Old Scales Semi-Rescape 29g Planted Tank

[Old Scales]

Hey friends,
Thought I'd share my rescape and new plants with you and get your feedback, critique and suggestions. I'm excited about two new plants especially. The Rotala Indica (Amania bonsai) and the Alternanthera Renieki 'mini'. I ordered these from the UK and it took seven days to get to me. The plants were tiny and I wasn't sure if they were even alive. They looked so bad, but they are SLOWLY coming out of it and growing.
Here's my set up:
29g standard tank
Versa top glass cover
Aquatic Life quad T5 HO fixture with Geiseman 6000k bulbs
100w Fluval heater
Fluval 206 canister filter
Fluval Aquaclear 50 HOB
Flora-max substrate
Flourish Root tabs
Liquid Carbon (Gluteraldehyde)
PPS-Pro Dry Ferts
Goal = 10-15ppm NO3 & 1.0-2.0ppm PO4

FloraLeft to right)
Hygrophilia Difformis
Ludwigia Ovalis (a few scraggly sprigs)
Rotala Indica 'bonsai'
Alternanthera Renieki 'mini'
Ludwgia Peruensis (Glandulosa)
Crytocoryne Parva
Lobelia Cardinalis
Cobomba Carolinis

Fauna:
Neon tetras(6)
Pristella tetras(4)
Serpae tetras(6)
Rummy Nose tetras(8)
Black Skirt tetras(3)
Julie Corys(3)
Nerite snails(4)

These pictures were taken after a major trim back of the hygro and cabomba.
Just planted the Crypt Parva and Lobelia C.
The Bonsai is still very uneven but growing well.
Anybody else growing this, please, any tips apreciated.
I will add pictures of the AR mini growing to this thread as it grows.
MANY THANKS to Rivercats for her past and present help with this planted adventure!
So let me know what you think and give me your tips/suggestions my friends.
Take care, pray for Oklahoma. Old Scales(Brian)

 

[Old Scales]

Picture of right side of tank

First post would not let me post this third picture showing the new crypt. parva and lobelia cardinalis. And oops, forgot to list the dwarf babys tears growing on the driftwood. OS.

 

[Rodeo one]

Ok....here goes ,cuz 6 mos into having aquariums & after setting up 2 1/2 planted tanks I m such an expert, ha! But, I do have an artistic eye for detail & you did ask.....
I would replace the line of red plants that are on the left in front of the rock with bright green plants & replace the rocks with a more interesting rock or DW. Also maybe something tall in the rt back corner. Just my (very) humble opinion.

 

[Old Scales]

OK cool Rodeo, Thank you for the input. Yeah, at the time I had a hard time finding cool rocks here. I've never been one for the artistic eye. I can paint well! The barn, the door, the walls, LOL. OS.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I like it so far. The stone you have is okay to me, but I'd agree that there are more interesting variety out there. You can get some Seiryu stone or something from eBay. Or just go DW. But I really like that Alternanthera Renieki 'mini' -- especially for it being pretty rare here in the states. You're sitting on the a gold mine if you want to start selling them

On your third pic... I can tell the nerites went to town on that DW. I love nerites, but I seriously hate that they turn my beautiful DW into a sesame bun! LOL

Anyway, your plants look really healthy! Great work! I'll be following along

 

[Billbug68]

I actually really like the red section up front. It's not something you see all the time, and if you can get everything to fill in really well, it will make for a great looking Dutch style tank. I do agree that perhaps another piece of driftwood on the left would compliment the scape a little better, than the existing stones you have. Well done, OS. Keep up the great work!

 

[Old Scales]

Brian & Bill thanks so much for your input. Yes, the rock needs to go. Man! I wish do-overs were not so hard. I'll have to be really careful about replacing the rock as the Bosnsai & AR mini seem to really hate being relocated. Kinda like crypts. This AR mini is now almost double in size since this picture and getting alot redder. I love it! Another thing is I wish I had gone with the black flora-max. I had mostly swords when I set up the tank.(Greens instead of reds) I'll check out the Seiryu stone. If you have any favorite sites where you've ordered DW or other natural hardscape send them to me.
Also guys, I love your avatars. Really cool. Now lets invent a nerite snail egg remover solution and get rich! LOL. Thanks guys, OS(Brian)

 

[Rivercats]

The tank is looking good Brian! I can see your Mini AR are coloring up... hopefully mine will be following suit sooner rather than later. At least all mine survived considering how bad they looked when they came in.

Have you considered just removing the rock and studying the area for awhile maybe opting for more plants instead of hardscape? You already have a piece of DW and with the linear shape of the rocks it would be the perfect space to add another row of one type of plant. Just a thought.

 

[Coel]

Nice OS, I cant wait to see it grow in. What is thst red plant up front?

 

[Old Scales]

Coel,
the red plants in front are the Alternanthera Renieki 'mini' that we've been refering to as AR. They are my pride and joy right now. LOL. OS.

 

[Coel]

I definitely am going to try them when I get going

 

[Old Scales]

I put the long rock where it is so it would hide the bottom 4 inch stemmy section of the wisteria behind it. When I remove the rocks, what are some plants that would hide the lower part of the wisteria and also make a nice back drop for the Amm. Bonsai in front?
All I can think of that would make a long, solid, not too high section is a type of Crypt.
Would regular crypts grow OK in a high light, glut, PPS fert planted tank? What about one of the bronze colored crypts? Give me your suggestions friends. Thank You. OS.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

You can add some midground type bushy plants like blyxa japonica or even some hydrocotyle sp. Japan and trim it bushy style. Stargrass is another option. Baby Tears (HM) can be trimmed to stay low and bushy too. All would work to hide the bottom of that stemy part of the wisteria.

 

[Old Scales]

OK Great! Those are some I hadn't thought of. I'll start researching them now. Thanks so much.
Take care, later, OS.

 

[Rivercats]

After looking at pic #2 enlarged and seeing you need something different in leaf shape and color since both plants in front and back of it are green you could do something like Rotala Wallichii, Ludwigia sp 'Cuba', Ludwigia sp 'Pantanal', or Limnophila hippuroides. All of these have totally different leaf shape and growth pattern different than all the other plants in the tank and will add a touch of color without being in your face bright (except for the L. Pantanal). The Wallichii is a very thin, fine leaf, the Pantanal isn't an overly wide stem with shorter leaves and not as fine as the Wallichii, then the Cuba and Limnophila are both fatter stemmed with longer leaves.

EDIT: Forgot to add that crypts would get too big and ruin the look IMO.

 

[Old Scales]

OK thanks Janis, yes, I wouldn't want another green. How easy would it be to keep these lower than the hygro in back, but higher than the bonsai in front? I've been looking at the wallichii seriously. Does it stay thick down at the substrate, say from 3" and up? I will look up the other ones you listed and study. Thank You. I didn't get to EM you with the really close ups of the AR mini yet. I took a new brand cold medicine and I got so drowsy I couldn't stay up. LOL (But I finally slept without hacking all night) Will EM you this eve.
Take care. OS.

 

[Rivercats]

Yes the Wallichii will stay thick but I will tell you if anything will attract algae it will. But alittle H2O2 will easily clean it. I think the leaves on the 'Cuba' would be a nice contrast in their shape with the other plants. And any of the 4 plants I listed are very easy to keep trimmed at the height you want. Since they are all top tip color plants you just have to get used to the inbetween stage after trimming and until the new growth comes in colored again. Any would be a good choice.

 

[Old Scales]

+1 on the H2O2! I did that on a spot of green slime algae on my HC cuba and it totally killed it. Took the old anubias from the guppy tank and sink soaked them in it after misting the leaves. In two days the leaves looked brand new again. Cool stuff this H2O2!
I'm VERY happy to say that since I got the light, PPS-Pro and Glut system going, I've had hardly any new algae. Thank the fish gods! OS.

 

[Rivercats]

I rarely have algae issues and if one pops up it's H2O2 to the rescue.

 

[Old Scales]

Update on the AR mini

-Attaching a pic of the Ar mini. It is definitetly taking off. Its seems to propagate by putting tiny little new plants just under the biggest sprout. I separated some out today to see how they will react. The root system definitely goes downward into the substrate so it seems they will be both root and leaf feeders. Leaf feeders because when I upped my PO4 they are getting much redder. I would class its growth rate as moderate after they get their legs under them. They are only supposed to get about 3" tall and spread out.
-ALSO! I did my first WC with a Python water changing hose today. OMG! If I hadn't cleaned all the filters and trimmed plants, I would have been done in 30 min. NO buckets, no backache, not a drop on the floor. Now I'm playing with you big kids! LOL
-I am definitely going to rid the rocks for plants. Still researching all your suggestions and trying to decide.
Take care & God bless. OS.