Cryptic Diptych

[hydrophyte]

I have a start on a new setup. This will be a diptych--a single composition rendered in two adjoined frames--in a couple of 60cm tanks. I intend to do both of these as a high-humidity riparium mainly as a better way to display some of my nice emersed crypts. I have some interesting plants and nice specimens, but these days my crypts are mainly in dingy culture tanks.

Anyway, here is a shot from tonight of the very beginning. I already have a few plants in there.

 

[NeilW]

Love the name, excellent

Nice unusual idea too.

 

[hydrophyte]

Thanks Neil. This might look pretty cool when I get it put together.

I want to get lamps with the same color temps into those two fixtures. The setup looks a little odd with that white-blue on the left and amber on the right.

I also have fun way to turn this into a recirculating system that might or might not work(?).

 

[NeilW]

Thanks Neil. This might look pretty cool when I get it put together.

I see ripariums almost like a 2D image thats best viewed from the front so I think it could work. Be interesting for you working out what how the tanks will play off/complement each other.

I also have fun way to turn this into a recirculating system that might or might not work(?).

a joint sump?

 

[hydrophyte]

I plan to have a small submersible pump or powerhead pumping from one tank to the next, then a U-shaped pipe filled with water will function as a siphon return back to the first tank. I still haven't tried this yet, but I'll see how it goes. One important measure will be to make sure that the return pipe stays filled with water and does not loose siphon. I could just as easily run the tanks as two separate systems, but I like the idea of recirculating water.

 

[hydrophyte]

I haven't done too much more with this project but I did get a couple more plants situated. The new Epi Trellis Raft is perfect for rhizomatous emersed plants, especially smaller Anubias and Java fern. There are a lot of holes and notches that facilitate the fastening of the plant rhizomes.

I mounted this A. barteri var. nana on a raft in a snap with a couple water-resistant rubber bands.

It is important to make sure that the rubber band or other tie fastener does not squeezed the rhizome tight. Here I wrapped them so that they would have just a loose hold on the plant. Once the plant begins ot grow the roots will actively adhere to foam and hold strong.

 

[hydrophyte]

The new Nano Trellis Raft design will also work well for rhizomatous plant that grow on stones and other hard surfaces. I planted up a couple short sections of 'Windeløv' Java fern the other night to use as midground emersed hedge feature in this setup.

Mounting the fern was easy. I just crossed a pair of water-resistant rubber bands over the top of the rhizomes and behind the raft.

If you note the scale with my fingertips you can see that the Nano Trellis Raft is only about 1/2 the size of the Epi Trellis Raft. There are not a great deal of rhizomatous plants that are small enough to use with this design. Windeløv is one that should work, and I imagine that Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite' would fit well too.

 

[YzemaN]

Ooh... As always I can't wait to see this grow

I plan to have a small submersible pump or powerhead pumping from one tank to the next, then a U-shaped pipe filled with water will function as a siphon return back to the first tank. I still haven't tried this yet, but I'll see how it goes. One important measure will be to make sure that the return pipe stays filled with water and does not loose siphon. I could just as easily run the tanks as two separate systems, but I like the idea of recirculating water.

You could make something similar to the link below and attach the small tubing to a similar arrangement on the powerhead intake:
http://www.aquariumlife.net/projects/di ... low/70.asp
This should provide enough suction to keep the siphon working at all times.

 

[danmil3s]

the bridge idea is simple to do no need to mess about with over flow boxes as your tank will always have water in it not my video but demonstrates how its done about 30 seconds in you just need a pipe under water in both tanks suck the air out put a canister filter with the inflow in one tank outflow in the other

 

[hydrophyte]

the bridge idea is simple to do no need to mess about with over flow boxes as your tank will always have water in it not my video but demonstrates how its done about 30 seconds in you just need a pipe under water in both tanks suck the air out put a canister filter with the inflow in one tank outflow in the other

That is just exactly what I have in mind, except that I plan to use a powerhead, not a canister filter.

 

[YzemaN]

...no need to mess about with over flow boxes...

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I only meant to use the siphon tube part between the two tanks, not the whole overflow box

 

[danmil3s]

hydrophyte how do you plan on using a power head how will your water be filtered

 

[hydrophyte]

Well I might eventually use a canister filter, but I am going to start the system out with just a powerhead and sponge filter that will push water from a U-shaped pipe from one tank over to the next. Then a second larger-diameter U-shaped pipe will siphon return the water back to the first.

 

[danmil3s]

Wont that be a lot of stuff in your tank

 

[hydrophyte]

Well it will be two tubes in each tank, which would be the same as with a canister filter.

I will need to put a heater in just one of the two tanks, so that will diminish that piece of clutter by 1/2.

 

[hydrophyte]

There's not much new in this tank. I'm still just growing the plants up to size, but I do have a quick update. The Schismatoglottis NOID is looking seriously great. This is an excellent little plant for smaller riparium setups and a good companion for crypts, and it's botanically unusual. The red-veined plant is a Fittonia planted on a nano trellis raft.

 

[hydrophyte]

I am working on this at a very slow rate. Tonight I finally got into the tank on the right to add some gravel. I also moved around the plants a bit and that is why they look so messy in this picture...

There are just a few fish in there. The tank on the left (the 30G) is still stuffed full of plants.

It doesn't look like much, but there are some fun plants in there anyway.