# 10 Gallon Half Dutch/Half Iwagumi?



## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Update: 12/12/2013.










Very first shot: 10/18/2013.










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Tank Stats:

*Substrate:* 
Eco-Complete

*Equipment:*
2x18W 6500k Odyssea Light
2 Aquaclear 20 filters (customized filter media)
DIY CO2 + Glass Diffuser
100W Heater
Tetra Air Pump

*Plants:* 
Rotala Nanjenshan Sp
Rotala Rotundifolia (Indica?)
Lysimachia Nummularia 'Aurea' (Golden Creeping Jenny)
Limnophila Aromatica 'Hippuroides'
Hemianthus Micranthemoides (Baby Tears)
Hemianthus Callitrichoides (Dwarf Baby Tears)
Blyxa Japonica
Staurogyne Repens
Pogostemon Helferi (Downoi)
Nesaea Sp. Red
Ludwigia Sp. Red

*Inhabitants:*
1 Halfmoon Betta
5 Neon Tetras
2 Panda Corys
2 Otocinclus
20+ Cherry Shrimp
9 Amano Shrimp

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Man, I have been so inspired by everyone's tank journals here. I revisit this section every day to see if anyone's uploaded new photos for their tanks. You know those threads with 20 pages? I'm the person that goes through all 20 pages! Haha. Anyway, I thought I'd contribute to this section with my own experiences.

I decided to rescape my 10 gallon planted tank. Here is picture of how it looked before. 










While it was a great tank and I really liked the look of it at the time when things started growing out, I felt that the driftwood was just too big of a piece to put in an ordinary 10 gallon tank. It felt cluttered and I felt I didn't have enough flexibility to aquascape. Therefore, I decided to remove the driftwood and go for rocks as hardscape. *[I have the driftwood up for grabs if anyone wants. It has anubias nana, two anubias petites, and java fern all growing on it! PM if interested!]*

I had no idea what I wanted to do so I went to Aquatic Gardeners Association to look at their contest photos. Great resource here!!! I found my inspiration and I picked out rocks and the setup I was looking for. People at the petshop were probably thinking I was a caveman playing with rocks. lol.










Foreground only carpet of Staurogynes repens!










Purchased a bunch of plants from planted aquariums central and did a massive rearranging and planting yesterday. Here's what it is looking like so far.










I'm going to fill in some of the gaps with downoi once they come in. Can anyone suggest a nice red stem plant to put in the left corner?

Will keep everyone posted! Thanks for reading!


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## rininger85 (Jun 30, 2013)

nice tanks, I'm looking forward to receiving my 2nd shipment from planted aquariums central today... I'm starting a new 10 gal with them as well... I was able to collect my rocks from the river next to my house, but I can picture the scene of a bin full of rocks and you picking through each and every one setting them on the side until you found the perfect ones =)

is that HC in the front now? What are your lights? I don't know if I would have been able to rip the old tank apart to start over... I probably would have had to buy a new tank instead so I could keep them both =) both look really nice.


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## rininger85 (Jun 30, 2013)

oh just noticed your diffuser... so it looks like its compressed CO2?

I had to give up on my driftwood too, just not enough space in a 10 gal...


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Haha! I was literally going through shelves of rocks and placing them on the floor. My legs got so tired from squatting, that I sat down, legs crossed, just arranging rocks. I don't even know why I went to the petshop in retrospect. Probably just thought the rocks would be safe.

It is HC in the front row. The lights are 2x18W Odyssea lights. It was kind of sad to rip it apart, but I think once I got the rocks, it was rather refreshing to start new.

I am running DIY CO2. I've discovered that using a larger reacting bottle makes the CO2 last longer, probably because less yeast die off from the alcohol they produce. But agreed. Not enough space in the 10 gallon for big driftwood. Maybe small branches with moss growing on it.


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Here's an updated picture of the tank. 










I've added the downoi in the center, behind the rock "bench" and also to the right. I went to the LFS to pick up some Ludwigia sp. Red to add a red accent to the left side. They are expensive! Got 3 stems for $9.99. Their amanos are not bad though. I picked up 5 for $13.99. Currently stocking 1 Halfmoon Betta, 5 neon tetras, 2 pandy corys, 2 otocinclus, 20+ cherry shrimp, 9 amanos.

I've noticed the HC start to expand and some stems are pointing upwards. I hope it's not a light issue. I'm running a 2x18w T5 HO light over a 10 gallon. About 2 inches about the water level. Hopefuly it's just expanding due to compression from shipping. I'm also hoping it'll fill in nicely in 1 months time.

What do you guys think?


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Oh yeah, I also bought a glass drop checker online. Apparently this cheap one I got from fluval leaked the solution into the water!! I feel that's the only explanation since the fluid level inside the checker was lower than when I first put it in. Did an immediate water change so I hope everything will be fine. Don't recommend the fluval CO2 indicator kit at all. I've learned not to be cheap and to go for the glass checker, make your own 4dkh solution with baking soda, and using ph test to get it all working.


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Last, but not least for this update. Here's a picture of the blueprint I drew before I decided to rescape. I drew this at work....and now I'm behind. Planted tank enthusiast problems.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

You're tank (before and after rescaping) is beautiful! Makes me want to try hi-tec/light setups.. maybe someday..


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

Nice tank! You asked about a red stem plant for the back left, what about some ludwigia sp red? I got some about a month ago and it has quickly become one of my favorite red plants. The leaves seem to stay relatively small and it's a pretty intense deep red


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

That's looking really nice! You may want to consider tying moss onto the rocks in the future. If you get bored with this look, adding a dark green midground like moss can change the feel dramatically. As for the HC, don't worry about it. Give it a month or two to get rooted well then cut it close to the substrate. That'll help encourage low growth without depriving your plants of nutrients early on.


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Thanks for the comments everyone!

@AquaAurora. If you have the time and money, I'd totally try a hi-tech setup. You can widen your choice of plants so much and growth them faster under the right conditions too.

@tithra. Good suggestion! In fact I might have browsed to one of your youtube videos talking about your selection of plants. I've got the ludwigia red going right now. It was kind of expensive though, but I agree, the small leaves are much more suitable for a tank my size.

@Phil Edwards. I like the moss suggestion. For my next tank setup, I'm trying to develop the "from the corner" driftwood branches and rocks setup. I think moss would be an excellent natural feel. But agreed. I'm a little impatient with the HC since this is my 3rd time trying it. I think the conditions and planting locations are right for the plant now so we'll just have to see what happens in a month.


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

oh geez! I didn't even notice the ludwigia red in the updated pic! I was just looking at the picture above it.


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Great minds think alike! The other red plant I have on the left side is Nesaea red from planted aquariums central. I've heard so much pessimism regarding keeping it. If it wilts, I think may propagate the ludwigia sp. red there.

Has anyone had experience with Nesaea red?


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

Asu1776 said:


> Great minds think alike! The other red plant I have on the left side is Nesaea red from planted aquariums central. I've heard so much pessimism regarding keeping it. If it wilts, I think may propagate the ludwigia sp. red there.
> 
> Has anyone had experience with Nesaea red?


I have been tempted to buy some nesaea, but have been hesitant because it seems like a tricky plant. I'll be interested to see how it does for you!


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Asu1776 said:


> Thanks for the comments everyone!
> 
> @AquaAurora. If you have the time and money, I'd totally try a hi-tech setup. You can widen your choice of plants so much and growth them faster under the right conditions too.
> 
> ...


$ and experience make me want to wait. While I've had plants in my tank for over a year but I have a pleco that likes to eat everything... So I haven't gotten any real experience yet (now have mts and plants it aquariums the pleco can't reach so I can start learning ^^)


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## cmathews95 (Jan 4, 2013)

What kind of substrate?
What fertilisers do you use if any?
Nice tank!


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Good ole MTS. Oh how I've contemplated filling my office with a tank...or two. 



AquaAurora said:


> $ and experience make me want to wait. While I've had plants in my tank for over a year but I have a pleco that likes to eat everything... So I haven't gotten any real experience yet (now have mts and plants it aquariums the pleco can't reach so I can start learning ^^)


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

The substrate is eco-complete. I think I'll add some more info about the tank in the first post.

I'm fertilizing with Seachem P, trace, and Iron. I monitor nitrates and so far the levels have been good, so I don't dose any unless I feel like it's low. K is included in the phosphorus I dose, so not worrying about that.

Thanks!



cmathews95 said:


> What kind of substrate?
> What fertilisers do you use if any?
> Nice tank!


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Asu1776 said:


> Good ole MTS. Oh how I've contemplated filling my office with a tank...or two.


or 5!! come ooon line the desk with 'em


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Update 10/22:

Spent the weekend in San Francisco to support the girlfriend for her first half marathon at Nike's Women's Marathon run. Congrats to her with her blazing time! 

Came back to my tank to see the plants growing like crazy! So, did some light trimming of the tops of some stems and tossed them in an RAOK to someone.

Here's the latest picture of the tank.










Overall the tank is doing great. However, some of the plugs of my HC have started to melt away. I checked all the tank parameters today and everything seems to be in good shape. CO2 has been running with Excel supplementation. Nitrate and phosphates are existent in the water. Dosed trace the other day and the HC is not obstructed by plants above. Since the HC was provided in pots, I'm lead to believe that they were grown emerged and are in this transition phase to growing submerged. Seems to me that people have experienced this as well, but would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. 

Now what is absolutely interesting (and inconvenient) is that the staurogyne repens surrounding the melting HC has shown troubling signs as well with leaves melting rather quickly. You can see this in the picture below.










This isn't the first time I've witnessed this. Part of the reason why I had originally torn down my old tank was that the large staurogyne repens carpet I had growing started to show signs of melting in one peculiar spot. I had decided to ignore it for a while until it started to spread to the neighboring plants. As a result, I uprooted my whole carpet and decided to replant the healthy stems only to see it continue to start again from one plant and then spread to the next. What I think is even more peculiar is that only the neighboring stems of the melting stem would be subsequently affected. No where else seemed to show the same signs of melting, so it could not be any particular nutrient deficiency. Upon research online of people's past experiences, it seems that they have experienced this phenomenon too and have not found a cause or solution for the spontaneous melting. This whole ordeal was extremely frustrating because I would have to pull leaves and stems of "infected" plants and replant healthy trimmings there to patch those dead holes. 

I had thought that I had beat the problem when I rescaped, but once again parts of my staurogyne repens are dying. However, I theorize that this is some sort of plant response to something emitted by neighboring dying plants. I really wish I knew why the plant does that. Maybe it sheds it leaves to avoid further "infection" or to find another prime location since the plants near its environment are not thriving well. Again, would love thoughts, opinions, and experiences on this. To avoid further melting, I have pulled the infected stems and planted them in my bedside 3 gallon nano tank! And to add to the unusualness of the melting, none of the infected stems in the nano tank continue to be infected....:icon_conf










Thought I'd share the star of the tank. I love bettas, especially since they are so inquisitive and personable. Now, I know its brain is probably smaller than the pellets I feed it, but the guy seems to be more intelligent than I would expect a fish to be. Here he is perching in the plants.










And lazing on the rock.










BEST PART. He leaves all the tank inhabitants alone. I have seen so many red cherry shrimp in his vicinity and swim past him, and he ignores them. It's funny because I feel like he could be hunting them when he inspects his plants and kind of swims through all the cracks, but shrimp count is still good! Look at this bright red little guy hiding among the staurogyne repens.










That's all for now. Update probably in another week.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Asu1776 said:


> Update 10/22:
> 
> 
> I had thought that I had beat the problem when I rescaped, but once again parts of my staurogyne repens are dying. However, I theorize that this is some sort of plant response to something emitted by neighboring dying plants. I really wish I knew why the plant does that. Maybe it sheds it leaves to avoid further "infection" or to find another prime location since the plants near its environment are not thriving well. Again, would love thoughts, opinions, and experiences on this. To avoid further melting, I have pulled the infected stems and planted them in my bedside 3 gallon nano tank! And to add to the unusualness of the melting, none of the infected stems in the nano tank continue to be infected....:icon_conf


I can't offer anythign concussive, but I had read/seen videos where people mention that aquatic plants give off chemicals in the water, some make other plants growth stunted, or kill off plants all together (I recall someone pointed out that a "grass" type plant would always kill off duckweed in their tank). If you're willing to experiment set up a tank you can put the plant showing issues in, and over time rotate different plants in (then out) to see if any make it show those signs of melting again. It would be a fun experiment, if you do try it, be sure to post results so others can learn ^^ gl
Btw love the betta and its tank, where did you get it (tank set)?


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

AquaAurora - I believe you are referring to:



Allelopathy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


....Allelopathy is a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. These biochemicals are known as allelochemicals and can have beneficial (positive allelopathy) or detrimental (negative allelopathy) effects on the target organisms...


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Glad you shared that. I think my staurogyne repens is extremely sensitive to dying plants...lol. It's kind of the weakest link my tank when stuff dies but is totally fine under low light and low nutrients...weird. I'm going to see what happens to the infected stems in my nano tank and devise an experiment at some point.

I've imported the betta from Thailand. Great seller with great bettas. I have another one coming in today. He's a white halfmoon betta which is going to go in my nano tank (needs a trim!)



AquaAurora said:


> I can't offer anythign concussive, but I had read/seen videos where people mention that aquatic plants give off chemicals in the water, some make other plants growth stunted, or kill off plants all together (I recall someone pointed out that a "grass" type plant would always kill off duckweed in their tank). If you're willing to experiment set up a tank you can put the plant showing issues in, and over time rotate different plants in (then out) to see if any make it show those signs of melting again. It would be a fun experiment, if you do try it, be sure to post results so others can learn ^^ gl
> Btw love the betta and its tank, where did you get it (tank set)?


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Thanks! Wondering if I should remove the dying HC...



DogFish said:


> AquaAurora - I believe you are referring to:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Btw. Does anyone have indefinitely hiding amanos? They used to hangout by the filter sponge but now they are hiding all the time, I presume somewhere in the plants or behind the rocks. I wish they were more social creatures. I have 9 of them in a 10 gallon tank! I mean... come on! Stop living under a rock :icon_lol: and come party. :bounce:


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## BlueFin773 (Oct 18, 2013)

Beautiful tank


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Asu1776 said:


> Glad you shared that. I think my staurogyne repens is extremely sensitive to dying plants...lol. It's kind of the weakest link my tank when stuff dies but is totally fine under low light and low nutrients...weird. I'm going to see what happens to the infected stems in my nano tank and devise an experiment at some point.
> 
> I've imported the betta from Thailand. Great seller with great bettas. I have another one coming in today. He's a white halfmoon betta which is going to go in my nano tank (needs a trim!)


Did you buy from aquabid? If so which seller(s)? I am looking around on there at bettas and would love to know sellers that can be trusted or should be avoided. Still not sure if I'd buy one that has to come from so far.. but its probably a bit better off traveling that far then the chain stores methods for betta shipping..


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## rininger85 (Jun 30, 2013)

Asu1776 said:


> Btw. Does anyone have indefinitely hiding amanos? They used to hangout by the filter sponge but now they are hiding all the time, I presume somewhere in the plants or behind the rocks. I wish they were more social creatures. I have 9 of them in a 10 gallon tank! I mean... come on! Stop living under a rock :icon_lol: and come party. :bounce:


are you sure they are still alive? I haven't had amanos, only had ghosts for FW... they always hid until I dropped food in the tank then they came running fast!


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Thanks!



BlueFin773 said:


> Beautiful tank


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Yep, I bought my betta from Aquabid from seller "1960". He's my goto betta importer. I've imported 3 from him and all have been top quality and decently priced. His communication is excellent too given the time difference. He usually bags the fish on Sundays and next day airs it to a transhipper, who then next day airs the fish to you. I received mine today. Packaging is great too. Total time in transit is probably 4 days. Cost of the betta + all the shipping for me came out to $40ish. Hope this helps.



AquaAurora said:


> Did you buy from aquabid? If so which seller(s)? I am looking around on there at bettas and would love to know sellers that can be trusted or should be avoided. Still not sure if I'd buy one that has to come from so far.. but its probably a bit better off traveling that far then the chain stores methods for betta shipping..


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

I really hope they are! No shrimp carcasses anywhere and I believe they are pretty hardy from what I was told. They must have found some other food source, but perhaps I'll drop some shrimp pellets to lure them out.



rininger85 said:


> are you sure they are still alive? I haven't had amanos, only had ghosts for FW... they always hid until I dropped food in the tank then they came running fast!


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

My Amanos often hide out behind the plants. They are tricky to find sometimes.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Asu1776 said:


> Yep, I bought my betta from Aquabid from seller "1960". He's my goto betta importer. I've imported 3 from him and all have been top quality and decently priced. His communication is excellent too given the time difference. He usually bags the fish on Sundays and next day airs it to a transhipper, who then next day airs the fish to you. I received mine today. Packaging is great too. Total time in transit is probably 4 days. Cost of the betta + all the shipping for me came out to $40ish. Hope this helps.


very helpful, thank you! I will check out that seller (once my tan cycles and I finally plant it seriously) to see f they have any that catch my eye ^^

edit: tried looking them up on aquabid, didn't get any results hmm, maybe nothing for sale atm


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## parrottbay (May 14, 2012)

Looks good!


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

parrottbay said:


> Looks good!


Thanks!


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Update 10/28/13

Latest picture of the tank.










Finally got a glass drop checker! It's awesome, except for the fact that it's kind of hard to determine the color with the black background and light reflection. Nonetheless it's showing a dark green and has been calibrated with the 4dkh solution, so CO2 levels should be good. I went to home depot and picked up a timer for both my light and my air pump. I have the timer set to turn on the air pump at night so there is plenty of oxygen in the tank for both the plants and the animals. On a side note though, how often do you guys top off your tanks? It seems like I lose a decent amount of water every day which I think is due to the temp of the tank and the bubbling from the air pump, but is that normal? I have no leaks since the surface the tank is on is dry.

I also decided to throw out the rotala wallichii next to the heater since it seemed not grow and suffered from major green hair algae. I replaced it with a few more stems of golden creeping jenny I got from another tank.

My nesaea sp. red is starting to revert back to being green for me. It seems like it's growing in height by comparison of the photos, but hasn't shown any signs of rooting. I think I may keep it regardless. Might not be blood red, but still is a different shade than green.

I also have decided to raise the light an extra inch above the tank so that the light is better spread over the area of the tank. I started to notice that the plants would start growing towards the center of the tank, so hoping this will make a subtle difference if any. 

My HC has been melting, unfortunately. It started with a small patch on the right side and now the far left plug. The other plugs are starting to show signs of yellowing of the old leaves. Here's a picture.










I checked out all the parameters and they are all in line. Nitrates at about 20-40 ppm. Phosphates at about 5 ppm. Dosing Excel plus CO2 diffusing, and have added trace and iron recently. KH is around 5, PH at 6.4, and temp around 78F. I think everything I am doing is correct and that perhaps the HC is just acclimating to my tank. All the stems are showing signs of green growth all over the nodes and little buddings are coming out, so I feel I just need to be patient and wait for it to get established. Anyone have a similar experience with an early HC melt and then awesome grown in afterwards? BTW, plantedaquariumscentral informed me that these were grown submerged, so not a emerged to submerged transition melt.

And finally, a good betta shot.










Thanks for following everyone!


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## tandaina (Aug 17, 2013)

He is just beautiful!


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

tandaina said:


> He is just beautiful!


Thanks! He is very awesome.


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Seems like the HC is not doing too fantastic. Upon more research online, I'm wondering if I may have kept too much of the mineral wool on the plugs, so after planting the HC the plant was starved for nutrients in the substrate/water column. It seems that almost all of the plugs are now starting to show signs of decay in the old leaves and stems close to the plugs but showing new budding growth in the tips and nodes of the stems away from the rock wool. I really want to say the HC is going to make a good recovery since people have mentioned that the plant going into severe shock upon transplanting. Going to wait a few more weeks before I give up on the carpet. I think I may lower the light to it's original level and crank up the CO2 (gotta make a new batch today).


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

New shot of the tank.










I was very pleased to come home yesterday to see that the HC has been recovering/growing. Most of the old leaves have melted off but there is plenty of green growth all over the place. I'm thinking that my amanos and corydoras have been eating away at the detritus. This is my 3rd time trying this plant. I'm thinking that maybe I should have just stuck it out the previous times instead of give up at the unsightliness of rotting leaves. I loaded up a new batch of CO2 last night, with bit less yeast than usual so that the mixture will hopefully last longer. We'll see where the foreground ends up in the next month or so. On a side note, upon looking at the shot I just took...I kind of am wishing that my tank was rimless now...

Finally found out where my amanos have been hiding. They are smart! Why look for food all over the tank when you can just sit by the filter and pick off of it when the sponge is trapping everything!










Also took a decently nice shot of the amano on the rock "bench" in the front of tank with my phone.


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Update: 11/8/13










I did some rescaping a few days ago. The main reason is that the bottom of my stem plants on the left side showed really bad signs of rotting and were starting to float upwards. When I had originally planted them, I grouped them together into bunches and inserted them into the substrate. Turns out that I didn't have enough light penetrate to the substrate and these stems simply rotted over time. Therefore, I popped open my Corona, slipped a slice of lime in, took a big gulp, and began planting the healthy stems, one by one. After planting the stems individually with the aid of long tweezers (planting necessity!), I see much more light reaching the substrate. The planting looks dense too so hopefully the stems will begin to root and stay in the substrate. I also thinned out the blyxa japonica (man this grows like crazy!), added some limnophila aromatica hippuroides, and replaced some staurogyne repens with some downoi. My Nesaea has not kept it's vibrant red colors. There's an orange type of tint at the top, but the lower leaves have started to become more green. Seems like it is a difficult plant to keep red. However, the plant is growing roots though, so it is growing and maybe okay to keep aquatic. 

The HC is doing great now! I think that the HC I received was not adjusted to my tank parameters nor the spectrum of light. They had originally arrived in a pale green color which had died off within a week or two. All the new growth exhibits this beautiful dark green color, which was exactly what I was looking for. I see plenty of little buddings coming out from all the stems. Notice that the new downois on the right are also of this paler green color compared to the existing ones in the tank on the left side. I'm thinking that the spectrum of light in which the plants were grown in can make a difference in how the plant adjusts between different conditions. Welcome any thoughts on this. Can't wait to see what happens to the HC carpet in a month or so. Time to crank the CO2 and up the nutrient levels. 










Last, I was observing my tank and I thought I spotted some pebble caught in between the leaves of my blyxa. So I took my poking tool and tried to move the pebble, until the pebble SWAMP away! Immediately, I'm like OH SH!T. I chase this creature around the tank trying to get it in an open spot until it swims under some HC. I grab a net and pull this sucker out of the tank.










What the heck is this thing! Can't seem to find out what it is online. Kind of a interesting looking critter. Not a very nimble aquatic creature. Kind of whirls around, but definitely can stay submerged. I'm hoping he's the last one in the tank and I don't have anymore. He must have hitchhiked with the new plants. Anyone have a clue as to what it is?


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## parrottbay (May 14, 2012)

Hey brother, Tank is looking good! We should make a ten gallon club LOL. When you go to trim, I would like to grab some of your plants, if you wouldn't mind for another tank I am trying to fill


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

It's a dragonfly larvae. I will eat baby fish and anything moves in the water that it can eat. The best hunter of that size underwater in the wild :d I love to see it in my tank, i saw it once but it disappeared after a few days.


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

parrottbay said:


> Hey brother, Tank is looking good! We should make a ten gallon club LOL. When you go to trim, I would like to grab some of your plants, if you wouldn't mind for another tank I am trying to fill


Thanks man. I like the 10 gallon club idea. It's a good size for balancing complexity with optimization of space. I've got some trimmings right now. I'll send you a PM.


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## parrottbay (May 14, 2012)

I got it and thanks for the quick reply! I am started to see some nice regular ten gallons now that are very nicely scaped lol


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Update: 11/26/13

This is a dated update. I've sold off the limnophila aromatica and nesaea sp red. The limnophila was shipped with stunted tips and ragged leaves, so I opted for a fresh start with a new batch coming soon.


tithra said:


> I have been tempted to buy some nesaea, but have been hesitant because it seems like a tricky plant. I'll be interested to see how it does for you!


 The nesaea sp red is incredibly difficult to keep, especially underwater. I would not recommend it. CO2, ferts, iron, high light aren't enough for me. 

Here's the latest picture of the tank before I removed the limnophila and nesaea.










I moved some of the downoi around and replaced its spot with alternanthera reineckii "mini". This plant has a nice hue to it, and since it doesn't grow that tall, it's the perfect midground plant. I also like how the rock is "backing" it. On a side note, if you compare the pictures from this post to the previous update, you can see how the downoi has picked up coloration after shipping. 

The HC has COMPLETELY rebounded and is exploding with growth. Wow. This plant grows so fast under good conditions. Originally, I had some problems with hair algae growing on it, so I blasted the stems with a concentrated dose of excel via syringe. The algae has died, the amanos have eaten it off, and the HC has just been on roids. Here's a picture of it from above.










Hydra took over my tank for a while. I would find one or two small red cherry shrimp dead on the substrate when I did water changes. So, I bought some Fish Bendazole and performed hydracide. The next day, all the hydras have died, with only the base of it attached to surfaces. They are easily brushed off. Best part! No problems with the livestock. Biologically immortal, my a$$.

I've made some enhancements to functioning of the tank as well, reducing the daily maintenance of the tank. After thanksgiving, I'll be setting up my pressurized CO2 system with a solenoid regulator so I can use a timer to turn on and off the gas automatically. This eliminates the use of an airstone to add O2 at night so the fish don't get gased by the DIY CO2. I have also built a DIY Auto-Top off system with parts online. Check it out! I'm kind of proud of it!










It works through a float switch, that is wired together with an extension cord. When the water level drops, the floating ring drops down the shaft. When it reaches the bottom, it completes the circuit, letting electricity run through the extension cord. This means you can hook a water pump to the extension cord and turn it on to refill the tank with water. As the tank refills with water, the floating ring rises up and then shuts off the pump when the water level is high enough. Isn't that awesome! Here's a picture of the complete system.










I built this because I would be going out of town during thanksgiving, so this will keep the water level up. Of course, I've asked my housemate to inspect in case it malfunctions and my room is flooded. This will be the first test of its functionality. System cost:

$5.13 float switch
$1.94 extension cord
$3.00 pvc piping
$1.00 electrical tape
$15.00 water pump

About $26 bucks!

Last change. I took off the AC20's and am using a Finnex PX-360 canister filter. It's awesome, and I like it a lot. I'll be hooking it up to lily pipes when those come in. Thanks for reading!!!


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Here's an updated shot of the tank.










Made a decent amount of changes to the tank. Went for some glass lily pipes and installed my pressurized CO2 system with an Aquatek premium regulator. Glass diffuser is kind of crappy but I think it will suffice for now. 

What do you guys think so far?

Btw, how soon do you guys start trimming the HC carpet?


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

update?


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