Very first tank (planted, low tech)

[Courtneybst]

The vibes are strong already! I'm a big fan of Sußwassertang. I like how you noted 'sort of' too haha.

 

[Tyko_N]

Looks very promising! Should turn out great once the plants have grown in a bit, and I especially liked that you added some Selaginella, a very pretty and underrated plant that makes a nice transition between moss and larger plants (some species are even iridescent!). A bit of a warning about the Cyperus though, those can grow huge, easily a meter tall or more. If you really want it I would plant it in the bottom as soon as one shoot can reach above the surface, to give it as much room as possible. Another option is to switch it for the dwarf cultivar Cyperus sp 'Zumula', often sold as kitty grass, that should be a bit easier to manage.

 

[Sid.scapes]

@megwattscreative First of all, you're a natural. I mean seriously, the scape looks gorgeous!

As for your mold issue, I'd recommend removing as much as you can manually and then painting the affected area with 3-6% H2O2 (Hydrogen Paroxide) as a final measure, you can add springtails to clean up the rest and prevent future outbreaks.

Springtails are great as a preventative measure but for a big outbreak, they won't make a huge dent. Also, it takes a while for them to establish in the scape.

 

[megwattscreative]

Hi Sid, thanks for the lovely words and advice! There were some spring tails in there as a result of me gathering the moss outside, but that sounds like a good plan. I think it's definitely a result of too much moisture - will air the tank out more frequently. Thanks again )

 

[megwattscreative]

Hi all, just a quick update! I've added some more stem plants (rotala rotundifola, vallisneria, ludwigia arcuata, amazon sword), added some spanish moss and a tillandsia cupatata to the above water section and found a good quality LFS that I think I will eventually get my fish from

The moss moulding issue has been fixed by removing the offending culprits (low moisture species that can't cope in high humidity),sterilising the capillary matting and letting the other, higher humidity-friendly mosses grow in. My very unscientific main takeaway: if you're going to forage moss in a city, moss growing happily on red brick converts to humid environments a lot better than moss on harder, less porous stone (feel free to correct my anecdotal findings).

My tank is pretty well filtered with a 70cmWx30cmH mattenfilter, dense planting and emergent plant growth, but as it's half full, the water area is approx 100L. In terms of stocking, I'm eventually thinking decent schools of:

• Lambchop Rasbora - Trigonostigma espei
• Pygmy Corydoras - Corydoras Pygmaeus (or Hastatus if I can get them)
• Green Neon tetra - Paracheirodon simulans.

This is all subject to change based on further research, price and availability. I'd also love advice on quantities, as I definitely don't want to overstock.

I'm also considering some Green Kubotai Rasbora (Microdevario kubotai) and potentially some centrepiece fish e.g. sparkling gouramis or rocket killifish. I am holding off on this as I want to be totally sure I know what I'm doing before introducing finnicky species/species that may be territorial. My dad kept sparkling gouramis and they were active, gorgeous, mean little buggers. As this is my first time being 100% responsible for any animal's wellbeing, I want to get it right - I won't be introducing any livestock for at least 4 more months, if not more. I'd much rather be careful! On the plus side, the benefit of a half-full tank is I know any known jumpers will stay contained

Thanks to @dw1305's duckweed index, the rotala butterfly calculator and some helpful threads on Chempak sequestered iron dosing, I've started very minimal chelated iron doses. I'm hoping to keep dosing as minimal as possible - I don't need the plants to explode, just to keep up with steady, healthy growth. There haven't been any huge plant issues, but new leaves are smaller/yellower and there is some browning to the plants I've added, so I figure minimal dosing can't hurt. I'm dosing 2% chelated iron (FE) at 0.3ppm in my tank and will kind of just do it by eye. Time will tell!

Looks very promising! Should turn out great once the plants have grown in a bit, and I especially liked that you added some Selaginella, a very pretty and underrated plant that makes a nice transition between moss and larger plants (some species are even iridescent!). A bit of a warning about the Cyperus though, those can grow huge, easily a meter tall or more. If you really want it I would plant it in the bottom as soon as one shoot can reach above the surface, to give it as much room as possible. Another option is to switch it for the dwarf cultivar Cyperus sp 'Zumula', often sold as kitty grass, that should be a bit easier to manage.

Thank you @Tyko_N, you are very right. My aforementioned dad (@dw1305) sent me a bunch of plants including the Cyperus, so if worst comes to worst I may just have to give it away eventually (or give it a horrible haircut). I wish I could say I chose to add selaginella, but again, I'm benefitting from plant nepotism. Strangely a bunch of unidentified/ramshorn snails also came in with the plants (there was no way to remove them), and I thought they would perish pretty rapidly in my intensely soft water. Instead they're reproducing rapidly, which is no bad thing - there's no algae to be seen! Long live the short-lived soft water snails!?

 

[Bradders]

Strangely a bunch of unidentified/ramshorn snails also came in with the plants (there was no way to remove them), and I thought they would perish pretty rapidly in my intensely soft water. Instead they're reproducing rapidly, which is no bad thing - there's no algae to be seen! Long live the short-lived soft water snails!?

Yep, aquatic life always amazes me with its tolerance and adaptability!

 

[megwattscreative]

Forgot to include! Difficult to get decent pictures what with the scratched secondhand tank, but I'm happy 😊

Also forgot to mention I added some fittonia and moved some of the plants from the aquatic section to the land, upon finding out they're much happier boggy/emergent. That's all for now

 

[bazz]

Strangely a bunch of unidentified/ramshorn snails also came in with the plants (there was no way to remove them), and I thought they would perish pretty rapidly in my intensely soft water. Instead they're reproducing rapidly, which is no bad thing - there's no algae to be seen! Long live the short-lived soft water snails!?

Difficult to tell for sure from the photograph but they look more like bladder snails to me, as always though, I stand to be corrected.

 

[MichaelJ]

Difficult to tell for sure from the photograph but they look more like bladder snails to me, as always though, I stand to be corrected.

I am going to side with @bazz and say those are bladder snails.

I have a lot of Red Ramshorn snails in one of my tanks (where I also keep shrimps) and these snails bears very little resemblance. @megwattscreative , Can you post a picture of the shell? Super nice tank btw.


Bladder snail from similar angle:

Cheers,
Michael

 

[megwattscreative]

I am going to side with @bazz and say those are bladder snails

Hi both, to be clear there are both bladder snails and Ramshorn snails in there

 

[megwattscreative]

A DISASTROUS UPDATE

I am still having issues with moulding on the moss wall (boo). I read on some terrarium forums to use a 1:1 vinegar and water mix to treat this, however it seemed to just fry the moss and didn't effect the mould all too much. I've also tried spot targeting the mould with isopropyl alcohol which did nada.

The vinegar mixture has also done a number on any of the floating plants it came into contact with, unless it's the snails that are causing holes? Pretty sure it was the vinegar though. All the other floating plants are doing great and pushing out new, green healthy growth with no sign of chlorosis or iron deficiency - it's just certain leaves that are damaged, which makes me think it's the ones that were accidentally sprayed with the vinegar solution.

Troubleshooting:
I did originally have the tank half closed, however I have removed the lid completely now to prevent condensation (particularly behind the moss wall around the matten filter).

I've trimmed the damaged floating leaves and done a sizable water change.

I've removed all the offending moss and any particularly fried bits. My tank looks exceptionally bald and sad :')

I've spot treated any visible mould on the capillary matting with 3% hydrogen peroxide, just using a paintbrush.

if worst comes to worst, I will just remove the moss wall entirely and retry with quarantined moss and different fabric.

If you have any answers, I have some questions!

Questions:

The matten filter itself has some of the same white, fuzzy mould on the top - any ideas what to do about this, if I need to do anything?

I might also remove some of the organic matter in the water (mulm, leaf litter) if this will help, although I assume it won't make much difference?

There is a brown algae film on the submerged capillary matting (the snails are happy) and both green spotty mould and white fluffy mould on the emergent parts. I haven't had any algae issues elsewhere, just on the back wall. I'm not even really considering it an issue, as I will eventually fill this with aquatic moss too. However, does it suggest anything else?
My alder cones are also sprouting, which I've never seen in a tank before... Is this a telling sign for something? I dosed with a very small amount of chelated iron (chempak sequestered iron) a couple weeks ago.

I've attached some pictures of the floating plant leaf damage - assuming it's the bl**dy vinegar but if not, do you have any ideas?

I've got the tank @ 22°c - is this potentially too warm, combined with the humidity, for UK native outdoor mosses? have people had better luck with aquatic/tropical moss walls or similar?

In other news: the emergent plant growth, springtails, snail population, Daphnia, ascellus and aquatic plants are all booming. So, 2/3rds of the tank are doing fantastically! Incredibly glad I'm waiting to season it and haven't added any livestock intentionally. Feeling very silly 🙃

 

[Imran #786]

A Java moss wall can replace the terrestrial moss... you can also attach epiphytes like hygrophila pinnatifida, anubias etc...
Just a thought

 

[si walker]

A Java moss wall can replace the terrestrial moss... you can also attach epiphytes like hygrophila pinnatifida, anubias etc...
Just a thought

Good tip. I. had pinnatifida growing out of my tank like a tree! Its now in a jar in the kitchen window. Like a tree!

 

[Imran #786]

Possibilities are endless with the types of moss you could use for a moss wall or a collaboration with different types...
Heaven for inverts and baby fry

 

[simon_the_plant_nerd]

I read on some terrarium forums to use a 1:1 vinegar and water mix to treat this, however it seemed to just fry the moss and didn't effect the mould all too much.

Considering white vinegar has a pH of about 2.5, this is unsurprising. Moss is such a sensitive little plant and is easily damaged. I’ve got a few different species around my pond and small upsets such as a hot day or a dog going to the toilet where she’s not supposed to causes disaster.

The vinegar mixture has also done a number on any of the floating plants it came into contact with, unless it's the snails that are causing holes?

Looking at that Salvinia, definitely vinegar. It’s burned. Just chuck away those bits though and it will grow back fast. Your dad gave me some a while ago and it grows almost as fast as the water lettuce.

I've spot treated any visible mould on the capillary matting with 3% hydrogen peroxide, just using a paintbrush.

Peroxide is another one to be careful with. I’ve killed a few snails with clumsy use of peroxide but spot treating with a paintbrush is a safe way of doing it. I think given time though, much of the mould will run out of nutrients and die away. While the food is still there it will probably keep coming back. Part of the ecosystem developing. I had some on some of my emersed moss and it went away on its own eventually.

In other news: the emergent plant growth, springtails, snail population, Daphnia, ascellus and aquatic plants are all booming. So, 2/3rds of the tank are doing fantastically! Incredibly glad I'm waiting to season it and haven't added any livestock intentionally. Feeling very silly 🙃

I’ve done far sillier. On the whole, it sounds like things are going well. Patience is something I’m not good at but having to work on in this hobby. 😄

 

[megwattscreative]

Thanks Simon, that's really reassuring! Once again, patience is key 😅 I will leave the tank as it is for now and see if the surviving terrestrial moss spreads over time, or if I can redistribute some of the java moss if that's doing better. Really appreciate the advice everyone

 

[megwattscreative]

Hi all, not much to update on other than everything is growing well. I've been dosing with small amounts of chelated iron + solufeed 2:1:4.

Aquatic plants are growing well, bladder snails, daphnea and asellus are flourishing, moulding on the moss wall is dying down a little. I think I'm just going to wait for the terrestrial moss to slowly spread I think I will drain the tank a little at some point to spread java moss across the aquatic moss wall section. You can't really see the capillary fabric in person what with the floaters and tannins, but I know it's there and would definitely like to hide it.

The asparagus fern experiment failed (welp) but I'm not really surprised- I'm terrible with them. The cyperus is growing out of the top of the tank which is quite excellent - I think I'll keep it for as long as possible before it outgrows my living room! I also really like that the syngonium roots are rooting into the bark.

I've also added some airtube circles to let light in, as the floaters have been growing like crazy.

I'm thinking about adding fish next month after my travels! Have been reminded of how much I like sparkling gouramis, but I know it's difficult to find females... We'll see.

 

[JeffK]

Hi,

That's a great looking tank you've got there. Wonderfully done and I'm sure you'll have your moss wall sooner or later.

Have you considered other gouramis? Also, Copella arnoldi would flourish in a tank like this. They have some of the most interesting behavior and the males look fantastic. They are fairly easy to breed too, which is a nice bonus.

 

[megwattscreative]

Hi,

That's a great looking tank you've got there. Wonderfully done and I'm sure you'll have your moss wall sooner or later.

Have you considered other gouramis? Also, Copella arnoldi would flourish in a tank like this. They have some of the most interesting behavior and the males look fantastic. They are fairly easy to breed too, which is a nice bonus.

Jeff the copellas are awesome! I am interested in smaller species (kubotai/glowlight rasbora, pygmy Corys, green neons) - I think the rough estimate for tank size is between 80-100L so I don't want to overstock/add fish that will compete/harass eachother.

These are so gorgeous though! I may have to reconsider...

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Also, Copella arnoldi would flourish in a tank like this. They have some of the most interesting behavior and the males look fantastic. They are fairly easy to breed too, which is a nice bonus.

These are so gorgeous though! I may have to reconsider...

They are really nice, elegant fish <"Splash tetra - Copella arnoldi"> .

<"I kept them for a while"> (in the lab. at work). It all started well, but there were some issues with both keeping them in the tank and <"with aggression">.

I've kept a <"few different Copella sp."> now and they all need fairly large tanks to persist long term, even though they are small fish.

cheers Darrel