Burmese River Biotope

[ian]

When this grows up it'll look really good! The row will work out OK, plants do much better when they are grouped IME.

 

[GrayScale]

When this grows up it'll look really good! The row will work out OK, plants do much better when they are grouped IME.

Thanks! Once the watersprite grows out and new plantlets are formed i will be placing them along the back to fill it out more. I'll see how they go once I start dosing and injecting co2 and might have to give grouping them up a go.

 

[GrayScale]

Co[sub]2[/sub] system has been installed. Was a bit intimidated and worried that something was going to go wrong but luckily everything went okay. I'm waiting awhile for the co2 indicator to change colors or stay blue so I can adjust. It is currently set at a little over 1bps in the bubble counter. The solenoid is plugged into a timer that will go on/off with my lights. EI dosing will begin tomorrow once the Co[sub]2[/sub] has been properly adjusted. I suppose in a couple days my Celestial Pearl Danios will be going from the 10g into the 20g along with the cherry shrimp.

 

[GrayScale]

Now that the co2 has been installed all the plants are looking very vibrant and I can already see a little bit ofnew growth. I've still been thinking of how I could rearrange some things so it's not so linear.

Anyone have any ideas? My filter inlet and outflow are in the back right corner so I'd like to figure something so they'd still be hidden and try to give the tank a more natural look and planting.

 

[Verminator89]

Try breaking up the foreground plants a little more into smaller clumps and have denser/sparser areas planted focussed around a point. Like the base of wood, or taller midground/background plants. The background plants you could focus more toward one side. Still have it across the back, but have them closer together on one side then a little further apart toward the other side.

If this makes sense. Plant names escape me now, been up since 4:50am. It does look somewhat 'samey' from left to right and front to back. Implementing what i said will give it more focus in certain areas drawing the eye in and highlighting features such as rocks/wood.

The two valleys with a mountain pass/valley is a good theory to base any scape on. Creating flowing areas to view with built up plant masses as the high focal points.

 

[GrayScale]

A little bit if a rescape and I may get some more watersprite but first I want to wait and see how my barclaya does on the left side. Please pay no mind to the waterspots, I wiped it down after I took thevpictures haha.

Right side:

Left side:

FTS:

 

[ian]

that looks better, you have the classic triangle scape going there, it'll look really goo once the hairgrass starts spreading.

 

[GrayScale]

Thanks ianho your thoughts are always nice. Yea that's what I'm goin for. There will be 1 barclaya onthe right side in between the watersprite and blyxa and a few more along the back middle to the left side if and when they sprout.

 

[ian]

just keep and eye on the barclaya bulbs when they sprout as this might make the scape look a bit strange as it'll loose the triangle. You can always move them if it does look odd. Great start though!

 

[GrayScale]

A little update.

Fts(Check out that watersprite!):

Top of the tank(Pretty sure I've had a good 3" of growth in a week.):

this after 1 week of co2 injection, EI dosing for macros and flourish trace.

Let me know what you think!

 

[lljdma06]

Some serious watersprite! The leaves will change as they break the surface. I don't remember if the leaves below will die once it become emergent, so be careful and be ready to do some trimming. Have the barclaya bulbs sprouted yet?

llj

 

[GrayScale]

Not just yet on the barclaya, from what I have gathered is they can sprout quick or take some time so I'll wait and see. Although I am wondering if they are upside down can't really tell the difference between top and bottom. I'm not sure how I would trim the watersprite. Luckily it's not growing out of the top of the tank, the tops are just flowing towards the middle to the front of the tank much like vallis.

 

[GrayScale]

I haven't given any updates recently so I thought I would do one today. New scape:

left side:

right side:

FTS:

Unfortunately the barclaya still hasn't grown in yet, they are still bulbs. I'm beginning to wonder if I have them upside down and almost just want to bin them and go for something like rotala since it fits in the biotope and I can't seem to find cryptocoryne albida. Once I get paid again I will most likely be buying another koralia nano 460gph powerhead on top of the 240gph nano and my filter. The hairgrass has started to spread a little. I usually trim it once a week on waterchange day but I'm going to let it go until next week to let it develop some more. Once it gets trimmed it should go out more instead of up. Baby red cherry shrimp and celestial pearl danio fry are developing in my 10g breeder. The eggs were laid prior to me transferring them to this tank and I had no idea until I saw them swimming around about a week ago.

let me know what you think!

 

[lljdma06]

Looking good Grayscale, I definitely see growth in the hairgrass. What again are the two plants on either side of the wood, the ones that look like larger grass?

Liz

 

[GrayScale]

Blyxa japonica. I think it adds a great transition between the grass and wood/watersprite. Is the elongated part of the barclaya bulbs the top or the bottom? I figured that was the root side but as I said I'm not too sure haha.