[Jekk]

Thanks so much somewhatshocked, I really appreciate that.

it is a fun tank to play with and learn from. I’m enjoying the way it looks at different angles and light settings.

Pinnatifida is such an interesting plant. It’s almost the unruly teenager of the tank, crawling it’s way around the hard scape in random directions, and going against the rules I try to place on it. I’ve learned to not be scared of trimming it down. It responds by throwing heaps of smaller leaves out after a trim which is cool.
I do find the older leaves get algae a fall off with time, so I’m trying to determine if that’s normal for the plant or if there’s something it’s unhappy about.

 

[Jekk]

Just some pics of the tank after playing around with my iPhone last night.

 

[Count Krunk]

Great tank! I’m somewhat new to planted. What makes this a “hybrid” tank?

 

[Jekk]

Thanks Count!
I love the look of hardscape and nature themed tanks, but I also love the plant variety and stems in Dutch tanks. In time, my tank will hopefully develop more into traits of both to look (to me at least) like a hybrid between the 2.
Basically it’s just me playing around with ideas 😊

What I’m working towards now is more variety of colours. And learning how to get good colour balance.

 

[Jekk]

This tank is going really well. I got some new ludwigia glandulosa converting from emersed in the far left, and my limnophila hippuridoides is taking off really well.
Soon I’ll be able to start reducing down the rotala forest in favour for more texture and colour variation.

I do think I need to increase my light to get more colour in the limnophila but I’m a bit hesitant as the current light levels are balancing so well with ferts and co2. Once summer here is finished I’ll probably do it, it’s so hot at the moment and I know the plants all do better when the tank temp is cooler.
Today is 34 degrees Celsius, the tank is sitting at 26 with cooling fans on 🥵

 

[Count Krunk]

26 sounds bang on? About 78 F. What temp are you targeting?

 

[Jekk]

26 deg is at the maximum level I’m comfortable with, which was only achieved via fans so evaporation becomes an issue. It hit 29 without the fans.
My target ideal is 24. That’s my sweet spot for saturation of gasses, plant metabolism, and the fish are still comfortable.

 

[Jekk]

Update time.
A few months ago, I placed a ball of Riccia in this tank as a holding place until I was ready to glue it to some rocks in the axolotl tank. It was in for maybe 3 days.
To my surprise, I just discovered that Riccia is invading my Monte Carlo carpet. It’s everywhere!! I don’t know how I didn’t notice this before. How irritating.

it’s already annoying enough I have Java moss growing on the hardscape. I have never added that to this scape, but it was in the old one. Turns out, once you have Java moss, you always have Java moss.

Otherwise, I scored submerged grown myriophyllum papillosum and rotala indica bonsai. I vastly underestimated myrio’s growth speed 😳


Happy rotala rotundifolia

Myrio apparently on growth hormones

New indica bonsai