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A Collection of Vases

23K views 110 replies 23 participants last post by  AquaAurora 
#1 ·
Hello TPT.

I am so awesome at starting things. Completion though, has never been my strongest suit. I am hoping that I can at least see these vases through to maturity. As the title suggests, I have several planted vases to share with you. One mature, two just started, and another one in development. Vases attract me, since they started existence as something meant for a purpose other than to hold fish. Yet, they hold water and plant cuttings ie flowers, so why not? They are also inherently pretty even when empty.

Here is the first one, it is over a month old. A hurricane vase purchased from Michaels for fifteen dollars (and that was the sale price). This is its second iteration, the first being an experiment to see if club moss in an emersed driftwood pocket will do well. Sadly, it didn't.
Plant Water Houseplant Green Botany

Located in bathroom with north facing window.
Total capacity 1.5 gallons but actual water volume is 1 gallon.
It has a coarse sand substrate with a root tab. Tom mini internal filter with the outflow baffled by a piece of tulle. Ikea LED light. Heater pending, it is now at 21C/70F.
Mopani wood with Java moss attached.
Sprigs of Bacopa, Brazilian pennywort, water wisteria
Java fern, one dwarf sag, Amazon frogbit

And yes, it has a betta. Delta tail, looks like he's a marbled lavender.
Please don't judge, I understand he needs more room but this is what I can do for now. Since I bought him yesterday he has been exploring his new home and has started to colour up. Feel free to tell me to move him, it will make you feel better and I may eventually heed your advice.

Other vases to follow in the next few days.
 
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#5 ·
Thank you for the compliment. This vase has grown on me quite a bit since last week when the moss started to look more lush and was draping well. The stem plants also just took off soon after I put the root tab in. Before that it was just blah. It did provide entertainment because the bladder snails like to surf the surface and I even caught one diving. Made my jaw drop.

Forgot, there's a baby Nymphoidea 'Taiwan' hiding behind the water wisteria.

Hopefully you do set up that 3-foot vase. It will be very interesting. Challenging to provide lighting too but that's part of the fun! I'm lucky, the kids are grown up enough that they're more likely to help than hinder when it comes to the tanks. No dog, but we keep discussing getting one. Probably after the house renos start to calm down.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I was out for a stroll when...

So the car was at the dealer's for warranty work today and I had a couple of hours to kill downtown.
Enter "Chintz". This place is dangerous. I was greeted by shelves and shelves of cylindrical vases, the widest being ten inches. There was a ten wide by 18 tall! I seriously had a hard time resisting. But then I saw these:

Plant World Architecture Vegetation Grass

Seriously! How do you expect me not to buy one? Even worse, I don't have one of these and there's so many great bowls set up by you folks. So I took a 12 inch version home. If it's a perfect sphere it calculates to 3.6 gallons. So likely I can fill it up to three.

Now my only problem is where to put it. Because you see, I have a 12 by 12 inch cylinder coming from Amazon. Aargh! My daughter will probably volunteer her desk for one of these tanks which leaves the other potentially unfilled. That, my friends, would be very sad.

Anyway, she's with Dad until Labour Day, and the cylinder isn't home yet. I will probably give her the choice of whether she wants the bowl or cylinder. She can choose livestock after it's cycled. I am hoping to influence her towards a Betta or Endlers. But, big "but", I get to do the planting.

PS, tried to get "Bravo" the betta to eat some pellets today. He totally snubbed them. Then I remembered that my vermicomposting bin has white worms. Hah! He gulped down two. Just goes to show you how well moving food goes over with these guys.
 
#8 ·
I just bought a heater! It's an under gravel one, so I have to muck around the tank a bit, I confess, not looking forward to the likely mess. I just thought that it would not eat into his swimming room.
Thanks for the compliment btw.
 
#11 ·
Yes, he's beautiful. I never expected that kind of colour from a Betta.

I did read somewhere (this forum I think) that when shopping for Bettas, to consider the pale ones with unusual colors, as they would likely brighten up after a few days in a good tank.

I wasn't shopping for Bettas by any means, but the local Pet Culture had a ton of new guys, even a mustard type. Sadly, I had to pass on him since even one was a bit of a stretch.

Because he's such a beauty, I'm going to have to seriously read up on and consider breeding him. I figure I have maybe a six month window given he's already probably close to 6 months old.
 
#12 ·
I wouldn't recommend breeding personally, just because it can be hard to find homes for all the babies and because it isn't just about colours but also finnage. But if you are interested check out the Betta Breeders Canada Club and the International Betta Congress. They both have lots of info.
 
#15 ·
Wish I could find someplace other than Michel's around here to get nice vases/bubble bowls (that place it too over priced). How much was your new bowl?
 
#18 ·
AquaAurora - the 12 inch bubble bowl was 35$ Canadian, so close enough to thirty in U.S. funds I would expect.

BushKill - I bought a Bettatherm by Zoomed, cost me 20$ Cdn at LFS. Could be cheaper somewhere else. It's 7.5 watts, rated for 1-3 Gallons. States on package that it will raise temp 5 deg to 10 deg F (2.7-5.4 C). There's a 90 degree angle between cord and the flat round heater which is 3" diameter, so placement was easy. I had no trouble inserting into the gravel, and the suction works well.

Because of the bottom placement, the water should heat more evenly (heat rises). My 1 gallon water went from just under 21C to just ove 24 C in less than 24 hours. After putting a cover on half the tank, it's now 24.5 C.

I looked at those solar flares, available to us through Amazon. Seriously considering the red one as accent lighting. Thanks for letting me know about the suction cup, as it was something I was a bit leery about.
 
#20 ·
About that...

I've been meaning to post since yesterday but I got distracted. I cancelled my order. I looked at it again after having seen the 10" cylinders at Chintz. Saw to my horror that it is seed glass. I thought it was only seed glass bottom, the pictures aren't too clear, but I looked real closely and it's not just the bottom that's seed glass.
Clear 12" Glass Large Wide Seed Bottom Glass Cylinder Centerpiece Vase: Amazon.ca: Patio, Lawn & Garden

So sorry to disappoint. This is the closest I can find on Amazon.com, but it's a set of four:
Amazon.com - Cylinder Vase Bulk Jumbo Size, Wide Cylinder Vase. H-12" D-10" (4 pcs) -

So, tomorrow I will go back to chintz to get the ten inch diameter one. The inner diam is 9.5" and the usable height for water is about 11.25 inches if filled to the brim. There's one 18" tall version. If I'm lucky it's still there. If not, the shorter one it is.

The ten inch cylinder has almost the same volume capacity as the 12 inch bubble bowl. However, the bubble bowl has that cool magnifying effect that's at least worth a try.

I'm with you, a 12x 12 inch cylinder is my gold standard but I can't find one just yet. Sucks, someone here posted a gorgeous one a couple years back.
This one-
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=585305&highlight=cube
 
#21 ·
Dang it that's a shame! I love seeded glass, and it would definitely be unique, but not enough to overlook the distraction of it when I'd rather focus on the contents of the case lol.

I found this just now, that I'm seriously considering settling for since I really can't find a decent 12x12.

https://www.wholesalefloral.com/Cylinder_Vases_12_x10_p/glwd1210.htm
 
#23 ·
PsymonPsays - the 12x10 actually looks like a good size, just can't plant anything too tall (ha ha, even in the 12x12 a ten inch plant is tall). I would totally use one of those.
If the inner diam is 11.5 inches, and the bottom is 1/2 thick the max volume is 4.2 gallons. That's more than the 12 inch bubble bowl!

Mariostg - well, since you mentioned Winners and Michaels, here goes.
Plant Drinkware Liquid Tableware Water

Ta daaa!
Left one from Michaels, holds just over 3 litres, purchased yesterday.
Right one from Winners, used about 2.5 L water once planted. Pond soil capped with gravel.
Brazilian pennywort
Tiger lotus
Hydrocotyle tripartita
Marimo moss ball
Weeping moss in the floating thingamajiggy
Buce 'brownie purple' fragment on the stone
Kitschy pagoda (don't hate me, I love it)

Done up four days ago, water slowly cleared up over 2-3 days
 
#30 ·
PsymonPsays - the 12x10 actually looks like a good size, just can't plant anything too tall (ha ha, even in the 12x12 a ten inch plant is tall). I would totally use one of those.
If the inner diam is 11.5 inches, and the bottom is 1/2 thick the max volume is 4.2 gallons. That's more than the 12 inch bubble bowl!

Mariostg - well, since you mentioned Winners and Michaels, here goes.
View attachment 511857
Ta daaa!
Left one from Michaels, holds just over 3 litres, purchased yesterday.
Right one from Winners, used about 2.5 L water once planted. Pond soil capped with gravel.
Brazilian pennywort
Tiger lotus
Hydrocotyle tripartita
Marimo moss ball
Weeping moss in the floating thingamajiggy
Buce 'brownie purple' fragment on the stone
Kitschy pagoda (don't hate me, I love it)

Done up four days ago, water slowly cleared up over 2-3 days
I have the same pagoda and I love it.
 
#24 ·
I did something like this I used a drink dispencer tho. It's roughly 2 gallons only has a few random shrimp in it. I bought blueberry shrimp but the baby's that came from them are clear and redish. I have crypts anubias driftwood water wisteria and a moss ball. I have 2 tetra colorfusion leds I glued together and a restricted airpump for a small amount of flow. Idk if the photo will upload or not.
 
#28 · (Edited)
#29 ·
About the new bubble bowl...

I washed it, then put water in just to see what the distortion is like. Pretty cool.

Then I drained the water. It took so long, made me wonder. I had assumed this was a 12 inch diameter bowl, but, no. It is 14! So, the inner diameter is 13.5 inches. If it was a perfect sphere full of water the volume would be 5.4 gallons Score!

Now, I have to be even more careful that nobody breaks it.
 
#31 ·
fwiw, I kinda like the pagoda too. Not kitchy at all. If it had an LED inside, I'd say differently, lol!

There's a small LFS that I've frequented for years and years, but they are slowly moving to almost all SW. The guys that own the place can be really funny at times. They bought a few resin Easter Island head figurines and attached coral frags to them...........in really funny spots.
 
#34 · (Edited)
Tha saga continues

This is turning out to be a journal but since they're all nanos it seems appropriate to keep in this section.

The nine year old girl child decided on the bubble bowl for her desk. These were the choices she was given:
Drinkware Liquid Fluid Barware Drink


I have to admit that I was having a super hard time deciding which one to set up, but to be fair, the tank will be in her room. Right now she has a 3L bladder snail tank going, the contents of that will be moved to the bigger tank.

Plans are:
pond soil bottom with fine gravel cap
mini sponge filter (taking advantage of the air pump already being run in the snail tank)
IKEA jansjo desk lamp (some light, none direct coming in from window)
mini heater
an Ozelot sword, salvinia, Christmas moss,and various odds and sods from the other tanks

Eventually a Betta.

The inner diameter of the bowl is 36+cm, if it's a perfect sphere that translates to 24.4L or 6.5gal. Likely will end up with 4.5-5 gallon water in it. Plenty space for a Betta!

Ha ha! With this 300th post I realized I just became "Planted Tank Obsessed". Aren't most of us? At least a little?
 
#35 ·
Went to IKEA today to check out their vases and see if I could brainstorm any. Saw this http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30122199/#/50122198 and definitely going back next week after payday to pick it up. This thing is MASSIVE, beautiful, thick clear glass, and seems perfect for a nice shrimp tank hehe.

At that size (25.5x10.75), if it was a perfect cylinder, would put it right at 10 gallons. I'm guessing it's really closer to 8ish since it's slightly tapered.
 
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