HiJaC
Aquarium Advice Freak
Hi,
I've been milling about and asking questions here and there for a a number of months now. So i thought i'd finally share the fruits of my labour, although i'm experiencing a few problems as detailed here -
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=98625&highlight=
So i started out wanting to make a nice Amazon Biotype to move all the tetra from my first tank (a stock 10G starter tank) to a bigger, happier home. I also set out to learn about and develop a planted tank.
I wanted a tank to fit in the corner of my sitting room for best, most frequent viewing and i had a little cash to spare to splash out so went the whole works.
The Tank
Is a Venezia 190 corner unit. I picked up a bunch of good sand from my LFS and set about filling.
I wanted to add a truckload of bog wood to simulate a drowned tree. So using a selection of three pieces I arranged them like this.
The initial setup was a section of large amazon swords across the mid to back ground. With Hydrocotyle Verticillata on one side of the foreground, a Hydrocotyle leucocephala trailing up the centre fore/mid ground, some crypto's on the right foreground and a again on the far left. Between the swords Vallisneria was added to give more height movement.
Also on the fore/mid right hand side i had a bunch of Limnophilla Aromatica. With a large thin leaf stem plant bunch (who's name is totally lost on me) slap bang in the mid centre.
A rubbish picture of this first planting is here, taken a few weeks after it was first setup. Forgive my crappy phone camera.
So things went well and I enjoyed watching it all grow in. The grasses didnt fair too well so I removed them over time. As things got thicker I adjusted and added a few things here and there but over the coming months didnt really do any major rescaping.
The Limnophilla really grew well and once it came closer to the lights it turned a lovely red. The other mysterious stem plant also shot up and bunched out. Best of all the Hydrocotyle leucocephala trailed wonderfully across the foreground and top of the tank, leaving nice lilly pads of my Oto's to settle on from time to time. I discovered and added a Hygrophila Difformis a few weeks ago which I think I will use more of in the future. And am aiming to source some Hemianthus callitrichoides for a real foreground, carpet plant, that will suit my medium light (about 1.8 - 2 wpg)
Eventually i got around to adding my Co2 injection kit (the joy of my instructions) last week which I think has lead to a few issues with my fish but also prompted me to do my first major rescape.
This time benefitting from weeks of reading and admiration here and the purchase of the three fantastic Amano books.
So...
This is what it looked like on the 20th of May -
Pic is way better then the first as I've got a new Finepiz fujifilm s 5600 camera, but I am still working it out so hopefully i'll improve.
As you can see ive had plenty of growth (all without CO2 injection), but the issue i had was with the mid centre area and the lack of any real depth in the tank. The i felt my corner unit could be utlised better. One of the main issues was with the sheer amount of bog wood I was using, covering alot of the substrate, making planting very hard.
I whipped out one of the upright pieces, leaving the hardscape with an off-centre look. I moved the trimmed Limnophilla Aromatica to the back between the swords (which were also thinned out alot), as well as the other stem plant you see in the centre of the mid ground.
The Hydrocotyle leucocephala was cut back to below the water line and the spare shoots bunched up and added behind the line of mid ground bog wood. Overall you can see a hell of alot more tank, and there by fish now.
As the stem plants now at the back grow in they should cover the heater visible there and waft about in the outflow from the filter. All of which should give the impression of water movement to the left.
Here is a more top down view...
Overall i'm learning more by the day. Next to work out is my CO2 dosing, turned off after the running in period last week due to fish getting a bit desperate for O2. That and working on the HC carpeting of the foreground.
Hope you like,
Any advice or pointers appreciated.
Best Regards,
John
I've been milling about and asking questions here and there for a a number of months now. So i thought i'd finally share the fruits of my labour, although i'm experiencing a few problems as detailed here -
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=98625&highlight=
So i started out wanting to make a nice Amazon Biotype to move all the tetra from my first tank (a stock 10G starter tank) to a bigger, happier home. I also set out to learn about and develop a planted tank.
I wanted a tank to fit in the corner of my sitting room for best, most frequent viewing and i had a little cash to spare to splash out so went the whole works.
The Tank
Is a Venezia 190 corner unit. I picked up a bunch of good sand from my LFS and set about filling.
I wanted to add a truckload of bog wood to simulate a drowned tree. So using a selection of three pieces I arranged them like this.
The initial setup was a section of large amazon swords across the mid to back ground. With Hydrocotyle Verticillata on one side of the foreground, a Hydrocotyle leucocephala trailing up the centre fore/mid ground, some crypto's on the right foreground and a again on the far left. Between the swords Vallisneria was added to give more height movement.
Also on the fore/mid right hand side i had a bunch of Limnophilla Aromatica. With a large thin leaf stem plant bunch (who's name is totally lost on me) slap bang in the mid centre.
A rubbish picture of this first planting is here, taken a few weeks after it was first setup. Forgive my crappy phone camera.
So things went well and I enjoyed watching it all grow in. The grasses didnt fair too well so I removed them over time. As things got thicker I adjusted and added a few things here and there but over the coming months didnt really do any major rescaping.
The Limnophilla really grew well and once it came closer to the lights it turned a lovely red. The other mysterious stem plant also shot up and bunched out. Best of all the Hydrocotyle leucocephala trailed wonderfully across the foreground and top of the tank, leaving nice lilly pads of my Oto's to settle on from time to time. I discovered and added a Hygrophila Difformis a few weeks ago which I think I will use more of in the future. And am aiming to source some Hemianthus callitrichoides for a real foreground, carpet plant, that will suit my medium light (about 1.8 - 2 wpg)
Eventually i got around to adding my Co2 injection kit (the joy of my instructions) last week which I think has lead to a few issues with my fish but also prompted me to do my first major rescape.
This time benefitting from weeks of reading and admiration here and the purchase of the three fantastic Amano books.
So...
This is what it looked like on the 20th of May -
Pic is way better then the first as I've got a new Finepiz fujifilm s 5600 camera, but I am still working it out so hopefully i'll improve.
As you can see ive had plenty of growth (all without CO2 injection), but the issue i had was with the mid centre area and the lack of any real depth in the tank. The i felt my corner unit could be utlised better. One of the main issues was with the sheer amount of bog wood I was using, covering alot of the substrate, making planting very hard.
I whipped out one of the upright pieces, leaving the hardscape with an off-centre look. I moved the trimmed Limnophilla Aromatica to the back between the swords (which were also thinned out alot), as well as the other stem plant you see in the centre of the mid ground.
The Hydrocotyle leucocephala was cut back to below the water line and the spare shoots bunched up and added behind the line of mid ground bog wood. Overall you can see a hell of alot more tank, and there by fish now.
As the stem plants now at the back grow in they should cover the heater visible there and waft about in the outflow from the filter. All of which should give the impression of water movement to the left.
Here is a more top down view...
Overall i'm learning more by the day. Next to work out is my CO2 dosing, turned off after the running in period last week due to fish getting a bit desperate for O2. That and working on the HC carpeting of the foreground.
Hope you like,
Any advice or pointers appreciated.
Best Regards,
John
