[dj2005]

2-11-13 - Woodiness:

10-1-10 - Wetland:

3-5-10 - Mountainside:

I purchased this setup on 11/24/09 from a fellow TPT member. Now that I got the tank planted to how I'll probably keep it for some time, I decided it would be best to start a journal on it.

I dose dry ferts, Flourish, Excel, and have 18w of light on it for eight hours per day.

Inhabitants:
Betta
Nerite
RCS
Ramshorn

Plants:
Blyxa japonica
Java fern (probably will be removed in the future)
Marsilea minuta

I apologize ahead of time for the horrible pictures (and water spots, and algae). I cannot get my camera to properly capture 6700-10000k light as it always makes it either too yellow or too green. So, I fooled around with the preset colors and I see it came out much too blue. Hopefully next time I'll be able to hit the middle ground.

12-1-09:

 

[jmhart]

Very nice. That's a cool little setup for a betta to enjoy. Is that glosso or marsila minuata?

 

[dj2005]

Very nice. That's a cool little setup for a betta to enjoy. Is that glosso or marsila minuata?

Thanks. It is Marsilea minuta.

 

[chris.rivera3]

nice tank!!! but your betta will probably eat all your shrimp in a couple weeks

 

[dj2005]

nice tank!!! but your betta will probably eat all your shrimp in a couple weeks

They give him some exercise. I don't think he managed to get one yet, but if he does, I have a 10g full of them.

Strangely, he seems more interested partaking in a stare contest versus my blyxa than chasing shrimp.

 

[RipariumGuy]

I like the rock work! I have to agree chris.rivera3, the shrimp will be dinner! Good Job!

 

[dj2005]

Thanks JakeJ. ddtran is the one responsible for the stonescape. I pretty much only planted the plants and attached the lily pipes.

Did a cleaning for the filter and lily pipes yesterday. I think I am already seeing some new MM leaves popping up. This update is mainly to document the current status of the plants so I can compare it easily in the following weeks.

12-3-09 & 12-4-09:

Fissiden Nugget (came as an unexpected freebie in my MM bundle):

Blyxa (perking up):

MM:

 

[mumushummus]

nice work, keep us posted...

 

[kcirtappatrick]

looks good! can't wait till that MM carpets up.

 

[dj2005]

Thanks.

How tall does MM become? I'm hoping what I currently have is its max size as I don't want my rocks to get overshadowed by the carpet.

12-9-09:
Things done:
-Split the Blyxa up into two plants. Undecided on where to put them so if anyone has any suggestions of placement then please chime in.
-Added some more RCS. Will be adding a horned Nerite soon (or it might go into my 10 gallon). Will hopefully be adding some red ramshorns soon.
-Moved lily pipes and removed the black elbow pipe.

Pictures (sorry, again, for all the water spots, smudges, reflections, etc):

Blyxa:

Java fern:

MM:

 

[ZooTycoonMaster]

You're off to a great start Where did you get those lilly pipes?

 

[hydrophyte]

That's cool. I really like the unconventional fish choice.

 

[dj2005]

You're off to a great start Where did you get those lilly pipes?

Came with the bundle, but they are (or were) sold on ebay. PM-M (PowerMen) is the brand. Last I saw, they were around $35 shipped for the two.

That's cool. I really like the unconventional fish choice.

Thanks.

 

[dj2005]

12-12-09:
Received some new inhabitants today:
Red Ramshorns
One Horned Nerite

Things done:
I put my betta into my 2.5g tank as I don't want him eating my ramshorns.
Moved Blyxa to one side of the tank.

Pictures:

 

[dj2005]

12-15-09:

 

[dj2005]

12-18-09:
Lots of new growth coming in.
Added some Subwassertang I got from a RAOK. Normally I'm not a fan of this type of plant (very messy), but I'll see how it grows.

MM:

Subwassertang:

Grow my little Fissidens nugget, grow!

Blyxa:

Ramshorns (and they've been busy laying eggs, woohoo!):

 

[dj2005]

Finally received my anubias petite (USPS Priority took nine days). Once my ramshorn babies hatch, the java fern will leave the tank.

12-23-09:

MM Bud (next to the limpet):

 

[bigboij]

looking good, love the hardscape and the MM is starting to fill in nicely

 

[Emerica88]

What kind of rock are those

 

[dj2005]

looking good, love the hardscape and the MM is starting to fill in nicely

Thanks. The MM is indeed coming in quickly now that it has adapted. Excellent plant to grow since it stays low and is not demanding like some other carpet plants. Just need to watch out for algae.

What kind of rock are those

Not a clue.

Quick text update:
Decided to remove the java fern shortly after taking those pictures since the ramshorns have laid eggs on the MM (and everywhere else). Also moved the top petite into the crevice towards the left. I might move it to the bottom crevice soon, depending how it looks.