My First Planted Tank (The End) Juwel Rio 125

[LondonDragon]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Hello mate,
I really like your tank... despite I love crypts...
By the way, you are not portuguese?
Cheers,
Joe Faria.

Thanks and yes I am portuguese, by your surname I see that you are also
Where abouts in Portugal are you from? I was born in the north near Porto, city called Vila Nova de Famalicão.

 

[Joe Faria]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Hi again,
Trofa mate, we are neighbours...

I knew your nickname from somewhere, like a portuguese forum...

Until last September, I lived in Cornwall, for about 4 good years and moved back to Portugal... That's life mate.

Um abraco,

Jose Faria.

 

[LondonDragon]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Yeah just a few miles apart, world is small after all hehe
I been living in London for about 18 years now! Looks like I will be staying for a while too hehe or until the English kick me out of their country
I go to Portugal twice a year parents live in Famalicão, inlaws in Lisbon, so I get to travel up and down the country
I always use the same nickname in all the forums I frequent which I lost count by now lol even used to have a couple that I run.

Um abraço
Paulo

 

[LondonDragon]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Hello everyone,

Over the last couple of weeks I have been moving things around. I had 3 Clown Loaches in the tank for just over 3 years from my time before moving to planted and they were causing havoc with uprooting plants etc... they were rehomed last Saturday and gave me an oportunity to redo somethings and get the tank back on track.
As I mentioned before my place was a building site for about 6 months and the tank was just left there feeling very neglected, since I was doing a lot of the work myself after my job, there went the evenings and weekends. The only plants that didn't survive was the Riccia and HC, and the green plant I had on the left hand side which I have no idea what it was called. Also on the left hand side underneath the plants there was a large 15cm diameter by 30cm long plastic tube where the loaches used to hide which I have now also removed. During that time the Anubias grew like mad now I have lots just from one tropic pot, silly me left them out too long while moving things about and some of the leaves dried out :?

The plants have been trimmed quite a bit so needs a couple of weeks to grow back, last week got a couple of pots of HC which I planted on the left hand side and this week received some glosso and mosses from Ed which I planted yesterday. The glosso is away pearling which I guess its a good sign, I am trying it on my pea size gravel and see how it goes, if it doesn't hold I will change the gravel.

OK enough for today, here are some photos I just took.

Full tank shot:

Created a moss wall on the back of the tank using a wire mesh, just want to see the effect when it grows.

And a photo of my favourite fish

As always comments and critics always welcomed.
Thanks for looking

 

[ulster exile]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Wow - looks amazing to me I realise you're trying out the moss, but at the mo it's probably the only thing I don't like in there because it is so uniform, manmade and deliberately placed. But the rest of it is stunning!

 

[Ed Seeley]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Looking good!

Did you use Weeping moss for the wall? Will look good in a couple of weeks if it grows at the same rate for you sa it does for me!

Glosso should do well too. Pearling is never a bad sign IMO! Bubbles can get annoying though after a while! I bet the gravel will hold it better than the sand I grow it in. Once the glosso starts sending out new shoots you want to trim the stems off just above the gravel at a node to make sure the carpet is nice and compact. By then each piece will have rooted so the smaller size won't matter. I've replanted mine using just single nodes with two leaves and it's already growing back in well.

 

[LondonDragon]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

ulster - Thanks I know the moss doesn't look natural for now, but if it grows well it will make a nice background and you won't then notice the mesh. Which will add a very natural look.

eds - Again thanks for the plants and for the tips on the glosso, I will surely follow that and trim it like you recommend.
I am not sure which moss I used, took it out of the packs and then realised I couldn't remember which was which. It was the larger quantity of moss you sent if you can remember. I used the other one on a tree branch on the right hand side.

 

[Ed Seeley]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

eds - Again thanks for the plants and for the tips on the glosso, I will surely follow that and trim it like you recommend.
I am not sure which moss I used, took it out of the packs and then realised I couldn't remember which was which. It was the larger quantity of moss you sent if you can remember. I used the other one on a tree branch on the right hand side.

The larger amount was the Weeping moss so it's lucky you used that for the wall! So the stuff on the branch is the Spiky that will grow upwards.

Glosso and the mosses will be looking lush in no time I'm sure.

 

[LondonDragon]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

The larger amount was the Weeping moss so it's lucky you used that for the wall! So the stuff on the branch is the Spiky that will grow upwards.
Glosso and the mosses will be looking lush in no time I'm sure.

Thanks Ed, looks like by chance I made the right decision hehe
Can't wait until it all settles, my corrys keep digging up the glosso!

 

[Sandra]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Looks great.
Do you have any substrate under that gravel? Please forgve me if you have already answered this question.

 

[LondonDragon]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Looks great.
Do you have any substrate under that gravel? Please forgve me if you have already answered this question.

Nothing at all, just normal pea size gravel, had that in the tank for 5 years since it was a Goldfish tank before.

 

[Sandra]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

wow your plants look really good.
Do you dose with fertiliser or do you have co2?


Please ignore the above, I have just read that you have both LOL

 

[Themuleous]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Loving the plants, like the crpyts as a background plant!

Sam

 

[LondonDragon]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Loving the plants, like the crpyts as a background plant!
Sam

Cheers, I like the colour they add to the tank, not sure which they are though, any clues?

 

[ulster exile]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Looks like a non-algaefied version of my c. wendtii, but I'm still a n00b so I'd take that with a pinch of salt!

 

[TDI-line]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Looking good.

 

[LondonDragon]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Thanks, TDI

Looks like a non-algaefied version of my c. wendtii, but I'm still a n00b so I'd take that with a pinch of salt!

after some google search, yep it looks like it, also have a smaller one with light green leaves, much smaller though.

 

[LondonDragon]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125 [Updated 29/03/2008]

Hi everyone,

Just thought I would give you another update before the water change.

For comparisson, here is last week Saturday:

Here is today:

Since the last update the glosso and HC is starting to fill in, its been a bit of a strugle as my corys go digging in the middle of it and end up uprooting it, I have been replating it every day as it floats.
Also added some Blyxa to the middle, got this from James this week very happy with it as I never seen it on sale anywhere before, thanks for that due to this have placed the weeping moss mesh at the back on the horizontal, its starting to show signs of growing now, not fast by any means hehe
Over the last week I have only been dosing TPN+ as I ordered a bottle by mistake of my usual TPN, I will keep dosing this until I get my pressurised system which should arrive any day now. Also took delivery of my Trace Mix from AE and I am looking for MgS04, Boots are out of stock so might just pay a little more and get it on ebay. Once I get the CO2 system installed I will move to complete dry ferts.

Full tank shot and a couple more photos of plants:

Thanks for looking, as always critics and comments always welcomed

 

[johnny70]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Very nice mate, love the choice of rainbows in there whats the plant in the 2nd last picture

Cheers,
JOHNNY

 

[LondonDragon]

Re: My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

Very nice mate, love the choice of rainbows in there whats the plant in the 2nd last picture

Thanks if I am not mistaken the plants is "Ludwigia repens 'Rubin'" purchased a pot of it few months back and it grows very well.