Beastije
Fish Addict
Given my new tank (sixth, dont judge, replaced a previous one so technically it is not one more tank) will be ariving later this week, I will do a quick cycle and then onto the big project - tearing down the big tank, catching all the fish, reshuffling, removing the sand, adding aquaclay/new and more sand, more wood, replanting the plants I have. I have been removing and reshufling plants that I have that will remain in the tank and it is very empty. So please, lets brainstorm and discuss with me what to do as I apparently suck at this.
The tank is 120x50x60cm and it is standing with the narrow side to the wall, otherwise it is visible from all the sides as I walk around it, makes planting even harder.
Given I do not have enough aquaclay that I bought (but not buying more, also I somehow assumed it will be as a nutrient rich substrate and it is not but that was my mistake, is also very orange. But will see) I decided to do a split on the long line, and will treat one part of the tank as the back, one as the front, in the middle will have bunch of branches. In the back, I will put the aquaclay, root tab fertizilers and swords ( I have 3 now, maybe will buy two more). Where the wood wont reach, I will keep the lotus that I have, the main one and three or four juvenile lotus plants that I have. So now, to the front.
The remaining few plants I have is two or so smaller java fern, one recently munched on small pennywort, one large pennywort and a bunch of not trimmed long rotalla rotundifora that I plan to trim this time around.
I wonder how to make it look less empty. Now the tank is tragic, I had a crypt melt due to recent temp spike, took out all the anubias, had to cut all the leaves of the crypt (that I am not keeping anyway). Do I try on the sandy part some of the faster bottom plants, like sagitaria or a val? I do not have enough light, do not use CO2 and am very sporadic with use of fertilizers. I will do better with the swords, root tabs, rusted nails and so to keep them alive, but the rest will have to do with water changes, mild white light and occasional squirt of some all encompassing fertilizer. I have some tubs full of hornwort, I have some hygrophilla in other tanks, I could I guess tear down a 25 liter that has osme normal crypts, but that wont make much difference. I do not want any more anubias, had it for so many years and I put all of the ones I had in one of my other tanks and remade it into an anubias tank.
I made a quick paint sketch. Ofcourse I need to try to cover as much of the sponge and filter as I can, on the "right side" of the tank, if viewed from the front.
Once the tank finishes filling up after maintenance I will take a picture of the sad sad looking mess, just for an idea
The tank is 120x50x60cm and it is standing with the narrow side to the wall, otherwise it is visible from all the sides as I walk around it, makes planting even harder.
Given I do not have enough aquaclay that I bought (but not buying more, also I somehow assumed it will be as a nutrient rich substrate and it is not but that was my mistake, is also very orange. But will see) I decided to do a split on the long line, and will treat one part of the tank as the back, one as the front, in the middle will have bunch of branches. In the back, I will put the aquaclay, root tab fertizilers and swords ( I have 3 now, maybe will buy two more). Where the wood wont reach, I will keep the lotus that I have, the main one and three or four juvenile lotus plants that I have. So now, to the front.
The remaining few plants I have is two or so smaller java fern, one recently munched on small pennywort, one large pennywort and a bunch of not trimmed long rotalla rotundifora that I plan to trim this time around.
I wonder how to make it look less empty. Now the tank is tragic, I had a crypt melt due to recent temp spike, took out all the anubias, had to cut all the leaves of the crypt (that I am not keeping anyway). Do I try on the sandy part some of the faster bottom plants, like sagitaria or a val? I do not have enough light, do not use CO2 and am very sporadic with use of fertilizers. I will do better with the swords, root tabs, rusted nails and so to keep them alive, but the rest will have to do with water changes, mild white light and occasional squirt of some all encompassing fertilizer. I have some tubs full of hornwort, I have some hygrophilla in other tanks, I could I guess tear down a 25 liter that has osme normal crypts, but that wont make much difference. I do not want any more anubias, had it for so many years and I put all of the ones I had in one of my other tanks and remade it into an anubias tank.
I made a quick paint sketch. Ofcourse I need to try to cover as much of the sponge and filter as I can, on the "right side" of the tank, if viewed from the front.
Once the tank finishes filling up after maintenance I will take a picture of the sad sad looking mess, just for an idea
)
