The Planted Tank Forum banner

Advise needed and issues

703 views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  Straight shooter 
#1 ·
Hello,

I need your advice on my scape. It was not something I put together in one go but came to be due to removal and replacing of dying plants and re-scaping during the past two years. I'm not really satisfied about how my tank has developed. Most of the plants have good growth now but it looks kinda messy.

First here are some technical details.

- approx 180 liters
- 2x 39watt T5 Lightning ( one Arcadia tropical pro and one Arcadia fresh plant pro). Lights on for 8 hours a day
- filtration: a JBL cristalprofi 1501 (approx 1500 L/h) and an eheim classic 150 (approx 350l/h)
- pressurized co2. Drop checker is lime green. Distribution through inline diffuser. Spray bar on the back glass, about two thirds of the length.
- medium stocked with fish and amano shrimps.
- plant nutrition: EI, KNO3, KH2PO4, spores and clay balls at the roots.
- substrate: akadama

Here are some specific problems I face:
1. The longer plants (vallisneria, Ludwigia sp. super red and Elodea) on the background are growing towards the front glass. I want them to grow vertically.
2. Growth on the sides is poor. I have two stems of Ludwigia sp. super red and they're not growing at all. At the back they're growing ok. Echinodorus bleheri on the left side is staying very small.
3. Nymphaea zenkeri on the right front is growing good but the leaves are pressing at the front glass. Can I cut these off?
4. The distance between the nodes of the Ludwigia is large, I'd like them to be closer together.
5. I have 4 cryptocoryne wendtii which have really grown large. I don't really know what to do with them.
6. In the far right back corner there's a Echinodorus cordifolius which is doing poorly. No new leaves and existing leaves are turning yellow.

Could you please help me with these issues? Or have some general advice? I noticed already that on the sides the flow is not as good as in the middle but I don't know how to improve that. Thank you very much in advance.







Verzonden vanaf mijn iPad met behulp van Tapatalk



Verzonden vanaf mijn iPad met behulp van Tapatalk
 
See less See more
5
#2 ·
I like the crypt bush. I would stick a tall piece of wood behind it as a sort of focal point.
I'd frame the tank, by removing some of the green plants in the right front, those seem a bit hap hazard.Then plant the vals down that side about two inches from the side, so that they can fan open without squeezing against the glass. Also the two equal size focal points are confusing with them being about the same size as the crypt bush, so it should make that easier on the eye.


I also don't think those swords on the left of the crypts is tall enough, although the colour contrast is great.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top