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60cm/54litre - 'Windelov Sunset'

nry

Member
Joined
23 Oct 2007
Messages
1,225
Location
Cumbria, UK
Moving on from my previous journal:

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=438

I figured this was time to change things, with luck for the better!

Tank details:

60x30x30cm Juwel Rekord60 with internal filter removed
Original Juwel hood stripped and fitted with 2x15w T8's = 2wpg
D-D Pressurised CO2 with (currently) Jaqno external reactor
TetraTec EX600 external filter
eBay glass lily pipe set
Tropica Substrate topped with Hagen Black River Sand
'Vine root' wood and 'black' pebble decor
EI fertilisation:

Powders pre-mixed with water (all dosed on same days):

KN03 10ml 3 times per week
KP04 5ml 3 times per week
Tropica PN for trace 2ml 3 times per week
50% water change weekly

Fish:

7 x Rasbora maculatus
7 x Pygmy corydoras
Millions of mixed shrimp

Planting:

Tropica Windelov fern
Tropica Rotalla Wallachii
Tropica Crypt Wendtii green and brown
AquaFleur Anubias 'Bonsai'
Tropica HC
Tropica Hair Grass

Piccy time after tonights planting hence the slight mistiness (50% water change done after planting):

15apr2009.jpg


Over time, as the new plants grow in, I am planning to either remove or re-plant (in a different location perhaps) the HC, possibly removing all the hair grass (of which there isn't much anyhow). There was enough anubias to split into 6 plantlets, so 3 of these are tied to the vine root and will hopefully grow up and along each 'arm', with the other 3 tied to rocks and placed on the substrate between the crypts and rocks. I'm hoping to get a group of oto's again as my last group died off over the past few months. Once the wallichii has settled in I'll give it a good prune and replant some of the longer stems back in the substrate.

Comments welcome, constructive or otherwise :)
 
How do you find the maculata and corydoras are with the shrimp? Being 'ickle little things do they eat any of the shrimplets? Do the shrimp hide from them at all?

I am rubbish at visualising how things will look when they grow in, will be interesting to see how much your pebbles stand out\dissapear over time. Nice start :)
 
I'd not be surprised if the teeny baby shrimps get eaten, but the shrimp breed so much there's a never ending supply of them anyhow. The fish pretty much tolerate the shrimp though I don't think the cory's like them too much, probably because they always compete for food at ground level.
 
I love the moss draping over the wood, it gives a nice feel and balance to it :D
 
I've never trimmed the moss correctly tbh, I assume I just cut it back with scissors and let it grow back? I normally just rip handfuls out...
 
I'll give it a good cut at the next water change then :) Might as well use the aquarium scissors I bought donkey's years ago!
 
I also need to do a little work on the lighting in the hood - the rear light sits too far into the tank and doesn't light up the back 2 or 3 inches of water hence the darkness a the top of the rotalla - shouldn't take much doing and should stop it growing 'forward' overly much.
 
I've got 2 15w tubes in there now, but the back one sits too far forward, I need to butcher the hood a bit more to shift it back further.

2wpg is more than enough :)
 
A piccy from tonight now the mistiness has settled. I've also finally sorted the lighting out by ripping more of the Juwel hood to bits so I can out the 'rear' light tube at the rear of the hood so the whole substrate is lit much more evenly. It's quite an obvious change for me but might not show so well in the picture - very happy with it though :)

17apr2009.jpg
 
Hi nry,
well its certainly a change from the old scape,but its got loads of potential,

regards john.
 
Cheers John :)

The potential is there, I just have to get the planting right this time - I find it easy to play around with hardscape but I struggle with the planting side of things, with luck UKAPS members can help me make the most of its potential this time around :)
 
I'm aiming for an offset mound style 'scape if I can pull it off. Once the r.wallichii settles in I'll give it a good trim and replant the cut stems to help thicken it out - should be better now I have the rear light tube placed directly over it now too.

The larger crypt. wendtii should grow it's leaves much different once the old leaves die off so they'll be a bit closer to the substrate, and hopefully I will add in some crypt. parva in the next few weeks around the base of the mound to give a bit of ground cover. I'm not planning on any specific carpetting plant at the moment, I'll probably strip the HC and hairgrass out once the new plants have taken hold better. To that end I might also end up removing the rocks to the left of the tank but I'll see, the c.parva might look good extended over to the right around those rocks a bit.
 
Pretty much what I was thinking :) Some of the wendtii is in the wrong place at the moment too but that was planted before I figured parva would be a better choice for some areas.
 
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