shadoh Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 I have just finished a 2 hour job of tying pieces of java fern to rocks and the castles that the fry love to hide in. I just need the time and money to organise a substrate and get some rooted plants and stems. In the meantime, I have made a carpet of java moss to blanket the bare bottom of the tank. I've left the 3 silk plants in there for now to give some height variation. BTW, plenty of females left if anyone wants any (both red rockets and jewel box...) I've got a couple more photos if anyone wants to see them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrefly Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Do love your castles Shadoh, one of the only 'aquarium ornaments' I'd like to own! The java ferns ought to make things look nice and wild in no time What kind of substrate are you thinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Thanks Pyrefly - I was never one for tank ornaments, I always thought they looked tacky. There was something about the castles that changed my mind - don't know why. Once the ferns attach themselves it will look like an overgrown ruin in the jungle... I'm going to try a Walstad style NPT with soil and gravel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Bring em on mate. Looks fantastic. So my mate at my LFS did look after you with the Java fern then. He always gives me a huge amount and discounts everything for me. Good guy to know.Ps. My Java moss is almost dead again. Lol. Can't kill it they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 He did me a great deal! He sold them to me by the handful. By the time I got them home and separated them, it worked out at $1 per fern Mate, mine has gone mental. Remind me to give you a handful next time I see you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 It looks great, You should get some tropica java fern, its my favourite. How have you atached it? You should also make a moss wallI love them I think I like the girlies to I wish I could buy some. I often kill java moss lol, I have the best luck with the more exy types I like it this way though, not the reverse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrefly Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 (edited) I regularly kill my java moss.. not sure how! I can't even blame it on the goldies - They won't touch the stuff! And of course the Flame & other mosses grow like weeds. Go figure. Bring on the NPT! :cheer: Edited April 18, 2011 by Pyrefly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 I'll keep my eye out for some tropica (is that the one with the more ruffled looking leaf?) I used thin nylon line to tie it on. A moss wall might be a good idea - I think I'll look into it @ Pyrefly, I figure a NPT would be perfect for a growout tank. The less work you have to do, the better :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Yep, thats it, someone sells it. Be carefull of that, many people have lost fish when they get tangled in it. I use super glue. You should use Xmas or peacock moss though, it wont go crazy and it stays more compact. Are you going to have a foreground? If you don't want to use co2 pygmy chain sword and marselia hirsuta are good ones.They also tend to be full of infusoria. Diana Walstad spawned bettas in a 5 gallon NPT and didn't have to feed them for a month, I've done similar with guppies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Thanks for the tips Matt. I know next to nothing about aquarium plants. I do know that I want some corkscrew val up the back, the java fern in front of that and something small and ground cover like in the foreground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Coolies, vals are good because they can use carbonates as a c02 source. You should try include some swords to, you want to have roots through the whole substrate to stop it going anerobic (spelling). Vals have a good root system for it to. In the initial set up you will need a fair few stems though, so it will take a few months to get exactly what you want. Would you like to borrow my copy of Ecology of teh Planted aquarium? It will explain it all beter :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Jarrod, this looks fantastic! You've re-inspired me about the idea of a beautiful sorority... love the plants coming out of the rubble. Will this be in contention for the Aquascape of the Century competition? - hope so! -Ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Ha! I really didn't consider it for the comp. A - because it is a work in progress and B - because it is bare bottomed. For some reason I was assuming it was for "proper" planted tanks In that case, I'll choose a pic, or even take a new one and submit it Any particular photo size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Shadoh - I think just a clear shot of the tank - any size (not RAW files plz!) Most of mine will be variations on bare bottomed miniature tanks - my 9 lt Separate betta tanks are all I gots to work with... however my own grow-out tank is looking lush as I have all my aquascaping plants in there ready and waiting (with the light on) (: Anyway - looks great, lucky ladies! ..What filtration do you have in there? -Ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 I've got a fluval 204 external canister and a sponge filter running hidden behind the castle on the left hand side. I always keep one in there so I can throw a seasoned filter into a spawn tank if I get a sudden impulse to start spawning a betta pair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Entry submitted :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl13 Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Nice one Jarrod, from what I've read of the Walstad method its definitely the way to go. My little 50lt isn't quite Walstad but what ever I've done in there I seem to have done it half right. Have just trimmed the baby tears, ambulia and hair-grass for the 4th time since set-up and the Stricta has also had a couple of haircuts. I haven't used ferts in there at all and have only recently started with minimal doses of Excel daily because there was too much natural light getting in (developed a major hair algae problem and had to put black contact over sides of the tank!!). The only tank that gets daily doses of Excel and Flourish twice a week is the Thai/Red/Chilli tank because the built in light is all wrong (14w T8, WARM BLOODY WHITE of all things) and I haven't been able to get a replacement. Glad you entered this one in the comp. :bighug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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