George's Journal

[paulioo]

I loving the new look.

If your going to go for a mix of Glosso and HC then you'd need to think of a way to separate the two because the Glosso would eventually take over and kill the HC.

Paul

 

[lljdma06]

I like the Crinum too.  I don't gf, this is starting to look a bit more Dutch to me. 

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I'm not sure I understand you. Would you mind elaborating?

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I'm not sure I understood me either. Did I write that?

So sorry, gf, I was posting last night while and I'm sure none of my posts from that night made sense. I probably told a Newbie to put a pleco in a goldfish bowl. Just kidding, it would take a lot of drink to get me to that level of silliness.

The spirit of choice was a fine tawny port, and it was wonderful. At least I wasn't surfing Aquabid, that would have ended in disaster for my checkbook. What I meant to say, gf, was that with the anubias planted, your tank could take on a more Dutch look regarding the aquascape. This would especially be the case if you caved in to popular demand and planted something in the foreground that was too contrasting, especially with reddish leaves. I know that this is not the look you are going for, since you told me that you were inspired by the Amano style of aquascaping. I like the addition of the anubias, but I think the choice of foreground is of the utmost importance if you want to preserve the Amano style. I apologize if I wasn't clear. I will try to stay sober when I post tonight, but I'm not making any promises. I still have quite a bit of tawny port left.

 

[Bloo]

Yeah the Crinum is back it's lovely - I really like it a lot !

 

[George Farmer]

A couple of recent pics.

I’m really happy with the progress so far. I’m definitely keeping the Crinum now - bloozoo2's infuence (sorry James!) I’m tempted to add some more similar plants to the left of the fern i.e. Cryptocoryne retrospiralis or balansae, or maybe more of the same Crinum – it is expensive though, I was very lucky to find these so cheap at £2 or £3 a plant (two off). My only concern is lack of light as my corners are fairly dim. This is because I have 24” tubes in a 32” tank. I could upgrade to 30” tubes quite easily though, we’ll see.

I’m still unsure how to plant my foreground. I’m thinking about leaving an open space in front of the fern/between woods. I like to see a little open space sometimes in a layout and it may look quite effective. As for planting in front of the Sagittaria platyphylla – I’m still deciding. Glosso, HC, hairgrass or possibly even E tennelus, or a combo. HC is very tempting as it is very low maintenance; however it is also notoriously hard to get established. Glosso looks great but is very invasive and I’m not sure about lighting (2.1 WPG currently). I’ve had success with hairgrass before and I’m sure it would look good but I fancy trying something new. The same with the tennelus, and it is similar in texture to the sag (whether or not that’s a bad thing, I’m not certain). Anyway, you understand my dilemma – any input welcome.

 

[Walt]

Fine looking tank!!

.. hey Digweed, whatsup?! B)

 

[lljdma06]

Hey, I see Digweed! He's so pretty, I wish he'd come out more for photos, though your cardinals look lovely as well.

I almost think you should keep the open space too. It looks so lovely as is, and the cardinals really pop out when they cross the substrate. They are such hams!

 

[kenneth_kpe]

oh i should have checked here ! cant wait to see what your going to plant up front !

 

[Angel Lady]

What is that stuff at the bottom of your tank called that looks like grass. I cant never think of what to ask the lady at the lfs for. I have just now got into plants and I want to know what to get. that will look great in my tanks with the types of fish that I have.

 

[houndour]

What is that stuff at the bottom of your tank called that looks like grass. I cant never think of what to ask the lady at the lfs for. I have just now got into plants and I want to know what to get. that will look great in my tanks with the types of fish that I have.

Sagittaria platyphylla

What does HC stand for?

 

[George Farmer]

What does HC stand for?

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Hemianthus callitrichoides

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=106756&hl=

 

[houndour]

oh yeah! I remember now )

 

[George Farmer]

oh yeah! I remember now )

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It is a bit of a mouthful though, hence HC.

 

[Losi]

Excellent bit of aqua scaping!!

 

[George Farmer]

I had to share this photo with you all as it encompasses so much of what I aspire to in a planted tank.

The first thing I like is the relative rarity of witnessing the combination of Amano shrimp and Anubias flower in the same shot. Although my shrimp are very active and often visible, it is very hard to get a decent photo, especially one like this.

Secondly, I love the flower itself. I have had Anubias flower in a previous layout but it withered and rotted within days. This flower has been bright and healthy for almost 2 weeks now. A record for me at least.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly is the health of all the plants. It is hard to really judge from the darkness of the photo but notice the distinct absence of algae and sign of any nutrient deficiencies. I have kept a close eye on my nitrate/phosphate ratio in hope to avoid any algae on my Anubias leaves, so far so good.

All I can say is this is a tribute to an ideal balance of light, CO2 and nutrients. Since going pressurized and dosing EI, my tank has really come into its own in visible health terms.

 

[Dubby]

Thats pretty Thats not the wonders of Photoshop, I presume