Amazon plants

[Martin in Holland]

I'm looking to replace some plants with low tech plants from the Amazons to make my tank more like a Biotope. I want to replace Jave fern, Anubius and maybe have some carpet plant, the red lily is staying for sure.
My tanks substrate is sand so I guess I need to put some tabs near the plants.
Any suggestions are welcome.

This is my tank now....I want to get less plants and have the wood more exposed.

 

[alto]

Echinodorus sp of course
one of my fav's Echinodorus schlueteri "Leopard" (unless you want to avoid cultivars) is a fantastic "dwarf" Echinodorus
Echinodorus Red Rubin "Narrow" - I miss Tropica's version as it was a lovely red


S subulata - I prefer this in low tech environs
though Lilaeopsis macloviana would be my preference if available

Staurogyne 'Porto Velho'
S repens - though this seems more temperamental than "Porto Velho'

I rather like these two intermixed for texture (obviously growth is much slower low tech)
M 'Monte Carlo'
L brasiliensis

Potamogeton gayi - I have this in a tank with low CO2 but it should do fine without added CO2, it has interesting texture & (changing) colours

Note I use Tropica GS & Soil in all my tanks, so not sure how low tech + sand would affect things (local tap is very soft)

Not sure if this is what you're looking for

 

[zozo]

Potamogeton gayi - I have this in a tank with low CO2 but it should do fine without added CO2, it has interesting texture & (changing) colours

Yup growing it in both ways, low tech and high tech, it is a wonderfull plant.. In the low tech it even grows under extreem low light, there it tends to melt a bit at substrate level, but it's a true aquatic. It even survived the whole summer outside in the pond.. In a full sunny spot it even gets dark red, i guess you need a bom of light above the tank to make it do that indoors. In high tech, once established (can take a while) it will grow like weed and make runners and pop up at places you might not want. Very sensitive to changes in parameters, need to be very carefull with liquid carbon or adding h202 to the water. Might wait for the tank to fully establish and has no more algae issues before adding this plant, bba loves to attack this plant and treating a tank for algae will not favor this plant.. But once it has an good healthy rootsystem it is indestructable, tho it doesn't realy need to root in the substrate but it will make it a much stronger plant.

Definitively a plant which would look awsome in this tanks background.

 

[Martin in Holland]

Lets see if I can find it (Potamogeton gayi) here. As you might know, there are no names on plants here and I have to go for the look. Echonidorus looks good too and lets not forget L. brasiliensis.

 

[zozo]

Lets see if I can find it (Potamogeton gayi) here. As you might know, there are no names on plants here and I have to go for the look. Echonidorus looks good too and lets not forget L. brasiliensis.

If you can't, let me know, always worth a try to send some througly wraped in some clingfilm with a wet piece of paper towel and a zip bag in an envellope...
It just might survive the trip.. I have enough of it..

 

[Mark Livermore]

Martin, may i say before you change it that i love the look of your tank/scape.

 

[Martin in Holland]

Tanks Marcel, but that would be a bit to much. It can take up to 6 weeks for things to reach my address.

@mark.... I'm not going to change the dynamic of the layout, just want to change the plants so it looks more (or less) natural to a Discus biotope, meaning that I want to use plants coming from the Amazons and are more likely able to cope with warmer water (29-29 celsius).

 

[zozo]

I know Martin, i even had some mail get lost comming from China.. But who know's also had orders arive with in 7 days.. I once ordered Java ferns from Indonesia taking 10 days and arived in perfect condition.. I don't mind taking some chances.. maybe we get lucky.. Like our famous Dutch saying "Never shooten, is always a mis." And i can't keep it all anyway it keeps on growing and it's just in a small tank.. It's just a stamp, an envelope and some plastic to seal it, i gladly donate for this experiment and your beautifull tank.. The offer stands it's up to you.

 

[Martin in Holland]

Hmmm....just got some vallisneria for a friends tank yet to be build, now here is the thing...I like it so much than I'm rethinking my amazon biotope layout and maybe even do a complete rescape on my tank with lots of vallisneria .... I think I need a bigger home to be able to have more bigger tanks

 

[micheljq]

.... I think I need a bigger home to be able to have more bigger tanks

Same

 

[alto]

just got some vallisneria for a friends tank yet to be build, now here is the thing...I like it so much

Amano did some amazing scapes where Vallisneria dominates - I don't know why some plants seem to have been (almost completely) discarded by aquascapers

 

[zozo]

Amano did some amazing scapes where Vallisneria dominates - I don't know why some plants seem to have been (almost completely) discarded by aquascapers

Might be the majority nowadays has a bottle of Glut in the cabinet to battle algae.. Valis seems to be one of those very sensitive to this stuff.

 

[Martin in Holland]

I also think that with more and more new plants coming every year, people forget the "simple' plants and like to grab a new novelty instead. I've said it before, difficult, new plants don't make a good scape, the scape itself makes it good or not, look at most Amano tanks, they don't have novelty plants most of the time. It's not because he can't, but more because it's not needed.