[CherylH]

I wasn't happy with this tank and decided to start from scratch. I can't decide which way to go on this tank. It gets viewed from one side as well as the front.

If you were limited to moderate or easier plants that are readily available, what would you put in here?

It's an Excel tank and has 72 watts over 29 gallons. Substrate is plain gravel and fairly new, so there's no good mulm buildup underneath yet.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[mrbman7]

I dont have any perticular plants to recommend but I was thinking that if it's viewed from the front and side you should make the corner that isnt directly viewed the "back" of the tank. Use a tall background plant in that corner and build your way forward using smaller plants. That way you'll have a good view from both vantage points.

 

[Matthew Mahling]

I like the hard scape placement. Well done.
How about using mostly Blyxa japonica of this tank?

 

[turbosaurus]

I second the B. Japonica idea. Or you could go with some anubias nana in the cracks and along the base of the rocks.

 

[CherylH]

Thanks for the input.

mrbman--I agree that the rear right should be the high point, the rear left, and right front should be medium, and the left front should be low.

Blyxa is an awesome plant, but I already use it heavily in a couple of other tanks, so I want to pick something different.

Anubias has already made it into the cracks in the rocks ( and I really like it there). I played with it some last night before I went to bed. If I title it "tossed salad" it might be ok, but so far, it looks like just that.

 

[turbosaurus]

What about a cyperus helferi (okay- just like blyxa- sorry) or how about azurea for tha back right... one of my favorites- but its big and grows fast.

How about some Hydrocotyle leucocephala to come up over the rocks a little as a mid ground? or star grass (Heteranthera zosterifolia) for the mid ground, its another one that tends to creep a bit sideways?

 

[CherylH]

What about a cyperus helferi (okay- just like blyxa- sorry) or how about azurea for tha back right... one of my favorites- but its big and grows fast.

How about some Hydrocotyle leucocephala to come up over the rocks a little as a mid ground? or star grass (Heteranthera zosterifolia) for the mid ground, its another one that tends to creep a bit sideways?

I like the way you think. I've got stargrass and blxya auberti (sp?) with my japonica in one tank and stargrass and cyperus helferi in the other. And the hydroctyle (not sure of species) is the only other plant that I'm liking so far in what I've tried.

I've ordered some of this for the foreground, just to try it out. http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?liveplantsr&1181595237

The back still needs to be decided. The stuff I've tried so far is either too heavy for the tank size or too light for the mass of the rocks. There aren't enough medium plant choices when I want them.

 

[CherylH]

The pygmy val ( and a few other plants) arrived. They're nice healthy plants, but as I started putting them in I decided they had too strong an impact for the rest of the stuff. I think (hope) what I wound up putting in is ranalisma rostrata. Hopefully it will like this tank.

I don't have anything that looks good in the back corner, so I've ordered some a. crispus. Things don't look to perky right now, but I'm hopeful it will settle in nicely.

I'm not very good about keeping up journals, but if I haven't completely changed my mind and redone it, I'll post a final update in a few weeks.