What Should I Change?

Hiya gang!

well the only thing ive done to this tank lately is put the java moss attempt in the front

well see how it goes, but anyway heres the specs

35g long:
2.6 wpg
DIY CO2
2 rams
2 keyholes
5 zebra danios
8 cardinal tetras
4 oto's
5 khuli loaches

don't worry! i do water changes everyweek and my fish are very happy but im not

my plants are a mess ever since i upped my lighting; algue and crazy fast growing

i was thinking of chucking almosy everything except the driftwood and have a huge lawn of riccia

well anyhoo give me your critism
im still young (15) but am dying to create the best tank i can

thx in the future

My first impression is that you have too high a planting density in the centre of the tank, creating an untidy feel to the aquascape.

This is emphasised by your apparent lighting that seems to only really light up the centre, leaving the edges in darkness. I may be wrong but do your tubes span the length of the tank? Either that or it's your camera picking out the contrast. I've had a similar problem when photographing my tank.

The Lily looks nice but would look better if it was planted slightly off-center i.e. two thirds across tank. This could act as an ideal focal point.

How many pieces of wood are there? I would use just one or two, possibly joining them together to create the illusion of one larger piece (this is what I have done in my 33G).

If there is plenty of light at the edges of your tank then I would seperate and move the central planting (Wisteria etc?) to the left and right creating more of a 'U' shape. This style would suit your tank shape more I believe. Move the woods towards the centre (not exactly central though) and attach some mosses or ferns. The stem plants that are currently planted at the edges could fill in the background, more across the centre behind the woods.

All this advice is assuming you want to keep your present planting.

You mention algae due to your increased lighting. This is a very common problem as the tank's "balance" has been disturbed. Try upping your CO2 to 35ppm if possible, keep it stable, use two bottles if necessary and swap the mixtures alternately. Are you adding any fertilisers? With 2.6 WPG and CO2 then they will be necessary.

Nice plant growth!

The riccia lawn idea sounds good or personally I'd rather go for a true carpet plant that doesn't need to be tied down like glosso, E Tenellus etc..

It would be nice to see some different heights of plants in the tank to break it up a bit and maybe more of an aquascape (feature bogwood, perhaps a raised section).

Cheers

alright thx a bunch for all of your tips!

ill get on that this weekend and come back with pics

anyone else wanna give me anymroe tips?

i just wanna say what im gonna do and tell you what plants i have in the tank

i want to take out the middle flat pice of driftwood and bring the other two together, then i want to take out alot of the wisteria and spread out the rest to make a U shape like you said, also i plan to move the dwarf lilly slightly to the left or right (which one?). Also i plan to group most of my java moss carpeting attempt to the middle all bunched up.

i also have java fern randomly in the tank, what should i use it for?

and what about the cabomba?

should i get rid of the pot on the right?

thanks for your future help!

alright i just went out and picked up KH test from aquarium pharmaceuticals and LEAF ZONE from aquarium pharmaceuticals. (it is liquid ferts with potassium, iron and other enrichments)

now what?

alright well no one has replied but thats alright

im just posting to say that ill be going through with the project in about 20 minutes at 8pm

so if you want to tell me anything go ahead now, ill post pics when im done!

I think you should put the lily to whichever side you put the driftwood, and yes, take out the pot. My 2 cents.

Well i did it and i also renewed the CO2 and added 15ml of the ferts i got.

it needs time to grow but any siggestions to the new layout?

i think the outter sides are a little thin, maybe some rocks with java fern attached?

anything would be great,thx!

To me it looks a little too crowded in the center. I would move the wisteria towards the sides, and put the driftwood and lily off to one side a bit and further towards the back of the tank to leave an open area in the mid-front. As it grows out it will still look lush and full but not so crowded.

alright so i should move back the center thing and a little more to the right or left and push the two wisterias more to the side?

Try building from one side of the tank. Every thing looks too symmetrical at the moment.
Have a look through some of these tanks and see what set up you like (every one has different tastes)
http/showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2005...ategory=0&vol=1
Its then just a case of trying to emulate that style of tank.

Another practical tip is to spread the Wisteria stems apart more, allowing the light to reach more of the plant and creating a bushier appearance.

Have you considerd a plain background? Black or blue would look good.

Looks much better BTW!

alright thx for all your help and ill be looking into the whole not 2 symetrical and off to one side approach

i looked at the tanks from the link you gave me and i think i know what style i want to try:

i want to try the one where one side is completly and heavily planted while the other side has a grass like flatness witha few rocks or driftwood sticking out

like this one: http/showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2005...=0&vol=1&id=136