Joined: 28 Jul 2009 Location: Washington State, USA
Posted: 2010.04.02(Fri)7:30 Post subject: My 10g mostly shrimp tank.
This is my first planted tank, I plan on having the dwarf baby tears spread to give a carpet, the crypts in the backround and the anubias as a centerpiece plant. All the other plants (other than the java fern) I got for free since they hitch-hiked with the other plants.
Male shrimp
Peek-a-boo (female shrimp)
One of my snails hard at work
Some of my ember tetras
One of my two threadfin rainbows
Full tank shot
Stocking includes:
5 ember tetra
2 (one male, one female) threadfin rainbows
5 shrimp (4 females, 1 one male)
Lots of MTS
Some pond snails
One Neritina snail
_______________________________________________________________
Plants:
"Corkscrew" Val
Anubias barteri 'coffeefolia'
Java fern
Some form of Rotala
Dwarf Baby tears
Green Wendtii Crypt
Lighting: two 15w lights
Substrate: All black flourite sand
Ferts: Seachem flourish
C02: DIY yeast
Filter: Duetto 100
Heater: Tetra 100w
_________________________________________________________________
Please tell me what I need to do to improve it. Since this is my first planted tank I need loads of help. Anything you would do different? _________________
Last edited by Caton on 2010.05.08(Sat)16:08; edited 3 times in total
Joined: 28 Jul 2009 Location: Washington State, USA
Posted: 2010.04.02(Fri)10:52 Post subject:
Okay, so I moved the driftwood up, spread out the baby tears, and moved the crypts to the back. I would take a picture but it is really dusty, maybe later...
Any other opinions, I really just want it to grow in. _________________
Yeah, I'm with Rales on the driftwood. I did the same thing in my first planted tank and the driftwood was eventually hidden. LOL.
Aesthetically? Right now, it looks pretty rough, LOL! But I see the logic behind your aquascaping and I dig it. Once things grow in, it'll look pretty awesome. Especially once you start trimming that rotala and getting a nice bushel. The grass forest on the right will look cool, too.
I love crypts, personally. If you're patient with them, they can be really lush and elegant. It'll be a great centerpiece, and your slower-growing anubia won't mind being eventually shaded in. It'll constrast with your rotala, too. _________________ It was a dark and stormy night...
I think I read somewhere that you separate plantlets as best you can (to promote carpeting) and then use tweezers to jam them into the sand. Also, let me know how well your shrimp breed with tetras in the tank. I'm kind of interested in getting a small shoal for mine to complement my shrimp. _________________ It was a dark and stormy night...
Joined: 28 Jul 2009 Location: Washington State, USA
Posted: 2010.04.02(Fri)14:41 Post subject:
Here is a updated pic:
After starring at the tank for about an hour thinking, I know what I want to do with the plants.
I am going to have a think carpet on one half, with it kind of open and the anubias in the middle of that part, in the back there will be the rotala. On the other half (the right side) will be the crypts, and other plants having it really dense.
Here is something I did on paint real quick:
The red is the rotala. _________________
Last edited by Caton on 2010.05.08(Sat)16:12; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 29 Mar 2005 Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posted: 2010.04.03(Sat)16:33 Post subject:
Hmm where to start...
I guess the first thing I thought was that HM (baby tears) really doesn't carpet well. It will mostly grow up. You can get it to carpet, but you have to pin down each stalk until it grows roots into the substrate...then it'll start to grow up again with new shoots at every node so rinse and repeat.
The rest does look like a bit of a mess but thats because you've only got little bits of plants. A plantlet here with two leaves, two stems here, two stems there...one bit of advice with planted tanks is really to plant heavily right from the start. May be a bit more expensive, but you get a better feel of how it will look, the tank settles in faster & you get less algae. If you can't do this, just gotta wait for things to grow in.
One thing I think is really underemphased in 'scaping is the hardscape. If you have a good hardscape, plants will only make it look better. If you have a crappy hardscape, plants only 'rescue' it to a certain extent. I spend more time planning out the wood and rocks in my tanks than where the plants are going to go, those just slot in later. You need a bigger piece of driftwood, or rock. That piece there is just going to fade away once the plants start to grow, fine if you just wanted it as something to attach the Anubias to, but if you actually want it to be part of the 'scape it is far too small (and way too short). Depending on the scape I would get something that is at least 1/3 preferably 1/2 of the tank height for a "low" chunky piece, for branchy bits I would get something at least 3/4 of the tank height (or the full tank height).
I'd just leave the heater and filter upright (I.e. vertical) on the far right, the outlet on the filter is best near the top of the tank so you get better water agitation and gas exchange. The way you've got it tilted there kind of draws attention to it and eventually it will be hidden in the "jungle".
How deep is your substrate? Looks very shallow, maybe deepen it to at least 2", preferably 2.5-3". Too shallow substrates make it bloody hard to plant things and have them stay. _________________ Fishing in the Rivers of Light
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