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200L Low-Tech Reboot

Received some plants today. Is it okay to just leave them in a bucket of water until I am ready to plant tomorrow?

Filter was leaking overnight somehow. Woke up to find the carpet soaked in the livingroom. Took the lid off and put it back on, don't see any obvious leak so hopefully that is sorted.
 
Yep. I have some plants in a freezer bag at the mo. Been there a week

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Okay so I removed the old gravel and laid the new mix. I also added the few plants which actually go in the substrate (clearly need to buy more). I need to clean the wood (a lot of algae) and add my moss, ferns and anubias.

My Question - I would like to have the java ferns placed behind the wood and don't really have anything to attach them to. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to use some of my left over fine mesh to attach the ferns to? Basically cover the edges of the mesh in sand to keep it help down, then the ferns attached to the mesh with the rhizome on the top with the hope that the roots will then go down into the substrate.
 
Okay so I removed the old gravel and laid the new mix. I also added the few plants which actually go in the substrate (clearly need to buy more). I need to clean the wood (a lot of algae) and add my moss, ferns and anubias.

My Question - I would like to have the java ferns placed behind the wood and don't really have anything to attach them to. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to use some of my left over fine mesh to attach the ferns to? Basically cover the edges of the mesh in sand to keep it help down, then the ferns attached to the mesh with the rhizome on the top with the hope that the roots will then go down into the substrate.


Hi mikka! Why don't you just attach your ferns to some small rocks and place them on top of the substrate? They won't move anywhere then :)


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Well the small rocks I do have I want to use for other plants. Also I have a rather substantial amount of java fern (I want it to be the main plant). I'm also using a soil substrate this time so I assume it would be beneficial if the roots went down to the soil (rhizome still above)
 
Do you have any unused wood? You could glue the ferns to some and lay it in the substrate being your feature wood umseen

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Well I would just keep em in the water, tangle them round your wood or something. They won't attatch that quick

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I just kept them in their pots and put them a little into the substrate so they should stay where they are.

Should really have spent more time arranging everything but everything else has been attached to wood/rock or planted. Was a bit trigger happy on the glue, will try to tidy things up tomorrow and post a pic. The bit of wood I have looks a bit weird. I prefer a new angle but that means the current anubias look a little funny because they are mostly on the other side. The spread of the anubia is quite amazing compared to when i first bought it.
 
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You can use anything aquarium safe to hold the microsorum, i often wrap a little bonsai wire around the rhizome and drop it where you want it. As long as it weighs it down and doesn't effect your water your good.


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Are there any plants suitable for a carpet in low tech? I would like to cover up the rocks the anubias are attached to (and the roots) so was thinking either java moss or some other plant...

Really I need a lot more foreground plants (I didn't order any).
 
I added a little blue plastic mesh and slate and covered with some java moss. Tank is looking really muddled right now but hopefully when it fills in that will improve. Still going to need some more plants though.

Will take a picture when I can (don't have a camera, or at least I can't find one).
 
Okay, looking for some advice, obviously right side is completely rubbish and the odd stones are silly looking.

Back left is a lot of java fern on slate. To the right of that is anubias heterophylla. Wood has anubias nana bonsai on far left and a lot of anubias nana on rest and some java moss on the end part. Stone in middle has anubias barteri.
Right side consists of cryptocoryne balansae at the back, a coconut, a pebble, a sheet of mesh and slate covered in java moss and a Nuphar 'Red Spatterdock' Bulb.

Not sure if I planted bulb correctly, was going to also have aponogeton capuroni but the bulb was no good.

PS. Will also look for another camera.

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Are there any plants suitable for a carpet in low tech? I would like to cover up the rocks the anubias are attached to (and the roots) so was thinking either java moss or some other plant...

Really I need a lot more foreground plants (I didn't order any).

There are but they tend to be the larger more untamed carpets such as dwarf sag and cryptocoryne parva.
 
I think it's off to a good start - the left side is looking really nice :)

How about Vallis for a back drop? It roots really well and you don't have to keep pulling off the tops and replanting like stems. It spreads quickly on runners so you wouldn't need a lot to start with to fill it out. Looks okay with flow too.
 
I agree, I had been planning on adding Vallis to the back. I still need a mid/background to fill out the right side, can think of what. Either that or a more vertical spanning wood/hardspace for the right side.

I'm not much of a fan of swords, possibly some larger crypts?
 
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I've Crypt Wendtii in mine which seems happy along with the anubia/javafern. It spread and filled in really well too. Mines about 6" so it could go toward the back but it would be okay to let the vallis fill in behind it a bit as well.
 
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