Hi all
So I have been toying with the idea of completely rescaping my current tank to something a bit more natural, I get the impression with it sometimes that everything is just there and randomly placed without any thought for future growth etc. Probably in my naivety back when I hadn't done as much research compared to now.
So I have done quite an extensive amount of research since I began a planted tank about a year ago so thought I would create a journal over the upcoming weeks/months and get some advice and thoughts
Here is a current pic of my tank.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image.
So it is a Roma 125 with an aquamanta efx300 external filter and 2 T8 lights with the following stock;
3 Dwarf Honey Gouramis (2 female and 1 male)
1 Mega Clown Pleco - my personal favourite but he doesn't come out of his hiding spot very much!
8 Cardinal Tetras
4 Glowlight Tetras (I had some others but that was over a year ago now)
8 Leopard Cories
I would tend to think that I am pretty much fully stocked (thoughts?) which is fine, I am not necessarily on the look out for anymore fish unless something catches my eye! No doubt it probably will now
What I am keen to do is have a bit of a rescape and go down a bit of a different route. I am keen to keep low tech, no co2 and just daily fert dosing. I currently dose easy carbo everyday which my plants seem to like, they don't necessary flourish loads but they do there best!
My idea is to keep with the larger piece of bogwood on the left hand side and essentially build it up from that. I have dozens and dozens of plants and combos going around in my head that I have been looking at which not too sure what direction to take from here. I have had good success with using crypts in my tank, I currently have some crypt wendtii which I would like to keep and probably add too. I have tried having some sort of carpet plant before but it didn't really go well and my cories pretty much ripped it all up. I'd be keen to add some anubias to my tank, particularly onto the bogwood to liven it up a tad.
I was thinking about some larger style crypts for the back of my tank, one of them being Cryptocoryne spiralis. I have been looking to buy some xl mother plants online but struggling to find much that is already rather large and in stock. I would also like some more smaller crypts to fill a lot of spaces - especially as I have had good success with them before, seems sensible to stick with them really.
Other ideas that I have been throwing around are;
Eleocharis - been thinking of getting some sort of larger version to spread across the back of the tank and some smaller species to spread across the foreground but not everywhere, mainly in the bottom left hand corner. My plan is to keep the left hand side heavily planted and then let it become less and less planted the further towards the right hand side I go. I haven't had much luck withEleocharis in the past but I might have to do some research on this species of plant. I would like to get some sort of smaller area of carpet for this as a lot of other small carpet plants have been ripped up by my cories in the past - most of them were of wire mesh pads.
I've seen many of tanks with the Lilaeopsis species and always wanted to try it. Unfortunately am I right in thinking that this is a fairly high light plant? I want to try and keep as low tech as possible, ferts yes but no co2.
I quite like Blyxa japonica and wouldn't mind sticking this somewhere.
I will get some anubias to tie on my bogwood, I need to do some research about planting and tieing this to my bogwood but hopefully this shouldn't be too difficult. Might try the same with some java fern too.
I'd appreciate any suggestions and thoughts...the more the merrier
I will try to order some plants this weekend and take it there and keep uploading lots of pictures!
So I have been toying with the idea of completely rescaping my current tank to something a bit more natural, I get the impression with it sometimes that everything is just there and randomly placed without any thought for future growth etc. Probably in my naivety back when I hadn't done as much research compared to now.
So I have done quite an extensive amount of research since I began a planted tank about a year ago so thought I would create a journal over the upcoming weeks/months and get some advice and thoughts
Here is a current pic of my tank.
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image.
So it is a Roma 125 with an aquamanta efx300 external filter and 2 T8 lights with the following stock;
3 Dwarf Honey Gouramis (2 female and 1 male)
1 Mega Clown Pleco - my personal favourite but he doesn't come out of his hiding spot very much!
8 Cardinal Tetras
4 Glowlight Tetras (I had some others but that was over a year ago now)
8 Leopard Cories
I would tend to think that I am pretty much fully stocked (thoughts?) which is fine, I am not necessarily on the look out for anymore fish unless something catches my eye! No doubt it probably will now
What I am keen to do is have a bit of a rescape and go down a bit of a different route. I am keen to keep low tech, no co2 and just daily fert dosing. I currently dose easy carbo everyday which my plants seem to like, they don't necessary flourish loads but they do there best!
My idea is to keep with the larger piece of bogwood on the left hand side and essentially build it up from that. I have dozens and dozens of plants and combos going around in my head that I have been looking at which not too sure what direction to take from here. I have had good success with using crypts in my tank, I currently have some crypt wendtii which I would like to keep and probably add too. I have tried having some sort of carpet plant before but it didn't really go well and my cories pretty much ripped it all up. I'd be keen to add some anubias to my tank, particularly onto the bogwood to liven it up a tad.
I was thinking about some larger style crypts for the back of my tank, one of them being Cryptocoryne spiralis. I have been looking to buy some xl mother plants online but struggling to find much that is already rather large and in stock. I would also like some more smaller crypts to fill a lot of spaces - especially as I have had good success with them before, seems sensible to stick with them really.
Other ideas that I have been throwing around are;
Eleocharis - been thinking of getting some sort of larger version to spread across the back of the tank and some smaller species to spread across the foreground but not everywhere, mainly in the bottom left hand corner. My plan is to keep the left hand side heavily planted and then let it become less and less planted the further towards the right hand side I go. I haven't had much luck withEleocharis in the past but I might have to do some research on this species of plant. I would like to get some sort of smaller area of carpet for this as a lot of other small carpet plants have been ripped up by my cories in the past - most of them were of wire mesh pads.
I've seen many of tanks with the Lilaeopsis species and always wanted to try it. Unfortunately am I right in thinking that this is a fairly high light plant? I want to try and keep as low tech as possible, ferts yes but no co2.
I quite like Blyxa japonica and wouldn't mind sticking this somewhere.
I will get some anubias to tie on my bogwood, I need to do some research about planting and tieing this to my bogwood but hopefully this shouldn't be too difficult. Might try the same with some java fern too.
I'd appreciate any suggestions and thoughts...the more the merrier
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