End of an era: Flooded Forest journal

[Roc]

Whats the tank looking like after 6 days of UV?

[jaidexl]

Oh, when I said I got the UV "in" I meant in the mail. I did, however get impatient and threw it in yesterday, seems to be a bit of improvement, but it's also dying on it's own, so I guess I won't know if this little contraption is really the "green machine" they claim it is until the next bout with GW. The tank basically looks like day 3 again. Plants kept growing, the lawn is much thicker now, My nitrates dropped to 0 during all of this (maybe GW sucked it all up) and as a result, my Ludwigia (cuba) started doing weird things, curling then branching, and my HZ has more spots. I also fell off the fert train for a week, but everything is back up today as well as increased CO2 bps. I'll have some pics up shortly, before I do any trimming.

[jaidexl]

FTS


Microsword and ET filling in nicely


H.vert, microsword and SMS taking over the sand


HZ growing like mad


Val nana shooting runners


HZ spots


Some messed up looking L.inclinata (cuba)


The GW disrupted quite a bit by shutting off all but 2 inches of visibility for over a week, but things should be back on track soon enough.

[Zer]

looks like its coming along nicely (aside from the green water). How is the green water treating you these days? Did it subside over the past week?

I know a lot of people (including yourself) may not be too fond of the driftwood, but I really like it. I think it would look amazing if a large body of moss hung down from that branch (though your angle might not tolerate that). Maybe there is something else that could be draped over the branch.

[aquanut415]

it totally amazes me how healthy plants can be even in the presence of some pretty thick GW. hope it clears up for you..

[jaidexl]

Really clearing up these last few days.

Here's a clearer view of the growth before trimming and moving things around. I think I might pull everything in front of the wood and do a low A.reineckii forest growing higher as it moves left.

[CampCreekTexas]

Oh, man! That is looking really nice, Jaidexl. I love the way the limb sticking out to the right and the valley under it look together. They accentuate each other nicely.

[Chris267]

Originally Posted by jaidexl

Here's a clearer view of the growth before trimming and moving things around. I think I might pull everything in front of the wood and do a low A.reineckii forest growing higher as it moves left.

I'm a newbie to the site but not to tanks and I have to say I love the way yours is in this pic... would not change a thing! I for one will def try the 'valley' thing you have going there & I love the driftwood, its amazing the difference a good moss cover makes, I can't get mine to grow, fish eat it all

[jaidexl]

Thanks for the compliments!

The moss isn't doing very well, it sprouts out nicely then the angelfish has a field day on it, some of the patches I tied down have been completely removed and are floating around the tank. The HZ I stuffed in the wood is doing a good job of hiding that issue. At least it keeps him off the other plants, I'll probably keep tying down moss every now and then simply because I'd rather look at that than bare wood. The next tank will definitely not have an angelfish in it.

[ringram]

The moss in my 90g was eaten as well. The culprit is either clown loaches or the Flying Foxes that were originally believed to be SAEs. Anyway, the tank looks great! I like how it's growing in. Everything looks so clean and healthy now.

[Haeun]

Oh wow, the tank looks amazing now. I love how the plant mass softened the driftwood. I really love that red plant in between the greens. Looking good. I would've suggested more of a midground, but you said you were going to do something, so I'll just stand by and wait for the next update.

Yea, those angelfish sure do like to snack on plants. I no longer do itty-bitty details in my tanks with angelfish; just stick some java fern and anubias together, with some val.

[Zer]

maybe try riccia instead of moss?

[jaidexl]

Thanks everyone

The mid ground was originally going to be E.tenellus and low HZ, but the tenellus is taking it's own path, lol. I will probably try to create that more after a trim. The sneaky Val nana is trying to become a mid ground plant as we speak.

Riccia definitely crossed my mind, but IMO is much more of a pain to work with, and is especially a pain when you decide you don't want it anymore. I'm working on getting a few mats of it going again to use on slate for my 30gl's foreground, I might try to strap some to this wood, also.

[jaidexl]

All clear now! Here's a few more shots before I stop being lazy and do a trim. Check out the val growth since the last pic. It looks hazy in the rear still. I bet some apistos would be loving that dark spot in front of the wood.

[gmccreedy]

Looking outstanding! Great growth...looks very healthy.