Bitten the Bullet on Plants

My 29 gallon has been troublesome to me cos it never looked "right" no matter what I did to it.

So after spotting this piece of wood and thinking "OOOOOH...that's nice"

Tomorrow the following will be arriving for my 29....

12 x Various Anubias - four already mounted on coconut shell hides
2 x Hygrophila Pinnatifida - one already mounted on coconut shell hide
3 x Various Bucephalandra
1 x Portion of Weeping Moss
1 x Portion of Java Moss
3 x Aponogeton Ulvaceus bulbs
3 x Nymphaea Tiger Lotus Green bulbs

Hardscape....

3 smallish lumps of Mopani

Ogami Island rock....and the wood that started this....a 35 x 30 Totoro





The wood will be anchored with a 3" square piece of black granite that I already have.

Everything arrives tomorrow....a busy and possibly frustrating weekend ahead getting what is in the imagination into the aquarium.

wasmewasntit said:

My 29 gallon has been troublesome to me cos it never looked "right" no matter what I did to it.

So after spotting this piece of wood and thinking "OOOOOH...that's nice"

Tomorrow the following will be arriving for my 29....

12 x Various Anubias - four already mounted on coconut shell hides
2 x Hygrophila Pinnatifida - one already mounted on coconut shell hide
3 x Various Bucephalandra
1 x Portion of Weeping Moss
1 x Portion of Java Moss
3 x Aponogeton Ulvaceus bulbs
3 x Nymphaea Tiger Lotus Green bulbs

Hardscape....

3 smallish lumps of Mopani

Ogami Island rock....and the wood that started this....a 35 x 30 Totoro

View attachment 309836

View attachment 309838 View attachment 309839

The wood will be anchored with a 3" square piece of black granite that I already have.

Everything arrives tomorrow....a busy and possibly frustrating weekend ahead getting what is in the imagination into the aquarium.

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Excellent! Great looking piece of wood.

Wills said:

Excellent! Great looking piece of wood.

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Thank you

Not come across Totoro before, but the shape of it.....a bit like a tree begging for greenery....just seemed "right" and at £16.99, its a bargain

I also have liquid fertiliser (Easy-Life Profito 500ml), tweezers and Seachem Flourish glue coming with the order tomorrow. The wood came from Aquarium Gardens and the plants/sundries from Pro-Shrimp.

You'll be a plant expert in no time

When I started my aquarium, I had no intention of adding live plants. The idea of it was intimidating. I figured a bunch of plastic plants would be fine. But after seeing so much about live plants here, I did research on it and went for it. My 29 gallon is fully planted. I haven't put a single fish in it yet and I still enjoy looking at it.
Congratulations on deciding on live plants. You won't regret it.

So today is delivery day.

Its currently 0535 and I shall be doing a water change on the 53 only initially. The water out of that one will be donated to a big brewing bucket and sealed ready for when the wood arrives by courier later today. Some of the water will also be used to keep the plants perky when they arrive later via a different courier.

Depending on how early everything arrives will decide whether the 29 gets its redo done today or tomorrow....if everything gets here before midday, then it will be today, after midday it will be tomorrow cos lights go out on the aquariums at around 1400 (I get up at 0400 and so do the fish)

Putting the wood into the bucket of old aquarium water will also allow me to check its ability to sink on its own or if I shall need to use the granite anchors.

Just a case of waiting for the deliveries now and then deciding when to get everything done........knowing the normal timeslots for DHL (plant courier) and DPD (wood courier), its likely to be an overnight in the buckets and putting it all together tomorrow morning.

Plants, rocks, Mopani and fertiliser etc has arrived....the bathroom looks like a mini Kew Gardens with tubs and buckets loaded with greenery and old aquarium water from the 53

The wood has an ETA from the driver of 1430, so that will go into the bucket overnight

Put a bit of fertiliser into the tubs with the plants and left the light on for the time being to let them recover and perk up after their overnight journey. They look really nice, lots of leaves and very healthy.

The sticking plants and finally getting the 29 sorted will start at around 0500 tomorrow morning.

Apologies for the untidy bathroom......its a tad small and now very crowded. The bucket in the middle is where the wood will go once it arrives (aquarium water to be topped up with ordinary bottled water later....the plant tubs only have old aquarium water)

Looking good! Solid plan too - make sure you leave time for you to enjoy the process too. I often don't give myself enough time and end up so stressed out I forget that its a hobby haha!

Wills said:

Looking good! Solid plan too - make sure you leave time for you to enjoy the process too. I often don't give myself enough time and end up so stressed out I forget that its a hobby haha!

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I "could" make a start this afternoon after the wood gets here....but it will be after normal lights out time for the fish (I get up at 4am and so do they, so its lights out by 2pm for them)

I want to be able to take my time getting the trimming and gluing done properly first, then I can empty the buckets before filling them with water from the 29 and also dumping some water from there too since I will be doing water change at the same time. I am hoping the fish will be OK left in the aquarium whilst doing everything, thinking less stressful leaving them in place and arranging things around them than chasing them with a net and shifting them to the buckets etc

There will probably be some swearing when doing the superglue part......I have nitrile gloves, tweezers, elastic bands, cable ties and 3 tubes of Flourish glue.

The plants, bulbs and coconut shells with plants attached all look really healthy. They are all fully submerged in the tub and bucket.

Quite looking forward to getting it done in the morning tbh...even if a bit nervous too.

Couldn't sleep last night.......the "minds eye" would not be quiet as to where to put which rock....should I use the wood or not......so gave up sleeping and got up at 3am.

Lots of very unladylike language thanks to the stupid rockwool not wanting to let go and the superglue wanting to attach everything to me.....

My first attempt at real plants is done.

I did not use the wood. I used the 3 rocks and 2 pieces of Mopani.......as to the plants, I lost count of the Anubias cos I ordered 12 and there were many many many more than that once the stupid rockwool had finally let go. The Apongeton bulbs are scattered and once they get going they will look like the existing one that was already in the aquarium.....and the Tiger Lotus bulbs are lurking in various places too and once they get going will hopefully offer some contrast and cover.

Probably not as well done as those of you with years of plant experience...but the fish are busy playing hide and seek and the plants have not fizzled out (yet). Its a bit bright even with the lower light setting, that should change once the tannins are released from the Mopani later

The Anubia & Bucephalandra Forest.....a baby forest....

Looks great! That coffeefollia at the front is awesome!

Wills said:

Looks great! That coffeefollia at the front is awesome!

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Thank you

erm.......the larger ones are several parts of two so-called "mother plants" that are listed on Proshrimp's site as "XL Anubias barteri caladifolia"

The other Anubias, to give them their full names.....again from Proshrimp....

Anubias Nana
Anubias Petite
Anubias Barteri var Nana
Anubias Nana Bonzai
Anubias Coin Leaf

And....

Bucephalandra Pygmea Bukit Kelam 'Wavy Green'
Bucephalandra Kedagang
Bucephalandra sp. Red

And.....

Hygrophila Pinnatifida - mounted on coconut hide
Aponogeton Ulvaceus
Nymphaea Tiger Lotus Green
Vesicularia Ferriei Weeping Moss
Taxiphyllum Barbieri Java Moss


Don't ask which is which cos I ain't got a clue......they all took over my bathroom overnight and kitchen this morning

I work on the principle that if my fish like it, I don't care what it looks like. The aquascapers may think it's rubbish but I don't care

If you ever buy more plants, I find a dressmaking pin useful to pick the rockwool out of the tight spaces without damaging the roots.

Essjay said:

I work on the principle that if my fish like it, I don't care what it looks like. The aquascapers may think it's rubbish but I don't care

If you ever buy more plants, I find a dressmaking pin useful to pick the rockwool out of the tight spaces without damaging the roots.

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Thanks for the tip on the rockwool removal...it was seriously irritating this morning picking it out of the roots

And I agree....its done for the fish, not the humans and if they are having fun in it, then that is job done.

I think there might be a murder soon

My BN keeps parking himself onto the leaves and breaking them off their stems.......flippin' vandal keeps bouncing about from leaf to leaf. He is like a toddler testing everything out to get a reaction.....mischevious little blighter. Keep telling him to stop using the leaves as a trampoline but he ain't listening