First planted tank build thread
- Thread starter lpsouth1978@msn.com
- Start date
Darn...I missed the plant suggestion. 
Tank is looking awesome!
fwiw...I really like red tiger lotus to add a nice splash of broad red leaves to the scape. They do tend form a canopy though...so it's best suites for a back corner as few things will grow under them.
Also, lemme know if you'd like a plantlet of cryptocoryne balansae....they'll grow nice and tall and the leaves tend to reach across the surface and flow with the water when they mature. Definitely a favorite for a tank that height.
Tank is looking awesome!fwiw...I really like red tiger lotus to add a nice splash of broad red leaves to the scape. They do tend form a canopy though...so it's best suites for a back corner as few things will grow under them.
Also, lemme know if you'd like a plantlet of cryptocoryne balansae....they'll grow nice and tall and the leaves tend to reach across the surface and flow with the water when they mature. Definitely a favorite for a tank that height.
I like the Red Tiger Lotus as well, but decided on a hygrophylia corambosa (Temple Plant). It grows big and fairly tall, and it flowers when it grows out of the water.
Thank you for the offer of the Cryptocoryne Balansea, but I just ordered a decent amount of it. I ordered A LOT of plants. They include:
12 - HC (Baby Tears) in pots
1 - Hygrophylia Corambosa (Temple Plant)
6 - Cryptocoryne Balansea
20 - Zephyranthes Candida (Dwarf Onion) - Actually 2 groups of 10
6 - Parviflorus Parviflorus (Rosette Swords)
Add that to what I already have in there and I don't know that I will have any room left for a Tiger Lotus. This will be a VERY FULL tank.
Thank you for the offer of the Cryptocoryne Balansea, but I just ordered a decent amount of it. I ordered A LOT of plants. They include:
12 - HC (Baby Tears) in pots
1 - Hygrophylia Corambosa (Temple Plant)
6 - Cryptocoryne Balansea
20 - Zephyranthes Candida (Dwarf Onion) - Actually 2 groups of 10
6 - Parviflorus Parviflorus (Rosette Swords)
Add that to what I already have in there and I don't know that I will have any room left for a Tiger Lotus. This will be a VERY FULL tank.
***Update***
Thigs are doing well so far. Things are growing QUICK especially the HC. The only things that I am having trouble with are the Balansea and the Dwarf Crinum. Some of the Balansea are starting to melt toward the tips. I have been cutting out the melting tips and keeping it under control for the most part. As for the Dwarf Crinum, I have stil not been able to keep it down and it is floating at the top of the tank. I kope to get all of it anchored this weekend.
I also added fish. I have 3 small Boesemani Rainbows and 21 Cardinal tetras. Here are a couple of pics of the tank. Past and current.
09/13/2012:
09/20/2012:
Thigs are doing well so far. Things are growing QUICK especially the HC. The only things that I am having trouble with are the Balansea and the Dwarf Crinum. Some of the Balansea are starting to melt toward the tips. I have been cutting out the melting tips and keeping it under control for the most part. As for the Dwarf Crinum, I have stil not been able to keep it down and it is floating at the top of the tank. I kope to get all of it anchored this weekend.
I also added fish. I have 3 small Boesemani Rainbows and 21 Cardinal tetras. Here are a couple of pics of the tank. Past and current.
09/13/2012:
09/20/2012:
Most cryptocorynes are prone to the dreaded "crypt melt" when you introduce them to a new system. I have a collection of several cryptocoryne species...some fairly rare...and balansae is probably the 2nd most notorious melter in my tank. I've had it melt on me all the way down to the base 2x over the past year...once due to a lighting change, and once due to dosing seachem excel (carbon source).
Hopefully you only lose the larger old leaves...but don't get discouraged if you're left with a stump. Right now that rhizome is sending out roots and once it is established it should rebound quickly. Whatever you do...don't move it to try to make it happy...it accelerates the melting.
Hopefully you only lose the larger old leaves...but don't get discouraged if you're left with a stump. Right now that rhizome is sending out roots and once it is established it should rebound quickly. Whatever you do...don't move it to try to make it happy...it accelerates the melting.
Thanks for the offer on the vals and I may take you up on that one of these days, but I am currently using Excel which supposedly causes Vals to melt. I will be changing over dry ferts in the next month or so and may hit you up when that is done.
Here is a quick video I took of the tank this morning.
http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums...68E1AF1-1735-000001B6240741C5_zps4ed7cff2.mp4
Here is a quick video I took of the tank this morning.
http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums...68E1AF1-1735-000001B6240741C5_zps4ed7cff2.mp4
It looks like it has been a while since my last update on this tank. Things are progressing very well. So far I have only lost my otto's. It seems that they are SUPER sensitive to Co2 levels and have all died while nothing else has had any problems. The plants are doing great.
It is interesting to me how I don't really notice a lot of the growth because I look at the tank everyday. I was comparing some pictures the other day and noticed A LOT of growth. Of course I have always seen the HC growth, but many other things have grown as well. Look at the following pictures and you can see that the temple plant on the left side has doubled in size, and the tank just looks MUCH more full now than a month ago.
These two pics were taken almost exactly one month apart. Enjoy.
09/13/2012
10/11/2012
It is interesting to me how I don't really notice a lot of the growth because I look at the tank everyday. I was comparing some pictures the other day and noticed A LOT of growth. Of course I have always seen the HC growth, but many other things have grown as well. Look at the following pictures and you can see that the temple plant on the left side has doubled in size, and the tank just looks MUCH more full now than a month ago.
These two pics were taken almost exactly one month apart. Enjoy.
09/13/2012
10/11/2012