Frank's Planted Tank How-To Mini Novel - The Mini S Returns! New Layout

[Francis Xavier]

They discontinued the English AJ due to 'lack of interest,' or something to that effect.

I have no idea when they anticipate a release of the intl site.

[Xalyx]

Where did you get all this dwarf riccia? Isn't it hard to buy? Where can I get some?

[Green_Flash]

Is dwarf ricca different from ricca?

[MABJ]

Originally Posted by Green_Flash

Is dwarf ricca different from ricca?

Yup. It also floats unless tied down, but it is more compact and far denser.

[Xalyx]

Originally Posted by MABJ

Yup. It also floats unless tied down, but it is more compact and far denser.

That's all fine and dandy but meaningless if it can't be obtained.

[MABJ]

Originally Posted by Xalyx

That's all fine and dandy but meaningless if it can't be obtained.

Hey now :/ my answer wasn't meaningless.

In fact I know of a seller, so be nice.

F2plata, I believe is his name, has a picture of an older car in his profile. He has some and grows it.

I was about to buy some simply for its rarity, but I didn't because I have nowhere to put it.

[Xalyx]

Originally Posted by MABJ

Hey now :/ my answer wasn't meaningless.

In fact I know of a seller, so be nice.

F2plata, I believe is his name, has a picture of an older car in his profile. He has some and grows it.

I was about to buy some simply for its rarity, but I didn't because I have nowhere to put it.

Incorrect name I think

[Francis Xavier]

Originally Posted by Xalyx

Incorrect name I think

I only use normal Riccia Fluitans - the moss in the new layout is peacock moss.

I achieve small size in Riccia with frequent trimming and higher co2 concentrations and nutrient density. When I get these aquariums to fully grown in, I am typically running 3-4 times the initial recommended dosage for fertilizers.

This same technique can be used for E. Tennellus - which will grow quite large when left alone, trimming to the base Helps maintain a smaller size.

Often, the size of a plant isn't a new sp. of that plant, but small growing size is achieved with good trimming and dosing technique.

For example - E. Acicularis and E. Parvula will grow to about 8 inches left alone, but frequent trimming can train this plant to stay about 3-4 inches instead.

The same with stems - trimming them will keep lea sizes smaller and create denser foliage.


So the lesson here is that mastery and cultivation comes through proper care (trimming) technique, rather than specific species or sub species. The same practice comes into play with plant color.

In two tanks with the same dosing regime, one with frequent trimming (tank A) and the other with almost none( tank b), E. Tennelus is growing.

In tank A, Tenellus grows shorter and keeps a blood-red bronze coloration mixed with greens.

In tank B, tennellus over grows and becomes taller (about 12"), and the bronze coloration fades out to a light shade of green.

The trimming induces tennellus to regrow where it maintains it's beautiful bronze color before it "grows out of it."

In Rotala Colorata, as the thicket is repeatedly trimmed back, the stem size stays tinier as it is covering ground (e.g. It hasn't grown to full size yet). The tips maintain a gradien coloration between deep red at the top and yellow at the bottom. However as the leaf ages it turns more yellowish and eventually is green, so left alone only the top portion would be the brilliant autumnal color.

Think of the aquatic plants growth as a flower blooming - once it has bloomed it "peaks" and the plant grows beyond that stage. What we want to do is repeatedly maintain the plant in the most pleasant temporary state, which is achieved through trimming at the appropriate times. Overgrown plants are rarely a good thing aesthetically, unless you are specifically looking for the plant to be in it's "overgrown form."

So if we think of plants in terms of emmersed forms and submersed forms as the most obvious, then there are "sub forms" of the submersed forms (this is not technically, scientifically correct, but for understanding is easiest to visualize and think of).

Of those "sub forms" there are three stages - initial growth / re growth, where the plant part is spreading out a runner or a new plantlet or regrowing a stem. This form is usuall the smallest and has a slightly pale coloration.

The second and usually most "ideal" form is the maturing phase, where the plant has it's deepest / most brilliant coloration and the plant is of medium size (relative to max growth of that plant). This would be where tenellus is about 3-4 inches and has primarily bronze colors.

The third is overgrown or aged phase - where the plant has gone beyond full maturation and is now at or beyond maximum size - colors usually change again and are a little more faded or deeper in color depending on species. sometimes this coloration could be much different (like red to yellow to green in R. Colorata) or more subtle shades (like popping vibrant green to darker / subdued green in HC).

Another way to think of it is in terms of a human baby growing up and going through adolescence to teenage to adulthood to old age.

So in trimming we effectively restart the process again at initial growth and want to constantly be in the maturation phase.

This is also why it is important for you to learn a couple key species and to reuse them in your layouts so you can master their growth and phase patterns to make increasingly more complex layouts.

[2wheelsx2]

Great points made there, Frank, and once again, making this one of the coolest threads ever.

[Francis Xavier]

Thanks!

I have a few photos to update this with, I had an incident happen in the aquarium that's useful to teach off of, but I've been too busy to get the photos off the camera and tend to forget (then when I remember I don't have the SD card on me!!).

Essentially what happened is, I used pure RODI water and caused the Moss to brown out since there was no pH buffer at all - due to a lack of aqua soil and no stones that raise / alter pH. The moss is recovering now that I'm not being lazy and adding back in equilibrium, but it's a great example of a problem that can happen quickly and is completely preventable with a step.

But, the road to recovery should prove useful as an instructional tool - at least no algae has shown up yet.

[Xalyx]

Ok I know where to buy regular riccia, although still rare.

As for my next question, how did all these people become your students, where can I attend such a university?

[Francis Xavier]

Nothing too special! Just ask questions, learn from the principles I've set out and have an attitude that's willing to be challenged. It's a laissez-faire one on one type deal. Just message or call me with specific questions and follow the system and take pictures of your results!

[Xalyx]

Originally Posted by Francis Xavier

Nothing too special! Just ask questions, learn from the principles I've set out and have an attitude that's willing to be challenged. It's a laissez-faire one on one type deal. Just message or call me with specific questions and follow the system and take pictures of your results!

Definitely going to take you up on that offer but it's going to be late 2013/Early 2014 before I have all the money for a full ADA Mini S set. So my wait is long... but I'm going all out and cutting no corners so in the end it'll be worth it. I look at it as the cup is half full... this means that I have a year to envision my layout!! I have the flora list down to 98% completion (can't decide between HC and Riccia).

Visualize my scape... Can't wait.

[Francis Xavier]

In the mean time you may want to pick up copies of TFH (Tropical Fish Hobbyist) magazine for January to April 2013 - I have an article series running in there for that length that goes over the whole process from a different perspective.

I think they can be found at barnes and nobles or somewhere like that.

[TheGuy]

Frank did you find the small unzan was very buoyant

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