adds.


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[Fresh2o]

Looking good! I hope my newly planted AR Mini will grow in nicely like that!

What do you not grow well?

The tank's looking good fresh. I like the red touch that the AR mini adds.


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I have some Ludwigia sp red and Rotala Mac in my holding tank that I can add to the other side to balance it out. Or add some regular AR. Have not grown that in a few years.


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[Fresh2o]

Decided to give the HC Cuba another try. Pulled it off the driftwood. No super glue this time. Just fishing line and stainless steel mesh. Should have done this the first time around (but the glosso smothered everything back then). Removed some glosso to make room for these. Hope it becomes established this time.

Trimmed and replanted the taller growth. Moved some extra Rotala macrandra from the holding tank to this tank. It's left of the pogo erectus in the right corner. Hoping to bring some red to the right side.

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[Delapool]

How do you attach it to the mesh?

 

[Fresh2o]

How do you attach it to the mesh?

Lightweight fishing line. The glue only held on for so long. The plants did not get established in the previously effort (snails unearthing the mesh, glosso taking over).


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[Delapool]

Lightweight fishing line. The glue only held on for so long. The plants did not get established in the previously effort (snails unearthing the mesh, glosso taking over).


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Sounds like an afternoon of knot-tying? The glue sounds great if it would hold. I don't know if there are underwater glues? I was thinking on this on the weekend as knocked a bit of driftwood and spent the next 30 minutes slotting it all back into place. Worse than pick-up-sticks game.

 

[KingKoopa512]

Seachem makes some glue

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[Fresh2o]

Sounds like an afternoon of knot-tying? The glue sounds great if it would hold. I don't know if there are underwater glues? I was thinking on this on the weekend as knocked a bit of driftwood and spent the next 30 minutes slotting it all back into place. Worse than pick-up-sticks game.

It was not bad. One knot to start, wrap several times, one knot at the end. Scissors for snipping the slack.
Glue (superglue) can work on DW but it needs to be dry. And not too big. I have used stainless steel screws to bond pieces of DW.

Seachem makes some glue

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I have some but misplaced it. I believe it is cyanoacrylate but with the Seachem brand on it.


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[Thrills22]

Hey Fresh

I read a blog on UKAPS where they buried the HC a little deeper and covered it with more substrate than normal and it seemed to work. I think with HC the roots are so tiny that the plant being disturbed is more often that not the reason it doesn't take off. I'm interested to see how the mesh approach works out for you.

 

[KingKoopa512]

Me too. In my scapertank hc not doing so good ?

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[Carriwin]

Fresh! It looks fabulous! Love the look. I hope the little guys take off. They'll be lovely if they do.

 

[Fresh2o]

Hey Fresh

I read a blog on UKAPS where they buried the HC a little deeper and covered it with more substrate than normal and it seemed to work. I think with HC the roots are so tiny that the plant being disturbed is more often that not the reason it doesn't take off. I'm interested to see how the mesh approach works out for you.

Yes, they are small plants and that approach makes sense (having them get established and grow upward through the substrate). The biggest problem were the MTS. Like little bulldozers, they would lift the screen mesh off the substrate and go between the mesh and plants (separating them). The latter should not happen since they are tied down.

Me too. In my scapertank hc not doing so good ?

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It is not an easy plant for sure.

Fresh! It looks fabulous! Love the look. I hope the little guys take off. They'll be lovely if they do.

Thanks! I do as well. Would like to get some semblance of a carpet with this plant.
Oddly, it grows very well in some moss filled terrariums I have. Placed near a window. No ferts. Just indirect sunlight and misting. Lots of runners and roots. It will serves as a source in case I need more for the tank.


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[Thrills22]

Yes, they are small plants and that approach makes sense (having them get established and grow upward through the substrate). The biggest problem were the MTS. Like little bulldozers, they would lift the screen mesh off the substrate and go between the mesh and plants (separating them). The latter should not happen since they are tied down.

Well you certainly know what you're doing. The density of your glosso is testament to that especially since many consider glosso harder to grow than HC. Have you considered an MTS cull?

 

[Fresh2o]

Well you certainly know what you're doing. The density of your glosso is testament to that especially since many consider glosso harder to grow than HC. Have you considered an MTS cull?

The MTS sort of cull themselves if I am careful about over feeding.
At first the population exploded but as the plants got established, I noticed poor shell development in the MTS. The shell tips would decay and sometimes snail death would occur. I believe this was due to a mineral deficiency caused by the plants (did not notice that in my shrimp tank). Then I noticed a group of MTS that had darker shells and less decay. Those are the primary group now.


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[Autumnsky]

MTS...And the strong adapt and survive!

 

[Caliban07]

The MTS sort of cull themselves if I am careful about over feeding.
At first the population exploded but as the plants got established, I noticed poor shell development in the MTS. The shell tips would decay and sometimes snail death would occur. I believe this was due to a mineral deficiency caused by the plants (did not notice that in my shrimp tank). Then I noticed a group of MTS that had darker shells and less decay. Those are the primary group now.


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That is a clever correlation between plants and snail with respect to mineral deficiencies and one which I never thought to make. Perhaps also the lower ph induced when injecting co2 had an effect on the condition of their shells?


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[Fresh2o]

MTS...And the strong adapt and survive!

A $1 investment turned into hundreds of snails. The population was very high in the shrimp tank when I had a deep substrate. Now they are rare after a tank rebuild with a scant layer of sand. Plus the FenBen dewormer treatment; although I wonder if the MTS population decrease is a coincidence (and more due to the lack of substrate). There are pond and Rams horn snails present. Hmmmm.

That is a clever correlation between plants and snail with respect to mineral deficiencies and one which I never thought to make. Perhaps also the lower ph induced when injecting co2 had an effect on the condition of their shells?


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True, I forgot about pH.
To counter this, I occasionally add a small amount of Montmorrilonite Calcium Clay after water changes. It's a product normally used in koi ponds for water clarity and as a digestion aid. I try to be conservative when adding this because I do not have a calcium test kit. I recently picked up a TDS meter as I figure this product adds to the TDS value. I add it to the planted tank for the MTS' shells and to the shrimp tank for the calcium.


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[Fresh2o]

Update on the HC Cuba and Glosso I put in a terrarium a few months ago. The HC Cuba (upper left) is sending out runners with roots. The Glosso (upper right) is auditioning for "Plants Gone Wild". The rest are mosses from a kit. The terrarium sits on a window sill facing SE. The only care is occasional misting.

I might setup more of these to do DSM with the HC Cuba. Of course there will be the setback do to uprooting and transplanting to take into consideration. But this looks like an easy way to increase plant mass.


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