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Carpet not carpeting.

Thanks. Is my light (a Fluval 2.0) good enough to do medium level plants? Maybe something red would look nice...

you could add it but I’d suggest working on everything else, get the co2 correct. Carpet growing and established and then add the second light 👍

lighting is not the issue at the moment it’s co2 and moving it around the tank possibly .

adding more light at the moment is only gonna increase issues!
 
it’ll be fine for your depth of water. Won’t bring out the reds as much as the specialist lights. I suggest getting everything else right and then think about lighting if you wanted to change it.


Maybe this dotted behind the carpet -

https://www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/a...i-tissue-culture---tropica-1-2-grow-841-p.asp

Yes, that's exactly what I was looking at. Might throw a pot in there.

I'll hold off on more light. The plants are healthy enough even though I'd love to see them grow a little faster.
 
I have had a HC carpet prior and didn't want it to grow faster. It's a pain to maintain. MC is similar; when you cut a carpet it looks really bad for a few days so ideally you want even and slow growth.


Yes, I suppose this will all look very different in six months' time, when there aren't big bare spots in the tank. I thought the reason for adding CO2 was mainly to make the plants grow more quickly- you see aquascapers on YouTube who have a perfect scape in a month or less, I thought mine would look better after two months (though I wasn't expecting a GF-style "almost perfect out of the gate"). I am aware of the other benefits- less algae, etc- but I hoped that it would take away some of the "long game" aspect.
 
My carpet wasn't carpeting... so i bought more plants! I am a genius gardener, aren't I? :)

I think a lot of vids that show good coverage in no time do just that - buy more plants. When in doubt, throw money at the problem :D
 
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My carpet wasn't carpeting... so i bought more plants! I am a genius gardener, aren't I? :)

I think a lot of vids that show good coverage in no time do just that - buy more plants. When in doubt, throw money at the problem :D

Despite how I must sound, I am much shorter on money than I am on patience.

That said I'm adding a pot of Alternanthera reineckii 'Rosanervig' when it arrives.

I can't afford to add many more plants, I cringe at the amount I've spent on this little tank so far. All in, we're in quadruple digits at this point- partly because of stupidity on my part because I paid for a custom tank and found an identical pre-made for a third of the price elsewhere (my fault for not shopping around), partly impulse buying (that bonsai), and partly on necessary items (the CO2 system, substrate, plants, and shrimp). But I really don't want to throw any more money at it for a while.
 
I know the feeling. Maybe this might make you feel better - I think I must have spent more than you per liter for my 30 cube! I'm glad my fish are in and the spending is over.
 
You need some sponsorships my good sir!

My good sir isn't into aquariums (though he did build the stands). I'm a woman. ;)

As for sponsorships- a couple of months with a social media account for my aquariums taught me one thing: I am not cut out for social media. I mostly knew that as I haven't been on Facebook for years, but Instagram is a toxic cesspool of people trying to sell things and/or attract more followers and then sponsorships, and college kids who got their first tank two years ago pretending to be experts and dispensing terrible "expert" advice to teenagers who think two years is the same as half a lifetime.

It's not worth it, not to me.
 
Hi all,
I am not cut out for social media.
I think you are not the only one on this forum who could <"say the same">.
........and college kids who got their first tank two years ago pretending to be experts and dispensing terrible "expert" advice to teenagers who think two years is the same as half a lifetime.
Only too true, unfortunately no <"shortage of experts">, or <"expert" advice"> sprinkled all over the WWW.

cheers Darrel
 
The Aquasabi order arrived today. In vitro Alternanthera reineckii had no visible roots- was forced to make a judgement call repeatedly on "which way is up", and loads of leaves came off while I was planting, so I'm not sure how much (if any) will survive. Moved a little Monte Carlo which had developed quite long roots, but less was available to be moved than I expected.

I guess I will start a new "journal" thread for this tank next time I am ready to post a pic and/or have more questions about this tank.
 
My carpet wasn't carpeting... so i bought more plants! I am a genius gardener, aren't I? :)

I think a lot of vids that show good coverage in no time do just that - buy more plants. When in doubt, throw money at the problem :D
Exactly this. Most pro video scapes show a full tank after planting. They also have unlimited access to plants since they receive donations from companies like Tropica to promote their plants.

Us paupers have to scrounge what we can to build our aquascapes!
 
The Aquasabi order arrived today. In vitro Alternanthera reineckii had no visible roots- was forced to make a judgement call repeatedly on "which way is up", and loads of leaves came off while I was planting, so I'm not sure how much (if any) will survive. Moved a little Monte Carlo which had developed quite long roots, but less was available to be moved than I expected.

I guess I will start a new "journal" thread for this tank next time I am ready to post a pic and/or have more questions about this tank.
I tried a tissue culture of AR as well and it didn’t take unfortunately. My best results were from cuttings from other hobbyists.
 
I tried a tissue culture of AR as well and it didn’t take unfortunately. My best results were from cuttings from other hobbyists.


I'll remember that... I'm not sure how anyone has success with rootless in vitro plants. They were extremely healthy otherwise, the 'Rosanervig' variant has bright pink leaves- if it takes, it will look fantastic, but I'll be surprised if it does.
 
I'll remember that... I'm not sure how anyone has success with rootless in vitro plants. They were extremely healthy otherwise, the 'Rosanervig' variant has bright pink leaves- if it takes, it will look fantastic, but I'll be surprised if it does.

You shouldn't have any issues. Remember these are stem plants, which you can typically cut and replant stems anyway, and they will develop new roots of their own, so the in-vitro plantlets are no different. I had no issues when I planted my in-vitro Alternanthera reineckii. In-vitro crypts on the other hand I've never had any luck with, mainly I think because the crypts typically melt, and the in-vitro variants have much less root stock to generate new leaves than a potted one, so I always buy crypts potted.
 
In-vitro crypts on the other hand I've never had any luck with, mainly I think because the crypts typically melt, and the in-vitro variants have much less root stock to generate new leaves than a potted one, so I always buy crypts potted.
The in-vitro C. wendtii “green” that I planted in my nano tank didn’t melt, but they did take an eternity to get going. The tank was set up about 6 months ago, but it’s really only in the last 2-3 months that the crypts have started growing. For months they just sat there with minute leaves, doing nothing!
 
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