FresH2O's 20g planted rescape

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In order for me to add any new plants I would need to give up one of the existing ones because space is tight. Probably the Bacopa caroliniana would be the one to go, however, it's footprint in the tank is not much (plus it's in the corner). At one time I had broadleaf chain swords that grew tall but they also spread too quickly.
I think the C helferi would require trimming because of the tank height. Blyxa (either species) might work in the corner.
Yeah, that star repens needs a major mow down. Six months ago I ripped all of it and only replanted a handful of the growing tips and it filled in well.
Anyone interested in star repens let me know. Dirt cheap!
The post Sk3lly made about less light, more CO2 was interesting. I could probably do fine with the planted+ only.


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Broke out the lawn mower and trimmed the star repens! Looks a little ragged now but it will recover. Opens up the tank a bit. Look...there's driftwood in there. Water level is a little low (argh).
Here is a before and after shot:
xjCeWft.png

Here is a FTS:
hpgrzlG.png




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Sk3lly said:
Think your algae scrub needs a clean from all that bba lol
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Ha! Kind of ironic if you think about it. In the past I have soaked it in a bag of hydrogen peroxide and it got pretty clean. It is pretty nasty. You don't suppose it would be a problem to soak it in bleach followed by some good rinsing, soaking in Prime+Water, and allowing it to dry out?
 
pittbully13 said:
Dang that stuff grows tall! Look good either way IMO.
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When grown tall it can have a hedge type of effect. It looks good until you start to trim it. The lack of light causes the lower growth to loose leaves. The stems look a bit spindly and there's usually a bunch of adventitious roots growing on them. That's why I like to keep it low. I just got lazy the last month or so.

General Disclaimer: If you every get plants from me then there is a chance you might get pond snails, pond snail eggs, freshwater limpets, and MTS. Use a peroxide dip as needed.
 
Fresh2o said:
When grown tall it can have a hedge type of effect. It looks good until you start to trim it. The lack of light causes the lower growth to loose leaves. The stems look a bit spindly and there's usually a bunch of adventitious roots growing on them. That's why I like to keep it low. I just got lazy the last month or so.

General Disclaimer: If you every get plants from me then there is a chance you might get pond snails, pond snail eggs, freshwater limpets, and MTS. Use a peroxide dip as needed.
Click to expand...


Lol....I have all of those....:banghead:
 
fish wrangler said:
Wow fesh, tank looks really good!

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Thanks! A lot of credit goes to the advice and support I got from this forum. Two years ago this tank had flame moss and Cabomba (barely) under a single T-8. It has come a long ways and it did NOT happen overnight. A lot of research and patience involved in the process.

pittbully13 said:
Lol....I have all of those....:banghead:
Click to expand...


Well then, no surprises for you!


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A Finnex FugeRay and a Planted+.
Yeah, a bit much. I planned to move the FugeRay to the shrimp tank but thought I would try both Finnex lights at the same time. First time produced a lot of green spot algae. I increased the phosphate and put the lights on separate timers (which reduced their overlap time from 8 to 3 hours). The plants pearl the most during that time.
Not sure if I will ever move the FugeRay because the shrimp tank is low maintenance (no ferts/CO2) and I'd rather not change that.


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Looking good, Fresh! Hey, I had a question about the Bacopa Caroliniana. I love it, but now that it's getting tall, it's starting to not be able to support itself and it leans over at the top. Is that normal? I was hoping it could grow a little taller to fill in the back of my tank.
 
Thanks guys!
Regarding tho bacopa, is it reaching the water level then leaning over or leaning over well below the surface?
If it is the former, then I believe that's normal. I usually cut the stems back before they reach the surface.
If it is the latter, then it is possible that ambient light (e.g. - from a nearby window) is causing the plants to grow towards the non-tank light source. Especially if the tank lights are off during a portion of the day; plants will take advantage of any light source that is available. If that is the case, then you could try reducing the extra light (pull shades, etc). I have light from a nearby window entering the side of the tank and I placed a sheet of cardboard on the side of the tank to prevent the plants from leaning sideways.


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They are leaning over well below the surface. The tank is in my living room and there are quite a few windows. So you could be right. It's just strange that they are all leaning towards the front of the tank when most of the ambient light during the day comes from the two ends.


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I am by no means a plant person, but could the water flow be pushing them forward?

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fish wrangler said:
I am by no means a plant person, but could the water flow be pushing them forward?

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That thought did cross my mind. But lots of great thoughts happen AFTER you hit the Reply/Submit/Send button.
If I recall RightTurn's setup, the filter output was not above the bacopa. But he could have changed things up since I last saw it.
Even with the deflectors on my HOB filters, some taller plants are affected by the current. I usually trim them back when that happens.


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Fresh2o said:
That thought did cross my mind. But lots of great thoughts happen AFTER you hit the Reply/Submit/Send button.
If I recall RightTurn's setup, the filter output was not above the bacopa. But he could have changed things up since I last saw it.
Even with the deflectors on my HOB filters, some taller plants are affected by the current. I usually trim them back when that happens.


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Wow. I'm honored you remember my setup. You are correct. And the plants stay that way even when the filter is off. I'll just let 'em go some more and see what happens. Some of the bottom leaves are starting to get a little dark and holey, so I may need to trim off the bottoms and replant soon anyway.
 
Update pic and video...
Here is a pic with the filters off to show the pearling. This only occurs when both lights are on:
lihgozl.png

Trimmed the AR mini (lower leaves were brown and covered with algae) and only replanted the healthy specimens. Trimmed and replanted the Pogo erectus. Started growing some water lettuce again. The star repens carpet has been hacked down and it is slowly growing back. I might remove about half of the star repens and Ammania bonsai to make room for some new plants.
Question: Will stem plants benefit from substrate ferts? The current substrate still has remnants of root pellets from many months ago.
Here's the video:
http://youtu.be/5QK-Tme06Rs



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