Dutch/ plant farm 75 gallon (and other projects)

[Mmiller2001]

I really like 3:1, for some reason my 75 just does better there. When I went 2:1, things kind of just seemed off. Overly slow growth as well. But this all could have been my imagination. 

[gjcarew]

Just posting some of my inspiration for Dutch aquascaping, these works are from Willem and Fred van Wezel (father and son). Willem is a multiple-time Dutch national champion. It's this level I hope to one day be able to replicate with enough practice.

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/11/2022 at 10:42 PM, gjcarew said:

Amazing tank.... I love the difference in texture.

[Mmiller2001]

Yup, I'm no where near that .

[Mmiller2001]

Keeping that Lotus so compact, is skills.

[gjcarew]

My toxic trait is going to do a water change, so I start cleaning algae, trimming plants, etc. I take way too long with that, which causes me to run out of time to change the water. That causes more algae and more plant issues that need to be addressed.

Anyways, I wanted to do an update as I've changed a bunch of things around, and will probably do so again this evening. I'm currently considering getting rid of the Acmella repens since I really want to do a big Hygrophila difformis bush like you can see in the Dutch tanks above.

[Patrick_G]

On 5/24/2022 at 10:16 AM, gjcarew said:

I'm currently considering getting rid of the Acmella repens since I really want to do a big Hygrophila difformis bush like you can see in the Dutch tanks above.

Those guys make Hygrophila difformis look like some rare exotic. It’s amazing. 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Patrick_G

[gjcarew]

Every plant in their scapes is considered "easy." Hard plants are overrated, ain't nobody got time for that

[Patrick_G]

On 5/24/2022 at 11:12 AM, gjcarew said:

Every plant in their scapes is considered "easy." Hard plants are overrated, ain't nobody got time for that

That’s how I garden. If it takes lots of water or soil amendment or whatever it’s not for me. 

[Mmiller2001]

On 5/24/2022 at 12:12 PM, gjcarew said:

Every plant in their scapes is considered "easy." Hard plants are overrated, ain't nobody got time for that

This is a key lesson that I hope people take home. It's a top 5 tip for sure!

I wanted to ask how your Val is doing? I can get runners, but can't get my desired portion to grow.

Have any suggestions?

Edited May 26, 2022 by Mmiller2001

[Torrey]

On 5/11/2022 at 11:42 PM, gjcarew said:

Just posting some of my inspiration for Dutch aquascaping, these works are from Willem and Fred van Wezel (father and son). Willem is a multiple-time Dutch national champion. It's this level I hope to one day be able to replicate with enough practice.

These are gorgeous. I imagine these tanks are for you and @Mmiller2001 what looking at Josh Sim's tanks is for me🥰

[gjcarew]

Sorry for the glare and somewhat cloudy water!

Left side is gonna be a big water wisteria bush. I'm not full happy with the way the blyxa japonica lines up with the java fern, so will probably move some stuff around more next week.

There is decent variation in the shapes of the groups, but the entire midground is the same height and I'm not sure how to solve that right now.

[gjcarew]

On 5/26/2022 at 1:56 PM, Torrey said:

These are gorgeous. I imagine these tanks are for you and @Mmiller2001 what looking at Josh Sim's tanks is for me🥰

I love Josh Sim's tanks too. Along with Josh Sim, Takayuki Fukada and Steven Chong are probably my favorite aquascapers. I used to do more diorama and nature-style aquascapes but it's hard with only one aquarium. They require you to get rid of all your fish and plants when you want to build a new hardscape, and generally pose difficulties when you keep them long term.

I would love to have a 60p eventually so I can get back in to that side of aquascaping, but for now I'm happy to continue with my Dutch-style scaping.

[gjcarew]

On 5/26/2022 at 10:38 AM, Mmiller2001 said:

This is a key lesson that I hope people take home. It's a top 5 tip for sure!

I wanted to ask how your Val is doing? I can get runners, but can't get my desired portion to grow.

Have any suggestions?

My val is doing well, growing plenty long and sending runners. This portion was long when I bought it though. In the past I have planted all the runners super densely around the plant. My theory is that if you don't give it room to run, it will start growing longer leaves. 

[anewbie]

vals ? You mean vals ?

[Mmiller2001]

On 5/26/2022 at 5:40 PM, anewbie said:

vals ? You mean vals ?

Yeah, when do they grow? I have the worst luck with them.

[gjcarew]

Alright I know I just posted but I realized what was bothering me after playing with some photo editing settings. When I got the blyxa, it was green. Now it's brown. I didn't notice the gradual change, much like a frog in boiling water. It does not contrast well with the lotus. So now the question is, do I switch the lotus with the sword plant or do I trade the Lobelia Cardinalis for a street of Blyxa? The first is easiest so I'm going to try that out sometime this week and see how I like it.

[anewbie]

I'd wait a bit to see what happens. I'm more amused as to whether the lotus will stay small and low...

[Torrey]

On 5/27/2022 at 1:28 AM, gjcarew said:

Alright I know I just posted but I realized what was bothering me after playing with some photo editing settings. When I got the blyxa, it was green. Now it's brown. I didn't notice the gradual change, much like a frog in boiling water. It does not contrast well with the lotus. So now the question is, do I switch the lotus with the sword plant or do I trade the Lobelia Cardinalis for a street of Blyxa? The first is easiest so I'm going to try that out sometime this week and see how I like it.

Hmmmm.....

I'm with anewbie on this one. I suspect the lotus isn't going to stay that low to the ground..... I still think you have a gorgeous tank.

[gjcarew]

They don't stay low on their own, you definitely have to keep them trimmed. I wouldn't mind a bit taller, though.

On 5/27/2022 at 11:57 AM, anewbie said:

I'd wait a bit to see what happens. I'm more amused as to whether the lotus will stay small and low...

 

On 5/27/2022 at 1:47 PM, Torrey said:

Hmmmm.....

I'm with anewbie on this one. I suspect the lotus isn't going to stay that low to the ground..... I still think you have a gorgeous tank.

 

[Torrey]

@gjcarew what is the secret to keeping trimmed *and* not killing with the trimming? Because I haven't found that sweet spot, yet😅

Will be trying again when my Co-op order arrives, lol

[gjcarew]

On 5/28/2022 at 8:36 PM, Torrey said:

@gjcarew what is the secret to keeping trimmed *and* not killing with the trimming? Because I haven't found that sweet spot, yet😅

Will be trying again when my Co-op order arrives, lol

Well first you gotta let it get established for a while. But then it's just a matter of plucking off any leaves that are too long at the base.

[SkaleyAquatics]

Have you had any new difficulties in this tank that you didn't with your winning tank?

[gjcarew]

On 5/30/2022 at 2:34 PM, SkaleyAquatics said:

Have you had any new difficulties in this tank that you didn't with your winning tank?

I don't know if I'd call them "new" difficulties. There are different space constraints and design considerations in a different sized tank. I had trouble getting front-to-back depth in the previous tank, in this one I am having more trouble creating distinctions in height while things like streets are very easy.

I have also not been as good at maintaining this tank as I was with a smaller one. The 22 gallon was easier to take care of since water changes were super quick. That's more of a problem with my own time management than with the tank size, though.

[gjcarew]

Snapped this before heading away for a few days. I didn't have time to do a water change this week so I'll probably pay for it in algae next week.

I did a bunch of moving plants around over the weekend. I kinda like this version. It seems like it passes the squint test. One thing I might change is going with either the crypt nurii "Luminous Green" or the Eriocaulon Vietnam on the right hand side rather than both. Every group should have a visual weight and those two just don't seem to be keeping up with the rest of the tank.

I am conflicted between buying more water wisteria for the left side and trying to prop the existing stems. Maybe if I can find a deal or someone who wants to trade for an existing plant...

There is still not enough height variation. on the other hand I think with the shape of the groups I've done a decent job of integrating the foreground and background, so maybe it won't matter once everything grows in more.