[TankYouVeryMuch]

Figured i better start this its own thread...

Equipment:
2.5-3 gallon fish bowl
13 watt cfl w/ artist lamp

Substrate:
1.5" Miracle Grow Organic Potting Mix
Cap'd with 1" silica sand

Flora:
Christmas Moss
Frogbit
Others TBD

Fauna:
Shrimp TBD

A couple setup pics

Cap'd

Filling

The setup with moss rock, will be moss BUSH!

Humble start

So, this will obviously be a slower project... As the moss has to grow quite a bit, but the frogbit is on its way!

Any suggestions for other plants? I want enough to filter the bad but still have shrimp visible...

 

[artresz]

lol I love it. That second to last picture is perfect.

You could always try adding some riccia as a floater or tie it down. Some people may disagree with me but so far I haven't had issues with growing it in a low tech tank and a small container that gets no beneficial light.

It might look nice to have something that would grow up and emersed but unfortunately I don't have any experience so can't suggest anything. :/

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

Thanks! Riccia probably wont be used because i feel it would look too similar to the moss bush.. ?

 

[Rocky5]

That is sexy, would look well nice in the corner.

 

[jbrady33]

I would put a small Anubias (my choice) or java fern on a little piece of driftwood. You would get some dark brown color out of the wood (to balance the bright sand) and some actual leaves (to balance the 'fuzzy' moss). Both would be happy enough under minimal light and slow growing.

That would give you 2 little 'islands' in the sand and still maintain the minimalist thing it look like you have going. :smile:

 

[lamiskool]

I dont know why that small rock with the moss on it made me laugh, it all alone in that huge space

 

[Psiorian]

Just the moss bush would look cool

 

[Xiaozhuang]

I dont know why that small rock with the moss on it made me laugh, it all alone in that huge space

I laughed pretty hard too ha.. You can try crypts; they're slow and low so wouldn't crowd out the bowl. If you want something that grows out as a bush you can try hemianthus micranthemoides/glomeratus, but that'd take up more space. Stem plants that will grow out and flower that are not too weedy; Bacopa colorata/carolina with blue flowers, Proserpinaca palustris or perhaps lobelia cardinalis. All these can be grown in soil tanks without CO2.

 

[Soup12]

Why did you add potting soil, are you going to plant stem plants..?

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

I would put a small Anubias (my choice) or java fern on a little piece of driftwood. You would get some dark brown color out of the wood (to balance the bright sand) and some actual leaves (to balance the 'fuzzy' moss). Both would be happy enough under minimal light and slow growing.

That would give you 2 little 'islands' in the sand and still maintain the minimalist thing it look like you have going. :smile:

I added a piece of cholla wood, trying to stay away from dw or plants that cant be stuck in the ground. I do like the idea of having some leaves to balance things out though

I laughed pretty hard too ha.. You can try crypts; they're slow and low so wouldn't crowd out the bowl. If you want something that grows out as a bush you can try hemianthus micranthemoides/glomeratus, but that'd take up more space. Stem plants that will grow out and flower that are not too weedy; Bacopa colorata/carolina with blue flowers, Proserpinaca palustris or perhaps lobelia cardinalis. All these can be grown in soil tanks without CO2.

What Bacopa has blue flowers?? I cant find any with those names, one is red and the other is green?

I like the lobelia cardinalis, might be a good fit.

Why did you add potting soil, are you going to plant stem plants..?

I added it because I wasnt sure what I was going to do, and didnt want to not have something later down the road... if I dont end up using it, then oh well right?

------
I have some Elodea, but I feel like that is too tall of a plant for this setup. I also have some narrow leaf java fern but like I said trying to stay away from driftwood or plants that cant be planted into the ground. Thanks everyone for the comments so far...

 

[THE V]

I'd toss in two E. parviflorus swords to frame the moss. Then perhaps a crypt behind it to add some depth, color, and a little height.

 

[jbrady33]

Half bury the Cholla at a slight angle

Moss, anubais and java fern all like to grow on Cholla too - the holes make great places to stuff the plants in!

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

Half bury the Cholla at a slight angle

Moss, anubais and java fern all like to grow on Cholla too - the holes make great places to stuff the plants in!

It IS at a slight angle i just centered it for the pic. Also was scared to plant into the sand as i dont want the soil comin through :confused1:

Will check into the plants u guys listed

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

Did a 75% water change yesterday after snapping this picture... Burried the cholla wood a little

Frogbit is in route and should be here tomorrow! Also fyi, i plan to grow the moss out to like 10x's its current size

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

Spent a lot of time pulling out brown floaters with tweezers yesterday... Still need to clean up the sand again though, will probably do that tomorrow. Also planted some p. helferi and will see how that grows in...

 

[peachii]

I love this bowl, looks good with just the rock and moss really. Simple, elegant and quite striking. I think the cholla wood would look good behind the rock at an angle.

I'm loving cholla wood. I have so far built two cholla wood caves for a 10 gallon and one for a 2 gallon no tech jar. I just cut each piece into 2 and then made a cave out of them. 10 gallon is covered with fissidens and the jar is Taiwan moss. I'm really loving moss and getting the collection going of it slowly but surely. Pics of my caves, first one I used super glue but it didnt hold, the moss is now holding it together but the second one I tied together with fishing line, would have use cotton thread but didn't have a needle to help pull it through the holes.

 

[pinkman]

very cool project, like the simplicity.

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

Thanks guys.

I just ordered 5 blue velvets for this bowl!


-edit-

My P. Helferi have both died in this bowl. No co2 or nutrients, is that what killed them? Theres 13w shining down so i know there was enough light

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

Just playing around with what i have, i removed my first narrow leaf java fern plantlet from its mother, and used a dot of super glue and attached it to the moss rock, i will eventually trim to keep the moss bush shorter then the fern. I also wanted to show the growth of the xmas moss (well i added a bit more but still..) and dont know if it will stay there but tucked a tiny tiny elodea stem in the mix

You can also see i removed most of the floaters, still enough around the edges to reproduce but felt the bottome wasnt getting enough light

 

[cableguy69846]

Nice little bowl. I have something like that sitting around, but not as big. Hmmmmmm.....

Anyway, I am going to second the cry for a crypt. Put one or two in the back, and you are good to go. They will grow low enough, and they love dirt tanks from my experience.