The Third Iteration: 20G Rescape

[Crepe]

Okay it's time for another Rescape of my 20GH. Let's begin with the Tank specs:
DiY Co2 (appx 3litres of yeast mix) with home made inline diffuser.
20g High: 24x12x18 inches
Cascade 500 Canister filter
48 watts T5HO 6700k lights


I'm sort of getting the hang of this aquascaping thing and It's time to narrow down my species:
Didiplis diandra
Eleocharis Sp (still emersed growing them to find out what I really have)
Marsilea Minuta ( I'm really bad with FG plants and this plant is turning out to be a good plant for me haha)
Rotala Macranda "magenta" var narrow leaf
Hemianthus Micranthemoides
and Hydrocotyle Verticillata (great midground, took a longggg time to identify the plant from a picture in a 6 year old book I have)

Also retaining some of the older plants not for scape reasons but because I feed cuttings to my koi to get some fiber in their diet. Also trying to figure out a way to shoe horn my L. Glandulosa in somewhere. I just love the feeling of keeping difficult plants alive. Lets you know your tank is going well.

A few comments: The thing I loathe about the 20 high is it's height. I got it cheap but now that i'm doing planted tanks figuring out ways to fill the vertical space is proving a challenge. Trying to get a focus to keep the viewer's eyes from wandering upwards into nothingness becomes a problem. The strategy for this layout will be to make the height less significant with a gradual progression of increasing height front to back, from the M. minuta, a rock, the H. Vert. and then the Rotala Macranda.

ANYWAYS here's the new planned layout:

Plants come in in a few days.

 

[krap101]

I'm sure it'll turn out amazing, and most of my planted tanks turn out disasters... lol.. anyways, have you considered combining the pennywort/hairgrass? Hairgrass looks amazing when it has little "lilypads" poking out. I think amano might have done a tank like that, but I can't seem to find the pics. Hopefully imagination will fill in the holes eh?

 

[Crepe]

Good idea. I need to go harvest more penny wort from the backyard drainage ditch then.

 

[maxima423]

why does that small rock look like a duck!

 

[krap101]

Lol, I brought some back from Virginia thinking that it was really precious (my aunt had a backyard full, and it overtook the grass.) Then I found out that if I go like a quarter mile to the forest by my house, it's not as pronounced, but it is pretty common. I felt like an idiot that is to say..

I saw amano do it (I think), but I'm not sure whether or not the HG will choke the pennywort? Because Amano didn't set up tanks to be long term, so ymmv

 

[krap101]

why does that small rock look like a duck!

You see a duck, I see pitcherplant

 

[Crepe]

My HG grows maybe 1cm a week but it doesn't spread much anymore. i think it'll be fine Pennywort is a medium light plant anyways and I want it to get choked up a bit to make it grow taller. Right now it's staying pretty compact and doesn't grow up.

As for the duck. Tiredness gives me the muscle twitch and I just had a tick while drawing out mr. small rock. haha. My friend does have a pet duck oddly enough. She even takes it out for walks much to the confusion of her neighbors.

 

[krap101]

Does it follow her? That would be an interesting pet, if it could be house trained..

 

[Crepe]

She uses a small dog leash. It does come when she whistles though lol. And it's certainly not house trained. A certain patch of their lawn looks like christmas all the time.

 

[krap101]

I'm wondering.. if the duck decides to go the wrong direction if it's one of the neck collars, something bad could happen... I'd imagine she has one of those elastic "vests" used for small dogs/ferrets?

 

[Aquarium1]

You see a duck, I see pitcherplant

You see a pitcher plant, I see the feet of a larger duck.

 

[krap101]

Sideways pitcher plant (see it now?)

 

[Aquarium1]

I see it both ways

 

[Crepe]

The ducks neck is really short and the duck doesn't move very fast either so she just loops it around his neck.

 

[Crepe]

ANYWAYS I got the plants today and I'm kinda ticked off. The plants arrived in crap condition as the supplier neglected to realize USPS doesn't ship on sunday. Thusly I got them today and most of them look like they are all chewed up and dead. Tank looks like crud right now...

 

[krap101]

Did you complain to the seller? Many sellers will try pretty hard to earn your repeat business.

 

[the_fish_man]

Following Along!
I agree with krap101 to. They might give you a refund.

 

[Crepe]

I was told to wait by the seller and some people at another forum. There seems to be some growth. Lost maybe 20% of the stems but all in all I'm still going good. Plants are a bit lanky right now and the tank looks a wreck. I'll have pics up next week when I sell off the extra plants I've got. Right now they're floating in the tank making it look a mess and helping me keep the excess nutrients down while the new plants take hold.

 

[the_fish_man]

Which hopefully one of those ludwigias fissapear. Lol still want it.

 

[Crepe]

Sorry guys! The fts is longggg overdue. The tank is still looking like a wreck and I'm still trying to resuscitate my D. Diandra (may just go pick up another bunch at my LFS) The HM is taking off well as is my unidentified rotala (Thinking it's rotala macrandra magenta something). The scape didn't have enough room for rock 3 so I decided to keep it out. I may just abandon the rocks all together as they are taking up lots of room.

I may save them for another day I suppose.

Things are looking chaotic in the kingdom of Jeff.