Pest Controls First Planted Journal (Updated 2/3/2011)

[Ben M]

thanks, i try to leave things as they are, but it's so hard. i'll just concentrate on growing plants like you say.

cheers

 

[Ben M]

hi, i've got some more plants today, so i'll add some pics later. i've got some more Hygrophila polysperma, some Limnophila sessiliflora, amazon frogbit, red root floater, riccia and Monoselenium tenerum. i've already planted the Hygrophila polysperma, Limnophila sessiliflora, amazon frogbit and red root floater, but i haven't planted the Monoselenium tenerum yet. i will superglue some to rocks, and tie some to some bogwood with thread (i can't take the wood out to glue as it would uproot my plants). i will float the riccia, as i don't think it will grow very well submersed. there was also a little bit of java moss, but would my SAE's eat it? i've heard that they only eat expensive mosses, and tend to leave java moss alone, but i wanted to make sure.

cheers

 

[Ben M]

hi, i've got some pics:

full tank shot... seems to be getting more natural looking, i think.

Left side of tank. i've moved some of the vallis and the Amazon sword to the left, with a bit of Hygrophila polysperma between, and to the right of that, some Limnophila sessiliflora and some more Hygrophila polysperma.

I've also superglued some Monoselenium tenerum to a piece of lava rock, and i'm hoping that it will spread into a cushion.

Middle of the tank.

Right hand side of the tank. i've put some Limnophila sessiliflora and some Hygrophila polysperma behind the bogwood, and i hope they will soon appear above it.

Plants behind the bogwood.

do you think it's looking better? and what should i add next? i can't really tell if the new plants are growing, as i've only had them for a couple of days, but they do seem to have straightened up towards the light. i have put the rest of the Monoselenium tenerum in some glass jars on my windowsill in the sun, and i'm hoping that it will grow so i have enough to make a big carpet out of it. it has been pearling loads today, but that might be because i've just put it in the jar.

cheers

 

[ian]

its coming on nicely, the fish look really healthy. If it was my tank i would be thinking of getting some foreground plants on the natural sand, maybe some Crypts, Eleocharis parvula, Marselia Minuta etc. I bet your chuffed with it mate!

 

[Ben M]

thanks, yes i'm really happy with it. i have been thinking about some foreground plants. i like the dwarf hairgrass, so i think i'll try some of that. i'll have a look to see where i can buy it round me, or on the internet. i want to keep some of the foreground open for the kuhlis and corys, but i think i'll try some carpet plants.

any more comments?

cheers

 

[lljdma06]

This is coming a long really well. You are right, it is filling out very good.

I am going to come steal that fat little female krib from you. She is lovely.

llj

 

[Ben M]

thanks, you can have her, i've been trying to get rid of her for ages.

cheers

 

[lljdma06]

thanks, you can have her, i've been trying to get rid of her for ages.

cheers

He he.

I used to breed them. My water was alkaline, though, so I would get mostly males from the spawns. Fantastic parents. If you were in the US...

llj

 

[Ben M]

hi, i've got a breeding pair, which my brother has now, and i've got 2 females that i'm trying to get rid of. i've never raised any fry to adults, but my water's really alkaline too, so they'd be nearly all male. if i was nearer you, you'd be very welcome to have them, but i don't think the postage would be very cheap.

cheers

 

[Ben M]

hi, i've got some more pics of how it looks now. well, quite a lot of pics...

Full tank shot.

Hygrophila on the left is growing quite well.

Attaching the Monoselium tenerum to the lava rock failed, as the SAE's pulled it off within a few days.

The Limnophila sessiliflora is really taking off, it's grown about 3" in a week.

The Hygrophila in the middle is also growing well.

the Anubias is growing at a rate of about 1 leaf per week.

The Limnophila sessiliflora is appearing from behind the bogwood.

The amazon sword is getting really big now.

I'm getting a lot of babies on the java fern, so i can take some of the plantlets off soon, and grow them on something else.

My new amazon frogbit is growing well, and growing a new leaf every couple of days.

Are the new leaves on the Hygrophila supposed to look like this? it's just that they look a bit strange.


what do you think? i'm hoping that all of the tall plants will spread to the top at the back and hide the filter pipes. i'm unsure as to whether i should get another stem plant or not. are there any red stems that i could grow to add a bit of colour? i'm still considering getting an Echinodorus ozelot and a carpet of Eleocharis acicularis or parvula. other than that, i'm just waiting for everything to fill out.

cheers

 

[ian]

its looking good mate!

what are you using in the way of co2?

 

[Ben M]

thanks. i'm not using any co2 at all.

cheers

 

[lljdma06]

thanks. i'm not using any co2 at all.

cheers

Hygro polysperma, depending on the cultivar's history, often displays leaf veining. It's not a deficiency, but part of the color of the plant. The leaves look fine to me.

Tank looks good! The rasboras school beautifully.

llj

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i thought they must be ok as they are growing a lot. i think the rasboras are really cool, they're the best shoaling fish i have.

cheers

 

[Biulu]

This tank is getting nicer with every picture that you take! I love the limnophila, would like to get that here too. And as llj said: beautiful female krib you have there! She looks really ready to spawn.