Low-Tech Planted Community Endeavour! (Picture Heavy!)

[fishmad135]

Hey! My name is Imogen and this is my planted Journal. 
 
Since starting University last september (to do marine biology!)  my tank which once looked like this has become algae ridden and dull. Primarily due to my Mum over feeding the fish and not doing water changes as frequent as they should be done (Not her fault though, I was very grateful she tried her best to keep it going whilst I was away and with no fish loses, couldn't have asked for more!). Seeing as next year however, i'll be home every weekend for work I've decided to revamp my tank and start new with everything! 

 

^^ Old setup (without fish.. obviously 

)
 
The new set up (plan so far):
- Black Sand
- Piece of red moor wood with Christmas Moss attached
- Black/Grey Rocks
- Vallis spiralis and Amazon Sword for the background
 
Any more suggestions? 
 
I ordered a piece of red moor wood from eBay earlier this week and it came today! I'm so pleased with it

  One of the best fivers I've spent!
 
Question: Before I boil it and soak it I wanted to show you all the orientations I could have the wood and ask which you think would be best? (Bearing in mind I'm planning to attach christmas tree moss!)
Picture (A) 

Picture (B)

Picture (C)

Picture (D)

Picture (E) 

 
Here is a picture of the stones, they were found in the stream the flows through my back garden.
Question: If i were to soak them in hot water do you think it would be safe to put them in my tank?

 
Thanks for taking the time to read my post, I'd be grateful for any guidance or thoughts you have! 

Imogen 

 

[daizeUK]

Personally I would go for orientation C with stones around the base  That's a nice piece of wood
 
I'm not an expert on stones but they look safe to me, maybe you could try a vinegar test to see if they fizz or anything.
 
How about some crypts, anubias nana or mini java fern to go on/around the wood?  The Christmas moss will look lovely as well.

 

[fishmad135]

Hi Daize! I also prefer that orientation and after a bit of playing around with it (rotating it 180 degrees) and adding some stones round the base, I came up with this..

What do you think?
Can I ask what the Vinegar test is??

I'd thought about anubias and java fern however as they're both slow growing plants I was worried they might easily be attacked by algae, which is the situation with the tank i have now 

 do you think they'll be okay?
 
Progressions..
Whilst I was out today Mr Postman must have come and I returned to find christmas moss on my doorstep (parcelled of course!). Placed it in water and now it's really starting to pick up

 
Also started boiling the red moor, which is trying to escape the pan..

Cheers Guys,
Imogen

 

[daizeUK]

That looks great, it will look very natural with a bit of moss over the stones!
 
The vinegar test is where you pour some white vinegar over the stones and if the vinegar fizzes anywhere you can't use it, or so I've heard.
 
Anubias will suffer from algae if it is subjected to too much light.  I've got this problem in one of my tanks that is next to a window and the anubias receives direct sunlight in summertime, sadly it's now a big mess of algae in that tank right now.  It sounds like you may need to reduce your lighting or reduce the amount of time your lights are on, or shield the tank from any natural light it receives.
 
I have heard that boiling wood can degrade the fibres so it might be better to soak it in hot water rather than boil it.

 

[fishmad135]

Hey Daize! Thanks! 
 
Did the vinegar test and the stones didn't fizz so I didn't so fingers crossed they're good to use!
 
Bog wood still floating?! Boiled it for 20mins then stopped hopefully it won't have damaged it and since it been in a bucket of cool fresh water! Any idea on how long it will take for it to become water logged.
 
Cheers again.

 

[daizeUK]

The wood should sink within a few days, depends on the wood, although it will probably leech tannins for considerably longer.  How long to soak will usually depend on how much you mind tannins staining your water.  Many people like the tannin effect but I don't so I soak large pieces of wood for a few weeks.

 

[fishmad135]

Cheers 

  I'll soak it till it sinks and then see how the water is for tannins, if it isn't too bad i'll whack the beauty in 

 
Saved a young piece of anubias from the tank as it currently stands (covered in algae..) managed to remove a lot of it and now have it in a separate container. If I remove as much algae as possible can I put it in the tank once it's setup or should I discard it???
 
Here's a pic of the wood soaking in a spare tank and some of the new plants I've purchased today..!

 
Getting so impatient! Sink wood. Sink!

 

[fishmad135]

Also, any ideas on how I should attach the christmas tree moss to the red moor? I have thread, will that do? And just wrap it around?
Thanks in advance!

 

[daizeUK]

Thread will do but will eventually rot.  I prefer to use fishing line.  You can buy it from ebay or from most sports stores quite cheaply.  I've found it works well if you cut the moss into small pieces then wrap the fishing line around to secure them.  It's tempting to keep the pretty tree-shaped fronds but it will grow thicker and bushier if you cut it up and looks better in the end.
 
I'd keep the anubias if you can.  Even if the older leaves are beyond saving it should produce healthy new growth.
 
Good luck with that pogostemon helferi, I've just about given up on mine! 

 

[fishmad135]

Thanks Daize! Never thought about using fishing line! After telling my Mum about it this morning she called my Grandad and he brought some over 

And great news! The bog wood had sunk by this morning!

On with the fish removal, tank cleaning, removing algae and cleaning the equipment! Filter safely tucked away in some old tank water with some old decor too!
 
Some pics of it as it progressed!

Sorry about that photo quality! It has awful reflections!
Thanks!

 

[daizeUK]

Very nice!  I like what you've done with the moss on the branches.
 
I have one suggestion - although you may not feel like messing with the tank any more at this point! - but if you are willing, I would recommend moving the wood about half its width to the left.  Although first instinct is to give the wood centre stage, aesthetically it will look better off to one side.  Have a quick read about the rule of thirds and the golden ratio and you'll see why this technique is used a lot in aquascaping, as well as photography or architecture etc.  Also the flowing shape of these branches tends to lead the eye naturally in the direction they point to.  In its current position the branches lead the eye off to the right and out of the tank.  Shift the whole thing to the left and the branches will be in perfect arrangement to focus attention on the centre of the tank.
 
Nice work! 

 

[fishmad135]

Great suggestion once again! I agree completely! As I've not have the fish in that long I think i'll leave it as it is for a bit and when they're settled I'll move it across and see how it looks!
Heres the tank and it's inhabitants!
Late afternoon

And this evening (looks even better I think..!)

Thanks once again!