# My 55



## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Any and all comments welcome.

Plants:
Nomaphila salicifoia
Eusteralis stellata narrow leaf (Pogostemon stellatus)
Nesaea
Myriophyllum matogrossense 
Eusteralis stellata wide leaf (Pogostemon stellatus 'Broad Leaf')
Tiger Lotus
Blyxa aubertii


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Robert, it's about time you posted a tank!  What in the world do you do to grow that Nomaphila/Hygrophila like that? I can't keep that stuff alive to save my own. You've placed them well to boot. 

Is this a for-sale or personal enjoyment tank? If it's for fun, I would remove the Myriophyllum bunches from the front. The bunch in the back right looks good where it is. Some crypts would be perfect for it. With all the fine leaved stems they would contrast nicely. 

Clean the glass and add some algae eaters.

Regards,
Phil


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

You have a jungle there, Robert  

The one thing that stands out for me is there is no defined foreground, so removing the pruned down and other plants from the front would help IMO. Then add a true foreground plant or leave just a bare gravel/sand front would look nice. Also the tank looks like it may due for a cleaning


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

LOL..its kinda both Phil! I wanted to set up a tank with these plants so I could photograph them, but my photo skills are not the greatest, and this tank has one of those JBJ lights that has legs, which means the light shines everywhere in the room making it more difficult to photograph.

The tank was dirtier than I thought it was when I took the picture, but most of those spots on the glass are actually bubbles. I cleaned the glass and changed the water about an hour before I took the picture.

The red Myrio that is right up front on the left bothers me as well. I was attempting a dutch type aquascape without a foreground... since a bare foreground seems to be all the rage right now, and I wanted to see if I could pull off using Myrio and Eusteralis to contrast each other. I will take out the Tiger Lotus because it will eventually get to big for the aquascape.

Any other suggestions?


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

hi there Robert,

really sorry to ask this question, are u new to this hobby? and is this ur main tank?

if the answer is yes, then i would like to give a little tips for the tank. I've spotted something that is not really the proper way to keep planted tanks.

1) I've spotted one red plant at the foreground of the tank was tied together with metal (lead) i'm pretty sure that this is not the way to do a planted tank. Looks like you've got to remove that piece of metal. 

2) Maybe you can try to plant the stem plants as the background, on or two is fine to be planted in front but you will need a lot of works in trimming them as to keep it low. with this then you can feel the depth in the tank ..

3) Like what others had said, you should introduced algae eater.
some of the algae eaters commonly used are

- SAE (Siamese Algae Eaters)
- Yamatoes Shrimp (more effective)
- Malayan Shrimp
- Otocinclus (Sorry if i spell it wrongly)

if will help u to clear away the algae u found in the tank ...

4)May i know what kind of CO2 system you are using? and what is the rate you injected into the tank? Lighting specs? and probably size of the tank ...

best wishes 
Edwin


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## chubasco (Jan 16, 2005)

:lol: Edwin, can I call you "Edwin?" Ummm, did you notice that Robert Hudson
is a sponsor? Have you heard of Aquabotanic? Robert is at least "advanced,"
probably "guru" status. You gave me quite a laugh, though, thanks.

I was impressed with the overall health of the plants. Nice specimens!  

Bill


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

OK, I am surprised there has been so much attention to the "algae problem" in the tank. Perhaps I am getting blind in my old age, but I do not see it. Even people in my own forum made the same comments. The back glass had some green algae on it, and the side panels when this picture was taken. The plants them selves do not have much algae that I can see. There is some water marks on the glass and bubbles, and the water is a bit hazy after the cleaning, but I really didn't think it was that big of a deal, but the next picture will certainly be after a more thorough cleaning and at least a day after a water change!

And no, I am certainly not new at this. I leave the lead band on some of the plants, and some of these plants will be sold and replaced with new bunches of the same plant, eventually. Thats the main reason I leave them on. Personaly, I believe the concern of leaving lead bands in aquariums is way over blown. I have been doing it for 10 years and never seen any ill affect. I have had lead bands on growing plants in breeder tanks, and it has not affected the health of the adult fish or the fry. In fact I have some tanks that are several years old and have many lead bands buried in the substrate that have fallen off plants over the years. Not a big deal to me, but I appreciate your concern and ideas. The banded bunch of Myrio you see is actually the only bunch in the tank that has not been there for three months and was only put in there a few days before the picture was taken, and must have popped out of the gravel. And thanks, but I am no guru, not even close. I know what I know from experience and from other people and thats as far as it goes.

The tank has about 20 rasborahs, three cories, couple larger catfish that I can not remember the name of, and about six Otos. Oh and one Lataecara, (sp?)

I am working on the tank over the weekend to rescape it. I will post a new pic later if anyone is interested.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Yes, Robert we are interested in seeing updated pics.

I agree with you on the lead plant weights, I have found no ill effects using them in my tanks. I actually use them to weight down a air line w/ air stone going to my DIY C02, which have been there for a few years.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

I thought this was the brutally honest, if you can't stand the heat get out of the aquarium forum, not the humor me your plants look healthy forum! Common, I can take it! I have dished it out plenty of times, this is your chance to give it back to me!

I took all the plants out, scrubbed all four walls and I am now re scaping. I will try and take better pictures.


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## Avalon (Mar 7, 2005)

Good to see what you're up to nowadays Robert! 

Hehe...RH a newbie...sorry, but that gave me a chuckle. It was partly because of Robert's website and some solid articles he wrote a years ago that fueled my fire for planted tanks. I owe a big thanks to him! RH's a pioneer of planted aquaria!

Anyway, I'm not the greatest aquascaper--I just grow nice plants, so I can't offer much, but over the years, I've come away with a couple of tricks. First of all, the heck with what anyone says is "the cool thing to do." Do your own thing, don't follow the trend. I use no hardscaping in my tanks, and I think they look great. Secondly, I think the use of open space in narrow tanks will help provide that dimensional look (depth). I tend to think geometrically, so angles help provide me with depth. Third, I think a black background would help add contrast.


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## Bavarian3 (Oct 21, 2004)

Aside from the dirty tank and what not which has been pointed out already i think the tank looks awesome, you definetly did a great job aquascaping the tank which i too know is not easy with long narrow tanks like these! Only critique i would make is on the Myriophyllum matogrossense. Perhaps a plant with a bit more red in it would look better (perhaps its just the photo though), and i would remove it completely from the left side as it looks randomly placed tossed in that spot. Other than that though good work and get us a better pic


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## Navarro (Feb 12, 2004)

Hello there Robert! I am going to wait for the latest picture so I can give you my opinion the only thing I want to say is. That even when the lead is not affecting the tank health, it just looks plain ugly! I much rather not see them, but that's just me.
I also want to tell you about a friend who aquascapes using lead bands for all the stem plants, to create beautiful layouts! You may want to check it out! Her name is Valerie Grove and she entered the AGA contest in 2003.
Luis Navarro


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## chubasco (Jan 16, 2005)

About the lead weights...the only thing I heard negative about them is the
possibility of leaching lead into the water column, especially with CO2 injection
where the ph drops and the water becomes more acidic. Maybe not so bad
for plants, but the fauna in the tank???? Perhaps it wouldn't be an issue if
they are well-covered in sand.

My 2c,

Bill


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## nevada (Apr 3, 2005)

wruyle said:


> :lol: Edwin, can I call you "Edwin?" Ummm, did you notice that Robert Hudson
> is a sponsor? Have you heard of Aquabotanic? Robert is at least "advanced,"
> probably "guru" status. You gave me quite a laugh, though, thanks.
> 
> ...


yeah sure !!! why not  hehehehe looks like i've disgrace my self  hahaha

pardon me robert


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Hey this is a cool tank. Very robust, and the first one I ever seen of Robert's work. How'd this tank turn out after all the suggestions?

-John N.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Ressurecting me from the ashes there John! I tore that tank down a few months after that picture was taken and turned it into a jungle tank, which I am much better at!

My 100 gallon tank was entered in the first AGA aquascaping contest. My tank was modeled after Frode Roes Dutch tank. We were both trying to do Dutch and I convinced him to enter. He knew what he was doing and I was winging it. He was the first best of show winner. and the most talked about, if not the only Dutch style in all the AGA contests. Mine went quietly unnoticed!  But I feel I made a contribution because it was an arguement between myself and James Purchase over Dutch style tanks that caused him to push the idea of an AGA contest! :slywink:


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Whether it's dutch, nature, or whatever, I think in general people try to hide the "legs" of the stems. That is, the spot where the stem plants go into the soil. It makes the plants seem leggy. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. It can be done with teracing techniques from dutch-style, or the similar "use moss/ricica stones" from Amano's ADA style. Or you could just plant a smaller plant infront of it (crypts, annubias, even smaller stems like m. micranthemoides). I'd try white pebbles. It would make a nice transition from the stems to the open foreground.


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## JeffLL (Oct 20, 2006)

*It Smells Right*

Avalon is right. There is no definitive way. What you choose to do with your tank is your own expression of art. And I, for one, think your tank is good art!

I run a 75g palu, with a couple of square feet of LECA substrate across the forward face of the tank. The idea for me was always to have a live ecosystem inside a cube of glass. I kinda like the way the rich reddish earth-tone clay pellets look contrasted against the stark grays of the granite, and the happy greens, yellows and reds of the flora. My tank. My choice.

I have noted that when the tank has the wonderful smell of freshly turned earth, the water also has a little green tinge.

The question is: Are YOU happy with YOUR tank?
The answer is probably 'mostly'. Otherwise we would not have taken up a hobby that requires constant tinkering.

_____________________________________________
If you don't vote you can't complain. I sincerely do not care for whom or what you cast your ballot. I have my preferences, but they are mine. Yours are yours. The act of voting is what makes any democracy strong.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Thanks Steve and Jeff. I agree about the bare stems. I have never really like a white substrate, but I have seen a couple here that have pulled it off. I want to try and do another aquascape soon. I have a couple 12 gallon nano cubes collecting dust.... actually collecting algae.

This is the 100 gallon tank I was talking about










It looked a lot better to me five years ago than it does now!


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