Ok I Am Breaking Down And Adding Co2

[lacy]

If you dont mind me asking what kind of substrate are you using? Is it just rocks or something else mixed in. The reason I am asking is I am going to start setting up my 33 gallon as a planted tank and I have NO idea what to do. Also how did you get your plants to stay in the ground so nicely and not float up everywhere?

 

[iroc]

If you dont mind me asking what kind of substrate are you using? Is it just rocks or something else mixed in. The reason I am asking is I am going to start setting up my 33 gallon as a planted tank and I have NO idea what to do. Also how did you get your plants to stay in the ground so nicely and not float up everywhere?

What I am using is just a small pebble type, the kind you find sold at most LFS. there is nothing mixed in but I do put plant food tabs in about once a month next to the bigger plants, and add Florish 2 times per week.
I have a 5.5 wpg which is alot and I use the CO2 which has changed my growth rates quite a bit.

As far as the getting the plants to stay, I put about 30 albs of gravel in this 20 gal tank so the substrate is around 3 1/2" deep, when I add a ned plant I use my finger to guide it deep into the substrate and then use some small rocks to kinda hold it in place until it roots itself.

I would read the pinned articles they sure helped me a lot

 

[iroc]

Day 28...........


I cut the tops off 2 of the Myriophyllum becuase it was completely outta control.

 

[Themuleous]

Looking really nice, could do with a bit more arranging of the plants into groups to give a better effect but that will come with time as the plants fill out, etc.

Keep up the good work

Sam

 

[iroc]

Looking really nice, could do with a bit more arranging of the plants into groups to give a better effect but that will come with time as the plants fill out, etc.

Keep up the good work

Sam

what would you seggust, right now the break down is like this

1. Hygrophila difformis (water wistera)
2. Microsorium pteroptus (java fern)
3. Vesicularia dubyana (java moss)
4. Anubias Nana (I think)
5. Ammannia gracilis
6. Alternanthera reineckii (I think)
7. Myriophyllum matogrossensis
8. Lilaeopsis brasiliensis.

 

[iroc]

So I changed the background from black to blue ( it was hard to really see some of the plants true colors) and moved the Blue drawf and red flame Gourami's into the tank and put the black fin tetras into the 55 gal

plants are still doing really well

 

[RadaR]

I think the blue bkground is much better

 

[iroc]

I think the blue bkground is much better

me too, it really brings out the red color of the Alternanthera reineckii and Myriophyllum matogrossensis

 

[iroc]

well it's day 35 and I am a frim beliver in the adding of CO2, I remember when I doubted weather or not it would do any thing. But in just a little over a month my tank has really done well. I think this will be the last post in here since it seems that all I do lately is update pics, but be on the look out for the next Iroc photo jornal

After just a little over a month of co2 and my Alternanthera reineckii has grown maybe 6 inches

 

[RadaR]

Cool. Looking better every time. I like the depth thats been created on the right hand side.
For my own personal liking though i would either move the middle plant as it looks a little distracting or just prune it down to the size of the stem to the left of it.

 

[iroc]

Cool. Looking better every time. I like the depth thats been created on the right hand side.
For my own personal liking though i would either move the middle plant as it looks a little distracting or just prune it down to the size of the stem to the left of it.

I tried to do that and ended up basicly rescaping the entire tank again........


It is a more simple design now, but unlike all the other times I have rescaped, I did it planning on the furture growth of the plants not on how they look RIGHT NOW......I will post a pic when i get a chance

 

[RadaR]

Oh right. Scaping again is always fun though.
Glad to see youve taken a step forward in the planting hobby by planning how the plants will aventually look.
Look forward to the update with pic

 

[lljdma06]

Beautiful tank. I like the colors a lot. One suggestion would be to fill the tank to the rim. If there's a gap, the light reflects off that surface and doesn't go into the tank, where it's needed. Unless this is an open top tank.

llj

 

[iroc]

This is the begining stages of what will be my new scape. Everything is just getting used to it's new planting and has begun to grow very rapidly...........again

I will pop back in here in a couple of weeks and give a new update and a pic

 

[iroc]

UPDATE 90 days in

Well I have redone this tank a million times over but I finally thought I had found my final set up, unfornately the plants I have all grow very fast and require either trading them in or to someone else or planting them back in the tank. I let them grow for a lil while

I cut some of the stems and replanted them added somemore java moss from my 55 gal and played with the scaping a lil to give somemore swimming room

this is the result

Any seggustions at this point I am VERY open.

I am thinking about a change to sand since I like the way my 55 gal turned out so much