Oqsy's 55 gallon journal...*Updated 06/22/07*

[eds]

Looking good!
With the dark substrate and background, the plants shine like jewels!
I also like the sense of left to right flow, from the combined shape of the plants and the wood.

[scolley]

Looks good Oqsy. That e. tenellus in particular looks really happy. Must be doing something right!

[Oqsy]

thanks steve. i was just heading to your kahuna thread to see if you've posted any pics recently. I must say that your sunfish are gorgeous.

Oqsy

[sarahbobarah]

WOW! Where the heck is your filter outlet???

[Oqsy]

black pvc spraybar in the top left corner suction-cupped to the left side of the tank just below the water surface... in that pic you *might* be able to make out the cork that plugs the end pressing against the top left corner of the front glass.

Oqsy

[esarkipato]

Lookin really good! Isn't it great how some low foreground plants can really tie a tank together! Keep it up, oqsy

[Oqsy]

progress! ludwigias are reddening up, new species tucked in a few places, including some d. diandra, dwarf hairgrass, blyxa japonica (turned pinkish tan after 3 days in tank), ludwigia "cuba", among others... I've hit my stride with dosing: backed down NO3 to bring out reds, upped PO4 and traces to spur new growth, and doubled iron dosing to give the glandulosa a kick in the pants.

Oqsy

[Oqsy]

well... thanks for the comments, folks!


seriously, anyone with feedback of any kind, as long as its constructive, have at it.

Oqsy

[observant_imp]

I like the mix of stems on the left--it puts me a little in mind of the edge of a forest and a meadow.

Even though they are different plants, I'm seeing too much symmetry with the 2, green, small, round-leaved plants in the background. What about moving the plant with the small, round leaves that is just to the right of the anubias to the far left of the tank and then either leaving that space open or using something with big leaves like a lilly or a sword? Or maybe just swapping it with the smaller stems to the right. That plant just seems to strong with the relatively open space just to the right.

You've got a good mix of colors and leaf shapes going. It will nice to see this fill in.

[Oqsy]

great ideas, imp... thanks for the suggestions.

the plant on the right is bacopa, and i'm planning on letting it fill out some more, then using it from the back right corner, and tapering down in height to the middle, like I'm trying to do on the left. The idea is the way overdone "bowl" shape. the other "similar" plant to the bacopa is lysimachia, and while it is probably a little too similar to bacopa, I'm really enjoying the way it's weaving around the driftwood... the color and texture are really nice too.. I just wish I could come up with a way to keep it in the same place without tossing the bacopa (it's growing better than anything else in the tank besides the ludwigia repens and the chain sword.

plans for the immediate future:

chain sword is being replaced by blyxa japonica and dwarf hairgrass. stargrass on the right is already replaced with d. diandra (fine pink leaves in front of the green round ones helps take the edge off the bacopa). I also have some ludwigia inclinana "cuba", a single stem of macandra, and some aromatica that are almost imperceivable in that pic that will grow in and find homes somewhere in the scape (right now they're just out front where they're not shaded by the taller plants, so they can grow uninhibited). my ludwigia brevipes and ludwigia glandulosa are coloring up even more since the photo was taken, and will be trimmed and repositioned in a more pleasing setup soon, too. i have to jump on the bandwagon with the method of cutting nitrates, boosting iron and traces, and upping P a bit for reddish plants. They look like totally different species now that I'm giving them what they want.

Oqsy

[mississippimorning]

I don't scan the photo album as much as I should. I've now subscribed to this thread.

I love the growth. Looked great before, but even nicer now! Love the use of color, and the brancy driftwood. Can't wait to get my hands on that piece you are saving for me!

Great job!

[Oqsy]

alright, time for an updated pic. current plant list from left to right:
ludwigia repens, ludwigia brevipes, ludwigia glandulosa, blyxa japonica, anubias nana, hottonia palustris, (small rotala macandra), proserpinaca palustris, and ludwigia sp. cuba. there are a couple of patches of dwarf hairgrass, but I don't expect them to hang around much longer. this is definitely my favorite layout so far. growth is phenomenal now.

Oqsy

[Oqsy]

well poop. i just clicked on the picture, and it sure looks a lot darker than it did in photoshop. I'll have to import it from the camera again and use a lot less exposure correction this time around my apologies for the dim photo.

Oqsy

[agdavis]

great tank

[Oqsy]

thanks a lot