It's been a few years since I did a planted tank or any aquarium for that matter. Now I have 3 and one of them kind of has me overwhelmed and I'd like some help.
I'm having trouble with plants and layout for my 75. I am considering a carpet type plant in the foreground but I'm not sure about what to do around the edges or further in.
Right now I have an ocelot sword, some ludwiga repens, Java Moss, Java ferns on a cocunut shell that are going to have to be split soon, an anubias and I'm not sure what the other plant is.
I also have this plant package coming from Amazon:
I want to try to do a lower maintenance but I am considering adding CO2. I do have both flourish and the API CO2 booster to add to the tank if needed and when necessary.
Currently the tank has a finnex planted plus 24/7, 80 pounds of Eco complete and 20 pounds of Petco black sand but I am considering adding some more black sand, a filstar XP3 and a Marineland c360 canister filters, and two pieces of driftwood.
Population is one German blue Ram, 3 panda Corey's, 1 albino Cory, 5 (or more) glowlight tetras, and 3 ember tetras.
just go random.... my tank is survival of the FITTEST!
Seriously though I am pretty random with placement, nature doesnt scape and eventually things will fill out nicely. Plus with future trimmings and plant deaths its pretty hard to keep up "that look".
For carpet thought dwarf hairgrass and dwarf sag are my two FAVS.... though hydro is pretty close, its just REALLY hard to keep down (for me) in gravel. My fish constantly pick it out trying to grab loose worms in the substrate.
Now thought here is my tip, Im trying to avoid with my new tank....... the one thing to look at with carpet plants is other plants like swords that will grow big and block the light. I have that problem in my 30 and Im seriously trying to avoid that in my new 55.
Im looking at carpet plants and mainly bladed style plants like val that grow straight up, are easy to trim and dont block light. I want to transfer my bananna plant and lotus plants but theyre a pain because they grow floating lilly leaves that def block out light below.
I am giving up my sword because its just too big but time will tell after I put in my driftwood.
Someone in a local group posted a link to Aquascaping formats. I then started looking at other aquascapes and realized what was missing to me. That has to be the hardest part when you know something is just not there in the layout, but you don't know what.
I finally realized I was missing any foreground plants. Since this is a play show tank I picked up 3 cubes of Pygmy Dwarf Chain Sword and have spread them throughout the open area, after I reaquascaped and gave it a better flow.
I just looked at that package. Looks pretty nice. Lots of stems. Keep them in groups and keep them towards the back as they will continue to grow and get as tall as you allow them to. I would scatter the four swords around, keeping them in the midground. I would group the crypts and keep them in the midground or maybe a little closer to the foreground - maybe in a front corner.
That package should certainly fill your tank nicely. Pics would be nice once it's planted.
I've completely rearranged this tank twice since this picture. lol I tried w/ some slate/quartz rocks I got at the local yard. Hated it because it just seemed to cluttered.
I then re-aquascaped but something was still missing, turned out it was no carpeting plant. For this tank I've put in 3 or 4 pots of Dwarf Pygmy Chain Sword and it just needs to grow out now.
I'm open to any advice, I have fertilizers on the way and I'm working on getting Co2 injection.
I also added another female GBR, although they don't seem to be pairing up. Oh well.
Current occupants: 2 x GBR (1 male, 1 female), 6 or 7 Amber Tetras, 2 Glo-Light Tetras, 1 x White Cloud Minnow (adopted and looking for new home w/ more friends), 4 x Male Guppies, 3 x Panda Cories, 1 x Albino Cory, 3 x Sterbai Cory, 2 x Bristlenose, 1 x Albino Bristlenose.
The only plant I don't know what it is is the sword up front in front of the driftwood. This is how the tank looks now:
Don't worry. Imagine yourself stuck with 1 other person. You might not get along at first. You both might take a little while to warm up to eachother. A fight here, a fight there. But... eventually... they will get weak and nature will take its course >
Wow I love that centerpiece plant! You must tell me what it is!!! Beautiful flow.
Don't worry. Imagine yourself stuck with 1 other person. You might not get along at first. You both might take a little while to warm up to eachother. A fight here, a fight there. But... eventually... they will get weak and nature will take its course >
If your sword is having problems then root tabs might help. There was an experimental thread posted in the "plants" section that showed that swords grow bigger and healthier with root tabs than without, all else being the same.
I looked that up and read it. But I don't think lack of root tabs was my problem. I had two plants in that order change leaves which showed me they were being grown emersed instead of immersed. It's very likely I've been dealing with the change overs on most of the plants.
That plant is Echinodorus osiris (Melon Sword), one of my favorites. They do get large - I would move it closer to the back wall.
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