Darren's Disaster Journal " Homeland "

[TetraUk]

Wow, aquarium looks wonderfull... It's amaizing how good planted tanks look after a while. Look forward to mine hopefully thickening out and looking like yours in a few months. I'm looking forward to seeing mine after three weeks away as we tend to notice growth when you look at something everyday so being away three weeks I should soon see whats working and whats not LOL.

Should have entered the TOTM comp, I nominate you for January... If thats possible!

 

[shrimply]

Thanks, not too sure how the TOTM comp works, but thanks,lol.

Things seem really quite around here which is a bit disappointing, I got a lot of good help at the start, and although the tank is slowly maturing it be nice to get some more feedback. I know its a mess compared to more professional set-up but I'm trying my best with my first attempt.

It appears I was right with the cherry shrimp theory, we definitely have babies, In fact there seems to be endless amounts, the smaller ones you look for the more you see, so they must be happy.

I'm doing a water change again today, afterwards I will try and get some picks of the tank looking tidier for anyone who's interested.

 

[listykoi]

Thanks, not too sure how the TOTM comp works, but thanks,lol.

Things seem really quite around here which is a bit disappointing, I got a lot of good help at the start, and although the tank is slowly maturing it be nice to get some more feedback. I know its a mess compared to more professional set-up but I'm trying my best with my first attempt.

It appears I was right with the cherry shrimp theory, we definitely have babies, In fact there seems to be endless amounts, the smaller ones you look for the more you see, so they must be happy.

I'm doing a water change again today, afterwards I will try and get some picks of the tank looking tidier for anyone who's interested.

Great tank and looks good

 

[flyhawk]

definitley like the huge aptch of rotala!

 

[puppyjess123]

Wow, thats a lovely tank

 

[shrimply]

Thanks, basically it still looks the same, although more overgrown, the shorter vallis like plant has basically taken over the whole of the middle of the tank. My plan is to remove pretty much all of it, and probably offer it up for swap on here if I can find someone interested, although might be hard since I don't really know what it is. Hopefully I'm going to plant a smaller carpeting plant, although I'm not sure what I can get, or what will be suitable for my tank, so any suggestions. Also money is a bit of an issue right now, which has stopped me doing much. But don't think I've done badly since nothings been added since the initial collection from plants alive.

The crypts along the front are also massive and I'm going to move them along the sides I think.

The rotala is quite honestly a pain, because I'm only home every couple of weeks I'm not able to keep it short enough and basically all its growth and colour ends up at the surface and bare stalks under the water. I am also constantly removing it, I really like the look of it when its under control but its ultimately a weed.

 

[lljdma06]

Rotala is a weed. I have also come to that conclusion. I am really preferring the rosette and rhizome plants now.

Post some pictures if you are able.

llj

 

[shrimply]

OK well here are some pictures from this morning, as you can see a total mess. I'm in the process of removing all of the weed thats taken over. Once I can identify it I'll offer it up for swap on here and see if I can get some smaller plants in its place, but I bet that's wishful thinking.

I do have more pictures but I wanted just to link to the photobucket gallery, but photobucket is being very slow. And apparently I can't just make one album public ( how stupid is that). And if I make my account public then move all the other pictures to a private gallery then all my links will break to pictures I've posted everywhere. SO I got very annoyed and have given up for just now. Will have another think later but going back to the tank now.

 

[shrimply]

Ok well I didn't get around to taking more pictures. By the time I'd uprooted all the plants from the centre there was soil everywhere and I couldn't face uprooting anything else. So I've left the tank in a bit of a mess for a couple of weeks.

I could really do to get hold of a smaller carpeting plant to fill in the centre, but need to decide which would do best, so any suggestions are welcome.

 

[ian]

can i just say, i have mean't to read this journal for a while, and just got round to reading it. Its ace! love the VAX comments it made me rlol. Looks really good.

 

[lljdma06]

Ok well I didn't get around to taking more pictures. By the time I'd uprooted all the plants from the centre there was soil everywhere and I couldn't face uprooting anything else. So I've left the tank in a bit of a mess for a couple of weeks.

I could really do to get hold of a smaller carpeting plant to fill in the centre, but need to decide which would do best, so any suggestions are welcome.

Was that E. tennelus in the middle. Looks like it to me. That was some crazy growth.

llj

 

[shrimply]

Thanks Ianho, although it doesn't look that great at the minute, needs some serious rescaping and there is a lot of soil managed to get above the gravel which I wil have to either remove or recap.

But I'm not home for another two weeks so I'll deal with that then, it really is a neglected tank.

Was that E. tennelus in the middle. Looks like it to me. That was some crazy growth.

Yeah thanks, that's exactly what it was. I've not totally removed it there are still a few plants.
Just read the Tropic entry on it though which says it should only reach 10cm, umm well bearing in mind the tank is 18" tall I think it managed to get rather taller than that.

 

[Biulu]

You definitively did very well with E. tenellus! What if you tried Marsilea hirsuta or minuta? I like the look of it, and sinds it creeps more, it might stay lower.

 

[shrimply]

Ok an update, still looking a bit shoddy, but I've thinned a lot. As you can see I've also removed a lot of crypts, which I'm going to offer to swa p on here if anyones interested.

Spent a good deal of time uprooting yesterday ( who'd of thought aquarium plants could have such huge root structures) and then either sucking out or retopping exposed soil. But its got a long way to go. Shrimp still breeding like crazy but we had a 12 hour power cut and that seems to have killed off the WCMM, not sure why. Can't of been the temperatures, perhaps oxygen shortages. So really need to get some stock in there.

I'm looking at getting some Hemianthus callitrichoidesto use in the centre, although I'll need to source some cheap and I'm not sure how good it will do.

Would love some suggestions on where to go with the tank now as its a bit of a mess, as you can see.

 

[lljdma06]

Oooooo crypts for swap.

I forget, do you inject CO2? It will influence how I respond to your foreground dilemma.

llj