# Mr. Aqua 11.4 Riparium



## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have the 11.4-gallon Mr. Aqua tank on the way. It has a real nice shape (11.8" X 11.8" X 18.9") and I think that I have a good concept in mind for a riparium planting. 

I am going to shoot for a layout with a fine, grassy theme. I want to use baby panda bamboo (_Pogonatherum crinitum_) in several planters for most of the emersed background. 










This is a great plant. I have several of them going in riparium planters and they are finally (months later) starting to fill out. Baby panda bamboo is not a fast-growing plant. It really does look a lot like bamboo, but it is not a true bamboo. Like bamboo, however, it is a kind of grass.

I want to get some nice fish for this setup.

I have some more ideas to relate later on.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

I like this tank idea alot. With a rimless tank and a great riparium plant like baby panda bamboo, how could it not be awesome! Will this be an Asian biotope by any chance?


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Like always, I can't wait to see how this is going to turn out. What is going to be in the water section? Any plants in the water section? I really hope you post as often as you can.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

JakeJ said:


> I like idea alot. With a rimless tank and a great riparium plant like baby panda bamboo, how could it not be awesome! Will this be an Asian biotope by any chance?


If it is going to be a bio-type, a betta would be cool as a fish.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I had one specific fish idea in mind and I want to write it down before I forget. Some time ago *chonhzilla* had a setup going with _Barilius dogarsinghi_ and a couple other species. The _B. dogarsinghi_ look like a pretty cool little fish. They are cyprinids, but they look to me just like little trout. I wonder if I can find them for sale anywhere(?). I don't see much with a Google search.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> I had one specific fish idea in mind and I want to write it down before I forget. Some time ago *chonhzilla* had a setup going with _Barilius dogarsinghi_ and a couple other species. The _B. dogarsinghi_ look like a pretty cool little fish. They are cyprinids, but they look to me just like little trout. I wonder if I can find them for sale anywhere(?). I don't see much with a Google search.


Those are very nice fish indeed! Not sure about where one could get them though. Aquabid maybe?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I wonder if they might grow a bit too large for this setup.

I also pondered a little shoal Norman's lampeyes, combined with maybe a sparking gourami.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> I wonder if they might grow a bit too large for this setup.
> 
> I also pondered a little shoal Norman's lampeyes, combined with maybe a sparking gourami.


How do you know about so many cool fish!

I have to agree that the _Barilius dogarsinghi_ would grow a tad but large for such a setup. From what I read they grow to about three and a half inches. So they get pretty big. The lampeyes would be very cool. I heard that their eyes glow. Is that true?


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

What ever fish you choose, I am sure it will looks supurb even if you choose crappy grade guppies. 


-Caton

Sent from my iPod touch using tapatalk.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have wanted to do a setup with an orange swordtail to go along with the Riparium Supply logo, but that wouldn't really support the understated atmosphere that I want for everything else in this setup. Maybe I will get one and put it in here just for some picture-taking, then stick it in another tank.




















*


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

That would be cool, I think you should go for it. 

-Caton

Sent from my iPod touch using tapatalk.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I hope to have more new pictures soon. The tank might get here it tomorrow. It was scanned leaving UPS in Illinois. Tonight I will work on re-varnishing the little stand where I will set it up.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Funny...my light is in Illinois...Hodgekins to be exact...It departed there three days ago and still says it is departed.


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> I want to get some nice fish for this setup.


Or inverts only tank?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey shrimpo do you still have those mangrove trees going? I have an extra leather fern here for you if you might like it. I divided the clump that i had and ended up with three new plants.


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> Hey shrimpo do you still have those mangrove trees going? I have an extra leather fern here for you if you might like it. I divided the clump that i had and ended up with three new plants.


Only one still doing great, the other ones didn't make it since I switch them ( they were in brackish tank) to another freshwater tank.
I'll let you know about the leather fern once I am ready to rescape the 40 gallon Riparium.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

So you had them in brackish and they suffered when you switched back to freshwater? Is that right? How did they grow while you had them in brackish water?

I have the leather fern in freshwater now and it is doing great. 

My black mangroves and younger white mangroves are looking pretty good. I gifted/sold a number of them so I am left with only a few of each. They are pretty cool plants, but very slow-growing. It would be cool if somebody in Florida or Texas could go to the beach and get some more propagules for people to start in riparium planters. 

Have you put tablet fertilizer in the planter? Mangroves respond well to root fertilization.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

...oh and I still don't see the tank here. It has been sitting in Hodgkins, Illinois for four days now.

I don't why UPS keeps re-scanning it if it is just sitting there in their shipping center(???). Maybe they should put it on a truck(?).


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> So you had them in brackish and they suffered when you switched back to freshwater? Is that right? How did they grow while you had them in brackish water.
> Have you put tablet fertilizer in the planter? Mangroves respond well to root fertilization.


I think that's the case, it was my fault I should'v adjust them slowly to freshwater. they were fine with slow growth, and yes I used capsule fertilizer.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Yeah! Mine has been sitting in Hodgekins for EVER now.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

The tank finally got here with UPS tonight. I should have some pictures to post later on.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

My light should be here tomorrow  so I guess it was a glitch with hodgekins?


Can't wait to see pictures.


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

I wanna see


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

^^^ +1
Me too. Thinking about doing something like this with my 20g long. Of course I'd be buying all my stuff from you, Hydrophyte.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

OK here are a few quick pictures.

Here is the obligatory glass-handle-with-care-caution-box shot.










The tank was packed with that spray expanding foam. I made a mess while unpacking.

Here is the tank with stand.










I don't quite know where I am going to set it up yet, probably not right here. This is a spot next to my 50-gallon tank.










This stand is a simple plywood slab with pipe flanges and 1" steel pipe, rusting. I painted and varnished the top.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

...more pictures soon.

This thing will come together pretty quick.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Nice tank! I like the stand as well. Very simple and elegent. What will you be using for filteration? 

I look forward to a planted FTS.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I am just going to use a submersible power filter for now.


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## JamesHockey (Nov 10, 2010)

Unpacking actually sounds fun !!!!!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I found another spot for the tank and here it is set up with a light and water.










I need to raise the left side 1/8". This light seems OK. It is just a chicken clamp light with a spiral CF bulb.

I need to add a black background for the rear pane of glass.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I don't have any plants in here yet, but the spiral CF seems bright enough.

I have my eye on this lamp...

*Ecoxotic: Panorama LED Module*

...and wonder about it as a possible upgrade. Does anybody out there have any experience with these? I wish that I could get an idea of the lumens output: the spec sheet doesn't list that anywhere.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I got some plants in here and here it is with gravel, heater and filter too...










The planting is real simple. The riparium plants are, from left...


_Pilea grandifolia_ -- on a trellis raft
_Pogonatherum paniceum_, baby panda bamboo
_Fittonia_ "red vein" -- on trellis raft
_Laguncularia racemosa, _white mangrove
_Acorus gramineus_ "dwarf"

I will switch it up some more to better resolve the layout. There are also a couple of rosette swords (_Echinodorus parviflorus_ 'Tropica') underwater. I will add more underwater plants too.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Very nice! The Fittonia is a good accent. I still can not believe the height on the _Poganantherum_! Mine is still only about 5" tall.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Amazing!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I like the _Fittonia_ a lot too. I want to try to get more different varieties. The red might be a bit too strong for this setup and there is another one that is green with white veins I might try instead.

The _Pogonatherum_ doesn't grow real fast. Mine responded well and sprouted more new shoots when I added a few pellets of time-release fertilizer to the planters.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

Do you use RO water? My water is rock hard and alkaline, which I have heard is determinal to plant growth. Is that true? I was purty sure it was...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I am using 1/2 RO and 1/2 conditioned tap for this tank. I can't remember which GH that gives me but it seems to work well for plants. 

A lot of my plants are low tech selections that do fine in hard water anyway.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> I am using 1/2 RO and 1/2 conditioned tap for this tank. I can't remember which GH that gives me but it seems to work well for plants.
> 
> A lot of my plants are low tech selections that do fine in hard water anyway.


Ok, thank for the info!


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## Hobbes1911 (Mar 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> I had one specific fish idea in mind and I want to write it down before I forget. Some time ago *chonhzilla* had a setup going with _Barilius dogarsinghi_ and a couple other species. The _B. dogarsinghi_ look like a pretty cool little fish. They are cyprinids, but they look to me just like little trout. I wonder if I can find them for sale anywhere(?). I don't see much with a Google search.


Good luck? http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/244319/product.web

The tank looks awesome!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks! I just threw this layout together I can improve it a lot with some more experimentation. And the underwater area needs a lot more too. 

_Barilius dogarsinghi_ is probably too big for this tank.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here is a quick better view of the riparium plants.










There are a couple of fun selections in there. I really like the little white mangrove tree.

I hope to work on the underwater area soon. I have some nice stems to put in there.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I just remembered the small fish that I have had in mind before, *Danio choprae*. Has anybody had any experience with those, and have you seen them for sale anyplace recently? I looked around with a Google search but couldn't find anything.


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## giga (Dec 7, 2007)

Where's the white Mangrove I dont see it


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

The white mangrove has the paddle-shaped, rubbery leaves that are in front of the wall and in amongst the foliage of the baby panda bamboo.

Really that mangrove is not a very attractive plant, but I have it in here because it is still small in size and because I think it is a cool plant. The other specimens are doing more for the layout in there.


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> I just remembered the small fish that I have had in mind before, *Danio choprae*. Has anybody had any experience with those, and have you seen them for sale anyplace recently? I looked around with a Google search but couldn't find anything.


I don't know where to buy them but here is great info about caring for that fish: 
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.php?genus=Danio&species=choprae&id=950


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Have you ever kept them shrimpo?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Well I did some reading and it seems that choprae danios need a bit more space. 

I also wondered about either sparkling gouramis or some kind of species beta combined with a real small shoaling fish. Does anybody else have an ideas or suggestions?


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

I would do a trio of sparkling gouramis, some female Betta splenden's, and then 6-8 (or so) ember tetra (or other small tetra). But that is just me, the tank is looking amazing as it is now!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I think it would be pretty crowded with bettas _and_ sparkling gouramis.

I am leaning toward using a gourami or two and a small group of some small tetra or rasbora.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

hydrophyte said:


> I think it would be pretty crowded with bettas _and_ sparkling gouramis.
> 
> I am leaning toward using a gourami or two and a small group of some small tetra or rasbora.


True, I guess I was thinking of it full of water, not really as a riparium. 

Have you thought about CPD's? (celestial pearl danio for those who don't know)

I always thought they looked cool, but they are tiny. As I stated before, anything you choose will make me want to do the same if I get a tank :tongue:


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

The tank is full of water almost all the way up to the top, but I still think it would be crowded with that many fish. 

I like CPDs a lot, but I think that something more showy and active would be better in there.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Mmmk, I didn't see that :confused1:


Don't listen to me, I know very little :help::redface:


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I think maybe two sparkling gouramis and about six brigittae rasboras sounds good.


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

Do it!


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> Have you ever kept them shrimpo?


No, never had those fish.


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> I also wondered about either sparkling gouramis or some kind of species beta combined with a real small shoaling fish. Does anybody else have an ideas or suggestions?


There is a member at aquariacentral that sells micro fish and inverts that hard to find in LFS.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey Abdelkrim did you get my email? Your box shipped out this morning. 

Do you mean msjinkzd? I have been in touch with her already.


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## shrimpo (Aug 2, 2009)

hydrophyte said:


> Hey Abdelkrim did you get my email? Your box shipped out this morning.
> 
> Do you mean msjinkzd? I have been in touch with her already.


Yes I got your email, Thanks a lot.
msjinkzd, that's her. I buy inverts from her all the time.


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## giga (Dec 7, 2007)

where'd you get white mangroves?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

A friend of mine collected them as propagules in Florida in a mangrove swamp. 

It is important to remember that it is illegal to collect mangrove trees, even very small ones, in Florida and most other places in the US.


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## giga (Dec 7, 2007)

yeah I know I have red and black mangrove but I've had a hell of a time finding white mangroves


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Maybe you should post a WTB thread in the SNS here.

I'd offer you one of mine but I have only two left. I sold & gifted all the other ones that I had.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here is another quick shot of the foliage from the other night.










I have added underwater plants too. I hope to have a photo update tomorrow.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here is a quick picture from tonight. I worked on the underwater area some more.










Those are just various random stem plants underwater. I thought I would try a few different ones to see which would grow best in here.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This tank is looking pretty good. The underwater plants have grown some but otherwise there isn't much change. I hooked up the little Pierce CO2 system, but now I contemplate removing all the underwater plants and see how I can do with just hardscape underwater. I might post a picture or two in a few days.


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

nice, l like how the rocks are all uniform. Maybe if you could get some smaller versions to transition from the sand like a river bed?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks I like those rocks a lot too. I don't have any more of the brick red in smaller sizes, but maybe I could find some in a third different color. That wouldn't look real natural, but it might be kind of cool.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I decided to remove the underwater plants because I was having some algae trouble. The riparium plants are all doing real well. The baby panda bamboo has grown a lot. I might post pictures later on.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Wow I got the baby panda bamboo (_Pogonatherum crinitum_) growing a lot better and now it's looking great.










I just cleaned this tank. Tomorrow after the water has had time to clear I'll get a FTS.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here is the base of that plant for more detail. You can see that there are many new shoots.










This is not the easiest plant to grow, but the effect is nice when it is happy.


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

nice. That panda bamboo looks amazing.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks! Yeah it is not especially easy to grow, but baby panda bamboo is definitely one of the classiest riparium plants. 

I'll get that FTS pretty soon here.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Looks awesome! Hey Hydrophyte, I'm going to be setting up a riparium soon, how do I know which plants to use? Is there like, a riparium plant list?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

What makes the baby panda bamboo hard to grow? I really like the plant arrangement you have, and I haven't given up on the bamboo, if I ever see any at the nursery.

Jake brought up something in an email to me today - using a riparium as a cichlid tank, no plants underwater, just rockwork in the water. That is interesting me the more I think of it. I look forward to seeing how this one looks with only rocks.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey Hoppy it's good to hear from you.

I don't know that the baby panda bamboo is so difficult, I just think that it needs moderate-bright lighting, good root ferts and some patience. These plants of mine just sat around for a long time (like a whole year) without growing much, but then I gave them a bit more attention and they are doing much better. It really is a great plant for smallish riparium setups. 

I definitely agree that is a good idea to put together a riparium with a nice emersed planted area combined with a nice underwater hardscape and real good fish. I have the 120 that I have set up over on the UW campus like that with no underwater plants and it looks nice.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> Looks awesome! Hey Hydrophyte, I'm going to be setting up a riparium soon, how do I know which plants to use? Is there like, a riparium plant list?


Hey just let me know if you need help getting plants. I have a few things here that I could divide up and send your way. Did you see the Black mangrove propagules that I had? You can also probably find some good ones among houseplants at a local garden center or grocery store or wherever.

I am working on cleaning this thing some more and maybe I'll have some pictures to post tonight.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey look this has grown in seriously great.










If you compare against the older shots you can see the foliage is much more full. This picture is from 1 January 2011.










The underwater portion doesn't look like much. There was a lot of algae there for a while so I removed the underwater plants. The pike cichlid murdered everybody else and now he's the only fish in there. I really like that fish, but he isn't very good for photography because he just sneaks around.


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## jeepn4x4 (Jan 27, 2008)

Wow that looks great. I have to try this on one of my tanks. Funny thing is that the best choice for me would be my Mr Aqua tank. It is the 12 gallon long tank. What are the red leaf plants?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

What shape is that Mr. Aqua 12G? Baby panda bamboo could be a good choice for a tank like that. 

The bright red plant is a _Fittonia_. The _Pilea grandifolia_ also have some red accent in its leaves.


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## MaStErFiShKeEps (Dec 6, 2010)

Admiring the purple bamboo  Looks nice!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey thanks! That grassy stuff is actually baby panda bamboo, not purple bamboo.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here is another somewhat better shot of that riparium foliage. The plants are looking good.










I am going to work on the underwater area then get a FTS. I find it a lot easier to manage the riparium plants than the fully aquatic ones.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

wow! that looks great! I love that red plant, what is it?


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## malaybiswas (Nov 2, 2008)

Beautiful growth. FTS please.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That bright red plant is a _Fittonia_. The other two (nitrogen-starved) plants have red accents and they are a white mangrove and a _Pilea grandifolia_.

I will work on getting a FTS. Right now the underwater area is rather dark because I took out all the submerged plants. I need to figure it out.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey look here's a quick FTS.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I just love the foliage in this tank and I can't stop shooting pictures of it...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

And lastly here is that little _Crenicichla_ pike cichlid.










Like I said he hides most of the time and doesn't add much visually to the layout, but I like his personality.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Well I added some more fish and also some small manzanita branches to fill more of that vertical space. I will try to post a picture update later on. 

Here again is that FTS from last weekend. You can see that there is a lot of empty space in the water.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Love it! Hope mine fills in this well.

What do you do to fertilize the plants in the planters? Do you do EI dosing or just root caps


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

Liking the progress of the tank devin. Nice pic of the pike cichlid.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey thanks! I gotta work on getting more pictures hopefully tonight I will get around to that.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's a quick photo update.










I added the manzanita branches and also a few more fish to fill more of that vertical space.

What do you think so far?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey I just found something and thought I would share a link.

Baby panda bamboo does not show up much for sale, but I just spotted it in this online pond plants store...

http://www.pondmegastore.com/shop/product.php?productid=16368


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

cool! I just ordered some and got a bunch more plants from that site.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey it would be great if you could get some pictures of that baby panda bamboo when you get it. I would be interested to see how it looks. You might get a nice full plant. 

It would be a good idea to QT that plant before putting it in a riparium setup. A lot of the material from those pond nurseries have lots of bugs and you wouldn't want spider mites and aphids and stuff like that in your setup because they will damage your plants.


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## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

That fittonia looks amazing. PM me if you want to try a cutting from my fittonia 'black widow'. It has much larger leaves than all the other varieties I've seen.

How much light are you running over the tank and what type of bulb are you using (sorry if previously described you lighting). You're getting ridiculously nice coloration from everything in there


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

That's a good idea. I'll make sure to soak them for a day or 2 before I load them up into my riparium.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

snausage said:


> That fittonia looks amazing. PM me if you want to try a cutting from my fittonia 'black widow'. It has much larger leaves than all the other varieties I've seen.
> 
> How much light are you running over the tank and what type of bulb are you using (sorry if previously described you lighting). You're getting ridiculously nice coloration from everything in there


Actually I took that red _Fittonia_ out of there. It was a little too gawdy for everything else. It would work well in a layout with more different colors.

This setup currently just has a spiral CF in a chicken lamp hanging above. I might upgrade it soon to an Ecoxotic LED strip.



IWANNAGOFAST said:


> That's a good idea. I'll make sure to soak them for a day or 2 before I load them up into my riparium.


Yep that's a good idea.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

sorry to hijack your thread but I'm noticing on some of my Pilea grandifolia is having their leaves turn black on the edges. Is my light too strong? Not strong enough? Not enough ferts in the water? 

Also... since you got rid of that red fittonia... wanna send it to me


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Oh I don't know about that _Pilea_. It might just be that it got burned a little bit during shipping. Has it started to root yet? Can you get a picture of it? 

That _P. grandifolia_ is definitely one of the best riparium plants. As it grows it would be a good idea to keep taking cuttings from the top and starting them in trellis rafts. I am trying to grow enough of it here so that I can offer it as a catalog item but it is slow. 

Oh I don't remember what I did with that _Fittonia_(???). It was just two little pieces so I might have just chucked it. If you look around at Home Depot or wherever you might be able to find it among the houseplants. I do have a white-vein _Fittonia_ here.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

It's throwing down a lot of roots and growing really well, just some leaves turn black. Not sure what's going on. 

I've been searching all over for that red vein but can't find it haha, the white vein you sent me is growing super well. The roots are very dense and my shrimp love hanging out in them.

I really like the way that grandifolia looks in your tank. Too bad my driftwood takes up so much space in my tank... I guess it's time for a bigger tank lol


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yeah I don't know what about those black leaf margins. I have never had any trouble like that from that plant. If it is growing well I would just pinch those leaves off. 

If you get a chance to shoot a picture of that baby panda bamboo you ordered I really would be interested to see it. If it is nice and full I will buy some too.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I need help with updating the fish stocking for this tank. I like the dwarf pike cichlid a lot, but he just hides all the time.

I need some fish that will swim around out in the foreground. I hope to get one single specimen or a pair as centerpiece and then a group of six or seven of some smaller shoaler.

I need fish that won't jump. I already had four mollies jump out of this tank. What do you all think of sparking gouramis? I like them a lot. Are they jumpers?


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## Jeffww (Aug 6, 2010)

You sure the mollies didn't jump because of the pike cichlid? I'm pretty sure they could easily suck in a molly for a snack. 

edit: just realized how small it was. 

But I have a feeling he might be it. Never had mollies jump before.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yes I think that they might have jumped because of the pike cichlid. It is a pretty scary little fish.

But I do want to select fish less likely to jump for this initiative. I will be removing the pike cichlid.

What about choprae danios? I have a source for those. Do they have any tendency to jump? Would they work OK in such a small tank? I thought that chopraes might look good in combination with pearl gouramis.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Im a big fan of apistos. I have a macmasteri, it's super bright red with nice electric blue streaks on its face


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks. I forgot to mention that I also have an apisto (can't remember the species??) in there with the pike cichlid. Maybe I should just leave the apisto and then add some kind of shoaler(?). The apisto hides all the time too but maybe if I have numerous fish in there as dithers he will come out. He would look good I suppose with the choprae danios. 

Another idea I ahd was for a group of a dwarf cories with the pike. Cories would probably be fast enough to stay out of the way and just large enough to avoid beig eaten(?). 

And I also want to consider a _Parosphromenus_. Do they jump?


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## fishboy87 (Feb 19, 2008)

german blue rams might be cool. they don't jump as far as I know


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks. I was shooting for something a little more subtle than rams.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

hydrophyte said:


> ...What about choprae danios? I have a source for those. Do they have any tendency to jump? Would they work OK in such a small tank? I thought that chopraes might look good in combination with pearl gouramis.


They are very skittish fish and will jump. Out of 12 added to my 60-P one month ago, I have one left. It's a shame, they're beautiful little fish.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

roybot73 said:


> They are very skittish fish and will jump. Out of 12 added to my 60-P one month ago, I have one left. It's a shame, they're beautiful little fish.


Thanks for this tip! I will cross them off the list.


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

Pygmy cories? Neon dwarf rainbows?

Bloodfin tetras produce a gorgeous shoaling effect, moreso than any other fish I've seen.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Thanks yes I thought about pygmy cories too. They would actually look good with the dwarf pike, but I don't know if the cichlid would chase them too much(??). 

I need to try to get some good photographs from this tank. I was also trying to think of other small fish with opaque and very bright colors. Those tend to show up better in riparium shots because of the extra shade.


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

hydrophyte said:


> Thanks yes I thought about pygmy cories too. They would actually look good with the dwarf pike, but I don't know if the cichlid would chase them too much(??).
> 
> I need to try to get some good photographs from this tank. I was also trying to think of other small fish with opaque and very bright colors. Those tend to show up better in riparium shots because of the extra shade.


He'll chase one, get a mouthful of cory spines, and that'll be the end of that behavior.

I still recommend bloodfins. Great shoalers, and their white/red color doesn't go away with shade.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm less enthusiastic about tetras generally but bloodfins sound like a good option. I think that I have seen them at the LFS. If they get hassled by the pike I could just remove him and leave the apisto in there. That would probably look good.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm working on this setup again. I want to use it in a magazine article and I need to get it photo ready. It will be challengin to get great pictures because the plants have grown a lot and are shading the underwater area, but the plants are looking great. The _Pogonatherum_ has lots of flowers on it. 

I wan tot paint the wall behind a dark color (maybe purple??) because the plants don't look so good against the creamy yellow that is currently on that wall. Oh and I still need to add some kind of shoaler.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

The baby panda bamboo is flowering! Grass flowers are usually pretty plain but this is cool anyway.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Actually these flowers are very pretty if you get close enough. Here is a macro shot.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Well now I think I might need to tear down this setup and replant it. I had wanted to get some new fish and clean up everything so I could do some more good photography, but now the baby panda bamboo has just gotten to be a bit too large and it's throwing too much shade. Whoops!










THis stuff takes a while (months) to grow in. It will be a while before I have the layout looking nice and full again.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

That's some impressive growth Hydrophyte!

reminds me... I need to take a picture of my riparium...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

That would be awesome to see some pictures of your setup. I was going to ask you about that. You have that _Colocasia fallax_ growing in there right?

It was fun when this baby panda bamboo started to flower. The flowers are really pretty close up.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm cleaning this tank tonight to get ready for a final round of pictures and then I'm gonna tear it down.

I finally figured out which new kind of fish to add--these _Limia melanogaster_--they were right here under my nose the whole time!










This picture is from before when I had them in my 50G setup. They will look really good in the Mr. Aqua with the apisto. I'll just have to see whether they jump or not.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have just a few more shots to post for this setup and then I'm gonna tear it down.

The plants sure grew well in here.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Here's one more quick shot...


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## Da Plant Man (Apr 7, 2010)

I guess all good tanks have to come to an end.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Sad to see this one get shut down. Hey I got a question, is it ok to trim back all the roots that go down into the water? My taro plants are sending in a way way too thick mass of roots into the tank.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

IWANNAGOFAST said:


> Sad to see this one get shut down. Hey I got a question, is it ok to trim back all the roots that go down into the water? My taro plants are sending in a way way too thick mass of roots into the tank.


Yeah you can trim the roots back and I do that if they start to reach around a whole lot. However, it is good to leave a few roots growing in the water because that makes a more natural appearance and the fish, especially the little ones, like the roots too.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Da Plant Man said:


> I guess all good tanks have to come to an end.


Hey I'm leaving the setup in place and I'm going to replant with most of the same plants, so it will be something similar again in a few months.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I want to getback to work on this thing. It needs new fish. The Limia melanogaster have been dying off. I think that the room has been too warm and they were also from an inbred colony. 

I want to use some kind of cool new plant in a new layout. And I also need ot figure out new fish stocking(????).


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I might replant this thing tonight with some different selections. I am thinking about using several of these _Chamaedorea cataractarum_ palms that I have....


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm trying to figure out a new plant theme for this tank. I want to try something different. I might use those palms as the main background plant, but here is another idea.










This is _Cyperus albostriatus_. It has the important advantage that it grows no taller than about 12". That other _C. involucratus_ that I use a lot can get pretty big. Hoever this one has a couple of important caveats. Instead of having a *clumping* growth habit like that other _Cyperus_, _C. albostriatus_ is *rhizomatous*. You can see that really well in this picture fo the uprooted plant. The effect of this is that in the riparium the rhizomes just run around and around in the planter and the plant doesn't grow many shoots and doesn't grow in very full. 

Well I might try it out anyway in this setup. Maybe if I keep nice bright consistent light on it it will grow in better.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have a fun new plant here that might be a good riparium plant choice for that "grassy" background look...

*Google: Carex 'Ice Dance'*

Apparently this plant grows well in ponds. It has very nice and sturdy white-variegated foliage.

I have divisions enough for a couple planters here and I am going to try it in this tank.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Very nice, I think many of the variegated sedges could be good candidates.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yep the main thing would be to use the ones that grow well in the water.

Some sedges have flimsy foliage that bends very easily, but the leaves on this 'Ice Dance' are nice and stiff.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

I think a few with flimsy foliage kept with stiff foliage varieties could make and interesting display.


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## prototyp3 (Dec 5, 2007)

I love these ripariums. Something about that line of shadowing separating the emerged plants from the water is so appealing. Must resist the urge to try one...

I'm gonna have to read through your journals to see how much maintenance these tanks are. I'm guilty of being a picture junkie, and usually avoid reading text whenever possible, hah.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I think that ripariums tend to demand less than regular planted tanks. You can have a nice lush full display without have to add extra CO2 and the plants are also less forgiving of nutrient deficiencies. 

My current favorite way to set up ripariums is with lots of plants abovewater but none underwater and with a nice hardscape and active fish display. This kind of setup makes it real easy to clean and manage algae.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Once again I am trying to figure out new fish stocking that I will like better for this tank.

I'm tired of the _Limia melanogaster_ and they never looked very good and I've had that apisto forever.

I just saw that msjinkzd has Norman's lampeye killis for just two bucks each....

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/invertebrates-msjinkzd/146438-available-sale-august-29-2011-a.html

I wonder about a group of maybe seven of those combined with an anabantoid or seomtheing like that(????).


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Sounds good, with the sparkling gourami, Trichopsis pumilus maybe


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yep that would be a good one. HAve you ever kept them? Do they jump?


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

No I haven't kept them.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I have made a mini-breakthrough...I finally figured out how to propagate the baby panda bamboo. I have tried rooting stem cuttings a few times, but they always died. This new method works mch better.

I hope to have extra baby panda bamboo in a month or two. It's a great plant for nano ripariums that's for sure.








[/QUOTE]


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

OK I am making an effort to fix up this tank again. I think I am going to do the riparium planting again mainly with the baby panda bamboo along with a few other things. 

I have a few different concepts for fish that I am looking at and I would love to hear any suggestions you might have. 

I am again going to have the tank about 3/4-full, so that will be only about 8 gallons of water. The couple inches of extra glass above the waterline might help to deter jumpers, but any fish jumping real high might leap out. 

Here is my first idea...


_Parosphronemus deissneri_, licorice gourami - one or maybe two individuals if the vendor will sell me a pair
_Oryzias mekongensis_, Mekong redfin lampeye - a group of six individuals
This _Oryzias_ is apparently a new fish in the hobby. They are supposed to be very timid; I hope the gourami will be quiet enough to keep with them.

Any notions on these?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Alright here is another stocking idea...


_Pseudomugil furcatus_ - SIX individuals
_Betta chanoides_ - ONE male fish

What do you think of this? Are these fish likely to jump very much and get out of this open-top setup?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

OK I scrapped the idea for the _Pseudomugil _and the _B. channoides_; I would worry about these fish jumping out.

I am going to use a group of eight_ Boraras naevus_ as the shoaling fish. Now I just need the centerpiece fish. Does anybody have any experience with the _Parosphronemus_ licorice gourami? I might also consider some other kind of gourami, but it has to be something small and less common.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Wow these _Boraras_ that I got in here are awesome; now I see why they are so popular.

That tank isn't much to look at right now--it'll take several months for the plants to grow in--but I might shoot a picture or two later on.


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## jeepn4x4 (Jan 27, 2008)

How is the tank going?


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## klaus07 (Nov 23, 2011)

Danio choprae is a great fish, but I thnk Danio kyathit spotted form is a better looking fish. LTry Eric Bodrock, he often has some.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'm just using this tank for growout now and the plants don't look like much, but I did get some nice fish into it. I added a little group of _Boraras maculata_, a trio of _Limia melanogaster_ and a single _Laetacara curviceps. _

It's going to be a while before I have this photo-ready again.


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## inka4041 (Jul 27, 2008)

FWIW, I've been keeping channoides in open top tanks for like 4 years at this point, and have never had a single jumper. Especially given the thick vegetation at the water line, I'd be really surprised if they were uncomfortable enough in one of those setups to bail. That baby panda bamboo is just awesome. I'm gonna have to pick some of that up off of you when my riparium plans come together.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey that's a great tip. I want to try more species bettas and I will keep that in mind.

Yep baby panda bamboo is a really cool plant for nano/small ripariums. Remember that it is slow to establish. It's best to give it bright light and at least a 4-month growout time. Once established though it starts to fill in pretty quick. Older stems start to look ratty, but you can trim them out easily and that will just encourage more new growth. Here's a planter with a nice established plant...


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## inka4041 (Jul 27, 2008)

Yeah, they're gorgeous fish, but don't expect to see them too often. I generally only see mine at feeding time, and when they're courting. Also, I've read that iron is important for the proper development of fry, seeing as how they come from areas with very iron rich waters. I threw some laterite in with my sand, and haven't seen any issues. Definitely make sure there are thickets under water for them to hide in, and caves as well. The males like dark small spaces to brood in. In any case, I'm currently planning on moving my goldfish into a 90g riparium type setup, so I may be pestering you with questions in the coming weeks.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I hope I can get a couple of species _Betta_ sometime soon. I want to get _B. pugnax_ to put in my 56 riparium setup.

Have you seen this guy's setup?...

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?410493-my-new-MONSTERS-to-be-Black-Mangroves/page11&highlight=Maxx

He has a nice mix of plants in there for combination with goldfish. The leather fern, _Bacopa monnieri_ and _Cyperus_ are real good choices.

I have leather fern and _Cyperus_ in this 29 for a single fancy...


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## inka4041 (Jul 27, 2008)

Wow. Both of those are really cool setups. I love how the cyperus looks, but given that this tank is in my bedroom, and I'm putting the 90 on a regular height stand, I'm unsure how tall plants can be and still be feasible. Any common riparium plants known for particularly vigorous nutrient uptake?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Yeah that particular _Cyperus_ gets pretty tall, but there are lots of other options that are shorter or that you can prune to control size.

Any of the fast-growing riparium plants would be good for nutrient uptake. Here are some quick ideas...


various _Cyperus_
leather fern
_Bacopa monnieri_
certain _Hygrophila_
_Spathiphyllum_
_Asclepias_
_Colocasia fallax_


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I haven't been back into this thread in a while, but I still have the tank set up. I planted a bunch more baby panda bamboo into and I'm growing it up.

I found another similar interesting plant at a local garden center today, this is the dwarf bamboo _Pleioblastus fortunei_.










Unlike the baby panda bamboo that I have been growing in this tank all along this is a true bamboo. But it only grows to about 24" tall. Most bamboos need moist, but well-drained soil and can't grow in marginal aquatic situations, but this plant is grown along the edges of ponds. I hope that it will grow as a riparium plant and I am going to test a few divisions in riparium planters.


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

Always love your ripariums... they seem to encompass the beauty of wabi-kusa and the elegance of a stream-like hardscape. Nice work, and it certainly looks larger than a 11.4g!

My only gripe would be the square stone with a hole in it, it makes the otherwise very natural looking hardscape look fake.


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## Chaos_Being (May 18, 2010)

Very nice...I went back a few pages to see what it looked like before you tore it down. I've liked all of your ripariums I've seen on here, but never even thought of the possibility of a nano one.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Chaos_Being said:


> Very nice...I went back a few pages to see what it looked like before you tore it down. I've liked all of your ripariums I've seen on here, but never even thought of the possibility of a nano one.


Thanks! 

You can make a real nice nano riparium with the right plant selection. Baby panda bamboo is an excellent choice because it grows to only about 12" tall and the fine leaves scale well with a small tank.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This tank is empty. I'm wondering about setting it up again. I think it could be cool to do a setup with some small native Southeast US fish, such as _Lucania goodei,_ _Heterandria formosa _or a pygmy sunfish.










(Wikimedia Commons image: File:Elassoma Gilberti male in breeding colors.jpg - Wikimedia Commons)


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