Complexity Journal: 2.5g nano / Torn down for now.

[@marko@]

wow, that is a NICE nano. it could be the nicest 2.5 nano ive seen, and you get extra points for originality, finally somebody who made a nice 2.5 without using iwagumi style.

[Complexity]

Thanks, CL and marko!

Marko, I'm in agreement with you. I'm not crazy over the iwagumi style tanks. I wanted this tank to be a true miniature. I didn't quite achieve the goal I had in mind, mainly because the chain swords have grown too large, but it's much better than my first (lack of) attempt.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to make it better? Since I have to tear it apart to anchor the driftwood down, I'd love to incorporate any ideas to improve things while I'm at it.

I'm thinking I need to raise the rock pathway, but then I'm not sure how I could keep the dip in the middle. The pathway is glued together so it's one piece that I can move. I'm thinking that it might be better if I tried to use it as a terrace instead of a path. I'd have to glue more rocks to the front side of it which would then work as a retaining wall of sorts.

I'm also wondering if I should consider a full ground cover to help keep the sand in place so the hills and valleys won't get ruined. I could harvest the riccia to make it a full ground cover. I think it would be best to plant it on rocks or something I can pull out for trimming. Or maybe there's something else that would be better? I want the scale of the leaves to remain very tiny to continue the "miniature" theme.

Anyone with any ideas, suggestions or comments?

[Complexity]

No suggestions? Anyone?

[CL]

i would say hc would be your best bet on this one, it has small leaves and remains low and carpets

[Complexity]

Is HC and Dwarf Baby Tears the same plant? If so, I have some! It's half dead because I bought it on a whim, but didn't find a place to put it. So it's been sitting in my plant Q/T tank.

If what I have is HC, I would like to give it a try.

How hard is it to maintain? Does it need regular trimming?

[CL]

hc is dwarf baby tears, it needs no trimming and i have grown it great in just plain sand with diy co2 and only dosing iron and potassium every once in a while, good luck

[Complexity]

Great! Thanks for the idea. I think I'll give it a try. I didn't know I could grow riccia in that tank, but since I can, I bet I can grow HC, too.

[@marko@]

oh i just thought of something while i was trimming my crypts:
you may want to put some moss directly behind the riccia on the substrate between the chain swords. it will carpet there. and form a nice dark green coushon which will be a nice contrast to the lighter green of the chain sword. just dumps some loose strands there and they will do the work by themselves, no need to make a carpet with mess or attach to rocks.

if you are wondering how my crypts gave me that idea, i have moss growing under my crypts and it looks really cool. the reason im saying you dont need to do anything but put the moss there, is because in my tank i never did anything for the moss there, it just drifted down as i trimmed it from the wood above and i didnt manage to collect all of it.

[Complexity]

Interesting idea, Marko. I probably can't implement your idea exactly as described since I'm rather anal about vacuuming my tanks, but I like the idea of the two colors of green contrasting each other. Maybe I can rework things to use HC and riccia as a contrast. They're not as good a contrast as java moss, but they'd both be anchored down well enough to hold the sand in place while still adding contrasting greens and leaf shapes.

One thing I did that I think may help me keep plants from growing into each other was to create actual dividers in which to plant the swords. I actually created "bowls" in the swirling shape in which I would allow them to grow. It's as if they're in containers without holes. The whole design is created with these bowls of sorts. That way, when I rescape this tank, I can literally lift out various parts without having to "dig up" any of the plants. Well, except the crypt in the far right corner, but that's a plant that can take abuse without showing it.

You're all giving me some ideas for my next scape. Thanks!

[@marko@]

HC or riccia may find that area of too low light, otherwise it would work great.

[deMastro]

Nice job!

[lauraleellbp]

Marseila minuta is another you might try in place of the riccia- dwarf clover, and I think it would be the right scale?

If you Echinodorus keeps getting taller, you may have E. angustifolius, not E. tenellus (these related plants apparently all are being given new scientific names b/c they're all confused LOL)

It looks really, really nice Vickie- you'd never know it was a nano, even, you've done such a good job with scale

[Complexity]

I had completely forgotten about Marsilea minuta! I think it would be easier to grow than HC.

Does anyone know which has a darker green appearance? HC or Marsilea minuta?

I also think you're right about the strapy plant being Echinodorus angustifolius instead of E. tenellus. This also solves a mystery I was having. Remember I mentioned that I pulled the E. tenellus from my 20Long to plant it in this 2.5g? But then I bought some more to help fill it in. Well, the older Echinodorus hasn't grown anywhere near as tall as the newer ones. I thought maybe my old ones were stunted since it wasn't doing well in my 20L. If they are two different species of Echinodorus, that would explain things. Looking at the two plants, I am leaning towards the thought that they are indeed two different species.

I'm really glad to know this before I do my rescape. I think I'll pull it out of the 2.5 to use it elsewhere. It's a great plant! But the scale is wrong for what I'm trying to do with the 2.5.

Thanks also for everyone's kind remarks on the tank! This is what I would consider my first real planted tank, meaning that I actually had a design on paper that I followed rather than just sticking the plants in willy-nilly.

[@marko@]

then its your first aquascape, not your first planted tank

[Complexity]

Originally Posted by @marko@

then its your first aquascape, not your first planted tank

Exactly! Thank you for putting the right word to what I was trying to say.