Llj's 36g Journal

[lljdma06]

I don't think reducing the lighting is dumbing down LLJ.

I think Tom Barr has been trying to persuade everybody there is no need for vast amounts of light for a long time and I certainly decided on my last scape change to reduce from 2.5WPG to 1.8WPG (I failed miserably cos the T% HO seem much more more efficient than the CF!!!)

I am now down to 1.5ish due to a careless mistake breaking one when replacing the lid and I think I will stay that way.

I think we'll all end up using less light eventually with CO2 addition.

Love the tank and those Large Anubias. What variety are they? Where did you get them from? They look cool.

Andy

1.5WPG is totally fine, and close to what I have in my 20g. I seriously doubt I'll go above 2WPG again, except for nanos or picos, which are different or unless I ever decide to grow something really complicated.

TBH, I have no clue what kind of anubias they are. I'm guessing either Anubias Barterii var barterii or Anubias Barterii var. caladiifolia with some Anubias barterii var. nana thrown in for the mix, but the LFS in IL and Miami where I purchased them, did not label them, so I've had to research on my own. The leaves are too broad, IMO, for coffeefolia, though they could very well be a mix of several cultivars. There are quite a few plants and most have been divided repeatedly and have flowered. I also have Amazons behind the anubias, creating the impression of larger anubias, though they are pretty big by themselves. I also have some petite nana, which is over three years old now. I'll be the first one to admit, that while I was in production for an opera, I let this tank go a little and some leaves have a coating of greenspot algae. The new leaves show no signs, however, so I think the increased maintenance has helped things along.

I'd like to add some more HM to the mix, as I think I finally have the right combination to make a pretty groundcover in this tank. So far, it is staying very compact and beginning to bush out. They sold the HM as a small mat of horizonal stems, kind of a neat way of selling them, as it can literally form an instant lawncover. The lily is growing too, which is nice.

We'll see how this looks a month from now. Thank you for the comments, Andy. It is appreciated.

llj

 

[Squirrelbuddies]

So it's been more than a month -- almost two -- how are things in the tank? How is the lotus doing? Also, do you still have your angel fish in there? I'd love to get one for my 72 gallon.

The tank looks great -- The swords, anubias and lobelia -- all together like that, make for a pleasing look!

-sondra

 

[lljdma06]

I rescaped this tank again!!! Didn't want to, but the mopani wood could never cure, and reeked of fungus and some nasty stuff. I threw away the offending wood, but still had the same number of anubias to plant, so planting them took some fancy arranging. I added the Cryptocoryne retrorspiralis to this tank, and the lily is showing signs of going dormant again. Teaching and opera productions made me be really lazy with this tank. It's gone as long as a month without water changes, and the CO2 that I added in my last post was never changed, so I had some funky stuff in the canister.

Several water changes were needed to get the tank back in shape, and I'm pleased with the results. I'm injecting CO2 again, so that will help out the plants a bit. I'll have photos tonight or tomorrow.

llj

 

[lljdma06]

Here are some current photos of the tank. I moved around some of the livestock. The pepper cories weren't not thriving in my 20g so I moved them to this tank. They didn't like it much either, so they are now back in the 8g, which is making that tank a little crowded. But for some reason, despite the crowded conditions, the corydoras love this tank. I think it has something to do with the depth of the water. The 8g and 2.5g are much more shallow. I also removed the otos and placed them in my 20g, which they like, especially with the new ember tetras, who are very peaceful.

The amazon plants are huge and dominant the scape. They sprouted several flower stalks and daughter plants, which I planted in the foregrownd. Lobelia cardinalis does surprisingly well, so it will stay. I have some algae issues due to neglect, but with the addition of 1 canister, the algae is disappearing and growth has improved.

Thanks for looking!

llj

 

[fozziebear]

looks lovely the amazon sword is really a focal point, you ever thought of trying some crypts in this scape?

 

[lljdma06]

looks lovely the amazon sword is really a focal point, you ever thought of trying some crypts in this scape?

I just planted a few retrospiralis in the back. They should do well in the lower light of the back corner. I may even try to fill out the back corner with retrospiralis, as it would pretty interesting. The whole back corner is quite bare.

llj

 

[Biulu]

I like the difference in leaf shape with the round Lobelia? in the foreground. With the long and slender retrospirales leaves in the background, I think it will look very varied and interesting.