The Opium Cartel

[Vinkenoog1977]

Hey guys,

I've been really slacking off on my journals due to time constraints, but will be restarting them, and adding a few new ones, such as this one. The name is from the fact it sits on the salon table in my TV room, which happens to be an opium table, so. It's been running for a few months now, in several forms, but these pics are from the replant I did yesterday, after a visit to the pond plant section of my local garden center. Found some lovely plants to add, so had a reshuffle, and this is the result.
Haven't had any real troubles with this one, except some BBA on some of the leaves of the mini Java fern, and I've had quite a few deaths in my Red Cherry Shrimp colony, due to (probably) molting issues. I had the temp up to 25-25 C for a few weeks when a visiting Betta called it its home, and I'm guessing that the higher temperature, combined with the hard water we have here, was the culprit. The temperature has been brought right back down to 21-22 about 10 days ago after the Betta left for home, but I've still found 1-2 deaths per day, all with the same crack in the shell, just behind the head. The odd thing is that the 20 Yellow Cherry Shrimp I added about three weeks ago, have not had any deaths. Very odd, maybe someone can shine some light on this.
And to be perfectly honest, yes, this tank was very much inspired by Mr. Teapot's masterpiece Green Pekoe Pond.

Some specs.

Hardware:
50x30x30 cm. aqaurium, 4 mm. glass thickness, black silicone
JBL e401 Greenline filter
Superfish Nano Heaters 25 Watt x 2
DIY Bio CO2 via 2 Fluval CO2 Diffusors
JBL ProSilent a50 airpump through an Eheim Air Diffusor (runs from 1 AM to 11 AM to gas off excess CO2)
IKEA Jansjo Lamp x 9 (630 lumens total)

Substrate:
Soil (Pokon Sowing Soil)
Vdl Gravel Black 1-3 mm

Hardscape:
Bogwood x 3
Lava Rock

Flora:
Acorus Pussilus
Juncus Effusus
Juncus Ensifolius
Typha Minima
Sagittaria Graminea
Hygrophila Araguaia
Lobelia Cardinalis
Rotala Rotundifolia
Ludwigia sp. "Mini Super Red"
Echinodorus Vesuvius
Echinodorus sp. "Red Devil"
Microsorum Pteropus sp. "Mini"
Microsorum Pteropus sp. "Windelov"
Anubias Nana sp. "Mini"
Bucephalandra Sekadau
Taxiphyllum sp. "Spiky"
Hemianthus Callitrichoides
Terrestrial Moss (unsure of the exact type, was taken from nearby woods)
Drosera Capensis
Spathiphyllum Cochlearispathum
Hydroctyle Tripartia sp. "Japan"
Alternanthera Reineckii sp. "Mini"
Sarracenia (unsure of the exact type)

Fauna:
Otocinclus Affinis x 6
Otocinclus Arnoldi x 6
Red Cherry Shrimp ~50
Yellow Cherry Shrimp ~20
Blue Cherry Shrimp ~8
Anentome Helena x 6
Mini Horn Sunsnail x 3
Mini Tylomelania sp. "Golden Rabbit" x 3
Tylomelania sp. "Yellow Poso"

CO2 & Ferts:
CO2 is on 24/7 (with an airpump running at night), going at about 2bps (with a JBL ProSafe Bubble Counter)
I dose EI at 1,5 times normal (due to the heavy, HEAVY planting) (6 ml. Micro (days 1-3-5) and 3 ml. Macro (days 2-4-6) with one restday)
I dose Flourish Iron daily (1 ml.)

And now for some pics.

Let me know what you think!

 

[zozo]

Wow!! I wana have it! 🙂 Wonderfull, now this is a beautiful setup.. I miss the Nepenthes actualy.. I realy wonder why i havent seen one yet over here.

On top of the moss tree would be a nice place to put one..

I once bought a baby one from here, they have a nice rare collection..
https://www.wistuba.com/

 

[Jamie McGrath]

I think this is a great looking tank and I love the lights. The name you have chosen is good but I was looking forward to seeing what an opium table looks like, an chance of a shot?

 

[Guest]

Wow amazing...tho' the pics look somewhat Sci Fi surreal😵 with the IKEA lamps leering over the scape😕...it reminds me of John Christopher's 'The Tripods'😱

 

[zozo]

I bet y

I think this is a great looking tank and I love the lights. The name you have chosen is good but I was looking forward to seeing what an opium table looks like, an chance of a shot?

i bet you've seen them before maybe without knowing.. Low so you can sit on cushins at it, with thick short outwards bend legs, usualy square tables.. 🙂 But i wait for the picture as well..

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Wow!! I wana have it! 🙂 Wonderfull, now this is a beautiful setup.. I miss the Nepenthes actualy.. I realy wonder why i havent seen one yet over here.

On top of the moss tree would be a nice place to put one..

I once bought a baby one from here, they have a nice rare collection..
https://www.wistuba.com/

Thank you so much!
And those look lovely, will have to have another dig around at some garden centers. 🙂

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

I think this is a great looking tank and I love the lights. The name you have chosen is good but I was looking forward to seeing what an opium table looks like, an chance of a shot?

Thank you!

Sure, this is mine.

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Wow amazing...tho' the pics look somewhat Sci Fi surreal😵 with the IKEA lamps leering over the scape😕...it reminds me of John Christopher's 'The Tripods'😱

Thanks!

Bit War of the World-ish, I see what you mean!

 

[zozo]

Thank you so much!
And those look lovely, will have to have another dig around at some garden centers. 🙂

The problem in the garden centers is they have to big spieces for that use.. They usualy have the big hardy ones for the living room. Small ones are rare to find there arent so many small spieces. Thats why i had to order at Wistuba.. Hes a specialist in nephentes and can recomend provide the small spieces.. I have to dig to find back which i had, was a nice one with red bloody vains in its cups. I see if i find it back.. But they are hard to keep, as i found out, it died on me, had no tank back then.. But above a tank with enough humidity it shouldnt be such a big deal. I'll try it again one day.

Ah! found it again it was a baby N. Spectabilis. Is a very slow grower and a baby is just a few inches.. Will takes years to mature.. There are smaller ones..

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

They do look real lovely. Will check them out, and who knows, might add a nice one. Do you know if it likes its roots submerged, or not?

 

[zozo]

No its an ephyfite, top or mid of the tree would be perfect.. No direct light lots of humidity and there are highland and lowland spieces.. The lowlands can take cooler environments, but dont like heat. Other way around lowlands dont like cool surroundings.. So i guess you need to go for a lowland one in this setup.. In the garden centers you only find highlanders..

Oh!? Dont want to spoil the fun.. But dont be suprised that you pay 20 pounds for a baby.. They are rare.. I did..

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Okay, cool, I was still looking for something to add higher up on the middle "treestump", and these would look lovely.

And my niece is married to a flower and plant import and export dude, so I might give him a ring and see what he can come up with as far as these beauties are concerned.

 

[zozo]

Would be a lauch if he comes up with wistuba.. The other one i could find is in the states. I curious if he knows a UK suplier.. ANd i wrote something wrong above.. The highlanders like cool instead of warm..

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

So I would definitely need to go for a highlander species then? Awesome.

 

[zozo]

Nono i think not, sorry for the confusment and my english. I think above your tropical tank it wont be that cool and always humit warm air rising up. So that would more be a lowland jungle climate i guess. Higland climate is very high in the borneo mountains where it can be quite cold, colder then you would expect for that area.

To be realy asured i would write Andreas Wistuba an e-mail and ask him which smaller spieces is best suitable for your setup. I had an expensive highlander dying on me in the summer because it was to warm and dry and did put it to late in the greenhous. The shock was to much, they are very sensitive plants.. Thats why they are so rare and not seen that often. They wont forgive mistakes and die off easily. i made the stupid mistake to first buy the plant and then build the greenhous for it..

So be aware of that, before you spent relatively much money on such a little nepy...

Maybe that plant import dude can provide you with a realy small relatively cheap highlander as in the garden center.. I mean a realy young one, those to young for the garden center. They are special breeds crosed spieces, hard enough to survive hour living rooms with proper care. Try that first.. They grow very slow and are not so expensive, you still can replace it if it cant stand the warmt of the tank. If that works you ca go a step further and get a more beautifull delicate one..

I never did it before above a tank so it would be an experiment for me too..

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Thanks for clearing that up for me!

 

[zozo]

Still found a picture of my highland spectabilis (Sibayak Sumatra) on the net which i posted in another forum..


Lovely isn't she, just a tiny baby that pot is only 2 inch in diameter. The clay balls are just decorative under there is sphagnum.
Lasted 8 or 9 months when the temp went over 25C it was fatal, even spraying every day several times didnt do it. First the tiny pitchers withered away.
Then i did put here in a little greenhous, but it was over she slowly died in 3 months time 🙁 Bad bad me!..

 

[jagillham]

What's the red plant in the 5th photo down please?

Great tank 🙂

 

[Noman]

Thats a gorgeous little tank.

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Thanks guys!!! 🙂

What's the red plant in the 5th photo down please?

Great tank 🙂

That's the Alternanthera Reineckii sp. "Mini", much easier plant than advertised, likes some more light than average, not too fussy as far as CO2 goes. At least, in my hard water.