Planted tank journal (10G Hex) - Page 10 - MyFishTank.Net Freshwater Saltwater Aquarium Fish Forum

MrJG · 02-16-2008, 09:29 PM

Hey dudes! Aye its been a while since an update. I'll try to snap a couple of pics tomorrow after water changes on all the tanks. Thanks for bringin' it back up.

MrJG · 02-17-2008, 02:27 PM

As promised I snapped a few pics today.

I've been slowly eradicating all stem plants from this tank, they just seem to get "leggy" and eventually the stems end up rotting toward the bottom. More than likely due to the fact that there is only a 18W PC over this tank and the light can't penetrate deep enough.
Looking to put either narrow/needle leaf java fern or african fern (Bolbitis heudelotii) in there to replace all stems and give a little height to the background.
Since the last time I posted I've added Dwarf Sag (Sagittaria subulata) from my puffer tank and some Crytocoryne wendtii 'Green Gecko' in the foreground. It seems to be doing well, all of the leaves have been produced since putting the bare roots in the tank. The Fissidens Fontanus I tied to the driftwood back in July is finally starting to fluff up and look decent again, Its growth looks nothing like it does in my high light tank but its still alive. Also added some regular Anubias barteri 'nana' that I traded some of my 'petite' for. I've separated several rhizomes of the 'petite' and re-planted them to grow out in the substrate. The floaters in there are Salvinia Natans, I'd just removed 3/4 of a cup of it with the water change.

I took one of the driftwood chunks out because I felt like it was a bit too much, and wanted to give a little more open swimming room.

So... on to the pics.

jen0910 · 02-17-2008, 03:19 PM

This tank seems like it had been changed drastically every time you post pics.

I think I liked the larger driftwood better but the moss on your driftwood now looks nice.

alter40 · 02-17-2008, 03:28 PM

I agree it does seem to change quite a bit every time but looks great in all your posts. I bet your betta is so happy that tank.

MrJG · 02-17-2008, 04:30 PM

haha yea. I hear you on the constant changing, I've never really been totally happy with the way this tank looks. Its just hard to get everything positioned so it gets enough light.

catfishbum · 02-23-2008, 11:14 PM

not a lot of room to do anything extranagant either, my 5 gal is hard to organize and i too am unhappy with it currently.

PS what is that grass looking stuff in the last pic, sorry i am not well established in the name game. It looks like the grass petco sells in tubes but is not an aquatic plant.

MrJG · 02-24-2008, 04:33 PM

Thats Dwarf Sag (Sagittaria subulata). I have it as a carpet in the 2.5 gallon puffer tank and it does really well with 8W of light. It stays really small and low growing in that tank for some reason, it seems to get bigger in the hex.

crimsontsavo · 02-24-2008, 06:09 PM

Your tank is looking niiiiiiiiiiiice. Keep it up!

MrJG · 11-20-2008, 11:51 AM

Wow. Its been a really really long time since I've looked at this. I'll have to snap some pics and get the thread updated soon. It doesn't even look like the same tank... so much more plant mass now... and I promise nothing changed other than adding more crypts as a mid-ground :P it just finally decided to grow in.

MrJG · 11-28-2008, 05:00 PM

Haha looking at the last update the tank has filled in just a little.

And since its been a while heres whats in there.

Hardware:
AC20 filter
Visitherm stealth heater
18W Current fixture (6.5k,10k dual daylight bulb)

Flora:
Lots of Java fern and narrow leaf fern
Fissiden Fontanus
Dwarf Sag
Anubias 'nana'
Anubias Nana 'petite'
Crypt wendtii 'petchii'
Crypt wendtii 'red'
Crypt wendtii 'green gecko'
Floater: Salvinia Natans

Fauna:
5 Rasbora espei
Lots of Red Cherry Shrimp
Lots of MTS

System gets a 50% water change every two weeks or so. A little splash of seachem flourish and excel once a week. I usually end up having to scrape a little gsa off the glass once a month, which doesn't bother me a bit. Since this sits in our living room beside the TV this is the one visitors see the most of. I haven't touched a thing in a very long time as far as plants go and I think I'm finally satisfied with how its grown in. Pardon the bit of gsa on the lower glass.. its been a few weeks since I scraped it off and I didn't do it before the pics. :P

Best snapshot I could get of the front:

One from the right:

02-16-2008, 09:29 PM	#91 (permalink)
MrJG Little Fish Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lancaster, S.C. Posts: 104	Hey dudes! Aye its been a while since an update. I'll try to snap a couple of pics tomorrow after water changes on all the tanks. Thanks for bringin' it back up. __________________ 2.5G nano 10G Hex 20G long

02-17-2008, 02:27 PM	#92 (permalink)
MrJG Little Fish Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lancaster, S.C. Posts: 104	As promised I snapped a few pics today. I've been slowly eradicating all stem plants from this tank, they just seem to get "leggy" and eventually the stems end up rotting toward the bottom. More than likely due to the fact that there is only a 18W PC over this tank and the light can't penetrate deep enough. Looking to put either narrow/needle leaf java fern or african fern (Bolbitis heudelotii) in there to replace all stems and give a little height to the background. Since the last time I posted I've added Dwarf Sag (Sagittaria subulata) from my puffer tank and some Crytocoryne wendtii 'Green Gecko' in the foreground. It seems to be doing well, all of the leaves have been produced since putting the bare roots in the tank. The Fissidens Fontanus I tied to the driftwood back in July is finally starting to fluff up and look decent again, Its growth looks nothing like it does in my high light tank but its still alive. Also added some regular Anubias barteri 'nana' that I traded some of my 'petite' for. I've separated several rhizomes of the 'petite' and re-planted them to grow out in the substrate. The floaters in there are Salvinia Natans, I'd just removed 3/4 of a cup of it with the water change. I took one of the driftwood chunks out because I felt like it was a bit too much, and wanted to give a little more open swimming room. So... on to the pics. __________________ 2.5G nano 10G Hex 20G long

02-17-2008, 03:19 PM	#93 (permalink)
jen0910 Little Fish Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savoy, MA/Western PA Posts: 200	This tank seems like it had been changed drastically every time you post pics. I think I liked the larger driftwood better but the moss on your driftwood now looks nice. __________________ 5 gallon Hex planted - Bee shrimp, algae eating shrimp, oto, snails 10 gallon planted - platy, white clouds + baby, oto, cories ~1g bowl - duckweed, male betta

02-17-2008, 03:28 PM	#94 (permalink)
alter40 Super Fish Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 1,293	I agree it does seem to change quite a bit every time but looks great in all your posts. I bet your betta is so happy that tank. __________________ My current 10 gal native tank (click for my journal) My old 10 gal planted tank (click for my journal) My old 10g Native (click for journal)

02-17-2008, 04:30 PM	#95 (permalink)
MrJG Little Fish Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lancaster, S.C. Posts: 104	haha yea. I hear you on the constant changing, I've never really been totally happy with the way this tank looks. Its just hard to get everything positioned so it gets enough light. __________________ 2.5G nano 10G Hex 20G long

02-23-2008, 11:14 PM	#96 (permalink)
catfishbum Little Fish Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: bradford,NH Posts: 161	not a lot of room to do anything extranagant either, my 5 gal is hard to organize and i too am unhappy with it currently. PS what is that grass looking stuff in the last pic, sorry i am not well established in the name game. It looks like the grass petco sells in tubes but is not an aquatic plant. __________________ 90 Gal. ~Planted~ 8 Black Neons, 1 Female Blue Ram, 1 Royal Pleco, 8 black skirt tetras, 4 ottos, 8 White/Silver tip Tetras 10 Ga. ~Planted~Crowntail betta, 2 Spotted cories, 3 emerald cories, 1 otto Last edited by catfishbum; 02-23-2008 at 11:17 PM..

02-24-2008, 04:33 PM	#97 (permalink)
MrJG Little Fish Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lancaster, S.C. Posts: 104	Thats Dwarf Sag (Sagittaria subulata). I have it as a carpet in the 2.5 gallon puffer tank and it does really well with 8W of light. It stays really small and low growing in that tank for some reason, it seems to get bigger in the hex. __________________ 2.5G nano 10G Hex 20G long

02-24-2008, 06:09 PM	#98 (permalink)
crimsontsavo Medium Fish Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Floridian Hillbilly Posts: 350	Your tank is looking niiiiiiiiiiiice. Keep it up! __________________ $81.00 saved towards new tank. Hurumph.

11-20-2008, 11:51 AM	#99 (permalink)
MrJG Little Fish Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lancaster, S.C. Posts: 104	Wow. Its been a really really long time since I've looked at this. I'll have to snap some pics and get the thread updated soon. It doesn't even look like the same tank... so much more plant mass now... and I promise nothing changed other than adding more crypts as a mid-ground :P it just finally decided to grow in. __________________ 2.5G nano 10G Hex 20G long

11-28-2008, 05:00 PM	#100 (permalink)
MrJG Little Fish Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Lancaster, S.C. Posts: 104	Haha looking at the last update the tank has filled in just a little. And since its been a while heres whats in there. Hardware: AC20 filter Visitherm stealth heater 18W Current fixture (6.5k,10k dual daylight bulb) Flora: Lots of Java fern and narrow leaf fern Fissiden Fontanus Dwarf Sag Anubias 'nana' Anubias Nana 'petite' Crypt wendtii 'petchii' Crypt wendtii 'red' Crypt wendtii 'green gecko' Floater: Salvinia Natans Fauna: 5 Rasbora espei Lots of Red Cherry Shrimp Lots of MTS System gets a 50% water change every two weeks or so. A little splash of seachem flourish and excel once a week. I usually end up having to scrape a little gsa off the glass once a month, which doesn't bother me a bit. Since this sits in our living room beside the TV this is the one visitors see the most of. I haven't touched a thing in a very long time as far as plants go and I think I'm finally satisfied with how its grown in. Pardon the bit of gsa on the lower glass.. its been a few weeks since I scraped it off and I didn't do it before the pics. :P Best snapshot I could get of the front: One from the right: __________________ 2.5G nano 10G Hex 20G long