Celeste84 Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 hey guys, i've just set up and cycled a 3ft tank for my bettas (mix of boys [3] and girls [larger section] since it has a few dividers), it takes 110L and has large and medium river gravel it it (and an undergravel filter with a nice slow flow rate). so far i've got a few sacrificial plants, no idea what they are, but they're "furry" :-/ i've never really planted a tank before, and was after some ideas. this tank gets high lighting, CO2 and plant fertiliser to keep it going. i wanted to more densely plant the female section (largest section) as there aren't many females in it, and i was thinking of eventually moving them back to the other 3ft tank and putting in guppies or something else tropical. i also want to have enough plants to keep the males happy, but with enough room to swim about, so i was thinking banana lillies and some kinda low ground cover type thing (like hair grass) for them, but not too sure. edit: forgot to add that the tank doesn't have a lid any suggestions?? this is the tank: oh and i know it looks grubby, i need to give it a good clean (the glass). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brettc777 Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 Nice Setup i know nothing about plants... those ones look similar to ones i have seen in the rivers around my area...hhmm gives me an idea I just wanted to ask a question, is that a cup for breeding in the partition second to the right? if it is could the fry get out into other partitions and be eaten? Are they perspex dividers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 yes that is a half cup, it was just me making sure it didn't get tossed out by my dad LOL there won't be any breeding in that tank and yup, perspex dividers with 4 rows of holes in each that said it was a PITA to drill the holes >.< it was so brittle! i think i want either riccia or hair grass as my ground cover in the boys sections, they both do well under high light situations i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 I think a mass planting of Blyxa Japonica would make a great groundcover look. Its so easy to grow and thrives in my tank under fluros with no co2. Its so bushy after a while it looks like a lawn and grows, hairgrass has never done any good for me :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 the CO2 isn't a problem for me, i have CO2 tablets that you put in the filters and the fluro is tropical strength, so all my plants turn red :-/ even my elodea has reddish stems! this is a banana lily out of the other tank (it has the same light) with flash: without flash: so what is blyxa japonica?? is it hard to get?? i mostly thought hair grass as i know my LFS stocks it :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 I don't like hair grass either. Even when it grows well it sheds alot and the bits that shed rot and are a PITA to remove because they just slide through even the finest net. Blyxa is nice but dwarf chain swords gets my vote for ground cover. And you can get some quite small leaved varieties. I bought some online from Aquatic Dreams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 interesting, i never even thought about the upkeep of a ground cover before :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren MacFish Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 Thats where snails come in. They clean up the rotting ground cover and clean the glass. I never use hair grass because it's a high-light plant. I have used dwarf chain swords but they grow slowly... and because I plant them in the brightest part of the tank they get overtaken by the val... the val overtakes everything, it covets the best spots in the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 high light isn't an issue i was really after something fast growing, but that looked good as a ground cover as well what are some easy to grow plants that would make a nice mid- or back ground plant? i think i want something more natural looking in the center section, a black water system probably (actually i'm thinking of putting my girls in there and guppies or gouramis in the other 3ft tank). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 11, 2007 Report Share Posted August 11, 2007 I reckon you should try a few different plants and see what grows best in your tank. Riccia (although I've always found it difficult to keep submerged), blyxa, hair grass, glossostigma, dwarf swords, small crypts etc. Not all of them will do well, but some of them should do really well and you can plant more of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2007 *nods* i've kept riccia successfully before as a floating mat. if i did get it again i thin it's grow it as the mat, THEN tie it down to glass plates later that's a good idea about trying different types, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2007 ok, so i'm moving all my bettas into this tank, which means all the other plants from the other tank are gonna end up in here LOL i'm still gonna get the ground covers though. which means i'm gonna have an entire 3ft tank to landscape. i want to put a substrate in this tank, and then put the rocks back on top of that (with the plants planted properly and not in pots). any suggestions for a good substrate?? i've heard people say potting mix, but what kind is best? also i was thinking gouramis, or guppies for the tank, along with some cleaning type fish. no snails this time. so i was wondering what kind of environment would be best for these kinds of fish?? i want to breed them, so i was thinking lots of plants for the fry to hide in (especially guppy fry) but not t sure what plants were best. once again it's a super-high light environment with plenty of fertilizer and CO2 if needed, although i'd prefer plants that don't need CO2. also quick growing plants would be an advantage, but i have no idea what they would be i really want a lush, but natural looking environment for the fish to live in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 ok, so far i'm thinking driftwood with branches as the centerpiece, with moss on the to side of the branches. i want it starting at the left wall and branching out to the middle of the tank. i'm also wanting riccia as the ground cover, and thinking of putting in these plants: Blyxa Japonica Glossostigma elatinoides tonia some kind of red crypts Heteranthera zosterfoiia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 i did this up, it's my "dream aquarium" LOL or at least what i want this one to look like i eventually want the moss to grow out and cascade down the sides, creating little cave-like areas under the branches can we order plants in through aquabid? i can't seem to find anything but the blyxa japonica and glossostigma for sale edit: just realised i wrote down the wrong name, i want blyxa aubertii, not the heteranthera zosterfolio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 things have started rolling! i have the substrate, i have the riccia on order, i have driftwood coming out of my EARS, and my tank is now all nice and clean and ready to be filled this is gonna look so good! just a quick question. with driftwood you've got from a creek bed, is there any special way to sterilize them, or will bleaching them just do the job??? i actually got a lot more driftwood than i'll use in this tank, cause some of it was too good to leave behind! i love having a nan with a creek in her back paddock :thumbs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 *thinks...* do you think driftwood would be good for my spawning tanks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 Oh my gosh Celeste! You planned it out and everything. You are soooooo good! Love the drawings. I think the design will work well. The only thing I'm not sure about is the Heteranthera. I find that most of the growth is at the top and that's all great but you've got weedy looking stems below. The blyxa won't entirely hide it. If you can find it maybe some Micranthemum micranthemoides might be good as a filler. You seem to have selected mostly narrow leaved stem plants apart from the ground cover. Is that intentional? Not interested in any of the swords? Water sprite is a really fast growing plant and it's cheap. It doesn't really go with your design I don't think so you would only have it in there temporarily until the other plants established themselves. It's function is simply to absorb nutrients for the first month or so. After it's done it's job you'd chuck it out. I think you can use any kind of potting mix but you would need to let the tank settle before putting any fish in. Have you visited the natural planted tank link that Bren posted in this topic? You might not be setting up an NPT but some of the substrate info might be relevant. Very eager to see the results of this project. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 Well i see you have a plan above, looks good Finally got around to taking some pics and thought u might like to see what the blyxa looks like. It doesnt take very long to fill in. Cheers Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 If you want some glosso as well as the blyxa aubertii, tonia and crypts are all avaliable from Aquagreen.com.au, pretty cheap, great portion sizes. Glosso and Tonia can be quite hard to grow make sure you have everything in order like Co2, lighting and ferts before you recieve them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 mike, i actually meant blyxa aubertii not the heteranthera LOL i wanted the contrast between leaf length and colours with the two blyxa species and yeah, i'm not so crash hot on full leafed plants, i tend to favor things that are a bit more "breezy" looking i've got a potting mix that has absolutely NOTHING added to it, as well as spagnum moss (i want a black water system) to mix in with it, and actual coarse river sand (from my nan's creek) to go over the top of that mix i plan on having the tank set up and at least partially planted for a good 4-6 weeks before i start adding the fish, so i can give the plants time to settle in, some place the pH time to stabalise phil, that blyxa really does look good doesn't it?? i can't wait to get my hands on it LOL but the riccia comes first as it's harder to grow as a lawn ; daniel, i can get all the plants except the moss and tonia from furrballs, already talked to danny about it, so i'm really happy about that, it's so much easier than shipping! and i have the CO2 and light needed, some place i'm gonna get a name of some fert tablets to see if danny can get them in gonna put the substrates and driftwood in the tank tomorrow, and try to think of some way to sterilize them all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 This such a fun project. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Phil's tank looks sensational. I'm feeling a bit guilty now that I've been neglecting my planted tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 *nods* yeah i was so sick of my slap-stick planted tanks looking so raggy, which is why i'm trying this. i find that aquascaping is as fun as the fish themselves so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 OK so the subtrate and driftwood is in, and it's filled with water. the driftwood i ended up using was a LOT bigger than i realised, and i had to make the substrate around 10cm deep to hold it in place ah well, luckily i chose relatively short plants, or easy to control plants. i'm also gonna have to remove the clump of tonia on the right (might increase the tonia on the left) and just have a strand of the red crypts instead. once the water clears i'll take a pic :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 ooh can't wait to see :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste84 Posted August 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 well here it is, cleared up enough for a pic or two this is the driftwood. big eh?? the lower limb continues on for another 20cm or so, half buried in the substrate! and this is a pic of the tannins, just starting to leach out into the water! yay blackwater! (edit: i should add that i was lazy and haven't cleaned the outside glass yet, that's a job for tomorrow!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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