Lljdma06's Nano; Scape #2 8/09 - 3/10

[AdAndrews]

Looking good llj!

Ive recently had some livestock, boraras brittagae, and a combination of high co2, probably bad water, and the filter inlet wiped them out

 

[lljdma06]

Looking good llj!

Ive recently had some livestock, boraras brittagae, and a combination of high co2, probably bad water, and the filter inlet wiped them out

Thank you! I am finally uploading pictures from mid-December. The first part of the semester was so busy that I just didn't have much time. The tank looked pretty nice still. Some pearling.

After the holidays, I really let the tank go and the growth became very crazy. My anchor cats were having a very difficult time navigating through the marsilea which had become so thick that I couldn't see the substrate in places. Valuing the achor cats more, I opted to remove the marsilea. In the process, I found three crabs! They are alive. I thought all of them had died. One looked like it was carrying a yellow sac, but it scurried away before I could get a really good look. Maybe an egg sac of some type? The tank looks really different, a lot more bare substrate and the anchor cats are very happy, burying away. The tank's a mess and needs a clean up after the clean up.

Thanks for looking. It's nice to be able to update this journal again.

llj

 

[llamalord305]

I dont even see how people can break a diffuser, let alone a drop checker, my rhinox seems pretty solid! probably even survive if i trod on it

good luck llj

me neither Adam!

Love the shot of the hydrocotyle.

Oh you two are impossible. I will wait patiently for the day when you two break your glassware. Then I shall gloat in your journals with much glee. Because, of course, now that you've mentioned it, it will happen.

Be careful...

I love the hydrocotyle too. There are so many bubbles under the leaf. Can't believe that plant came from my yard. Pretty awesome. It is growing well. I might have some to swap soon.

llj

Now that I see it, I've seen those hydrocotyles in my yard too. The same land weed grows underwater? Or is it a different type?

 

[LetsBeFriends]

this is a beautiful tank, love the anchor cats and the great color you have goin on

 

[aaronnorth]

That moss wall looks great,

 

[lljdma06]

That moss wall looks great,

Thanks, sometimes the moss gets a little thin in the bottom because moss closer to the light source grows faster. Soon, I will attempt to remove the wall and do some tidying up and reattaching near the bottom. I had designed the wall specifically to see if it would be easy to remove. A couple more waterchanges, and I'll give it a shot.

The hydrocotyle is a common plant in South Florida. A semi-aquatic weed.

llj

 

[lljdma06]

I'm having a hard time keeping the sand clean and it is annoying me, unlike my 36g, which is super easy. I also need to do just some general rescaping. I'm getting some BGA I think on the moss and the susswassertag. It's just enough to bother me, as I am dosing and using CO2 consistantly. Icky. I either don't have enough of nitrates, have dead spots, or I'm not doing something right, or the scape is just old and tired. Entirely possible. Probably not dosing enough and not changing the water enough. But I don't have the time to change the water because of work. Fish are ok. Anchor cats especially, a tough fish. B. merah and maculatus not so much. They are frail. I doubt I will buy them again. I'm down to about 8 or 9 of those. Nobdody's fault, I just don't think they like my water much. Entirely possible, I live in liquid rock central. The crabs that are left are doing alright. I see them on ocassion and will probably buy more.

This tank will be getting another makeover pretty soon, which seems to be consistant with the CO2, dosed setups that I have seen. It has been setup since July/August and we are almost in March. About 8 months then. I think I am actually on borrowed time with this one. I don't think the high-tech scapes last that long which is probably why I'm having the recent problems. The first 6-7 months were great. I'll order more plants during my Spring break and rescape. The moss wall, I think will stay. I may make another wall. I want to also play more with Fissidens. I love it.

It's up in the air really. The great thing about a tank this size is that it doesn't take much money to scape. I can grow most anything except the plants that like really soft water. Now I know where to get some nice plants, I have the freedom to play.

llj

 

[AdAndrews]

A re-scape always works for me, freshens it all up, water changes are important IMO, i had boraras too, they died out, but i think that was co2 related.

 

[lljdma06]

A re-scape always works for me, freshens it all up, water changes are important IMO, i had boraras too, they died out, but i think that was co2 related.

You could have something there. They did do better in my non-CO2 20g, but I also still think my water is too hard.

It's not like I don't do waterchanges. I do at least the 50% once a week, and that was enough at first, but now I think I need more, and I'm not always consistant with the second water change. When I get home from, I'm tired. The 36g looks great and no water changes for 4 weeks. Go figure. For the next 8g scape, I may say forget CO2, dose minimal ferts, and go for something very simple until work slows down. I go to Italy in May and I know I don't want the family dealing with CO2 and fert issues while I'm gone. I can always do another scape and add all the bells and whistles when I return.

What do you think? I certainly have enough plants from this tank, the 36g and my outdoor tub to make an alright temporary low-tech scape. I know the moss will be fine, and probably the hydrocotyle, but what about the Susswassertag? It's growing well, but I think I want to reattach it. It keeps detaching and looks unruly.

I just don't want to deal with it while I'm away. The tank's been setup both ways, and for now, slower might be better. Poor fish, they are not going to like the upheaval.

 

[lljdma06]

Neato. I just removed the moss wall and gave it a leasurely trim. My idea worked. All I had to do was remove the filter, undo the clips, and slide out the divider. The process took about 10-15 minutes. I then simple slide the divider back in and secure with the tank divider clips. Very easy.

The tank looks a bit bare, but it looks better. I cut down the photoperiod from 7 hours to 5. The three remaining crabs are doing very well. I will probably get more and possibly some shrimp.

llj

 

[AdAndrews]

Neato. I just removed the moss wall and gave it a leasurely trim. My idea worked. All I had to do was remove the filter, undo the clips, and slide out the divider. The process took about 10-15 minutes. I then simple slide the divider back in and secure with the tank divider clips. Very easy.

The tank looks a bit bare, but it looks better. I cut down the photoperiod from 7 hours to 5. The three remaining crabs are doing very well. I will probably get more and possibly some shrimp.

llj

good news, everything loves a good trim! how do you get so much pearling? i have never achieved it.

 

[lljdma06]

Neato. I just removed the moss wall and gave it a leasurely trim. My idea worked. All I had to do was remove the filter, undo the clips, and slide out the divider. The process took about 10-15 minutes. I then simple slide the divider back in and secure with the tank divider clips. Very easy.

The tank looks a bit bare, but it looks better. I cut down the photoperiod from 7 hours to 5. The three remaining crabs are doing very well. I will probably get more and possibly some shrimp.

llj

good news, everything loves a good trim! how do you get so much pearling? i have never achieved it.

You know, this is one of the first tanks I've had that really pearled throughout. In past tanks, only a couple of leaves would pearl. The tanks were still healthy, so I didn't think much of it. The pearling looks nice. Especially on the wall, the susswassertag and the hydrocotyle.

I made a new post that details the actual moss wall construction. It's in this journal, but I thought it would be better to consolidate the posts related to the moss wall and make a new thread. It's buried down in the bottom of the first page of posts, but I might bump it up.

I saw Dave Spencer lurking.

 

[lljdma06]

Warts and all.

Right now, this scape has run its course. The marsilea was mostly removed a whilte back because it was creating dead pockets as it was extremely thick. I'm still dealing with the effects created by those dead spots. It also suffered from some neglect. Not enough waterchanges IMO and I waited too long to trim the moss, so it looks pretty bad. It should get better with time.

Some pictures, even some of the crabs!

A close-up of the full tank. You can see the damage to the wall, some brown areas.

Another wall shot. It doesn't look so bad from this side (Water murky from waterchange)

B. merah against the wall

More rasboras

Anchor cat against the sand (they change colors, neato)

Oto

Another anchor cat trying to hide in the crypts. Some algae on those, sorry

Crab #1

Crab #2. Cannot find Crab #3. Found a couple of legs in the filter basket. Doesn't look good.

Full tank shot. The tank has seen better days.

I really can't do much with this tank until I return from Italy in late May. Right now, I'm just keeping things as they are and I'm working to get the moss wall back in shape before I go. Lots of water changes.

By the way, the moss sticks. Most of it is attached to the divider. That was pretty cool to learn. I'll post some additional pictures in the moss wall thread I've been working on.

Thanks for looking,

llj

 

[puppyjess123]

Wow, I wish my tank looked like yours! I see soo many good ones that make my tank look awfull

I like the plant on the right, what is it?

Lucy

 

[lljdma06]

Wow, I wish my tank looked like yours! I see soo many good ones that make my tank look awfull

I like the plant on the right, what is it?

Lucy

Thanks, it's not the final scape photos, which were taken in December and will be the ones I post in the members Planted tank section this weekend. The scape has already long run its course and will be dismantled before I leave for Italy. I will probably even dismantle the tank and leave it empty, housing the remaining fish in the 36g until I return. The moss wall and the possibly the wood from this tank can be dumped in the 36g too. The glory this particular setup. It is extremely mobile. The plants and fish will certainly survive in the 36g conditions. There is more than enough cover for the remaining crabs. This will save my family from doing heavy maintenance while I'm gone. The 36g doesn't need regular water changes and it is understocked.

The plant you like is Hydrocotyle verticillata. It is a native plant where I live and adapts to both terrestrial and aquarium conditions. These plants are in ready supply in my yard and I'll probably remove that crop and put it in a bowl. It will literally grow anywhere. Or I'll put it up in plant swap.

llj