Aquascaping Progression...

[ChloroPhil]

Hi folks,

I thought I'd give you a little idea what's been going on in my aquarium etc since I've been blabbing my mouth so much lately.

The tank looked like this, just much more grown out and with a mass of destroyed chain swords. Bushynose pl*cos don't belong in my planted aquaria. :(

[ChloroPhil]

Here's a picture of the Eusteralis stellata, one of my all time favorite plants. It's rumored to be hard to grow..... ??? When nutrient deficient it becomes a GORGEOUS magenta/fushia color along the whole stem rather than just at the parts which recieve high light.

What you see in the picture above grew out in two weeks to take over that section of the tank.

[ChloroPhil]

This pic was taken after I removed all plant life from my aquarium. My discus were doing very well before this, and are doing well now. I think it's a pretty strong testment against the idea that discus need a "sterile" environment.


Got Mulm?

[ChloroPhil]

Here it is as things stand now. I've got Glossostigma elatinoides, Echinodorus tenellus v. tenellus "micro", Hygrophila corymbosa, and Lobelia cardinalis on the way for my fore and middle ground areas.

If you don't already have one, GET A DIATOM FILTER! I had mine running during the planting and the tank went from very sedimented to this in the course of an hour or so. That's *with* the substrate being disturbed and stuff getting kicked up for two hours.

[arpanlib]

wow, you got a lovely tank. beautiful. have you any discus in it???

what are the two pipes on the front glass ???

arpanlib

[ChloroPhil]

arpanlib,

Yes, I've got two adolescents in there. Right now I'm not the best photographer and getting a decent picture of the fish is difficult. There will be more to come, hopefully with fish too.

BTW, the tubes in the front are for the diatom filter.

[aloha_discus]

Aloha Biotypical, I really enjoy seeing the beautiful tanks that you post. I have started a new planted 72 bow. I have amazon swords, corkscrew vals, crinum calistratum(cool plant). I am looking forward to seeing more of your tanks. ;D

Aloha Ike ;D

[Ralph]

Hey Phil,
Thanks for posting the photos, it's like a workshop.
That is a nice looking tank!
Do you have trouble with your fish eating the glosso, I'm asking because my tetras devoured the stuff.
What substate do you have?
Where did you get the micro sword cross, I've never heard of it?
Do you ever use any driftwood?
That's enough questions for now.

[ChloroPhil]

Ralph,

Thanks for the compliments! Funny you should mention the workshop thing, that's what I'm trying to do. I'd love to give a lecture series on aquascaping, but it wouldn't fly so picture series like this are the next best thing. :)

1. I haven't added glosso to this tank yet, I'm getting it in a couple days. In previous incarnations I've had no problems with fish eating glosso.

What kind of tetras do you have?

2. Shultz' Aquatic Plant Soil with a silica sand/laterite base.

3. I got the sword from Chavez720, a buddy of mine here in Charlotte. It's the species Echinodorus bolivianus rather than E. tenellus. I've got some true tenellus in my 5.5 and will be getting more from Florida Aquatic Nurseries in a few days with the glosso. Check out www.tropica.com and look up Echinodorus tenellus for more info.

4. Yes, I usually use a lot of driftwood, I just don't have any pieces that look good in this tank with all the plants. I'm using this tank to experiment with different placements for plants and as a growing test. Wood just takes up too much room.

Truth be told I'm a driftwood/root junkie and can stare at a woodscape for hours on end. I just found a company that will make a 240g tank for 500 US. That may be my next investment once I'm in my house. We'll see. :)

[Ralph]

I can easily imagine you doing a workshop, you are very good at explaining things. You can always practice on us to get ready for the real thing.

I think it was lemon tetras that ate my glosso but it was gone so fast that I'm not sure who had it for dinner. It wasn't a discus tank though.

I've never used (or seen) the aquatic plant soil before. Is it like regular potting soil?

When I go to a LFS, the first thing I check out (after the bargain table) is the driftwood, even before the fish. And I've never seen a piece that I didn't like. My driftwood only tank is almost ready for photos.

[ChloroPhil]

Ralph,

The APS is most often used in ponds and is also sold under the name "Profile". It's a lot like larger grained Laterite in feel and texture. For all intents and purposes it's the same thing as Flourite, baked and crushed clay, but is cheaper and isn't as heavy/dense as Flourite.

Even so, it's better than aquarium gravel and can be found at Wal Mart and other garden centers in your area. You may be able to get it under Shultz Clay Soil Conditioner, it's the same thing but in a bigger bag. I got my APS for 7.00/10lb bag.

I just got a ton of really nice glossostigma from a friend and will be putting it in the tank tomorrow. I'll have an update and some new pics sometime soon.