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233 Posts
Low Tech Dirt Tank
So I am looking at this 5 Gallon bucket of half MGO Soil and half cheap topsoil that my totally played out tomato plant is sitting in. The only thing I ever put on the tomato plant was beer. And I have a 29 bowfront I am doing nothing with. And I just read Diana Walstads book about 2 weeks ago.
So I'm game.
Rinsed the dirt - got some of our iron sand from the river and some river rocks and in it all went.
For a couple of days I emptied and refilled it 2 times. Then yesterday we went on an expedition to the river and brought back some Eleocharis and what-not that grows down there. Planted it out yesterday, added a few trimmings from the 40 gallon and filled it up. Popped a little HOB on the back.
Question- what is the little plant dead center on the bottom toward the front?
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My lfs is so bad I actually had to order some dark, small substrate to cap with and it is late getting here. So I will do this like we used to grow potatoes in the old days.. add a thin layer, let the plants get taller, add another thin layer, etc until I have an inch or so of cap. This ought to be interesting.
Edit:
Flora is pretty much in place:
Have:
Wild/Collected: grassy Eleocharis and something that looks like Liliaopsis Caroliniana but isn't and wild Ludwigia.
Amazon 'Rubin'
Amazon Echinodorus parviflorus 'Tropica'
Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'
Echinodorus angustifolia 'Vesuvius'
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Mosses / Fissidens / etc for wood.
Want:
6-8 Anubias Nana to climb along and up the larger driftwood piece.
Maybe a couple of Java Fern to pop on the rocks- other driftwood.
Fauna: (Cooler water tank 76f)
Madagascar Rainbow school -7-8
Cherry Barbs - 7-8
Some kind of Goby (Peacock?)
A Farlowella
Maybe a few red shrimp.
So I am looking at this 5 Gallon bucket of half MGO Soil and half cheap topsoil that my totally played out tomato plant is sitting in. The only thing I ever put on the tomato plant was beer. And I have a 29 bowfront I am doing nothing with. And I just read Diana Walstads book about 2 weeks ago.
So I'm game.
Rinsed the dirt - got some of our iron sand from the river and some river rocks and in it all went.
For a couple of days I emptied and refilled it 2 times. Then yesterday we went on an expedition to the river and brought back some Eleocharis and what-not that grows down there. Planted it out yesterday, added a few trimmings from the 40 gallon and filled it up. Popped a little HOB on the back.
Question- what is the little plant dead center on the bottom toward the front?
My lfs is so bad I actually had to order some dark, small substrate to cap with and it is late getting here. So I will do this like we used to grow potatoes in the old days.. add a thin layer, let the plants get taller, add another thin layer, etc until I have an inch or so of cap. This ought to be interesting.
Edit:
Flora is pretty much in place:
Have:
Wild/Collected: grassy Eleocharis and something that looks like Liliaopsis Caroliniana but isn't and wild Ludwigia.
Amazon 'Rubin'
Amazon Echinodorus parviflorus 'Tropica'
Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'
Echinodorus angustifolia 'Vesuvius'
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Mosses / Fissidens / etc for wood.
Want:
6-8 Anubias Nana to climb along and up the larger driftwood piece.
Maybe a couple of Java Fern to pop on the rocks- other driftwood.
Fauna: (Cooler water tank 76f)
Madagascar Rainbow school -7-8
Cherry Barbs - 7-8
Some kind of Goby (Peacock?)
A Farlowella
Maybe a few red shrimp.
because I didn't actually see your scape. That is a beautiful setup. I applaud your talets. I'm pretty sure that is the first scape I've seen that uses castles and it actually looks good.
