Llj's 2.5g Planted Tank Journal

Looking nice Llj is that HM along the front? How often are you having to prune and/or replant it?

Sam

Dave Spencer said:

This is the first time I have seen this thread. I don`t know how I missed it.

I like the choice of plants. What is the foreground plant, it is starting to fill out really well?

Your Betta is spoilt.

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Themuleous said:

Looking nice Llj is that HM along the front? How often are you having to prune and/or replant it?

Sam

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That's okay, Dave. I miss threads all the time. Just another one of my low-tech nanos. I don't have the money for what you all do with your tanks. The plant in the front is HM. I can't get HC in my area so I have to settle for HM. In this tank, it grows like it does in my 8g, bushy, but not really a carpet plant. I trim it to appropriate height everytime I see growth that is too tall. I replanted it recently, but to rearrange the scape. I'm trying to cultivate it to create a bushy effect like in my 8g. It gets more branchy with more pruning.

Daz CPFC said:

Nice tank. Whats the busy plant with the broader leaves pretty central in the picture looks like its in the foreground? Looks fantastic and very healthy!

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That is actually a cluster of about 7-8 anubia petite nanas, all from a parent plant that I recently divided. The plants are actually about a year and a half old. I arranged it in a cluster between two small pieces of wood. They are starting to anchor, so it should become a nice little decoration.

I removed the A. reineckii Yesterday, as I had cuttings of R. rotundifolia from my 8g. So the tank only has 4 species, including the moss, and nothing with big leaves. I had way too much wood in the tank before, and only kept the two small pieces. This setup is much easier to maintain. I'll probably have to add some rootabs before I go to IL to take my exams in March.

Thanks for the complements.

llj

Thanks for the plant name. Think i must invest in it. Like the dark colour and leaf shape

I thought it was HM. I am going to have some in my next tank, but was hoping to use it as a background plant.

I think planted tanks look better when you just concentrate on a few types, rather than a mish mash of allsorts.

Thought I'd give a small update and post a few more pictures. The tank no longer houses a betta. He was moved to accomodate 6 dwarf platy fry. They are super cute and pretty outgoing now considering they no longer have the threat of imminent death via adult platy hanging over their heads nor the threat of starvation. They are fed 2x a day on crushed adult food, bbs, and daphnia, and the water will now be changed 3x a week in this tank. I have a thread at livebearers with pictures of the babies, however, if you are lazy and don't want to go there, I will post here if asked.

One angle


The other angle


Full front shot


I'm glad the tank now only has small-leaved plants in it. The A. reineckii wasn't pretty, though I do like the tiny anubias. I think it makes the tank look much larger. I'm not crazy about the highly visible tank seams, but since this tank was less than $10, I'm not going to complain. If I can create a similar effect in this tank with the HM that I have in my 8g, I think it'll look very nice. But plants grow very slowly in this tank, especially with only 13W, no ferts other than rootabs, and no CO2, so I have to again, be very patient with this scape. Hopefully, the additional bioload will help things out quite a bit. There is always room for improvement, so let me know what I need to do.

llj

beautiful... what are those plants in the foreground called???

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nightlite said:

beautiful... what are those plants in the foreground called???

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Hemianthus micranthemoides

Corin Castle said:

anymore updates... It has been a while...

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I removed the R. rotundifolia and am experimenting with only HM, the anubias, and moss covered wood. This tank did well during the trip. I'm down to only three platy fry, but they are pretty robust and will soon be moved to the adult tank. I have Duckweed in the tank now to keep it stable as the HM grows in height. I want it tall along the edges and shorter towards the middle. I admit, it doesn't look so good right now, but I think when it fills in, it'll have potential. If not, I've got tons of rotala and can put it back.

Hi llj,

I`ll only write this once, but it applies to all of your journals. Absolutely stunning stuff!

You are without doubt a master plant grower, and the time, thought and effort you put in to this hobby is paying off big time in all your tanks. I also agree with Sondra in that it is a pity you can`t enter the PFK competition. Still, at least it gives someone like me, who spends twice the money for half the results a chance.

Cheers, Dave.

Dave Spencer said:

Hi llj,

I`ll only write this once, but it applies to all of your journals. Absolutely stunning stuff!

You are without doubt a master plant grower, and the time, thought and effort you put in to this hobby is paying off big time in all your tanks. I also agree with Sondra in that it is a pity you can`t enter the PFK competition. Still, at least it gives someone like me, who spends twice the money for half the results a chance.

Cheers, Dave.

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Awe Dave, I'm all warm and fuzzy inside. Shucks, that was sweet. I wish I had the money you guys had and the access you have to such quality products! To have to cut corners like I do is pretty frustrating. It is difficult to be poor and love this hobby as much as I do. But what can you do? When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, or a nice lemon-pepper, white wine marinade to go on a big juicy salmon steak.

llj

Tank looks brilliant

mlawson said:

Tank looks brilliant

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Thanks, it looks better now. The HM's filling in more. I still need to trim the moss a bit and conform the HM to my liking, but we'll see.

llj

lljdma06 said:

mlawson said:

Tank looks brilliant

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Thanks, it looks better now. The HM's filling in more. I still need to trim the moss a bit and conform the HM to my liking, but we'll see.

llj

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I laugh at this post. Of course, I changed the tank around again. Over a bottle of beer too. It is totally different and I'm not unhappy with the results. I'll just say there's more color now, yet not as densly planted. I've thought about adding more light, but not much more. I really don't want to go past 20W. I think then, I can keep things the way they are, increase my bioload and get similar results to my 8g. I've got 13W now, and they sell these little 7W clip ons at some online retailers. I also added another RedSea nano filter. IMO, you cannot overfilter, especially in non-CO2 tanks. I want to increase the bioload. I'll post some pictures at night.

llj

Here's a photo of the redone tank. It's a lot more colorful and it's nice to see the wood again. I'm going to let it fill out a bit before I decide what to do next. I got an extra fixture too, but I don't think I'll run it the whole day. I'll give the tank a burst in the middle of the photo period. I'm prepared to dose more nutrients and possibly add CO2. I'm wary of Excel, it nearly killed my A. reineckii, but perhaps I won't have to add so much. The plan is to let the rotala grow in a slope downwards toward the middle and possibly the same with the HM. I'd like the E. tennelus to spread across the bottom, and I'll prune the A. reineckii to stay short and produce smaller leaves. The leaves are already about 50% smaller than the leaves in my 36g.

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