Dutchaj

I have a planted 150g with a school of 24 Odessa barbs, bosemani rainbows, and a chocolate cichlid and a blue acara. I highly recommend the odessa barbs for sure. I’m so-so on the rainbows, there’s one bosemani male that is stunning, the rest are just ok, easy fish to keep though.

I like to keep under 10ppm, I run a low tech tank with inert (PFS) substrate. If I dose 15 pumps of easy green (150g) with a weekly 50% water change and a second dose 3-4 days later it’s between 5-10 on water change day. I also periodically use root tabs. I don’t know the specific biomechanics behind the nitrate uptake at different levels, but my plants grow well and I figure if there is available nitrate then it’s getting readily absorbed (this could be an incorrect assumption)

Thanks for sharing, really wishing I had seen this variety sooner! I keep saying I’m not setting up any more tanks, but if I accidentally get one more that will be going in it for sure! That Apisto looks awesome as well

I haven’t, it’s the most visually dominant part of the tank stocking and there more than enough to keep their attention mainly on themselves. It’s a 5x2x2 tank also with 10 bosemani, an angel, the chocolate and blue acara. I think it’s full. I personally like 1-2 groups of smaller fish with a few larger specimens in a tank.

I have a group of 24 Odessas in a 150, they’re a nice group of active fish, I’m not sure I’d consider them the centerpiece though. They don’t really bother anything else as far as nipping goes, just each other. I decided to try an and add a chocolate cichlid and blue acara with them, right now the chocolate isn’t big enough to potentially eat them. I’m really happy so far, fingers crossed long term.

Cut one of the Aponogeton Crispus down right close to the substrate last week (wish I took a pic before) and there are already 3 leaves 10” . It had take. Over a solid 1/3 of the surface of the tank. Everything still growing well, val are still maxed out at 8”, not sure why, guessing cause of the PFS, I still dose 15 pumps of easy green weekly and occasionally root tabs. They have spread with dozens of runners though, as have crypt Spiralis throughout the tank.

My inkbird also hasn’t had any issues with power outages

Wild type blue acara would also be nice in that setup (I have one in a planted 150 that is also with a group of Boesmani and a single angel)

In my experience it’s a lot easier to plant 2-3x how many plants you initially think seems right, much easier with the “algae battle” that can happen with under planted tanks

How tall is the tank? crypt spiralis in the back and Java fern on the rock/wood are easy possibilities

I have a Pleco that I was convinced was dead for 6 months, then one day was hanging on the glass fanning some eggs

2 favorites in my current tank: 1. Aponogeton crispus 2. Crypt spiralis it’s a 25” tall tank and you can see the Aponogeton is easily 30” tall, it sends out flower stems weekly and keeps pushing good growth. I planted the C spiralis and Val to see which I liked better for the tall background “thicket” look, no contest in my tank with the crypt. it’s low tech with weekly easy green dosing.

8 month update. Java fern and Aponogeton are both growing like crazy, the C spiralis and C wendtii are growing pretty good, sending some runners and just the Val has been somewhat sluggish (sends out runners but tops out at 4-5” for the most part. Algae hasn’t been much of an issue, 75% weekly water changes with 10 pumps of easy green weekly. was a bit bored with the stocking so added a chocolate cichlid, blue acara, and an angel.

Depending on the Crypt variety, I always remove from the basket and remove rock wool, then with Wendtii you can carefully pull apart the nodes to get 2-5ish smaller plants to spread out more. In a couple months they fill in nicely. Spiralis can usually get 2-3 plants out of each basket.