# New tank....need advice



## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

I need some advice on driftwood placement and plants.










20L Gal
Filstar1 
65watt light
pressurized co2
eco complete substrate
I want a med planted tank
For fish I wanna have 3-4 DP, 3 otos, and an assortment of shrimp.

I wanna put java moss on top of that driftwood, what do you guys think? I was also wondering if you think I should remove the small piece of driftwood on the right.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Well, it's kinda hard to say when you don't have your plants in there yet!

My personal opinion.....that background is ugly. too geometric. I can't tell....is it a false background?

What types of plants are you getting? Do you know yet? What's a "medium-planted" tank?


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

It's a background I made, so thanks buddy. 
For plants I was thinking:
-Java Moss (maybe some on my ugly background)
-Crinum calamistratum
-anubias nana
-Sagittaria subulata
and whatever else I can find

Medium planted, so not heavily planted but not lightly planted, somewhere in the middle I think. So medium.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Have you tried putting the left piece of driftwood (I'm assuming it's one piece) further to the right so that the main upright branch is almost front of the first vertical line of your background. That upright is the real eyecatcher and it feels too far to the side. Then either the right hand piece will feel more a part of the planning or it might be better removed. Or maybe change the way its facing and move it to the far left. Play around with it a bit and see what works best for what you have in mind. Since your not planning on heavily planted, the dritwood will remain more of a focus, so I don't think it should be relegated to the edges.


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

Thanks for the advice, I agree with you. That smaller piece of driftwood is actually a piece I cut off the bigger one. It can't really be put in there any other way without seeing a cut. Well I will post another pic after moving the driftwood.


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

How about that?


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## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

the wood is huge. looking good =) be sure to tie plants on the wood do it in a way that the plants on the wood integrates well with the other plants you ll be planting in ur tank. Thats all i ve gotta say =) the space between the smaller wood and the larger one will be great as a negative space for the golden rule. Good luck! keep posting


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

The large piece of driftwood is making right angles. Position the driftwood (if necessary push the driftwood down into the substrate) so that it is tilting at a 45-degree angle. Approximate 45-degree angles seem more natural than right angles.

Growing moss and/or ferns in the grooves of the background should allow pruning to create a more natural appearance.


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

Like that wiste? I like that alot more, it looks better, and the fish can swim under the wood. I was planning on putting java moss for sure on the backgrounds. Should I put some Java Moss on the top of the driftwood?


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

stepheus said:


> the wood is huge. looking good =) be sure to tie plants on the wood do it in a way that the plants on the wood integrates well with the other plants you ll be planting in ur tank. Thats all i ve gotta say =) the space between the smaller wood and the larger one will be great as a negative space for the golden rule. Good luck! keep posting


Thanks for the advice. Ya it's a big piece of wood. What do you guys think, should I get rid of the smaller piece of driftwood?


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

> Like that wiste?


 Yes, it looks better to me. 


> Should I put some Java Moss on the top of the driftwood?


 Possibly. You want contrasts in color and shape so that the tank is interesting but still maintain a blending of the plants to prevent an unnatural appearance.


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

wiste said:


> You want contrasts in color and shape so that the tank is interesting but still maintain a blending of the plants to prevent an unnatural appearance.


Do you have any suggestions on plants. I really like Crinum Calamistratum. I also want some sort of grass, maybe some planted right next to the driftwood. The tank is only 12" tall, so nothing to tall. Someone posted this pic http://egfoto.com/gallery/aqua/Aquarium Shots/exotic-life-planted-01.jpg and I really really like that tank.


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

Your plant list is good 
-Java Moss - for the background
-anubias nana - on the driftwood
-Sagittaria subulata - grasslike element
Except for Crinum calamistratum, which gets too large for your tank.
I would forgo a larger grass plant as most will get too large and make your tank look small.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

nicklovgren said:


>


That looks much better. The little piece of driftwood looks better too, even though you haven't moved it. If you don't like it after you've planted the tank, you can always take it out then.

I'd start with just the anubias on the driftwood, you can always add moss to the wood later. Have you thought about using java fern windelov? It stays smaller than regular and would add a different leaf texture to the tank.


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

wiste said:


> Your plant list is good
> -Java Moss - for the background
> -anubias nana - on the driftwood
> -Sagittaria subulata - grasslike element
> ...


Ya, it looks good. Do you know of any stem plants that would work?


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

> Do you know of any stem plants that would work?


For the type of tank that you referenced, moss, Anubias, ferns and grasslike plants are more common than stem plants.


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

What do you think? I put some java moss and java ferns in the background. They guy at the LFS was hooking me up with everything 2 for 1. He was really cool at a place I normally have a bad experience at. Well contsructive criticism is welcomed.


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

What do you guys think of some Water Sprite and Rotala Magenta on the right in the back. Plants that grow only to a foot.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

:sorry: HA! 

Sorry, Nick-O! Didn't realize you made the background! How embarrassing for me! 

Actually, had I known that you were planning on adding java moss to it, I may have been a little bit warmer to it! I think that it will look kind of neat once the moss grows along all of the edges....kinda like a sunken wall effect! 

I wouldn't recommend doing Rotala Magenta for your tank.....I don't believe you have the conditions for it to thrive, and it would probably melt away. If you want some red hues in there, I would recommend Rotala Rotundafolia.....it has a nice light green color in the bottom that changes to yellow about mid-stem and then pink on the tops. Very pretty!

You could do water sprite, but it gets pretty big and will grow out of the aquarium if you don't prune often. Also, the bottom leaves tend to get covered with brown algae and it looks a tad unsightly. Why not try some Myrio Matto in the back corner instead? It has a nice feathery effect, and I have found that it is pretty easy to prune. For whatever reason, it seems to resist the diatom build up too.

If you want some nice soft look, you could try dwarf hairgrass. Make sure that it is the dwarf variety! As long as you fertilize it or have some sort of CO2 injection, it would look very nice! Or some HC might be good as a foreground.


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

donaldmboyer said:


> :sorry: HA!
> Sorry, Nick-O! Didn't realize you made the background! How embarrassing for me!
> [\QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Sorry Nick!

HC stands for "Hemianthus Callitrichoides," and HM (in case you ever see it) is known as "Hemianthus Micranthamoides" better known as "Pearlgrass." Both can be made to be foreground plants if they are kept trimmed and pruned. They will both spread, but most prefer HC because it spreads in a more pleasing fashion. HM is a great midground plant because if you allow it to grow into a bush and add CO2, it produces a ton of air bubbles that slowly grow over the course of the photoperiod, hence it's nickname "pearlgrass" or "pearlweed." But, you can use either one.

Hairgrass will spread, but you have to keep the nutrients in the water column fairly high. This is because hairgrass can have a tendency to grow and spread at incredible rates, and then dies because it used up all of the immediate nutrients in the substrate, preferring to put it's "energy" into producing runners instead of rooting, growing, and then producing runners at a slower rate. Since you have CO2, a constant supply of carbon will be produced, and your hairgrass should be fine. I would still add fertilizers.....hairgrass is very nice if you are trying to get a "soft"-looking effect in your aquarium, and it can be trimmed from time to time and maintain a nice green and lush look.

I wouldn't worry too much about the background being to geometric. I never try to come across as rude or mean in my posts...I think that I was more curious then anything, but I can see how my initial comments probably weren't too encouraging to you either. The java moss will spread, and you could make a really nice moss wall that would soften the look up quite a bit. In time, you might not even be able to tell the sharp angles were there, as it would look very green and bumpy. Which would look great! Do a "search" here on APC, as I have seen people post instructions as to how to create nice moss walls, if you are interested. That, and you will also have stem plants which will break up some of the sharp angles. Your ottos will love the little nooks in there for sure!


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Oh, BTW-

I've had great success with aquariumplants.com. They are very speedy, and I've never ever had a plant die from them. They also have extremely high quality plants, good root tabs (if you ever want to supplement your Eco-Complete every six-twelve months or so), and excellent customer service. If there is a problem with an order, they contact you. Some places, you just sit and wait wondering what's going on....

Good exotic specimens, like some of the mosses or tonina species (upgrade your lighting if you ever want to try tonina!), I would try either Aquaspot or AquaticMagic. They are overseas, but they have some pretty interesting stuff. It will probably take a while for your plants to get here from there, but if you order one or two species, and get a couple groups of each, you will be able to get a nice big bunch. Prune it in about a month or so, and you'll have what you need. I only say this because due to phytosanitary certificates (which are needed to legally import plants from overseas), some stock is dried out and won't make it. But if you are given a "heads-up" as to how to order from companies outside the USA, you won't be disappointed! It's a tad pricey, but sometimes it is worth the cost to have that one or two plant species to complete the look of an aquarium.

It is important to say that I don't work for any fish or plant company out there. Just speaking from experience.


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

thanks for all the help donaldmboyer......


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

Is there any way from stopping HC or dwarf grass from taking over the tank?


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 18, 2006)

I would move the little piece of driftwood over and arrange it with the other somehow. I would also add more plants at this stage to fight off algae.


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## NAL (Feb 27, 2007)

Ownager2004 said:


> I would move the little piece of driftwood over and arrange it with the other somehow. I would also add more plants at this stage to fight off algae.


I think I'm gonna take the small piece out all together. I also am getting new plants soon. Thanks for the advice


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