# My First Planted Anything!



## tcbonline (Dec 22, 2009)

Hello Everyone,

I took the plunge into the NPT world this past weekend and attempted to setup a planted bowl, which is my first NPT anything! I am planning on keeping red cherry shrimp in this bowl when it's all said and done. I basically followed the Walstad method for an NPT shrimp bowl that she outlined in this document...

http://www.atlasbooks.com/marktplc/00388Shrimp.pdf

Here's what I have so far with a pic and description...










- 1G Bowl
- Substrate: Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potty Mix with Aquarium Gravel on top
- Light: 8.5" Clamp Light with 13W Screw-in CFL 6500K
- Plants: MoneyWort, Java Fern, Anacharis, Crypt Wendtii

These plants are just what happened to be available at my local pet shop. I sort of thew them together hoping that they'll work together in the same bowl and be ok for the RCS.

Much to my surprise the planting went pretty smoothly. It was a little tough for me to work in such a tight space with the small bowl but I was able to fill it with water and none of my plants came loose and floated, so I considered that a success. The water has remained pretty clear also going on the 3rd day now.

I plan on letting the plants establish themselves for 2-3 weeks and then I will add the RCS.

Does anyone have any comments in general on my plant selection or any other suggestions you can give me to maintain this type of setup and keep it thriving?

Thanks for any advice.

TCB


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Cute. Looks like you planted your Java. The rhizomes don't like to be planted. It's best to just tie it onto a small rock to hold it down. If you plant it, it will die.


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## tcbonline (Dec 22, 2009)

Doh! I did plant the Java Fern. I had no idea. Ok well, I guess I'll take it out and tie it to a rock and try it that way. Thanks for the tip!



Tex Gal said:


> Cute. Looks like you planted your Java. The rhizomes don't like to be planted. It's best to just tie it onto a small rock to hold it down. If you plant it, it will die.


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## tcbonline (Dec 22, 2009)

Wanted to give an update on my bowl since it's been a few days and ask a few questions...

As you can see from the pics, I took the java fern out of the soil (rookie mistake) and tied it to a stone with fishing line. I ended up breaking the fern up a bit in the process. I was curious what this rhizome looked like so I pulled all the tendrils of the root apart to get a look at it. Probably not so wise, but hopefully it will recover and grow on the rock.

One thing that bothers me about the java fern is that when i bought it from my LFS it's leaves had black spots all over them, with some holes here or there. The LFS just had the fern stuck down in some gravel. Do you think it will improve in time or is there anything specific I should do to help it along?

Also, the anacharis is not looking the best. When I originally planted them in the bowl, I snipped off the tops an inch or so because they were so long. They have started to whither and turn sort of brownish over the last few days. I have read that anacharis is practically impossible to kill, so I'm trying to figure out what's going on.

The Moneywort seems to be doing the best by far. A few stems are already growing just a bit out of the water.

The last thing is that the water is pretty clear, the only thing I've noticed strange is a very thin white-ish film on the surface of the water. What could be causing that? Is it anything to worry about?

I should receive my water test strips today so when I do I'll be checking the water parameters. I'd like to add the shrimp but I want to make sure things are stable and safe for them.

Any tips or advice is appreciated... Here's some updated pics...


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## Jark (Feb 6, 2010)

Java ferns are tough. A long as that rhizome is green and healthy it will spring back. You want to see fiddle heads (new leaves) at the end of the rhizome. Old damages leaves may also start putting off daughter plants. 

Moneywort is a tough one as well. If the stems get too tall for you just cut them and replant the top half. Leave the bottom, as they will likely sprout a side stem as well. I have never had moneywort grow as fast as some people say but it has always kept growing.

The white film is a biofilm. An aggregation of bacteria and other microorganisms. A long at it isn't thick or green It is normal. Gentle water movement will break it up. You can skim it off with a paper towel if it bothers you.


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## tcbonline (Dec 22, 2009)

Thanks for the info. I just need to give it time I guess. I'm still worried about the anacharis though. I'm afraid it might die but we'll see. I looked at your 5.5g tank - very nice! I just received a 3g picotope so that's my next project.

tcb



Jark said:


> Java ferns are tough. A long as that rhizome is green and healthy it will spring back. You want to see fiddle heads (new leaves) at the end of the rhizome. Old damages leaves may also start putting off daughter plants.
> 
> Moneywort is a tough one as well. If the stems get too tall for you just cut them and replant the top half. Leave the bottom, as they will likely sprout a side stem as well. I have never had moneywort grow as fast as some people say but it has always kept growing.
> 
> The white film is a biofilm. An aggregation of bacteria and other microorganisms. A long at it isn't thick or green It is normal. Gentle water movement will break it up. You can skim it off with a paper towel if it bothers you.


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## Jark (Feb 6, 2010)

Thanks. The 5.5 was my first fully planted tank. Your tank looks better than the first pictures of my tank already so you're off to a better start than I had. 

I have never had anacharis. Sorry I can't help you there. I hope it starts growing.


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

My javas always started really slow, but stay alive. I don't think I have the water they like, but they are certainly alive through some tough times. Once the Crypt wendtii settles in and starts growing you may end up just having that one plant in the bowl, but it just depends on how well it does and your personal preferences.

Good luck, and so far nice work on the bowl,


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

Any updates?


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## tcbonline (Dec 22, 2009)

Yes, thanks for asking. I was just thinking about posting an update on this.

The bowl is doing pretty well I guess. The plants are growing like crazy. The moneywort and the anacharis are shooting out roots from the actual stems which is a little unusual I think, but I guess it's normal?

I am starting to get a problem with algae though. I started noticing it on the glass and on the rocks about a week ago. I actually added 1 oto and 2 trumpet snails the other day to see if they could help the shrimp eat the algae, but doesn't look like they're able to keep it at bay either. The shrimp (6) all appear to be healthy and doing well.

I've decided to try a blackout for a day or 2 to see if that will help the algae problem. Then once I resume lighting, I'll reduce my light time by 2 hours or so.

Here's a current pic of the bowl...










Any tips or suggestions are welcome.

tcb



mudboots said:


> Any updates?


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

A blackout might be the best option in this size container (assuming chemicals are not part of the El Natural plan). Then maybe try increasing the distance between the bowl and the light and se ehow that does.

The bowl really looks nice. The roots you mentioned are normal, and will help the plants take up some of the excess nutrients. Thanks for the updat; looks great!


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## Angie (Dec 4, 2005)

Did the black out work?


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## tcbonline (Dec 22, 2009)

Actually it did work great. I did about a 4 day blackout when I left for labor day and when I came back the bowl was sparkling clean. So far so good. I'm going to keep an eye on it. Now I just hope there's enough algae to go around for the shrimp!



Angie said:


> Did the black out work?


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

If not then the good news is the shrimp will eat most anything, so you won't have to look too hard to find something for them.


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