G's 12g long planted with new (smaller) driftwood

[dasob85]

Current FTS
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...&postcount=131

regarding photos, I put all the old photos into a new album since I'm going to do a second tank journal soon and dont want any mixups/confusions with pictures. Please go to the photobucket site for all old pics. I'll try to edit in some FTS shots for progressions on post 131 on page 9
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Equipment:
Marineland Double Bright LED
Eheim 2215 Filter with 2217 impeller
Koralia Nano 240
Hydor Inline Heater
5lb CO2

Black sand substrate

Flora(edited):
HC
I have no idea what the rest are called lol

Fauna(edited):
CRS
RCS
Otocinclus Vitatus

[EnigmaticGuppy92]

lookin good nice ideas how about white cloud mountain minnows aswell/either they have red on them and are a good shoaler will also contrast well with a black background

[orchidman]

this has great potential!

[dasob85]

Day 1:




Please ignore the rock, that's to prevent the driftwood from floating.

Thanks for reading!

p.s. big thank you to everyone on TPT who I got stuff from(driftwood, prefilters, co2 stuff, plants, fertilizers etc)

Originally Posted by EnigmaticGuppy92

lookin good nice ideas how about white cloud mountain minnows aswell/either they have red on them and are a good shoaler will also contrast well with a black background

I've had them before. i was less than impressed with their coloration. however, I had them in my first tank a long time ago with really crappy lighting so that could be the cause of it. i also had them in a tank with neons so that also made them look worse
I'm more concerned with the boraras looking really nice in pictures because of the lighting that compliments their red color so when I put them in my tank, they'll look more washed out and bland.

[EnigmaticGuppy92]

good luck i will watch your progress

[dasob85]

Originally Posted by orchidman

this has great potential!

I'm already out of ideas! I'm a total noob with plants! i was thinking anubias nana on the branches where there are intersections, flame moss around the other branches, some crypt parva along the back/right, and red stems across the back/left.

I am slightly worried that there isnt enough cover for the fish under that bright lighting from looking at my top down shot. I originally allotted more back space for plants but the tile under the driftwood skewed my location placement and i ordered too much hc. (dont often hear ppl complain about that, please be nice. its my first planted tank )

[EnigmaticGuppy92]

i would add vallisneria in the rear left corner i would keep the far right as an open swimming area and add a few crypts and stem plants in and around the driftwood with maybe a large crypt at the back

[dasob85]

I found these crypts that I like. in parenthesis is how tall they get, but i want to know how wide do they get?
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Green Gecko' (4-6in)
CRYPTOCORYNE X WILLISII 'LUCENS' (4-8in)
CRYPTOCORYNE UNDULATA (4-6in)

Keep in mind my tank is only like 9 inches tall lol with 1-2inches of sand = gigantic looking crypts. wont they overpower the driftwood?

[GMYukonon24s]

Looks like you have a great start on this. I'm really starting to like that size tank.

[dasob85]

Thanks! You should get one

[simply amazing]

wow.. cant wait to see this

[kwheeler91]

I thought the same thing about the lucens... Now I have some leaves that are close to a foot probably. My undulata stays about the listed height, not sure about green gecko because I havent had it but my wendtii red gets like a foot or taller sometimes.

[dasob85]

darn, i liked the lucens the best. I'll go with the undulata in the back left corner then thanks! What color do you think it will be with around 40-50 par?

[dasob85]

Day4: HC stems started perking up, can see some new smaller leaves (or is this wishful thinking? :p) Definitely saw alot of fuzzy mold on the driftwood though. Went into panic mode and wiped it down before I remembered to take pictures. Hopefully I caught it pretty early and it wont spread to the plants. Wiped down the wood with full strength excel and left the saran wrap off today to let the wood fully dry. Just covered it again now as the water level goes down reaaally fast when left open.

If I see mold on the hc, how much should i dilute the excel to spray onto the hc? I think i read 1:10 before?

[kwheeler91]

Im not techy enough to know what par is for what lighting, but undulata stays green for the most part when it is shaded or low light. in medium light it gets a nice redish orange color. Havent grown in "high light" so I couldnt sat, but give it a shot its a nice plant. Why not try some luteait gets a dark reddish brown color with stripes if it gets enough light very cool. I can sell you some undulata and/or lutea if you need some.

The fungus on the wood is usually only temporary. Idk where you got it but it could be a softwood and not hold up too well under water. If it feels "waxy" or you can easily push your fingernewails into it its probably not a good idea to keep. I do a lot of drift wood collecting and you learn what kinds work and,which ones dont.