Help. What have I gotten myself into?

[PADogman]

Here's what it looks like. I think I'm done planting unless I add more stuff to the carpet areas.
Lots of floaties from that floating stuff (some does have roots and some doesn't) and disturbing the substrate checking the plants with bulbs.
Hopefully it grows.

Front

Left side

Closer view of the front towards the right. There's a couple plants that you can barely make out that are laying down after I planted them.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

...Closer view of the front towards the right. There's a couple plants that you can barely make out that are laying down after I planted them.

Patience.

 

[PADogman]

Patience.

Yep.
I'll be interested to test the water again.

 

[PADogman]

Hmm, the Fluval is certainly a noisier filter. I have turned it down, too, which seems better.
All this from an external pump?
But it is working much better, so I shouldn't complain.

 

[PADogman]

It's clearing up a little.
I removed the powerhead since this filter is much more powerful and had a lower intake. I also turned down the filter's flow.

 

[PADogman]

Man, I don't know why I thought I had to add floating plants.
Those little things are all over. Every time I want to reach into the tank I get an armful when I remove my arm.
I tried to net them out and that wasn't working very well. The slightest current moving towards them pushes them out of the way. And now I have a bunch of roots and things floating around within the tank again

Is there some way to suction off the top when doing a water change? I know my old school siphon hose will lose the vacuum needed for water flow.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Man, I don't know why I thought I had to add floating plants.
Those little things are all over. Every time I want to reach into the tank I get an armful when I remove my arm.
I tried to net them out and that wasn't working very well. The slightest current moving towards them pushes them out of the way. And now I have a bunch of roots and things floating around within the tank again

Is there some way to suction off the top when doing a water change? I know my old school siphon hose will lose the vacuum needed for water flow.

If you put a hoop of air pipe in the water, you could manhandle a load into the circle and use a net to scoop up the rest.

 

[Byron]

I cannot see the floating plants very well, but in one photo it seems they are small sized plants, like duckweed or Salvinia perhaps? These can be "messy" if there is surface disturbance, and I would suggest some more substantial floating plants, like Water Sprite, Frogbit, even Water Lettuce. Some stem plants, like Pennywort, do very well left floating. The benefits of floating plants cannot be overstated, they just provide a better environment when it comes to shade for the fish (you will see the fish much more colourful with shade over them) and water quality. But the more substantial floaters are better at this.

 

[PADogman]

If you put a hoop of air pipe in the water, you could manhandle a load into the circle and use a net to scoop up the rest.

I tried that. The loop moves around the tank because of the HOB's current. Then when it hits a wall things splash into and out of it.

 

[PADogman]

I cannot see the floating plants very well, but in one photo it seems they are small sized plants, like duckweed or Salvinia perhaps? These can be "messy" if there is surface disturbance, and I would suggest some more substantial floating plants, like Water Sprite, Frogbit, even Water Lettuce. Some stem plants, like Pennywort, do very well left floating. The benefits of floating plants cannot be overstated, they just provide a better environment when it comes to shade for the fish (you will see the fish much more colourful with shade over them) and water quality. But the more substantial floaters are better at this.

They were either duckweed or pennywort. I was sent both.
They're just so messy because they are so tiny. Like a bunch of gnats on the surface.
And I just read something that said the shade they cause can interfere with light getting to the bottom plants. Although they are far from a single layer.

If I could corral them like Bruce suggested I'd be much happier with them. But I'd have to anchor the hose to the side somehow.

 

[Byron]

They were either duckweed or pennywort. I was sent both.
They're just so messy because they are so tiny. Like a bunch of gnats on the surface.
And I just read something that said the shade they cause can interfere with light getting to the bottom plants. Although they are far from a single layer.

If I could corral them like Bruce suggested I'd be much happier with them. But I'd have to anchor the hose to the side somehow.

Duckweed, if they are individual plants. Pennywort is a stem plant so it would have a stem that continues to grow in length (until you cut it).

Yes, obviously floating plants will lessen the light getting to the lower plants, but this is manageable. It will be your decision to provide brighter light for the plants but which the fish will not appreciate, or more shade for the fish and maybe detrimental to the plants. This is an issue with "carpet" plants which is why I never try them. Your situation may be different, each aquarium is a distinct biological system, so proceed.

 

[PADogman]

Thanks.

I removed them... mostly. There are still some stragglers that were evading me by taking cover under the rim.
I just needed a much more aggressive netting technique.

They are in a container in my plant tank awaiting further thought.

 

[PADogman]

I believe I have a plant "melting".
I think it is this plant https://www.modernaquarium.com/jungle-vallisneria-americana-set-of-2-plants/

The leaves have gone yellowish and are all hanging at half mast.

So I guess I wait and see if any new leaves appear? Then trim away the old leaves?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

If I could corral them like Bruce suggested I'd be much happier with them. But I'd have to anchor the hose to the side somehow.

So attach a sucker and fix the loop to the side of the tank.

 

[PADogman]

So attach a sucker and fix the loop to the side of the tank.

Yeah, yeah...

I'll concentrate on the stuff I planted first.
And maybe after I add fish.
I do not want to deal with all that swirling stuff every time I trim a plant or add a fish