# need some opinions



## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

i was wondering how you guys feel about this for my 20 gal long tank. I have all of the plants except for the HC(which i will be getting soon) and the Ludwigia repens. also i know that the bolbitis will probably be bigger than what i have it at










but i was wondering what i should put in the area to the right of the ludwigia. I am trying to go for a dutch style scape and i have little less than 3wpg, no co2 and aquasoil.

thanks in advance


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Look through the plantfinder (top left corner of the page in the gold strip) for ideas. I'm thinking one of the Hygrophila species for a different leaf shape/texture, most of them do grow fast though so you'd be pruning a lot. I also think you'd do best with another layer of plants behind the HC to get a good sense of depth. Plants like Lobelia cardinalis 'small form', Lysimachia, Anubias nana 'petite' stay shorter and grow slower so they'd add more interest and depth to the the tank. The bright leaves would also be a great contrast to the large, dark leaves of the Bolbitis.


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

ok new drawing 








the only thing now im worried about is if i have enought space for the new layer because i only have 12 inches width


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## Mellonman (Nov 2, 2005)

resowner92 said:


> the only thing now im worried about is if i have enought space for the new layer because i only have 12 inches width


I don't think a Hygrophila corymbosa compact will fit a tank this size...
It's compact if you talk about height, but not if you talk about leaves size or plant width.
This plant is really BIG !


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

what would you suggest then?


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

how about Hygrophila sp. 'Porto Velho'?


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

anyone have an idea for the hygro?

heres the tank so far sorry for the cloudiness










on friday i am going to cut the stems but for now i want them to root better
and the red tabs are for the ludwigia and hygro places


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I've no experience with the Hygrophila sp 'Porto Velho' but from the PlantFinder it looks like it would be a good fit for your tank plans. 

Wow, you really started out with a lot of moss, didn't you? It should form a great background in no time. Looking forward to updates when the water clears.


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

ok heres the updated pics noting really different except it will be a little less cloudy but the other cloudy i think is from the camera









i was wondering though how do people get there rotola to stand up straigt when mine is everywhere?









and here is the last pic to show the moss wall better and the water fern









edit: forgot to show you my shrimp


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

looking good so far...the rotala will stand up when it knows where the light is coming from mine are straight up.. only took about two hours


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## Jareardy (Feb 14, 2008)

looks like a great idea, also kudos for having your own website!


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

bratyboy2 said:


> looking good so far...the rotala will stand up when it knows where the light is coming from mine are straight up.. only took about two hours


are you dosing any ferts or anything because mine has been there since end of feb and its always looked like that


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

Jareardy said:


> looks like a great idea, also kudos for having your own website!


thanks
if anyone wants to see the website its here i still need to add some stuff to it still, but it shows my journal of the tank


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## Jareardy (Feb 14, 2008)

Yeah the ones you gave me are growing straight up as well. Do you have to high of a flow in the tank?


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

right now i have very low flow because the tubing for the filter is bending. But before u picked up i had a very high flow until that filter broke and i got the new one but the rotala was still the same way. Kind of weird isnt it:-k


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

ok i should be geting ludwigia repens and anubias nana petite in 2 days


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## travis (Oct 5, 2004)

I second cs_gardener's idea of using Lysimachia to provide some contrast to the dark background. Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' is one of the few aquatic plants with truly eye-catching yellow coloration and is very easy to find. You can usually buy it in its terrestrial form at any plant nursery in the spring where it is sold as "Golden Creeping Jenny". It will take a bit of time for it to change from the emergent creeping form to its upright submersed form. And I think the medium-sized rounded leaves would give you a nice texture contrast from the R. nanjenshan's pinnate, bottle-brush foliage.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

actually no i barley dose i forget to half the time...idk got any new up dates yet ha ha i love new pictures


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

travis said:


> I second cs_gardener's idea of using Lysimachia to provide some contrast to the dark background. Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' is one of the few aquatic plants with truly eye-catching yellow coloration and is very easy to find. You can usually buy it in its terrestrial form at any plant nursery in the spring where it is sold as "Golden Creeping Jenny".


ill keep an eye for that sounds interesting.

pics coming friday because i found out that the ludwigia will come that day.
also should i let the rotola grow a little more or should i cut it to give it the shape like in the pic?


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

just googled Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' and its looks very golden yellow really kool looking


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

actually pics coming on sunday. im getting some ottos this week and i want them to eat my algae before anyone sees the tank:rant:. i think i have some thread algae in the rotola and some of that green spot algae everywhere on the glass.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

so not fair but they better be here on sunday lol


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

just got the anubias nana petiete today and it looks awesome


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

forgot to ask should i put the anubias nana 'petite' infront of the ludwigia and the rotola or should i put it infront of the hygro and bolbitus?

and any opinions if i should cut the rotola now or later?


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

resowner i would put it in front of the rotala and let the rotala grow to the topof the water then snip it down about half just my opinion


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I agree with bratyboy2, put the anubias in front of the Rotala. You can cut it whenever you like. If you cut it at about 1/3 the height of the tank you'll have more room for it to grow before you need to cut it again and you'll also have room to trim it again and get it really bushy. If you have algae in it you might want to trim out the worst infestations and replant with the best pieces. No pics though, so I don't know how bad it is. (hint, hint)


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

actually i just pulled the algae out today. it was just in a spot. never got the ludwigia today so hoping for tommorow. I guess ill trim the rotola then because its already on the surface the stuff grows really fast. Hopefully im still getting those ottos. i will probably get 5 of them just in case i have any die(which i will really try to prevent). Still pics coming on sunday srry:mrgreen:


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

well never got the ludwigia today so im wondering what happened. im hoping they just sent it late or i need to wait for 3 days. But i did get 5 ottos and they are acclimating right now. another hour and they should be ready!

So maybe if u are lucky there will be pics tonight


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

i hate to tell you guys this but i wont be able to get pics up again today because today i got some reinforced tubing for the filter and all of this crap flew out of the filter and made the tank cloudy . So unless you want a pic of brown i will just descirbe the tank to you. Just imagine in the past pic that the rotola is about a 1.5in tall and there is 3 rocks with the anubias nana petiete tied on but not burried in the sub(just waiting till i get the ludwigia). Also imagine that there are 5 ottos eating my algae .

but an update on the ludwigia is the guy never shipped it yet because he forgot and didnt want it to sit in the post office. So he is shipping it tommorow.


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

heres the update you have been waiting for!










I think the bluriness is from an algae bloom or something. Any ideas on how to make it clear? I will give another update tommorow after i hopefully get my ludwigia


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

take your filter media out and swoosh it around in some of the water from the tank in a bucket then put it back in IT ALWAYS WORKS lol good luck looks good


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

It's looking good! Just one question, what are those 3 red & white tabs in the front for?


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

the red tabs are for where the ludwigia and hygro go. Still havnt got the mail yet hope the ludwigia is in thereray:


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

didnt get it. PM'd the guy again


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

bratyboy2 said:


> take your filter media out and swoosh it around in some of the water from the tank in a bucket then put it back in IT ALWAYS WORKS lol good luck looks good


hopefully it works just got in a lot of trouble:-D:angel:
when i opened the filter all of the water started spewing out of it and thats not all then the tank water started coming out. Now i cant get that new tank

oh well more money for this tank i guess


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

just bought some hygro 'porto velho'  for $5!!! im so excited


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

got the hygro today only 1 day priority 

so heres the tank








still dont know where that ludwigia is. But hopefully the hygro will perk up because it doesnt look like it liked the low lighting it was in before.


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

also the shake out the filter media didnt work  anymore ideas?


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

resowner92 said:


> also the shake out the filter media didnt work  anymore ideas?


Whenever my tank gets cloudy i do a 1/3 waterchange about every other day. I think that should clear it up. But most things will clear up in time, I could barely see five inches into my tank a few weeks ago now its clear as glass.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

are you using carbon in the tank? if not then just add a bag and then take it out when its clear?!? i guess lol never haave the issue really


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## spcyamada (May 13, 2005)

Buy a UV sterilizer.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

Cloudy water can be caused by a number of different things.

A UV will only work if the problem is a bacterial or algae bloom.
Carbon removes tannins and other chemicals from the water, but most of those aren't visible other than a tea-like stain in the water.
Most of the time cloudy water is caused by very small particles floating in the water and either fine mechanical filtration or big water changes are the best way to remove it. Big water changes can also help with the first two causes too so I'd try that before you try anything else.


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

i think i will try the water changes first then the uv sterilizer

i cant believe it i got the ludwigia repens today! so pics coming in a couple of minutes


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

heres the tank








hygro i got yesterday(darker setting)








ludwigia i got today(darker setting)









also if i can get my hands on a little bit of sub today i am going to set up a 1.5 emersed tank with some micro sword and a rock.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

looking good but what are you going to fill the right side with?


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

im going to put the Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' there. Which i just got today from Fish etc.!

Ill put up some pics later after the bubbles stop from the wc i did. Also i am trying something to clear the water up. i did the 5x the dose with prime to see if it does anything.

I also got my substrate and made my emersed set up. which i will put pics up after i get this tanks pics


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

finally a good pic!
heres the tank now









so what do you think?


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

It's looking good. Seems like a good mix of plants. The fern really blends into the background in the pictures, is it more noticeable in person?


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

i cant really see it either but i am thinking of either getting more because the ones i have have a huge stem and the leaves are on the top of it. Or maybe i can look for something else for that corner:noidea:


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Bolbitis can be very slow to acclimate and start growing. Once it does start growing it will frequently put out new branches of stems along the length of the original stem where leaves used to be. The only thing I worry about is whether it will ever show up well against the moss since both are a fairly dark green.


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

well i was thinking maybe i can replace the bolbitis with a crypt maybe Cryptocoryne x willisii 'Lucens'. Oh yeah i got the water to get clear!!! i just did another 50% wc w/ 5x of prime and now i can see:dance:


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

or maybe a red plant to balance the ludwigia repens


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

heres the updated pic w/ clear water









edit: forgot to say did you ever notice that the rotola straightend up finally?


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

resowner92 said:


> forgot to say did you ever notice that the rotola straightend up finally?


Yes, I noticed.  And its formed a very nice thick forest too. I think changing the Bolbitis for a different plant would be a good idea. Doesn't C. lucens stay fairly short for a crypt? You don't want something that's going to be hidden. Actually, I like the idea of a red, or at least non-green, plant to get some color on the far right. Rotala rotundifolia or Ludwigia arcuata maybe.


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

well i asked my mom to look at some red plants she liked and she liked:Cabomba furcata, Limnophila aromatica, Proserpinaca palustris

but i personally like the ludwigia arcuata that you suggested.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I think any of them would look good. I like the L arcuata because it's quite easy to grow and branches readily. You can trim wherever you like 'cause it will just come back better.  It will be mostly green in lower light but it turns a lovely red with good lighting. It doesn't look like much as a single stem but a mass of it is striking. 

I also like the Limnophila aromatica but it's pickier about being shaded and will drop leaves in complaint. It also has a weird tendency to grow at about a 45 degree angle for me rather than up straight (maybe because I don't have quite enough light for it? It's centered under a 65w CF in a 20 tall tank). 

I haven't tried either the Cabomba or Proserpinaca but they are both lovely. Either one would make a nice contrast for your tank. Make sure you have the right conditions for whatever it is you choose.


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

i think i will look either for the ludwigia arcuata or the proserpinaca


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

srry it took so long for a pic but here it is









getting the real hygro "porto velho" tuesday or wednesday! and the red root floater is there temporaily until i get my new tank.


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## resowner92 (Dec 26, 2007)

got a 12in cube now!

so i would like opinions on this









For flora i was thinking of puting hc on the mountain and then i was going to have a plant all around the mountain but still i am undecided . Then i am going to have some red root floater on the top to make it look like it is raining and to help cycle it faster for fish. For fauna i am thinking of cdp's and maybe rcs.


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## bratyboy2 (Feb 5, 2008)

okay first the tank above looks so much better!!! cant wait to see the hydro come in!!

second sorry im not a fan of the mountain and the grass thingy. just gets old but hey your the one looking at it not me so your plan sounds good i think. lol


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## tetrasforest (Jan 31, 2008)

The tank is looking good. Can't wait to see it fininshed.


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