Low-Tech 140L

[bumbleweasle]

Hey folks!

I've not been active on the planted side for very long.. or rather, I have, I've just not done a very good job of it. I came here to learn more, so I thought it'd be good to track my progress here.

Waiting on a new pump at the moment to give the tank some better flow, & I'll be ordering a bunch more plants for better coverage as soon as I get paid... (Thanks to RadaR's advice)

However, been reading up on algae & so on, and realised I have a bit of an issue with what I think is BBA. You can probably see it in these pics:

I don't have a pic of the full setup at the moment as the battery ran out while I was mucking about with plant macros!!

 

[lljdma06]

What algae? I only see a couple of tufts of BBA on the Bolbitis. Tank looks very nice. What's your maintenance? Substrate looks a bit mucky.

Liz

 

[bumbleweasle]

What algae? I only see a couple of tufts of BBA on the Bolbitis. Tank looks very nice. What's your maintenance? Substrate looks a bit mucky.

Liz

Thanks, it's done not too badly considering I don't really have a clue You can see it best in the closeup pic of the moss - lotsa black furry stuff all over the driftwood. Was doing about 20% weekly water changes, but then moved house, got very lax with changes for a while & the algae sprang up when I got back on track again.. Think I need to do fewer changes of around 50% instead? Substrate is covered in roots, but they have gathered a wee bit debris at the moment.. it's a mix of sand & (most likely exhausted) eco-complete. I'll be getting in there to tidy up tomorrow night.

 

[lljdma06]

On the contrary, 50% more often is better, weekly is great to get things cleaned up. That debris is probably causing the trouble. Get in there and clean!

Otherwise, for not having a clue, you're doing pretty well. How long has the tank been setup?

 

[bumbleweasle]

On the contrary, 50% more often is better, weekly is great to get things cleaned up. That debris is probably causing the trouble. Get in there and clean!

Otherwise, for not having a clue, you're doing pretty well. How long has the tank been setup?

About 6 months, now, although the wood with the bolbitis was in a previous setup before I moved. I've no idea how it got so awesome, lol.. I've really not put that much effort in. Do you think I should trim those roots, or do I just not have enough substrate?

 

[bumbleweasle]

Got some new mosses in the tank, a new reflector, & my new Koralia pump showed up! While I was in there planting/installing, I took out the bogwood & scraped off all the BBA with a knife. Couldn't get the woods balanced back in the way they were, so did a bit of a rescape while i was mucking about in there. From a distance, it looks like the substrate is filthy, but it's actually just scattered bits of eco-complete that I originally used last year.

I also received the extra Taiwan Moss I ordered & it looks a lot more leggy than the first patch.. At first I wondered if I'd been sent some Stringy or Java Moss by mistake, but on closer inspection I reckon it's just been kept in lower light levels than the first bit. It's also gone through a lot less browning than the original piece & seems to be growing like wildfire! Think it's gonna be a great carpet plant. WIsh the scratches on the tank weren't so obvious, though..

The willow moss (L) & the new weeping moss (R ) on the bogwood also seem to have settled in well, although they're definitely slower growers than the Taiwan.. I should be getting the rest of my plants on Thursday, so this area behind the bogwood will be planted up with Water Wysteria with the aim of hiding the ugly Fluval & the heater.

Not sure about this plant pot! The moss next to it is part of the huuuuge amount of Peacock Moss that I got for a fiver on ebay.

Closeup of the new Taiwan Moss (complete with snail, lol):

THere was so much of the Peacock Moss that I managed to cover the entire piece of bogwood on the right of the tank, & 2 bits of 2x2cm mesh.. I then had to get a bit creative, hence the afore-mentioned pebble, and the bit of old filter sponge that this lot is attached to:

I love this Peacock Moss!!

My Thursday delivery should also bring me some other plants that'll help get the coverage up. A load of Ech. Tenellus for the relatively bare right-hand side of the tank, as well as some Fine-leaf Indian Fern/Ceratopteris Siliquosa which I'll plant wherever I feel suitable at the time (!) & Dwarf Sag/Sagittaria subulata to go in the odd spot behind the carpeting Taiwan Moss. May yet have to get more moss... I'm addicted!

Anyhoo, that's it for tonight.. any criticisms/advice? I'm not sure about this layout, to be honest!

 

[lljdma06]

Mosses are wonderful. Wait until you make a wall.

Liz

 

[bumbleweasle]

Am thinking if the wysteria doesn't hide the equipment well enough then I might make a wee wall/divider for that..

..looks like they tried to deliver my plants while i was out this morning, so now I'll have to wait til Friday to get 'em! Boooooooooo...... (cue sense of impatience, hehehe)

 

[micko]

 

[bumbleweasle]

My plants didn't show up until today, & the Indian Fern was at the bottom of the box, all battered! looked like this:

By the time I trimmed it clean, a few of the plantlets were down to their roots, & a lot of the leaves had to be removed on the others. They're not dead yet, though, so I'm hoping they'll live up to their reputation & grow back nice & quickly...

The wisteria took some damage as well, but not nearly as much.. and the E.Tenellus and Sag. Subulata both seem to be in great health. They're both much taller than I expected & there are loads of little plantlets! Have planted up the whole right hand side with the ET, & the sag is dotted around the bogwood/mosses in the centre. I'm charging the camera batteries for some pics later.

 

[minnnt]

Blimey, they look terrible mate. Good luck with getting them to recover.

 

[bumbleweasle]

Picture update for new plants!

Full tank shot:

Managed to stash the filter/thermometer fairly low at the back of the tank, & have planted the wisteria between it & the bogwood/glass. Hopefully it'll shoot up all bushy with some regular pruning, & hide everything properly

There wasn't much left of that poor wee Indian Fern & what is there isn't looking great:

Stuck it down front on the left where I can keep an eye on it (but also where it can stay if it does recover).. in front of the wisteria.

"Ech. tenellus" on the right-hand side, here (with the odd bit of sag.subulata up the back).. A little taller than I expected, but I like it:

(Those bits of sponge on the bogwood are there to stop up any gaps between the wood & the nylon thread I attached the moss with.. was such a weird shape of wood that I couldn't avoid 'em, & this stops my cute l'il otos from getting stuck/injured. )

And, finally, the Sag. subulata:

The fish, especially the neons, seem to love the grasslike plants - they keep chasing each other through it like they're running around a jungle! I'm really happy with the tank now, though perhaps the layout looks a little cluttered? Anyhoo, hoping it'll all grow in nicely... I guess it's kinda evolved into my first proper aquascape. Does this mean it needs a name?!
xx

 

[-FighterFishh]

The tank really does look brilliant now!
You've done a really good job

 

[bumbleweasle]

Yey! Thankee, FighterFishh!

 

[bumbleweasle]

One more post & then I'll be quiet for a few weeks while I wait for things to develop. Just wanted to illustrate what happens when your disappointment in the state of your planted tank leads you to a friendly wee forum, full of jedi spam & loadsa useful info.

Before (1st July):

After (24th July):