M first attempt at "Nature Aquarium"

Had this tank setup as a low maintenance,Anubia-only,tank for roughly 6 years and decided on a re scape.I again wanted a low maintenance tank but this time round wanted to plant it up with some Cryptocoryne and a low maintenance carpeting plant.Also I needed a long term nutritious substrate,something that would last for more than one year,possibly several,before being depleted and needing replacing.I decided on earthworm castings as the main substrate additive and caped it all with small grade gravel.

The tank specs:
800(L) x 440(W) x 570(D)
Lighting:
2 x 18 W 865K
Substrate:
Earthworm castings capped with gravel
Co2:
Seachem Excel dosed every day according instruction on the bottle.

Time to build the substrate.
Photo#1:
Seachem Equilibrium right on the bottom for some calcium,magnesium and potassium.
Photo#2:
A light sprinkling of Osmocote,slow release,NPK fertiliser.The Osmocote slowly dissolves over a 12 month period.
Photo#3:
A 2 cm layer of earthworm castings.
Photo#4:
A layer of Laterite clay granules for iron.
Photo#5:
Everything is capped with gravel.The gravel is also sloped to taste.

 

Photo#1:
To keep the slope from "slipping down hill",I pushed plastic strips into the gravel.The plastic strips will act as a retaining wall.Many forum members have asked how this is done,so here you go,very simple.
Photo#2:
The hard scape is positioned.I used some wood from the previous scape and tied new pieces to that.
Photo#3:
In most of the advise given to planted tank novices,planting heavily from the start is mentioned most of the time.Many forum members,even more experienced members,doesn't know what this means.In this photo is a tray of plants destined for this tank,but this is only half of the total amount.
Photo#4:
A close up of the gravel I used.

 

In the following sequence of photos are a few examples of the plants I'm using in this scape.I had to visit the best LFS's in the Cape peninsula to get all the plants I needed,some in very good condition and others in pretty poor condition.

Photo#1:
Note the roots growing out the bottom of the pot and the leaves are a good colour,all indicative of a healthy,fresh plant.This Cryptocoryne wendtii"Brown" will have no problem growing in the new set up.
Photo#2 and #3:
These Cryptocoryne are in a very poor state.Most of the leaves has "melted" away and the roots has all so started to rot.I will be lucky to get them growing,but still had to pay the full price for them.Note to forum sponsors,please ensure the plants are healthy before you sell them to customers.If you can do this with fish,surely you can do it with plants as well.
Photo#4:
I chose Lilaeopsis sp.,probably L. novae-zelandiae or New Zealand grass,for the carpeting plant because it is a relatively low maintenance plant.It grows slowly,a draw back,but not as dense as hair grass does.When it sends out runners,it will be one at a time and each runner will grow only one leave.For this reason I had to plant it very dense from the start and needed allot of it.I used 13 pots to get a decent covering.

 

The planting is completed and the fish returned to the tank.Of course I could only do this because I kept all the original tank water and the filter is already mature.I used a total of 30 pots of plants for the re scape although you would never guess looking at the result.Some of the plants were in really poor condition.The tank has been running for a week now and ammonia/nitrite readings remain zero.The water is crystal clear and that means the earth worm castings is not leaching into the water column.I'm pretty happy with the result so far.

Here's the final plant list:
Carpet plant and fore ground: Lilaeopsis sp.
Mid ground: Cryptocoryne wendtii (green),Cryptocoryne wendtii (brown)
Background:Cryptocoryne wendtii (brown),Cryptocoryne balansae
On the wood:Java moss tied to the wood.

In the near future I will find a new home for the fish and replace them with a suitable schooling fish,maybe some chocolate gouramis and corydoras.

I'll post updates as the tank progresses,hopefully every week.
Any comments and advice is welcome.

 

@Rudi, Looking good!
Great job well done. And a very nice post/log I must add.
Keep us posted.

 

@Rudi - been in this trade a very long time and firstly as a client,understand you utter frustration with 1st of all being able to just find a plant or two that aint Hornwort or Vallis... Secondly,finding something that at least looks half alive by the time I buy it.... Now,here's the inside info on what we as operators of LPS's go through... You order plants from a list... two thirds of what you get aint Aquatic plants at all,but bog or even worse,terrestrial plants... fact of the matter with Crypts are that if you transport/plant them...they melt - it's just what they do...

the Aquatic plant market in SA is completely undeveloped and very much a hit and miss afair(for ALL of us..)... I have found/recieved more plants that have been eluding me for decades since I joined this forum than EVER before... Your average LPS does not have the knowledge or understanding to provide us with the "rare/well grown plants" that we who have advanced in the hobby a bit further demands as a regular product in SA... so yes,LPS's need to pull up their sox(we try hard @ Pet Stop by the way..),but also,living in SA,we have to "boer maak n plan" a bit - something that we do rather well - I have many times in my life come across a plant or two in a dark and dingy LPS that is close to not being able to save it - bought it for a song and nursed it back to full glory...Yes,it takes a bit of time and effort,but the rewards are SO worth it...

Not ranting or raving,but just had such a warm hearted experience today where we had our Pretoria Aquarium fanatic's braai... Such a lot of rare and wonderfull plants where traded between members or just plain given away that blew my mind - everyone brought something - even if it was just a new twist on growing something and we all went home happier... @ the end of the day,it's the joy I have at looking at something I got to grow in my tanks,no matter what difficulties I went through to get there, that makes me feel I acheived something with a planted system...

Just my 2 Zim dolla's worth...

 

nice man.. But i keep feeling that u missin something.. Maybe it just has to grow in.. We'll see!maybe u got a vision tht i cant see yet.. But any ways, im subscribed on and tht was my 2c aswell

 

PS @Rudi .... subscribed as well - @shihr and me probably feel the same,... we live @ the ass end of Arica.... not Europe or the States - making do with what we get/got...(and you are one of my DIY guy's btw....) is to me what this forum is about.... So,rather discuss how to get through Crypt melt,than saying that the whole process sux... will post a low tech guide to doing it tomorow....

 

Love it well done!!

 

@shihr,this scape has a very long way to go still,I do have a image in my mind what it should look like when it's grown out,we'll have to see how it develops.

@azurekoi,I think you misunderstood me.I knew exactly what plants I needed for this tank and where to get them,because in Cape Town there are only 2 top LFS's and I know when they get there stock in.And I know how you guys order your plants which is even more frustrating,if you get a list of plant names why do you still order the bog plants?

I would rather have them melt in my tank,than have them melted before I bought them.The fact is you guys don't take care of the crypts after you received them.These plants have all been grown emersed,I think you know this.The plants start to melt when you place them in your display tanks,tanks with no CO2 injection and no nutrients.The plant will go into survival mode,shed the leaves(melting) and concentrate on growing roots,searching for nutrients.It won't find any and start to die in a few weeks.If you kept individual plants in plastic sleeves and not submersed but only moist and humid,the same way they were grown,you will be able to sell healthier plants and wouldn't have to throw away so many dead,rotten plants.

I am expecting a considerable amount of crypt-melt.In fact most of the emersed leaves are already melted away,but the new submersed leaves are starting to show.And it's only been a week.The key is a nutritious substrate and or Co2.In my case Excel.
On the other hand, I can bitch and moan all I want in my thread can't I?If I want to show fellow forum members what a decient,healthy plant looks like,I will do just that and if it makes the sponsors look bad (please note I did not buy any of these plants from TASA sponsors),then that's not my fault.

 

I like the idea of the tank , but i also feel something is missing.. I think backround plants? But im sure you have a vision , and that in a few months this tank will look amaizing!! Keep us updated!! Im subscribed!! =D

 

Hi Rudi

Some interesting ideas here and would like to see it develop.

Only one thing : Java moss ?

Gerhard

 

@Vis,what's wrong with Java moss?

 

Nothing wrong with it, there is just so much better looking mosses.

 

OK,here's a question.This being a "nature style" scape,wouldn't a "better looking moss" distract from the overall scape?In my opinion there should not be a accent plant or a plant that would stand out from the rest.
The moss is purely there to disguise imperfections on the wood,but also to,in the future,blend in with the design.Or provide a place for fish to spawn.

 

Makes sense. Though other mosses even if better looking should not distract from your scape as they are all pretty much natural looking.

Again what you have in your minds eye at this moment for the end look of the tank is not what we are seeing now. So will follow along and see how it goes.

 

I love it Rudi ... a natural tank will keep changing ... think it will even look better when it grows fuller. I'm no expert but setting up something like this is like painting a picture .. it's your creation ... I love what you've done!! I know this response is not very informative but it's just my way of saying I like!! Enjoy it!!

 

Looks interesting. I'd like to know how you planted that carpet plant, because I struggle my ass off to get mine to stay in the soil
And as far as fish go, a nice school of some nano fish like Galaxy Rasboras or something about the same size would compliment the scape nicely, and make it look bigger too

Oh ja, and do you dip your plants in anything to get rid of snails and snail eggs? I've got a terrible case of Malaysian trumpets from my first batch of plants I bought years ago

 

MT's are live bearers and don't lay eggs, as far as I know. You should try inspect the plants and wash them off under strong running water. I have used a bleach dip before, but I don't think that is the best idea, as some plants can't handle the bleach. Perhaps a copper sulphate dip to kill snails?

 

@Rudi

Looking very good and can't wait to see the progress results.