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Crazydaz's Square 200G RIPARIUM Stikes back-The End Teaser shots of new set up 7-24

253K views 848 replies 191 participants last post by  leequan 
#1 · (Edited)
Just finished up with the move from old rental property to new home. Life sure has been hectic lately!

So, the Journal starts over, and as much as I hated to tear down the tank from this:


and this:


To THIS:


and this:


.....but it had to be done. To re-set and try to go with the same aesthetic would have been uncreative and boorish. Everything was sold or given away. Many thanks to Tlyons01 who spent a "fun" afternoon tearing the tank down with me. It only took about 7 hours. :D

Prior to that, the outside of the stand/pedestal was removed. It was made of 2x4's: very solid construction, but the outside was made of pressboard. A terrible choice, in retrospect, for obvious reasons. It had been warped and bubbled, and was a total eyesore. So, I stripped it down and threw it out.

Here are a few pics of the new pedestal:




That is red oak stained with walnut with iron hinges and knobs. We're going for more of a "rustic" old-fashioned look for the sitting room, and I thought that this would look nice. Eventually, the pendant above the tank will be redone either in black, or it will be done to match the pedestal. Probably happen in January. In the new design, I added side doors in order to make accessing the equipment in the back easier to do. It has been triple coated in poly on all sides to ensure water resistance, and almost "water proofing."

The day following the drain and dis-assembly, we moved the tank, lighting, and new pedestal to the new house. This was all done within two hours, which was faster than I had anticipated. The move went flawlessly, and I was ready to re-start the scape. So....

IN went custom made Manzanita branches that came from hydrophyte, plain kitty litter (about 30lbs), and that was topped by MTS made by DogFish. The Manzy branches are semi-poseable that will allow me to move the "joints" as needed in order to access equipment with relative ease, or to alter the hardscape as desired. You will notice screws in some of the future pictures; these are the "joints" I refer to....just a simple screw and nut assembly. Hydrophyte did do a marvelous job cutting the ends of the branches into simple fittings through which the screw passes through and is held on the other side by the nut.

DogFish sent six large Flat Rate boxes of MTS to me months ago, and makes about a two inch layer in my tank. Wonderful stuff!:





Sprinkled on the potash, pressed it into the MTS, and then topped that with some of my old tank's substrate. Added the Seriyu stone and the old stone from CraigThor's tank, and now this is how it looked:





Three rock "peninsulas" are featured in this set up for bucephelandra, anubia, and java fern species; the substrate will feature mostly crypts.

More pictures tomorrow!!
 
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#377 ·
NWA--LOL!! That's hilarious! I used to watch my buddy play Resident Evil 2 and Shadow Man back in the day, and he would get frightened playing those games. It was hilarious!! Some of the best times I had were staying in on the weekends drinking and watching that dude play his video games, and waiting for him to get scared. TOO FUNNY!!!

Bob---I don't even know. E. Porax, Epidendrum, tolumnia sylvestris....I think that's it. Getting a few others hopefully next week. They're all growing fine....just no flowers yet. Any ideas?

Obakemono.....I wouldn't say "weather patterns." It's just the latent heat from the lights warming everything below causing the water vapor to rise slightly. Just a touch of convection is all. Still looks neat, though. A slight microclimate maybe.

HD! Thanks for commenting and for the compliment man! I have UVL Red Sun, Fiji Purple, and Giesemann Lagoon Blue in each fixture. The other bulbs are Giesemann Midday's and AquaFlora's. It does make for a nice colorful tank with all of those combinations.

Odd, about the orchids....I have all the varieties in both high light and lower light conditions. None have given me any flowers yet. Oh well....then again, I've only had them for three months or so. I'll give them a little more time.
 
#379 ·
HD.....they are simply on LFS and leaf litter from the aquarium. They seem to like it....they are growing well, just not flowering yet. I will keep what you say in mind, though. It will be difficult to plant them on or in anything else except EpiWeb or Hygrolon. No good way to stick a pot into the setup, as you could imagine.

I'll keep the Starcoats in mind....I've heard good things about those bulbs, but it is SO incredibly hard to rationalize a move away from Giesemann's. Way too hard! Lol!
 
#380 ·
they like bark. its odd, but they are parasitic plants, they like to attach to wood.
the aerial roots generally like 70 degree temperatures. bulbs will make that harder to attain.. but also don't be too gentle with the plant. its actually quite hardy and is use to rough winds and handling. being too gentle can cause negative side effects as well

the starcoats wont dissapoint. that's for sure
 
#381 ·
Does anyone else have Ludwigia grandulosa x palustris?? It's the one in the center of the picture. I've been able to get some nice red coloration after a week of the new lighting. Not the greatest picture, but it's the best I could do for a quick shot.

 
#382 ·
You have to look up the blooming seasons and care requirements for each individual orchid species. They vary. Some kinds of orchids can bloom any time of the year, but most only bloom during a certain period once or twice per year. Most of the seasonal orchids also require a (usually) wintertime rest with reduced watering, cooler temps and no ferts. Many orchids also grow and flower best with cooler nighttime and warmer daytime temperatures. Fluorescent lighting is useful for this effect because the extra infrared coming from the lit-up bulbs can usually raise temps around the plants by a few degrees.

Relative humidity requirements are another important variable. Some kinds of orchids can live well in normal (as low as 30%) household humidity levels, while others require very humid air all the time or they will perish. Increased humidity is generally helpful for most kinds of orchids. Even for those species that require drying around their roots (as for a dry winter rest) it is often beneficial to have extra humidity in the air.

There are are only a few kinds of parasitic orchids and I think that all of them are terrestrial (rooted in the soil) and subsist from nutrients that they get from the roots of other plants. Most of the most popular culivated orchids are epiphytes; they are rooted on the branches of trees, but they do not take nutrients from them.
 
#384 ·
Thank you, Jsquared. It has done well for me in my set up. It never gets very tall; seems to max out at around 8 inches in height, if that. Need bright light, pressurized CO2 and lots of iron in the water column (EI dosing) and a nice nutrient-rich substrate as well. Spreads on it's own, and only requires an occasional removal of an old leaf or two. Pretty hands-off, as far as I can tell. Not a fast grower.

I got mine from manini.....you could try PM'ing him to see if he has any.
 
#385 · (Edited)
New pics.....I have a cryptocorne throwing a spathe for the first time. It feels delightful. Anyone know which species, by chance? I can't tell.....I have C. nurii, C affinis Brown Green, and C. Kota tinggi all in the same area, and I didn't feel like digging to find the exact plant it was coming from.

Your help would be greatly appreciated. ;)











Some Alternanthera taken with a macro lens......The lighting is pretty intense!


Finally, a bucephalandra leaf coming in, turning pink due to the new lighting:



Just a random shot....have a nice new neo off to the right side there.

 
#400 ·
Marko--thanks! The Alternanthera has really been a pleasant surprise for me. I knew it got "red" but not like this! Definitely adds a nice "pop" to the system. You have an emmersed set up....have you tried growing it? I could send you a stem or two next time I trim it. Let me know!

Keith--Indeed it would! :D HA! Maybe in a few years after enough people have been able to get it to submersed form and make it available. It's a stunner!

Bruce--Nice job yourself! ;) And, I agree with you...it's gotta be nurii. I don't even really care which species....the fact that I got it to spathe for me is an accomplishment for me.

Joshua--Well, thank you very much for the kind words!! I'll be on the lookout for your forthcoming journal, then!! What type of crypts are you going to use? More common ones, or more of the rare species?

HD--Thanks, man! It happens from time to time from what I've seen. It has never happened to me before, and I don't know many people that get it to happen within 4.5 months of a set up. THAT is way cool! :D I don't try to make it a habit of boasting, but I am, admittedly, pretty proud that I was able to get a spathe within such a short amount of time. Squee!

Fisherman! Thank you buddy! I'm really enjoying the set up now! Everything is beginning to come together, but I still have a very long time to wait before I would consider the tank to be "done." Those buce's, man....very pretty, and are growing quickly, but that doesn't mean that they're even close to covering even 20% of the area that I need them to. It'll take some time.

Frank--Yes, that was a WONDERFUL experience.....I think that SOMEONE was able to get a small daughter to start growing submersed. I have no idea if it lasted, though. I would give it a go, but like I said to Hung, I don't have that much time to breastfeed and nurture it into maybe growing for me. I'd rather simply pay a handsome sum for one that has been growing underwater. My conditions are prime; but, I highly doubt that I could get it to grow submersed from a gel. You would have better luck than I would. You would have to get some to grow emmersed, take daughters from that batch, grow it in really high humidity in a flood tank; take daughters from that batch, and then have it such that those daughters were mostly submerged; take daughters from that, and then finally you would probably have a crypt Flamingo that would survive underwater. Who has the time for that? :D

HD--Contact Hung (Noodle). He's a good guy, and may have a lead on some. Well, he did go to THE Ohio State University......that's the only knock I have against him. :D
 
#406 ·
Joshua--Well, thank you very much for the kind words!! I'll be on the lookout for your forthcoming journal, then!! What type of crypts are you going to use? More common ones, or more of the rare species?

More common ones to start although I do plan on getting some nurii, some rosanervig, and flamingo's been on my list for a long time. I'd also love some aponogetifolia. Soo many to think of haha. Ill probably start common and head in that direction eventually. Those new buce plants look kinda cool too. We will see! Maybe Ill buy some of your buce babes if they grow enough ;)
 
#402 ·
I'm sorry, HD. Were you born on some distant planet? :D This looks Plain Jane to you?:



Lol! I would still want it!! A lot of it, too! It's PINK! If you know of any that already has some in submersed form, please let me know!! :)

Actually, in some ways your right.....I think that is just an albino form of a common crypt. But it is really rare to find over here State-side. It is somewhat common over in Europe, though.

Stock wise, I have Pygmy and Hasbrosus Cories, Otos, BNP's; orange, tangerine, and Amano shrimp; Microdevario kubotai and one of the microrasoras (I think boraras briggante), cobalt blue gobies, nerites and ramshorns, stuff like that. It's well stocked.
 
#403 ·
he doesn't have it. we've been talking. the crypt he has, is kinda pink on the underside. topside is green
however i do plan on trying to order some from somewhere once spring comes and ewather is more tolerable, its comming cross seas so we shall see if it makes it? it might not even get past customs. im not sure yet. don't need to break any laws getting it

know that i have talked to you enough, i feel comfortable saying, you may try increasing co2 a tad
the palustris hybrid had some twisted leaves and looked a little deficient. this may be its growth pattern but it's something that caught my eye. every other picture i've seen though looks pretty well exactly the way it should be

for the record. crypt wendtii red can look this way with low nitrates
my lfs is full of pitiful looking wendtii red. and it looks remarkably like that. just not as healthy
 
#405 ·
Well, Sir, I have made a note of the CO2 increase and will look into it. The "crinkle" to some of those leaves is gone....my assumption was that it was adjusting to the higher light, but a touch more CO2 probably wouldn't hurt it. ;) It never tends to.

Somebody will eventually offer the Flamingo here. Just a matter of time. We'll see what happens. And, you can get these in gel legally, but they don't often arrive in the greatest of shape.

Chad--I'll get right on it. LOL!! After I get mine first. ;)
 
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