Aquascaping and Plants

[Matthew Naranjo Aquariums]

Ask questions or give tips on aquascaping. Please be kind and not harsh if someone needs help. Thanks☺

[CJs Aquatics]

Ok I’ll bite, I have a question… I’m redoing a tank for dojo loaches in the next few days, it’s a long overdue project. The way I’m going to set it up is with an undergravel filter, and a deeper sand bed with nutrient layers. Other applications of this have caused my plants to thrive. I’m going to attempt to try some different things to get these mature fish to breed. My question regarding the scape is, what should I plant in it? Lol I think I want this tank to be a single plant tank, possibly runners or rhizome to get a carpet effect of some sort. I’m to lazy to do more stems. They loved hornwort and liked to lay in it so the plant needs to get kind of tall for them to hide in/ play with and must be hardy bc they aren’t very gentle with plants. My initial thoughts are a pink flamingo forest, or perhaps lutea or parva carpet but I don’t think that will reach the height I need. I don’t want to do Val bc I have tanks with that effect but if it’s the winner I will do that, perhaps crypt spiralis instead, maybe red melon or red flame swords or yolo a bunch of tiger lotus or aquarium lilys lol Or if anyone knows something native to dojo loaches in the trade that might work too. Sorry for rambling let me dumb it down:

- what single plant is hardy, perhaps from Asia, sends runners or spreads fast, gets pretty tall, and would make an awesome standalone aquarium jungle style aquascape that my loaches will love?  

[Matthew Naranjo Aquariums]

Hello! While Val is what comes to mind,there is another plant that would work. Dwarf Sag. would work good too. I hope this helps. I've never kept yoyo loaches before, so I don't know what their care requires. 

I hope this helps☺

[Tanked]

Italian Vallisneria my background plants,  have all migrated to the front of the aquarium, leaving the back of the aquarium empty.  The Aquarium is evenly lit for 7+ hours..

Is 1 hour of natural sunlight that much more beneficial than the artificial light they were already getting?

[Matthew Naranjo Aquariums]

Hello! Sunlight does help the plants grow. Because in the wild that's how they would grow,but I would recommend not letting the sun hit your aquarium. 

This may cause serious algae issues and potentially other problems. The 7 hours of normal light is plenty for the plants. I hope this helps👍

[gjcarew]

On 9/8/2022 at 7:26 AM, Tanked said:

Italian Vallisneria my background plants,  have all migrated to the front of the aquarium, leaving the back of the aquarium empty.  The Aquarium is evenly lit for 7+ hours..

Is 1 hour of natural sunlight that much more beneficial than the artificial light they were already getting?

Almost certainly yes. Sunlight has PAR levels around 900-1500, a cheap aquarium light generally has PAR from 15-30. Your plants will naturally grow towards stronger light.

[JoeQ]

Anyone enjoy drawling planted tank schematics?  Here's my selections this year (pictured on day I recieved) and i have no decent scape ideas other than 'shove em where they fit" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[gjcarew]

On 9/3/2022 at 12:59 AM, CJs Aquatics said:

Ok I’ll bite, I have a question… I’m redoing a tank for dojo loaches in the next few days, it’s a long overdue project. The way I’m going to set it up is with an undergravel filter, and a deeper sand bed with nutrient layers. Other applications of this have caused my plants to thrive. I’m going to attempt to try some different things to get these mature fish to breed. My question regarding the scape is, what should I plant in it? Lol I think I want this tank to be a single plant tank, possibly runners or rhizome to get a carpet effect of some sort. I’m to lazy to do more stems. They loved hornwort and liked to lay in it so the plant needs to get kind of tall for them to hide in/ play with and must be hardy bc they aren’t very gentle with plants. My initial thoughts are a pink flamingo forest, or perhaps lutea or parva carpet but I don’t think that will reach the height I need. I don’t want to do Val bc I have tanks with that effect but if it’s the winner I will do that, perhaps crypt spiralis instead, maybe red melon or red flame swords or yolo a bunch of tiger lotus or aquarium lilys lol Or if anyone knows something native to dojo loaches in the trade that might work too. Sorry for rambling let me dumb it down:

- what single plant is hardy, perhaps from Asia, sends runners or spreads fast, gets pretty tall, and would make an awesome standalone aquarium jungle style aquascape that my loaches will love?  

You might enjoy Nymphoides hydrophylla "Taiwan". 

[CJs Aquatics]

@gjcarewim actually not familiar with this I’ll have to look It up, thank you

[rockfisher]

On 9/8/2022 at 3:30 PM, Matthew Naranjo Aquariums said:

Hello! Sunlight does help the plants grow. Because in the wild that's how they would grow,but I would recommend not letting the sun hit your aquarium. 

This may cause serious algae issues and potentially other problems. The 7 hours of normal light is plenty for the plants. I hope this helps👍

I think if you choose/necessitate a tank by a window that you need fast growing plans and either plan on dealing with algae or embrace it. I gave one in a window and have a moss substrate that grows fast and a few types of swords. I clean the front of the tank only. The algae by the window is just there. I like the look for that tank. It looks very natural. I’m not sure it’s for everyone but you can make it work if you plan ahead. 

[Tanked]

On 9/9/2022 at 3:27 PM, gjcarew said:

Almost certainly yes. Sunlight has PAR levels around 900-1500, a cheap aquarium light generally has PAR from 15-30. Your plants will naturally grow towards stronger light.

@gjcarew @rockfisher  I'm thinking the Val migration and ever present algae problem is in fact a quality of light issue.  The tank is really quite dark to the human eye until the lights come on.  In terms of brightness and duration the stronger light is artificial.  Direct early morning sun can be measured in minutes depending on the time of year.  Algae has always been a problem in this tank. The front panel is the only one fully exposed to ambient room daylight.  Why the plants in the back have died off may have to remain a mystery for now. 

[Matthew Naranjo Aquariums]

If you can, I would move the tank in a different location or put blinds on the window. And close and open the blinds when it's convenient. 

Or if your light isn't strong enough for the plants I would recommend buying a new light. 

I hope this helps☺

[rockfisher]

I think she is says that the window only gets minutes  of sunlight. She believes that the tank which is more to the front of the tank is causing the Val to move from the back/window side to the front/room side of the tank. Is there anyway to move the light to the back/window side of the tank. I have a /0 20 that the lid has a dark top except for the light cut out. I get strong  afternoon sun from about 11 to sunset. If I did have to make a change I would order plexiglass piece on Amazon that is closest To your needs and cut to fit. The other option is maybe better depending on how handy you are. Lowes cuts glass to shape. The other Orange one doesn’t. You would just need to cut a piece of cardboard to the size you want and any hole you would need for filters, wires for heaters, airline, or anything. If you want the front to lift up have them cut the piece of glass all the way across  where you want it to open. Then Amazon and most big pet stores have the plastic hinge that just slides on the glass. I would buy the hinge first so you can make sure the glass is the correct thickness.

 

24" Long - Pack of 2. Clear PVC Living Hinge with Bottom Groove, Fits 1/4" Material https://a.co/d/9tfywjz

Edited September 12, 2022 by rockfisher