anewbie Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 On 4/23/2023 at 2:36 AM, gjcarew said: Still have some rearranging and water changes to do, but here are three full tank shots. First is with the T5, second is with the chihiros, and third is with both. It really underscores how poorly lit the tank has been since last year. I will have more plant closeups later, but I picked up hygrophila serpyllum, a tiger lotus, didiplis diandra, bacopa salzmanii sg purple, and some subwassertang. Which chihiros; I have the wrgb 2 and overall i hate the balance. So far I'm liking the new blade a *lot* better and it is less expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 On 4/22/2023 at 8:59 PM, Mmiller2001 said: Like @gjcarewsaid 5 to 13. I was always under the impression softer was better. I stand corrected. I believe it depends heavily on the species; i know some species of plants require acidic water and other harder alkaline water; I've also read that some plants are sensitive to too much nitrate. Not sure if any plants care about the GH being too high; though I suppose it depends on specific species. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 On 4/23/2023 at 3:36 AM, anewbie said: Which chihiros; I have the wrgb 2 and overall i hate the balance. So far I'm liking the new blade a *lot* better and it is less expensive. I have the original WRGB. I like it but it's not big enough for this tank. Is that the aqua illumination blade? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 Already scheming for how I want to rearrange with the new plants. For context, here is tonight's full tank shot: So what I'm thinking is to move the golden myrio to between the two background groups, and put in a street with the hygrophila serpyllum that disappears behind the crypts. In this plan I would get rid of the few lobelia cardinalis on the right hand side. The didiplis diandra (if I can grow it) will eventually for a big orange group on the back right for some color on that side. I may also move the eleocharis to the middle of the street - it's a very classic Dutch look and would lend some grassy verticality to that area. Here is a very rough mock up: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 24, 2023 Share Posted April 24, 2023 The one in red... It kind of gets lost a bit. My eye wants it to be more contained and controlled. (it's your setup and scape, so please ignore me if you feel like you have greater plans in mind!) The tall lengthy sections in the back do look nice, but I kind of would want to see the red stems against the glass to be expanded a little and have a place to be. Maybe it's behind the green one highlighted in red or somewhere else. Not sure. The one in purple... It kind of blocks out the plant behind it. The leaves on it are very dense / thick and the one behind it is more delicate and fine texture. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 The Ludwigia definitely needs to be a bit bigger, but I just got it. I need to grow it out some more. I have also considered adding some tall plants like Ludwigia Pantanal in the back row to fill up some more space. Or potentially put some branches covered with subwassertang somewhere just to break up the size of some of the background groups. I appreciate the suggestions, it's always nice to get a second opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted April 24, 2023 Share Posted April 24, 2023 On 4/23/2023 at 9:53 PM, gjcarew said: I have the original WRGB. I like it but it's not big enough for this tank. Is that the aqua illumination blade? Yea - the freshwater version; I have the 30 for testing that i picked up around feb 15 - it is more netural and stronger than the plant 3.0 and balances better than my wrgb2. There is a wrgb2 pro that adds white lights but it is a bit pricey and there have been some issues with wrgb 2 blue-tooth controllers failing. Mine haven't failed but it is definitely on the flaky side of things. Also if you like the blade it comes in a variety of lengths - nothing really suitable for 36 inch aquarium (40B) but otherwise quite flexible for those longer aquariums. I've never been a fan of tubes given their short life span - i think you are suppose to replace them around 4 to 6 months. I haven't noticed a big difference in plant growth between the blade and plant 3.0 - and I'm not really sure how i would measure such - also 2 months isn't really long enough - certainly algae hasn't been an issue but it has never been an issue over the past 3+ years in this aquarium. Pictures certainly come out better 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted April 24, 2023 Share Posted April 24, 2023 (edited) Are brown plants counted like red plants in Dutch tanks? My guess the main rule is keep it green, but are you dinged for both too much brown like you would be for red. Edited April 24, 2023 by Mmiller2001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 On 4/24/2023 at 7:27 AM, Mmiller2001 said: Are brown plants counted like red plants in Dutch tanks? My guess the main rule is keep it green, but are you dinged for both too much brown like you would be for red. According to Bart Laurens, about 60-70% of plants should be shades of green and the rest can be colorful. Joe Harvey often has 50% or more of his tank non-green plants, but he also balances it extremely well- as in he's not putting red plants next to red (or pink) plants, but they might touch a yellow plant. In this case, where the yellow Myriphyllum matogrossense "golden" touches the crypt jacobsenii, I think it works because there is strong contrast between the two. In general, I think it's the bright red plants that really draw the eye that are most important to be used in moderation. This tank currently has too many species (damn you GSAS auction!). It is in its infancy in terms of composition. Luckily there are still months before I have to have something photo ready. On 4/24/2023 at 12:40 AM, anewbie said: There is a wrgb2 pro that adds white lights but it is a bit pricey and there have been some issues with wrgb 2 blue-tooth controllers failing. I've never been a fan of tubes given their short life span - i think you are suppose to replace them around 4 to 6 months. The Bluetooth controllers with the Chihiros lights are definitely a drawback. It's ridiculous that Bluetooth isn't built in. Especially for predominantly green tanks, high color temp white lights are really all you need. I have a 10,000 kelvin ADA Solar 1 that I want to get out for an iwagumi scape one of these days. It really makes the greens pop. There are a lot of drawbacks to T5's but the tests I've seen haven't shown them losing significant par after 2+ years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted April 24, 2023 Share Posted April 24, 2023 On 4/24/2023 at 11:04 AM, gjcarew said: According to Bart Laurens, about 60-70% of plants should be shades of green and the rest can be colorful. Joe Harvey often has 50% or more of his tank non-green plants, but he also balances it extremely well- as in he's not putting red plants next to red (or pink) plants, but they might touch a yellow plant. In this case, where the yellow Myriphyllum matogrossense "golden" touches the crypt jacobsenii, I think it works because there is strong contrast between the two. In general, I think it's the bright red plants that really draw the eye that are most important to be used in moderation. This makes finding mid/foreground plants difficult to find for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 On 4/24/2023 at 10:37 AM, Mmiller2001 said: This makes finding mid/foreground plants difficult to find for me. Like you have trouble finding green midground/foreground plants or red ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted April 24, 2023 Share Posted April 24, 2023 On 4/24/2023 at 11:58 AM, gjcarew said: Like you have trouble finding green midground/foreground plants or red ones? Green, reds seem easier. But my plant knowledge is lacking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 On 4/24/2023 at 10:59 AM, Mmiller2001 said: Green, reds seem easier. But my plant knowledge is lacking. Oh baby, here are some of my green foreground and midground favorites: Lobelia cardinalis Pogostemon erectus Pogostemon helferi Myriophyllum 'Guyana Mini' Monte carlo Dwarf baby tears Marsilea hirsuta (currently trying crenata, we'll see how that goes) Blyxa japonica Eriocaulon Vietnam Eriocaulo lineare (super pretty, but I haven't tried growing it yet) Hygrophila serpyllum moss on wood/rocks Crypt wendtii "green" Glossostigma elatinoides Hemianthus glomeratus Limnophila aromatic "mini" Helianthus angustifolius (vesuvius sword) Staurogyne repens Bacopa monnieri Nymphaea zenkeri "green" Nymphaea micrantha Hottonia palustris Hydrocotyle tripartite Lindernia rotundifolia (I like the variegated one) Ranunculus inundatus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted April 24, 2023 Share Posted April 24, 2023 On 4/24/2023 at 12:29 PM, gjcarew said: Oh baby, here are some of my green foreground and midground favorites: Lobelia cardinalis Pogostemon erectus Pogostemon helferi Myriophyllum 'Guyana Mini' Monte carlo Dwarf baby tears Marsilea hirsuta (currently trying crenata, we'll see how that goes) Blyxa japonica Eriocaulon Vietnam Eriocaulo lineare (super pretty, but I haven't tried growing it yet) Hygrophila serpyllum moss on wood/rocks Crypt wendtii "green" Glossostigma elatinoides Hemianthus glomeratus Limnophila aromatic "mini" Helianthus angustifolius (vesuvius sword) Staurogyne repens Bacopa monnieri Nymphaea zenkeri "green" Nymphaea micrantha Hottonia palustris Hydrocotyle tripartite Lindernia rotundifolia (I like the variegated one) Ranunculus inundatus Sweet, I have a few of those. I love Guyana, but I couldn't get it from rotting at the substrate line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 On 4/24/2023 at 11:34 AM, Mmiller2001 said: Sweet, I have a few of those. I love Guyana, but I couldn't get it from rotting at the substrate line. It's one of my favorites, but I've noticed the same thing. Some plants are fine with having their stems planted, but that is not one of them. Usually it has fairly prolific roots, so you just have to make sure that the roots are what's anchoring it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted April 24, 2023 Share Posted April 24, 2023 On 4/24/2023 at 12:47 PM, gjcarew said: It's one of my favorites, but I've noticed the same thing. Some plants are fine with having their stems planted, but that is not one of them. Usually it has fairly prolific roots, so you just have to make sure that the roots are what's anchoring it. Ah, thank you for the tip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted April 29, 2023 Author Share Posted April 29, 2023 Did a bit of rearranging to get the rough shape of the Dutch street put in. I also picked up some limnophila hippuridoides to fill in the gap between the rotala macrandra and the hygrophila difformis. If I remember correctly it can be a fairly aggressive grower, so we whether I can keep it at an appropriate length. I'm not planting it yet since I want it to get about 10 inches tall first, so it won't be shaded by all the surrounding plants. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted April 29, 2023 Share Posted April 29, 2023 (edited) On 4/28/2023 at 10:19 PM, gjcarew said: Did a bit of rearranging to get the rough shape of the Dutch street put in. What does this mean? "Dutch street" Very nice new plant! Edited April 29, 2023 by nabokovfan87 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted May 1, 2023 Author Share Posted May 1, 2023 On 4/28/2023 at 10:35 PM, nabokovfan87 said: What does this mean? "Dutch street" Very nice new plant! It's a group of plants that rises up from the foreground and disappears behind another group of plants. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted May 13, 2023 Author Share Posted May 13, 2023 Vallisneria spiralis, Ludwigia repens 'Rubin', Hygrophila difformis (water wisteria) and Eriocaulon malaytoor. I like the contrast in this corner of the tank right now. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted May 22, 2023 Author Share Posted May 22, 2023 The hygrophila serpyllum has absolutely taken over in the 3 or so weeks since I planted it. I'm gonna trim it back and see how it handles it, but may go back to lobelia cardinalis if it continues to grow this fast. This is probably a 2-day trim/WC job since it's pretty late already but I'll update when it's done 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted June 12, 2023 Author Share Posted June 12, 2023 (edited) I just got notice that the AGA 2023 contest is open for entries, I'm officially shook. I started a new job two weeks ago and haven't touched the plants in ages. The deadline is coming up quickly! Side project: My mom's small pond out front. After first planting my own pond with carnivores in this style, these Ikebana-inspired arrangements are definitely my new favorite way to plant. Edited June 12, 2023 by gjcarew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Nice. When is the deadline? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjcarew Posted June 12, 2023 Author Share Posted June 12, 2023 September 10th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 I feel like the 2022 deadline was early October. Ugh, hope I can make it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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