# Aquascaping 911



## kingyo (Jul 31, 2003)

Hello Aquascapers! This is my first post in APC. I have been trying for some time to create a beautiful aquascape like the ones that I have seen around this website. However, I have not had a lot of success. Attached is a picture of my tank. Could you give me ideas on what plants to introduce and how to arrange them to improve my tank? Thanks!

My tank has been running for 3 years now (the plants plants in the picture were introduced 2-3 weeks ago. These are my tank specs:

Tank: 15 gallon tank (20"x10"X18")
Lighting: 32W SunPaq Daylight 10000K (10 hr/day)
Substrate: Seachem fluorite (1"-3" layer)
Filtration: Aquaclear 150 (2 foam blocks, 1 activated carbon bag)
Fertilization: Seachem Fluorish, Seachem Fluorish Excel
CO2: No
pH: 7.8 - 8.0
water changes: 20% each week
Residents: 1 rosy barb, 3 otocyncus, 1 female betta, 2 spotted corydoras, 6 Amano shrimp.
Plants: Ceratopteris thalictroides, Criptocoryne wendtii, Anubias barteri var. coffeefolia, Java fern, Java moss, Hygrophila corymbosa


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

First off, welcome to apc! You have a fairly low light, low maint tank, and imo, it looks pretty good! You have chosen plants which obviously, are well suited for it. Perhaps add a little L. repens to it for a little red, is all I can offer. Nice tank.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Welcome to APC  

I agree add a little red to break up the green. I would also move the plant in the front left corner to the rear of the tank with the other one.


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## rahamen (May 6, 2006)

Hello  Kingyo,

IMO the pH is quite high, you have alkaline waters that is not very good for the plants and fishes that you´re traying to maintain.

What is the KH and dH ? I suppose that they are high also, so I recommend to add CO2. 

Rgds


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## kingyo (Jul 31, 2003)

Thanks for your feedback. I will try to get hold of a L.repens and move the C. thalictroides to the back. I do not have an alkalinity test kit but will post the values as soon as I buy one.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

If your tank has been up and running for 3 years with no fish health issues, I wouldn't worry about your pH/kh readings. I have hard water with tap pH around 8. I had fish for years before I learned how to grow plants with no problems.


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## rahamen (May 6, 2006)

Bert H said:


> If your tank has been up and running for 3 years with no fish health issues, I wouldn't worry about your pH/kh readings. I have hard water with tap pH around 8. .......


.

 Perhaps your fishes get used to that pH but it doesn't mean that they aren't under stress.

Kingyo also says he hasn't had a lot of success with plants, I'd check the P, K and Fe
 
Rgds


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## JESTERX626 (Sep 18, 2006)

rahamen said:


> .
> 
> Perhaps your fishes get used to that pH but it doesn't mean that they aren't under stress.
> 
> ...


Well I think what's more important is that a steady ph is better than a fluctuating one, for fish but i'm not sure plants though.


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## rahamen (May 6, 2006)

Well as far as I know, most of the plants prefers a pH in a rang of 6,2 - 7,5. Alkaline waters. this is what I'd like to point out. Perhaps we need to know what was the problem that Kingyo had with the plants. 
A high pH makes that plants cannot assimilate well some nutrients, i.e. Fe is necessary for many enzymatic functions that they handle to the metabolism and the breathing of the plant. Fe becomes more insoluble in the measurement that pH of the ground raises over 6.5 or 6.7. A lack of Fe can produce a "ferric clorosis" ( I don't know if it is the right name in English). This disease makes that leaves turn into yellow.

Rgs.


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## kingyo (Jul 31, 2003)

Thanks everybody! No problems with Hornwort, moneywort, Egeria densa, vallisneria (Vallisneria spiralis), Java fern (Microsorum pteropus), Java moss (Vesicularia dubyana), and Anubias sp (Anubias barteri 'coffeefolia'). 

I have had problems with specific plants:

Limnophila sessiliflora (ambulia): lasted a couple of weeks, stems rotted and leaves fell off.

Hygrophila guianensis: stunted growth and same story as above.

Amazon sword (Echinodorus amazonicus) and dwarf saggitaria (Sagittaria subulata): stunted growth

Pigmy chain sword: lasted several weeks but never grew.


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