my first ever planted tank!

[vespers_]

so i thought i would put up some pictures of my first ever attempt at growing plants. the tank has been up for a little over a month now and needs to be trimmed, but i want to save the clippings for my next tank.

10g tank
2x15w t8
rena xp1 filter
pressurized co2
black flourite gravel

plants are: bacopa caroliniana, ludwigia (repens?), flame moss, marsilea hirsuta, pogostemon helferi, blyxa japonica, amazon swords, a crypt of some kind, giant duckweed, a weird fern, java fern and spiral val.

fish: white clouds, cardinal tetras, red ramshorns and a bunch of MTS and pond snails that snuck in.


i built the co2 system to save money. i had most of the parts lying around so it ended up being pretty cheap.



homemade bubble counter:

the tank with the first plants in it:

moving the plants around and changing layout:

the tank with all the plants and some fish:

and finally, the tank today:


anyway, it was a learning experience! :P for my second tank, i'll be really focusing on the actual layout instead of a jungle...

[Tomtit]

Are you using CO2?How do you inject gas?

[vespers_]

yes i am. i just run a tube from the co2 tank into the aquarium and through a diffuser.

[Tomtit]

It's external reactor in second picture, isn't it? By the way, I'm using DIY CO2 set, too.

[vespers_]

Originally Posted by Tomtit

It's external reactor in second picture, isn't it? By the way, I'm using DIY CO2 set, too.

no it's a home made bubble counter. the bubbles go through there and up the tub into the diffuser ( a small plastic thing with a ceramic disk) where they are broken up into the water.

i looked at reactors, but for 89$, i wasn't going to get one. the diffuser cost 13$.

[peyton]

Looks great but it might be time to invest in some pruning scissors, lol. Plants look healthy though.

[vespers_]

Originally Posted by peyton

Looks great but it might be time to invest in some pruning scissors, lol. Plants look healthy though.

yeah i'm not pruning because i want to use the clippings as a nutrient soak in the tank i am setting up now. it's an iwagumi and i hear they can get big algae problems when first set up. i don't have anywhere else to put them yet.

it's taking me longer than i thought though and the plants have gotten out of control XD

[Tomtit]

I can write you about diffuser which will cost you 0.00$ and will take very small bubbles. It's small piece of Rowan Berry tree's brunch.

[vespers_]

yeah i've heard of those before. i considered making one with a chopstick. not sure how well they work though...

[demonr6]

Nice, those plants look like they took off.. how long since setting it up?

[vespers_]

about a month i think, but i was confused about ferts at first so it was a while before i got the ones i needed >.<

[vespers_]

update with some more pictures. put on another fixture because the other one looks a little dim in pictures. i also finally got the tank trimmed XD



shrimp