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Blue Velvet Shrimp Bowl

16K views 78 replies 18 participants last post by  asuran 
#1 · (Edited)
Figured i better start this its own thread...

Equipment:
2.5-3 gallon fish bowl
13 watt cfl w/ artist lamp

Substrate:
1.5" Miracle Grow Organic Potting Mix
Cap'd with 1" silica sand

Flora:
Christmas Moss
Frogbit
Others TBD

Fauna:
Shrimp TBD

A couple setup pics

Cap'd



Filling





The setup with moss rock, will be moss BUSH!



Humble start



So, this will obviously be a slower project... As the moss has to grow quite a bit, but the frogbit is on its way!

Any suggestions for other plants? I want enough to filter the bad but still have shrimp visible...
 
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#2 ·
lol I love it. That second to last picture is perfect.

You could always try adding some riccia as a floater or tie it down. Some people may disagree with me but so far I haven't had issues with growing it in a low tech tank and a small container that gets no beneficial light.

It might look nice to have something that would grow up and emersed but unfortunately I don't have any experience so can't suggest anything. :/
 
#5 ·
I would put a small Anubias (my choice) or java fern on a little piece of driftwood. You would get some dark brown color out of the wood (to balance the bright sand) and some actual leaves (to balance the 'fuzzy' moss). Both would be happy enough under minimal light and slow growing.

That would give you 2 little 'islands' in the sand and still maintain the minimalist thing it look like you have going. :smile:
 
#10 · (Edited)
I would put a small Anubias (my choice) or java fern on a little piece of driftwood. You would get some dark brown color out of the wood (to balance the bright sand) and some actual leaves (to balance the 'fuzzy' moss). Both would be happy enough under minimal light and slow growing.

That would give you 2 little 'islands' in the sand and still maintain the minimalist thing it look like you have going. :smile:
I added a piece of cholla wood, trying to stay away from dw or plants that cant be stuck in the ground. I do like the idea of having some leaves to balance things out though

I laughed pretty hard too ha.. You can try crypts; they're slow and low so wouldn't crowd out the bowl. If you want something that grows out as a bush you can try hemianthus micranthemoides/glomeratus, but that'd take up more space. Stem plants that will grow out and flower that are not too weedy; Bacopa colorata/carolina with blue flowers, Proserpinaca palustris or perhaps lobelia cardinalis. All these can be grown in soil tanks without CO2.
What Bacopa has blue flowers?? I cant find any with those names, one is red and the other is green?

I like the lobelia cardinalis, might be a good fit.

Why did you add potting soil, are you going to plant stem plants..?
I added it because I wasnt sure what I was going to do, and didnt want to not have something later down the road... if I dont end up using it, then oh well right?

------
I have some Elodea, but I feel like that is too tall of a plant for this setup. I also have some narrow leaf java fern but like I said trying to stay away from driftwood or plants that cant be planted into the ground. Thanks everyone for the comments so far...

 
#8 ·
I laughed pretty hard too ha.. You can try crypts; they're slow and low so wouldn't crowd out the bowl. If you want something that grows out as a bush you can try hemianthus micranthemoides/glomeratus, but that'd take up more space. Stem plants that will grow out and flower that are not too weedy; Bacopa colorata/carolina with blue flowers, Proserpinaca palustris or perhaps lobelia cardinalis. All these can be grown in soil tanks without CO2.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I love this bowl, looks good with just the rock and moss really. Simple, elegant and quite striking. I think the cholla wood would look good behind the rock at an angle.

I'm loving cholla wood. I have so far built two cholla wood caves for a 10 gallon and one for a 2 gallon no tech jar. I just cut each piece into 2 and then made a cave out of them. 10 gallon is covered with fissidens and the jar is Taiwan moss. I'm really loving moss and getting the collection going of it slowly but surely. Pics of my caves, first one I used super glue but it didnt hold, the moss is now holding it together but the second one I tied together with fishing line, would have use cotton thread but didn't have a needle to help pull it through the holes.
 
#19 ·
Just playing around with what i have, i removed my first narrow leaf java fern plantlet from its mother, and used a dot of super glue and attached it to the moss rock, i will eventually trim to keep the moss bush shorter then the fern. I also wanted to show the growth of the xmas moss (well i added a bit more but still..) and dont know if it will stay there but tucked a tiny tiny elodea stem in the mix





You can also see i removed most of the floaters, still enough around the edges to reproduce but felt the bottome wasnt getting enough light
 
#20 ·
Nice little bowl. I have something like that sitting around, but not as big. Hmmmmmm.....

Anyway, I am going to second the cry for a crypt. Put one or two in the back, and you are good to go. They will grow low enough, and they love dirt tanks from my experience.
 
#22 · (Edited)
I am pretty sure there are a couple wendtii variations that are red. I will see if I can dig something up for you.

This should give you a decent start.

A good place to start.
 
#24 ·
Crypts are a pretty versatile and all around great plant. I have seen them do well in just about any system. The best ones I have grown have been in dirt with lighting like I just posted in your betta thread.
 
#25 ·
I have (6) blue velvets out for delivery today, should be here anytime :)

Did a final wc before their arrival...

Tds 115
Gh 6 drops
Kh 4 drops

If im right, this is also perfect for oebt (which a local guy will have for sale soon). Hehehe

Id like to get my kh lower but i dont understand "add peat moss". I also have read adding an airstone can lower kh, but how do you put an airstone in sand?! Lol.
 
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