# Mark's ~ 2010 Restful Hideaway ~ 20G Riparium



## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

This will be my 1st Riparium and I want to first say a big thx to Hydrophyte for all his help, answers to my questions (which I know I will have plenty more) and supplying me with plants and then purchasing the Planters and Trellis from his Website Store "Riparium Supply". (You can click his banner in my sig to go to his store)

I will be updating later with pics of the stand (nothing to write home about) and tank 20 gal. I have wanted to setup one of these Ripariums for quite some time so here we goooooooo.......!

Stay Tuned!


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Haha, I noticed your sig, and was wondering when we would see a journal from you 
You can mark me down as subscribed.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

It is always exciting to see someone start up a new riparium, just to look for new ideas, if nothing else. You are really going to enjoy this, I'm sure.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Did some work on the stand tonight and thought I would post some updated pics od where I stand at the moment

The Tank..









The Stand..(I know it is nothing fancy but it works)









The stand had a 1/2" piece of plywood on the top and bottom and was pretty beat up so I removed those...









....and cut some 3/4" pieces tonight out of nicer plywood that I had...









This weekend I am going to sand the stand down and apply some new coats of varnish and polyurethane. This ought to dress up the stand alittle more then it is now.

Specs...

Tank: 20 Gallon, 24"x12"x16"
Filtration: Fluval 304 filter
Heater: Stealth 50watt
Lighting: Double Strip Light with (2) 15 watt, 6700K Life Glo-2 Bulbs
Substrate: Mixture of Flourite and Gravel

Fauna: Looking at using (4) German Blue Rams and (2) German Gold Rams

Flora (Above water):
Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' 
Acorus gramineus 'Omogo' 
Spathiphyllum 'Petite'
Spathiphyllum sp. 
Pilea cardierei 
Pilea 'Silver Tree' 
Alocasia amazonica 'Polly'
Echinodorus cordifolius 
Xanthosoma 'Dwarf Green'

Flora (Below Water):
Tropica Swords
and a couple others I can't remember the names of at the moment


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

That's a 20 gallon, not a 29.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

You are right! It was sold to me as a 29 gal and I never checked it out until now and it is a 20 high. Thx for the correction!




FSM said:


> That's a 20 gallon, not a 29.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Last night I de-rimmed the 20 gal tank. (Thx again to Hydrophyte for his helpful thread about De-rimming a Tank. Made it so easy to do.)

I took my block plane and shaved off the plastic down to the glass..


















...then I took a utility knife and put between the glass and the plastic and removed the pieces...









without rim...









I then spent some time getting the silicone off the glass and also took a sharpening stone to the top edges of the glass to create a small bevel so I won't get cut. I also scraped the black off the back of the tank and will repaint it. This is where the tank stands as of right now. It needs a good cleaning and I am hoping to get the water stains off the glass. If anyone has any good method, please let me know.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

Cool project!
CLR and a sponge will remove the stains in no time. Careful around the silicone and rinse well!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey I'm glad that that de-rimming method worked out. You might consider repairing the silicone in the top corners to get stronger and better-looking seams. 

This setup might end up similar to what I have in my 20, but yours will look better with that rimless tank.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

roybot73 said:


> Cool project!
> CLR and a sponge will remove the stains in no time. Careful around the silicone and rinse well!


What is CLR?



hydrophyte said:


> Hey I'm glad that that de-rimming method worked out. You might consider repairing the silicone in the top corners to get stronger and better-looking seams.
> 
> This setup might end up similar to what I have in my 20, but yours will look better with that rimless tank.


Thx for the tip. I am planning on removing all the silicone down the sides and redoing them but I want to clean the tank up first. Whoever did the siliconing on this tank did a very messy job.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)




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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Church said:


>


Can't get any clearer then that! Thx Church!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

CLR is great for cleaning bathtubs and toilet bowls too!


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

That stuff works like a CHARM!!! On just about everything. I had some tarnished silverware that I threw in a small bucket filled with CLR, and it was jewelry-grade silver less than 30 seconds later!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Well hopefully when I start cleaning this tank with CLR I will end up with a GLA grade rimless tank!


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## chaosmaximus (Sep 29, 2009)

dewalltheway said:


> Well hopefully when I start cleaning this tank with CLR I will end up with a GLA grade rimless tank!


That would so cool.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Before I went off to a New Years Eve Party, I tried to clean up the tank. I stopped by my local Dollar general on my way home from work and picked up some CLR, gloves and sponges. After taking the dog out, I started in and after 2 times of scrubbing and also using a razor blade, using CLR full strength and letting it set, the water line spots will not come off! 

The tank is cleaner, but there are waterline spots at the top. Here are some pics...


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Had a small setback last night. After letting the silicone set for 48 hours it was time for a fill test. It FAILED! I had a couple small minor leaks that I needed to repair. They where all on the same side so I removed the silicone from that side and re-did it. I will wait 48 hours and try again to fill it. My fear is that where I cut the silicone on the bottom, water will get thru this cut point. If so, I will have to rip out all the silicone and reseal the whole thing. Time will tell!


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

Church said:


> That stuff works like a CHARM!!! On just about everything. I had some tarnished silverware that I threw in a small bucket filled with CLR, and it was jewelry-grade silver less than 30 seconds later!


Was the only cleaner that successfully took coraline algae off of my outflow boxes. It also cleans algae off of a plastic tree trunk decoration I have in my cichlid tank. Love the stuff!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

I need to take a step back. I realized I forgot to update that I resealed that tank. On New Years Morning, I removed the old silicone from the corners (left the silicone on the bottom), prep the tank and resealed it. Here are some pics.

Silicone removed








New Silicone






















































After I removed the silicone from the corners, I took it to the bathtub to clean it and in the process the left panel broke loose from the front and back panels. I think this is what caused the minor leaks I had since they came from that side. I am hoping that by removing the silicone from that side and redoing it, that I will not have any more leaks.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

londonloco said:


> Was the only cleaner that successfully took coraline algae off of my outflow boxes. It also cleans algae off of a plastic tree trunk decoration I have in my cichlid tank. Love the stuff!


I used the stuff full strength and the water spots are like burned into the glass. I even let the stuff set and then took a razor blade to it and it did not come off. I will have to live with it till I get enough money to buy another tank.


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

dewalltheway said:


> I used the stuff full strength and the water spots are like burned into the glass. I even let the stuff set and then took a razor blade to it and it did not come off. I will have to live with it till I get enough money to buy another tank.


Wow, sorry to hear that. If CLR doesn't take it off, IMO, nothing will.


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

If you completely dismantle the tank, you can flip the front panel over so the stained part is at the bottom.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

FSM...I didn't want to have to tear the whole thing apart since the bottom was in good shape. If this riparium turns out good, then I may be buying later on a GLA rimless tank to replace this one.

Well the tank is up and running! I did a fill test tonight and NO LEAKS!! Here are some pics to update to the present (please look past the mess around where this tank is sitting. For the moment it will be setup down in my basement where I am hoping to one day turn into a fish room but for now has a bunch of storage stuff stacked up. Once I get my office remodeled upstairs, this tank will go up there.) Onto the pics...

Here is the tank Sat. night after painting the back..









The stand after sanding it down and applying a new coat of stain..









The tank and stand all ready to go on Sunday evening...









Got the light hung over the tank on Monday night...









Tank ready to go after successful test fill and got the filter tubes hooked up. I am hoping the riparium plants will hide these...









I am using mineralized soil so I have the edges in place...









Oops! As you can see I forgot to put the dolmite and potash down first so I had to scoop the soil back out to put those things down...









Now for the soil...









and cap it...









I filled it up and arranged some DW and away she goes...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Nice work. You've been busy!

I'm getting these plants and dry goods ready to go right now and I'll ship 'em tomorrow morning. I hope that the box can dodge the real cold weather.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Thx Devin! I was crossing my fingers tonight that the test fill would be successful because if it had failed, I would have had to put a hold on all the supplies you were going to send me.

I will be on the lookout for the package on Friday. Will there be a heat pack in with the plants?

Thx again Devin for all your help with this setup!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That MTS should make a nice low-maintenance underwater area. What kinds of plants are you going to put underwater? If you have any extra you should consider adding some MTS to the riparium planters. Certain plants grow really well with MTS added. You just have to be careful to position it such that it doesn't wash out of the planter and into the tank water.

I am using an insulated box and heat pack--it's just awful cold out there. I have extra plants for a second shot if we have any trouble with these.


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

What did you cap your MTS with, I really like the color of it. I can tell already this tank is going to be beautiful. Nice job!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

londonloco said:


> What did you cap your MTS with, I really like the color of it. I can tell already this tank is going to be beautiful. Nice job!


Thank you! I hope it turns out well.

The cap is a mixture of black gravel, tan gravel and red flourite leftover from my 90 gal bowfront.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey I got that box into the mail. You should see it Friday or Saturday.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

hydrophyte said:


> Hey I got that box into the mail. You should see it Friday or Saturday.


Great! So hope it comes Friday. So excited to get it. Thx again for everything!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Here is a pic of the tank yesterday after having been filtered for 24hrs.










Awaiting the riparium supplies to come.


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## rengb6 (Nov 11, 2009)

Looks great so far and your tank cleared up quickly! It must have taken you forever to clean the flourite so well!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

rengb6 said:


> Looks great so far and your tank cleared up quickly! It must have taken you forever to clean the flourite so well!


The flourite was already pre-used in my 90 gal tank so it was already pretty clean. Also, Purigen works wonders. It will clear water up in no time.


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## SkyGrl (Jan 7, 2010)

great thread! i look forward to seeing updates 

Amy


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Keep it going!


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

It's Friday! We want pictures! We want pictures! We want pictures!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

I went home for lunch and the package had arrived from Riparium Supply and Hydrophyte and everything looked in great shape but for some odd reason (bills) I had to come back to work, so I will be updating tonight after work as I plant and arrange so stay tuned to TPT!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

I also purchased my fish today that I will be in this tank...

(6) German Gold Rams (If I would have ordered these yesterday, they would have been $11.49 but they went on sale today for $6.49!) I was going to get German Blue Rams but they have been out of stock so I jumped on this deal.









(4) False Jullii Cory cats









and also will be adding 3 Otos


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey that's great to hear. I really wondered if the plants would make it through that cold weather.

None of those plants are real heavy root feeders, but I did include some MTS + red clay powder in the box for in case you want to play around with any other different plants that benefit from extra root fertilization, such as swords or crypts, or emersed aquarium stem plants. Check out this post for tips on how to use that stuff.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/substrate/95412-mts-riparium-planters-2.html#post974682

I have noticed that the _Pilea_ 'Silver Tree' and _Alocasia amozaonica_ 'Polly' do not travel so well. They will look ratty for a while but they should start to perk up.

Those look like excellent fish choices.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Well I had to go pick upmy wife from work and then go to subway for supper and then got home and took my dog for a walk and I have finally got downstairs to get started on this thing. Here is a teaser shot for you. I just stuck the planters in there at lunch so the plants could be in the water and get some light so by no means is this a layout I have started.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

That's a nice selection of plants. If you have time soon, visit a PetSmart or Petco store and take advantage of their fake aquatic plants counter, where they sell non-aquatic plants in plastic cylinders. Amost all of those are good riparium plants, even thought they are not good aquatic plants.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

This is my progress so far this evening and still not done but wanted to put out some pics for those of you that are keeping an eye on this thread (I do appreciate your interest)


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## snoz0r (Jun 6, 2008)

6 Gold rams in a 20? yikes, good luck.. i've kept a few gold rams and for whatever reason, the males were VERY territorial, so much so that one of the ones i sold off to my LFS actually harassed 6 large angelfish to death in one of their tanks.

At most in a 20, i would keep 3 and that's 1 male with 2 females and then keep an eye out for pairing and watch for harassment between the two females.

beautiful tank so far though, good job


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Thx Snoz0r! I got 6 Rams so I made sure I got a male and female. I will see how they do and if they aren't getting along, I will stick some in my 90 gal I have.


Ok...I think at the moment I am finished. I still am waiting on some trellis rafts to get here but other then that I am really satisfied with the plants and we will see how the layout goes.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Here are some thoughts...

- If you order planters, order the one with the magnets. They are more money but there are many more advantages to them..
1- Your not fighting the suction cups to stick
2- Magnets won't wear out
3- The magnet planters have a bar on the bottom that hold the planter cup straight up and down where the suction cup planters don't and they sit at a slight angle
4- You can place the planters side by side because the magnet is in the center and the suction cups go out beyond the sides so you can't get them butting up against each other.
5- The magnet planters are so easily to move around and remove where the suction cups are not.

That is move evaluation of the 2 different planter cups. The only thing positive about the suction cup planters is they are less money.

I love the new planter gravel. If you start up a riparium or are adding more, buy this gravel. It is so easy to work with and works great as a cap for the planters


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Already moved the one planter on the far left to the side. I now just need to be patient and let the plants grow in. Here are a couple of shots after the move


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That looks great. I am pleased that those plants traveled well. Now you just need to get some stuff going on rafts to add some visual depth. 

This will be a wild jungle of a tank with that plant selection.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Received my fish today. Here are a few pics..


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

No pic updates today but just a journal update..(I know----Boring!)...I lost all 6 of my Golden Rams I bought and 5 of the 9 Otos! I do not know what killed my rams. They looked fine and healthy. The water parameters are fine. I am baffled about it. The 4 jullii corys are doing great. I am not sure now what I am going to do. Drs F&S gave me a credit but it costs $35 to have them shipped.

The plants are doing well. They seem to be growing and also getting some new growth. The biggest thing I need right now is to find some low growing plants for in the front. I will try and snap a pic tonight and update.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Will Drs F&S only let you use that credit for more live fish? If you can use it instead for fish food or whatever else you might consider perusing marketplace sub-forums for alternatives from hobbyist breeders. If you can find a reputable seller they will probably do a much better job packing the livestock.

If you do do a Drs F&S re-order I would almost vote for a larger group of those cories. I wonder about somehting a bit tougher than rams for replacements. Some kind of barb ought to be OK and the cories should be able to tolerate barbs. 

Do you have more of those Nano Trellis Rafts? I think that more of those _Pilea_ might be your best best for midground plants. Did I send _Pilea cardieri_ along before? That one clump of 'Silver Tree' stems looks like it's tall enough that you could probably cut of the tops and plant in a second raft. If you do that just remember that you have to enlarge the notches in the foam insert of the raft so that they are big enough for the stems.


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

Lookin good so far! Sorry to hear about the losses. :-/ 

How much deflection do you see with the de-rimming? I'd love to do it to the 29G but I'm scared heh.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

hydrophyte said:


> Will Drs F&S only let you use that credit for more live fish? If you can use it instead for fish food or whatever else you might consider perusing marketplace sub-forums for alternatives from hobbyist breeders. If you can find a reputable seller they will probably do a much better job packing the livestock.
> 
> If you do do a Drs F&S re-order I would almost vote for a larger group of those cories. I wonder about somehting a bit tougher than rams for replacements. Some kind of barb ought to be OK and the cories should be able to tolerate barbs.
> 
> Do you have more of those Nano Trellis Rafts? I think that more of those _Pilea_ might be your best best for midground plants. Did I send _Pilea cardieri_ along before? That one clump of 'Silver Tree' stems looks like it's tall enough that you could probably cut of the tops and plant in a second raft. If you do that just remember that you have to enlarge the notches in the foam insert of the raft so that they are big enough for the stems.


The credit from DR F&S is only good for fish. I may get some more cories but not sure at this point.
I do have some more rafts but was waiting on using them until I get some low growing front plants.



MrJG said:


> Lookin good so far! Sorry to hear about the losses. :-/
> 
> How much deflection do you see with the de-rimming? I'd love to do it to the 29G but I'm scared heh.


Thx.....I did go home for lunch today and figured I would find the last Ram dead but to my surprise he was still kicking and did eat so maybe there is hope for 1 to make it.

To tell you the truth, if there is deflection, it is small. I have not measured it to see if there is anything. Silicone is pretty strong and I also only have it filled 2/3 full. I have also pushed on the planters to get the suction cups to stay and forgot to hold the glass and didn't blow it out. (Another good choice to go with the magnetic planters if you are working with a rimless tank) I was very skeptical myself at first and still have some gitters that I will go down and find it blown apart but I think it will be fine. Go 4 it!


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

That's a real bummer about the fish. The first thing people always ask is " was the tank cycled?" I still believe that with the quantity of emersed plants that you have, the roots should be holding down any ammonia in the tank to a bare minimum. But, the number of rams you got does seem high for the tank size. However, I'm very conservative on how many fish I put in a tank. Are you going to add any substrate? I keep wondering if that lack is involved in any way.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Here are some pics I took the other night. Also, Hoppy, to answer your question, I moved the fish the next day to the Riparium tank because the PH was high and I was afraid of the ammonia spike. I have been watching the Ph and Ammonia in the riparium tank and all the levels look good. The deaths have stopped and I have 4 Otos left, all 4 Jullii Cories are doing good and 1 lone Golden Ram doing well.

Here are the pics..




































and some new leafs coming..


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey that looks great. Nice color in those pictures.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Those are great photos of the tank, and it really looks great now, with the underwater aquascape in place. It can only look even better as the plants grow some more.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Thx to Hydrophyte for another great package of plants. I got them planted and some other ones rearranged including the Bacopa but the plants are stressed from shipping so maybe I will get a shot sometime this weekend when they perk up.

When I came home today from work I found my last Ram dead. I have no idea what killed them. I tested the Ammonia level and it is 0. The jullii cories are fine and so are the remaining otos.

Thx again to Hydrophyte and Riparium Supply for being so generous and helpful in setting up my riparium!


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

dewalltheway said:


> Thx again to Hydrophyte and Riparium Supply for being so generous and helpful in setting up my riparium!


He is a great guy with great products! It looks great dewalltheway!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Here is an update, the Bacopa is not looking good at all. There are a couple of stems that may make it but the rest you can see in the pic below how they look. I think they got to cold during shipping. Also, Hydrophyte had sent a stem of Limnophila Aromatica that has been growing emersed for him and I managed to kill that as well. Also, my large leaf plant (sorry, I need to start learning the names of these) is turning brown and looks as though that will die too. 

On the bright side, all the other plants are doing well and growing as you can see from the pics.


















By far my favorite corner at this point...









My large laef plant turning brown...









Bacopa....not looking good..you can also see the curled up Limnophila in the back of the planter









A couple bacopa stems might make it in this bunch









Found an intruder...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Some of that _Bacopa _looks like it will turn around. Those plants often soften during shipping while wrapped up in a wet newspaper, so they can dry when exposed to air again. You can raise the humidity in there temporarily with a partial covering of cling wrap. Additionally, I would plant the _Bacopa _stems in their own planter. They need plenty of light to fill in and with that shade above they will just grow leggy. They also do best in finer gravel media and with a root tab or two down in the planter cup.

I would pull that _Alocasia_ out of there. It has a tuberous root which will rot and stink up the place. If you want to try that one again they are easy enough to find at Home Depot or wherever. I had one of those expire suddenly for me too, but I have several others that are still going strong. I think it might do best with the planter cup raised higher with the rim and plant crown up about 1 1/2" above the water surface.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

That little intruder should be considered an honored guest, and should be provided with what ever he/she desires. Those are beautiful in their own right too. I may look for some this spring and offer them hospitality.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

A small update. The Bacopa has rebounded and really has turned around. Last night I separated some plants and put them in an extra planter I had to try and get some more foliage spread around my tank. I have a couple more plants coming from Hydrophyte on Wednesday that I hope will fill the rest of the tank in. Here are a couple pics I shot tonight...


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## MrJG (Feb 21, 2007)

What's that tall broad leafed stem in pic 4? 

Tank is looking great.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

MrJG said:


> What's that tall broad leafed stem in pic 4?
> 
> Tank is looking great.


I am not sure. Hydrophyte might know since I got it from him.

Here are a few pics for an update on how things are going. 














































As you can see, there is alot that needs to grow in and with a riparium it takes time and patience.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Just a small update since things in a Riparium grow slow...



















And this is a new addition to my tank...a Panda Garra Loach. It is not the greatest pic but I have 2 of these guys and they are awesome!










I also added a SAE to this tank as well. Oh...and I moved my hatchet fish over from my 90 gal because they kept jumping out of the tank. I had started with 16 and by the time I got them moved there were only 9 left. All still good in this tank.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That's looking good. Most riparium plants do seem to grow slowly. I think that it is largely because they have to build the extra cellulose to hold themselves up--underwater plants do not have to contend with gravity.

Has your _Cyperus_ got any new growth on it yet?

I thought that garras were a kind of minnow(??).


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

hydrophyte said:


> That's looking good. Most riparium plants do seem to grow slowly. I think that it is largely because they have to build the extra cellulose to hold themselves up--underwater plants do not have to contend with gravity.
> 
> Has your _Cyperus_ got any new growth on it yet?
> 
> I thought that garras were a kind of minnow(??).


The Cyperus has delevolped one new shoot and I am expecting more to come. The other grass you gave me which you can see to the left (picture left) of the Cyperus is not doing well at all. I thought it was going to take off but now it looks as though it is dying.
Also, the tall plant in the right corner, is that a Ludwigia like the one I purchased from you. You had sent me that with an order I placed before the last one.

Panda Garra Loache is what Dr's F&S calls them. They are a sucker mouth loach and doesn't have the barbels like other loaches have. After reading about them, I thought they would be a great canidate for this riparium setup.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That tall plant looks like _Asclepias_. I can't remember did that _Ludwigia_ get there alright? That plant doesn't travel so well because the leaves are thin and soft, but it is otherwise hardy.

I don't know what might the problem with the little _Acorus_ plant. Did you see my planting recommendations? That one should be planted with the rhizome sitting on top of the substrate. The rhizome will rot if buried. It also does best with the planter cup mostly filled with Hydroton.

It looks like Dr's F&S is all wet. Garras are apparently unusual minnows. Wikipedia describes them as being in Family Cyprinidae.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garra_flavatra


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

hydrophyte said:


> That tall plant looks like _Asclepias_. I can't remember did that _Ludwigia_ get there alright? That plant doesn't travel so well because the leaves are thin and soft, but it is otherwise hardy.


The Ludwigia had the top third break so I cut it off and planted the bottom half and it is trying to produce some side shoots and hoping it takes off.



> I don't know what might the problem with the little _Acorus_ plant. Did you see my planting recommendations? That one should be planted with the rhizome sitting on top of the substrate. The rhizome will rot if buried. It also does best with the planter cup mostly filled with Hydroton.


Your other left... :icon_wink The Acorus seems to be doing great and planted it to your instructions. The other grass came already in a planter.



> It looks like Dr's F&S is all wet. Garras are apparently unusual minnows. Wikipedia describes them as being in Family Cyprinidae.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garra_flavatra


Will have to do some digging


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Oh that plant is _Dichromena latifolia_, a sedge. Is it totally dead? That one was pretty ratty to begin with, but that's all I had of these plants I have. I should send you some more divisions of that one because it is a pretty cool little plant, but it will be a while because my little starts that I have here are still small. Mine are growing alright but still small.

That plant gets these neat white showy flowers, which is unusual for sedges or grasses.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

hydrophyte said:


> Oh that plant is _Dichromena latifolia_, a sedge. Is it totally dead? That one was pretty ratty to begin with, but that's all I had of these plants I have. I should send you some more divisions of that one because it is a pretty cool little plant, but it will be a while because my little starts that I have here are still small. Mine are growing alright but still small.
> 
> That plant gets these neat white showy flowers, which is unusual for sedges or grasses.


That flower is beautiful! It hasn't completely died and I am still holding out hope but not looking good. :icon_frow I thought about raising it up out of the water a little bit to see if it would take off but not sure. Any suggestions?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yeah it's a pretty neat plant. I'd say just try to remember to ask me again in a few months and maybe I will have some extra. When the weather warms I might order some more of that one so that I can get more going.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

hydrophyte said:


> It looks like Dr's F&S is all wet. Garras are apparently unusual minnows. Wikipedia describes them as being in Family Cyprinidae.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garra_flavatra


I found some information on my Panda Garras. Some consider them not to be a true loach.

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.php?genus=Garra&species=flavatra&id=963


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yes it looks like they are really cyprinids. That seller just slapped "loach" on there. I want to get some of those things someday I wonder what they would mix well with for a biotope setup. 

I am going to try to order some plants here soon and I'll watch out for that _Dichromena latifolia_. I just need to see about shipping because it's still cold.


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Some updated pics of the riparium. These are doing well. The Asclepias plant (tall plant in back right) I cut it about 4 nodes up and took the top half and stuck it in a trellis raft to develop some roots before putting it into a planter.





































Under water shot...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey that's looking great. You purple waffle plant looks happy. I could never get that one to grow right. Is that that mini 'Tropica' sword in the underwater area?


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

hydrophyte said:


> Hey that's looking great. You purple waffle plant looks happy. I could never get that one to grow right. Is that that mini 'Tropica' sword in the underwater area?


That purple waffle has just started to come around and the leaves are huge. I think it just takes it awhile to adapt. 

I know that 2 of the plants in the under water area are Tropica swords, just not sure if they are minis. I have had them forever, just moving them around to different tanks. They seem happy in this tank.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Looking good!


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

That has really filled in! Looks great!


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Well.....an update. Things have been progressing, growing and filling in. I tried some moss on the rafts and it makes the feeling of the riparium so much more natural. Well, enough talk...pics


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Wow those plants really grew in nice and full.


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## VincentK (Dec 16, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> Wow those plants really grew in nice and full.


Agreed! This tank is looking really nice.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

^x2!!!!


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## luke20037 (Jan 24, 2010)

looking great! can we have a front of the tank shot please?!?


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

Been a little while since I updated this journal. Things have been moving along with not much change except one of my plants thru a flower! :bounce:
I thought I would share some pics.

From 6-24-10



















yesterday 7-10-10




























Full tank shot


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

dewalltheway said:


> Been a little while since I updated this journal. Things have been moving along with not much change except one of my plants thru a flower! :bounce:
> I thought I would share some pics.
> 
> From 6-24-10
> ...


Thats awesome Dewalltheway! One of mine did that also, but I chopped it down so hopefully it will start a growth spurt.


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## luke20037 (Jan 24, 2010)

hows the moss doing on the trellis without misting or an enclosed hood?


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

luke20037 said:


> hows the moss doing on the trellis without misting or an enclosed hood?


The moss does just fine. I have enough hanging in the water that it keeps the rest of the moss wet.


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## luke20037 (Jan 24, 2010)

dewalltheway said:


> The moss does just fine. I have enough hanging in the water that it keeps the rest of the moss wet.


 
oh cool, what type of moss is it?


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## dewalltheway (Jan 19, 2005)

luke20037 said:


> oh cool, what type of moss is it?


I believe christmas moss


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## luke20037 (Jan 24, 2010)

ok thanks might give it a try


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

This is awesome. I had planned to setup a riparium myself but have not been able to materialize it yet. Soooon. I need to have a L&F like this in my house.


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## helgymatt (Dec 7, 2007)

Hi,
Very cool riparium! Just a thought about the dirty glass - have you tried the super fine steel wool to clean up the stains? I use it on my aquarium glass to get the hard water stains off and I also use it on my glass stove top. It will not scratch glass, but you must get the grade #0000. You said the CLR had started to eat into the glass so I doubt steel wool will help with that at all. Just don't get a rock stuck in the wool because that will indeed scratch the hell out of things. Just did that to my rimless 75 and I'm very mad about it (didn't know until I had cleaned the entire front of my tank).


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## Trail_Mix (May 17, 2011)

What happened to the black & silver Pilea? I forget its name at the moment, but I really liked that plant, and have that same Pilea, or one that looks almost exactly like it, and I've been thinking it'd make a good riparium candidate.


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