My 24g And It's Evolution

[bennett]

mine are too timid to eat plants! plus most of mine currently look rank so they wouldn't find it visually apetising!

plants here wed/thur

hopefully lighting and heater tomorrow, plus sand so i can start to wash that and get it ready for mondays rejig!

lighting- i'll be having 24" wow strips..any suggestions in this area? i currently have an arcadia 20w in there but i'll have two spaces to fill.

 

[bennett]

i bloomingwell hate postmen/delivery companies

still nothing for me to do on my tank!

 

[bennett]

substrate changed. laterite laid underneath the sand and jbl ferropol dosing to continue!

there are no pics until the plants are introduced as it looks awful!


hmm i must start being selective about my posts on this...

 

[bennett]

dude i was excited ages ago. now i want to batter any postal workers i can find cos they haven't brought me my goodies!!!

new plants wed/thur
lighting tomorrow or else
heater tomorrow or else

i got a new piece of bogwood today, nice long bit. not sure of the layout bogwood wise yet. i've got 2 centrepiece type bits at the mo. probably going to centralise the smaller one and java fern it, leaving the thin bit to java moss and a bit of annubias i think.

see i'm just dribbling rubbish about the tank i'm that excited. getting pressurized co2 on friday aswell! AND a lovely little new fish


i spend too much money on this thing

 

[bennett]

subtle change

thankfully the camera is equally as shocking in both pics

new bogwood on the left with java fern and anubias baarteri attached(ish)

 

[George Farmer]

Always good to see another journal, especially from a planted newbie. I hope this inspires other less experienced members to take the planted plunge. I wish you every success Andy.

Some tips if you didn't already know -

Don't run your full 2.5WPG lighting until you have stable 30ppm CO2 and have planted plenty of fast growers (see algae article).

Try to shade your Anubias with other plants. It is an algae magnet in full lighting, even with appropiate fert dosing.

When planting stems seperate into individual stems and plant a small distance apart to allow light to reach maximum plant area. Tweezers come in handy for this. Don't prune until the stems have reached the surface, then prune and re-plant cuttings.

When planting a rhizome plant i.e. Crypt or Sword, trim off some root growth to stimulate new growth. Plant these in deeper, nutrient-rich substrate.

Be meticulous with CO2 testing (stable 30ppm), most algae issues are CO2 related in a higher-tech tank.

Once you've figured out your dosing regime for KNO3, KH2PO4 and trace then stick to it. A stable nutrient supply is vital for algae prevention. Don't skimp on your 50% weekly water changes.

Understock with fish, overstock with plants!

Once you've conquered the science you can then concentrate on the art - aquascaping.

Have fun!

 

[bennett]

ta fishkiller. i'm very happy i changed the substrate already. it just looks alive instead of dingey and boring

the arrangement is only temporary. when i get the plants and sit down and scratch my head a bit i'll work it out! i think most of what's in there will go tbh! too many echindorus for a start!

i am getting
1 water sprite (ceropteris siliquosa)
1 mexican oak leaf plant (shinnersia rivularis)
1 clumb of java moss (vesicularis dubyana)
3 java fern (microsorium pteropus)
2 micro/carpet sagittaria (sagittaria lileopterus)
1 dwarf mini hair grass (eleocharis parrulus)
2 small ambulia (limnophila sessiliflora)
2 green ludwigia (ludwigia palustris)
4 spongy sagittaria (sagittaria sabulata)

looking at that it looks like i'll be stocking my 8g up again! ah well the lighting is good enough and the co2 from the 24g will go into the 8g once i get pressurized stuff on friday.

my lighting starter came today so only waiting on

heater TOMORROW grrrr
plants hopefully tomorrow/def thurs
strip lighting (only ordered today)

 

[lljdma06]

The tank looks realy nice Bennet. I like the change in substrate. I have small natural gravel, but I really can't stand it now that I've had it for nearly 3 years. All my tanks will have dark substrate from now on. But I like your sand. I agree, you should shade the anubia. I have a duckweed glob doing that job in my 10g, which I have to thin out soon.

Best of luck to you,

llj

 

[bennett]

ta lljdma06. i'm happy with it so far and hopefully that was the worst of it changing to sand. just gotta play about with the layout ONCE THE PLANTS ARRIVE

annoyingly my mylar arrived today after i bought it monday off ebay! WHY CAN'T MY HEATER BE HERE NOW EH? or my lighting?!? hmmm?!

ahem. yes i have mylar now so i'll be adding that to my hood this evening, not a massive step BUT a needed one as the reflector that was in there was absolutely foul (brown etc)

hopefully a nice big happy post about how everything has arrived and how i'm waiting for friday evening to get my co2....pray for me!

 

[bogwood]

Dwarf Swords and Vallis (straight or twisted) would be good background plants for your tank size... I broke some of the roots off before planting to stimulate new growth... don't forget the surface either... Indian Fern, Amazon Frogbit, Salvinia (a bit to small and fiddly imo) are good... Having longer roots that hang down help visually 'fill' out the empty water above young plants, until they grow to fill the gap... and fish/fry will feel more confident in the uppewr layers and have somewhere to hide... also good for reducing the amount of light generally if you have shyer fish...

... I have some Ech. Tenellus grass in the foreground... it sends out horizontal 'spurs'(?) that root themselves and sprout new grass...

... the new substrate looks good...

 

[bennett]

bogwood,

i was planning another "drop" of plants as soon as i get things in there and played around with. everything is in a very experimental (solely in my head) kind of stage.

cheers for you advice. i was thinking that the echindorus is nice...but not as a background really. maybe one to hang over but not as a stock kind of plant, in with the vallis or whatever ends up in there!

 

[bennett]

omg i'm a fool! i found the empty laterite packet and looked at it just to check the amount to be added per gallon. and where i read gallon it says litre. i feel like a complete boob!

ah well i'll be in the fish shop tomorrow to get a kH kit may aswell get some more laterite and annoy my fish a bit more

lesson learnt-more haste, less speed (even when you're anxious your fish are in a temporary home)

doh

 

[bennett]

another semi-pointless post i'll admit

i was livid with royal mail so i went down to my local depot and they had my new heater AND plants!!!

the plants are floating now as i'd only have to take them up to redo the laterite anyway. so the timing is good as i'm getting co2 tomorrow anyway, plus it's my day off. so morning it's get laterite and kH kit ordered in for me, then planting, then off to mk. then try not to kill my feesh

hurrah!!!! :

 

[Bloo]

And who said it might be a good idea to go and knock on their door ? and demand your parcels ?

Good luck for the weekend. Look forward to see some progress pics !

 

[Neal]

Your bogwood on the right looks like a giant pleco! Just a bit shorter than one, if you look at it carefully you can tell the resemblance!