# New fish! - Tanganyika Shoreline 50G Riparium



## CL

I have never seen that rip before! That's stunning, and very contemporary. I used to have a pictus. He was a cool guy. I love cats. Glass/ ghost cats are really cool too, even though they don't look like typical catfish.


----------



## Hoppy

I can see now that this going to be a fascinating display tank. You do come up with some great ideas! And, I can tell you that my 10 gallon experiment is looking better every day, as far as being an eye catcher is concerned. I'm having problems with the water portion, but the above water part really impresses me. I'm now sold on the idea of a riparium with most of the emersed plant mass above the top of the tank.


----------



## londonloco

I've kept them also, years ago. If I remember correctly (I've got a 50/50 shot on that statement) I kept them in a 45g high, three of them, they lasted more than a couple of years. They were very active, pretty fish, spikes are really sharp, careful if you have to net them, bring a plastic container to transport them in. Mine got really long "whiskers" (barbels?) on them, neat fish! 

I love my rip. It's given me a new excitement with my shell dweller/tangy tank. I really like the higher water level. Since I'm only keeping Java fern on the bottom of the tank, raising the light to accomadate growing plants shouldn't be a problem. 

Can't wait to see this thread continue.


----------



## hydrophyte

I might instead go with the somewhat similar _Synodontis petricola_. I found this very intriguing sales thread.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209775

Here's a discussion about them from here from last year.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fish/69017-what-about-synodontis-petricola-pygmy-synodontis.html


----------



## legomaniac89

_Synodontis nigriventris_ would be pretty cool too. They spend most of their time upside-down, so that might make a interesting display. Phantom Glass Cats are pretty sweet too. A shoal of those would be awesome!


----------



## hydrophyte

I decided to go with the petricola. I am lining up the purchase and excited to get this fish. Oh and I need to clear some space too. This will be fun.

I might keep my sinlge _Archocentrus cutteri_ with them, but this could also be a good opportunity to poke around for a Rift Valley cichlid.


----------



## J.B.

What a beautiful display! I'm positive you are going to get many hours of enjoyment with those S. petricola; I've 3 of them in my 125g Tanganyikan tank and they are certainly the attention getters...always on the move, all three together. Great fish...great choice! roud:


----------



## Ashok

Wow. That looks fantastic.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey that picture above is not my tank. It is a 75-gallon that trackhazard put together. I just linked it as an idea of the general look that I want for this new idea.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/95989-75-gallon-cichlid-riparium.html

I have been pondering plant selection and a few other fish selections. Aside from the _Synodontis petricola_ I think that this new setup will use mostly South America elements, including _Otocinclus_ cats and _Echinodorus_ swords. The water won't be especially hard or high pH either. I think that I will use the same water that I use for most of my other setups, which is 1/2 conditioned tap and 1/2 RO, with pH around 7.0. Does that sound OK for the _S. petrocila_, or do they really have to have hard water?


----------



## J.B.

I can't reliably answer your question, as I've never tried to keep them in a neutral pH. I buffer my water due to the the tankmates in this tank being F1 stock, so my pH is high.

However, fish can usually acclimate to a "stable" pH, regardless of its measurement.

Now that I know you're looking for a SA tank, my personal opinion is you should go with the Pimelodus pictus. It has the same general appearance but with a silvery body vice the brownish of the S. petricola, it's behavior is very similar (always busy), its adult size is the same (4.5") and it hails from the Amazon and Orinoco River basins where the water parameters are more like what you plan to create. Seems to be the obvious choice...


----------



## hydrophyte

You're right, but I think that I am already in love with the looks of the _S. petricola_. I'm not really shooting for a specific biotope--I just want to put together a healthy and engaging display. I know that my plant selection won't tightly conform to any specific biotope, although I do want to use some swords as the largest background plants.

Can I just get the petricola and pretend they are pictus?


----------



## J.B.

> Can I just get the petricola and pretend they are pictus?


:red_mouth:

If they _(S. petricola)_ are tank bred fish, I'd say you're probably safe since you don't plan to pursue breeding them. Generally it's only important to provide the optimal water conditions when you are dealing with F0 or F1 stock, or if you are trying to entice a fish, which hails from an acidic location, to spawn. Like I mentioned above, stable water is always good! roud:


----------



## RianS

Not only will you love the looks but you'll love their personality.
I have some s. petricolas and their so fun to watch. Every time i would sit on my couch they would be swimming all over the tank or more likely running laps around my spray bar and thermometer. Like in a figure eight pattern and all 6 would be doing it.


----------



## J.B.

What pH are you keeping them in, RianS?


----------



## speedie408

hydro,

You made a wise decision going with the petricolas. I've kept them in the past. Now I'm keeping 4 Synadontis luccipinis in my 40B and they are one of my all time fav. fish. These fish act just like the petricolas but stay a little smaller and have a slightly darker appearance and different spot patterns, otherwise they're pretty hard to tell apart. For some reason, mine only come out when feeding and when it's recess time. They have some sort of schedule and are not always active all day long. They love caves. They have characteristics of a shark  Just watch them swim, you'll see what I mean. Here's a not so good shot at one of them:









Post lots of pics once you get em.


----------



## hydrophyte

I'm really stoked to get them. They will ship from Chicago on Monday and I should get the box on Tuesday or Wednesday.

That's a fun picture in your sig J.B.. :icon_bigg


----------



## demonbreedr16

OOOOOOoooooOOOO!!! I've wanted some S. Petricola for a few months now, but haven't really been too interested in looking for them. LOL

I've gotten more and more feed up with fish and am starting to go all plants. 

Still, I really hope this goes good & I can't wait to see it complete [or even started]!


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's the sales thread where I found the _S. petricola_.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209775

It sounds like a good seller who is offering the fish.

I have been pondering this setup some more. One variable that I have wondered about is additional fish selection. A few other ideas came to mind for fish to swim around in the mid-level/top-level of the tank. I wondered about rainbows, or West African tetras or some kind of barb. The best solution was right under my nose. I have colonies of several different livebearer species that originated from fish that I collected in Jalisco, Mexico during two different trips in 2007 and 2008. These are really great fish, but I have had them in these colony tanks for so long that I don't really think of them as display fish. However, they have beautiful appearances. I am likely to use this one, _Poecilia chica_ as the main shoaling fish in addition to the group of _S. petricola._










What a gorgeous fish! It doesn't have super bright colors, but it has that turquoise iridescence on its flanks as well as patches of metallic gold. The breeding males develop more vibrant turquoise coloration as well as dark black on their fin margins. I got that picture above at the same location where I collected beginnings of my colony in the Río Purificación near the town of La Huerta (GPS: N 19°30'22.8" W 104°39'28.6"). I currently have about 40 of these--most are fry--in a 40 breeder. I think that I will pick out a group of about a dozen medium-sized individuals to form the school in this new tank.


----------



## hydrophyte

This one, _Poecilia butleri_, is a second possibility, although I think that I am more inclined to use the _P. chica_.










_P. butleri _is also an appealing fish, but it is somewhat less colorful than _P. chica_. They grow larger, to about 4" long and have little flecks of iridescence of different colors. I shot that picture at an access point (GPS: N 19°42'43.2" W 104°09'11.2") on the Río Ayquila near the town of Aguacate, although I collected my colony fish at another point further upstream


----------



## dxiong5

I just sold my Syno. Petricolas and now I want them back. The fella who bought them said they were actually Syno Luccinpinis. Maybe I'll find some other ones down the road. 

PS. Devin, I'll be ready for that riparium package this week, just picked up 20H setup!


----------



## demonbreedr16

Thanks for the link to the sales thread, if I had more money, I'd buy some for my 55 to keep the lone S. Nigriventris company, but I don't right now.


----------



## hydrophyte

I just got some setup pictures--no fish yet, or plants--and I'm going to edit them and post right now. I want to ask for opinions on a few different details of set up.


----------



## hydrophyte

Last night I stayed up late making some room for the fish and to grow out the plants that I'm using. This setup is temporary, but it should be good enough while I pull together the tank, cabinet and other items for the more permanent display.










This is an Aqueon 50-gallon aquarium. Having a second look at it I am beginning to wonder about my choice for the display tank. I had the 40 breeder in mind before, but now consider using the 50 instead. The 50 has thicker glass (3/8" or so) than the 40 breeder (1/4" or so), so it should be somewhat stronger after removal of the top plastic rim. I wouldn't trust either of these tanks without the top rim and filled to the top with water. With the waterline at several inches below the top, the 40 should hold about 30 gallons of water, while the 50 should hold 40 or so. The 40 might be better for reinforcing my original idea of a setup emphasizing depth and width over deepness of water--like an indoor pond--but the 50 might be stronger and will hold a little water and fish. I don't really want to purchase another tank, so if I use the 50 I will have to transfer the fish and everything two times so that I can yank that plastic rim. What do you all think I should do?

I also set the tank up with a light, a heater and a sponge filter w/air. That ought to be good enough for now


----------



## hydrophyte

...and here's the light that I'm using, temporarily.










This is just a single 39-watt T5 HO lamp with ballast and reflector, but it produces surprisingly bright light. I could probably get along with a light like this (without the rustic hanging job) with the right plant selection. However, I think that I do want somewhat brighter light. I am considering investing in this fixture when I get closer to a permanent setup:

*Aqua Medic Sunbeam 36"*







*


----------



## londonloco

Hydro, would you consider using a Catalina lighting system. I really like mine. They are comparable in price as the Aqua Medic. They come with legs, or for 10$ they will add hooks to it so you can hang it from the ceiling w/simple chains. I've only had mine a short time, but I've heard they last years. Just a thought....


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks for that suggestion. That Aqua Medic interested for the looks, and the price. 

How many lamps does your Catalina have, and can you switch them independently? I understand that the Aqua Medic just has one switch, so you can only choose between both lamps on or both lamps off. I might just consider rigging together two hydroponics strip lights for this setup because that way I can better control light. Depending upon my plant selection I might just make this a low-light setup, so that the plants will grow more slowly and also to limit algae.


----------



## londonloco

My Catalina 48" three light has two switches, two outer lights on one switch, the middle light is on the second switch. I have two lights come on for three hours, then all three lights on for three hours, then two lights on for the next three hours. So yes, you can turn them on independently. I'm looking for a light for the soon to be purchased 29g. I'm thinking their 2 light, but from what I gather from their website, it has one switch also. I've heard they will customize any lighting system they make, I'm calling them tomorrow. Hoping customizing doesn't = bunches of $$$. All I want to do is add a switch...... I really like the 48" Catalina I have now, I'll let ya know in 3 years if I still like it. I've had other lighting systems crap out on me after just a year or two, won't buy those again!


----------



## hydrophyte

That's interesting that they make that 3-lamp fixture--I remember noticing that in your journal thread--and it would handy to have that switch configuration too. It's also good to know about their customization options. I should look into that. I really like being able to dim down the lights for most of the day. SO long as the plants get enough light it makes everything else easier.


----------



## Hoppy

I think I would use the 50 gallon, taking the time to remove the rim first. It has such great dimensions, 36 x 18 x 18 that it has to be an ideal "high water" riparium. But, if the rim is still there it would look awful, in my opinion. Just handling that size tank to remove the rim would scare me away from even trying. It looks like several hours of work, plus the time to thoroughly clean away the silicone deposits. (However, I'm just getting too old to tackle that kind of project.)


----------



## RianS

J.B. said:


> What pH are you keeping them in, RianS?


I have no clue, it's just whatever my tap water is.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy said:


> I think I would use the 50 gallon, taking the time to remove the rim first. It has such great dimensions, 36 x 18 x 18 that it has to be an ideal "high water" riparium. But, if the rim is still there it would look awful, in my opinion. Just handling that size tank to remove the rim would scare me away from even trying. It looks like several hours of work, plus the time to thoroughly clean away the silicone deposits. (However, I'm just getting too old to tackle that kind of project.)


Really, well that will mean that I will have to transfer the fish and everything else twice more. The 50 is the only space I have right now, so I'll have to go get the 40 that's at my brother's house, move everything into that tank, de-rim the 50, then transfer everything back again. I had thought that the 40 would be a good shape because it is wider and deeper than it is tall, and could thus emphasize the view through the water's surface. I suppose the 50 will do that too if I raise the water up high enough. Do you think it will be safe if I bring the water up to about five or six inches from the top? I have wondered about some kind of reinforcement, such as small aluminum brackets glued around each top corner.

I suppose that taking that rim off will be about like it was for my 65, which took all day long.


----------



## Hoppy

I always lean towards the bigger tank when faced with that kind of choice. Removing the rim on that size tank would certainly cause my pulse rate to go up during the first week with water in it, but, as I see it, with the water level 6 inches from the top, for example, the seams near the top wouldn't be unduly stressed, since the area above the water level would be somewhat equivalent to a Eurobrace in resisting the outward bowing of the glass. I know my de-rimmed 10 gallon tank seems perfectly safe when filled similarly.

If you had a 75E tank, I would be pumped up about using that instead of the 50. As some say, "bigger is better".


----------



## hydrophyte

I think that it should be Ok too with five or six inches of seam above the water lining holding it together. I might see about some other kind of trim reinforcement too.

I have already settled with the _S. petricola_--they're on their way :bounce:--but on PlanetCatfish.com I ran into an interesting discussion starting with a questions about selections for a smaller tank.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum **catfish for 30g tank


----------



## hydrophyte

I got a few more things into the tank the night before, and a few pictures.










The floating bag contains the group of _P. chica_. I wonder if I will keep these fish in there long-term, but I am going to try them out and see how they look. 










I want to put some effort into selecting and scaping the hardscape elements and other substrates. The picture above shows the Seachem marine gravel, comprised mainly of small broken shells, which I added in a small quantity. You can see it in the tank picture in the small Tupperware container. I will probably sprinkle just a small amount of this on top of the main base substrate, the coarse sand in the larger green plastic container. 










I also added just one plant in a riparium planter, a _Houttuynia cordata_ 'Chameleon' (above picture, center plant). This is a real good riparium plant, but this specimen looks a little ratty and will some trimming and re-growth.


I introduced a few rounded river stones. I have found these rocks to be easy to handle and easy to put together in a pleasing layout. I will probably use these, but I will add several more. I will put some manzanita in too to try it out.


----------



## Hoppy

Are you concerned about the constantly increasing GH the marine substrate will give you? Those shells will be adding calcium to the water constantly.

My wife made a few comments about putting another riparium in our living room today! I told her not to do that unless she is serious - I tend to charge ahead when I get even a slightly green light. If I do so, it will be in a tank shaped similar to the one you show - something about 18 inches front to back, maybe 30 inches long, and not very high, plus rimless. I will be following this one very closely for ideas.


----------



## hydrophyte

Your place will become impassable if you add any more tanks. Where will the humans live? :icon_lol:

This should be a good shape--lots of room for fish.

I will see how the shells substrate looks and behaves in the tank. I filled the tank with 1/2 RO + 1/2 tap. Our tap water is quite hard and I know that this blend still has pretty high GH. I imagine that dissolution won't be so fast and I might even change this tank to 100% tap later on. The material will be sitting right on top of the main gravel substrate, so I can also remove it later on if I don't like it.


----------



## hydrophyte

The fish arrived last night. Here they are, seven happy little swimming juvenile _Synodontis petricola_.










What fun!


----------



## macclellan

Sweet! I loves me some petricolas!


----------



## Phil Edwards

Congratulations on the petricola, they're one of my all time favorite catfish. I had a school that size in my old rift lake tank and they cruised around looking like little sharks. It was awesome.

Have you considered Hatchetfish? They'd be a good foil to the lower-strata inhabiting cats.

Cheers,
Phil


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah they are really neat. I have a couple of shots too of putting them in the tank. They never stop swimming. I almost wish that I have gotten a couple more, but they should grow to 3-4", so seven individuals is probably a good number.

I should consider hatchetfish. I had the mollies in mind as a fish that would mostly occupy the upper area of the water, but hatchets would hold tighter to the water's surface. I also want to have a single centerpiece that can swim around in the middle and I have a couple of different cichlids in mind for that.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a picture of these little devils right before I let 'em loose.


----------



## Green Leaf Aquariums

Very cool fish Hydro.


----------



## hydrophyte

And here's a close-up of a fat female _Poecilia chica_. Another one of these started dropping fry just an hour or so after I put them in this new tank the other night.


----------



## Hoppy

I have always believed that fish with big mouths, especially including catfish, will eat any smaller fish they can find. Is that true of petricola? (I keep thinking PepsiCola, for some reason.)

Today I found a nice tank about 90 miles away, at a great price, and my wife says, "let's sleep on it first". The tank, unfortunately has a plastic rim, but, as far as I can tell, it doesn't have a cross brace, so it may be no problem to remove the rim. It is a Craigslist tank, so some more email traffic to get a better feel for it may be necessary too. And, a visit to a couple of LFS looking for rimless tanks is in order too.


----------



## hydrophyte

I imagine that the petricola would eat molly fry, although these catfish are still very small. These mollies have dropped scores of fry since I got them, most of which have been eaten be the mollies and other tankmates. I was so gung-ho about my livebearers that I got down in Mexico, but haven't spent much time lately working with them because I have been so busy with other things. Getting these fish into this tank and getting better looks at them has renewed my interest in building up their colonies again. I have several different species of goodeid and poecilid livebearers that I collected down there during a couple of trips. Did you ever see the one trip journal that I put together? It is right here.

http://entomology.wisc.edu/~dbiggs/pesca/index.html


----------



## hydrophyte

I think maybe I found a good centerpiece for this tank, _Cyrtopserma johnstonii_.










This is a unique plant, and it is growing pretty well for me. I wrote down a few specific observations on it in a post in the Plants forum.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/plants/97079-riparium-plant-cyrtosperma-johnstonii.html


----------



## CL

Dang! Those are freakin' awesome catfish!


----------



## hydrophyte

They're gonna be really great when they grow up a little bit bigger. They are only ~1" or so long now.


----------



## kid creole

Hoppy said:


> I have always believed that fish with big mouths, especially including catfish, will eat any smaller fish they can find. Is that true of petricola? (I keep thinking PepsiCola, for some reason.)


Probably, but they have very small mouths. When I kept them, I had a group of julies marlieri that bred constantly.


----------



## Hoppy

If you keep this up I may be unable to avoid the temptation to get some of them:icon_smil Tell me their bad habits, quick!!!


----------



## hydrophyte

They're doing great so far. From what I have read they are just about perfect aquarium fish. They make an entertaining display.


----------



## kid creole

Hoppy said:


> If you keep this up I may be unable to avoid the temptation to get some of them:icon_smil Tell me their bad habits, quick!!!


They're great fish. If you have room, you should get some. They are one of my all time favorite fish.


----------



## hydrophyte

I think that that seller in Chicago might still have some more and I heard about another recent auction too.


----------



## trackhazard

Petricolas are the coolest fish. 

Good stuff, Devin.

-Charlie


----------



## fshfanatic

My 125 is housing 7 Frontosa, 6 Synodontis Petricola and 4 Phyllonemus typus. The Syn. Petricola are by far my favorites.


----------



## RianS

One of my friends neighbors breeds Ancistrus type plecos. One of the strange things he's told me is that he keeps petricolas with his plecos and the petricolas will hold the babies in the mouth. Which i thought to be funny but apparently if you search hard enough on the web you can find similar stories.


----------



## Hoppy

The websites describing this fish state that it needs hard, somewhat alkaline water. Is that correct, or are they like so many fish in that they will adapt to what ever water you have if you acclimate them to it? My tap water is very soft.


----------



## hydrophyte

I understand that they are pretty adaptable. I think that the breeder who sold this group to me said she was keeping them in moderately hard water with pH 7.6. This is not so hard like Lake Tanganyika water is. They probably wouldn't be suitable for very soft water with low pH.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy said:


> If you keep this up I may be unable to avoid the temptation to get some of them:icon_smil Tell me their bad habits, quick!!!


A shoal of _Pimelodus pictus_ could also be great for a species catfish display, and those are often readily available at the LFS. A couple of people suggested dwarf pike cichlids (_Crenicichla_ sp.) as engaging possibilities for this setup while I was looking for ideas. Congos or another West African tetra could also be good and would probably appreciate the overhanging vegetation. Invertzfactory.com has those weird little gobies that could be neat additions. There are just a zillion different fish possibilities.


----------



## Hoppy

hydrophyte said:


> A shoal of _Pimelodus pictus_ could also be great for a species catfish display, and those are often readily available at the LFS. A couple of people suggested dwarf pike cichlids (_Crenicichla_ sp.) as engaging possibilities for this setup while I was looking for ideas. Congos or another West African tetra could also be good and would probably appreciate the overhanging vegetation. Invertzfactory.com has those weird little gobies that could be neat additions. There are just a zillion different fish possibilities.


I agree that the possibilities are unlimited. Even among regular LFS species you would rarely run out of possibilities, but when you add in the internet store stocks, you couldn't live long enough to try them all.


----------



## hydrophyte

There are quite a few other possibilities among catfish. Check out the amazing pictures in this thread from PlantetCatfish.com.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=26493&start=40

Every aspect of that setup is utterly hardcore. It is I suppose more than 400 glalons of water. You would need a lot of space to keep those big plecs.

That's a real good example of a beautifully scaped minimalist tank employing just rocks and gravels as substrates, and with no plants underwater. Something like that could look really cool with emergent plants growing up and out of the top.


----------



## Hoppy

I have wondered if a low water level riparium would work best without aquatic plants. It isn't like you need the plants to keep the water from containing too much nitrate for the fish to live with. The emersed plants will be using it up rapidly anyway. And, the shade down there isn't conducive to growing most aquatic plants. But, with a high water level, and the plants growing out of the top of the tank, it might look odd without the aquatic plants. I'm still thinking about what to plant in my new, high water riparium.

For those with hard tap water an aquascape consisting of rocks only would be a good thing to try, and it would certainly be ideal for many cichlids. But, my tap water is very soft.


----------



## hydrophyte

I got this tank set up and here it is with water in it. I have several pictures with more details of setup and I mean to go add more to thread that I had in Equipment.










It's a little bit more than 2/3 full. I applied a black painted background just to the portion that will be below water.


----------



## RipariumGuy

I cant wait! Good Luck!


----------



## hydrophyte

This tank will be fun. I like the shape of this 50-gallon much more than the taller 65. The tank rim is low enough and the light is high enough that I get a real good view down into the tank from above. I can't wait to start getting plants and fish in there. 

I hooked up the filter, heater, and also got some gravel in there. I'll be back with another photo update.


----------



## Hoppy

That is one more bit of evidence that rimless tanks are the greatest thing since....the last great thing! The partial black background works very well too, and I might try that with my next tank. I'm still not sure it is enough better to justify the effort to get the water line and black back line to align.


----------



## trackhazard

Devin,

That pic reminds me of when I first set up my tank. I had the water a little over half way. Inhabitants were 2 Ctenopoma acutirostre that were approx 4" long or so and a bunch of feeder guppies. I figured the guppies would last long enough to breed and provide hunting opportunities for the climbing perches but they would typically be wiped out in a matter of days.

I've been feeling a need to change up some stuff. Maybe I should go back to that setup.

Setup looks great. Did you say you were going to leave the water area unplanted? I think I am moving towards that direction with my next setup.

-Charlie


----------



## lauraleellbp

A riparium setup would be perfect for hatchets. Less risk for them to go carpet-surfing.

How's the first tank with the Synods coming along, Devin?


----------



## hydrophyte

Hi there. I'm here for just a minute I have to get back to work. This is the same tank that the _Syno. petricolas_ are going into. I hope that I can get them in there maybe tomorrow tonight. Later tonight I should be able to post a couple more photo updates.


----------



## hydrophyte

I like the partial black background too. I almost painted the whole thing, but then I got to thinking about the plants growing up and above the rim of the tank and having two contrasting backgrounds, which would have been visually confusing. 

Hatchetfish are a really good idea. This tank will offer a nice view through the top, so a surface dwelling fish could be a great element. The mollies do tend to hang out near the top and that is why I selected them.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Since you like the idea, I'm going to suggest Marthae hatchets, just so I can live vicariously through you LOL I love these little beauties, but in my tanks they'd just end up snacks for my furry four-footed menagerie :icon_frow


----------



## hydrophyte

I think that the hatchet idea is going to have to wait. The fish that I have in mind for this setup prefer water with pH more on the basic side of neutral. One of my original ideas for this setup involved hatchetfish and pictus catfish.


----------



## Phil Edwards

Excuse me, but aren't Ripariums supposed to have plants and fish in them? Please remedy the lack quickly. :flick:

~Phil


----------



## hydrophyte

I'm working on it. I have gotten the hardscape and gravel into the tank, and tonight I might start adding plants.


----------



## demonbreedr16

Ugh! I can't wait to get my Rip. started! I hope my parents did get me the stuff for christmas like I asked...but with them...there is noooo telling. lol


----------



## hydrophyte

Alright here it is with gravel, filter and heater.










There won't be much hardware in this tank. I might also add a thermometer probe and maybe a small Koralia. The Fluval doesn't have especially strong flow.

And here is a bone-headed hardscape idea.


----------



## CmLaracy

looking good, keep innovating.


----------



## Hoppy

I like that filter installation! I have a Fluval laying here, not in use for a couple of years or more. I have light bulbs going on over my head! And, that partial black background looks very good too, except that it won't hide the planters very well like a full black background does. Of course once the plants grow a bit the planters hide themselves, too.


----------



## hydrophyte

I like the proportions a lot. I think that it is pretty successful. I am also pleased with that filter placement. I am planning to only hang planters on the rear pane of glass so that I enjoy the view in from the sides, and it's good to free up that real estate there.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Very nice!

Can't wait to see the plants and fish!

Are you going to put the rocks back in?

I'd probably throw some black into that substrate... but that's also my own bias for dark substrates LOL


----------



## CL

It looks so _clean_ 
I love the hardscape. Good job tilting all of the rocks in the same direction as they would look in an undisturbed stream :thumbsup:


----------



## hydrophyte

Do you guys like the hardscape? I don't know what to think about it(?).


----------



## Hoppy

I like the hardscape, but my personal preference is for fewer rocks, and not as rounded rocks. I'm not really attuned to the underwater scape yet, since I'm still obsessed with the above water scape.


----------



## isais

i think the hard scape needs something big or bold to draw the eye to (says the guy working on his first aquascape...lol). Im looking forward to seeing the fish and plants added to the tank


----------



## hydrophyte

I have managed to get a few plants in there along with the group of _P. chica_ mollies.

I had thought about trying to create a layout focal point, but those rounded stones don't really lend themselves to that, so I went with a more linear design instead. I think I'm gonna just leave it like it is and try it out with plants. Those stones are just set in the gravel so they will be easy enough to move around or switch out later on.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Oh I misunderstood your previous post- I really like the rocks.  I thought you'd taken them out.


----------



## mykoe817

You should look up information on the 

"Shadow Catfish" from Sumatra area. Scientific name is Hyalobagnus Flavus

They are max at 1.5" - 2". They can be found in the wild swimming in groups under floating vegetation. I have 7 of them myself and love seeing how they interact with each others. They love to swim upside down and right under leaves and shade areas.

Awesome fish to observe. I wish I can post pictures but my G1 literally can't take quality pictures...

Loving the progress. I want to do something similar one day.


Mikey


----------



## limz_777

have you consider of Copella arnoldi ?


----------



## N1CK

The rocks look awesome like that , I think it will look even better once the cats start swiming on/around them


I am thinking killies would be good for a riparium now....(starts planning another :icon_lol


----------



## Phil Edwards

Yeay, there's stuff in the tank! I like the way the rocks look, it's going to be awesome seeing cats cruising around them.

Cheers,
Phil


----------



## hydrophyte

Well today I got some plants and fish in there. Here is a quick shot looking down through the top of the tank.










This is not the final layout--I just stuck the plants in there quick. It's not much to look at now, but once I put the plants into position and once they get a chance to grow in it should be pretty nice. Here is a quick rundown of the selections that I included, beginning with the red-stemmed plant on the left.


_Limnophila aromatica_, this is an excellent riparium plant for creating a floating carpet of stems. Here it is planted in a hanging planter, then trained to grow across a trellis raft.
_Cyperus_ ??, I don't know which variety this is. I wish that I had not lost the variety information, because this one is perfect for riaprium culture. Most of the other ones that I have tried grow to be too large. 
_Bacopa_ ??, I am not certain, but I believe this one to be _madagascariensis_. It is really great for creating a floating carpet. It looks thin here, but I will trim the growing tips to encourage branching and make a nice dense green carpet.
_Cyrtosperma johnstonii_, this thing is really cool. It is a tropical aroid with unique red-veined leaves. It might eventually grow too large for this setup, but for right now it is only growing very slowly. I wrote an entry about it over in the _Plants_ sub-forum, 
_Lipia nodiflora_, this is not a true aquatic, but it grows as a creeping stem in wet areas. I have seen it a few times in Florida.
_Echinodorus cordifolius_ 'Tropical Marble Queen', this is an excellent riparium plant. Here it is sort of competing with the _C. johnstonii_ as a centerpiece, but the two also make an interesting contrast with each other. The leaves are about the same size on each, but white-variegated in the sword, but re-veined in the aroid.


----------



## lauraleellbp

The tank looks beautiful from the top. The rocks really come into their own that way, they make a fantastic background.

I really like that little Bacopa. Is it one that will grow sumbersed, too?


----------



## hydrophyte

Well like I said it will look a lot better once the plants get a chance to settle in and grow a little bit. I will a little more rearranging and then just leave the plants in place for a while.

That _Bacopa_ is very similar to the one that I have often seen as an aquarium plant, _B. monnieri_, However, it is a lighter green color and has somewhat larger leaves. _B. monnieri _also grows well this way, but it is slower. This one will grow underwater too. I had originally gotten it from another hobbyist.


----------



## shrimpo

How tall that _Cyperus plant grows?_


----------



## hydrophyte

That one apparently only grows to about 12" tall. Or that is as large as it has grown for me anyway. I have tried several others that all grew to 20" or taller--too big.


----------



## shrimpo

hydrophyte said:


> That one apparently only grows to about 12" tall. Or that is as large as it has grown for me anyway. I have tried several others that all grew to 20" or taller--too big.


Perfect..do you think you going to have some of those for sell in the next couple months?


----------



## hydrophyte

I only have a few divisions of it. If I had known what I had earlier I would have tried to propagate more of it. I will try to grow out as much of it as I can.


----------



## Hoppy

The Cyperus I have, which I got from you, is now about 17" tall, but looks spectacular. It will get an honored place in my newest riparium. Since I want my next riparium to be a high water one, with the bulk of the emersed planting growing above the tank, this does limit how low I can place my light fixture. Right now it is in my 10 gallon riparium, and the top of the plant is about an inch below the lights.

Your new riparium would look even better, I think, if you had another one growing between the Cyrtosperma johnstonii and the Echinodorus cordifolius 'Tropical Marble Queen'.

You know, having a riparium is like being presented with the dessert cart at a great restaurant - all of those great choices for plants!


----------



## hydrophyte

That Cyperus that you have is the same as this one. Is yours still growing taller or does it looks as though it has maxed out at that height?

Cyperus are super riparium plants in a number of ways. They have such cool foliage and they are sturdy and add dimension, yet don't throw a whole lot of shade. It seems however that most of the horticultural varieties grow too big to keep in a fish tank.

I did add two more planters with small divisions of that plant to the layout. They are rather thin and I hope that they will grow in fairly soon.


----------



## Hoppy

hydrophyte said:


> That Cyperus that you have is the same as this one. Is yours still growing taller or does it looks as though it has maxed out at that height?
> 
> Cyperus are super riparium plants in a number of ways. They have such cool foliage and they are sturdy and add dimension, yet don't throw a whole lot of shade. It seems however that most of the horticultural varieties grow too big to keep in a fish tank.
> 
> I did add two more planters with small divisions of that plant to the layout. They are rather thin and I hope that they will grow in fairly soon.


This particular one is probably not going to go any higher, since it appears that it simply grew to the maximum light area, and any higher takes it out of the light entirely. (I'm guessing.) It is sending out a lot of new shoots now, so I should know in a month or so just how high it is going to go. My other two cyperus plants are about 12 inches high, but the light is possibly less intense for those.


----------



## hydrophyte

I get the impression that Cyperus might grow taller under artificial light than in natural light. Before I rescaped it the 120-gallon tank had a background of _Cyperus_ 'Baby Tut'.










It wasn't very "baby" after it grew up for a while. When I purchased the pot of that stuff at a garden center it was only 12" or so tall, but then with time in the tank it grew to ~30", even a little taller than in that picture.


----------



## speedie408

Nice shot Hydro. For some reason, the first thing that popped in my mind when I saw that last pic was, "Butterflies".


----------



## hydrophyte

Wouldn't it be cool to keep butterflies in a setup like that? That was something that I researched a while back as an idea and I did find several suppliers of live butterflies that cater to wedding planning. The species they sold, however, mostly monarchs and painted ladies, would be too big to keep in a smallish enclosure. Something smaller such as blues or checkerspots could be interesting to consider. You would need a tight-fitting top. 

I had started a thread a while back with a discussion of the idea of keeping mantids in a riparium...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/shrimp-other-invertebrates/91570-mantids-ripariums.html

...but the general consensus was that the critters would probably just end up in the water. Butterflies might perhaps fare better.


----------



## speedie408

Hydro,

I missed that thread bro. That's actually an awesome idea. Mantis' are smart critters, they will not fall easily into the water. I use to catch them all the time when I was a kid. They would even flare on command with their wings extended all the way flashing their awesome colors hidden within. I kept a couple as pets for a while too. They'll eat butterflies or regular house flies off my figer tips. Thanks for the flashback. 

I say go for it!


----------



## F22

hydro, ill tank.. i love it


----------



## hydrophyte

This other setup could be a possibility for keeping mantids.










That's a 56 Column tank. I haven't done much more with it and I'm still just using it as a growout tank. I do intend however to keep a tight canopy on it and grow plants that do better in higher humidities.

Here is one of the online vendors who offers live tropical mantids.

MantisKingdom.com/





*


----------



## F22

i like the door stand!


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a new update for the 50-gallon. It still needs to grow in--this will take a while--but this gives an impression of the general idea.










I don't know if it is conveyed well in this picture, but this thing has more of the feel of a pond than a fishtank. The plants interact visually with the space in the room around the tank.

I got the rest of the plants and fish that I a plan to use for the short-term in there. Some of the fish and some of the plants are subject to change. You can perhaps see my logic for plants selection. The _Cyperus_ umbrella sedges are intended to be most of the background. I like using those those because the make nice forms without throwing a lot of shade, which will leave plenty of light for the plants growing as carpets on the trellis rafts. These include _Lippia nodiflora_, _Bacopa_ sp. and _Limnophila aromatica_. Two arrowhead-leaved plants, _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_ and _Echinodorus cordifolius_ 'Tropica Marble Queen', add interest with red and white variegation. The one plant that doesn't seem to fit with the looks of the rest is the _Spathiphyllum_ peace lily there on the far right, I might move that one in from the side, or I might just replace it with something else.

I hadn't wanted to put any plants in the underwater area, but now I am seeing too much empty vertical space there. Sometimes the fish swim around in there, but as often as not it is just a big black wall. I think that I will use something with long strappy leaves, such as _Crinum_ or _Cryptocoryne balansae_, so that it will fill space, but not obscure the view of the rocks. How does that sound?


----------



## isais

Heres an idea for you that I had sorta floating around to try myself. Could you attach some fishing line (or something equally thin) to a trellis then wrap it with moss, to give kind of a hanging vine look underwater. That way you shouldnt need to worry about how much light you have getting to the bottom of the tank, and you have obscurred your black background?


----------



## non_compliance

I'm really glad you ended up with the syno. petricola... I have a shoal of about 15 of them in my tanganyikan tank, and 4 others in my malawi tank....they are pretty much my favorite fish.. from swimming upside down, to their shark like behavior, they are really a pleasure to watch. Mine are out almost all the time too.

FOr some reason they like to cruise up and down the heater... the water temp is 80ish... never figured out why. 

At any rate, I'm hoping to breed them, just have been too lazy to get a set up going. I"m going to get a 40L to go under my 65L planted tank... maybe I"ll toss the synos in there with a clay pot and a bowl of marbles and see what happens.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yes I really like them a lot too, although I don't see 'em much. I think that I need to work on building some more caves for them to use down on the bottom of the tank. It's funny you mention them hanging out by the heater, mine have found that to be their favorite spot too.










And my tank is 77F. I would have imagined this to be plenty warm, but they like to be right in that hot water rising off the heater(?).


----------



## Hoppy

I keep thinking that Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite' should have a big role in riparium underwater aquascapes. They should do well in the subdued light there, which should also greatly limit the algae problems that can accompany that plant. Maybe a wood scape with the anubias growing on and among it would be good. I haven't given it a try yet, though.


----------



## CL

Those sure are some awesome fish. They really make me want to get back into catfish lol. How big do they max out at?


----------



## lauraleellbp

Yay!!

It looks gorgeous, Devin!!

I do think some Crypts would look nice. They'd tie in well with the plants above the water, too. You wouldn't need many. C. undulata is one of my favs these days, and I can see a few clumps in there... I think C. balansae may get too tall, and the leaves bending might distract the eye?


----------



## hydrophyte

You might be right. It could be preferable to include underwater plants that are closer to the scale of the emersed stuff.

I have some extra _C. pontederiifolia_ and that would be cool because it would repeat the general leaf shape of that 'Tropica Marble Queen' sword. I do wan to avoid obscuring the stones, so any kind of underwater planting will be pretty thin.


----------



## non_compliance

CL said:


> Those sure are some awesome fish. They really make me want to get back into catfish lol. How big do they max out at?


 
the syno. petricola get about 4".... lucipinis are a touch smaller....


----------



## hydrophyte

I have posted the pictures here and there and the consensus is that I actually have _S. lucipinnis_.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey Happy Holidays everybody!

I have a quick update. The plants are all growinl. You can still see the trellis rafts there along the front edges of the carpeting plants (_Bacopa_, _Limnophila aromatica_, _Lipia nodiflora_) but they will be covered up as those plants grow into floating mats. I have been trimming the growing tips of those stems to encourage more bushy growth.










The _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_ is still doing well. I wondered about that one. It will make a nice centerpiece for this layout.


----------



## londonloco

hydrophyte said:


> Hey Happy Holidays everybody!


Merry Christmas Hydro.... Loni


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey Merry Christmas Loni. We have lots of snow here.

Hey I am still moving fish around. I don't like the Honduran red points in this setup...am wondering about some kind of Tanganyikan cichlid maybe...


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey isais I was reminded of your moss idea. I think that that could work pretty well. You could also use Java moss on a raft that also has a plant growing on it and that would help to hide the foam sections from view and look cool too.

Imagine this with moss growing around the base I think it would look pretty cool.










You might not even have to tie the moss on their--it might be sufficient to just drape it across the stop. As I recall Java moss eventually adheres tight to its substrate as it grows. Is that right?


----------



## Hoppy

Does Java moss grow emersed? I imagine it does, since most mosses do, as far as I know. That would be a great new idea for the planter rafts if I had enough to play around with.


----------



## isais

HOPPY->I've seen java moss in Terranium set ups so I would guess it does ok. 
HYDRO-> I was thinking of the fishing line because I thought just having it grow off the trellis might cause it to break off and float around with the slightest current.


----------



## CL

Hoppy said:


> Does Java moss grow emersed? I imagine it does, since most mosses do, as far as I know. That would be a great new idea for the planter rafts if I had enough to play around with.


every aquatic moss that I've ever had will grow extremely well emersed.
flame, christmas, java, singapore, willow, weeping, stringy, taiwan, fissidens, and peacock. Riccia, pellia and mini pellia also do well emersed.
Riccia looks stunning emersed, IMO, as do all of the mosses I've tried.


----------



## hydrophyte

Even when they don't have anything on them those foam trellis rafts wick water on top and they stay wet. I think that they could be a pretty good substrate for mosses.

And the moss wouldn't have to fight with algae the way that they sometimes do underwater.


----------



## demonbreedr16

Hey Devin, I got my Riparium stuff for Christmas! It's awesome!

And yes, I've grown Java Moss emersed.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey I am glad to hear that you got your riparium stuff--I wondered if one of those Christmas-time orders would be your things.

Do you need plants? I have extras of this and that in plants too.


----------



## demonbreedr16

I need more planters before I order more plants! LOL Surprisingly, I had enough plants to fill the planters.


----------



## hydrophyte

Well now I am back home after four days in the Boston area. This tank and all the rest are looking OK. Today I am going to be busy with water changes. 

Hey here again is that last picture update. 










The plants are looking good still. The _C. johnstonii_ is sprouting another new leaf. The camera is still in Massachusetts with my better half but I will get more updates when she returns.

_Limnophila aromatica_ is a real nice carpeting riparium plant. You can see it the to the far left. It is doing just fine in this open-top setup with moderate humidity. It grows slowly.


----------



## CL

Hey, that looks great, Hydro! That papyrus (I think that's what it is) works really well in there.


----------



## legomaniac89

I'm liking how this is growing in bud! If you ever get a baby from that _Cyrtosperma_, I know of a certain aroid addict who'd love to grow that one


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks! So far I really like this combination of plants, although I might remove the _Spathiphyllum_ because it is a little too coarse. Those are indeed dwarf papyrus, or umbrella sedges (_Cyperus_ sp.). They are very nice because they add a lot of dimension for the background, but don't throw very much shade, so the carpeting plants underneath still get plenty of light.

I do have one extra division of that _C. johnstonii_--a little bit smaller than the one in this tank. If you _really_ want it I could probably part with it. So far it is a real good riparium plant, although I suspect that it will eventually start getting to be rather large.


----------



## hydrophyte

This isn't the best picture, but the plants are looking pretty good. Everything is growing well.










The edges of the trellis rafts are still visible there in front, but I have been pruning and training the plants to cover up the foam. I really enjoy the carpeting effect of the _Bacopa_ and the _Limnophila_ and it is perfect for this layout.

The _Cryptoheros cutteri_ is doing well too. Now that he feels more at home his colors have deepened. The lights were on when I got this shot.


----------



## RipariumGuy

That looks great Devin! It is cool seeing a "big fish" in a planted! Thanks for all the help!


----------



## Chrisinator

Awesome!


----------



## Hoppy

I'm thinking I would really enjoy having one of those fish, or another nice small cichlid, perhaps in a group of 5 in my new riparium. That little guy seem to be Mr. Personality!


----------



## hydrophyte

I don't really know my way around very well, but there are a number of pretty cool South American cichlids that you could consider. I wouldn't recommend a group of cutteri, because they would make a mess with a lot of interspecific aggression. Mine works well however as a lone specimen.

I highly recommend checking out some _Apistogramma_ as options. The ones that I had in my 65 were fantastic.










There were two dominant males, a subordinate male and a female in there. They never fought but the two dominant males often flared at each other with those fantastic colors.


----------



## Hoppy

I will probably visit the LFS where I have lots of fish credits and pick from their stock. I suspect that will be dwarf cichlids, but I often change my mind. Most of my fish experience is with the cheap, easy to keep species.


----------



## hydrophyte

I think some kind of dwarf cichlid would look perfect with a group or two of a smaller shoaling fish, and you could also add a bristlenose pleco or other single specimen of something else for some additional interest. If you think of it you ought to ask about _Aequidens curviceps_, because they are extremely cool.

Here's what I ended up using for a shoaling fish--really they don't so much shoal as just wander around all day--a group of six _Ilyodon furcidens_.










I had been pondering using some kind of mellow Tanganyika cichlid, such as _Cyprichromis_ and _Paracyprichromis_, but I elected to use these fish instead. I have had their colony going for several years. I collected the original parental fish several years ago down in Mexico.

Here's a picture of a fat gravid wild female.










And here's the spot where I collected them, practically in somebody's backyard.


----------



## problemman

i really like the ideas of these tank setups


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is a quick shot from a few minutes ago.

I don't much care for the tannish-yellow wall as a background, so I tried a white sheet. I know that it is wrinkled, but it gives an idea of how the foliage looks against white. I think that the color and contrast are improved. What do you think?










This image is a montage made with a shot at slower shutter speed, which I used to cut and paste the underwater area. This corrected for my camera's tendency to overemphasize glare and shadow.

For the sake of comparison here is an older shot with the wall as background.










I have asked, but the CEO gave thumbs' down when I asked about repainting the wall.


----------



## lauraleellbp

IDK about the white... but then, I'm always partial to black.

Devin, do you have the option to move your light fixture a little forward and then angle it back towards the tank so that your plants would grow at a more "visible" angle from the front of the tank?

Are the Synods in hiding, or not in the tank right now?


----------



## Hoppy

My suggestion is that you repaint that wall white, so you get a better idea about which looks better. Then, if you prefer the old color, just repaint it again.:biggrin:

Actually, I can't see a big difference between the two colors. I think this is just a "problem" involving photography. My tank always looks better in person than in a picture, since I'm a very inexperienced photographer.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah this looks better in person too. In photographs that yellow color just muddies up the green of the plants. I might consider getting a large piece of that foam core presetnation board just for picture-taking. I could even cover it with pieces of cloth (well-ironed) in different colors.



lauraleellbp said:


> IDK about the white... but then, I'm always partial to black.
> 
> Devin, do you have the option to move your light fixture a little forward and then angle it back towards the tank so that your plants would grow at a more "visible" angle from the front of the tank?
> 
> Are the Synods in hiding, or not in the tank right now?


I think that black would not be so good for the wall color, although I could imagine something with lot of gray in it.

I don't quite follow what you say about the light position. As it is now it lights up the plants and the underwater area pretty well. What do you mean by "visible" angle. From the front of the tank (the view form our couch) the underwater area and the fish are more prominent, but that is what I had in mind. If you walk up the tank and look from above you get a good view of the plants and I think that they make a nice display.










The catfish are in there and they are pretty active, but they spend 90% of their time under rocks. I see them often when they scoot between rock piles, but they move fast. They become very active when I feed. I have tried to get some close ups of them but they are too quick.


----------



## hydrophyte

The _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_ is still growing and looking healthy--I wondered if this environment would be suitable for it. Here it is with a new leaf slowly unfurling.










It has these strange reptilian leaf undersides.










What a weird plant.


----------



## londonloco

hydrophyte said:


> What a weird plant.


I have to disagree, I think it's beautiful! Any chance of you sharing?


----------



## hydrophyte

I hope so. I have two divisions going in two planters. They have little nubs at their bases that look like they could turn into new plantlets, but they haven't grown much bigger. Maybe I will see them develop as the plants grow larger.

This is most definitely a temporary riparium resident. The mature plants grow to >2 meters tall. It grows nice and slow though so I should be able to keep it in here a while longer.

The leaf petioles are becoming more spiny as the plant grows in size, but the spines are soft. Here is a close-up.


----------



## legomaniac89

I thought that plant was cool before, and now I find out is has reptilian-patterned leaf undersides and spiny petioles? Man that thing is awesome! Is it one that needs a cold dormancy or does it grow year round?


----------



## hydrophyte

I understand it does not have a natural dormancy, and that it will in fact suffer if exposed to cold and dry conditions--it is from the warm humid tropics.

I hope that I will eventually have divisions to share. It is apparently available now from Asiatica Nursery and GlassHouseWorks.com...

http://www.asiaticanursery.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=907

http://www.glasshouseworks.com/tropicalherbs.html


----------



## lauraleellbp

Right now the light is positioned directly above the tank, correct?

So the broad areas of most of the leaves are flattened against the light, to capture as much as possible.

When you're looking at the tank straight-on, you see mostly the horizontal edges of the leaves. You have to get up over the tank to see the rest of those gorgeous leaves.

If there were any way to move the light forward and then angle it back towards the tank, you could encourage the leaves to grow at a different angle, where the broad sides of the leaves and colors would be more visible from the front view.

IDK if it's anything that would actually work, probably just one of those random ideas that went bumping around in my brain late at night and then found its way out my fingers... :bounce:


----------



## hydrophyte

Oh now I see what you mean. I have noticed that effect before, with my 20-gallon when I had it planted with stem plants.










I only got that nice view of the multi-colored foliage when looking in through the top.

I think that I like the illumination of this 50-gallon and I don't anticipate changing it, although I have wondered about an idea similar to what you describe. In these riparium setups the underwater area can become shaded by the emersed foliage. I had pondered using a fixture that could be hung near the front of the tank with one lamp shining straight down into the water, and the second pointed back towards the plants. I was contemplating building something like that with a pair of hydroponics strip lights, and then I found out about this new T5 fixture from Aqua Medic.

Aqua Medic T5 Sunbeam

I think that I have all of the lighting that I need right now, but I thought that that was a pretty cool product, and the price is right too.


----------



## hydrophyte

...but hey what about that _C. johnstonii_?


----------



## Hoppy

hydrophyte said:


> ...but hey what about that _C. johnstonii_?


That is certainly an interesting plant. Will it grow from cuttings? As soon as it starts to warm up a bit here, like next month, I suspect the stores will be stocking houseplants again, so I will be looking for that and others. There is no reason to ever be bored with a riparium - the possibilities seem endless right now.


----------



## MrJG

Ok you guys are officially killing me. I have so much catching up to do it isn't even funny anymore. 

Goes without saying but the tank looks fantastic! 

I think in this little window before those stores start stocking all kinds of new goodies to try out I'm going to try some various stems from my planted tanks. When you guys get stems through the process of becoming emergent growth are you just adding some plastic wrap around the top to keep the humidity super high? I'm thinking I have enough tropica staurogyne and staurogyne 'purple' now to try this with as well as some limnophila 'aromatica'. Several of my past attempts to get stems through this stage have seen less than stellar results except for Hygro species.


----------



## hydrophyte

The _Bacopa madagascariensis_ and _Limnophila aromatica_ in this 50-gallon are looking great right now. I want to prioritize growing extra emersed-adapted stems of these and passing them around, because they are perfect for making that carpeting effect. You can see both of them in this shot from a week ago.










There are undoubtedly many other aquarium stems that will grow well this way. My favorite method for encouraging the emersed-adapted growth of stems is to just plant the regular aquarium stems in a hanging planter, and then position it in the tank so that the rim of the planter cup is just below the water's surface, but the stems are still just barely covered with water. That the way the plant can still stay healthy and growing, but any new growth will be compelled to adapt and grow up into the air. Then, when the plant has grown a few strong emersed stems the trellis raft can be positioned in front of the planter to support additional growth.

Some plants will make this switch more readily than some others. It took a long time to get a few emersed stems of that _L. aromatica_, but now it is going strong and it is one of my favorite plants for this.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy said:


> That is certainly an interesting plant. Will it grow from cuttings? As soon as it starts to warm up a bit here, like next month, I suspect the stores will be stocking houseplants again, so I will be looking for that and others. There is no reason to ever be bored with a riparium - the possibilities seem endless right now.


I don't think that this one will grow from cuttings, but it should eventually develop some new plantlets around the base. I doubt that you would see this one for sale as a houseplant, but it might appear among other tropical pond plants at stores that sell pond stuff.

Asiatica Nursery and GlassHouseWorks.com both offer it right now.

http://www.asiaticanursery.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=907

http://www.glasshouseworks.com/tropicalherbs.html

I hope that I will eventually have some divisions that I can share.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey I just stared a thread on using those _Pilea_ sp. plants in ripariums. It's over in the Plants forum.

Riparium Plant: Pilea sp.

Please read it. I was photo-editing all night last night :flick:


----------



## hydrophyte

I have some pretty interesting observations on the use of the MTS + red clay powder mixture that I used for most of the planters in this tank, and I added to the thread that I had started over in the Substrates forum.

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

The described method seems to work really well. All of the plants are growing and I have only casually added some Fe and K to the water column.


----------



## Hoppy

It may be a good time for me to tour the houseplant areas of Target, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc. Surely they still sell some of these plants during the winter months, since the weather isn't that bad here.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey Hoppy if you are shopping for plants I have spotted a few interesting things in the GlassHouseWorks.com catalog. Everything is reasonable priced and they have a great variety. They are in Ohio I think(?). I don't know if they are willing to ship in the middle of this cold weather.


----------



## Hoppy

hydrophyte said:


> Hey Hoppy if you are shopping for plants I have spotted a few interesting things in the GlassHouseWorks.com catalog. Everything is reasonable priced and they have a great variety. They are in Ohio I think(?). I don't know if they are willing to ship in the middle of this cold weather.


I looked through that catalog - several interesting plants there, and cheaper than the other one you linked to. But, more than I can afford right now. I'm more a $4 a pot kind of buyer right now.


----------



## OverStocked

Hoppy said:


> I looked through that catalog - several interesting plants there, and cheaper than the other one you linked to. But, more than I can afford right now. I'm more a $4 a pot kind of buyer right now.


I hear ya there... I have gone through some bad luck with some of mine. While some wilting can be expected during the transition to water roots, about half of my stock just wilted to death. I'm looking for some good options, and just not sure why plants I have seen work for you all have die for me.


----------



## Hoppy

over_stocked said:


> I hear ya there... I have gone through some bad luck with some of mine. While some wilting can be expected during the transition to water roots, about half of my stock just wilted to death. I'm looking for some good options, and just not sure why plants I have seen work for you all have die for me.


That part is a mystery to me too. Hydrophyte has great luck with plants that just refuse to grow for me. For example he grows E. cordifolius that is spectacular, but the plant I got from him just struggles to stay alive for me. After 3 months it is now starting to grow some good sized leaves. It must be differences in water, or some of the things we do unconsciously are good/bad for some plants.


----------



## hydrophyte

I've killed plenty of plants too. I think that many of these houseplant/tropicals selections that grow in moist to wet situations in the wild will adapt to riparium conditions, but require some time to adapt from being in a well-aerated potting mix to having their roots in the water all the time. One trick you might try while starting plants is to hang the planter cup up high so that just just the base is in the water and moisture wicks up into the media, then gradually lower the cup into the water as the plant starts to grow.


----------



## dewalltheway

hydrophyte said:


>


This is absolutely beautiful. I sure hope my plants turn out half as good as yours look!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks so much. That was an older picture from my little 20-gallon setup. I only had it looking like that for a while. The plants had covered so well there that they shaded the whole underwater area, so the FTS wasn't much to look at.

Here is a quick shot from today.










Algae is growing on the rocks, which I sort of like. The fish like it too. The tan wall is imparting that yellow tinge to everything. I think that I will paint the wall white for picture taking. I put a couple more (ratty-looking) plants into the underwater area. I think that I want to find a couple-three decent Amazon swords to use there.


----------



## Hoppy

Do you get a huge mass of roots in your water, from the planter cup plants? Do you prune them?

Some of my plants seem capable of completely filling the water volume with roots!


----------



## lauraleellbp

Some E. parviflorus 'tropica' swords might look nice in the front, and stay nice and low.


----------



## hydrophyte

Oh I really like that 'Tropica' sword and I hope that I can use it someday. However, I intend for this tank to have open sandy areas between the stones. This will give the catfish more room to scoot around and it will also make it easier to manage the permanent algae growth that I will have in here. The plants that I intend to use, such as Amazon swords, will be sparse and also with growth habits that are more erect. 

I wonder how that _E. parviflorus_ 'Tropica' would grow emersed(?).


----------



## Hoppy

I'm still wondering why planter plants send out such a mass of roots. I probably have less fertilizing or other nutrients in my planter cups than you do - could that be the cause of the plants sending our such a mass of roots. The cyperus, umbrella sedge, especially has a huge mass of roots. The fish seem to like swimming around roots, but it does detract a bit from the appearance. I don't see that kind of root mass in your tanks.


----------



## hydrophyte

I think that the MTS works well as a slow-release fertilizer, so the plant roots are less-inclined to explore out into the aquarium water. I do see some rott formation out through the bottoms of the planter cups, but it's not much. You can just trim roots away if they are too obtrusive.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is another quick update. I moved the rocks around some more.


----------



## problemman

very neat!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks problemman.

I also got one quick picture of one of the little _S. lucipinnis_.










It's gonna take a while to get any good pictures of these little guys. They are skittish.

Oh and here again is the _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_.










I just can't stop taking pictures of that plant. It's the coolest ever.


----------



## Hoppy

That really is a cute fellow - lady? Do you know if they can be expected to be less skittish as they get bigger and more used to the tank? My new fish in my latest riparium seem to be a lot less nervous after a week or so. Most of them still move to the back when I stand right in front of the tank, but just a few steps back and they return to the front.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Yay! I was waiting for some updated shots of the catfish! 

PS- considered any Nerite snails for that algae?


----------



## hydrophyte

I understand that they do become more bold as they get larger. I still need to stack up some more rock piles for them. I tried to last night while moving the rocks around but it was difficult to also keep a halfway-decent layout. I hope to get more pictures of them soon. It will take some effort.

I really like the algae on the rocks and I'm trying to encourage it. The _Ilyodon furcidens_ eat the hairier growth and keep it mowed down as a green patina on the stones.


----------



## hydrophyte

The _Bacopa_ lawn is finally beginning to cover well. Yo ucan see just a couple of little corners of the foam trellis raft around the edges.










It took some time and training to get it to grow like this. As the stems have grown longer I have snipped them off where they reach past the edge of the raft. This encourages branching and more compact growth.


----------



## dewalltheway

That looks great man! I need to find some low growing plants for the front of mine. Need to make a trip to the greenhouse this weekend. Can't wait to see a full front full. You do such a great job with your ripariums!


----------



## Hoppy

That Bacopa is spectacular looking, by far the best I have seen. Which Bacopa is it? And, of course, where do you get it? All of my tiny leaf plantings have ended up disappointing me, but I still have hope.


----------



## hydrophyte

I still don't know which one it is. It looks a lot like _monnieri_, but the leaves are bigger. The closest that I have gotten for an idea is _B. madagascariensis_.










I have extra of this stuff. Can I send you some? I have found that the key to getting this nice carpeting effect is to trim the stems wherever they grow past the trellis raft. This encourages back-budding and more bushy growth. It seems that stem plants for ripariums in general also require good root-feeding. I have seen very good responses where I added MTS to the planter cups.


----------



## dewalltheway

hydrophyte said:


> It seems that stem plants for ripariums in general also require good root-feeding. I have seen very good responses where I added MTS to the planter cups.


I have an idea that I am going to try. I have some FERKA Stemma that I purchased from GLA and I am going to put one of those capsules down in the planters to see how the plants respond to them. I will let you know.


----------



## hydrophyte

That's a great idea. I have been meaning to get some of those FEKA capsules to try out. 

I have already used the Seachem and API root tabs with good results.

You can just use a chopstick or pencil or whatever to open a little hole in the substrate along the front surface of the plastic cup, shove the capsule in about 1/2 way down, then cap with some more gravel.


----------



## hydrophyte

I was admiring the _Echinodorus cordifolius_ 'Tropica Marble Queen' today.










This is such a nice plant. It is the perfect size and shape for growing in a riparium. This variety of _E. cordifolius_ grows rather slowly and stays smallish, so it does not become unruly the way that the species does.


----------



## hydrophyte

I got a leaf close-up too to show that white variegation.










I gotta work on getting more good pictures of this fish, but I have one decent shot of an _Ilyodon furcidens_.










I love these fish. This picture shows the really attractive finnage better.


----------



## seds

Hey nice catfish. I thought it was a Synodontis Multi.

Anyways, riparium is growing great! Ever tried a callitriche species in a riparium? The floating leaves are exquisite.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks seds. I never have tried _Callitriche_, but it looks like a good one.

I got a few new pictures tonight. 

I like this rock very much. I had pulled it from the 120-gallon and it had this great algae crust that it had developed over a long time.










That _Ilyodon furcidens_ is gravid. Her belly is fat.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is a quartering view from above.










That centerpiece plant from an alien planet is looking pretty good.


----------



## Hoppy

That rock looks great, but I think this is the first time I have seen algae described with the adjective "great". I'm used to seeing a different adjective used.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Hoppy. I am working on growing a nice crust of algae on the other, newer rocks too. The key to making that look good is to have an even covering of algae on the stones (or driftwood) but with the gravel and plants and everything else very clean.


----------



## problemman

good luck doing that!!! ur going to be turning that gravel/sand more then the plants will grow! lol


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's the regular full tank shot.


----------



## Hoppy

Looking at that FTS started me thinking - which is sometimes hazardous! Your original ripariums were all designed around the aquarium being a "frame", a box that enclosed the scene being viewed. That made using the golden ratio a good way to set the ratio between the above water and below water portions, and led to the 40% full of water riparium.

Later, we tried reversing the golden ratio, with a 60% full (roughly) of water tank, which this is similar to. But, with a rimless tank, as this one is, there is no "frame" or "box" that contains what we see. And, the above water portion is small enough that there is little humidity benefit gained by having the plants down in the tank a bit. So, wouldn't a rimless tank, with water almost filling the tank, leaving just enough above water area for the planters to attach to, be the "best" layout? That really would make the top of the tank disappear from view, and it would allow the best development of the aquascape too, plus allowing the maximum room for fish.

One pitfall to avoid is using tanks with the plastic rims removed, so that we rely on excess glass above the water line to reinforce the glass and prevent too much bulging out. Maybe this arrangement has to be limited to tanks that are known to be strong enough, rimless, to handle a full tank of water without risk.

Do you have such a tank so you can be the guinea pig and set up one? This one would look even better that way I think, but I'm not sure the glass is strong enough.


----------



## londonloco

Hydro, what is the tall green spiky plant on both sides in the middle. I "want me some of dem!!" <vbg>


----------



## hydrophyte

That is _Cyperus alternifolius_ 'Gracilis'. I have lots of requests for that one, but I don't have extra to spare right now. It is a pretty common plant that you should be able to find online easily, and maybe even at local garden centers. I will work on getting more and might have some available in a while.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy said:


> Looking at that FTS started me thinking - which is sometimes hazardous! Your original ripariums were all designed around the aquarium being a "frame", a box that enclosed the scene being viewed. That made using the golden ratio a good way to set the ratio between the above water and below water portions, and led to the 40% full of water riparium.
> 
> Later, we tried reversing the golden ratio, with a 60% full (roughly) of water tank, which this is similar to. But, with a rimless tank, as this one is, there is no "frame" or "box" that contains what we see. And, the above water portion is small enough that there is little humidity benefit gained by having the plants down in the tank a bit. So, wouldn't a rimless tank, with water almost filling the tank, leaving just enough above water area for the planters to attach to, be the "best" layout? That really would make the top of the tank disappear from view, and it would allow the best development of the aquascape too, plus allowing the maximum room for fish.
> 
> One pitfall to avoid is using tanks with the plastic rims removed, so that we rely on excess glass above the water line to reinforce the glass and prevent too much bulging out. Maybe this arrangement has to be limited to tanks that are known to be strong enough, rimless, to handle a full tank of water without risk.
> 
> Do you have such a tank so you can be the guinea pig and set up one? This one would look even better that way I think, but I'm not sure the glass is strong enough.


Those are all good points Hoppy. I think that trying to nail down a "best" water depth configuration would be an elusive goal. There are several advantages and trade-offs involved with each option. Tanks filled with water to only 1/3-full or to the golden section, and with the plants contained inside, offer the ability to better control environmental conditions. Plants that demand warmer temps or high humidities (e.g., _Cryptocoryne_) can thus be accommodated. Ripariums filled mostly with air also offer the opportunity to economize with a relatively large display that requires less water heating, less fish food and less water changing. They also weigh less, so they could be a good option for someone who ones a largish tank, but lives in a second-floor apartment.


----------



## Hoppy

hydrophyte said:


> Those are all good points Hoppy. I think that trying to nail down a "best" water depth configuration would be an elusive goal. There are several advantages and trade-offs involved with each option. Tanks filled with water to only 1/3-full or to the golden section, and with the plants contained inside, offer the ability to better control environmental conditions. Plants that demand warmer temps or high humidities (e.g., _Cryptocoryne_) can thus be accommodated. Ripariums filled mostly with air also offer the opportunity to economize with a relatively large display that requires less water heating, less fish food and less water changing. They also weigh less, so they could be a good option for someone who ones a largish tank, but lives in a second-floor apartment.


"Best" is always in the eyes of the beholder, I agree. I'm always looking for an adaptation of the riparium idea that will attract more planted tank hobbyists. At my local aquatic plant club I have had little luck in arousing any interest, but if one could have one of the outstanding aquascapes, plus the emersed plantings, that could attract more people. And, I just like trying different things too.


----------



## macclellan

In my experience, the E. parv. 'tropica' needs quite a bit of light. 
It would do well emmersed, but I don't think it would do well underwater in these low light ripariums.

Sweet Cutteri. BTW, the currently accepted genus is Archocentrus, not Crypto. I bred those once in the past; very mean fish when breeding (never ID'ed if they were A. sp. 'Cutteri' or A. spirilus if there's really a difference).


----------



## hydrophyte

I wish I could find sources for a broader range of swordplants because there must be more good ones to use emersed. Does anybody have any suggestions.

Look at all of the offerings on this site...

The Planted Box: Aquafleur Aquatic Plants

...too bad they're in the UK.

I like that cutteri a lot. I did try breeding them a couple of times, but the males became very aggressive toward to females and I had to separate them. That fish was the most handsome in the whole group and he is the only one that I still have.


----------



## OverStocked

Aquabid has a few good sword plants. More diverse than many sellers. I have been tempted to fill my tank full of them...


----------



## hydrophyte

I will go check that out. 

Have you noticed are they plants mainly originating from the US, or offered by overseas vendors?


----------



## OverStocked

One Seller in particular seems to be US based. I just about pulled the trigger last week, but spent money with you instead! He is chambers3530 based in AZ.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks for that tip. I might know who that is. I wasn't aware that he also sells on Aquabid.


----------



## hydrophyte

I just went and had a looks at chambers3530's auctions. He does have a number of swords, but it is mainly the stuff that circulates pretty heavily already.

That _E. parviflorus_ 'Tropica' would be a good one to try out.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy said:


> ...later, we tried reversing the golden ratio, with a 60% full (roughly) of water tank, which this is similar to. But, with a rimless tank, as this one is, there is no "frame" or "box" that contains what we see. And, the above water portion is small enough that there is little humidity benefit gained by having the plants down in the tank a bit. So, wouldn't a rimless tank, with water almost filling the tank, leaving just enough above water area for the planters to attach to, be the "best" layout? That really would make the top of the tank disappear from view, and it would allow the best development of the aquascape too, plus allowing the maximum room for fish.
> 
> One pitfall to avoid is using tanks with the plastic rims removed, so that we rely on excess glass above the water line to reinforce the glass and prevent too much bulging out. Maybe this arrangement has to be limited to tanks that are known to be strong enough, rimless, to handle a full tank of water without risk.


I have a couple more observations/ideas to add to this. There are a couple of additional advantages for riparium setups filled to just 60% or 75% or so with water: 1. reduced likelihood that jumping fish will clear top rim 2. moderation of micro-environment conditions (humidity & temperature) right around emersed plants. As we already noted, the mostly-full tank is also a good option for standard plastic rim aquariums with the top rim removed, which not be strong enough to safely support water filled to the top.



Hoppy said:


> Do you have such a tank so you can be the guinea pig and set up one? This one would look even better that way I think, but I'm not sure the glass is strong enough.


I really want to try a riparium filled with water and I plan for that to be my next project. I think that this tank would be an excellent choice for this idea...

*Green Leaf Aquariums: 63-S*





*


----------



## Hoppy

I will be watching for that one! When I look at those tanks I also think that one would be ideal, but then I think the 48 gallon one would be so much better - 44.4% better, in fact.


----------



## hydrophyte

Both of those would be great filled with water and with the magnetic hanging planters--you wouldn't have the suction cups sticking up and demanding another 1/2" of glass.

I really like the price tag on the 63-S. Even with shipping I think it's not quite a few hundred bucks, which ain't bad for what what you're getting.


----------



## hydrophyte

I got a few more quick pictures today. That plants are all looking happy enough.


----------



## F22

wow, that plant is beautiful


----------



## Hoppy

That plant just leaves me speachless! And, the setting for it makes it look its best too. I wonder if I will ever find ripariums boring? Seems impossible.


----------



## F22

hydro... you are the man... you've really broken some ground with what you are doing.. bravo and thanks!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks very much I hope to have more good pictures soon.

Here is another shot of the tank from the other angle.










I tried to get some more pictures of the _C. cutteri_, but didn't put in enough time. This is the best result that I got.










You can see that he has colored up even more anyway. I got this nice detail with a crop of that image.


----------



## CL

Wow, that looks beautiful as always, hydro!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks CL your new tank is looking great too.


----------



## speedie408

That's a pretty spectacular plant there hydro. Love that red veining. Simply Beautiful!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Nick! That _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_ is my new favorite plant. 

It seems every day I have another different "new favorite plant".


----------



## Craigthor

Makes me drool everytime I see a setup like this. Wish I could decide on a tank to use right now. So many options. Any pictures of a tank that has a 2 ft depth front to back? Also would this concept for with say a HMF filter design http://www.janrigter.nl/mattenfilter/ ? I'll send you another PM...

Craig


----------



## hydrophyte

A tank with a 2' depth would make an awesome riparium. That much space really opens up possibilities for lots of cool plants that would be squeezed in a smaller enclosure. 

I have had this 120-gallon going for a couple of years now and it has been through a few different permutations.










These spider lilies have bloomed for me a couple of times in there.










I imagine you could fit a HMF into a riparium well enough--maybe under the planters?--but I don't know that it would really be necessary. Why are you considering that kind of filter? Are you trying to avoid using a canister, or do you have big fish? I think I would just find something like that to be taking up a lot of room that could otherwise be occupied by plants and fish. 

A canister rated to the volume of water that you have should be plenty, along with a couple of powerheads to kick up detritus and keep things clean. The robust emersed plants will also provide denitrification.


----------



## Hoppy

Seeing that beautiful spider lily reminds me - today I removed mine from my riparium to a pot with planter mix in it. Right now it's too cold outdoors for it, so it is sitting beside the tank sharing the spillover light. I'm looking forward to seeing it bloom again in a few months.


----------



## hydrophyte

Did you see any hint of any new little bulblets forming with that plant? And how do the seedheads look?

Now might be a good time to give that bulb a bit of a dormancy period. You might try backing off with irrigation and letting it go dry between waterings.


----------



## VOYTEK333

WHAT do you do to get that echinodorus grow ?! All of you people ?! lol I love your set up and I hate the fact that I always had such a bad luck with echinodorus !  

Take care,


----------



## Hoppy

hydrophyte said:


> Did you see any hint of any new little bulblets forming with that plant? And how do the seedheads look?
> 
> Now might be a good time to give that bulb a bit of a dormancy period. You might try backing off with irrigation and letting it go dry between waterings.


I saw no hint of bulblets, and very short and few roots too. The flower stalk is still green, but has drooped a lot. The seed pods have stopped getting bigger. How long should the plant be dormant, and does it need to be in a relatively dark place to be dormant?



VOYTEK333 said:


> WHAT do you do to get that echinodorus grow ?! All of you people ?! lol I love your set up and I hate the fact that I always had such a bad luck with echinodorus !


I have no luck with echinodorus in planter cups either. Mine stay alive, but grow only slowly, with one leaf turning brown as soon as a new one starts growing. I'm ready to accept that I eat too much garlic for it, and the fumes are the problem:hihi:


----------



## hydrophyte

I don't know what the trick is to getting good emersed _Echinodorus_ growth. Mine have grown vigorously with no special care aside from regular fertilization, although I have only had very good luck with just two species, _E. cordifolius_ and _E. palaefolius_. The rest that I have tried have all been reluctant to switch form underwater-form foliage to emersed leaves.

I finally got around to painting the wall. Here is a quick post-paint shot.










I'm working on setting up for a new FTS tomorrow night.


----------



## dewalltheway

Looks really good Devin! Your Cyperus (Spelling? Sorry) gives me hope of what mine will look like eventually. I had a new sprout break thru the other day so that got me excited to see that it is multiplying. I so wish the Limnophila you sent me would have not died. Yours looks wonderful! I also love your pic of the 120 gal. Do you still have that up and running? If you do, I would love to see some close up shots. Anywho...great job!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Mark! I also really just love the _L. aromatica_, but it was a long-term effort. It grows slowly and it took six months to finally get this good-sized clump.










It's a real good plant for growing with the hanging planter + trellis raft combination.

The 120 is still going and I have been trying to spruce it up. Here is a picture from a couple of weeks ago.










It needs to grow in some more.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's another quick shot of just the emersed area.










I hope to be back with a new FTS tonight.


----------



## MrJG

So nice as usual! I love your compositions and the fact that I literally have to squint to find the planter hardware.
I have a nice long stem of 'aromatica' floating in my 40 now hoping it will throw some emergent stems for me so I can transfer them over to the rip. The darker stem + light green leaves looks really nice.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks very much. There is one piece of raft that I have had trouble trying to hide. The _Lippia nodiflora_ plant over on the right has grown very slowly and is just taking a long time to cover.

_L. aromatica_ is a good one. An especially nice feature of that plant is the way that it re-sprouts many times from the base, so you (slowly) end up with a nice bushy specimen.


----------



## F22

what kinda lights are you using hydro?


----------



## hydrophyte

This setup has the 4 X 39-watt Tek Light with Giesemann Midday 6000K lamps. 

However, I have only two of the lamps switched on. This has so far been plenty of light, but I think that I might soon raise the fixture to accommodate those taller plants, so I might start using the other two lamps.


----------



## F22

looks great dude, i need to get some loot together and buy a few things off you...

haha


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks F22.

I can't stop taking pictures of these plants. Here's another view.










And here is detail cropped from that image.


----------



## macclellan

hydrophyte said:


> I wish I could find sources for a broader range of swordplants because there must be more good ones to use emersed. Does anybody have any suggestions.


SweetAquatics has a decent selection. I was happy with my order from them.


----------



## problemman

what was that pink plant that was growing in the background?


----------



## hydrophyte

macclellan said:


> SweetAquatics has a decent selection. I was happy with my order from them.


Thanks. You are right they do have quite a few selections. However, it's a lot of the same stuff that circulates already. There might be one or two there that I haven't tried emersed. I see they have a couple of good crypts too. The prices are right. I wonder where their stuff is grown if it comes from Florida or if they might instead import it(?).

They are in Hamilton, Ohio. I used to live there back in the day.



problemman said:


> what was that pink plant that was growing in the background?


That plant with the red veins is _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_. It's pretty amazing.


----------



## problemman

also how do u start the plants growing out of water and on these trellis?

no there is a red plant in the other picture on the page its to the right of the tank


----------



## macclellan

I think they get most of their stuff from FAN. Yeah, the prices are right. I got a bunch of crypts cheap.

I'm from NE Ohio. Never been to the SW except Cinci.


----------



## hydrophyte

problemman said:


> also how do u start the plants growing out of water and on these trellis?
> 
> no there is a red plant in the other picture on the page its to the right of the tank


This other thread shows pretty well how to plant those plants with the hanging planter + trellis raft configuration.

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










Oh that is the other tank the 120. That red plant in there is a _Hibiscus_--very easy to grow.



macclellan said:


> I think they get most of their stuff from FAN. Yeah, the prices are right. I got a bunch of crypts cheap.
> 
> I'm from NE Ohio. Never been to the SW except Cinci.


Yep, nice prices. I should order some stems from them I really want to try more new emersed stems I have been getting such good results with the carpet of stems in this tank.

I almost got married when I lived there in Hamilton.


----------



## problemman

arn't u glad you didnt get married!?!?! lol anywho thanks for the link and the name clarification. where would i get that plant specifically? i got this plant from lowes the other day and its some type of fern moss thing...i will get a pic of it for yah maybe you can help me out


----------



## hydrophyte

I could say that I'm glad that I didn't end up in Hamilton, but that wouldn't be very nice. I liked it there and we always had fun making trips into Cincinnati and other destinations. The countryside around there is nice too. My near-fiancee's family ironically-affectionately referred to their home town as "Hamiltucky". 

I could send you that very plant if you want it. It's an extra. 

"Fern moss thing" sounds sort of like _Selaginaella_.


----------



## BigMOCats

Nice stuff!


----------



## macclellan

hydrophyte said:


> "Hamiltucky"


lol


----------



## hydrophyte

I have gotten a bunch of new pictures that last couple of days and now I am trying to wade through them. Here is a quick _in situ_ shot.










I have some video too, but I will have to do some more trouble-shooting for video because I didn't get great results.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey y'all I finally got my act together and started getting some video for this project. 

Here's the YouTube link to the first file that I uploaded...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7E5UpvP-aY










I need to work on this some more. These first videos that I got are all very grainy and I don't know why. This one gives you an idea of how crazy the fish get anyway whenever I throw some food in there.

I really like the fish in this tank. They are perfect.


----------



## speedie408

Lovin the petricola cats hydro.


----------



## dewalltheway

Love the cats! They are super cool. roud:


----------



## hydrophyte

I like the _Synodontis_ a lot too. They have piqued my interest in catfish generally and now I want to try a bigger setup with a larger group of cats. 

Still, these syns aren't the best display fish. They hide most of the day. I do get to see them though at feeding time.

Does anybody have any suggestions fro improving video quality? I shot some too in macro mode and those files are crystal clear. I tried the HD, HD60 and VGA modes for the regular shooting and got this grainy video every time(??).


----------



## Craigthor

hydrophyte said:


> I like the _Synodontis_ a lot too. They have piqued my interest in catfish generally and now I want to try a bigger setup with a larger group of cats.
> 
> Still, these syns aren't the best display fish. They hide most of the day. I do get to see them though at feeding time.
> 
> Does anybody have any suggestions fro improving video quality? I shot some too in macro mode and those files are crystal clear. I tried the HD, HD60 and VGA modes for the regular shooting and got this grainy video every time(??).


Nice group of cats, in my African keeping days I had a group of 8 WC petricolas. They do like to come out at night and are fun to watch then.


----------



## hydrophyte

I mean to investigate other shoaling catfish that might be more active in the daytime. I wonder if there are any other good _Synodontis_(?). 

Cories might be one of the best options, and there are many species to choose from.


----------



## Craigthor

hydrophyte said:


> I mean to investigate other shoaling catfish that might be more active in the daytime. I wonder if there are any other good _Synodontis_(?).
> 
> Cories might be one of the best options, and there are many species to choose from.


Corries would definitely be your best option. Syns are pretty much nocturnal all the time.

Craig


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah, I need to study up on cories some more. 

I have also wondered about pictus cats. When I have seen those in the pet store they are constantly active. Pictus do eventually get largish though.


----------



## dewalltheway

hydrophyte said:


> Yeah, I need to study up on cories some more.
> 
> I have also wondered about pictus cats. When I have seen those in the pet store they are constantly active. Pictus do eventually get largish though.


I have a Pitus Cat in my 90 and I never see him except after lights out. He likes to hide in the dark corners. I have 4 Julii Cories in my riparium and they are active all the time. I would suggest getting Streba Cories because I think they are more attractive then the Julii.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks for that tip. I will look into those suggestions. I really like the idea of a good-sized riparium with few or no underwater plants and a shoal of cories.


----------



## hydrophyte

...oh I just got another video loaded. Here is the link.

*15-II-10-tank-video-II.MOV (YouTube)*

You will see that video has the same problem as photographs with too much glare in the emersed problem. I need to look into fixes for that.


----------



## J.B.

dewalltheway said:


> I have a Pitus Cat in my 90 and I never see him except after lights out. He likes to hide in the dark corners.


That's not surprising since it is alone. IME, they are very social when housed with several con-specifics. Put a few more in your tank, and I think you'll soon see the more common behavior. roud:


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey Mark how big is your pictus cat? I read that there are a two different forms. A "Colombian" which is somewhat larger, and a "Peruvian", which stays smaller.


----------



## trackhazard

That cyperus looks great in your tank and its really nice that you can make out the fineness of the leaves without too much foliage blocking it. Totally reminds me of a stand of bamboo or something similar. I also really like the way your plants seem to explode out of the top with the higher water level.

-Charlie


----------



## hydrophyte

That Cyperus is one of my favorite plants. It creates lots of dimension without throwing too much shade, so you can get some nice understory plants going beneath it too.

Here's another quick video. This is a macro close-up with fish going after algae wafer.

*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g38gExqO4vM*




*


----------



## hydrophyte

I have a fun new update. I got a surprise a few mornings ago. Look for the little lavender spot in this picture.










The _Limnophila aromatica_ had a single bloom on it. The delicate little flower goes really well with this plant's fine foliage.










It has been several days now and the flower is still open and fresh.


----------



## Craigthor

hydrophyte said:


> I have a fun new update. I got a surprise a few mornings ago. Look for the little lavender spot in this picture.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The _Limnophila aromatica_ had a single bloom on it. The delicate little flower goes really well with this plant's fine foliage.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It has been several days now and the flower is still open and fresh.


 
Nice I can't wait to get mine up and going.

craig


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Craig. Here's another shot standing back a bit farther.










Those emersed stems have taken shape really nicely.


----------



## Craigthor

This is amazing! I'm thinking about pickup up a few different Pileas from Glassworks House interested in any of them figured I would order a couple of them to play with and share some out.

Craig


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey Craig that's a great idea to split an order, and split divisions of plants. I have a number of other ideas for things that I see among GlassHouseWorks.com selections. I think it would be a good idea to first call to inquire about cold weather shipping. I don't know how well they are set up with insulated boxes and the like. I will try to call them tomorrow to ask.


----------



## F22

i want in on this...lolz


----------



## CL

Just amazing. That limno is one of my favorite plants that you have grown in your ripariums. Fantastic.


----------



## Craigthor

hydrophyte said:


> Hey Craig that's a great idea to split an order, and split divisions of plants. I have a number of other ideas for things that I see among GlassHouseWorks.com selections. I think it would be a good idea to first call to inquire about cold weather shipping. I don't know how well they are set up with insulated boxes and the like. I will try to call them tomorrow to ask.


Thanks. I'll try as well. Did ya get my order that I placed last night on your site? Here are the few I want to try:

*PILEA BERTERTONIA *
*PILEA DARK MYSTERY *
*PILEA PUBESCENS LIEBMANNII SILVER *
*PILEA SPRUCEANA NORFOLK* 
*PILEA SPRUCEANA SILVER TREE* 

P.S. I'm thinking about attaching a Small planter to the front of a large planter to open up some other options to play with. I love to experiment. I think I will need that 3rd bag planter gravel so if you can tell me how much I owe you I can send you money for it on the order I placed last night.

Craig


----------



## hydrophyte

I did see that order and I'll send another PM. That is an interesting idea attaching the Small Hanging Planter to the Large Hanging Planter--should be easy enough to do by just threading a plastic zip tie or some coated wire through the holes in the cups. I just wonder if the pair of suction cups on the large planter would be strong enough to hold up all that weight(?).

I am going to start a thread probably over in the Plants sub-forum titled "Promising Riparium Plant Selections Offered by Online Nursery Stores", or something like that. This could an interesting topic of discussion. There really are a lot of cool possibilities out there. 

An important idea to have in mind when getting any kind of nursery stock, especially material rooted in potting media, is the prevention of insect pests, such as aphids, scale and spider mites. These can make a mess in a riparium and can be difficult to eradicate once established. Fortunately, there is a pretty simple measure that you can take to remove potential pests from new plants: immersion in water will drown most kinds of insect pests. I quote here the step-by-step procedure that I have used to treat new nursery plants.



hydrophyte said:


> Pull plant from pot and shake potting media away from roots. Trim long roots and rinse off remaining potting media.
> Dunk plants in water in a deep container such as an unoccupied aquarium or 5-gallon pail. Sink plants all the way to bottom and keep down with small terra cotta pot or similar weight.
> Be mindful of bugs that might float to top alive. Remove any floating leaves or other bits of debris. Rinse or wipe down rim of container in order to wash away and squash bugs.
> Keep plants underwater for at least 12 hours. Plants with tougher, waxy leaves (e.g., _Acorus_) can handle being underwater for longer periods (up to 48 hours), which is preferable.
> Certain kinds of plants will soften underwater and become susceptible to drying with re-exposure to non-humid air. Keep treated plants in covered, high-humidity enclosure for a few days, while gradually exposing to increased air circulation.
> Some plants might also sustain some leaf damage while underwater. Trim away any dead or badly damaged leaves.
> Carefully monitor new plants as they begin to establish. Certain pests (such as spider mite eggs) might be able to survive the dunking treatment. Treat again if any signs of insect damage or presence are observed.


----------



## Craigthor

hydrophyte said:


> That is an interesting idea attaching the Small Hanging Planter to the Large Hanging Planter--should be easy enough to do by just threading a plastic zip tie or some coated wire through the holes in the cups. I just wonder if the pair of suction cups on the large planter would be strong enough to hold up all that weight(?).


I'm thinking I could add one or two more suction cups to the lower setion of the large planter so it has plenty of grip and support. I will post pics once I get the details worked out and play with it.

Now back on topic- Any new FTS? Just loaded my tank up today to return on Wednesday and already miss not having even the empty tank to look at.

Craig


----------



## hydrophyte

CL said:


> Just amazing. That limno is one of my favorite plants that you have grown in your ripariums. Fantastic.


Thanks. I like that plant a lot too, but it was a long-term project. It grows so slowly emersed. I really want to try some of the other _Limnophilas_ like this.

The new leaf on the _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_ has opened up. It's pretty awesome. 










You can see the nice growth habit of those sprawling stem plants pretty well in this picture too. I like the way that they have spread out over the water. I had to raise the light fixture to make room for that new leaf, so I also turned on the other two lamps. Now it has all four 39-watts going.


----------



## CL

That cryptosperma is soooo beautiful. The red is so bright! It's like sunset hygrow, except more beautiful.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah if you look you can see that the whole terminal leaf tip area on this newest leaf has an orangish-red color.


----------



## Craigthor

Great pics, love the coloring! Went to the local Home Depot today and they had some huge Peace lily pots for like $8 must have been 5-6 plants in each pot once split up. Also saw some great looking African Violets in many colors. 

I have a feeling this is going to be addicting.

Craig


----------



## hydrophyte

I was getting pictures of this tank again today. I have a bunch of files to process, but here's a quick one while I start organizing them.










I like the look of the tank from this angle. The _Limnophila_ and _Bacopa/I] have grown in so densely that they have covered up the rafts and planter cups really well.

I am going ot tear down this layout and replant sometime soon...maybe tonight. I am going to use most of the plants for more propagation, but I might also offer a combination package with divisions and cuttings in Swap and Shop._


----------



## !shadow!

l like this tank shot, and how the stems have a boundary between the mossy rocks and the plants above. Very nice!


----------



## F22

hydro, what are those tall plants?! i want them!


----------



## CL

Great shot! It's so thick. It's very interesting to see what a riparium looks like from the side, with all of the roots hanging down and everything.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks you guys.

That tallest grassy plant is _Cyperus alternifolius_ var. _gracilis_.

The fish and especially the new little fry really like to hang out in those roots and mat of floating foliage.

I got a close-up of the newest leaf on the _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_, which is really stunning.










That gold and pink coloration around the leaf tip is new. The older leaves just had the green leaf color with red veins.


----------



## Hoppy

One of the best things about that plant is the way the leaves are vertical, letting their beauty show so well. Most plants keep the leaves flat, facing the light, making them hard to see from the front of the tank. (Now, don't tell me you have wire behind those leaves holding them in position - I will be disillusioned!) That last photo I would swear is of the King of the Plants, sitting on his throne.


----------



## Craigthor

Hoppy said:


> One of the best things about that plant is the way the leaves are vertical, letting their beauty show so well. Most plants keep the leaves flat, facing the light, making them hard to see from the front of the tank. (Now, don't tell me you have wire behind those leaves holding them in position - I will be disillusioned!) That last photo I would swear is of the King of the Plants, sitting on his throne.


Probably a fake plant from teh pet store with wire in the stem. :biggrin: Oh wait....


----------



## legomaniac89

That last pic has got me drooling. That _Cyrtosperma_ is just amazing.


----------



## Craigthor

Hopefully I can propigate some Cryptosperma and share it with everyone!


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah it's a pretty amazing plant, and it grows just fine in a riparium. I was really amazed by that golden yellow that came out in this latest leaf.

This specimen has two little suckering babies at its base. I am just going to wait for them to each develop a second leaf and some roots, then snap them off to start some more new plants.


----------



## hydrophyte

I tore down this layout. I tried to get as many pictures as I could before taking it apart. The plants were pretty much at their peak. Here is the first of those pictures.










I'll be back with a few more.


----------



## hydrophyte

I am still processing these last pictures of this layout. Here is another one.


----------



## SearunSimpson

Hydro, what are the fish, and how do they breed/spawn? Are they egg-layers-scatterers, and where abouts do you think they are 'doing the deed', haha. 
It's just they don't look too much like live-bearers, and I don't really see too many bushy plants for them to lay/scatter about.
Thanks!


----------



## hydrophyte

Those largish fish in the group are _Ilyodon furcidens_. They are in Family Goodeidae and they are most definitely livebearers. They seem happy enough too because all three females have dropped fry and now they are gravid again.


----------



## hydrophyte

Now I'm using this setup as an unofficial riparium plant propagation tank. What a mess! There are plants hung on all four panes of glass. It's not much of an aquarium display at the moment, but looks kind of cool from the top.


----------



## !shadow!

definately 10/10 top view. One of the best ripariums i've ever seen. keep the pics coming hydro!


----------



## Craigthor

hydrophyte said:


> Now I'm using this setup as an unofficial riparium plant propagation tank. What a mess! There are plants hung on all four panes of glass. It's not much of an aquarium display at the moment, but looks kind of cool from the top.


I think I can still squeeze all that into my tank.  Great collection of grow outs. My 30g long looks like that just not as nice a selection as the goodies are in the main tank.

Craig


----------



## hydrophyte

It is a bit less than ideal to have such a messy tank here in the living room, but the plants really like it there under that Tek Light. I will grow this stuff on for another couple-three weeks, then get it out of here.


----------



## Craigthor

hydrophyte said:


> It is a bit less than ideal to have such a messy tank here in the living room, but the plants really like it there under that Tek Light. I will grow this stuff on for another couple-three weeks, then get it out of here.



Got another tank planned for it all? I see a 300g riparium in your near future, or atleast waht about the bathtub..... :drool:


----------



## hydrophyte

I hope to move most of that stuff out the door via USPS. I do want to put together a new layout in this tank. I am going to prioritize those new stems that you sent me and try to use some other new stuff too.


----------



## !shadow!

lol bathtub how about a outdoor swimming pool?
http://www.designgonewild.com/img/swimming-pool-2.jpg
^^ has the word riparium written all over it


----------



## Craigthor

That Cryptosperma you have is so pretty I hope you keep that in the next scape. Also if you sell some of that Cyperus I know Over_stocked wanted some I may owe him a portion if you sell some.

Can't wait to see what this next design turns out like. Hope the ones I sent get you going.

Craig


----------



## hydrophyte

I did divide up that _Cyperus_ and ended up with I think eight new planters of it.

The _Cyrtosperma_ will stay in there for a while for as much as anything as I don't have any other place for it. I want to keep it happy so I can get some new divisions. I count I think five little baby plants around the base.


----------



## Hoppy

I think a nursery tank is an absolute must with ripariums. I hate to load up my nice big tanks with planters with just a twig in them. So, I keep a 10 gallon tank on my desk with a constantly changing array of plants I'm trying to grow, storing for later use, or just too attached to to get rid of. Any tank with lots of plants growing out the top is attractive, as far as I am concerned, so it never looks really bad.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah it is probably essential to keep a growout/nursery tank going so that you have a spot for growing up new material, quarantening new stuff, accommodating dormant plants and so on.

It helps if you can include fish in the growout tanks, as they provide a steady source of N and other nutrients. Most of my nursery setups are doing double-duty for livebearer colonies.

It


----------



## DeepDownAbove

One of the best ripariums I have seen in a while! I am a big fan


----------



## hydrophyte

Thank you!

Hey where are you in MN?


----------



## RipariumGuy

hydrophyte said:


> I hope to move most of that stuff out the door via USPS.


I am open! :icon_smil


----------



## Craigthor

JakeJ said:


> I am open! :icon_smil


With all them new floaters you probably don't have room. :hihi:


----------



## RipariumGuy

Craigthor said:


> With all them new floaters you probably don't have room. :hihi:


True! But I could also move some floaters to my betta tank. :hihi:
Sorry for jacking your thread Devin.


----------



## hydrophyte

I don't have any new pictures handy, but I am going to work on getting more fo the fish in this tank. The fish are just looking real good. 

As they have grown larger the _Synondontis_ have been spending more of the time out in the open. They still mainly hide while the lights are on, but when I have a look in there I can generally see at least of them swimming about. They are such a cool little fish.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have had a number of inquiries about the amazing _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_, the most awesome riparium plant, ever. Well now it has four little plantlets growing around the base.










Look at that remarkable snakeskin patternation on the leaf petioles! I hope that I can get several new plants started with divisions fomr this one, but its going to be a long-term project. This plant is slow-growing and develops a new leaf only every 50 days or so.

It is getting to really root-bound in this planter. You can see that the base of the plant is quite fat. However, it still looks healthy enough and recently unfurled another new leaf.


----------



## hydrophyte

Seriously, check out the leaf petiole bases on this plant.










Here is another shot of the previous new leaf from a couple of months ago.










The newest leaf is going to be larger and it looks as though it will have even more of the gold and pink coloration.

It needs some extra room, but _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_ really is a fantastic plant for growing in a riparium. I just can't stop looking at it. This plant can grow to >6' tall eventually, but it should be a simple matter to just keep taking those divisions from the base and starting them as the main stalk gets to be too large.


----------



## hydrophyte

Good old _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_ is looking as handsome as ever. I took it outside for this shot in the sunlight. This new leaf has more of the gold and pink.










What an awesome plant.


----------



## !shadow!

this plant is to die for!!










lf l ever get tear down my 48g it's going to be riparium and this plant is going in there


----------



## hydrophyte

Well send me a note if you ever start looking for this plant. This specimen that I have has five little suckers around the base, but it looks like they are mainly spoken for already. I might see more suckers grow after I pluck these off.


----------



## Hoppy

It would be very educational for us if you would take photos when you "pluck" the suckers off. Like, do you have to repot the mother plant when you do that? Do you cut them off or just break them off? How do you figure out where to cut or break? Working with this type of plant is so different from working with the stem plants most of us are used to.


----------



## hydrophyte

I can try to do that if I can make a few minutes for picture-taking. Really there isn't much to it. It should be about like dividing up a crypt with plantlets, except that these suckers are tighter around the base. I might need to repot the whole plant because now it is getting to be quite root-bound.


----------



## hydrophyte

Memorial Day greetings for all of the Americans out there and good morning, afternoon or evening for everyone else. 

It has been a while but I got back to work on this tank last night too. I tidied up the underwater area some, cleaned the glass and yanked almost all of the emersed plants. Now I am pondering a new scape and starting out with selection of centerpiece plants. Here are two options that I have in mind.










The specimen on the right is a plant that I have been growing for some time, an emersed _Anubias hastifolia_. It has such as attractive way of holding its leaves.










I am unsure as to how this plant will do long-term in an open-top setup. I have been growing it in a tank with a closed canopy and higher humidity. If it is anything like the _Anubias barteri_ that I have tried growing in lower humidities then it won't do so well longer term. I have found that hardened _A. barteri_ leaves hold up well enough in drier air, but new leaves whither and fail to develop.

The plant on the left is an intriguing possibility. Leather fern (_Acrostichum danaeifolium_) is a gigantic plant (to 12' tall) that grows in freshwater swamps and brackish magrove swamps in the tropical Americas and West Africa.


----------



## hydrophyte

Tonight I am going to do my best to move the fish around. I need to get the _Ilyodon_ livebearers and _Cryptoheros_ cichlid out of here. I really like these fish, but the _Ilyodon_ are gorwing and reproducing too much and now the tank is overstocked. I want to get more plants into the underwater area and the cichlid is nipping the leaf tips from all of the submerged plants.


----------



## Hoppy

That Leather fern (Acrostichum danaeifolium) really looks nice! Now, if you can just get it to start a tobacco habit, to stunt its growth a bit.......

I looked it up in Google, to see if there were smaller varieties, but apparently not. It looks like Florida would appreciate it if we were to move all of them into ripariums.


----------



## Digital

Simply awesome aesthetically pleasing tank on the first page.


----------



## hydrophyte

Oh I guess I did not link the specimen shot that I got of that leather fern.










It is a pretty neat plant. It is fun also because it is a botanical oddity.

It is most definitely a viable riparium choice. It has grown very slowly but stayed healthy and nice-looking half-neglected in a culture tank. It has two little offsets at the base, so as the main plant gets to be too big I should be able to yank those off and start new ones.

I like riparium plants with solid root systems. This one has lots of roots in the planter and growing out into the water too.


----------



## RipariumGuy

Those plants are pure eye candy! I really like those fish you have in there. They all look alot more natural then other livebearers and cichlids in my opinion.
Jake


----------



## hydrophyte

I'm really glad that I got that leather fern to try out--it's definitely a winner for ripariums.

I like these fish a lot, but they really need to go into a different tank. I think that I have a couple of good replacements for them.


----------



## benon

*disheveled*

Tank looks great. You always manage to keep it very clean.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Ben, Really this tank was pretty dingy until I pulled everything out and clean all over. There was however very little algae.


----------



## Hoppy

hydrophyte said:


> Oh I guess I did not link the specimen shot that I got of that leather fern.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is a pretty neat plant. It is fun also because it is a botanical oddity.
> 
> It is most definitely a viable riparium choice. It has grown very slowly but stayed healthy and nice-looking half-neglected in a culture tank. It has two little offsets at the base, so as the main plant gets to be too big I should be able to yank those off and start new ones.
> 
> I like riparium plants with solid root systems. This one has lots of roots in the planter and growing out into the water too.


Now, that is a better photo - and I want one!! (The plant, not the photo). Have you seen these for sale on the internet? The leaf shape is unlike any other plants I have, and being a marsh plant it has to be pretty trouble free as a riparium plant.


----------



## hydrophyte

This plant is most definitely an easy one. Since it is from mangrove swamps I had imagined that it would need pretty bright light, but the tank where I had it was pretty dim and it grew all along.

I have seen it for sale in a few different online stores. It seems like there were a couple of places in Florida selling pond plants that had it. As it grows bigger the leaves develop a more typical fern-like shape with many leaflets along the length of the leaf stem. 

It's just a plain green, but it's a pretty cool plant.


----------



## !shadow!

you know something devin, something about the crystal clear glass on your tanks that just makes the photo seem better than what it already is. l can't really explain but it makes me want to clean my glass too


----------



## hydrophyte

Yep, clean glass makes all the difference. I don't worry much about the way my breeder/culture aquariums look, but I try to keep the display tanks tidy.

I am going to shoot some more pictures here for a quick update.


----------



## hydrophyte

Well I figured out a general theme and got a few plants in there to illustrate.










This is stillonly half-planted, but you can imagine the general idea--a background with the grasslike _Acorus gramineus_ and few other plants with unusual foliage as accents. I will also add stem plants on trellis rafts all along the emersed midground. This will cover up those planters and create more visual depth.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have a pretty good idea for a midground plant, and I already picked one up at a local garden center. Basket grass (_Oplismenus_) grows as a sprawling plant in moist and shady spots, and it has this terrific foliage.










The small, broad and dark green leaves of this plant will set up a good contrast with the _Acorus gramineus_. I am going to plant up most of the midground trellis rafts with the basket grass. Here is a shot of these two combined from the 65-gallon tank that I had going a while ago.










I have found that _Opllismenus_ does not root so well in the gravel in a hanging planter, but it grows just fine with its roots right in the water, so it's a good choice for planting through the holes on a nano trellis raft.


----------



## hydrophyte

The underwater area still needs work, but I think that I have the emersed layout pretty well figured out.










I shuffle things around a bit and added a couple of new plants. These plants are mainly full size, so I don't have to wait much for it to grow in. The midground stuff planted on rafts will need a few weeks to grow and cover up the foam.


----------



## hydrophyte

This angle shot is a bit more appealing. I think that the above water area is looking pretty good.


----------



## Hoppy

That's a beautiful riparium, but all of your ripariums are works of art. You are setting a quite a standard!

The photo of Oplismenus reminds me how much I enjoyed that plant. Mine finally gave up on me, but while it was growing good it was one of my favorites. Where, in a garden center, would that be found? My major nursery is so sprawling it's hard to find unusual plants without a map. I assume this is kept outdoors, but in what category of plants?


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy how did your _Oplismenus_ poop out in the end? When I had it before it grew well for a while, but then I think that I got to be less consistent with fert dosing and then it just got to be leggy and withered away. It seems like a real good plant but I'd be interested to know what you observed. I have it planted on those Nano Trellis Rafts that are tucked around the bases of the taller plants in there. If I can keep it growing well it should fill in and make a nice effect. 

At the garden center where I got this new pot of _Oplismenus_ it was in with the annual bedding plants. I have seen it used here as a trailing plant that spills out of container plantings and window boxes. The common name is "basket grass".


----------



## Hoppy

hydrophyte said:


> Hoppy how did your _Oplismenus_ poop out in the end? When I had it before it grew well for a while, but then I think that I got to be less consistent with fert dosing and then it just got to be leggy and withered away. It seems like a real good plant but I'd be interested to know what you observed. I have it planted on those Nano Trellis Rafts that are tucked around the bases of the taller plants in there. If I can keep it growing well it should fill in and make a nice effect.
> 
> At the garden center where I got this new pot of _Oplismenus_ it was in with the annual bedding plants. I have seen it used here as a trailing plant that spills out of container plantings and window boxes. The common name is "basket grass".


My plants were slow to get growing, then grew very nicely, so I got several new cuttings off of it. Then, it just seemed to stop growing, but I had changed nothing - same fertilizing schedule, same lighting, same water changing, etc. Finally the plants just melted away. The only thing I could think of was perhaps it only grows "in season", then goes dormant, except I don't think raft planted plants can go dormant.

Next time I go to my nursery I will look in the bedding plant area.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey Hoppy I was still going to send you this other box of stuff. Do you want me to include some basket grass?

It might be a plant that is just bound to peter out after a while, but it looks nice while it's growing. 










One could probably grow plenty of it to have cuttings on-hand by just keeping it as a regular potted plant on the windowsill or patio.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have some pretty nice plants going in here. I put together this image with numbers to point them out.











_Hygrophila_ sp.--I am unsure of this one. I got it from Craigthor and then I couldn't find the information that he sent with it. Anyway, it grows really well as a ripairum plant.
_Acorus gramineus_ 'Ogon'--This grass-like (not a true grass) plant fills most of the layout background with its tidy foliage.
_Pilea grandifolia_--This _Pilea_ is my favorite for use in the riparium midground. It has a size and growth habit similar to aluminum plant (_Pilea cardierei_), but I find the monotone lime green color to be more attractive.
_Acrostichum danaeifolium_, giant leather fern
_Oplismenus hirtellus_, basket grass--These stem cuttings are planted onto Nano Trellis Rafts.
_Syngonium wenlandii_--I like this plant too very much. It is acting like a centerpiece in this layout, but its not too gawdy. I only recently added this new plant to the riparium, so I don't know well it will grow in a hanging planter, 
_Gibasis geniculata_, Tahitian bridal veil--I only started using this plant recently, but so far it is doing well. The little cuttings that I planted onto Nano Trellis Rafts are rooting and beginning to sprout new leaves.
_Acorus gramineus_ 'Dwarf'--A really nice mini _Acorus_. It is good for the end of this triangle-shaped layout because it has the same form as the larger 'Ogon'.
_Bacopa monnieri_--This is a great carpeting riparium stem. I have this little clump of stems planted in a hanging planter, then sprawling forward to cover a Nano Trellis Raft.


----------



## WildNatureLuver

That is a beautiful set up !! Will surly give you hours of enjoyment , would like to see more pictures !


----------



## RipariumGuy

Why oh why am I stuck with two peace lilys and two _Dieffenbachias_ sp! I really like the look and sound of that _Pilea grandifolia_, especially if it grows like _Pilea cardieri._ Those _Acorus gramineus _make an exellent backround. Great job!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks you guys. I think that this quartering shot is the best that I have gotten so far.










The underwater scape needs some work.

_Acorus_ really are great riparium plants. I find this kind of grassy layout to be the most appealing sort of planting. However, _Acorus_ can be a pain because they are highly susceptible to spider mites. I plan to unstick these specimens every couple of weeks and dunk them overnight to kill of any spider mites that might find their way in there.


----------



## hydrophyte

I just got a shot tonight of the lone _C. wendtii_ 'Green Gecko' that i have in here by itself up in a front corner. How could anyone not love this plant?










I got the algae in this tank under control again and it has cleared up well. I hope to come back with a FTS soon.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have been working on the underwater area and getting it closer to resolved.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is another angle shot. The above-water area has filled in really well. The _Acorus_ is such a great plant for riparium layouts.










I need to get the camera out again for more close-up specimen shots. I have some nice plants going in here. The leather fern in particular is a great plant.


----------



## RipariumGuy

As awesome as ever Devin! One of my favorite 'scapes ever!


----------



## Hoppy

I really like the balance between the under water and above water scenes, and the plant selections are very good. What light fixture is that? I'll bet it is T5HO, which is bright enough to let you raise it so the full beauty of the plants shows well. Maybe I should consider moving up to the 21st century too?


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks very much. I like this layout a lot too. I like that there is some room for negative space above water. The _Acorus gramineus_ is great because it adds a lot of dimension but it is still pretty fine foliage. I hope to get a bit more bright green stuff underwater and then it will be pretty complete.

That fixture is the 4 X 39watt Tek Light. Usually I just run it with two of the four lamps.


----------



## Ampatent

You wouldn't happen to have a picture of the tank from afar, like a full room shot or anything?

Looks absolutely amazing, definitely something to strive for.


----------



## hydrophyte

That last shot is about the best _in situ_ picture that I have. I am afraid that the tank setup is just about the nicest thing in the room. I could try to get a new picture later on.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is another angle with a close up view.










The grassy yellow-green stuff right in the middle is _Oplismenus_. That makes a real nice midground plant.


----------



## hydrophyte

The other night I took a picture for a better view of the underwater area. The fish tend to get lost in the full tank shot, but you can see them pretty well in this shot. A couple of the _Synodontis_ are zooming around there in the foreground.










Those underwater plants are all planted in Tank Planters. Here is a 'Marble Queen' sword that I potted up last night.


----------



## legomaniac89

Looks awesome man. Did I read somewhere you have some _Acorus gramineus "Ogon Dwarf"_ in here? I picked up a pot of that stuff from a local nursery a little over a month ago and I love it. It's nearly filled a 3.5" pot already.


----------



## hydrophyte

This setup has the regular 'Ogon' and just planter with the smaller _Acorus_ that I have variously seen referred to as 'Dwarf' and a few other names. anyway this littler stuff whatever its real name is is in the lower right corner here. It is a darker green than 'Ogon'.










I have never heard of 'Ogon Dwarf'. Did you buy it labelled as such? I'd be interested to see a smaller version of 'Ogon' if there is such a thing.


----------



## FastTimes

i didn't read through the whole journal, but nice tank. Are those petricolas?


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks very much.

I bought them as _S. petricola_, but I have been advised that they are actually _S. lucipinnis_. They are great little fish that's for sure.


----------



## hydrophyte

I was admiring the _Oplismenus_ grass tonight and got a quick picture of it. My glary camera flash actually made a pretty nice effect lighting up the grass there in the middle of the frame.


----------



## Chrisinator

I think I'm going to turn my 38G into a riparium. I can't get rid of the fish so the tank water would most likely only be 6 inches but I hope that's enough to create a riparium look. 

Have you tried keeping creeping fig and golden pothos in that tank?


----------



## hydrophyte

Do you mean that the tank will be mostly filled with water and only lowered by 6"? You can make a real nice ripairum that way. I prefer setups of this design. This one has the water about 5" from the top rim.

I haven't tried creeping fig but pothos will grow real well with it's roots in the water. However, it has awfully big and coarse leaves. There are quite a few plants that are better choices.


----------



## hydrophyte

Gosh I haven't been back to this thread in a while, but I have a quick update tonight.










Everything is looking pretty good in there. The _Oplismenus _grass and _Pilea_ had gotten to be overgrwon and leggy, so I trimmed them and replanted before getting this picture. The fish are looking pretty good. There is virtually no algae in the tank now.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is a quick view of the underwater area too.










That little orange platy landed in the tank by accident as a tiny little fry. It must have been hiding in a hanging planter when I was moving plants around.


----------



## luke20037

how have i missed the tank planters?! do you sell them devin?!


----------



## TobasB

Bloody love this tank!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks you guys. I hope to have another update here.


----------



## Chrisinator

Pretty sweet! I want a big cichlid like that! What is that one called?


----------



## hydrophyte

That one is an _Archocentrus cutteri_. That has been a pretty popular one among the cichlid folks. It is a real handsome fish and mine has gotten along very well with all of the other fish and the plants.


----------



## Chrisinator

He's very pretty!


----------



## Green Leaf Aquariums

That fish looks extremely happy, almost like he/she is smiling


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah I like that fish a lot. He's actually real good as a community fish. Here is another quick shot.


----------



## Chrisinator

I have a quick question. What type of sand is that? I found some river rocks that looks similar to yours. Any ideas on what they are called?


----------



## hydrophyte

I got that sand at Home Depot as "construction sand". I really like the appearance, but it was mostly very fine sand and I had to screen several bags to get enough to cover in this tank. I probably discarded >1/2 of it.


----------



## Chrisinator

Yeah. I'm looking for bigger pieces of sand. Do you think pool filter sand would be much bigger?


----------



## hydrophyte

The pool filter sand that I have found around here is very fine and white in color. Hoppy had some that was coarser-grained and looked nicer.


----------



## Centromochlus

Oh my... that is one cool fish! I really want one now!!


----------



## hydrophyte

That one can be a good choice for a planted tank. My cutteri is a good-sized male fish but he does minimal digging and does no harm to plants. He is large enough (~4") to have a big fish presence but he's not too huge. If you look around some of the cichlid forums you should be able to find some because they are still pretty popular.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a quick update for this tank.










These plants are at their peak right now. I'd say that I selected a pretty good combination for this layout. i like the way that most of them are a similar shade of green.


----------



## macclellan

hydrophyte said:


> That one can be a good choice for a planted tank. My cutteri is a good-sized male fish but he does minimal digging


 Just wait until they breed - 4" bulldozers! They also have a pretty dramatic color transformation: http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll259/jmacclellan/DSC_4105.jpg


----------



## hydrophyte

Yep, he's just in there by himself. He doesn't bother the plants or make much of a mess at all.


----------



## trackhazard

That looks pretty awesome. Nice diversity of leaf shape to differentiate amongst all the green.

-Charlie


----------



## speedie408

Awesome Devin! Love this tank.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks trackhazard. I would say that that 75 that you had going was part of the inspiration for this one. It has a similar kind of look to that layout that you had.

Hey thanks Nick!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey here is a quick FTS that I got.










Taking more time to set up the shot I could get it without so much shadow in the underwater area. Also note the lack of fish in this view. It has been getting cold here nights and I think that I need to plug in the tank heater again. The water is chilly and the fish were all just hiding in the background all day.


----------



## trackhazard

I inspire you, you inspired me first! I'm in planning stages of something cool I hope. My 75 I gave to the wife for a reef upgrade so I've been tankless for a while. Hopefully, my plans will come to fruition soon.

-Charlie


----------



## hydrophyte

Are you going to do another reef?


----------



## trackhazard

I'm thinking another riparium. Predator riparim...*cackle*

-Charlie


----------



## hydrophyte

Yikes! Careful!


----------



## demosthenes

hydro, im loving this tank. it looks awesome, the scape is excellent, and i really like those _cutteri_s. i might have to do some looking into those for myself... haha good job, man!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks so much. I need to get a shot with the fish in view. There really are a lot of fish in there.


----------



## Mellyn

I really love this tank! It's very stylish - clean and simple and very beautiful. Makes me want one! lol


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Mellyn!

Hey everybody I got the Riparium Supply Facebook page started up again. Please stop by and write on the wall if you have a minute. Here is the link...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Riparium-Supply/146954595327971


----------



## Hyzer

I was just trying to show my girl what I want to do with the top of my 29g and knew searching for your posts would yield something great. Beautiful looking tank.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks so much Hyzer!


----------



## hydrophyte

I wanted to get a couple of pictures side-by-side to show how this tank has grown in since I replanted it with the current layout.

This shot here is dated 1 June 2010.










And this is the quick FTS from last week, dated 27 August 2010.


----------



## demonbreedr16

That looks *REALLY* good hydro! 

How are the synodontis doing? They are such cool little fish.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks so much.

The syns are still doing great. They have grown up to about 2 1/2". They are just about the coolest aquarium fish that I have ever kept. They mainly hide during the day, but every once in a while all seven of them will come out and zoom all over the tank.


----------



## Tigerfish

wow this is really nice hydrophyte. I hope I can get my riparium to look this good!


----------



## CL

Things are looking excellent, my friend!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks man.


----------



## hydrophyte

started a new thread over over in the Plants forum about combining plants for riparium layouts. Here is the link...

*http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/plants/115841-proven-riparium-plant-combinations.html*




*


----------



## hydrophyte

I put together the first informational post for that how-to thread.

*http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/plants/115841-proven-riparium-plant-combinations.html#post1154646*




*


----------



## hydrophyte

I have a couple of quick pictures. Here is the flower of _Hygrophila corymbosa_ 'Siamensis'.










And here is a shot of foliage with the flash.


----------



## isais

I love the sheen the flash gives the leaves, awesome!


----------



## Chrisinator

This.. is awesome!


----------



## RipariumGuy

Chrisinator said:


> This.. is awesome!


No... This is SPARTA! :icon_cool

I have to get me some of that _grandifolia, _it has such good colouration!


----------



## luke20037

JakeJ said:


> No... This is SPARTA! :icon_cool


 
hahahaha good film


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks you guys.

That _P. grandifolia_ is one of the best riparium plants.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have an interesting observation. All of the underwater _Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia_ in this tank are growing new leaves with magenta pink undersides. I have heard that this plant will this from time to time, but I wonder what the the cue or cause was(?). This setup doens't have much seasonality because I haven't changed the photoperiod and I also started up the water heater again now that the room has cooled. I have all of these specimens planted in tank planters and I suspect that some nutrient might be running low in the substrate mix, and maybe that is encouraging the red coloration(?).


----------



## macclellan

low nitrates.


----------



## hydrophyte

I think so.


----------



## malaybiswas

Nice pics hydrophyte.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks. I am working on a magazine article about this tank (sshhhh!) and I am going to take some more. I need to reserve most of the files for print publication, but I mean to take extra and keep them separate and post them up pretty soon. The plants are looking real good right now. Despite the low tech approach the underwater area is still near 100% algae-free. I really like the fish in here too. The _S. lucipinnis_ have grown up big and fat and they are much more active too.


----------



## speedie408

You're doing a great job Devin. Keep up the awesome work man. And a magazine... NICE!


----------



## hydrophyte

Well it needs to get reviewed and accepted first, but I hope that it will pass muster. 

This is a good tank to use for that because there is a lot to talk about.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is a quick photo update.










The plants are getting to be nice and full and perfect...almost time to tear it all down and start over.


----------



## isais

Excellant! Any idea what you'll do with it after you tear it down??


----------



## hydrophyte

I think that I will try a new combination of plants. I have been meaning to do a layout with a combination of emersed aquatic stems with woody trees & shrubs. I might shoot for that idea.


----------



## legomaniac89

That's looking sick dude. The plants blend almost perfectly with each other


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Adam. I think that I got a real good combination of plants into this tank.

I don't have too much else to report. This setup is nice and steady these days and doesn't need much attention. There is practically zero algae growth.

Here is the view from the opposite angle.


----------



## Hoppy

You mention tearing it down and starting over. What is a typical time before you feel you should start over, for a riparium similar to this? I know my trellis raft plants tend to get out of control, and some of the planter plants get too big to do much with, but I don't have a feel yet for how long I should expect a setup to go before that is needed.


----------



## hydrophyte

I suppose that that depends mainly on plant selection. The combination of plants in this tank is such that I could keep it looking good a long time by just trimming stuff back. Some other plants start to get leggy and ratty over time despite trimming and just need to be replanted. Some of the sprawling emersed stems are that way.


----------



## hydrophyte

I took some time to get some better pictures. Here is a FTS that I set up for a better view of the fish.


----------



## Hoppy

Wow! That is really a beautiful tank. I can see that one being another "Tank of the Month".


----------



## RipariumGuy

That is very, beautifle Devin!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks you guys. Here is another quick foliage shot that I got. I like this view down into this tank and I'm glad to have it right here in the living room.


----------



## hydrophyte

I hope to have a video update for this tank pretty soon...


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is a link to a new YouTube video. I must admit I am perfectly lost with iMovide video editing. Why does the video quality degrade so much when loading to YouTube?

Anyway here is the link...

http://www.youtube.com/user/ripariumsupply#p/a/u/0/vtV_qEuZ4zg

I need to figure this out. It's going to be a long night.


----------



## !shadow!

very nice pictures devin so crisp and clear. l don't think l could tear down such a nice tank. Knowing me i'd move it to the side and start with a fresh new one


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks so much. I am staying up late tonight to make sure and get a few more good pictures. I wish that I knew somebody capable with video and with decent equipment. This little Canon that I am using just isn't great. I checked out a HD camera last week but I still haven't been able to get a good quality video when I open it with my Mac(?????).

Anyway I found a way around my YouTube upload problem and here is a slightly better quality version of that same file. Be sure to view it at 480p.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ripariumsupply?feature=mhum

IN case you can't tell I just love the fish in this tank.


----------



## hydrophyte

Oh that was the wrong link here is the better-quality tank video again...

http://www.youtube.com/user/ripariumsupply?feature=mhum#p/a/u/2/OmekWf0NkGI


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is another quick video. This one shows the Magnetic Small Hanging Planter and Nano Trellis Raft in use in the tank.

*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6t5J77Gy0I*



*


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey I have a new quick picture update. 

This image is a montage that I made with a knockout of the underwater area to correct for exposure.










It's not going to look like this for much longer. I am going to chop it all up and start over again.


----------



## Solid

You should read up on HDR photography that basically corrects exposure for you. This is a great job though. Also as usual your tank is amazing!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks so much Solid. The real problem with exposure is that in pictures (not in real life) the underwater area ends up with a lot of shadow and the abovewater area with a lot of glare. I understand the only real good camera-end way to deal with that sort of thing is with a gradient filter(?).

Hey I still have several of those little white mangroves from the propagules that you sent. They just sat there for the longest time but now they are a growing a bit faster, but still real slow. They are cool little plants. I should get some pictures of them so you can see.


----------



## hydrophyte

This tank is all torn up. Here is a quick picture.










I haven't seen any trouble lately, but there were spider mites on the _Acorus_ at the end of the summer so I am giving everything an overnight dunk before I move any of it anywhere. 

I have not decided yet whether I will keep the same basic _Acorus_ sweetflag theme, or switch it up with something new(?). I already divided up the leather fern, so at least some of the plants will change. The white-variegated thing on the rear pane on the left is the _Xanthosoma_ 'Hilo Beauty' that legomaniac sent me with a trade. That looks like it could be a great riparium centerpiece plant. I also have (further left) the (also variegated) _Schismatoglottis_ up and out of the water because that thing is more delicate.

The other spindly things on the rear pane are _Cyperus_ 'Baby Tut'. I just potted those up and have them in here provisionally, but I wonder about using them for much of a new background for this tank...any opinions?


----------



## Hyzer

It looked great before, but the Acorus was a bit ovewhelming. I wouldn't recommend you ditch it all together, but instead highlight a few of the other beautiful plants you have like the Cyperus and the new Xanthosoma.

Always enjoy seeing your tanks, even when they are torn up. I'm sure you can design a new look better than I can, but I thought I'd throw my two cents in there.


----------



## mountaindew

Almost 20k hits on this thread. Way to keep it alive hydro!


----------



## hydrophyte

This tank is stuffed front-to-back with plants and I need to make some room. I am going to list those _Acorus gramineus_ and maybe other stuff soon in SNS.


----------



## hydrophyte

I haven't been back to this thread in a while.

Since I tore down the planting this setup has been a ratty mess, but I have some cool plants in there. I am mainly using it just for growout now.










I have been trying to think of ideas for a new setup. I got some really great stem plants in trade from *Crispino Ramos* and I am considering a planting with a real lush underwater foreground mainly with stems, and the emersed riparium area also with stems.

I might put together injected CO2 for this idea, although several of those stems are doing well and growing fine with no extra carbon.


----------



## RipariumGuy

Very nice plants indeed! I love all that healthy _Pilea grandifolia _and the taros! The baby panda bamboo look very nice as well. Please tell us, what is your secret?


----------



## hydrophyte

I replanted the riparium plants in here tonight. I used a lot of the same plants in that last picture, but better arranged. The mangrove trees are prominent. I still need to fix the underwater area. There are a lot of stems growing surprisingly fast in the underwater portion. This is a mature setup and there is virtually no algae. 

Maybe I will have a picture to post tomorrow night.


----------



## dewalltheway

hydrophyte said:


> Hey I have a new quick picture update.
> 
> This image is a montage that I made with a knockout of the underwater area to correct for exposure.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's not going to look like this for much longer. I am going to chop it all up and start over again.


This looked great! What is the grassy plant you have growing and do you have any you would like to sell?


----------



## hydrophyte

Mark that grassy plant is _Acorus gramineus_ 'Ogon'. I do have some extra around here.

_A. gramineus_ is just about the best riparium background plant. It is easy to grow, but it needs to be planted in the planter in a certain way.


----------



## hydrophyte

I replanted this thing. Like I mentioned I used a number of those plants that I was holding in here.










Here is a quick list of the riparium plants included.


_Caladium praetermissum _ (former _Xanthosoma_ 'Hilo Beauty')
_Colocasia fallax_
_Schismatoglottis_ 'Frosty Kiss'
_Acrostichum danaeifolium_, leather fern
_Avicennia germinans_, black mangrove
_Laguncularia racemosa_, white mangrove
_Pilea grandifolia_

The tall riparium plants are sparce and spindly. The _Caladium_, _Colocasia_ and _Pilea_ should start to fill the area around the planters with time to grow in.

So there are three different mangroves growing in here, but I don't have any plans to make this a brackish setup. You really start to limit your plant and fish choices with brackish water and everything is growing fine in this fresh (hard) water.

There are a few nice stems and crypts underwater. I need to replant that area too.


----------



## legomaniac89

Lookin good man. Looks like that Hilo has adapted to riparium life pretty well.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah that 'Hilo Beauty' is happy in there. It will make a real good riparium centerpiece plant. Thanks again for sending that little start!


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is another shot showing the plants a bit better. I have some of my favorite plants in here.










Those mangrove trees are slow growing. They are more than two years old and only about 20" tall. They aren't especially attractive but I like them because they are mangroves.


----------



## RipariumGuy

The mangroves are very cool! What is needed to care for them? Would they work in a nano 2.5g paludarium? I have always wanted to have a setup with mangroves, especially a paludarium.


----------



## hydrophyte

They don't need too much special care. Mangroves do need a nutrient-rich substrate, so I included some MTS in the planters with them. I have found them to be susceptible to spider mites, so it is important to dunk and wash away mites if they ever appear. 

They would work OK in a nano setup for a time, but they are trees and with time will eventually grow up big. They grow slowly however so a 2.5 gallon tank could be a good way to start them out. You can trim them to a certain extent to control size, but they do not like pruning and will die if you take too much off the top. They also do not tolerate root disturbance. A riparium planter is probably the easiest way to keep them with an aquarium setup. 

I only have a few trees now but I would like to start some more out. If I can get some more dough into my PayPal account I might list a WTB thread in SNS. Does anybody know if trees in Florida or Texas or wherever would have viable propagules this time of year? I remember seeing them on/near both white and black mangrove in the fall, but I don't know how long the season is(???).


----------



## hydrophyte

I have just one more shot from the other night. This one shows some detail of the area around the planters. 










The whole setup will start looking better when those _Pilea grandifolia_ get a chance to grow up and cover the planters and rafts. I had replanted all of these _Pilea_ from fresh cuttings and they are just now starting to grow new roots.


----------



## hydrophyte

I am derailing my own thread for an important notice. Please read!

-hydrophyte



hydrophyte said:


> *URGENT, Please Help: Texas Law Will Effectively Prohibit Most Aquarium Plants*
> 
> The Texas Parks & Wildlife Division is currently hearing public comments on proposed legislation that will severely limit trade and possession of most common aquarium plants.
> 
> While invasive, exotic plants and other organisms are serious environmental problems, the new Texas law is extreme. In addition to including a list of prohibited species, which is already a common practice, the new law effectively bans all aquatic plants not cited in a (very short!) "white list" of approved species. I have read through both the approved species list and the list of banned species and there seem to be a number of dubious inclusions. These call into question the rigor of the science used to make these important decisions.
> 
> Please read more to become informed and contact the participating agency representatives and policymakers via *telephone, email or paper letter* as soon as you can. This notice was published by the International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society and seems to contain relevant and current information. Read it and follow the links!
> 
> * International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society: New Texas Aquatic Plant Law*
> 
> It is urgent that planted aquarium enthusiasts who love their hobby become informed about this new legislation and *call, write or email* right away. Even if you do not live in Texas the law is likely to set legal precedents for other states, and you will no longer be able to trade with or sell most of your plants into Texas. The aquascaping hobby seems to be especially robust in Texas, so such severe restrictions on plant-keeping might compromise the hobby for all of us. And it is a real shame for Texan plant-lovers.


----------



## RipariumGuy

hydrophyte said:


> I am derailing my own thread for an important notice. Please read!
> 
> -hydrophyte


Don't derail this great thread! Why not post a thread about this silly law in every forum that you are apart of? roud:

I will have a blog post up soon as well...


----------



## hydrophyte

I don't have too much time tonight, but tomorrow I hope to go through more of that linked information and find out more specifics on the public hearings and other details. The public listening sessions begin in Texas I think the day after tomorrow. 

Even for people who don't live in Texas this will have a big impact on the plant hobby.


----------



## hydrophyte

Well this tank doesn't have too many ripairum plants in it now. I cannibalized the caladium and the largest leather fern for the 120 which I am replanting. 

I am trying to think of new ideas. I would like to redo this setup with mostly new fish and new plants.


----------



## hydrophyte

I still haven't been able to get back to work on this tank. I have sold off or given away several of the larger riparium specimens, and the underwater area is just a jumble of many kinds of plants. I need to think of a new visual theme and get to work on it.

I'd like to switch up most of the fish. I want to keep the _Synodontis lucipinnis_ cats, but I want one or more new mid-water shoaling species. Currently I have the poecilid and goodeid livebearers in there. Does anybody have any ideas for something else unusual and interesting that might work?


----------



## hydrophyte

Alright I think that I have a pretty good concept in mind for replanting this tank. I am just going to get some of my more unusual, larger aroids (plants in the family Araceae) going as background foliage, with _Pilea_ on trellis rafts as riparium midground. There won't be much rhyme or reason to a planting like this--it will just look like a wild jungle--but putting some of these nicer plants into this roomy tank with the Tek Light I should be able to grow them up nice again.

Here is one that I will definitely include, _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_...


----------



## hydrophyte

I just rearranged this thing. I am going to get some pictures when the water clears.


----------



## hydrophyte

I replanted this thing and cleaned it up and now it looks a lot better, but the plants have some growing-in to do.










The underwater area is just a wild jungle with mostly swords and crypts and a few other things. I have a few pretty cool riparium plants. I'll write again later with a list of riparium selections.


----------



## malaybiswas

I love the crisp clean looks of your ripariums. Always refreshing.

Question. How much flow do you have in the tank. The surface looks almost still


----------



## hydrophyte

This tank has crystal clear water, and there is very little algae. It is pretty still. I just have a Fluval 205 hooked up. I had a Koralia running for a while, but since I am not running CO2 in here I think it is better to have less flow and less CO2 outgassing. The plants seem to do fine and grow slow and steady with what the fish and the bacteria respire.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have a quick FYI. The Riparium Supply site has been overhauled and I just now successfully moved everything over. I am still adding more content but check out the new style and functionality here...

*http://ripariumsupply.com/*





*


----------



## hydrophyte

This tank is a mess right now and I am looking for ideas for a planting theme and new fish???...???

Anybody have any awesome fish ideas? I plan to keep the seven _Synodonits lucipinnis_ in there, but remove all the livebearers and update with something else.


----------



## hydrophyte

OK, _now_ I think I really do have a pretty good concept for rescaping this setup!

I am going to remove all of the underwater plants and set up the underwater area with _*the best hardscape that I can put together*_. Then I am going to also put some time into getting really good specimens that will make an _*awesome fish display*_. I am inclined to use some sort of New World cichlid, but I will need to ponder this some more. I could introduce some kind of cichlid that otherwise wouldn't get a long with plants, but will do well with this setup because the plants will all be the emersed riparium plants. 

I am going to remove all of the livebearers that are in there now. I might leave the _Synodontis lucipinnis_ catfish because I do like them a lot. 

What do you all think of this idea? Here is a shot from a little while ago. The tank looks about the same now and without any real theme but some nice plants. You can see there are lots of crypts ad swords underwater. 










I need to think about a new theme for the riparium plants. I am drawn to the idea of grassy plants combined with other stuff, but I want to try something other than _Acorus gramineus_. _A. gramineus_ is an awesome riparium plant, but I have already used it a few times and it would be good to try to figure out how to grow other grassy selections.

Well that's my idea anyway. Now I need to go hunt for rocks and also think more about fish. Some _Gymnogeophagus_ would be cool. There are lots of other possibilities too of course.


----------



## jsuereth

What about a tropical water lily? That would bridge from substrate to surface. Im trying to do a open top aquarium with water lilies and bacopa that grow emerged, and hopefully flower.

I like plant roots in the substrate just to help oxidize it. Did you mention what your "only hardscape" substrate would be?

I really like your tank concept. Cichilids would be cool.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah I don't think I'll plant anything underwater. The underwater area should be engaging enough if I can put together a good hardscape and good fish. 

We have some really cool limestone that is the natural bedrock in our area. Down be the like there are really great pieces with lots of holes that have been smoothed by the waves. If I hunt around enough I bet I can find some good ones.


----------



## hydrophyte

I removed all the underwater plants and added some new rocks. I'll get pictures when the water clears again.


----------



## kuni

How about some fiber optic rush? It's native to Uruguay, so you could biotope it up with some gymnogeos and possibly buenos aires tetras.


----------



## hydrophyte

That is an idea. I have tried that plant before and it was a bit too messy/floppy in the riparium. 

Really I am not too interested in a biotope presentation. I plan to keep those _Synodontis_ in there, but I want some kind of Central American or South American cichlid. The plants will probably be from all over the place.


----------



## im2smart4u

I have a question for you. Which do you think would look better, a large deep tank (with trim) filled part way up with approx 10 inches of space between the water line and rim for immersed growth, or a smaller shallower rimless tank with all the immersed growth growing up over the top?

And as for fish, I really like all the dwarf cichlids. If you go with just hardscape and fish, you should have very pretty and interesting fish. A harem of apistos would look neat I think.


----------



## hydrophyte

im2smart4u said:


> I have a question for you. Which do you think would look better, a large deep tank (with trim) filled part way up with approx 10 inches of space between the water line and rim for immersed growth, or a smaller shallower rimless tank with all the immersed growth growing up over the top?
> 
> And as for fish, I really like all the dwarf cichlids. If you go with just hardscape and fish, you should have very pretty and interesting fish. A harem of apistos would look neat I think.


Both of those kinds of tank configurations are good for certain kinds of setups. A setup with a lowered water level and a covered top is the best way to do a high-humidity riparium, and there are lots of cool plants to grow in something like that. 

If you use a more shallow tank filled all the way or almost all the way to the top then you get proportionately more room for fish and I like the way that looks too. 

I like apistos a lot too, but I want to shoot for something a bit larger.


----------



## !shadow!

By far my favorite riparium. The light colored substrate with the lush green leaves is just a killer combination. I'm currently thinking about either getting a 20 long or using my 40g to do one just gotta thinking about filtration, lightning, and what would be most affordable/convenient for me.


----------



## hydrophyte

!shadow! said:


> By far my favorite riparium. The light colored substrate with the lush green leaves is just a killer combination. I'm currently thinking about either getting a 20 long or using my 40g to do one just gotta thinking about filtration, lightning, and what would be most affordable/convenient for me.


Well now it looks totally different. I removed every single one of the underwater plants and put two big boulders inside. I will add a few more rocks too and also some larger more robust riparium plants. 

A 40 breeder is an especially nice size & shape for a riparium.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is a quick picture update. 










I removed all of the underwater plants and added some big limestone boulders. I realize that I need to work on scaping the stones some more, but I wanted to get them in there for an idea. I like the way that the _Poecilia_ are the same color as the rocks.

I also switched the riparium plants around some. I am going to shoot for a background filled mainly with those _Spathiphyllum, _and with that _Colocasia fallax_ as a centerpiece.


----------



## !shadow!

I like it, the limestone def goes well with the substrate and has that look that it's all part of the same habitat. Colocasia fallax is a plant i'm definately interested in getting my hands on to maybe put in my 48g. Our lake downtown in Austin has some similar looking plant unless it's the same that really stands out on the edges of lake. This last shot gives me a good idea of how it would look if i took a underwater camera and took some shots.


----------



## hydrophyte

I cut a nice offset from the _C. fallax_ just last night. Would you be interested in it? I definitely recommend _Colocasia fallax_ as the best taro for ripariums because it is a true dwarf plant.


----------



## !shadow!

sure i'll send ya pm, thanks


----------



## hydrophyte

....I like that limestone a lot too, but I want to work on the scape some more. Does anybody have any suggestions for arranging those pieces I have now?? I might go hunt for more.

This native limestone that we have here is really great stuff and I have wondered about selling it as aquascaping rock. It might, however, cause trouble in a planted tank with rapid dissolution making the water harder.


----------



## trackhazard

Those boulders look great. Very natural.

-Charlie


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks trackhazard! I like those rocks a lot too. While out hunting for those I was admiring some of the much larger ones (way too big for an aquarium) that I saw.


----------



## !shadow!

The only thing I would suggest is getting some limestone that matches the texture to the middle 2 stones because it seems like the first and last 2 smaller boulders look a bit different. I would put a small boulder right in front of the biggest one to give it a sense of depth. You could even break a big boulder into pieces and insert them like I drew in pic.

This is what I came up with Devin let me know what you think.


----------



## hydrophyte

!shadow! said:


> The only thing I would suggest is getting some limestone that matches the texture to the middle 2 stones because it seems like the first and last 2 smaller boulders look a bit different. I would put a small boulder right in front of the biggest one to give it a sense of depth. You could even break a big boulder into pieces and insert them like I drew in pic.
> 
> This is what I came up with Devin let me know what you think.


That looks like a good idea. I agree that it would be better for all the stones to have the same texture. I really liked the texture of the two largest ones, but I was unable to find more like those. I will go look some more. The differences in the texture might soften a bit too as the boulders grow some algae on their surfaces.


----------



## trackhazard

I think the difference in textures is ok. Like you said, once they start getting an algae patina, it will even out.

I do agree with the additional rocks to make the transition from sand/gravel to boulders a little more even and to add depth.

The last boulder on the left catches my eye for some reason. Maybe because its so rounded compared to the other rocks and it sticks up a little far in that pic? I think I may be inclined to lay it down?

The name is so fitting.

-Charlie


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks for those observations! Unfortunately I don't think I can flip that left-most boulder. These stones are all flattened on the sides that I have facing down. I could try to rotate that rock to get rid of that strange angle as viewed from the front.


----------



## hydrophyte

Well now I have a lead on a couple of different _Limia_ that I hope to get in trade for some fish that I have. I might use some in this tank and/or the 40 brackish that I am also working on.

These _Limia_ are really cool little fish. Here are some of the species that I might be able to trade for...


_L. tridens_
_L. vittata_
_L. sulphurophila_
_L. melanonotata_
_L. melanogaster_

It's been a long time since I have gotten any new fish. This will be fun.


----------



## hydrophyte

I am switching the hardscape around some more. I decided to exchange that largest boulder for another big one that is more diamond-shaped. I am also going to try to combine rocks that have more similar textures. I'll get more pictures when the water clears.


----------



## hydrophyte

Look here's another new scape.


----------



## !shadow!

10/10 devin, I really like this look a lot. The placement and textures all match perfectly. I am curious as to how that rock is tilting towards the side or is it actually flat at the bottom cause it's hard to tell.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Gauny! That tallest boulder is flat on the bottom and it has that lean to the one side. 

I don't like the way that those four other boulders are all almost the same height. I might look for something taller to replace that second largest boulder that is second from the left. 

This is going to be great when I start getting some of the new fish in there.


----------



## hydrophyte

The _Limia melanogaster_ and the _Thorichthys elliotii_ arrived today in the post with 100% survival. I scooped the _Poecilia chica_ out of the tank and introduced the new fish and they look great!

The _Thoricthys_ have some growing up to do. They are only ~1" long or so.

I will try to get pictures tonight.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is a quick picture with the _T. elliotii_ and _L. melanogaster_. They are real nice little fish.










There are still a few mollies that I need to catch and get out of there and the _T. elliotii_ need to get bigger. I will keep feeding well so they can grow.


----------



## !shadow!

This picture imo screams out biotope .


----------



## macclellan

sweet lil cichlids. should look awesome when all growed up!


----------



## hydrophyte

!shadow! said:


> This picture imo screams out biotope .


Thanks. Really I am not so interested in making this a biotope. As it is now I have a Central American cichlid, a Caribbean livebearer and a Rift Valley catfish. The plants are from all over the place. I mainly just want to put together some fish that will get along and make a nice display.


----------



## !shadow!

Cool, I think I phrased it wrong. I meant to say it looks like a biotope in a way not that it should be. The fish all seem to look very similar in coloring which is another thing I like.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks again. Yeah I think that I see your point. These particular fish do complement each other well and they also look good with the rocks and gravel. The _Synodontis_ are usually hiding but also match the setup in a nice way I think. Now that I have these tall rocks set up they zoom though the tight passages between.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey I have here what looks like a fun new plant to use as background in this tank. 










I will try to pot some up in riparium planters soon and post more pictures with details.


----------



## !shadow!

I like it, reminds me of a palm trees. How about a fts?


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey Guany is that _Colocasia_ still growing for you?

It is a palm. It is cat palm (_Chamaedorea cataractarum_). I haven't used it yet but it looks like it will be a real good riparium plant. In its native habitat in the rainforest in Central America it grows right along the edges of streams so it likes to have its roots in the water. I think it will be an excellent background foliage for larger riparium setups.

This is the most recent FTS I hope to have more soon.


----------



## hydrophyte

I got new fish in here! 

With a trade I got a group of ~20 _Limia vitatta_. I removed the hodgepodge of other livebearers that I had in there and when I added these new _Limia_ it all looked really great. 

I keep running out of time for picture-taking but I will try to shoot some pictures soon.

These new fish are perfect!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey finally I have a new photo update.

I cleaned the tank and got this quick shot.










Sorry I did not take the care to get the fish into the shot. I will take more time later on for some more pictures. The fish are looking great.

If you compare against the last most recent picture you can see I changed the background _Spathiphyllum_. These new ones that I added have longer petioles and a more elegant look. I have a number of other real nice plants in there including a couple of botanically interesting selections.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's another quick picture from tonight.


----------



## enlender

wow looks great!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks! I hope to get a fewer better pictures up soon.


----------



## hydrophyte

He I have some fish pictures now ready. This is one of the seven _Synodontis lucipinnis_ that I have had in this setup all along.










This species is definitely one of my favorite aquarium fishes. 

And here are some of the _Limia vittata_. A lot of wild type livebearers are more like collector fish, but this one is also a great display fish. They look great all the time and I love those splotchy markings on the sides.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have a fun plant update for this tank too. I have tried a couple of different water-associated orchids--most orchids live up in trees--in ripariums, but never had much luck till now. This water spider orchid (_Habneria repens_) is definitely growing in here. It has two new little shoots and a lot of new roots forming in the planter too. I hope that I will get to see it flower.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is one last shot that I got this one with the _Limia vittata_ along with the _Thoricthys ellioti_. The _T. ellioti_ are growing fast and I will have to thin them down to fewer individuals in a while.


----------



## hydrophyte

The foliage looks pretty thin in that latest FTS, but this is a better view.


----------



## hydrophyte

The better part of the afternoon yesterday I spent potting up these new plants that I got in the order from Hawaii. They included three water-associated palms that I put in riparium planters and stuck in this tank. I got some other really great plants too. I shot lots of pictures and I want to post them up just need to process them.


----------



## oldpunk78

That last pic looks awesome. 

It makes me wonder though. Have you ever tried doing one of these 1/3 full with big rocks poking out the water? It would totally look like a stream from the top.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yep that wouldn't be so hard to do. You'd just have to find some nice rocks. That tallest one that I have in this tank reaches up high and it's only 1 1/2" below the water surface.

It's too bad there aren't more options for more shallow rimless tanks to use for ripariums. An excellent shape for what you suggest would be something like a 30 breeder.

A great option for a smaller setup would be a 60-F (24" wide X 12" deep X 7" deep). That is a nice shallow tank...

*http://www.adgshop.com/60cm_Flat_Cube_Garden_p/102-8555.htm*


----------



## hydrophyte

I got some great new plants in an order from a Hawaii nursery.

These are palms that I selected because they are known to grow in wet spots (swamps, marshes, streamsides) in their native habitats. I potted them in riparium planters and put them in this tank.

They have some growing to do. They are all just seedlings and have just a few leaves.










The Acoelorraphe is a native Florida plant. The other two are from tropical Asia.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have a new edit for some of the video that I shot of this tank last year. This video gives an overview of the riparium concept. Here is the YouTube link...

*YouTube: An Introduction to Planted Ripariums - Riparium SupplyTM*


----------



## RipariumGuy

Uh oh... I think I have been mispronouncing riparium... I say, RIP-arium. Is that correct? I thought it was pronounced like so becuase the latin root word (ripa) is pronounced "reepa".

Those new plants look very interesting! How tall do they grow?


----------



## luke20037

Ive been saying "rip" too! whoops!


----------



## hydrophyte

I think the pronunciation probably doesn't matter a whole lot. I think I usually use "ripe" but also "rip" interchangably. Did you watch the video? I don't have the best voice for radio (or face for TV:icon_cry but I hope that I got a few points across anyway.


----------



## luke20037

thought the video was great! love the setup for that paticular tank! 
it seems like in the uk were so restricted to the fish and plants available, I'm going to have to do a bit of research and find some more "exotic" species.

on a quick point, where my aquarium hasnt had the cover of emmersed plants ive been struck by an algea infection! Do you think best to completey gut the tank out, clean to new and star all over again?!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks for watching that video Luke!

I think you should be abel to find most of those plants there in the UK. I know I have seen the _Acorus gramineus_ 'Ogon' from nurseries in England turn up in searches. Let me know if you want to try to hunt down any other unusual plants because I can suggest a few and I might also guess at the best way to search Google. 

I don't know if you have an established setup with lots of algae I would be less inclined to start over. It seems algae is usually worse in newer setups. Can you remove some of the substrate and plants for thorough rinsing and also do some substantial water changes? That might be a better strategy.


----------



## RipariumGuy

hydrophyte said:


> I think the pronunciation probably doesn't matter a whole lot. I think I usually use "ripe" but also "rip" interchangably. Did you watch the video? I don't have the best voice for radio (or face for TV:icon_cry but I hope that I got a few points across anyway.


Yep, I watched the video. You did fine! Just, maybe have the script be a little smoother? Other then that, great! I think videos are a much better way for getting across a point and being more informative then articles. Atleast in my opinion. I think it would be a good idea to do a video series on ripariums. Everything from the basic concept, to planting, to care. I have a decent camera/video camera. Shoots up to 720p (HD). I also have Window's Movie Maker. Maybe I'll give it a try one of these days...


----------



## hydrophyte

I want to get a short series started that will be all about planting methods, but it's so hard to find the time. That recording and editing takes me a long time (and lots of computer memory). I should be able to get to it sometime this summer.


----------



## luke20037

yeah that would be great! i think people who are interested in starting a riparium would find a video "instructions manual" very helpful!


----------



## hydrophyte

I will try to do more of that soon.

I might be tearing down this setup and moving the plants, fish and substrate. I think it might be preferable to put the mangrove setup (below) that I have been working on in this same tank. I currently have that planting in a 40 breeder down in the basement shop, but it is coming along nicely and I want to set it up better for photography.

This will be a real pain and I bet it will take a whole half a day to do the switch.


----------



## speedie408

Just watched your last video Devin. Thanks for sharing the details because I've always wondered how those trillis rafts worked. Now I know. 

I'm thinking about setting up some riparium plants on my 120P in my next scape... I'll be contacting you soon.


----------



## hydrophyte

speedie408 said:


> Just watched your last video Devin. Thanks for sharing the details because I've always wondered how those trillis rafts worked. Now I know.
> 
> I'm thinking about setting up some riparium plants on my 120P in my next scape... I'll be contacting you soon.


Yep those trellis rafts are simple to use. They are important for the riparium layouts because they help to add more visual depth and the foliage that they hold up hides the rafts and the planters. Here are the three ways that you can plant on thetrellis rafts...


through holes in raft with stem bases down in water and plant upright - for _Pilea, Oplismenus, Fittonia_ (very easy)
rooted in hanging planter, but with stems sprawling across raft - _Bacopa, Limnophila_ and many other emersed stems
with creeping rhizome growig across top of raft and with roots down in the water - _Anubias, Microsorum, Bolbitis_

Yeah you could an awesome riparium layout in a 120p. Just let me know if you have any questions about that and I can hook you up with some good plants too.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey I got a fun plant blooming, this _Berkeria spectabilis_ orchid.










I did _not_ grow this plant in here, but I found it a convenient place to hang it up to enjoy the flowers.


----------



## sewingalot

hydrophyte said:


> I have a new edit for some of the video that I shot of this tank last year. This video gives an overview of the riparium concept. Here is the YouTube link...
> 
> *YouTube: An Introduction to Planted Ripariums - Riparium SupplyTM*


This is fabulous, hydrophyte!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks sewingalot!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey I just got a fantastic new plant to use as a centerpiece in this setup. I'll have pictures sometime later on.


----------



## matty26

Hydrophyte, did you get my pm about derimming the 50 breeder? How did that work for you?


----------



## hydrophyte

Hi sorry yes I did get your PM I have been so busy around here I didn't get time to write back. 

It was pretty easy to de rim this tank. I used a *block plane/B] to carefully remove plastic from the top outside edge, then when I got all the way throught the rim just popped right off. I also cleaned up the silicone up at the top corners because it was mucked up. It might be preferable to just redo all four vertical seams.

This tank has worked nice for riparium setups because I only filled it to about 3/4-full. I would never fill it up all the way.*


----------



## hydrophyte

Yesterday a really cool plant got here FedEx. I potted it up and got it into this setup. It looks a little ratty from the move, but if it takes it will grow into a really cool centerpiece plant for this tank...

*Google: Lasia spinosa*





*


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a quick FTS update. I have mostly all new plants in there. The water was still abit cloudy for this shot because I was mving stuff around. I took a few pictures of some of my cool new plants too and I'll post those.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's one of the plants I am using for background foliage in here. This is cat palm (_Chamaedorea cataractarum_)...










This plant looks nice and it has a very good growth habit for riparium layouts, but it grows very slow. I see new leaves on these plants only about every five weeks. 

This plant is cool because it is a real streamside plant. It seems very happy in the riparium and has lots of good roots formed in the planter.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's another quick view that I got of the riparium foliage. These plants have nice colors of green.


----------



## narhay

Very nice. Your excellent photography plus the unique and beautiful aquaria you've designed here have made you quite popular on the boards.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks!


----------



## hydrophyte

These _Thoricthys ellioti_ are growing up good and they look nice in this tank. It's feeding time!










That betta is the most aggressive fish in there. I need to get it into another tank. I like the orange platy for one single splash of bright color but the betta doesn't fit very well with everything else.


----------



## speedie408

Those are some pretty cool cichlids Devin. You're right about the betta though. Maybe a Plakat or a Betta Mac would work better :hihi:?

I like the new plants too. Great stuff as usual.


----------



## hydrophyte

**whoops I screwed up this post once again I meant to click "quote" and hit the "edit" button instead**


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is the new _Cyperus_ that I am trying in this tank, _C. haspan_.










This might be a real good plant. It adds vertical dimension but throws almost no shade.

And it looks like a tree from a Dr. Seuss book.


----------



## 2in10

Very cool setup, great looking plants


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks 2in10. I think these are pretty good plants that I replanted this setup with.


----------



## 2in10

I know nothing about the plants but that is what my eyes are telling me. A Riparium tank is definitely a future next tank.


----------



## hydrophyte

I'm especially happy about that _Lasia spinosa_.










I hope I don't kill it.


----------



## 2in10

I really love the shape of the leaf.


----------



## hydrophyte

I just hope I can keep it going. 

It grows from a rhizome like an _Anubias_. I planted it in one of the "Large" riparium planters so that it would have more inches to creep along.


----------



## 2in10

I just to another look at your planter section and noticed they are connected to each other with the suction cups? I thought it was a rack assembly the first look. Rhizomes make planting tricky.


----------



## hydrophyte

The hanging planters attach to the aquarium glass with suction cups, and then the trellis rafts attach to the planters with snap fasteners. It all goes together pretty easy. 

Rhizomes aren't so difficult to plant. You just have to give them some room to grow forward in the planter. There are some rhizomatous plants that grow really well on the trellis raft, such as _Anubias barteri_ var. _nana_, Java fern and _Bolbitis_. These three are all plants for high-humidity riparium setups.


----------



## 2in10

Very neat, I am definitely going to have to look into ripariums.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's an _A. barteri _var. _nana_ planted onto a trellis raft. It is very easy to grow like this and you can move it around wherever you want. 










This just snaps onto the front of the hanging planter and makes the ripairum midground. With the _Anubias_ on there this would be for use with a high-humidity riparium with a canopy covering most of the top of the top to keep it real moist inside. It wouldn't work in an open-top riparium because the air would be too dry.


----------



## 2in10

hydrophyte said:


> Here's an _A. barteri _var. _nana_ planted onto a trellis raft. It is very easy to grow like this and you can move it around wherever you want.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This just snaps onto the front of the hanging planter and makes the ripairum midground. With the _Anubias_ on there this would be for use with a high-humidity riparium with a canopy covering most of the top of the top to keep it real moist inside. It wouldn't work in an open-top riparium because the air would be too dry.


Very cool design. I can see that I tried it before once and had mixed results. The ones that were deep in the water fared OK but the rest became mush. It is real dry where I live so a lid would be very important.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah _A. barteri_ definitely needs high humidity to grow out of the water like that.

After the _Anubias_ grows on the raft for a while it covers it all up and you can't even see the foam anymore. Then with that snapped into place on a planter it also covers up the planter.


----------



## hydrophyte

It's not quite worth a new photo yet, but the _Lasia spinosa_ appears to be establishing itself pretty well. I'm very happy about this! I see one fat white root growing in the planter and there is also the beginning of a new leaf down at the base.










This is an extremely cool collector plant. I hope that someday I can have some extra for trades, but it's gonna take a while.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have decided to add plants to the underwater area layout again. I have grown tired of how it looks with nothing but hardscape there. Maybe I could resolve it better if I spent more time on the hardscape but for now it will be easier to improve the looks with a few plants. This is a show from a while ago.


----------



## hydrophyte

Please check out this other thread. I am trying to convey a few important ideas...

General Planted Tank Discussion: *Persistent Myths about Planted Ripariums*


----------



## 2in10

Beautiful shot of the tank

Great thread BTW


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks 2in10!

My _Lasia spinosa_ is still establishing great and I am so happy. It is shooting up a new leaf really fast. I should get another picture for an update.


----------



## hydrophyte

I am redoing the underwater layout in here right now and I switched up some of the riparium plants too. I think I have it looking better now...just need to let the dust settle then I can get some pictures.


----------



## hydrophyte

I got this tank all cleaned up and now I have the camera out for a FTS.

In the meantime I got a couple quick shots of the _Pilea grandifolia_ that I have going in there. I am going to mow it all down for cuttings tonight. I have it growing on every single trellis raft and it makes a nice effect. This is definitely my favorite riparium maidground plant.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's another quick shot...


----------



## 2in10

Love the looks of the plants.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yep that's a real good plant that's for sure.


----------



## Hyzer

That is looking great Hydro.

How often do you need to spray them down?


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks! I don't ever spary these plants except once in a while if they get dusty. This is an open-top riparium and all the plants do just fine in the regular household humidity.


----------



## Hyzer

hydrophyte said:


> Thanks! I don't ever spary these plants except once in a while if they get dusty. This is an open-top riparium and all the plants do just fine in the regular household humidity.


Heh, guess I should have figured since there was fresh mist in a lot of the pics. I just didn't know anubias grows that well in low humidity.


----------



## hydrophyte

Oh I had that _Anubias_ growing in another tank. I think I just linked that picture to show the trellis raft or something. _Anubias_ does need pretty high humidity and it wouldn't do very well in this setup. I grow it in closed-top ripariums like that 56 that I have going right now...










Most of the midground plants in there are _Anubias_ growing in trellis rafts.


----------



## 150EH

hydrophyte said:


> Here's another quick shot...



I really like the bright green and wavy texture of these leaves and Dr. Suess discribes the C. haspan well, but is that considered the flower or the leaf?


----------



## hydrophyte

150EH said:


> I really like the bright green and wavy texture of these leaves and Dr. Suess discribes the C. haspan well, but is that considered the flower or the leaf?


Yeah that _P. grandifolia _is definitely one of the most attractive and most useful riparium plants. 

I don't know plant anatomy like I should :icon_redf I think that those _C. haspan_ powderpuffs might be the flowerheads. Those stalks are also just about all the foliage that the plants have too. There are no other leaves coming up from the base.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's one more quick view...










I gotta take some time tonight for some more serious pictures. When it grows in a bit more I am going to get video too. The fish in here are really great.


----------



## oldbonehead

Very beautiful and lush. Pure magic, man.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks! The riparium planting is still looking a little thin. It will look real good in a few weeks when the plants have grown in just a bit more.

There's no magic there at all. Those riparium plants are for the most part just real easy to grow.

I gotta get some more fish pictures. It looks like they were all hiding for that picture, btu the_ Thoricthys_ cichlids have grown up real nice. They have beautiful spangled colors all down their flanks.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's another quick shot showing the two really cool plants that I have in here.










The arrowhead-shaped leaf shooting up is new (yay!) growth on the _Lasia spinosa_. The larger green plant to the right is the true species peace lily that I started from seed, _Spathiphyllym phryniifolium_. I think that plant is more handsome than the hybrid peace lilies that they seel as housplants. It will grow up big too.


----------



## hydrophyte

Shoot I think I "edited" when I meant to "quote". Here is one more FTS with a different angle...


----------



## BoxxerBoyDrew

WOW,

I just read the WHOLE POST, and MAN YOU HAVE THE KNACK for these Ripariums and Photos too! I am going to have to setup one now! The hard part is going to be figuring out what kind to do! Open top or closed top, because I really like the anubias plants!!! And that last group of fish you put in there are super cool!

Anyway, just wanted to tell Ya how much I enjoyed the post, pics and vids!!! I will hopefully be placing a order from Ya soon!

Thanks,
Drew


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks very much I am glad you liked it. I have spent quite a bit of time with this tank, but really these ripariums are pretty easy to put together if you have just a few details in mind. There are a lot of really cool plants that grow well in ripariums. Just let me know if you might have any questions.


----------



## speedie408

Awesome Devin! Love that last shot. 

What PP software do you use? I know in PS CS5 you could get rid of the blown out wall area right below the lights. Sorry, I'm just nit picking


----------



## londonloco

Hi Devin, I haven't kept up on this thread. I just finished reading the entire 38 pages (my hand hurts from spinning my mouse wheel!). As always, your rips are incredible! I think a trip to HD/Lowes/Landscaping shops are in my future. I'll be in touch! Loni


----------



## hydrophyte

speedie408 said:


> Awesome Devin! Love that last shot.
> 
> What PP software do you use? I know in PS CS5 you could get rid of the blown out wall area right below the lights. Sorry, I'm just nit picking


I am using Photoshop CS4 for Mac. How would you go about doing that in your version?

It is not so bad when the plants grow up more. Right now it is just a lot of white wall reflecting back at me.


----------



## hydrophyte

londonloco said:


> Hi Devin, I haven't kept up on this thread. I just finished reading the entire 38 pages (my hand hurts from spinning my mouse wheel!). As always, your rips are incredible! I think a trip to HD/Lowes/Landscaping shops are in my future. I'll be in touch! Loni


Thanks so much Loni! I don't know if you can get into it online anywhere (?) but this tank was also featured in _Aquarium Fish International_ a couple of months ago...

Ripariums: A New Type of Planted Tank
Devin Biggs July, 2011

Actually it wasn't really the tank that was featured, but there were several pictures of it when I had the _Acorus gramineus _growing in there.

Let me know if you might like plant ideas. I have tried many kinds of plants and I think I have identified some of the best choices for ripariums. I have also killed off many more that didn't work so well. I have quite a bit of good material here too.


----------



## hydrophyte

hydrophyte said:


> speedie408 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Awesome Devin! Love that last shot.
> 
> What PP software do you use? I know in PS CS5 you could get rid of the blown out wall area right below the lights. Sorry, I'm just nit picking
> 
> 
> 
> I am using Photoshop CS4 for Mac. How would you go about doing that in your version?
> 
> It is not so bad when the plants grow up more. Right now it is just a lot of white wall reflecting back at me.
Click to expand...

I'd love to hear how you do this, and then try it with that one shot.


----------



## hydrophyte

Well I mowed down all of that _P. grandifolia_ for cuttings and now the layout looks a lot less full. I could let it grow back in again, or plant something else as riparium midground(???).


----------



## hydrophyte

I got this amazing box of plants from *Crispino Ramos* and I stuck them temporarily in this tank. It looks so lush...










Most of these plants are for an emersed growout project and I won't keep them in here long, but I might grow a few of them in this setup. I like the appearance fo this setup best with the swords and crypts that I already have, but some of these unusual stems might look nice too.


----------



## speedie408

hydrophyte said:


> I'd love to hear how you do this, and then try it with that one shot.


Totally forgot to answer you bro. What PP software are you using? If you're using CS5, you can either use Lightroom or RAW editor. I like these better than the regular CS5 app because they have finer tuning capabilities. If you want details I can try to walk you through. 

btw, my _P. grandifolia _you sent me is starting to turn pink in the leaves under my light. I think it's due to the high intensity of it being so close to the bulbs. Is this normal for this plant? I'm asking because all your plants look green without a speck or red.


----------



## hydrophyte

speedie408 said:


> Totally forgot to answer you bro. What PP software are you using? If you're using CS5, you can either use Lightroom or RAW editor. I like these better than the regular CS5 app because they have finer tuning capabilities. If you want details I can try to walk you through.
> 
> btw, my _P. grandifolia _you sent me is starting to turn pink in the leaves under my light. I think it's due to the high intensity of it being so close to the bulbs. Is this normal for this plant? I'm asking because all your plants look green without a speck or red.


I think that it is CS4. I have been into the RAW editor a couple times. I will look into it next time I open it up. It would be nice to be able to adjust for that blowout because sometimes I get a lot of it with pictures of ripariums.

Yep that _P. grandifolia_ will turn pink under brighter light. I have a picture of it like that around somewhere.


----------



## hydrophyte

I wanted to link quick these plant shots from this other hobbyist who has a nice riparium planting going. He grew these plants up really well. He is member *MaddMaxx* at MFK and here is the link to his journal thread.... http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?410493-my-new-MONSTERS-to-be-Black-Mangroves...%20/page9&highlight=riparium



MaddMaxx said:


> So here's the long awaited pictorial update. I moved just about a month ago, to a place with less room, but I was really happy that I found a place to put my monster 75g tank and I don't have to downsize and give up any of my plant space.
> 
> One of the original Bonsai's:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The BIG mamma-jamma (well over 30cm now...):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm getting ready to Bonsai the rest of these, as I don't want them to get much higher:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the runt...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And a few of my other notables -
> 
> The freshwater Palm putting out some really nice new growth:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And the Leather Fern nice and full, and pushing out some new stock:


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's the new leaf all fully expanded on the _Lasia spinosa_. You can guess that it's a slow-growing (and expensive) plant when every new leaf that opens up is a big deal.


----------



## hydrophyte

Pictures of this setup were featured in another magazine article. This has become a well-known tank. :red_mouth Here is the link to the quick article introduction at TFH...

*Jake Jung. "An Introduction to Planted Ripariums". Tropical Fish Hobbyist December 2011. *

You need to log in with a TFH paid subscription to view the whole article there on the website. I don't know if this December issue is on the newsstand yet(???).


----------



## 150EH

Too cool, the plants really nice and I've been wanting to read the article. What's the super red fish in the tank.

Oh, I also wanted to ask you if you use any type of wire tying things together etc.

Who was the Photographer? You, a family member or friend, or did they send one?


----------



## hydrophyte

Yep I have had a lot of fun with this tank.

I took those pictures. Jake Jung (aka RipariumGuy) wrote the article.

What do you mean by wires? Holding what together?


----------



## RipariumGuy

hydrophyte said:


> Pictures of this setup were featured in another magazine article. This has become a well-known tank. :red_mouth Here is the link to the quick article introduction at TFH...
> 
> *Jake Jung. "An Introduction to Planted Ripariums". Tropical Fish Hobbyist December 2011. *
> 
> You need to log in with a TFH paid subscription to view the whole article there on the website. I don't know if this December issue is on the newsstand yet(???).


I am not sure either... I called my local Petco and they said that it should be in sometime this week. Though, they said that with some hesitancy... 

Either way, thanks for the pictures! :thumbsup:


----------



## hydrophyte

I hope I can get back to picture-taking some more. I have been so busy I haven't had time to work on tanks or take pictures.


----------



## shane3fan

I got my magazine Wed. and saw that. I meant to post about it. Cool deal.


----------



## hydrophyte

I gotta go buy one. I have a subscription but it's good only for the digital version.


----------



## 150EH

hydrophyte said:


> Yep I have had a lot of fun with this tank.
> 
> I took those pictures. Jake Jung (aka RipariumGuy) wrote the article.
> 
> What do you mean by wires? Holding what together?


I figured you took the photos and they would be sent with the article but under the photo it says "photographer Devin Biggs"

Never mind on any wire, but thanks.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yep I am Devin Biggs.

I really need to get some more halfway-decent pictures of setups. I have run out of extra ones to use for magazine articles. But these tanks are so time-consuming to get ready for picture-taking what can I do?!


----------



## RipariumGuy

*ahem* Pay for gas and I'll come down and clean your tanks for you.... It would be an honor!


----------



## 150EH

Picked up my copy today and there is a nice photo and small bio of Jacob Jung on page 8 and I have tet to read the article but the photos look nice, all 5. 

Nice job and I'll have a full report tomorrow, btw the mag comes wraped in plastic to prevent tight butts like me from getting a free look while perched in the Barnes & Nobels so if you want one it's only $5 and there are some other intersting stuff too.


----------



## aXio

I'm going to have to buy a copy of that on the way home tomo.


----------



## 150EH

I just finished the article and you guys did a good job at creating a beautiful riparium, then taking some great photographs, and writing a very informative article that makes you want to run out and buy some supplies, plants, & fish to try and build your own. I'll have to be truthful I had no idea that you guys are so young and way before I knew I had been referring folks at other forums & here to you guys for help with ripariums or any other emersed setup. I want to commend you both for a job well done and I also posted this on one of Jakes threads the you guys should be very proud in a job well done and have set the bar high for your peers (and me) what great accomplishment at any age but I may be reading the "Tropical Riparium Hobbyist" one day with you guys writing the editors note, but your both gonna have to grow a long white beard first.

Nice Job!!!!! Oh, and only 20 pages from Takashi Amano's article so your already rubbing elbows with the best in the business.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks a bunch! I didn't really do much work on the article I just dug up some image files from a while ago, so Jake deserves the credit for pulling it together. 

I think that Jake is a young dude, but I am an old man. 

They seem modest, but it is so time-consuming to produce articles like that. Ideally there would be an article about ripariums in every issue because there is a lot of information and ideas to convey.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have two new favorite plants...

*Google: Dypsis paludosa*

*Google: Ravenea hildebrandtii*

I got nice potted specimens of these about 12" tall and they are looking seriously great in this tank. The riparium layout has a really bold dramatic tropical look with these and the other plants. 

I gotta clean the tank up so I can get some new pictures.


----------



## Centromochlus

hydrophyte said:


> Here's one more quick view...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I gotta take some time tonight for some more serious pictures. When it grows in a bit more I am going to get video too. The fish in here are really great.


Hey Devin, sorry to quote an old picture but i see that the rafts that the Pilea grandifolia are planted in are basically submerged. Should mine be like this as well? Right now they're basically just floating on the surface of the water.


----------



## hydrophyte

AzFishKid said:


> Hey Devin, sorry to quote an old picture but i see that the rafts that the Pilea grandifolia are planted in are basically submerged. Should mine be like this as well? Right now they're basically just floating on the surface of the water.


Philip, It doesn't really matter so much. I usually have them so that they are about even with the water level. While the plants are still growing in the trellis rafts can be more conspicuous and if you want to take pictures you can add a bit more water to cover them up. 

This tank has been a mess with lots of extra plants that I have been holding in it. Tonight I might get a chance to start fixing it up again. I have some very nice plant specimens going in it. I have been having especially good results with some of these new palm species that I have been trying out.


----------



## hydrophyte

I made some headway on this one tonight. I am using the cat palm (_Chamaedorea cataractarum_) as the main background plant and it is giving me a real nice effect. I'll get pictures when the dusts settles.


----------



## hydrophyte

This particular shot is from a while ago but the _Lasia spinosa_ has another new leaf coming on it. This now makes five new leaves since I got. The planter is full of roots too. This plant is growing better than I expected.


----------



## Lutra

That _Lasia_ in the picture really intrigues me -- when I Google Imaged it, it seems to have as many leaf forms as an _Amorphophallus_. And USDA's GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) says it is used medicinally (cough, parturition, stomachache, etc.) and as a vegetable. Do you know anything about its use as a food?

BTW the cat palm is a beautiful plant, I definitely recommend it to anyone who'll listen.


----------



## !shadow!

very nice pic Devin. I think if I ever had this riparium i'd be tempted to do the sides as well to give you the more nature in a tank look imo. overall I love how the plants overhang a bit and make it look more natural.


----------



## plecostomouse

great riperium, i just had an idea which could look kool, using a cube tank in a corner planting both sides which are up against a wall. this way you could hide the inlet/outlet aswell.

just a thought.


----------



## hydrophyte

Lutra said:


> That _Lasia_ in the picture really intrigues me -- when I Google Imaged it, it seems to have as many leaf forms as an _Amorphophallus_. And USDA's GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) says it is used medicinally (cough, parturition, stomachache, etc.) and as a vegetable. Do you know anything about its use as a food?
> 
> BTW the cat palm is a beautiful plant, I definitely recommend it to anyone who'll listen.


Yeah there are I thin three or four distinct leaf form varieties of that same species _L. spinosa._ I saw it growing in a garden pond in Florida once and that (huge) plant had rounded leaves with several long lobes. 

It sure is a cool riparium plant, but hard to find. It's going to be a long time before my plant is ready to divide. 

Yes cat palm is a great riparium plant. It works really well if you have it in several planters as the main background plant. 



!shadow! said:


> very nice pic Devin. I think if I ever had this riparium i'd be tempted to do the sides as well to give you the more nature in a tank look imo. overall I love how the plants overhang a bit and make it look more natural.


Thanks! 

I have tried using the side panels before, but plants hung on the sides tend to interfere with the ones one the rear pane of glass because the foliage grows in different directions.


----------



## hydrophyte

I just started working on yet another magazine article featuring this tank. I have gotten a lot of mileage out of this one. The pictures will feature the latest iteration of the riparium planting, where I have used _Chamaedorea cataractarum_ palm as the main background plant.

The publication date for the intended issue is coming up, so I need to hurry up and finish this writing.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey I am having a lot of trouble (too much shadow and too much white blowout) with picture-taking and I posted a thread over in the Lounge and I'd be interested in any advice that anybody might have. Here is the link..

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lounge-introductions/160792-help-pictures-camera-too-much-shadow.html#post1670119


----------



## RipariumGuy

And yet they still look better than my pictures...

Question for you: What is the name of the second plant to the right? It's really tall, oval leaves?


----------



## RipariumGuy

hydrophyte said:


> I just started working on yet another magazine article featuring this tank. I have gotten a lot of mileage out of this one. The pictures will feature the latest iteration of the riparium planting, where I have used _Chamaedorea cataractarum_ palm as the main background plant.
> 
> The publication date for the intended issue is coming up, so I need to hurry up and finish this writing.


What magazine, if I may ask?


----------



## hydrophyte

RipariumGuy said:


> And yet they still look better than my pictures...
> 
> Question for you: What is the name of the second plant to the right? It's really tall, oval leaves?


It needs a lot of work. I think that some setting on the camera must have gotten messed up because the shadows were never that black before. I need to send them some better pictures before tomorrow morning. It's going to be a long night. 

That is an interesting plant. It is a _Spathiphyllum_, but unlike the horticultural peace lilies it is a true species plant, _S. phyrniifolium_. I grew it from seed. It looks more classy than most of the common peace lilies.


----------



## pagemee

So much to reaaaad. Really quick though what fert do you use?


----------



## hydrophyte

pagemee said:


> So much to reaaaad. Really quick though what fert do you use?


Mostly fish poo. I also casually dose for iron and micros.


----------



## hydrophyte

They were more happy with the last batch of pictures that I sent, and they also posted the link to the issue preview on FB...

http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/amazonas-next-issue-preview





.


----------



## hydrophyte

Wo-o-o-o-o-o-w, there's an online seller that has _Lasia spinosa_ for sale right now. Here's the link...

http://briansbotanicals.net/Lasia

He'll probably sell out quick. This is an wesome collector plant, and it grows really well in a riparium. Heree's a quick shot of my plant that I have going in here...


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a recent shot. I have some pretty cool plants in there and the fish are looking good too.


----------



## hydrophyte

It is a lot easier to get these shots from an angle than it is to shoot the FTS from the front. That picture above is a layered image that I made with shots at two different exposures, but this one looked like this right out of the camera with just a couple more minor adjustments.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here are some more quick photo updates.

It took me a while, but I really am pretty happy with how the underwater area is looking. I did a lot of shuffling to get a hardscape that I liked.










Riparium foliage...










My _Lasia spinosa_ is easily my favorite plant right now. The leaves are so awesome. If anybody out there might be interested in this plant I can recommend a vendor who has some in stock. It is such a cool riparium plant and pretty easy to grow.


----------



## allaboutfish

wow! i plan on doing something similar to the layout you have, with the river rocks, but ill be doing sand instead of gravel.


----------



## RipariumGuy

Very nice Devin! Hey, question for you: Have you thought of writing an article for PFK at all? Do you think it would be a good idea?


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks you guys!


----------



## !shadow!

love how the crypts contrast with the black background Devin. Nice shot


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks!

I pulled one of the cat palm out for a specimen shot. These things have grown in really nice. I need to find a wholesale source for seedlings.


----------



## hydrophyte

I got another box with cool plants today!

Among the plants included is another new _Lasia spinosa_ variety. This picture shows the one that I already have going in my 50G...










I think this one has a variety name, but I'm not sure what it is(?). The new one that I got is called _L. spinosa_ "Thailand broad leaf". The leaf shape is different in having shorter lobes extending from the back and a more triangular shape overall. This single leaf on it is ratty, but I might get a picture later on. The rhizome is nice and firm and it should grow well.


----------



## hydrophyte

I am cleaning this tank up for one mre round of photography with these fish + plants for another magazine article.

I might have the _Synodontis lucipinnis_ up for sale in a couple of weeks. I will also try to move the_ Thoricthys_ and the _Limia_. They might go RAOK or for a few bucks. The _Thoricthys_ are looking really attractive. 

I want to replace all the fish and turn this into a India or Burma-themed tank.


----------



## hydrophyte

Got my hard copy of the March-April _Amazonas_....










Here are those pictures that Nick contributed because I didn't have any real good fish pictures to use. Thanks Nick!


----------



## RipariumGuy

Very nice work, Devin! Congratulations!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks!


----------



## prototyp3

Extremely cool. It's always fun to see our creations on the screen, in print, etc. Good job!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thank you! 

I am trying to get more magazine articles submitted. I have a goal to write one every month.

The most time-consuming aspects of this are getting the tanks into photo-ready shape and then the picture-taking is really demanding too. I'm a lousy photographer.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks again to speedie for contributing these fish pictures to fill out the article...


----------



## hydrophyte

I'm working on this setup again because I am writing another magazine article and I want to use it for more new pictures. I might post some extra images up later on. 

It will be hard to photograph because the riparium plants have grown up a lot more and they are shading the underwater area. I might do some pruning to thin some of this foliage out.


----------



## hydrophyte

Finally got back into this tank to work on it again. I am going to do one more final photo shoot before I tear down this planting and start over again.

Look at the amazing rhizome on my _Lasia spinosa_. It looks like a plant from outer space.










Seriously, I don't know why I'm the only one who thinks this is cool(?????). This is tied with _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_ for my favorite riparium plant.


----------



## Wy Renegade

Thats pretty cool - bet the fish love hanging in the roots. Too bad you're tearing the tank down .


----------



## CatB

man, i just got distracted from going to bed reading through this WHOLE THREAD from the first post...
and it never got old!
i'm usually upset when people tear down one tank layout for another in a thread i'm reading, but your tear-downs are different in that they always lead to an equally awesome, if not better layout. congrats on getting featured multiple times!
can't wait to see what it'll look like next :'D


----------



## hydrophyte

Wy Renegade said:


> Thats pretty cool - bet the fish love hanging in the roots. Too bad you're tearing the tank down .


Thanks! I'm not tearing down the whole tank, just the riparium plants. I will try to replace with some new plants that I haven't used before.


----------



## kamikazi

hydrophyte said:


> Finally got back into this tank to work on it again. I am going to do one more final photo shoot before I tear down this planting and start over again.
> 
> Look at the amazing rhizome on my _Lasia spinosa_. It looks like a plant from outer space.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Seriously, I don't know why I'm the only one who thinks this is cool(?????). This is tied with _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_ for my favorite riparium plant.


Definitely looks alien, very cool!


----------



## hydrophyte

CatB said:


> man, i just got distracted from going to bed reading through this WHOLE THREAD from the first post...
> and it never got old!
> i'm usually upset when people tear down one tank layout for another in a thread i'm reading, but your tear-downs are different in that they always lead to an equally awesome, if not better layout. congrats on getting featured multiple times!
> can't wait to see what it'll look like next :'D


Hey well thanks for reading the thread. I put a lot of work into this tank.

Like I mentioned I'm not tearing down the whole tank, just this riparium planting. I am going to try to use some new plants and fish in the next iteration. 



kamikazi said:


> Definitely looks alien, very cool!


Thanks! I hope to post more pictures tonight.


----------



## hydrophyte

This is just a quick snapshot to show how the planting is looking now.










Actually this is two pictures layered together. The riparium foliage has grown up a lot and it is shading the underwater are. I took a second picture of the underwater portion at a slower shutter speed, then selected that and pasted onto the first. 

I will work on getting better pictures tonight.


----------



## !shadow!

love it, I can picture this coming from a jungle riverbank. well done devin!


----------



## hydrophyte

!shadow! said:


> love it, I can picture this coming from a jungle riverbank. well done devin!


Thanks! 

I hope to have a few more pictures soon.


----------



## hydrophyte

The latest magazine article featuring this tank is in press and will be available pretty soon. I'll post the link when it's out.

I'm pondering replanting this setup. I think I have a few good ideas for what to do.


----------



## The Trigger

this looks awesome! very well done


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks!


----------



## hydrophyte

The foliage of _Lasia spinosa_ is so cool-looking, but it's difficult to photograph because it's so big. I took it outside to try to get a better shot. I really like the way this plant holds its leaves. It is very expressive.










Here is a crisp new leaf on a cat palm (_Chamaedorea cataractarum_). So long as you can give it some space to grow up this is also a great riparium plant.


----------



## 150EH

This has always been one of my favorite tanks here but I haven't looked at it lately, the size of the leaves and roots are just crazy and it just looks so good. I'm going to try one of these some day and I have some beautiful Hudson Valley River stone from New York that looks great and I'll have to get the plants and supplies from your store, and I can only hope that it will be one day soon!


----------



## hydrophyte

150EH said:


> This has always been one of my favorite tanks here but I haven't looked at it lately, the size of the leaves and roots are just crazy and it just looks so good. I'm going to try one of these some day and I have some beautiful Hudson Valley River stone from New York that looks great and I'll have to get the plants and supplies from your store, and I can only hope that it will be one day soon!


Hey thanks so much! It definitely pays to put some time and thought into making a nice hardscape. Have you seen this setup?...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JjRLqTxGQs

That is so simple, but so effective. A hardscape layout like that would look fantastic with a riparium.

I really like these plants that I have in here now. The cat palm and other plants do need some room to grow up, but they are so attractive. 

Just let me know whenever you might start to move with that idea. Those plants in the online store could be good ones to start out with, but there are lots of other options too.


----------



## giga

How's your black mangroves doing? I'm considering breaking down my reef tank and making it a hybrid riparian tank


----------



## hydrophyte

giga said:


> How's your black mangroves doing? I'm considering breaking down my reef tank and making it a hybrid riparian tank


I have some black mangrove doing well in another setup.

There are a number of other plants that go well with black mangrove for a freshwater or lightly brackish setup...


red mangrove
white mangrove
leather fern
_Cryptocoryne ciliata_
_Pandanus tectorius_

These plants all look really cool and grow very well in the riparium planters.

There are some aweseome fish you could put in a setup like that too...archerfish, mudskippers, _Anableps_, moray eel and so on.


----------



## hydrophyte

I'm copying this from a post I also made over in the Plants forum...

I just noticed that they still have _Lasia spinosa_, an excellent riparium centerpiece plant, for sale in the BriansBotanicals.com online store. Here is the link to the catalog entry...

http://www.briansbotanicals.net/Lim...from--_Lasia-spinosa---Narrow-Thailand-from--

Twenty-two bucks is a great deal for such a weird, rare and stunning plant. It is my favorite riparium centerpiece plant so far. Look at this cool foliage...


----------



## 2in10

Lovely riparium, love the plant selection


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks!

I really like these plants that I have in there now.


----------



## hydrophyte

I hope that my latest magazine article will be out soon....just waiting for the July edition of _Aquarium International._

http://www.aquariuminternational.com/?page_id=79

I'll post again when it's published.


----------



## crazydaz

Any updated pics, Devin?? Would love to see some, if you have the time!


----------



## hydrophyte

crazydaz said:


> Any updated pics, Devin?? Would love to see some, if you have the time!


The tank looks about like it did in this picture from a couple of months ago. 










I haven't taken very many recent pictures. I really like how the plants have grown up tall, but they make it hard to photograph the tank because they throw so much shade. 

I ponder restocking the tank and maybe also replanting. I would like to try a different plant them. I might plant it up with this _Pleioblastus_ bamboo as the main background plant.


----------



## hydrophyte

Anybody want to buy some cat palms established in planters? It's kind of difficult for me to let these things go because I raised them up from little seedlings and they are awesome riparium plants, but they are big and I don't have space for them and I want to replant this tank. These things could be a really great plug-and-play option for a dramatic riparium layout.


----------



## Warlock

the more i look at this.. the more.. i am thinking i need to do it also


----------



## hydrophyte

Warlock said:


> the more i look at this.. the more.. i am thinking i need to do it also


These cat palm would look right in a tank low and broad like a 40 Breeder, 50 or 75.


----------



## hydrophyte

Whoops!

I made a big mistake and clumsily put a 1/2" chip in the middle of the top of the front pane of glass. The chip has a round, concentric shape to it and I don't think it has weakened the glass much, but it is really conspicuous. I think that I need to turn the tank around or else it will drive me nuts. 

It shouldn't be too hard to drain the tank, pull out most of the rocks and gravel and spin it around, but I'm sure it will take a couple of hours. What a pain!


----------



## 150EH

That stinks. BTW I like the video tank but I like to have the plants too.


----------



## hydrophyte

150EH said:


> That stinks. BTW I like the video tank but I like to have the plants too.


What do you mean do you want a list of plants? If you can tell me which video I can explain which kinds of plants I used.


----------



## 150EH

Sorry to be so confusing, it was an old post you replied to with a link to a youtube video, here. I have my page set for 40 posts per page so I see back further than most.


----------



## hydrophyte

Oh that video was not mine. I think that George Farmer from the UK put together that tank. I had linked it because it's a good illustration of one nice way to scape the underwater portion of a riparium, with no plants at all but a well-rendered stone hardscape and fish stocking.


----------



## 150EH

I've come across his tanks before and he does nice work, I came across his Flickr account by accident looking for an A. crispus 'red' and he had an awesome gallery of photos.


----------



## hydrophyte

I bet he does have a lot of nice pictures. Do you have the link to that flickr album?


----------



## 150EH

I had to do a little searching but I found it, http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgefarmer/5775289956/


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks for that link! 

I have seen a lot of those pictures of his here and there.


----------



## hydrophyte

I found baby_ Thoricthys eliioti_ in here last night! This is the first time I have seen reproduction from these fish.

I don't think they will last very long. It looks like the _Synodontis_ already ate about half of them last night.


----------



## hydrophyte

I'm replanting this thing! I pulled out the palms and other big riparium plants. Tanks look so much bigger empty. This one looks like a hundred gallons now.

I'll get pictures up soon.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here it is all emptied out. I will miss those cat palms, but it's nice to be able to see into the underwater portion again. That potted plant to the left is the _Spathiphyllum phryniifolium_ that I had growing in the tank.


----------



## hydrophyte

Great hardscape in this tank...


----------



## hydrophyte

And here are the _Pleioblastus fortunei_ bamboo that I potted up. It will be interesting to see what they do in here.










They suffered a bit after transplanting and I had to cut off a few stems that were shriveling up, but all of the remaining foliage looks good. It will be interesting to see how this plant grows.

I want to use this as the main background plant. I wish that it didn't have this white variegation. If these start to grow well I might try to track down the solid green version of the same plant.

Most bamboos are upland forest plants and you wouldn't expect them to do well in a permanently wet riparium situation, but I have found several references to growing _P. fortunei_ as a pond plant. I hope that it will grow in here.


----------



## hydrophyte

It was just published! I have another new magazine article based on a planting in this tank, the planting that I just took down with the cat palms and other tall plants.

This one appears in the July 2012 Issue #3 _Aquarium International_, the online magazine for iPad and with downloadable pdf's. Download the current issue with my article right here...

PDF Issues - Aquarium International the Freshwater Magazine

My article starts on page 67.

Cheers!


----------



## hydrophyte

The _Lasia spinosa_ has a spathe on it! This is so exciting! I have had it outside in a container pond since I replanted this tank. I just noticed the developing spathe tonight. It is only about 12" tall, so it's going to be a while (probably a month or more) before it opens.

I'll try to get a picture tomorrow; the picture below is an old one. Right now I'm having some camera & computer problems.








[/QUOTE]


----------



## DogFish

Very Cool!!!

Amazing what some outdoor time will do.


----------



## hydrophyte

It was growing steadily and it probably would have grown the spathe if I kept it in the tank too, but it was just getting too large. The longest of the new leaves is almost six feet tall!

I wish I had a tropical greenhouse with a pond so that I could keep growing it like this. I think I will just cut the rhizome up after it blooms so I can get more plants going. I bet the I can cut the rhizome into four separate pieces. It's about 18" long.


----------



## crazydaz

Geeze Devin! That's awesome!!!

Any update on the how the bamboo is doing? How fast does it grow like that?


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Don. Yes the (true!) bamboo is growing. It just sat there for while, but just in the last week or so I started seeing new roots and several new shoots. I'll try to get an update picture or two. 

The tank doesn't look like much right now. It is just crammed with plants as growout and that oversized (huge!) _Lasia spinosa_ is in there too. I really need to clean up the whole thing; it's right in our living room.


----------



## hydrophyte

The _Lasia spinosa_ spathe is starting to open already! It is really freaky looking, purple with green spots. I gotta get picture of it later on.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here it is! And it's already starting to open. I need to get set up to take some good studio photographs of it when it opens. 

After this spathe is done I am going to chop up the rhizome and start four or five new _L. spinosa_ plants.


----------



## hydrophyte

The _Lasia spinosa_ spathe has officially opened. It smells just like overripe bananas. I am slicing it off the plant right now so I can get some more careful studio photos of it. 

More soon!


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a quick sketch post-processed image. The white balance of the images out of the camera was a little screwed up, so I might try again tomorrow.


----------



## !shadow!

Neat plant I like the contrast of colors.


----------



## hydrophyte

!shadow! said:


> Neat plant I like the contrast of colors.


Thanks!

Click this link to see the largest file that I formatted for web.

http://ripariumsupply.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/3-X-12-Lasia-spinosa-spathe-I-b.jpg


----------



## hydrophyte

Look at the sharp mean spines on this sucker. I pulled it out today to cut up the rhizome, but I think I want to try to get a few more pictures of it. So I just put it back in the tank again.


----------



## 150EH

That thing is huge!!!

It's been a while since I've been on-line so a belated congratulations on another article publish!!!


----------



## hydrophyte

150EH said:


> That thing is huge!!!
> 
> It's been a while since I've been on-line so a belated congratulations on another article publish!!!


Yeah it really went nuts. For six months or so it grew leaves only 18" or so tall, but then as it built up more energy they got taller and taller. I had it outside in a container pond for a while, but then it got cold and I had to put it back in the tank. I want to get just a few more pictures and then I'm going to cut up that rhizome to start new plants.

Thanks! I have a new one that I'm just finishing up and I have a start on another. I have a new goal to get a new article published at least every two months.


----------



## hydrophyte

I am re-doing the fish in this tank to make a loose Lake Tanganyika representation. I already have the group of _Synodontis lucipinninis_, and now I plant to add one or two different cichlids. 

_Cyprichromis_ spp. seem like good possibilities. These cichlids have wonderful bright colors and swim around in the mid-water area like rainbowfish. I think they would create a nice effect in this tank. This is a Wikimedia Commons image (http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/File:Cyprichromis_Leptosoma_Kitumba-4506.jpg) of _C. leptosoma_...










There are several different named locality varieties for this species.

I hope that I can track down some _Cyprichromis_ and maybe one other species.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have zero experience with Tanganyika cichlids, but I am having fun with my initial research. 

I am going to watch out for _Neolamprologus_ too. They are pretty common in the hobby, but so attractive. They remind me of _Anthias_. 










(Wikimedia Commons image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Neolamprologus_brichardi.jpg)

I want to give more thought to the riparium planting as well. I might just use some of the fast and easy plants that I have here (_Ruellia, Asclepias, Cyperus_ etc.) but it could also be fun to research some mor and try to use more or less representative plants. I have looked around on the interwebs and most of the pictures that I see of Lake Tanganyika show a very rocky shoreline that looks like the ocean. But there must be some more quiet bays with marginal/emergent/riaprian vegetation. Has anybody here ever been there? I should look around scholarly articles some more to see if I can find aquatic plant lists. If I can find information on Lake Malawi or Lake Victoria that will be helpful because the flora is probably similar.


----------



## crazydaz

I've been following this over on the Dendroboard, Devin. Whereas I can say with certainty that I've NEVER been there, there are streams that feed into the Rift Valley lakes that do have emmergent/marginal plants....it's almost reminds me of a estuary of sorts. Not in the same way where you would have mangrove swamps, and so forth, but there is a "zone" between "lake" and "stream"..... http://www.africaimagelibrary.com/m...he-mahale-mountains-and-flowing-to-lake-tanga

See if that helps give you a better idea. These cichlids are algae grazers, so I'm certain what they would do to plant roots....I would assume that they would leave them alone and the plants would be fine.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks for that link Don. I wonder what kinds of cichlids might be up in those shallow water areas(?).

I found an article as a downloadable pdf that describes riparian vegetation in Tanzania. It's the top result right here...

Cosmos Mligo. _Wami River Subbasin, Tanzania Riparian Vegetation Component of EFA Study_. Wami River Environmental Flows Initiative website at http//wami.fiu.edu

The plants that I found browsing that article are mainly trees and huge grasses. I looked around quick and found some of those trees cheap on [Ebay Link Removed] That could be a fun project to try to get some African water-associated _Acacia_ and other tree seeds.


----------



## hydrophyte

I took the rounded river stones out of this tank and I'm cleaning them up to use my 56G Borneo setup. I intend to replace them with some angular pieces of limestone from our yard that will better represent the Lake Tanganyika environment. It's too bad that I didn't make that happen before the blizzard came and dumped 15" of snow and ice on everything: now I'll just have to wait for a thaw.

In the meantime I'm going to keep working on the riparium planting. I've thought about it quite a bit and I think I'm going to do something similar to this planting that I had in here a long time ago with a few tall _Cyperus_ plants as the background and _Bacopa monnieri_ with other emersed stems growing as a floating carpet of foliage. I think this will work well. I plant to use the _Cyperus_ as well as some _Ruellia_ and another flowering plant.










Here's another view of that old planting.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is a shot from the other night. I removed the large river cobbles in there and will replace them with angular slabs of limestone more similar to the rocky shorelines that I have seen in pictures of Lake Tanganyika. I'll also have to remove the little group of the livebearers and the Central America cichlids that are currently in there with the catfish. The riparium plants will look better when I can include some riparium trellis rafts with rooted stems to help cover up the planters and make a more natural scene.


----------



## Jeffww

Are you going to switch to a sand-based substrate or stick to gravel? Also, are you worried about the fish eating the plants/roots? Mbuna can be pretty hungry fish.


----------



## hydrophyte

I wasn't planning on adding mbuna. I intend to keep the gravel substrate and select fish that will be alright with it and everything else. I'm going to add just two or three more species of small cichlids.


----------



## Jeffww

Ah. I highly suggest shell dwellers then. Very fascinating behavior, but you do have to sacrifice a lot of space to little escargot shells for them to live.


----------



## hydrophyte

Jeffww said:


> Ah. I highly suggest shell dwellers then. Very fascinating behavior, but you do have to sacrifice a lot of space to little escargot shells for them to live.


That would be great, but I would worry about the _Synodontis_ being too disruptive for the shell dwellers. I am planning the whole thing around the catfish. I need cichlids that will hang around in the rocks or swim around in the mid-water area. 

Smaller _Julidochromis_ spp. seem like a good idea. If I can find some a small _Cyprichromis _in a small group would be really group.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here are a couple more shots to show the riparium foliage. The _Ruellia_, _Asclepias_ and _Cyperus_ are all growing in well. I will have flowers on the _Asclepias _before too long.


----------



## crazydaz

Paracyps or Cyps, maybe Devin?


----------



## hydrophyte

crazydaz said:


> Paracyps or Cyps, maybe Devin?


Yes I have had those in mind. _Cyprichromis_ is better recommended for larger tanks, but there are some type localities for _C. leptosoma_ that are smaller than some others. 

I got a hardscape into this thing I'll have pictures in three hours when the dust settles.


----------



## hydrophyte

Bookmarking this page...

http://www.fishbase.org/trophiceco/FishEcoList.php?ve_code=4


----------



## hydrophyte

I was waylaid last night but here's a quick picture from this morning.

The background plants are growing in well. I need to get more plants established on trellis rafts to start to cover up the planters. I also added this new hardscape of big limestone slabs that I pilfered from our yard. I like the way the look of these rocks and I'm surprised I never thought to use them before.


----------



## Overfloater

If you need some shells, I about 100 or so from my old shellie setup.


----------



## hydrophyte

Overfloater said:


> If you need some shells, I about 100 or so from my old shellie setup.


Thanks. Shellies are probably not a good idea for this setup because I already have that group of _Synodontis_ catfish in there and they are very active and swim all around the bottom. Species that would hang around in the rocks would be better.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a shot of the riparium foliage. Everything is growing in well. I will have to start pruning some of it back pretty soon. The _Asclepias_ Mexican milkweed have flower buds and they will bloom soon.


----------



## crazydaz

Paracyps hang out by rocks. I'm just sayin'.....maybe you forgot that I told you that before.....

Awesome, D! Love it! I was going to do the whole, pilfer my yard thing too, but decided against it at the last second. My wife would have been screaming like a Banshee at me for doing it.


----------



## hydrophyte

crazydaz said:


> Paracyps hang out by rocks. I'm just sayin'.....maybe you forgot that I told you that before.....
> 
> Awesome, D! Love it! I was going to do the whole, pilfer my yard thing too, but decided against it at the last second. My wife would have been screaming like a Banshee at me for doing it.


Yes _Paracyprichromis_ are on my list of fish to look out for, but I'm limited by what I can find easily. It is hard to get very good Tanganyika fish. I will probably just order some fish and pay for the Express shipping. My current favorite idea is still to use a group of goby cichlids. 

If I still have it in the tank when the snow melts I can replace that limestone in the border of the flower bed easily enough.


----------



## hydrophyte

I think I have a good idea for an additional fish to add to this tank!

There is quite a bit of open water space up in the front of the tank and I have thought that it might look best if I could include some kind of schooling fish. One idea that I had earlier for the fish stocking was to use a group of _Cyprichromis_, and then call it good. These active fish get to be several inches long however and this 36" is rather short for them. While snooping around I encountered this fish that I had never heard of before...

*Google: Lamprichthys tanganicanus*
https://www.google.com/search?q=Lam...g&biw=1101&bih=566&sei=38L7UN-oLoX9qAGWqIHwAw

What a cool fish! This is a killi that occurs in open water habitats in Lake Tanganyika and it's gorgeous. It looks something like a rainbow. However, _L. tanganicanus_ also gets to be rather big, to 6", and it would be better suited to a bigger tank.

While looking around some more on the Internet I saw some descriptions of using this fish as a Tanganyika tank dither and something of a stand-in for the more delicate, larger-growing and hard-to-find _L. tanganicanus_...
*
Google: Oryzias wowerae*
https://www.google.com/search?q=ory...g&biw=1101&bih=593&sei=X8T7UMrcD4-uqQGt04HABg

What a great idea! _O. wowerae_ is not from Africa at all, but it makes sense to use it in a Tanganyika setup. The area in Sulawesi where it originates has karst (limestone) topography and streams with high dissolved mineral content and probably few underwater plants. 

I should be able to track down a group of these, then if I can just add one Tanganyika cichlid that will use the rocky areas in the tank this setup will be complete.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's another cool idea for this setup, a Tankanyika lampeye!

_Aplocheilichthys pumilus_
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Aplocheilichthys-pumilus.html


----------



## hydrophyte

The _Asclepias _Mexican milkweed is blooming! This plant flowers readily in the riparium if you give it light.


----------



## BoxxerBoyDrew

Just read threw the whole post, and all I can say is WOW!!!!!!!

You have created some BEAUTIFUL setups, and I am thinking hard on doing a Riparium myself! Thank you for posting all of the info you have and I can't wait to see what you come up with the Tang setup!

I have kept different Africans for years, and the Brichardi's are a awesome group of fish, and will quickly breed if they have the correct water parameters! There are many different colors and stripe patterns in the family, and are easy Africans to keep too!

Best of luck with whatever you choose!
Drew


----------



## hydrophyte

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> Just read threw the whole post, and all I can say is WOW!!!!!!!
> 
> You have created some BEAUTIFUL setups, and I am thinking hard on doing a Riparium myself! Thank you for posting all of the info you have and I can't wait to see what you come up with the Tang setup!
> 
> I have kept different Africans for years, and the Brichardi's are a awesome group of fish, and will quickly breed if they have the correct water parameters! There are many different colors and stripe patterns in the family, and are easy Africans to keep too!
> 
> Best of luck with whatever you choose!
> Drew


Hey thanks so much! I have never kept Rift Valley fish, but I'm having fun researching them; there are so many possibilities. I was looking at various brichardi. Do you have any favorites?

Right now my favorite idea is to make this setup as representative of 
a quiet bay papyrus swamp. The riparium plants will go well with this concept. I have two cichlids in mind for this idea:


_Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor_ 
_Haplochromis bartoni_.
The first of these is not a Tanganyika species, but it does occur in papyrus swamps and similar habitats. 


Here are a couple more shots of that _Asclepias_.


----------



## crazydaz

Beautiful fish selections, Devin! Should be a colorful riparium through out!


----------



## hydrophyte

crazydaz said:


> Beautiful fish selections, Devin! Should be a colorful riparium through out!


I might have new fish in a week or two. I'm waiting to hear back about a couple of leads that I was following.

The _Ruellia_ and the _Asclepias _grew up really tall. They shaded everything else, so I'm going to cut them way back. This will give me some new cuttings to root! The gold _Asclepias_ has a bunch of nice bright flowers on it and I want to get a few more pictures before I chop it down again..


----------



## hydrophyte

Here it is with the gold _Asclepias_ grown up quite tall. 










Here's a specimen shot of the _Asclepias_. I like the look of this plant, but I'm going to cut it back to reduce the shade and give the shorter riparium plants a chance to grow up.


----------



## !shadow!

really diggin the rockwork in that first pic on your last post. What do you think about completely making a rock wall completely to the top of the waterline? I think it would make this tank perfect but then again it's just my 0.02  great tank eitherways


----------



## hydrophyte

!shadow! said:


> really diggin the rockwork in that first pic on your last post. What do you think about completely making a rock wall completely to the top of the waterline? I think it would make this tank perfect but then again it's just my 0.02  great tank eitherways


Hey thanks a bunch!

I've never much liked that "fruit stand" wall of rock kind of hardscape much and I prefer having the open space around the rocks. I like these rocks a lot. I hope to take some more time and get better pictures.

But I might not even keep the rocks in there. Those Tanganyika fish that I was looking for are unusual species that live in quiet bays with muddy bottoms, so they wouldn't even be around rocks. I might use driftwood instead.


----------



## Green_Flash

beautiful shots of the flowers!


----------



## hydrophyte

Green_Flash said:


> beautiful shots of the flowers!


Thanks. Those are just quick snapshots. I hope to have better pictures on the way.

Here's another view of the _Asclepias_ blooms...


----------



## hydrophyte

I finally made up my mind about a cichlid for this setup. This is what I'm going to use...

_Julidochromis transcriptus_ 'Pemba' 
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=2149

I can get these pretty soon from a local seller. It would have been fun to track down one of those more unusual species that occur in the papyrus habitats, but I think julies might be one of the most sensible options. The 'Pemba' type locality is especially attractive. I hope that they will be OK with the lampeye killis if I add the latter in a good-sized (~12 individuals) group.


----------



## hydrophyte

This tank got a haircut! I mowed the two _Ruellia_ and the two _Asclepias_ back to the last couple of leaf nodes. They will resprout in no time. I hope that the _Asclepias_ will grow back a bit more compact. Now the _Cyperus_ will get some more light. 










I planted fifteen rock wool plugs with the cuttings that I got.

Here's that picture from a week ago for comparison.


----------



## Overfloater

Very nice and great photography!


----------



## hydrophyte

Overfloater said:


> Very nice and great photography!


Thanks. I hope to have some better pictures on the way when these plants grow in again after a few weeks. 

I'm thinking about repainting the wall for better pictures. I have wondered about a dark grey with a bit of purple or gray in it(?). Maybe something like Benjamin Moore "Gentleman's Gray"(?)...

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/gentlemansgray


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's that same shot above with a little bit of hue adjustment and color a bit more true.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a quick shot of the Cryptoheros cutteri. I really like this fish; he has a lot of personality. He is coming out of this tank again when I add the new fish.


----------



## crazydaz

Beautiful fish, Devin! The tank is coming together very nicely!


----------



## hydrophyte

crazydaz said:


> Beautiful fish, Devin! The tank is coming together very nicely!


Thanks. I hope to get some of the new fish this weekend.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

all of your tanks are nice and absolutely above reproach
nice job as always!!


----------



## hydrophyte

HD Blazingwolf said:


> all of your tanks are nice and absolutely above reproach
> nice job as always!!


Thanks so much!


----------



## scapegoat

beautiful tank and fish choice.


----------



## hydrophyte

scapegoat said:


> beautiful tank and fish choice.


Hey thanks so much! Like I said, I am going to remove that C. cutteri and add other strictly Tanganyika fish. Here is what I'm going to include...



_Julidochromis transcriptus_ ‘Pemba’ - pair
_Synodontis lucipinnis_ - group of 7 already in tank
_Aplocheilichthys pumilus_ - ~10 individuals
Those _A. pumilus_ killis are pretty cool.


----------



## hydrophyte

I wanted to post this picture quick to show how I pruned the _Asclepias_. These stems were more than 24" tall, I really whacked them off on top. So long as the stem is left with a few leaf nodes it resprout and grow again. I like to prune _Ruellia_ and emersed _Hygrophila_ in the same manner.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is a look at the back of the planter. The _Asclepias_ roots have formed this spongy white mat. This is a magnetic planter and that black dot is the inside magnet.


----------



## hydrophyte

There were a few more shots of the_ Asclepias curassavica_ on the camera.


----------



## BoxxerBoyDrew

BEAUTIFUL PICS!!!!!

Those roots remind me of the Birds nests I saw in Namibia! The birds ( I can't recall their name this second) build massive colony nests with the openings on the under side! It is done that way to try to keep the snakes and critters from raiding the nest! VERY COOL PIC!!! I have some pics of the nests, and I will try to find them and post one here!

VERY COOL TANK 4SURE!!!
Drew

P.S. Julies are FREAKIN AWESOME FISH!!! I have had many types of them, and the ones you have chosen are VERY BEAUTIFUL and are soooooo fun to watch too!!! They will hover all around the rocks, and will also swim upside down following the underside of the rocks when searching for food to eat!!! You made a AWESOME CHOICE!!!


----------



## hydrophyte

BoxxerBoyDrew said:


> BEAUTIFUL PICS!!!!!
> 
> Those roots remind me of the Birds nests I saw in Namibia! The birds ( I can't recall their name this second) build massive colony nests with the openings on the under side! It is done that way to try to keep the snakes and critters from raiding the nest! VERY COOL PIC!!! I have some pics of the nests, and I will try to find them and post one here!
> 
> VERY COOL TANK 4SURE!!!
> Drew
> 
> P.S. Julies are FREAKIN AWESOME FISH!!! I have had many types of them, and the ones you have chosen are VERY BEAUTIFUL and are soooooo fun to watch too!!! They will hover all around the rocks, and will also swim upside down following the underside of the rocks when searching for food to eat!!! You made a AWESOME CHOICE!!!


Hey thanks a bunch!

I plan to get some better pictures of this tank. I might paint the wall a darker color so that I don't get so much of that white blowout.

I might have video tomorrow night. The tank needs to grow in again to look like much--I mowed all those tall stem plants down--but there are a few plant observations to share with video.

Yeah I am really looking forward to getting those julies. I think they will be perfect in this setup.


----------



## the_deeb

Looking good Devin. Has that Asclepias bloomed for you again after the trim? I'm curious to see what the growth habit has been like after you cut it back. Also, is it possible to trim the roots on these or is that detrimental to the growth of the plant?

I agree that the julies are a great choice for this tank. I had a little group of of J. transcriptus "gombi" in my 65g when I had it set up as a Tanganyikan tank and they were very fun little fish.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks!

It's only been a week-and-a-half since I cut that Asclepias back, so it will be a while before it blooms again. It should grow in more bushy this time because after I cut it more new buds started to grow. 

Trimming those long roots won't hurt the plant much, but I like to leave the roots because they make everything look more natural and I think the fish like them too. 

Yeah I look forward to getting these fish. Maybe I will have them early next week.


----------



## hydrophyte

I'm just using this tank for growing out a few different plants for a few weeks. Some of these will go into other setups, while a few will stay in here. I got a quick picture...










Here's a list of the plants in the hanging planters, from left to right.


_Asclepias curassavica_ "gold"
_Phalaris arundinacea_ 'Strawberries & Cream'
_Pleioblastus fortunei_ "variegatus"
_Cyrtosperma johnstonii_
_Asclepias curassavica_, red-flowered true species
_Cyperus alternifolius_ var. _gracilis_
_Ruellia britoniana_, tall bluebell true species
another _Phalaris_ 'Strawberries & Cream'
_Laguncularia racemosa_
I just wanted to post that picture quick while I had it handy because there are a few interesting plants there.

I might start rearranging this all soon to make a more permanent planting.


----------



## hydrophyte

That _Cyrtosperma johnstonii_ is a pretty amazing plant...


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's the plant that I'm going to use as most of the background foliage in here as I start to redo this setup.

'Strawberries & Cream' is a fast grower! It looks real spindly when first planted, then it fills in with lots of new grass blades.


----------



## hydrophyte

That chip that I put in the tank top rim right in the front really bugs me. Last night I started emptying all the stones and gravel from the tank and tonight I'm going to finish spinning it around and setting everything up again. I have to paint the side facing forward right now with black paint, and strip the paint from the rear panel. This all takes a long time, but that chip has been driving me nuts.


----------



## crazydaz

I know what you're saying. I used to be fine with power cords running from my lights down the back of my tank, but ever since a buddy of mine pointed them out, I can't see anything else. I'm currently having backgrounds made to hide the power cords from my lights.


----------



## hydrophyte

crazydaz said:


> I know what you're saying. I used to be fine with power cords running from my lights down the back of my tank, but ever since a buddy of mine pointed them out, I can't see anything else. I'm currently having backgrounds made to hide the power cords from my lights.


I was almost going to clean the tank out and redo the vertical silicone seams--they are looking pretty chewed up--but that would have left the tank unusable for more than a week with curing time and I didn't want to mess with all of that shuffling water and fish around.


----------



## hydrophyte

Another quick tank picture...


----------



## crazydaz

It'll look great once you get it done. Did you already move it and do the ol' "switcharoo"??


----------



## hydrophyte

I got the tank turned around last night. It took forever, but now that glass chip that was offending my sensibilities is out of sight. A 100% water change is good to do from time to time. I think the Fluval hadn't been cleaned in almost a year.


----------



## hydrophyte

I was working on this some more the other night. (Still) in anticipation of the new fish I decided that I needed to have a more consistent fine gravel/coarse sand substrate, so I removed all of the old substrate, then screened out the larger gravel and mixed it with some sugar-size aragonite. I like the appearance. 

I also tidied up the planting, but it will need some more time to grow in. I settled on the theme of using the _Phalaris_ 'Strawberries & Cream' ribbon grass in several planters as the main background plant in combination with _Ruellia_, _Asclepias_ and a couple other stem plants. There is also an _Acrostichum_ leather fern in there. I need to add more trellis rafts with aluminum plant to better cover up the planters.

I removed the little group of _Limia_, so the underwater area looks pretty bare right now. The _Cryptoheros_ and _Synodontis_ are still in there, but hiding in the shadows in this shot.


----------



## hydrophyte

I scored a new plant to try out in this tank! If you click around and lots of searches you can find some pretty cool plants on ehbay. _Hibiscus diversifolius_ is a real swamp plant from East Africa. I like the foliage and it has lemon yellow flowers. This 15" plant was just a few bucks. I hope that it will grow in here.


----------



## hydrophyte

I got new fish today and they are great!

I bought a colony of _Julidichromis transcriptus_ "Pembe" that includes a bonded pair and seven juveniles. They are really attractive fish with charcoal black markings and iridescent blue highlights on the fins.

I'll try to get pictures later on. It's hard to get good fish shots in this tank.


----------



## HD Blazingwolf

i like the strawberries! cool looking grass plant


----------



## hydrophyte

HD Blazingwolf said:


> i like the strawberries! cool looking grass plant


Once it gets rooted it grows really fast. You can almost hear it grow. If it gets too big or ratty you can also just cut it back down to the substrate and it will grow right back again.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a quick fish shot. This is one of the _J. transcriptus_ juvies that came with the group. They have such attractive markings. I really like the charcoal black color.


----------



## @[email protected]

really cool. i have a friend who isnt into plants, but loves his cichlids. gonna need to show him this thread.


----------



## hydrophyte

@[email protected] said:


> really cool. i have a friend who isnt into plants, but loves his cichlids. gonna need to show him this thread.


Hey thanks. These new fish are really cool. I've never kept julies before. 

Riparium plants can be a good option for growing plants with Rift Valley cichlids.


----------



## Idrankwhat

Julies are amazing! I've got a breeding pair that is now raising it's 10th generation. They're a conversation piece at the shop. The babies love the old Anubias that has rooted to the lava rock that's in with them. I'll post some pics when I clean the glass. (embarrassed):icon_redf


----------



## hydrophyte

Idrankwhat said:


> Julies are amazing! I've got a breeding pair that is now raising it's 10th generation. They're a conversation piece at the shop. The babies love the old Anubias that has rooted to the lava rock that's in with them. I'll post some pics when I clean the glass. (embarrassed):icon_redf


I like 'em a lot. These "Pembe" are the most attractive julies that I have seen. That would be great if you could post a picture of yours.


----------



## scapegoat

gorgeous fish



Idrankwhat said:


> pair that is now raising it's 10th generation.


i don't think that means what you think it means


----------



## Idrankwhat

scapegoat said:


> gorgeous fish
> 
> 
> 
> i don't think that means what you think it means


tenth brood more like it. :help:


----------



## scapegoat

Idrankwhat said:


> tenth brood more like it. :help:


haha right. i was thinking it odd they'd be raising their fry's fry's fry's fry's fry's fry's fry's fry's fry's fry :flick:


----------



## hydrophyte

I'm getting this tank into shape! The plants are starting to grow in. The planting is still sort of thin for a very good FTS picture, but I got this quick photo to show some of the foliage. The red plant on the right is _Hibiscus acetosella_ African rose mallow. This plant is a true East Africa species, so it represents the flora of that area. The grassy plant is _Phalaris _'Strawberries & Cream' ribbon grass. I have this fast-growing grass planted in several planters to make a grassy background. The white-spotted leaves in the foreground are _Pilea_ aluminum plant, my favorite trellis raft plant.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a quick FTS! Like I said, the riparium planting needs to grow in some more. These plants all grow pretty fast, so it should be looking pretty full in about six weeks.

I gotta find some kind of fish to swim around in the water column.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a group of these little guys. The juvenile "Pembe" are more active and entertaining than the adults.


----------



## johnson18

That hibiscus is sweet! The "Pembe" are nice too!


----------



## hydrophyte

johnson18 said:


> That hibiscus is sweet! The "Pembe" are nice too!


Yeah the julies are really great fish.

Do you mean the red hibscus, or the other one? Those hibiscus are just sticks with a few leaves now, but they are starting to root well and they should start to fill out in the next few weeks.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here are a couple more shots.

I really like the view of the water in through the top.










Like I mentioned before, the riparium planting needs to grow in some more, but it looks more full if you view it from the side. LOL.


----------



## johnson18

hydrophyte said:


> Yeah the julies are really great fish.
> 
> Do you mean the red hibscus, or the other one? Those hibiscus are just sticks with a few leaves now, but they are starting to root well and they should start to fill out in the next few weeks.


Yup, the red hibiscus! I was looking at them on google. They should look nice once they fill out.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's another new plant that I am trying out in this setup.

St. Job's tears (_Coix lacryma_) is a tropical grass related to corn (_Zea mays_) that grows well in wet soils. It is pretty easy to start from seed and these are seedlings that I got about six weeks after sowing. 










This plant can grow to 48"+ tall, but I hope that I will be able to control its size with pruning. I already put all of these little seedlings in riparium planters and I have more sprouting on the way.


----------



## hydrophyte

The St. Job's tears is looking great! It has lots of new roots in the planter. I need to get a new picture of it.

Today I added the Lake Inle danios and I like them a lot too. The swim right in the front up at the top of the water. I added six individuals, but I think I might get four more.


----------



## hydrophyte

I am going to start replanting this tomorrow. I'm not crazy about the combination of plants that it has right now. The St. Job's tears is an interesting one, but it is growing up too tall to look right with the other plants. 

I am going to shoot for something like this older planting with a couple of Cyperus in the background surrounded by carpeting stem plants.


----------



## OVT

That tank looked really good indeed.

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2


----------



## hydrophyte

I just pulled all of the existing plants out. I just left them in their planters and put them in the container pond that I have outside.

Here is what I am going to replant with...

_Cyperus_ 'Baby Tut'
_Hibiscus acetosella_ (two different color forms)
_Acrostchium danaefolium_
_Lysimachia nummularifolia_
_Bacopa monnieri_


----------



## hydrophyte

I haven't been back here in a while. I was very busy with some stuff.

I have a quick update for this tank. I got it all replanted and the plants have had a couple of weeks to start to grow in. They look pretty good.










Here you can see the new Lake Inle danios. These seem like a real good "stand in" choice as a shoaling species for a Tanganyika setup. They look real good with the julies and the _Synodontis_.


----------



## OVT

Welcome back.

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2


----------



## peachii

Looks great!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks you guys!


----------



## I<3<*))))><

Wow, what a lovely tank!! I am really falling fast & hard for all the amazing riptariums I've been seeing on here. This one has gotta be a fav. I've always had a soft spot for the Lake Tanganyika Cichlids. "Pembe"s always being one of my favs!

The plants are all starting to fill in very nicely too! Love the different textures, and height of the layout. 

The Danios add soooo much! Looks great, all around love this tank!


----------



## hydrophyte

I<3<*))))>< said:


> Wow, what a lovely tank!! I am really falling fast & hard for all the amazing riptariums I've been seeing on here. This one has gotta be a fav. I've always had a soft spot for the Lake Tanganyika Cichlids. "Pembe"s always being one of my favs!
> 
> The plants are all starting to fill in very nicely too! Love the different textures, and height of the layout.
> 
> The Danios add soooo much! Looks great, all around love this tank!


Thanks so much!

I like the "Pembe" a lot too. Unfortunately, it looks as though the pair has broken up. I had read that this can happen after a large water change, so I was trying to do water changes at only about 10% of the water volume. I did such a water change a couple of weeks ago and just a few minutes later I saw the male fish chasing the female fish around the tank. He hasn't been beating up on her too bad, but she hides over in a top corner. I hope that they might be able to re-bond sometime. 

Yeah the Lke Inle danios are not a Tanganyika fish, but they seem to work real well in there and they fill up the top part of the water area.


----------



## hydrophyte

I am cleaning up this tank again. It has all of the same fish, but new plants. I will try to get a picture tomorrow after the water has cleared up again.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's a quick shot. It needs to grow in some more. I wanted to have some _Cyperus_ in there to represent an African papyrus swamp, but I ended up with these other plants. These species all do pretty well in high pH and hard water, although the aluminum plant looks little chlorotic because it's probably not getting enough iron.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here are a couple shots to show the plants better.

That _Ruellia_ 'Katie' is a really handy plant.


----------



## hydrophyte

I decided to add _Cyperus_ again. I'll have new pictures in a couple of hours here when the water clears again.


----------



## hydrophyte

I added three planters with _Cyperus_. This will look good when these new plants have had some time to fill in with new leaves.










I also got around to installing this mini Koralia that was sitting in its box for a while. I like the look of the tank with more flow. An extra powerhead can also help a lot with filtration by keeping particles of crud up in suspension.


----------



## !shadow!

I got one of those koralina's. They last forever


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah they are a good design. I have another one in another tank that has been going non-stop for three years.


----------

