Aquarium Update: H. Polysperma, Driftwood

I certainly am pleased with how the tank is looking, even with a bare side. I've never seen the H. polysperma look so nice and bushy! It makes quite a nice center-piece. Before, I was considering replacing it with the L. Aromatica once it got big enough, but now I'm not sure I want to.

I've also been considering adding some thin driftwood branches, if I can get my hands on them. Just a simple layout with the branches coming out from the center of the taller plants, maybe with some moss on them. The problem is getting just a few branches without order a whole bunch from manzanita.com!

In other tank news, the female ram that had the fry got sick and died yesterday. I tried to help her, she looked like she had dropsy (all puffed up and not eating) but even with medication she didn't make it. I've decided to give up on Blue Rams for now, the ones I can get easily are just far too fragile. I've never had any survive very long. I'll wait till I can have a dedicated tank set up for them and get strong healthy fish from a breeder. Such pretty fish though, it's so hard to say no to them.

Aquarium Update: Driftwood Removed

Over the past few days I've been staring at my 29 gallon tank (the one that I took the moss out of) and I didn't really like the driftwood. It was one of those purchases made way before I found any of the cool websites or forums devoted to aquascaping that frown on such hulking, man-made decorations, but I always held out hope that I could work it into something. Eventually, it was just enveloped by the moss and it disappeared. When I trimmed the moss though, there it was again, as ugly as ever. So I decided to take it out of the tank.

Easier said than done. You see, it was in the tank when it was placed on my tank rack and I never thought about what if I had to take it out in the future. I figured I would have to take off the lights hanging above the tank, which wasn't so bad. But when I tried to get it out, I realized the low clearance was going to be a big pain in the butt. You see, this isn't the real Malaysian driftwood that actually sinks by itself. This has a big slab of slate screwed to the bottom to hold it under. After some fancy maneuvering and some not so gentle coaxing, I managed to get the piece out.

I rearranged only a few plants (I'm going for the "island" look) and this is what I have:



Boy what a difference. The tank looks 10 times bigger. It looks brighter and wider and just nicer overall. I haven't decided what sort of ground cover to put on the left side, either dwarf hair grass like the right or something different. I think I may try Glossostigma elatinoides just to see what it looks like, and if I don't like it I'll rip it up. The left side needs to grow in a little, obviously since that's where the wood was, but I'm definitely pleased with the new scape.

A word of advice: Never buy driftwood with a piece of slate screwed to the bottom; it's not real driftwood, and chances are, it's manufactured and will always look that way.

Aquarium Update: Heavy Trimming

Alright, well I've been busy this weekend and did a few major trims. First, the 29 gallon:

Before (August 06)

After (October 06)

I decided to do a major trim of the Christmas moss and took out a mass as big as my head (now for auction on Aquabid). The previous "Christmas Tree" look was pretty but the moss was collecting a lot of dirt and debris and the moss on the top closest to the light was attracting algae. It was also starting to choke out everything underneath it (note the scraggly Rotala right in front of the driftwood!). It also wasn't even attached to the wood anymore. I just grabbed it and it came right off. I left a few handfuls in the tank but tucked it behind the driftwood where I hope it will attach more. I'm also trying my hand at Java Fern again. Supposedly a plant that anyone can grow, mine just seems to fester and rot, although it is one tough plant. All of mine was enveloped by the moss and surprisingly survived on little or no light! I've placed what remains of it on the driftwood hoping it will grow back bushy and green. The "Before" picture is also before my green water outbreak, so that's why there is so little change in 2 months. The tank is just now recovering. At least the fish seem to like the open area a little better!

For the 10 gallon I trimmed it way back as well:

Before (September 06)

After (October 06)

Since the Ram's spawn was eaten I figured I'd better spruce up the tank now that I don't have to worry about disturbing them. I gave the Hemianthus micranthemoides a bit of a flat top on the right, but I'm trying to get it to make a compact bush. The needle leaf Ludwigia in the center is growing well, as is the needle leaf Java Fern (unlike the Java Ferns in my 29 gallon!) I also added a planting of Micranthemum umbrosum on the far right to add some color to that side. The moss wall was trimmed back as well. The Glosso in the front is not doing well and I have no idea why. It used to be a thick carpet, but it slowly died off and is now reaching for the light. I'm thinking about replacing it with something else, maybe Hemianthus callitrichoides or dwarf hair grass.

As for the 20 gallon long, I'm wrestling with a bit of the notorious BGA (blue green algae) so it's not all that pretty right now. Plus I haven't scraped the algae off the glass in forever...it's still balancing out (it was started about 3 months ago). I'll post pictures once it's decent!

That's it for this update, leave me some comments on the tanks!