# [Wet Thumb Forum]-russell's tank



## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

well, here it is


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

well, here is the accumulation of 8 months work. it's still not where i want it, but all i need is a little growth and a bit more placement.

comments and critisisms are always welcome.

plants are: 
from top left to top right

red temple
sunset hygro
ludwigia glandulosa
rotala rotiundfolia green
setllata

from bottom left to bottom right
anubias nana
dwarf hairgrass
baby tears


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

Russell I am imprested!!! very good job. The only think I would do is and it could just be the photo but I would do something to bring out the far left side. The Baby Tears need shaping. I would let the far right grow taller and let it slop down to the hairgrass. But that just me. It looks great! now it tweaking time.

Hawk


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

i did make a huge mistake when i made this aquascape. i put rotala r. right behind the baby tears. in all my photos, it looks like it's just overgrown baby tears. i am definately going to take the rotala and move it somewhere, not sure where though. the stellata on the far right does need to grow in much more. as for the left side, i have considered removing the red temple and just growing more hygro in there. but i'm not sure about that.


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## imported_BSS (Apr 14, 2004)

Way to go, Russell! A major improvement from what I recall of the earlier shots. I love the bright look of the hybro. It'll definitely beat a gold fish tank with plastic plants any day







!

As to suggestions....hmmm....let's see. How about pulling the Red Temple up to the front glass and letting the hygro fill in behind it. Then maybe you could let the hygro towards the middle of the tank grow forward a bit to help break up the flat look of the back row. Those are the first thoughts that pop to mind.

Good work! Let us know how it fills out...
Brian.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

i like the red temple idea brian, i will try that soon.


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## Ben C (Apr 16, 2006)

Hey Russell, 

Its looking good. Hope its where you want it for the contest. I have a question about the glandulosa.. i bought some a couple of weeks ago, and its shedding all its lower leaves, pretty quickly. Growth at the top is good.. just wondering if you experienced this or not?


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

yes, i did lose leaves. i actually lost about 3 inches off the bottom of every stem. 

what i did was i stuck them in the center of the tank, in a horribly ugly spot, but out in the open so they could get light. after about 2 weeks they recovered nicely and i moved them on back to their current location. i dont have any problems with the lower parts of this plant at the moment, and havn't for about 2 months now.

my only concern is that it seems to be growing almost horizontal at the moment. it's growing terrably fast, almost 3 inches per week, but it is growing toward the front of the tank. weird thing is, the light is right above it, not in the direction it is growing. ?!?!?


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

update!! as usual i can't keep one scape for more than a month







but heck i am learning. as you can see, it's out with the hairgrass and in with the glosso and hc. i can't wait until it fills in good.

GUYS CRITISISM AND COMMENTS ARE NEEDED TO HELP ME GET BETTER AT THIS!!!

sorry i had to yell


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## Ben C (Apr 16, 2006)

hey russell... probably a good move.. you tank looks really good right now. Will look even better when the glosso grows in. Just one comment.. with the rocks arranged as they are, around the edge of the glosso, (which looks very deliberate, so you probably know this!), but your tank is going to end up with a manicured garden look, rather than a "natural" aquascape. 
Just wondering if this is what you wanted?
Either way, i think its going to look good. 

As for the glandulosa, that's EXACTLY what happened to mine. Three inches off the bottom!! is doing, ok.. nothing much more than that. I think its going this weekend!

any chance of a bigger full picture of your tank? Couldn't really see the complete thing.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

> any chance of a bigger full picture of your tank? Couldn't really see the complete thing.


hmmm i didn't notice that. all the right side is there, but i am missnig about 3 inches on the left side. i dont have the camera with me right now. i could inlarge that picture if you want?


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## Ben C (Apr 16, 2006)

sorry, its just that photo 1 is a good shot, but in photo 4, there seems to be areas outside the photo. size is fine, i just mean don't zoom in as much, or stand further back! like your tank tho.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

will take another soon


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## imported_baj (Aug 5, 2004)

Great shot of the stellata! Ive been trying to keep them but I just dont have the time to make an effort to keep it happy. You certainly seem to know what makes it tick! Great progress on the tank btw.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

thanks a lot man. stellata wasn't very hard for me. i received a really healthy bunch from gnatster at apc. i have already had to trim it back.

my skills are 75% luck 20% questions answered on forums and 5% knowledge


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## Ben C (Apr 16, 2006)

i'd say those ratios are pretty good!!


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

dont wanna get cocky, as soon as that happens, i get humbleing outbreaks of algae. and not the kind you can wipe off.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

dangit!!! i forgot to nock on wood. got the outbreak lol.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

well, the last 2 pictures are a little update. i took the pictures in a hurry last night, so sorry for the blurr. i will get some better pics later on. 

and the 10 gallon shot is of my 2 day old 10 gallon aquarium. it has 2.5 inches of eco complete, a coralife 28watt cf fixture, diy co2 fed into a limewood diffuser. it will soon be populated with a bunch of cherry shrimp as soon as it stabilizes.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

lots of new updates.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

here are some cool pics i have taken over the last 2 months:




























AGA entry this year:


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Tanks are looking good, man! And congrats on getting hitched


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

thanks paul







you should see all the cherry shrimp i have now. it's getting rediculous in one tank. one problem i am having is that i am getting aquascaper's block. i cannot think of any good designs. i don't like my tank how it is now, but i dont really know what i do want.


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

One thing that I have realized since delving into this hobby is you can't rush things. Often, our so called 'perfect' designs aren't even the ones we began with. Rather, it is something that gradually evolves with time and with our getting used to its presence. Maybe you would be having dinner in your dining room and would by chance stare at it at a certain angle. Voila! All of sudden you got this new idea on what would make it a little better than right now. It's those small twickings of details that will bring the whole picture together. That's my experience thus far. 

I like this tank's look. It looks natural and yet the plants are neatly grouped together. I think, with a little bit of trimming on the background plants and letting the fore and midgrounds grow in more, the scape would look more complete. Also, not sure what those tiny grainy things are in the open space. Perhaps air bubbles blown by the filter? I'd recommend removing all the non-lighting equipments during your next photo session. But as of now, I'd say this tank is on the right track. Keep it up, man!


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

yes, those bubbles are co2. i dont' have a reactor yet, so i use my uv sterilizer and it sucks. for some reason the last couple of times i have taken pics, the controller was on. here is a newer pic. i did a bit more rearranging:


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

and here are some pics of my 10 gallon:


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

well, here are the shots of the week.

30 gal:


















emersed setup on top of rack:










emersed tank:


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## Pete City (Sep 18, 2004)

Russell,
Did you get rid of your Stellata? I just purchased this plant, didn't make the journey to well as 3 of the 4 cuttings melted on arrival.
Anyway, what's your experience with this plant? Any tips? Yours always seemed healthy.
Thanks, Pete


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

pete, i actually got rid of it all. i kept planting it too close together, and the bottom leaves were dropping. i don't think i would ever use it again unless i had a 75+ gallon tank. it needs it's space, and my tank just didn't have enough. i gave it to a guy named zapins on APC and it is doing great for him. i think you will have no trouble gorwing it if you can get a healthy shipment. i wish i knew you wanted some, i would have hooked you up. the only other person i gave some to was hawkeye. he might have some grown out by now, but you never know.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

emersed update:


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Wow, Russell,

the "Horrible Pict 10 gallon" - is that the same tank as the CRS colony tank on the left in the stand? When I saw the 2-day old pict, I wondered that you spaced the glosso so far apart. But, obviously, its grown in beautifully.

Geez, that kind of growth rate is really making me consider trying a DIY CO2 setup. 

Nice Picts! Thanks for your gallery, and congratulations on your recent marriage! So this is your sweetie who has accepted the "Love Me, Love My Aquariums" caveat, LOL! Congratulations! My BF is still undecided on that one. The fact that I keep houseplants (which are planted in DIRT, oh horrors!) in the kitchen still freaks him out. I caught him nudging my african violets (which are on top of my microwave near the window) back before opening the micro door, *snicker*! And I know turning one wall of my dining room into an aquarium nook makes him uneasy, LOL! I've threatened to go pond-mucking (and drag him with me) if we visit his family in Florida this winter. THAT'll be a test of fire for sure!

Anyhow, thanks for the gallery!
-Jane


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