Salvaged Tank Emersed Grow
So I kind of destroyed my acrlyic 6.5 gallon bookshelf fish tank the other day. I was getting it ready for a co2 planted tank. I painted the back dark grey by accident when I wanted to paint it black. Started to strip the paint with acetone and it absolutely destroyed my tank, not structurally, just cosmetically. So instead of throwing it away I decided to use it as a grow tank!
Today is day 1. 10/07/15
I used Organics Vigoro organic and natural potting mix.
I planted 1 pot of dwarf hair grass on the left side and am going to plant something else on the right.
I am using the stock 15w light that came with the tank and it is also covered with saran wrap to keep humidity in.
Today is day 1. 10/07/15
I used Organics Vigoro organic and natural potting mix.
I planted 1 pot of dwarf hair grass on the left side and am going to plant something else on the right.
I am using the stock 15w light that came with the tank and it is also covered with saran wrap to keep humidity in.
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side project
Waiting for dwarf harigrass to grow gets boring. With some of my left over dirt I setup 2 of these plastic containers and planted generic grass seed that I had in my garage. The one on the left has water in it, and the one on the right has a diluted miracle grow mix. Time to see which one grows better, or if they even grow at all :laugh2:. They are on a windowsill, its raining today.
Waiting for dwarf harigrass to grow gets boring. With some of my left over dirt I setup 2 of these plastic containers and planted generic grass seed that I had in my garage. The one on the left has water in it, and the one on the right has a diluted miracle grow mix. Time to see which one grows better, or if they even grow at all :laugh2:. They are on a windowsill, its raining today.
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Oh ok that makes more sense haha :icon_redf. Sucks that the tank got ruined.
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Day 7 Update
So it is now day 7. Originally the pot of dwarf hairgrass I got wasn't in the best shape, probably 20-25% dead and not the greenest. I think a little more has died since planting but have heard that is normal? I mist the plants down a few times a day and do about 12 hours of light. Sorry the pictures are low quality, I have to reduced the file size to 977kb for plantedtank to allow me to upload them.
So it is now day 7. Originally the pot of dwarf hairgrass I got wasn't in the best shape, probably 20-25% dead and not the greenest. I think a little more has died since planting but have heard that is normal? I mist the plants down a few times a day and do about 12 hours of light. Sorry the pictures are low quality, I have to reduced the file size to 977kb for plantedtank to allow me to upload them.
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Day 18
I know it's kind of hard to tell from the pics but there is noticeable growth, or at least I think there is haha.
If anybody knows a way to upload photos without reducing quality please let me know!
I'm thinking of growing and propagating s repens on the other half of the tank. Does anybody have some I could buy? I'd rather support you guys than a big company. Also any other plant ideas?
I mist the DHG a few times a day and the lights normally stay on about 12 hours. I haven't put the light on a timer yet even though I have one so it turns on when I wake up, and turns off when I say so.
I know it's kind of hard to tell from the pics but there is noticeable growth, or at least I think there is haha.
If anybody knows a way to upload photos without reducing quality please let me know!
I'm thinking of growing and propagating s repens on the other half of the tank. Does anybody have some I could buy? I'd rather support you guys than a big company. Also any other plant ideas?
I mist the DHG a few times a day and the lights normally stay on about 12 hours. I haven't put the light on a timer yet even though I have one so it turns on when I wake up, and turns off when I say so.
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All the comments I am getting really makes me want to keep updating my progress so people can have a reference to use if they decide they want to do an emersed grow!
Immediate gratification growth
Last night I took a picture of this runner I figured was going to breach the surface soon. I took the photo about an hour before the lights went off.
The second picture I took was an hour after the lights went on. WE BREACHED SURFACE!!!
Immediate gratification growth
Last night I took a picture of this runner I figured was going to breach the surface soon. I took the photo about an hour before the lights went off.
The second picture I took was an hour after the lights went on. WE BREACHED SURFACE!!!
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Emersed growth is always cool. It sounds like you're really getting into it! I'd recommend setting up a few others (pots) in an aquarium with a glass top so you can see how other species adapt to emersed growth. I always have fun with emersed setups and have more of them then display tanks. Can't wait for my planned move in a year so I can get a wall of emersed grow outs!
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Just a tip, I would pull up the DHG and put the soil into containers and replant the DHG. Why? Because one of three things will happen.
1 - You will get bored of the DHG and want to try something new.
2 - You upgrade to a larger tank for emersed stuff and can move the pots easily to a larger space
3 - You want to plant the DHG in a tank. Pulling up a pot full is a ton easier than pulling a string of runners.
1 - You will get bored of the DHG and want to try something new.
2 - You upgrade to a larger tank for emersed stuff and can move the pots easily to a larger space
3 - You want to plant the DHG in a tank. Pulling up a pot full is a ton easier than pulling a string of runners.
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@Tihsho thanks for the advice, tip #1 made me laugh. I'm currently waiting for the mr aqua 12 gallon longs to come back in stock. I have emailed with marine depot and they are coming in at the end of november. Once that comes in the DHG and S Repens will be put in the 12 gallon. Then idk what I'll have in the 6.5 gallon, maybe some S Repens to try to sell or something. Or I might impulse buy a 20 gallon long even though it's not what I want because it's $1 per gallon at petco right now.
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Help?
So my S. Repens came in the mail, took 4 days, and they were extremely green, and it was a good amount. I ordered from an ebay store called substratesource for $15 shipped.
Are these actually S. Repens though? When I google image S. Repens the plant looks a lot different than what I got. Can somebody clear this up for me? Looks more like a ludwigia or something.
Planted 10/29/15 = Day 1
So my S. Repens came in the mail, took 4 days, and they were extremely green, and it was a good amount. I ordered from an ebay store called substratesource for $15 shipped.
Are these actually S. Repens though? When I google image S. Repens the plant looks a lot different than what I got. Can somebody clear this up for me? Looks more like a ludwigia or something.
Planted 10/29/15 = Day 1
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