Crazydaz's Square 200G RIPARIUM Strikes Back! NEW PICS 4/19-4/21!!!

[antbug]

Beautiful update Don. The tank is lookin' great!

[nonconductive]

We find our songs in fashion magazines
We read the story in the morning paper

[@marko@]

that emersed pink plant, thats althernanathera?
in 2 months when i make my betta sorority into a riparium, im gonna be on your case for a clipping of it, lol
it looks stunning. as does the rest of the tank.

[ChadRamsey]

wow, i love all the changes. I really dig this tank. great job

[crazydaz]

Thank you Anthony!! She's turned a bit of a corner and is entering "maturation" now. Many of the algae issues I was having are just starting to disappear on their own without me having to do much at all. A little peroxide here and there. That's about it.

Non Con-Howdy and thank you for "getting it." I knew that I could count on you; well played, Sir!

Marko--That is Alternanthera! Got it from Devin a few months ago....I think he sent me 6-8 stems, maybe more, for about $6 or $7 bucks....it grows on the trellis raft very well for me, though you could plant it into a hanging planter if you wanted to. I would be happy to send you a few clippings, along with your buce cuttings, if you would like. If you are going to be buying from Devin, you will get more just buying it from him, though. PM me and let me know what you would like me to do!

Chad, thank you! The overgrowth was nice for clearing up the algae, but it was growing pretty tall about 18" from the front of the tank that you couldn't even really see the back at all. What's the point of having a square tank if you don't have the depth? So, I knew that it was time to do some rearranging. Surprising, aside from topping some of the plants, I didn't actually get rid of any more than a handful of stems. I just yanked, topped, and replanted the grouping a bit closer together or in better areas of the tank. It's the advantage of using Hygro's for most of my stems....they got moved closer to the back of the tank, but they'll keep growing regardless if they are in some "shade" or in bright light. I'm hoping that some will go emerged and cover up some of the space in the very, and in front of the Manzy trunks. I would be nice to have more leaves there instead of simple LFS. And some white mold.

A while back, Toksyn sent me some Hygrolon to try out on a few of my Manzy branches, which I readily agreed to! I added to two different branches: one on the "right" side that sits about 5" above the water line at it's highest point, though it does arch into the water, and another branch that pretty much stays in direct contact with the water for about a good 2/3's of it's length before rising up. This is where my Ant Plant is located.

First, I cut strips of the Hygrolon that were a bit smaller that the branch, and applied TillyTac to where I was going to put the Hygrolon on. Next, I added the Hygrolon material, and wrapped the branch with black cotton thread so it would adhere to the rough shape of the branch. I let it dry for a good 24 hrs. TillyTac is great stuff, but if you don't let it fully cure, it will turn white when exposed to constant moisture. I removed the thread using a razor blade, and added some plants along with LFS and moss species that Toksyn had sent along as well. Here are the results:

"Tall branch" on the right side of the tank:


And here is the other branch that remains in contact with the water for most of it's length:






I have Saleginella species and some java moss growing submersed to immersed where each branch meets the water, and well as LFS to wick water up onto the Hygrolon. The Hygrolon then wicks water up its entire length, allowing water to, in turn, wick into the LFS that is on top of the Hygrolon. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed so far! The Hygrolon stays moist constantly, which is great for my plants. The moss species that Toksyn generously sent along do fine on the branch with the Ant Plant, and most of the moss has died off on the other branch. I attribute this more to the incredible dry air in my house then I do the Hygolon in any way. Maybe over time, the Hygrolon will become seeded with moss....I added the material only a few weeks before Christmas, so I'll keep tabs on it. The mystery vine that I received is doing really well; it kept it's hairs, turned a nice gold and orange color, and seems to be producing a stem that is growing vertically. Anyone know what this is??

In short, I'm pretty happy with the stuff, and will be using it on my new set up and on additional areas on my Manzy branches too. Makes my life easier, and the plants seem to like it! It's a no-brainer.

One more question: anyone know what "this" is? I have about at least a dozen of these things popping up on my moist areas, but I haven't a clue as to what they are:



Any experts out there care to guess what on Earth these curious things are popping up all over the place?? I'm NOT concerned at the moment....just curious.

All right....Set #2 of pics. Will post more tomorrow...

Crypt Patch of Metallic Red. IT'S GLORIOUS!!


Here's that "Mystery Sagittaria" that I got from AaronT. Hoping that it will spread and give a nice contrast to the R. Metallic:


The whole meatball, head on:


Just the Top, head on:


Just the Bottom, head on:


Just the Bottom head on, closer in on the right side:


The Bottom head on, closer in on the middle section:


Once again, the Bottom head on, closer in on the left section:


These last three were not easily shot.....the light from the pendant reflects off of me, so I was seeing myself in all these shots at first. Now, I'm a handsome guy, and all (tee!), but I don't like photobombing my own pics, so I had to tape black trash bags to block out all of the light from the top of the tank upwards to the pendant.

From the stairs looking down:


Thanks all! Please comment or critique!!

[toksyn]

I'm glad it's all working out and glorious is definitely how I would describe your tank. Beautiful results!

[fishykid1]

Damn that's just incredible!!! Beautiful tank!

[Jiinx]

Wow, don! I'm so speechless. Did you ever imagine you could create such a beautiful underwater artwork? I love your crypt photo! I especially love how you created depth with your rocks!

[crazydaz]

Thanks Fishykid! I appreciate the compliments! It's been worth staying patient with it, and it is a test of remaining consistent in the care and maintenance of the set up. It pays to not lose your head if there are small problems, like algae formation or something like that. Is never as bad as you think it is initially, just like anything else.

Hi Jiinx! Thank you!! It's been nice to see it start turning around and get the growth and color I was imagining. On that note, of course I had hoped (and had predicted) that the bottom part of the tank would catch up in aesthetic appeal to the top eventually. I hope that it surpasses the top, and I think that it will given enough time. I think that if you don't set out to achieve a step or two beyond where you left off the last time, you are underachieving. Never aim for something commonplace or ordinary, or do what someone else has already done, unless you can gain something from it, right?

Thanks for posting on the thread, both of you!

[ADAtank]

dont know why but the word "swamp thing" comes to mind when i se this tank

[AzFishKid]

Originally Posted by crazydaz

Here's that "Mystery Sagittaria" that I got from AaronT. Hoping that it will spread and give a nice contrast to the R. Metallic:

Looks similar to Lilaeopsis chinensis... maybe?

[crazydaz]

No, it's definitely a Sagittaria species, Philip! That's my fault...I should have taken a picture of it before I had planted it. It does look like it could be Lilaeopsis chinensis from that angle. Sorry about that!

ADA-- not sure why you think "swamp thing"! but, why not? There is a ton of Spanish moss hanging down for the branches, the water is tannin stained, lots of crypts.....seems like a reasonable comparison! I think that the addition of some IAL's would have been a nice touch.

[AaronT]

Originally Posted by AzFishKid

Looks similar to Lilaeopsis chinensis... maybe?

No, it has much wider leaves than chinensis. We collected chinensis 4 years ago and this Sagittaria we only just found last summer. We're pretty certain it's Sagittaria calycina. It grows slow, but it's really nice stuff.

[keithy]

absolutely dig the red patch of crypts and all the S.repens surrounding them. Looks very natural.

[crazydaz]

Aaron.....how slow is "slow" for this Sag?

Thanks Keithy!! Eventually, and the Sagittaria species fill in, I'll start yanking the Staurogyne out. The tank really isn't "supposed" to look like a perfect aquascape; rather, it's meant to blend in with the top of the tank. A little disorder will help that, and "time" will cause that to happen. But, I'm also not going for a "chaotic" look to it either, and it was beginning to look that way pre-trim and rearranging that I did a few days ago. I don't want a wall of stems blocking the view to the back of the tank.

Will be in Lexington this week, and we could do an early lunch around 11:00am on Wednesday. PM me, if you are available Keith!