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Nice mate, really nice.

The wood composition is outstanding!

The plant choice and positioning is spot on. The foreground part especially, is very 'soft' which I really like.
 
I really admire the way this is growing in.
Envious of your Lobelia, been trying it out in my own humble effort, it seems to be underused in general (?)
 
I've been waiting for an update on this. Looks really good, the hardscape and planting make the tank 'feel' much bigger than it is.

The Lobelia is really nice, not seen it before. Bet you can't wait for the hairgrass to fill in the front a bit more.
 
I absolutely love this tank Ady, seriously envious of both your setup and your skills. When you next have a clearout you could sell me this setup to go with the Rio 180 ;).

Great work though, that will be gorgeous to look at over Christmas!

Thanks Rick, ill let you know.....i am fancying an NA set up, but that lottery win seems illusive so may take a while :lol:

Nice Work:clap:
:thumbup:
 
Nice mate, really nice.

The wood composition is outstanding!

The plant choice and positioning is spot on. The foreground part especially, is very 'soft' which I really like.

Much appreciated Mark,
although i feel if i had one more piece of wood to add pointing to the right rear corner the hardscape would have slightly more balance.
The crypt at the left rear may need replacing long term, maybe for a stem which can be shaped or another echinodorus for a bit more height. The echinodorus aquartica at the left may need moving slightly to the right in behind the cardinalis, but it depends how its softened when the tenellus grows in over there....theres a few things that bug me which i cant change now so ill make the best.
Overall its looking ok and ive learned a few more things.....

I really admire the way this is growing in.
Envious of your Lobelia, been trying it out in my own humble effort, it seems to be underused in general (?)
Thanks Stu, its slowly growing in and i can see the change from my last post before the update so ive just got to be patient.
Ive not seen the lobelia much, i suppose staurogyne repens is a 'prettier' more delicate plant for foregrounds, just i cant grow it so this is a good alternative.

I've been waiting for an update on this. Looks really good, the hardscape and planting make the tank 'feel' much bigger than it is.

The Lobelia is really nice, not seen it before. Bet you can't wait for the hairgrass to fill in the front a bit more.
Cheers Dan, and im hoping the hairgrass will spread, would really like to see a nice full grass carpet again, the last time i had it was when i was using tropica ferts in the earlier days of Dragons Crypt :sick:, may give them a whirl again to see if there is any difference from EI dosing.....could only be percentages of salts (and cost), but ive never had the same results since swapping over??? Maybe ive just been getting other things wrong since...
Others have noted that the mini version does seem to take longer to establish so well see.

Cheerio,
Ady.
 
Looking good Ady! Filling out nicely. You got a bit of a Dutch thing going on as well with those 'streets' of lobelias. Really like it.
 
Ady this is looking great. Remind me what tank model this is please ? I am looking at something like this....EHEIM Incpiria 300 Incpiria 300 schwarz-silbermetalic, 999,00 €, and i would be interested to see how yours compares, cos bringing a tank from Germany might be pricey, LOL.
Its a Fluval Studio 900 :lol:
Thanks Chris.
Yeah Whitey has hit the nail on the head, the clue was in the journal title......although it looks a little different now as I've capped the drilled base and have glassware hung over the side instead so well forgive you Chris. Incidentally they are discontinued now. The eheims look really nice systems.
 
It looking really nice Ady, even better now it is filling in more... I really like the wood too:thumbup:

hope you are having a good Christmas too mate :)
Cheers Gary, and Christmas has been great thanks, the kids are at the age where they get really excited....scalextric next year :).....for the kids of course!
Looking good Ady! Filling out nicely. You got a bit of a Dutch thing going on as well with those 'streets' of lobelias. Really like it.
Yeah it's got the odd touch of organisation, probably subliminaly learned planting techniques from drooling over Tom Barrs journal! I could go crazy with those lobelia streets as the rock and wood foreground could all be filled with them drawing the eye to the centre of the tank but that may be too regimented for me as i still prefer the 'jungle'/nature style more.... which is probably why I like your tank so much :thumbup:
Cheerio,
Ady.
 
Hi Ady
How tall does the lobelia grow and how do you keep it foreground hight?
Beautiful tank.
"
plantfinderlogo.jpg
Plant Finder Home --> / --> Lobelia cardinalis 'Small Form'
Image
Alobeliasmall.jpg
Click For Larger
lobelia_dwarf_top.jpg adwarflobelia.jpg
LOBELIA CARDINALIS 'SMALL FORM'


Hardiness: Easy
Light Needs: Medium
Plant Structure: Stem
Family: Lobeliaceae
Genus: Lobelia
Region: Cultivar
Location: Cultivar
Size: Stem width: 3-7cm (1-3
Growth Rate: Medium
Can Be Grown Emersed: Yes

Description:
Lobelia cardinalis 'Small Form' is an interesting and highly desirable cultivar derived from the much larger, original L. cardinalis. There is much confusion in the United States as to which plant is L. cardinalis 'Small Form' and which are just small or stunted L. cardinalis. They can be differentiated by the much rounder, coin shaped leaves and the much smaller stature of the former compared to the latter. So far, only Oriental Aquariums in Singapore commercially offers the true variety. This plant is now relatively common in the United States and is becoming in Europe.

L. cardinalis 'Small Form' makes few demands on the hobbyist other than ample amounts of direct lighting (2 watts per gallon or more). However, to obtain optimal growth both in size, coloration, and growth rate, CO2 supplementation should be used along with a water column rich in both macro- and micronutrients (NO3 10-20ppm, PO4 1-2ppm).

Under rich water column conditions, CO2 supplementation, and strong lighting, this plant will become bushy and lush, concentrating most of its growth on producing daughter plants which can be snipped off with a pair of scissors and replanted to form a new plant. The internodal roots, under these conditions, will be concealed by numerous side shoots and dense foliage. Under less than optimal conditions and dim lighting, the plant will become leggy and less attractive, producing fewer side shoots and, thus, not as easy to propagate.

The unique appearance and growth habit of this small plant make it an excellent choice for the midground of aquaria ranging from small to large. In large aquariums, this plant can even be used as a low maintenance foreground. It is often used in the Dutch Aquarium style to form diagonal, sweeping streets which add movement to otherwise static plant groupings. Because it is slow to gain vertical height, it is highly suitable for those hobbyists trying to cut down maintenance on their aquascapes.

Photo #1Submersed: US and International Copyright 2004 by Daniel Larrsen All Rights Reserved.

Photo #2Submersed: US and International Copyright 2004 by Eric Lui All Rights Reserved.

Photo #3Emersed: US and International Copyright 2004 by Carlos Sanchez All Rights Reserved."


Seems not to tell you the answer to your question but tells you how to trim.
Its stayed about 2.5" -3" in my tank, and as suggested above just snip out the daughter plants and replant, they then root and grow their own plantlets. To keep it shorter just trim tallest plantlets sooner.
Hope that helps :thumbup:
Cheerio,
Ady
 
Love it mate (apart from the dirty lily pipe). Well done on a great scape again!
thanks Ian,
I like dirty lily pipes.....I wish they did brown ones then I wouldn't have to wait for those ugly clear ones to change colour!.........I need to get on it and give them a clean, but it's one of those jobs I'd rather make excuses to put off, don't want to break them!
 
Looking very healthy ady the lobelia does look a great alternative to staurogyne I like the lily pipes that colour mate they blend nicely with the manzy ;)
Thanks Tim, in the last photo below, my royal whiptail has been fooled into thinking the dirty pipe is a manzy branch ;)

Few more shots to add a bit of colour to the page :snaphappy:

feb20122671.jpg


feb20122670.jpg


feb20122675.jpg


feb20122672.jpg


feb20122667.jpg



Cheerio,
Ady.
 
Ady this looks REALLY lovely mate :) Even better than the first one of yours I saw. And that limpopo works great. Whats the plant front left in the first image and also the red one top left in same image please?
 
Yes Ady! Looking fabulous and even better each time. Lovely how the plants and wood have merged together. Great photos also:clap:
 
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