My Latest Attempt..... Planted Tank

[cheesemaker]

after numerous failed attempts, this is my latest crack at the planted tank arena....
tell me what you think of the tank. not entirely sure of the layout at the moment, any criticism welcomed.

Got a some discus in there, not the most colourful, but they were very cheap.

What you think?

 

[Graeme Edwards]

Very nice man!

Glosso's growing abit funny, could do with replanting, or you need more light, the glossso sugests that buy growing towords the light.

Some stats would be good.

But all in all looks good.

 

[Dude]

wow amazing i like it!

brown discus! lol

they still look good!

i think i saw alittle glowlight tetra in there?

very cool
hope this one lasts for you!

 

[cheesemaker]

ha....

yeah, brown discus, i know, they were dirt cheap, good discus to try out me think..... then i can upgrade to some spectacular ones

and about the glosso..... i was lazy and planted them carelessly.... i.e in clumps...... will give them a trim/replant sometime soon

stats are......
ph 6.4
kh 4'
gh 7'
NO3 15
PO4 1.5
temp 29-30
DIY CO2
120W of light .... bout 2.66 WPG

6 glowlights
6 corys
shrimps
and the discus (BROWN)... boohoo

and about a million trumpet snails....

 

[Luke_e]

I think the glosso looks amazing like that, i think in some cases it growing upwards can be nicer than a carpet.
Your tank is stunning and brown discus look sweet too!

 

[TammyLiz]

I actually prefer brown discus to some of the showier varieties. In a planted tank they are nice because they fit in with the surroundings better. They are so cute with their stripes and the bar through the eye. Don't discount their beauty just because they're not bright!

Is that some sort of apogenon in the middle? It looks nice. Mine always send up floaters and blooms and has very few nice leaves like that.

 

[Paceysmum]

I think the tank looks amazing, very nice natural look to it. you coudl try soem giant vallis at the back or some red plants such as myros just for a splash of colour but if you never added anythign else i would be proud of the tank on show!!

have you had the onion bulb for long? it may be better in a bit more light and dont forget it will grow very tall once it gets going!!

 

[lljdma06]

Your tank is lovely, and your stats look pretty good. I would separate your glosso a bit, but only to encourage more growth. I like glosso growing upwards as much as I like the carpet look. Both look great to me. It's the light green leaves that are what's best about that plant. You also have a lovely piece of wood there, but it's being hidden by your amazon swords. I wonder if the tank will look better if you put the Amazon's behind the wood, they'll get huge anyways, and then cut some of the stem plants behind the wood shorter and then plant them in front? Long question, sorry. It'll also show off that bushy plant on the wood better, you can't really see it now.

IMO, nothing is more lovely that a naturally-colored fish. I prefer the natural-colored discus over the electric neon ones any day. I am even beginning to prefer the natural-looking plakat bettas to their more fancy cousins.

Nice tank, keep us posted. Hope your plants do well, but based on what I've read so far, I think you're well on your way.

llj

 

[MoreCoffee]

A great looking tank

I agree with lljdma06's comment about showing off that piece of bogwood a bit more and the fact that the swords will grow to hide it even more.

......You also have a lovely piece of wood there, but it's being hidden by your amazon swords............
llj

You've got two very cool pieces in there. I've been looking for a similar piece for about a week now !

The upright one looks perfect, but maybe I'd try to show the other one off a little more. Maybe angle it up a little towards the surface and perhaps attach some moss.

But even with no changes it's a very nice tank ...... and the more I look at the pics, the more I like those brown discus. Sometimes i think brightly coloured ones stand out too much and detract from the 'overall' appearance of the tank (Just my opinion - dont want to upset any discus fans), yours are a part of the tank and look like they just belong there !



Mr G

 

[cheesemaker]

thank you all for your comment.
done a little redecorating today....

the swords are now moved to the back, red swords to the right side
thinned out the glosso to get a more carpet look.....

wondering how i could cover the bogwood entirely with riccia, it's quite irregular in shape.....

thinking of attaching some anubias to the smaller bog wood, what you guys think...?

 

[Themuleous]

I would agree, looks good, need to fill out but its got the makings of a great tank Love the wood, thats a rgeat piece, really nice shape

Sam

 

[MoreCoffee]

Yeah, that looks great and when those plants fill in a little it will look excellent.

Personally I wouldn't cover the wood with riccia, I'd go for java or xmas moss.
But thats only beacuse the only time I seriously tried riccia, it was a real pain to keep
tied down and under control. I used to find lots in my filter !

....my fault for not trimming it properly properly controlled it would look stunning.

Mr G

 

[cheesemaker]

did another water change today.....
bought a new toy this pm, an inline activated carbon filter, disposable cartridge type..... much cheaper compared to chemical dechlorinator in the long run

woohoo.... everything's pearling, much be doing something right.... the lilies are growing like mad

i think even my fish are pearling too....

 

[lljdma06]

Now that's more like it. The wood complements your beautiful fish. What is that plant on the wood? Is that riccia, glosso. Right now, it looks a bit odd to me, a bit like "Here I am, large block of plant!". A bit unatural compared to the rest of the tank, which looks really natural. It's on the wood that has been recently exposed.

Much better, however. I'm glad that your fish are pearling.

 

[cheesemaker]

Now that's more like it. The wood complements your beautiful fish. What is that plant on the wood? Is that riccia, glosso. Right now, it looks a bit odd to me, a bit like "Here I am, large block of plant!". A bit unatural compared to the rest of the tank, which looks really natural. It's on the wood that has been recently exposed.

Much better, however. I'm glad that your fish are pearling.

yes, i know exactly what you mean.....that blob of plant is riccia..... still undecided what to do with the bare wood. not entirely sure if riccia is the best option, too much maintenance i think. maybe anubias is a better bet, i like the nana variety, covery the whole of the bigger bog workwith it woulr look quite good i think.