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'Back in the Saddle' 90cm - 1 year on!

Just noticed the IAPLC rank for this; really removes my motivation for participating next year if this got ranked 2058! Unbelievable.

The only critique I can come up with is that perhaps the background stems become a little too hedge-like and the transition to the carpet somewhat abrupt.

Otherwise, real classy.

Thomas
Hi Tom, I agree with you, the transition was a lot smoother when I had the hedge trimmed but I am growing the stems tall as I want to harvest the trimmings so I can plant more in between the rocks to Eliminate this and then I will shape it accordingly :)
The IAPLC was because I couldn't submit a full tank shot as I didn't have the wide angled lens to take the right shot, I would still recommend entering especially as it's free :)
 
Hey guys, its been a wile since I've updated but I can say the tank is still going strong, being busy with work etc I didn't get round to doing a water change last week but having a day off today gave me some time to give the tank a little TLC, anyway the HM has grown to the water line in the middle and the sides are growing tall too, I did however trim it slightly to get it to thicken out. I am concerned that some parts of the carpet are not as anchored into the substrate and eventually I will have a mass uproot, I might have to come up with a contraption to weigh it down and hopefully it will take root again, if not it will only enforce a re-scape :)
Another shrimp lost but I believe its due to natural causes, so now with only one amano and one otto, I am desperate need of a clean up crew, I am thinking of getting some cherry shrimp as the breed easily and will add a nice bit of colour and from what I remember are a lot cheaper than Amano's, if anyone has any shrimp for sale, please let me know.
Lastly I have noticed an unsightly white foam/bacteria build up on the top of the water, I assume its just a build up of what ever the plants put out but if anyone knows otherwise then please let me know as its a bit gunky and make the top of my glass look ugly! the W/C clears it up so its not the end of the world
Anyway here a pic of the tank tonight but unfortunatly not with my brother SLR but I will try to do a shoot for next week.
nmkz6a.jpg

Thanks for looking!
 
I comdnd you for keeping this beauty going this long mate. My latest has only been going 3 weeks and I'm already planning the next :eek:

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I comdnd you for keeping this beauty going this long mate. My latest has only been going 3 weeks and I'm already planning the next :eek:

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Thanks mate, to be honest as soon as I get a bit of spare cash I will be doing a rescape, probably the Island type layout as I fancy trying some different plant species especially moss!
 
Hey guys, things have gone slightly backwards, to be honest it was a long time coming, as I mentioned some of the HC, in areas was becoming loose from the substrate and its clearly because of the decaying undergrowth due to a dense carpet, so I have pulled the 95% of the carpet and replanted with the hope it will take however this time I will be keeping it trimmed and no more than 5-6mm thick, if all else fails a re-scape will be on the cards :)
I wont post pics right now as its gross ;)
 
That's a shame, I really love this layout. Is it a common problem with HC carpets?
 
I found that when my hc got to about 4cm thick it started to go downhill. I tried planting some in a new setup but it has never really taken.

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I had a very similar experience with hc , I had it growing brilliantly untill it was 30mm + and
Wen it was trimmed, it wasn't the best condition below and never fully recovered whilst everything else in the tank grew well , I've since ripped it all out and replaced with eleocharis sp mini :)


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Mine and dans hc does it too. Hc is a weed in a high light tank. I think the top half of plant blocks the light, co2 and nutrients from the bottom. It needs trimming hard and often. When it gets to 3cm cut 2cm off. Lower light levels will help reduce the amount of trimming required.
It seems to be growing just as well under 1 t5 in 'wood and moss' as it is under 2 t5 in dans 180 , just more leggy and a lot slower
Hc isn't a hard plant to grow but its hard to keep on top of all the trimming it needs to keep it looking good
 
I agree the maintenance of keeping a big mass of hc healthy is high profile but a beautiful plant nonetheless , I think scaping in moderation is the key :)


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Hey guys,

Another update and some urgent help/advice required, so the carpet as you know lifted and replanted and happy to report runners of the replanted HC are spreading, I've switched on all the lights and growth and colour is better so I am going to stick with it unless a get an algae bloom I cant handle.
Now for the advice part, I was under the impression that my tank was accumulating cloudy water towards the end of each week (close to W/C day) and thought it was just something that with time would go away, as I thought the cause might be a recent clean in the filter and debris from the aquasoil from the lifting of the carpet and everything leaching into the body of water, well anyway taking a closer look it seems there is a fine white build up on the tank glass which when researching the issue could be the cause of hard water/limescale build up and as you will see from the photographs below you will notice it seems misty, has anyone had any experience with this issue, I normally rub sliced limes or lemon around the top of the tank to remove the unsightly limescale water line mark, I am temped to do this to the rest of the glass but obviously I cannot completely empty the tank water so would it be safe and effective to rub the lime/lemon underwater?
Any help and advice would be welcomed.
Here are the pics of the tank as it is tonight, unfortunately in a bad state but on the mend!

yeum.jpg

lsxt.jpg


Thanks.
 
I regularly clean my tank with a paintscraper. If that scares you, you can also use an old creditcard and scrape the insides with it. If you move from up to down you can clean all the way in to the substrate, just make sure you take it away from the glass going up again.
 
Hi guys, all is well with the tank, plants are growing very fast and I can see the tenellus taking over the foreground :) the replanted HC is doing well and the moss stones are starting to grow so to be honest it's back on track but the hard water stains on the glass are really starting to bug me, I bought a similar scraper suggested by Edvet and after a good scrapping and load of lime juice it's still not eradicated, any one else have any other tips to remove it?
 
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