Thanks Kadir, really nice of you to say that, it's really nothing special though, just a random selection of plants and a bit of wood in a cube really! I suppose the great thing about planted tanks is that the plants, if you give them the right conditions, can often create a natural looking environment by themselves.
I'm pleased that this has grown out a bit and started to mature now. There have been some scrapes and disasters, particularly with the hardware, but the whole thing seems to have stabilised now, and now I can enjoy it and tinker when I feel like it.
I dropped off the glass lid at a local glaziers last week to cut some holes for the lily pipes and the legs of the lighting unit. It is a shame to limit the emersed growth, but I have had a couple of endlers and shrimps leap out of the tank now, and I don't like being on edge when coming home expecting so see another dried up creature on the floor. I am pretty sure they're all happy in there, but the tank is right next to the door and I think they might get spooked by the constant comings and goings. Maybe the glass will help limit the heater use, prevent evaporation, and stop nasties (particulalry cooking oil fumes) getting in? The guy in the shop did a good job with the cut, he didn't want any money, but I gave him fiver to get a pint (won't get much change from that around here these days). Haggerston Glass if anyone needs glass cut in the area, it is just around the corner from Charterhouse Aquatics.
I trimmed the stricta right back to the base of the stem, I think it was the right decision. It has opened up a lot more space, and should give the aruguaia at the botom right mid-ground a chance - it had been heavily shaded by the big stricta leaves. I also had to tilt the wood forward to accommodate the lid, but again I think this is an improvement. The combination of removing the stricta and tilting the wood forward from the back glass also seems to have improved the flow around the tank.
I also popped into Charterhouse to pick up some more RCS from their big cube garden, they seemed to have settled in OK. Hopefully I have enough now to form a self-sustaining colony.
Not sure what to do with the ludwiga at the back left, it is a bit of a tangled mess to be honest. It provides good cover for the gouramis though. The other irritation is that the plants on the right had side bend outwards, presumably aiming themselves towards the sunlight from the window.
As always, thanks for reading, and for everyone's advice and support so far.
