Tidy Jungle II, III and IV

[Courtneybst]

Some excellent photo's of what appears to be a tank coming on beautifully. The fish look in great health.

I had the same with ramshorns and pond snails. I find their population explodes when I overfeed the tank so I've been reigning it in.

Thank you Kogre!

I'm definitely grateful that it's coming along nicely and the fish seem to be happy.

The snails seem to come whether I feed or not haha, I even only feed every other day. I don't mind to be honest. I think I also underestimate how much cleaning the Clithon Corona snails are doing. I put one in my shrimp tank a few days ago as I was waiting for the carpet to have a stronger hold and within 2 days the perimeters were noticeably cleaner.

 

[Courtneybst]

Hey everyone, this is a monthly update from the Tidy Jungle II.

I feel like a lot has changed, and a lot is still currently changing. It's a great example of how dynamic aquariums are and are just never the same one day to the next, keeps me on my toes!

• The Nymphoides Taiwan I was gifted has finally filled into the space and is looking very lush! The predation on the leaves has also cut right down. I'm still not entirely sure who was eating them, I still suspect the Amano shrimp.
• The Tiger Lotus was growing humungous leaves and starting to lose the effect because they were getting too tall to see its beauty. So I started to trim them back hard, leaving only a few leaves and they are now growing smaller just like everyone suggested, so thanks for that! I feed them monthly still as they're hungry plants and I want to keep them at optimal health as they are a bit of a centrepiece.
• Although there is a little bit of algae on the Java Fern Trident, I hadn't realised how lush it was really getting. I pulled multiple clumps from 'overgrown' areas to fill patches where I thought it could use it and it barely looked any different! So there's a lot more in there than I realised.
• I've gone from never having kept Bucephalandra back in February to now having over 15 clumps of various species, common and rare. I've nestled them in here, there and everywhere so they're on display, some more subtle.
• I removed ALL of the Hydrocotyle Leucocephala. I like the plant and it added to the jungle vibe but it is a total maintenance nightmare! It grows so quickly and the lower leaves tend to die off, I just had enough. I also thought it distracted from the nymphoides as they're both luminous green. I think the tank is better for it.
• The Red Tiger Lotus I have growing epiphytically on the manzanita has been in place for several months now and shows no signs of slowing down. The leaves have doubled in size in the last month.
• I've changed out the larger filter pipes for Aquario Neo Flow acrylic and I definitely prefer it. Much less visual distraction, and the way it's positioned has meant my CO2 distribution is better somehow. I'll soon be changing the other side, along with the filters and the lighting. Everything is getting an upgrade basically!
• I've found great success using citric acid to remove little bits of algae. Just a quick dip (10-15 minutes) in a 1 cup water to 1tsp solution does the trick with no harm to the plants.
• I'm looking into how to dose a leaner version of EI and use more root tabs. I've seen others have success with this and I'd like to dose less in the water column.

 

[NatalieHurrell]

I love this tank. It's come on so well. The hardscape gives such a sense of drama and that lily...😍

 

[Scouseboyblue]

Stunning tank


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Courtneybst]

I love this tank. It's come on so well. The hardscape gives such a sense of drama and that lily...😍

Thanks Natalie! I was definitely going for drama with this scape. It was originally a 'centrepiece' aquarium if you like but now it's just for me. 😁

Stunning tank


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you!

 

[Courtneybst]

15th August 2021: The scape is doing pretty well, and it's developed a shape that I'm happy with and maintaining. I even had a batch of apistogramma fry reach free swimming stage, and there are some survivors hiding away now they've separated from Mum. Just shows what can happen in regular tap water and with the right natural conditions!

• The nymphoides needs frequent trimming so I've added some bolbitus that was kindly gifted to me to fill the gaps where the spindly stems lurk and I think it's done the trick.
• The lotus is beautiful as ever, showing no signs of slowing down. Even the epiphytic lotus is still going all these months later!
• The ferns are growing very thick and providing a great hiding place for the apistogramma fry.
• I added some Barclaya Longifolia I got from World of Water and I'm letting it get a little taller so I can either put it into the background or use it in my contest scape (I think the latter is more likely tbh).
• I spoke to George Farmer and he mentioned replacing the foreground with soil as it's currently only decorative substrate. As the hairgrass is unevenly grown due to natural light on one side, I'll pull it all out and re-plant in the soil with some crypts.
• I've finally got rid of most of my ugly equipment and upgraded my filters and the tank is much more pleasing to look at, especially at night.
• I have some BBA that's popped up and some persistent GDA but I'm managing both and neither and out of control...yet 😂

Thanks for having a gander!

 

[Fiske]

Barclaya longifolia is fast becoming one of my new favourite plants.

 

[shangman]

Finally got to visit @Courtneybst 's house yesterday and see his scapes irl (and eat a DELICIOUS lunch) and they're all soooooooo good! There are so many beautiful tanks and little ponds and houseplants with all different styles and techniques. This tank is so beautiful irl, the lotus are especially beautiful (and MASSIVE), the epiphyte one particularly special. And there's great livestock too, including a beautiful ancient golden amano, and those gorg glass catfish. Can't wait to see the video he's done with George Farmer on all his tanks later today, it was great to hear the method behind the madness 😀

Thanks for the lovely day Court!!!

 

[Courtneybst]

Barclaya longifolia is fast becoming one of my new favourite plants.

It's really really nice. Also great that it maintains good colour even with 'meh' lighting.

Finally got to visit @Courtneybst 's house yesterday and see his scapes irl (and eat a DELICIOUS lunch) and they're all soooooooo good! There are so many beautiful tanks and little ponds and houseplants with all different styles and techniques. This tank is so beautiful irl, the lotus are especially beautiful (and MASSIVE), the epiphyte one particularly special. And there's great livestock too, including a beautiful ancient golden amano, and those gorg glass catfish. Can't wait to see the video he's done with George Farmer on all his tanks later today, it was great to hear the method behind the madness 😀

Thanks for the lovely day Court!!!

Thank you Rosie! It was such a fun day and great to show what's been keeping me busy for the last 6 months!

 

[Wookii]

In case @Courtneybst is too modest to post - he's the featured aquascaper in @George Farmer latest video:




Some beautiful and interesting little scapes and projects there Courtney - the video gives a much more impressive insight into them than the stills we all normally post.

I'm particularly interested to hear about the Buce propagation project mentioned in the video - I'm not sure if you've posted about it elsewhere, but if not a new thread detailing it would be great if you are willing and able, as I'd like to try similar myself 👍

 

[Courtneybst]

In case @Courtneybst is too modest to post - he's the featured aquascaper in @George Farmer latest video:




Some beautiful and interesting little scapes and projects there Courtney - the video gives a much more impressive insight into them than the stills we all normally post.

I'm particularly interested to hear about the Buce propagation project mentioned in the video - I'm not sure if you've posted about it elsewhere, but if not a new thread detailing it would be great if you are willing and able, as I'd like to try similar myself 👍

Thank you Wooki, I think you hit the nail on the head! I'm far too modest for my own good sometimes 😅

Like you said, I feel like the videos really capture the essence of the scapes much better than stills can. I'm very appreciative to have been able to share it with you all.

I didn't create the Buce box concept by any means but I'm happy to share the propagation journey and how it was set up. I can start a journal on it.

 

[Courtneybst]

Recently returned from a great rare plant haul with @shangman at World of Water in Enfield. They have some really cool plants!

Picked up some;

• Blyxa Aubertii
• Nymphea Micrantha 'Gefleckt'
• Barclaya Longifolia
• Lagenandra 'Red'
• Ammania Pedicellata 'Gold'
• Anubias Bonzai
• A narrow leaf Echinodorus that I CANNOT remember the name of lol. Help me out @shangman

I'll be holding these between the Tidy Jungle and Frankenstein until my contest tank is ready to be planted... Still on the lookout for Cryptocoryne Lutea 'Hobbit', seems to be out of stock at the moment.

 

[Courtneybst]

Hey guys, a medium update for today 😅

A couple of weeks back I was doing some maintenance and decided that as beautiful as Nymphoides Taiwan is, it's a PAIN IN THE ASS to maintain. It gave me the same feeling I got with Hydrocotyle Leucocephala - looks beautiful for a week and then grows out of control, and also some leaves spontaneously melt. So I removed all of it and just left the Bolbitis floating there. There's a lot more room for the Bolbitis now and I don't ever need to trim it! It's also allowed the Cryptocoryne Spiralis Red to flourish, giving a nice pink pop in the back.

I've added a lot more buce to the scape as my Bucephalandra propagation box is getting so full it's ridiculous. I originally said I would never cover up the beautiful Manzanita but I think I've done it tastefully and I won't extend it any further. After an inspiring visit to Aquarium Gardens I decideded to also use Hygrophila Pinitafida and Hygrophila Lancea Araguaia as epiphytes - both doing well!

On the weekend @shangman and I will be rescaping the foreground (it's definitely a 2 person job!). There isn't actually any aquasoil in this tank so the foreground will be sucked up and replaced with Tropica Soil that I've had soaking for a good while now. Then I'll replant all of the hairgrass so it's more evenly spread and not lobsided like it is now - interplanted with Marsilea Hirsuta, various Cryptocoryne (Amicorum, Spiralis Tiger, Nurii Rozen Maiden), Blyxa Japonica, Lagenandra Meeboldii Red and some Barclaya Longifolia I'm trying to elongate so I can move it to the back!

One thing the pictures may or may not translate well is just how DENSE the plant growth is. The amazing thing about that though is not bragging rights, but that my Apistogramma pair had about 30 little babies in September and one has made it! Despite being in a 'community tank' and not being fed directly, this little fry has survived and can now be seen swimming in the foreground from time to time. It even survived being sucked into the filter and landing on my dining room floor! (another story altogether). To me, just being able to raise one is a magical achievement, considering their eggs are supposedly not even meant to hatch in hard, alkaline water!

I've also added 3 African Glass Catfish which are weird and wonderful. They have 8 whiskers instead of 2, 6 of which are fully retractable like cat claws, it's pretty crazy to see in person. I only ever see them at feeding time or at lights out but I hope to find some more so I can have a big group.

I'm realising this 'medium' update is actually pretty large lol. Ah well.

 

[Courtneybst]

How the months keep passing between updates is beyond me! But as usual a few things have changed...


I've added several new tankmates!

• 8 wild Rummynose tetras went in to bring the school up to 20. It's definitely a lot nicer to see a big school of them, they got stuck in right away.
• 11 Pygmy Corys from my shrimp tank (I'm trying to close it down but they just keep breeding!). I felt like they'd really appreciate the extra space and it was cool seeing them swim midwater like a tetra, compared to the shrimp tank where they stayed exclusively on the substrate. I want to add more to their numbers but in the last week I haven't seen them much, I only see 1 or 2 at a time. I hope they're just hiding and haven't been eaten!
• A pair of Laetacara Curviceps, which are very purdy and peaceful. I'm fairly certain it's a male and female now. It's a shame my female apisto chases them when she's in the heat, but they still come out and like any of the new fish, feeding out front is a good way to encourage confidence. They're still too skittish to let me take decent photos of them though.

The replanted hairgrass is finally starting to produce runners so hopefully it won't be too long before it gets going. In my experience it seems to take a good while to settle down and then just goes nuts. ALSO, the Nymphea Zenkeri that I started growing as an epiphyte has gone absolutey bonkers. It's growing as big as the bulbs growing in the substrate, so I wonder if some of the roots found their way into the soil maybe? Either way is a super nice development and a bit unique.

The tank is also now fitted with an Intaqo Controller. This does several things including pH-based CO2 dosing which should be more accurate and save on CO2 as a bonus, auto-doses my EI fertilisers which is honestly a dream, and monitors the temperature. Good little bit of kit, especially for data nerds!

 

[zozo]

Still on the lookout for Cryptocoryne Lutea 'Hobbit', seems to be out of stock at the moment.

This actually seems to be a mutated/dwarfed cultivar from the Cryptocoryne walkeri. Dennerle noticed by chance that some young runners from this plant refused to grow big. And started cultivating and propagating this offspring to isolate this genetic defect with relative success and launched it on the market under its synonym C. lutea Hobbit. 🙂 It doesn't exist in the official botanical species list.

I had it a few years back and the one I got forgot it was a dwarfed mutation and grew into normal C. Walkeri size. Thus finding it is no guarantee it stays Hobbit size. And I guess you have equal chances if you get yourself a C. walkeri, take good care of it to propagate its runners that you end up along the line with this mutation too. 🙂

 

[Wookii]

This actually seems to be a mutated/dwarfed cultivar from the Cryptocoryne walkeri. Dennerle noticed by chance that some young runners from this plant refused to grow big. And started cultivating and propagating this offspring to isolate this genetic defect with relative success and launched it on the market under its synonym C. lutea Hobbit. 🙂 It doesn't exist in the official botanical species list.

I had it a few years back and the one I got forgot it was a dwarfed mutation and grew into normal C. Walkeri size. Thus finding it is no guarantee it stays Hobbit size. And I guess you have equal chances if you get yourself a C. walkeri, take good care of it to propagate its runners that you end up along the line with this mutation too. 🙂

I have a couple of pots of it too, it took about two months to transition, one leaf at a time, and it’s by far the slowest growing plant I’ve ever had. Mines staying small for now though - very small, so living up to its name (despite the lack of hairy feet).

 

[Wookii]

The tank is also now fitted with an Intaqo Controller. This does several things including pH-based CO2 dosing which should be more accurate

I’m sure you’ve got this covered already, but make sure you have a separate needle valve set to limit the maximum CO2 output, otherwise failure of the pH probe could be disastrous!

Tank is looking fantastic incidentally, and that blue Laetacara Curviceps is a beauty!

 

[Courtneybst]

This actually seems to be a mutated/dwarfed cultivar from the Cryptocoryne walkeri.

Yes and I hope mine stays small! In terms of appearance it's becoming one of my favourite Cryptocorynes. My top 3 is turning into a top 5...

it’s by far the slowest growing plant I’ve ever had. Mines staying small for now though

That's interesting, I have most of mine under fairly low light and it's already putting out new leaves and side shoots. In fact all the new leaves are coming through in a really stunning bronze colour! I've taken out all of my Cryptocoryne Parva in favour of the Hobbit.

make sure you have a separate needle valve set to limit the maximum CO2 output

How do I go about doing this? I'm not sure what you mean, I'm paranoid now. 😂

Tank is looking fantastic incidentally, and that blue Laetacara Curviceps is a beauty!

Thanks Wookii! I can't wait for the Laetacara to grow to fill size. I love chunky but pretty fish. I'm sure the colours and fins will only get better with age. My male apisto has developed the most intensely coloured and flamboyant fins I've ever seen, I'll have to get a video now that we can post them easily.

 

[Wookii]

How do I go about doing this? I'm not sure what you mean, I'm paranoid now. 😂

It’s just that it’s a single point of failure. If the pH sensor fails and presents a false reading to the controller, then it could try and dump CO2 into the tank to bring the pH down. I’d want a decent quality needle valve ahead of the controller on the CO2 outlet that limits the maximum CO2 bubble rate it can release.

For example you might check manually and set the needle valve to achieve a 1.2 pH drop (with the controller not in line), then you set the controller to target a 1.0 pH drop. That way, if the controller fails, you know that a 1.2 pH drop, and the associated CO2 levels, are the worst it will get.

 

[Courtneybst]

It’s just that it’s a single point of failure. If the pH sensor fails and presents a false reading to the controller, then it could try and dump CO2 into the tank to bring the pH down. I’d want a decent quality needle valve ahead of the controller on the CO2 outlet that limits the maximum CO2 bubble rate it can release.

For example you might check manually and set the needle valve to achieve a 1.2 pH drop (with the controller not in line), then you set the controller to target a 1.0 pH drop. That way, if the controller fails, you know that a 1.2 pH drop, and the associated CO2 levels, are the worst it will get.

Oh ok, I think I understand what you mean now. Although, the Intaqo Controller can't adjust the injection rate, that's still done manually by me. This essentially just acts like a smart timer and so will still only come on between certain times, so in theory even if the probe failed and it just injected straight for 8 hours it would be operating as it were before I installed the controller. The failure point would be if the timer mechanism failed but I guess that's a risk most of us take using timers.