Wise's Burton Dasset

[ian]

*claps*

I love that James!! It looks great mate and that Crypt looks superb. The hc looks great and you're another 'add to the list' of Hc carpet without pressurised C02.

 

[Verminator89]

I'm chuffed with it. I'm definately preferring dosing Excel, its harder work because my FE was on a timer, but it was inconsistent and ultimately gave me more trouble. With the HC loving the excel this much i'll be sticking with it for a while. At £9 for 1000ml of the stuff, i can cope with that even if it last me 2 months.

The crypts are another plant simply loving the current routine, yes. The large one has certainly taken over, and thats even with me trimming off around 10 leaves a month as it would simply be TOO big haha. Just waiting now for the HC to completely cover up the old 'duff' growth, and then i'll be happy.

Any suggestions for what can be done with both rear corners? Thinking perhaps a mid-size(ish) crypt for the rear left and perhaps a rock of sorts. Then similar with the other corner, a crypt of some sort. Ideally something that remains under 12" in height if possible. Not enjoying trimming stems so far. They look messy and "hacked" after i'm done with them!

 

[ian]

you could have some Undulata or some other smaller crypt, but to be honest, i think it looks good as it is. You won't see a better crypt grown in any pro's tank that looks as healthy as yours James.

 

[Verminator89]

The large crypt in the middle is great, yes. I won't be moving it.

The Hydrocotyle Leucocephala in the rear left just doesnt fit. I knew it wouldnt when i got it, but bought it anway. I guess i figured i'd give it a try, but now think its time to get rid of it. So i need something to go there. I'm thinking i may add a rock there as previously mentioned, but instead of a crpyt, perhaps adding the large bunch of Downoi that is in the centre/left aught to move back a little into that corner. Thus opening up the space for the HC lawn, which will be a little more fluent IMO.

The rear left is growing well, no doubt. I just "can't" trim stem plants to well, so i'm looking at alternatives. Something that will grow to about 12" max, and will look good. Another crypt is an ideal choice i think. Trimming off leaves when a plant gets to thick for itself isnt a problem, trimming stems are I'd like to try Cryptocoryne Albida perhaps. Or another i'd like to try again would be Echinodorus Rubin "narrow leaves". Cyperus Helferi is another i'd love to try, but i have reservations about trying it as i know its demands may not be quite what my tank offers. If i had a preference, it would be C Helferi for sure, combined with Cryptocoryne Albida Both of those wouldnt shaddow the HC and Downoi as much as what is in there currently. I forget what it is exactly, its had 3 different forms of leaf shape since i put it in their, obviously due to the different conditions i've tried in their and i've since completely forgotten what plant is it haha.

What do you make of those ideas, if you can visualise them, and any other suggestions? I've concidered a little more Anubias nana here and there, moving the Downoi back alittle on the right would provide a bit of space to tinker with.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

This tank is far from "low-tech". I run 2 24W T5HO bulbs over this tank for a total of 7 hours. I dose 15ml Phosphate, 15ml Nitrate and 8ml EasyLife Profito once a week after water change. Dosing 15ml of Seachem Flourish Excell every day 1 hour before lights on. Not exactly low-tech But its working.

Having looked back at my last update, which was after some neglect and lack of ferts + CO2 i can see how well this has turned around in 2 months growth. Especially the HC which is really starting to look good. Oh, and Downoi is one of the best plants to grow IMO, easy to propagate and increase stock too!

I live in Coventry, but anyone who dares steal my Jack will be in for one hell of a get-away chase I sleep with a gun under my pillow incase I padlock my tank at night

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Didn't mean yours was low tech pmsl, just saying mine is and I hope it comes out half as good as your lol, I'm bullet proof so I will have your JD lol.

 

[Verminator89]

A little mini update, one of the more pleasant ones.

I came home from work just now and sat down to see how the tank looks, and i was greeted by a load of unusual bubbles on the surface of the water in amongst where its all tangled up there, in the far right. Well, i crouched down to see what it looked like underneath the water and i noticed my little male Yellow Honey Gourami 'mouthing' at them. I am no expert on Gourami's and even less so with breeding them, but i can only assume the lil fella is trying to impress the females by building a bubble nest! I'm just going to let nature take its course, as thats all i can really do to be fair. Fingers crossed though!

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Good luck with the bubble nest fella, is it in a calm part of the tank? I had so much trouble breeding them in the past, the second the male started building I switched the filter to trickle and after a day or so they were breeding, before when the filter was on full tilt the bubble nest only lasted a couple of hours.

 

[Plecostomos Fan]

Amazing plant life, James where did you get your diffusor from? mine is a large spiraled tube.

 

[Verminator89]

@ps3steve0 - Its in the quietest corner of the tank, in amongst the stem plants in the top right. They don't appear to be moving, and the male sits there all day, waiting. Chasing the females around whenever they venture close. One has taken the brunt of it, she looks rather tatty now. I havn't seen much activity today, so we'll shall just see how it goes. More concerned with my HC lawn, than Gourami breeding haha xD

@Plecostamus Fan - I bought my diffuser from AquaEssentials - fantastic company, great products and very promt delivery. I use them for most things i need if possible as i know i can trust them, and they deliver

 

[Plecostomos Fan]

I have been reading this post but my excitement keeps getting the better of me, making me skip through it with glee looking at your results.
I am now following in your footsteps with Hemianthus calltricholded, Cardamine lyrata, Crptocoryne walkeri
using ferts and pressurised Co2.
I am trying to get some pics but my photography skills are zero lol.
If I can get it looking half as good as yours James i'll be happy.

 

[Verminator89]

Haha, i'm glad this had been of some benefit to someone. Good luck with your endevours!


for this tank, i have been concidering getting rid of the stem plant toward the rear. Now as an alternative i've been looking at a few plants, however one has caught my eye more than others. Pogostemon Erectus, its looks fantastic. Height wise Tropica have it listed as being 15-40cm high. In a 16" tall tank, its going to take some pruning. But for the beauty of this plant i'm willing to persevere with that!

What do you reckon?


Also, i've just done some digging around to find out what stem plant i have currently. Going back to early posts in this thread i have stated it was "Micranthemum Umbrosum". So i googled that plant to find alternative images of growth. It came back with images that look practically the same as those in my early shots of this journal. Promising, or so i thought. One image stood out on Google images, so i hovered the mouse over it and it said "often confused with micranthemum umbrosum". Being curious i clicked into it, and it is a planted page about Hemianthus Micranthemoides. Stating, that this plant is often confused with Micranthemum Umbrosum. So, what plant do you reckon i have?

Heres the link to the page for you to make your own mind up.

Cheers, James

 

[Plecostomos Fan]

Haha, i'm glad this had been of some benefit to someone. Good luck with your endevours!


for this tank, i have been concidering getting rid of the stem plant toward the rear. Now as an alternative i've been looking at a few plants, however one has caught my eye more than others. Pogostemon Erectus, its looks fantastic. Height wise Tropica have it listed as being 15-40cm high. In a 16" tall tank, its going to take some pruning. But for the beauty of this plant i'm willing to persevere with that!

What do you reckon?


Also, i've just done some digging around to find out what stem plant i have currently. Going back to early posts in this thread i have stated it was "Micranthemum Umbrosum". So i googled that plant to find alternative images of growth. It came back with images that look practically the same as those in my early shots of this journal. Promising, or so i thought. One image stood out on Google images, so i hovered the mouse over it and it said "often confused with micranthemum umbrosum". Being curious i clicked into it, and it is a planted page about Hemianthus Micranthemoides. Stating, that this plant is often confused with Micranthemum Umbrosum. So, what plant do you reckon i have?

Heres the link to the page for you to make your own mind up.

Cheers, James

Pogostemon Erectus,looked it up on the net, very nice plant.
The micranthemum and hemianthus are so similar its impossible to tell from your shots, they are the plants to the rear right of your tank?

 

[Verminator89]

No meaningfull update. Only one to say i havn't been 'home' for over 2 months so it has been seriously neglected. Well i popped in last week and the tank is absolutely immaculate. No algae, no significant plant loss, some of the HC is looking a little dishevelled and the downoi is looking well, down? But its looking surprisingly spritely. Now this is all because i've moved out of the parents house, so i shall hopefully be moving this tank into my new residence very very soon (the gf's parents house!) Haha. So watch this space, as an update with pictures will come then - currently though, its a tad hectic!

 

[Verminator89]

Right, after moving this tank over to where i'm living now two weeks ago i've finally managed to get round to giving it a spruce up. It was promtly moved over ahead of schedule as it was starting to suffer. 3 and half months no water change, ferts or CO2 and it was starting to look rather weary and tired out. So today it had its first overhaul since it was drained and transfered as it is. The journey across Coventry with this tank across my backseat with about 2" of water in the bottom for the fish and shrimp was a traumatic one. Lots of sloshing about, but they made it!

I'll state it now, no new pictures as of yet. I need a camera - ahh!

The spruce up went as follows. Trimmed back the Crypts and moved the 'Green' from the rear right to where the Downoi was right infront of the large central Crypt 'Mi Oya'. The Downoi that was in the front right has now been ripped out, trimmed back and placed in the rear right where the 'Green' Crypt was. A small plantlet of the 'green' crypt still resides just peeking out from that rear right behind the wood. The large Echinodorus and HC all remains exactly where it is respectively, just with a tiny trim back of some rather dead and decaying transparent leaves on the Echi. The Anubias has also been trimmed, but still remains where it is. The large 'hunk' of wood in the rear left has been removed. The Anubias that was on here has now trimmed and wedged over the filter inlet/outlet's to somewhat 'hide' these ugly appliances. I can't tell what looks worse at the minute the before or after with this, so they may move. Now where the ugly bit of wood was i have placed the remainder of the Downoi, which was located at the front next to the small Crypt Parva and toward the midground on the left. I've left this space empty for now to allow the HC to spread. Upon moving the Downoi from the left it unveiled a nice rock, with arching piece of wood which i had totally forgotten was there, as it was buried for so long! So once the Downoi fills in again behind this feature, and the HC spreads up to it, i think it's going to look really good.

Again, appologies for no pictures, i'll try like hell to get some up. Its frustrating me not being able to photo-log the progress, as thats what really shows up the progress/failures we experience!

Cheers,
James