Jungle Clearing

[stevereade]

Right well I've been adding progress on the forum slowly so thought I'd do a journal instead now.
It started out with moving the tank and deciding to get a few extra plants:

5 stems of each from Java Plants

Red Myriophylum
Red Cabomba
Didiplis Diandra
Ambulia Aquatica
Rotala Indica
Pygmy Chain Swords

Got it all planted and it looked tidy.

After a few days and only using yeast CO2 (20BPM), no ferts and 2WPG lighting everything shot up and I ended up with this, not so bushy and a bit malnourished

Started adding TPN+ and it looked a lot better and then the sand gravel mix started to annoy me so I got rid of the gravel, had a move around and added a moss wall (christmas moss). Problem was after the move around and trim everything looked a bit unhappy. Sorry the pic's were taken with my iPhone so the sand looks stupid bright in the pics but its not I'll have to borrow a decent camera.

Gave it a week and everything started to look happy again.

Anyway, after all this I've added 10 Neon Tetra and it houses around 70 Cherry Shrimp and an assassin snail.
The plants are:

Red Myriophylum
Red Cabomba
Didiplis Diandra
Ambulia Aquatica
Rotala Indica
Pygmy Chain Swords
Amazon Swords
Moss Balls
Anubias Nana
Christmas Moss
Red Sword

The plan now its to get my hands on these potted plants:

Hemianthus Callitrichoides
Heteranthera Zosterfolia
Pogostemon Erectus
2x Staurogyne SP
2x Didiplis Diandra
2x Red Myriophylum

Done this to show why I moved things to where they are and whats filling the gaps from the above list.

Few more pic's as it looks at the moment, hope you like it, any comments and suggestions welcome.

Couple of Cherry Shrimp.

The Anubias is getting cleaner everyday with the Cherry Shrimp.

All comments welcome, I know it looked pretty good in the first pic but that's how the plants came all nice and bushy and they never stay that way when put in a new tank lol. I'll have to get a decent camera soon as the sand and rocks are different colours and so much darker than in those pic's lol.

 

[SuperColey1]

Although I'm not a fan of algae balls The rest looks nice. I can see it devveloping into a 'semi-circular' foreground eventually with a 'forest around the sides and rear.

Keep it up

AC

 

[stevereade]

Thanks I'm not a huge fan of the moss balls either they're mainly for the shrimp, otherwise they'd stay stuck to my moss wall all day lol, they'll prob be going once the rest of the plants are in, I just wont have the room for them (hopefully lol)

 

[Biulu]

I like the combination of the colours and love your plant choice. I will be watchiing this develop!

 

[SuperColey1]

For the shrimp. lol

The shrimp are only pulling debris from them that gets trapped. Any moss or riccia would trap as much debris.


AC

 

[stevereade]

I like the combination of the colours and love your plant choice. I will be watchiing this develop!

Thanks dude.

For the shrimop. lol

The shrimp are only pulling debris from them that gets trapped. Any moss or riccia would trap as much debris.


AC

I know but once the foreground plants are in I'm hoping they will spend some time on them and I can get rid of the moss balls, well hopefully anyway, I have so many its amazing how they all hide away so well.

 

[ian]

i'll soon have some riccia for sale, would look good at the front of the tank

 

[stevereade]

Isn't it similar to HC I'm buying?

 

[stevereade]

Oh found out after constantly trimming my Ambulia, the best thing to get it bushy is to let it grow to the surface and it stops growing upwards and gets bushy lol, all this time I've been trimming it and after it looks so CR*P! Then I find this out lol.

 

[jameshughes1989]

Are you sure? I was always under the impression that if you keep trimming it, it will bush out?!

Cheers, James

 

[SuperColey1]

Its a little like a stream. Block it and it will branch either side. block those and the branch either side.

One problem a lot of people have is they are a little too cautious. Cut lower and let it branch lower etc. Basically cut the plant in half and start them bushing out from there. Then replant the tops or sell them

AC

 

[stevereade]

Thing is if I cut it in half it doesn't really bush out it just shoots straight for the surface lol, plus I want it to reach the surface anyway, if it doesn't get real bushy I'll swap it out for something else.

 

[jameshughes1989]

Okay well when it reaches the surface, just cut a quarter back then. It should bush out though.

James

 

[stevereade]

Yeah I'll give it a try,

cheers

 

[RadaR]

I'd consider increasing the nutrient dosage. Try this for two weeks. In combination with pruning, it should bush out.
If you prune lower than where you pruned last time, then you wont achieve a lot.