# 55 Gallon Crypts Riparium



## hydrophyte

I have a few more plant pictures. This is a _C. ciliata_ in a Large Hanging Planter. I potted up this one a couple of months ago and it is well-established. Most of the leaves it came with melted as these new ones developed. 










I have a few things planted onto Epi-Trellis Rafts. 










This Java fern is about the best looking that I have on an Epi-Trellis. It might be too big for this display, and its not a crypt, but I will try it out. It is such a nice plant and I don't really have any other ideas for it right now.










I am going to plant crypts also in the underwater foreground. Here is a nice _C. wendtii_ 'Green Gecko'. I wonder how big these get(?). I need to look for smaller stuff for the underwater portion too because the water will only be ~8" deep. 










I'm working on the stand. I plan to build it the same way as the stand I described in a previous post.










The cedar pieces need two more coats varnish and then I can assemble.


----------



## kyle3

this looks like it will be a fabulous tank!
cheers-K


----------



## bibbels

Subscribed - interested to see this develop

Good luck.


----------



## hydrophyte

i just put together the stand for this project last night.










i have some more on the stand build over in DIY.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/85748-aquarium-stand-raw-industrial-style-3.html

i hope to get stuff moved around tonight.


----------



## ER9

i think i like your stand the most  beautifull


----------



## funkyfish

Can't wait to see your tank  
I love industrial style stand. I'm thinking of building one and I might just steal the style of your stand if you don't mind. 
Subscribed


----------



## hydrophyte

i got the stand, tank and plants moved into the room where i will set up the display. i don't know why, but somehow this took me all day long. here are some pictures.



















i still need to work on hardware, a hardscape and livestock, but this picture gives an idea of how the display will look. i intend to position mostly taller crypt varieties along the rear pane of glass with hanging planter. i hope that most of these plants will grow to at least 2X bigger than they are now, to fill out the composition.

i wish that my camera's white balance functioned better. the auto white balance seems to select a different scheme for every picture and i can never quite tell how the colors are form the quick monitor view. you can see that these colors are sort of screwed up.


----------



## hydrophyte

here's a shot with the lights turned on.










i still need to put together tank hardware, a hardscape and underwater plants, but this gives an impression of how the display will look. i am putting taller crypts all along the rear pane of glass. i hope that these will all grow to around 2X as big as they are now.

i will fill the tank to about 40% of total height--20 gallons or so of water.

i intend to leave the background for the above-water portion of the tank unpainted--the plant forms are nicely silouetted against the white wall.


----------



## hydrophyte

i managed to finally get some water into the display. i had to adjust the level of the stand a little bit first. i just described some of that in a thread that i have over in DIY:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/85748-aquarium-stand-raw-industrial-style

i have consistently found that the golden section serves very well as a guide for how much water to add to a riparium display.the golden section of any given dimension can be found by multiplying by 0.618.

considering the front pane of aquarium glass to be like the frame of a picture, i measured the total height of glass--from the bottom of the top plastic rim to the top of the bottom plastic rim--and determined it to be 18" tall. thus, the golden section would found with the following:


18 X 0.618 = 11.12

for a riparium, this would the amount of space occupied by the above-water, _emersed_ portion. the balance (here, 6.88 inches) would be filled with water. i decided to err on the side of having a little more water and round up to 7.










here it is with 10 more gallons of water. at this point i ran out of conditioned water, but it is only short by an inch or so. i need to raise those hanging planters so that they are even with the water surface.










like i mentioned before, i have been using this tank to culture a bunch of crypts and other things. i had to yank some ot make room for the actual aquascape development. i am using tall, erect crypts for the composition background, so i removed a number of planters containing plants that are too small to be of much use. 










it is still a mess, but the next picture gives an idea of what the display will look like.










these lights are provisional. i think that i have a pretty good idea for pendant lighting. i hope to start work on the sand substrate and hardscape tomorrow.


----------



## hydrophyte

here is one of the neatest plants that i have in there.










i bought this one as _Anubias gigantea_, which might be right(?). i think that its leaves reach up in such a graceful way. i have it planted in a Large Hanging Plnater in a coarse-grained clay gravel. the roots have developed very well.

i had planned for this display to be assembled entirely with crypts, but i think that this one is going to stay for now. it is larger than any of the _Cryptocoryne_ plants that i have in there and it reaches forward into the midground. it is also very happy in this setup. it sprouts one new leaf every six weeks.


----------



## mountaindew

Hydro, yet another cool aquarium stand! great style 
Good job!
-MD


----------



## hydrophyte

mountaindew said:


> Hydro, yet another cool aquarium stand! great style
> Good job!
> -MD


thanks very much. i need to work on the shelf. i think that the lighting will look pretty nice with stand too.


----------



## Gatekeeper

Interesting idea. Will be cool to watch this develope. Subscribed.


----------



## hydrophyte

i spent a little bit more time with the display tonight. i removed a few more plants, then arranged the aquascape plant material.










this gives a general idea of what the emersed plants will look like. there isn't really much rhyme or reason to this arrangement--i just tried to put plants with neighbors that provide good contrast. these plants will need some time to grow in. i hope that the crypts will grow to about 3X of their current sizes. two of the three _C. wendtii_ are in spathe now. i hope that i will get to see some new blooms before long. the disturbance that i have created might shock a few more crypts into flowering.

here is a view down the length of the tank from the inside.










this demonstrates the midground plants, ferns and _Anubias_, a little better. you can also see that the corners of the Trellis Rafts are still visible. these will get covered up as those plants grow. the _Anubias_ are happy and they should fill in within a few more months.

tomorrow...rocks, sand and gravel.


----------



## Gatekeeper

Will there be fish in this setup when done? 
Will there be filtration? 
What kind of lighting are you using? 
Light duration? 
What will be your fertilization regime? C
an we get a full plant list of what you have in there to get an idea of what can be grown in this type of setup? 
How are you controlling humidity and what humidity target level are you seeking?


----------



## hydrophyte

here's a shot at the first 1/2 of this list of questions.



gmccreedy said:


> Will there be fish in this setup when done?


yes, i have some of the fish already, small groups of cherry barbs (_Puntius titteya_) and gold barbs (_P. semifasciolatus _var._ schuberti _). i'm not really attempting to do a biotope, but the _P. titteya_ are a nod to Sri Lanka, where so many nice crypts come from.

i might also like to add a loach. can you suggest any small loaches? i wonder if a blue paradise fish would beat up on the barbs(?).



> Will there be filtration?


there is roughly 22 gallons of water in there. i am going to set up a Filstar XP1 with intake/return retrofit so that it can reach the water, like this:












> What kind of lighting are you using?


i have a single hydroponics strip light with a 6500K 54 watt HO T5 lamp and a nice reflector.










this will conform to the "raw industrial" style of the stand.



> Light duration?


12 hours.

more later...


----------



## hydrophyte

i have a quick update. i'm trying to decide between two different kinds of rocks. i am looking at them right now. 

here is one choice, rounded river stones, all light in color.










i have rounded bricks too, also from the river.










which do you like better? i feel it might be easier to use the natural rocks, but the bricks are more novel.


----------



## hydrophyte

i decided to go with the bricks. here is what i got.










as you can see, this composition doesn't ahve any single very strong focal point. i was attempting something more like a "boulder-strewn" appearance. i think that this conforms to the linear character that i have in mind for the whole thing. 

and here it is with an additional substrate layer, pool filter sand.










i need to get back to gmccreedy's questions, but now it's time for bed. i will pick this up again tomorrow.


----------



## Northern_Wind

That is very cool. I love the brick colour, and the crypts are amazing. I love that type of plant. Have a few myself.


----------



## hydrophyte

Northern_Wind said:


> That is very cool. I love the brick colour, and the crypts are amazing. I love that type of plant. Have a few myself.


thanks. i hope that the brick red will accentuate the reddish colors in some of the plants.

crypts are awesome. they are my new favorite kind of plant.


----------



## Gatekeeper

hydrophyte said:


> thanks. i hope that the brick red will accentuate the reddish colors in some of the plants.



Yea, that brick is pretty bold. I am not going to lie when I say that I cringed this morning when I saw it. Not going to convince you to not use it either, I am curious if you can get some balance with it.

Will be interesting to see this unfold.




> crypts are awesome. they are my new favorite kind of plant.


Mine too. So many species to collect. I have well over 20 species now and I only want more.


----------



## hydrophyte

gmccreedy said:


> Yea, that brick is pretty bold. I am not going to lie when I say that I cringed this morning when I saw it. Not going to convince you to not use it either, I am curious if you can get some balance with it.


tough crowd tonight.

yep, it is a lot of red. however, it should soften as i add immersed plants and as algae starts to grow upon it. the underwater scape will also darken some as the emersed plants grow bigger.


----------



## kyle3

keep it coming i'm fascinated with how you're pulling this together!

cheers-K


----------



## bartak

I'm inspired. Thanks


----------



## hydrophyte

gmccreedy said:


> What will be your fertilization regime?


sloppy and casual.

i add liquid fertilizers (liquid preparations of KNO3, MgSO4, KH2PO4 & CSM+B) directly to the surface of the planter gravel. this ensures that the ferts get to the roots of the emersed plants and also limits extra nutrients in the water. one could fertilize a setup like this using EI or other rigorous regime, but i count it as a plus that i don't have to do so many large water changes or watch the calendar so closely. i want this to be a low maintenance display. in this case i think that i only need to dose 1X per week.

i will have a moderate fish load and the immersed plants will get much of what they need from them. i have a similar smaller setup that has been going for a while with happy plants and the only extra thing that i ever add to that is CSM+B mix from time to time.



> Can we get a full plant list of what you have in there to get an idea of what can be grown in this type of setup?


mostly there are a lot of crypts. here is a partial list:


_Cryptocoryne cordata_
_C. balansae_
_C. ciliata_
_C. lutea_
_C. wendtii _ (3 different cultivars)
_Lagenandra_ sp.
..and a few more[/I]

on the Epi-Trellis Rafts i have _Anubias barteri_ var. _nana_, _Microsorum_ sp. and _Bolbitis heudelotti _.

in the underwater portion i am going to plant crypts belonging to some of the above species and a few more. i need to look for some shorter plants for that area.



> How are you controlling humidity and what humidity target level are you seeking?


i will maintain the tank nearly covered with a glass canopy. the humidity will remain at >90%. i will have to adjust this to some degree. most of the crypts will grow best with very high humidity, but there are some that actually grow with more attractive appearances in lower humidity.

regards,


----------



## hydrophyte

bartak said:


> I'm inspired. Thanks





kyle3 said:


> keep it coming i'm fascinated with how you're pulling this together!
> 
> cheers-K


thanks very much. i hope to add more tomorrow.


----------



## hydrophyte

hi y'all,

i did a little more work tonight. i added a dark background to the display using the plastic-coated material that i found at the LFS.










i've never used this stuff before, but i found it be pretty handy--much quicker than painting. i held it in place with little tabs of tape and it looked tidy.










i used it to cover only the area behind the underwater portion. this produced the effect that i was after. the planter cups disappeared against the dark background.


----------



## CL

That's a really neat setup there!


----------



## hydrophyte

this is my final substrate layer, light-colored river pebbles. these are approximately 3-8 mm in size.










i have had good success adding coarser gravels like this one on top of finer silica sand. this combination is relatively inexpensive, presents a natural appearance, and apparently has pretty good conditions for root development.

here is another shot with the gravel layer added. 










i made in interesting observation about one of my new plants. i recently acquired some very nice _Cryptocoryne cordata_ through a sale on the TPT Swap and Shop forum. unlike many other crypts that i have tried--which generally require an adaptation period before growing as emersed plants, after loosing all of their underwater-adapted leaves--these plants seem to be doing fine with direct transition to emersed culture. this one stood right up out of the water after i potted it up. they have stiffer petioles than most other _Cryptocryne_ and i suppose they also adapt somewhat more readily to this change.










what a handsome plant.


----------



## CL

That sure is a beautiful crypt


----------



## hydrophyte

yeah, it's a nice plant. here is _The Crypts Page_ treatment of _C. cordata_ var. _cordata_.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~crypts/Cryptocoryne/Gallery/cor/cor.html

that looks like my plant. i hope that it will flower for me someday.


----------



## mountaindew

You put a great deal of thought and planning into these displays, and it shows!!!!!
You have developed your own style, feel and look! Again very cool! And it’s nice to see you practice this art, and take the time to share it with all of us!
MD


----------



## hydrophyte

thanks a bunch!

:fish::fish:


----------



## hydrophyte

i hope to start assembling more of my fish for this system. i already have a group of gold barbs (_P. semifasciolatus_ var. _schuberti_) in quarantine. they look healthy. i selected this fish because i enjoy barbs and because i think that their coloration will be nice contrast against the dark greens, browns, and reds of the crypts. they look a lot like goldfish to me, which i think will complement the idea of using the bricks in there.

i would like to figure out another fish to use as a single specimen centerpiece. the one idea that has come to mind is a paradise fish (_Macropodus opercularis_). would this be OK? i understand that they are mostly aggressive toward conspecifics, so i hope that they would be OK with the barbs. what do you think? i have never kept them before.

i also wish to have a single bottom-dwelling fish or two. i really enjoy _Botia_ loaches, but they get too large for this setup. this tank only has ~22 gallons of water in it. can anybody suggest a small, active catfish, that isn't a cory? or any other bottom fish(?).


----------



## Kayen

I'd say go for the paradise fish, very nice personalities.

Also bottom-dwelling, maybe farowella's ? I'd think they'll look nice in the bricks.


----------



## hydrophyte

i think that i am settled on a single male blue paradise fish. i don't know that those _Farlowella_ cats would be a good choice. i understand that they are pretty sedentary and also delicate. they had some at a local LFS, but i have noticed that they look more sick and less numerous every time i go in there. any ideas for other small, active catfish?










the dwarf loach _(Botia sidthimunki)_ looks pretty cool, but i guess they are best kept in large groups.


----------



## hydrophyte

this is a bump. does anybody else have any fish suggestions? i explained my latest reasoning just a couple posts back right here.

so i just an idea or two for bottom-dwelling fish and also i wonder what you might think about paradise fish(?).

:fish: :help: :fish:


----------



## Gatekeeper

I like the Paradise Fish. Good choice. Not sure about choices, but nothing to delicate I guess. i would say if its a bottom dweller, you need something that will have some "gitty up and get out of there" speed to avoid any "drive by's" from the PF. Perhaps some type of Corydoras species may work well (and they tend to pack together if in appropriate numbers).


----------



## coolblureason

I have dwarf chain loaches (Botia sidthimunki) and they do like to be in groups, but they dont have to be large groups. And they stay small. I have 5 in a 45 Gallon so a group of 5 or six in your tank would be fine I think. I also have some corydoras sterbai in another tank, they seem happy in a group of 3, they are pretty active and not too shy - although kinda skittish. The loaches are fast and could probably avoid attacks from aggressive fish. They will also control any snail outbreak from happening. I don't know what I'd do without them!


----------



## hydrophyte

yep, i do intend to add a paradise fish--now i just have to find a good-looking one. 

where did you get your _Botia sidthimunki_? that would be first choice if they really would fit in this much water along with the other fish. unless i use pygmy cories (which i already have) i supoose i would face the same dilemna of a preferred larger group, although maybe just three cories would be OK. i like cories a lot.

i might have put this question into the fish forum, but it goes along with the rest of my description of the system.

another idea is one or two _Garra flavatra_. however, one reference describes them as preferring cooler water (~72 Fahrenheit). this tank is somewhat warmer than that.


----------



## kyle3

we just got 2 Botia sidthimunki in at Something Fishy (the LFS i just started at) if you do get to stop by i think they're still there- if you want more than two (I also think they do best in groups of at least three) they get orders on friday and more could be ordered. 

cheers-K


----------



## hydrophyte

i had meant to ask which store you were at. unfortunately, i am not visiting the cities on this trip--i only made it as far as Menomonie. if i can remember i should call to see if your store might be able to get some more _B. sidthimunki_. i might consider coming up this way again in a few weeks.


----------



## coolblureason

I just got mine at our LFS here in Seattle and they carry them all the time. I don't think they are too hard to find, have you called around locally to see if anyone carries them or could order them for you?


----------



## dinker

Hydrophyte, 

How do you keep your plants moist? I thought that under such high light the leaves would get dry?


----------



## hydrophyte

i maintain moisture in there by keeping it mostly covered with a glass canopy. it is at around 95% relative humidity. 

it's actually a little too humid for some of my plants. the _Lagenandra_ has switched to underwater form leaves due to the humidity, but the emersed form leaves have a nicer appearance. the _Bolbitis_ has also retained its immersed form leaves.



dinker said:


> Hydrophyte,
> 
> How do you keep your plants moist? I thought that under such high light the leaves would get dry?


----------



## ZooTycoonMaster

hydrophyte said:


> i had meant to ask which store you were at. unfortunately, i am not visiting the cities on this trip--i only made it as far as Menomonie. if i can remember i should call to see if your store might be able to get some more _B. sidthimunki_. i might consider coming up this way again in a few weeks.


Here's a list of fish stores in Wisconsin, you may want to call some of them: http://www.fishstorereview.com/reviews/reviews_wi.html

And I never knew how beautiful ripaquariums could be until I saw yours!


----------



## hydrophyte

ZooTycoonMaster said:


> Here's a list of fish stores in Wisconsin, you may want to call some of them: http://www.fishstorereview.com/reviews/reviews_wi.html
> 
> And I never knew how beautiful ripaquariums could be until I saw yours!


oh yes i know those stores. the important one excluded from that list is Living Art, which is a real fish store with very nice stuff.

http://www.livingartaquarium.com/

i hope that this tank will shape up as the plants grow in some more and as i get the underwater plants and fish in there.


----------



## hydrophyte

ok, so here is where i am at with a proposed stocking list:


blue paradise fish (_Macropodus opercularis_) *1*
dwarf loaches (_Botia sidthimunki_), *5* 
gold barbs (_Puntius semifasciolatus_ var. schuberti) *7*

recall that this is for only ~22 gallons water. this seems like it will get to be too much as the barbs grow in size, but i could sell/trade/gift a few of those if they start getting too big.

does this look OK?


----------



## GOT MTS?

Awesome tank. I am subscribing to this thread


----------



## kyle3

i think you can usually stretch stocking when you're heavily planted, and you will have a lot of surface area, so in turn good gas exchange, and a little more ability to support your bioload. So i think you will be be ok as long as you keep up with lots of water changes. and removing a few barbs when they get larger seems like a good idea. 

can't wait to see how great it looks fully planted and stocked!

cheers-K


----------



## hydrophyte

thanks. i think you're right. something like this should work OK. however, i might have to rethink the _B. sidthimunki_. i found some, at http://www.invertzfactory.com and they are eleven bucks a pop. i'm sure they would be 2X that at my LFS. i might just go for it and get them via invertzfactory.com. they have a number of different fish on there. i wonder if anybody might suggest anything else(?).


----------



## hydrophyte

i am getting a start on planting the underwater scape. for a number of my immersed plants i don't have such good species determinations, but i want to get a handle on what i have as i start to put stuff in there.

will you please offer suggestions if you have ideas about these? here is the first one, *10 Cryptocoryne. 27 January 2009* (_emersed growth_).










this might be a _C. wendtii_ of some kind, but i don't know.

thanks you! :bounce:


----------



## hydrophyte

i have several more. any and all opinions about what these might be would be appreciated.

the dates are the accession dates. i repeated my number series every time i got several new crypts, but with the dates they make unique numbers.

this first shot is interesting. this is the same variety as in the picture of the previous post, but demonstrating _immersed_ growth form + coloration, which is very different from the the emersed appearance.

*10 Cryptocoryne. 27 January 2009* (_immersed growth_).









~~~~~


*05 Cryptocoryne. 3 December 2008* (_emersed growth_)









~~~~~


*01 Cryptocoryne. 19 January 2009* (_immersed growth_)









~~~~~


*04 Cryptocoryne. 3 December 2008* (_emersed growth_)









~~~~~


----------



## hydrophyte

here are some possibilities for *5 Cryptocoryne. 3 December 2008* and for *04 Cryptocoryne. 3 December 2008* above.


_Cryptocoryne aponogetifolia-usteriana_
_Cryptocoryne hudoroi_
_Cryptocoryne longicauda_

these are among the things that i ordered, but the vendor didn't label anything and i got the the impression that they were pretty casual with my order.


----------



## hydrophyte

i'd love to hear ideas about what those crypts might be.

but, i have another update. i acquired some fish. it would have been cool to get some of those _Botia sidthimunki_, but i was out shopping today and saw some nice loaches at the LFS. i got four yo-yo's (_Botia almorhae_), these will eventually grow too big for this system, but when they are too large i can trade them in or trade up to a bigger tank.










i am not QT'ing these fish. everything in the store looked extremely clean. and these are the first fish going into the tank.

i have my barbs in QT for another week, so now i just need to find a decent paradise fish.


----------



## pinkfloydeffect

Thats kool Im building one only a 35G octagon. Ive never heard of the term RIPARIUM you should look into the definition of a PALADARIUM (Aquarium/Vivarium=Paladarium) BUT look sliek you have an aquarium mixed with a vivarium so maybe thast what a riparium is? Anyway NICE JOB!


----------



## kyle3

the yoyo's will look great in there! and I'm sure you're MTS will kick in when they need more room  can't wait to see them settled in 

cheers-K


----------



## hydrophyte

the yoyo's all woke up alive and healthy looking. i have never had loaches before. these are great little fish. 

can't wait to add the barbs.

i already got MTS pretty bad :icon_eek:


----------



## hydrophyte

this is a quick post. here's a shot of a _C. wendtii_ that is going wild with new spathes. it has two open right now and more new ones emerging.










i don't know which variety this one is.


----------



## coolblureason

*Crypt*

The second photo on your 5-7 post looks like Cryptocoryne Parva to me.


----------



## hydrophyte

coolblureason said:


> The second photo on your 5-7 post looks like Cryptocoryne Parva to me.


thanks! i have some _parva_, and this one is definitely different--it gorws quite a bit taller. 

another suggestion for that one was _C. willisii_ or _willisii_ x _lucens_.


----------



## Crystalview

I was wondering if I could use a very tall tank and then have the plants stick out the top more. This way I could use, say Goldfish. How would cleaning the lower part of the tank be. Looks a might tough with all the plants.


----------



## hydrophyte

tallish tanks (>16") are best for this kind of display. with bright lighting you could make a pretty neat one with goldfish in combination with pond plants, especially flowering varieties. 

i can post some recommendations for plants and specs if you are interested.


----------



## hydrophyte

i have a quick update from this tank. i awoke today to find another new open spathe, _Cryptocoryne ciliata_










pretty fantastic.


----------



## Crystalview

My next step is to read all the stuff on your site but yes I would love to know plant types Thanks The tank I have is 24" Tall
What would that leave in inches with the plants for the fish?


=hydrophyte;845939]tallish tanks (>16") are best for this kind of display. with bright lighting you could make a pretty neat one with goldfish in combination with pond plants, especially flowering varieties. 

i can post some recommendations for plants and specs if you are interested.[/quote]


----------



## hydrophyte

Crystalview said:


> My next step is to read all the stuff on your site but yes I would love to know plant types


 This is a quick response. Did you see this article?

http://www.ripariumsupply.com/nine-great-plants.html

Check out the "Garden Pond Plants" section. I can provide a bunch more ideas too and I also have divisions of various things for free and/or cheap.




> Thanks The tank I have is 24" Tall
> What would that leave in inches with the plants for the fish?


24" tall X .4 = 9.6" of water

A primary concern with water depth is filtration hardware. Do you have a submersible power filter that you can stick in there? I can also suggest modifications for canister filter pipes allowing reach down to water level.


----------



## hydrophyte

here's another bigger view of the same flower. seriously, check this out.


----------



## malaybiswas

sweet!


----------



## hydrophyte

i have a couple more pictures. here is a shot of the spathe from a couple of days ago.










for more than a week i thought that this emerging bloom was just another leaf and it seemed odd that it was elongating so much. then finally i saw the kettle at its base an di knew that it was a spathe.

here is a bloom on a _Anubias barteri_ 'Nana' that i have in the same tank. the plant is growing on a trellis raft. this is a dainty flower, only ~1.5cm long.


----------



## demosthenes

wow, it all looks fantastic! *subscribed*

as for "Crypt. 05" i agree that it is c. willisii x lucens. I have some that looks just like that, so i'm almost positive, unless it was sold to me under the wrong name... and i dont think it was.

are you planning to plant anything underwater? i think some pellias or fissidens or other small mosses or something underwater would look pretty cool. or maybe even just some regular anubias plants might look good.


----------



## hydrophyte

demosthenes said:


> wow, it all looks fantastic! *subscribed*
> 
> as for "Crypt. 05" i agree that it is c. willisii x lucens. I have some that looks just like that, so i'm almost positive, unless it was sold to me under the wrong name... and i dont think it was.


thanks, definately not what it was sold to me as, but i am happy to have it because it is a nice little plant.

i planted the underwater area just last night. i used four or five different crypts and a single _Aponogeton_. it looks pretty good. i might post a picture or two tonight. mosses could be nice--i would have to think about where to put them. a few small _Anubias_ might also work well among the crypts, and would complement the ones growing on the trellis rafts.


----------



## grumbolar

This is wonderful, first I've heard of "Riparium". Have you heard of/considered if you could house amphibians in this type tank? Seems a much simpler setup than a true paludarium. Perhaps a tank with a wider base would allow more rafts for "ground space".


----------



## Crystalview

For 9" of water it sounds like I would need to add smaller fish or have one goldfish. They take up a lot of room and make a lot of waste. I know how to use sort of a spray bar on soil level for the out take, but don't know anything to lower the intake other then with extensions.
The flowers are wonderful!

[/quote] 24" tall X .4 = 9.6" of water
A primary concern with water depth is filtration hardware. Do you have a submersible power filter that you can stick in there? I can also suggest modifications for canister filter pipes allowing reach down to water level.[/quote]


----------



## hydrophyte

Crystalview said:


> For 9" of water it sounds like I would need to add smaller fish or have one goldfish. They take up a lot of room and make a lot of waste. I know how to use sort of a spray bar on soil level for the out take, but don't know anything to lower the intake other then with extensions.
> The flowers are wonderful!


yep, since it would contain about 60% less water than a tank filled to the top, you'd want to plan a stocking ratio about 40% of what you would otherwise add.

of course, you might be able to err on the side of a few more fish, since there will be a lot of water surface area relative to volume (promoting gas exchange) and robust biological filtration form all of the plants.

it's not so difficult to extend filter pipes. here is a mod that i did for a Fluval 205 with 1/2" PVC, some vinyl hose, silicone grease and hose clamps.


----------



## Crystalview

What is silicone grease?


----------



## hydrophyte

grumbolar said:


> This is wonderful, first I've heard of "Riparium". Have you heard of/considered if you could house amphibians in this type tank? Seems a much simpler setup than a true paludarium. Perhaps a tank with a wider base would allow more rafts for "ground space".


this kind of thing probably is much easier to set up than most paludarium designs. the floating and hanging planters make it easy to move things around. however, it is less than ideal as amphibian habitat. there isn't any real land surface for the animals to use and anything except very small frogs would trample the above water plants.

so, ripariums are more for keeping fish and emergent plants.


----------



## hydrophyte

Crystalview said:


> What is silicone grease?


http://www.unrealfind.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=acc47&Category_Code=acc_others

i found mine at Ace Hardware. it might not be necessary in most cases. i just used it here because that ribbed Fluval hose made it more difficult to form a tight seal in combination with the vinyl hose.


----------



## Crystalview

Cool! I will have to look at ACE. One last question for the night. I am wondering if I could use a longer more short tank? The plants would stick out more is that ok? Or does the system need to stay within the tank area for moisture. I thought maybe it could be misted frequently to get the same effect for the lower plants and more swim room in length to swim for the fish.
Having buds like yous would be so cool.


----------



## hydrophyte

Crystalview said:


> Cool! I will have to look at ACE. One last question for the night. I am wondering if I could use a longer more short tank? The plants would stick out more is that ok? Or does the system need to stay within the tank area for moisture. I thought maybe it could be misted frequently to get the same effect for the lower plants and more swim room in length to swim for the fish.
> Having buds like yous would be so cool.


whether or not you have the top open depends upon which kinds of plants that you intend to keep. emersed aquarium plants (_Anubias, Cryptocoryne_, ferns) require high humidity, so they should be grown in covered tanks. garden pond type plants, on the other hand, prefer to have more air circulation, so they do better in open-topped displays. here's a shot of an open-topped 65 that i ahve planted with pond plants and some _Echinodorus_, which also grow better in lower humidity










it's fine to have some plants growing out the top, although personally i would avoid them growing far above the tank. if you think about the aquarium as a picture frame holding your planted aquascape composition, then having a lot material out of the tank might make it less successful in visual terms.


----------



## Crystalview

Love it!
Whey couldn't we put a clued corner or something and add some life form
They could go from platform to platform. They should not have to be to big. Maybe a small level or two.


----------



## hydrophyte

Crystalview said:


> Love it!
> Whey couldn't we put a clued corner or something and add some life form
> They could go from platform to platform. They should not have to be to big. Maybe a small level or two.


perhaps. i would be concerned about such platforms taking up too much room where plants might be growing. here is one product made by Zilla.

http://www.petdiscounters.com/R-Zilla-Floating-Basking-Platforms-p6990.html

i have seen several other comparable items too. 

but don't forget, ripariums have lots of underwater space for fish. i think that if i were going to make a dedicated setup for turtles or amphibians or fiddler crabs or whatever i would probably just make something more like a regular paludarium with a solid terrestrial area.


----------



## hydrophyte

and hey, don't forget about my spathe. here's a picture of the whole plant.


----------



## Crystalview

I was just dreaming. I miss having african Frogs.


----------



## hydrophyte

right. those are illegal in California now i think(?).

African dwarf clawed frogs (_Hymenochirus boettgeri_) might be a good option for a riparium. i understand their care is similar to aquarium fish and they seldom leave the water.


----------



## Crystalview

I would love one of those but was talking about ADF. Someone released some ACF's in a pond at Golden Gate Park and they ate all the native frogs and snakes. They are worried they will get into the bay. Some people!

Like the platform will get one for the hermit land crabs my husband has.


----------



## hydrophyte

how big is this aquarium that you are considering anyway? and what kind of lighting do you have?


----------



## Crystalview

See sig. Will be changing out that tank for gold fish.


----------



## hydrophyte

that could be a good size. i guess that one is 24" tall(?). that is plenty of vertical space.

you know _Cryptocoryne ciliata_ could be good for a tank that size. peace lilies would work well too. and there are many other posibilities.


----------



## hydrophyte

here is a quick update from this morning.

i got the underwater area planted up last night.










i think it will look nice when it grows in--should only take another couple of months.


----------



## kyle3

it's looking fabulous! I love that you have a unique artistic vision for the composition of your tank!

the Cryptocoryne ciliata is amazing! well done- who knew it would be so gorgeous above the water line!

the owner of the LFS is trying to convince me to start a salty tank- i think first i want a riparium; your tank is an inspiration. the other tank you posted is stunning as well. 

cheers-K


----------



## hydrophyte

a tank similar to this one could be great for a store. i anticipate that it will be low maintenance and it makes a nice impression.

if one could acquire good-sized crypts, _Anubias_ and ferns via wholesale it could shape up pretty quick.


----------



## kyle3

hmmm. . .not a bad idea at all!


----------



## hydrophyte

here's another view.










as this grows in i'll work on hiding the chords and plant support hardware. i am going to just yank the heater out of there because room temperature will be plenty warm this summer.

and here is detail of the hardscape.










this is a lot of color contrast. is it too much? note the two larger crypts in little terra cotta pots.


----------



## legomaniac89

Oh man you gotta stop tempting me hydrophyte. I love this concept, I have got to set one of these up at some point.

Crypts are some of the coolest plants out there, hands down


----------



## hydrophyte

i like crypts a lot too. there is no question that they are my favorite aquarium plants.

i have a shot here of another plant that is pretty happy in this tank, a _Bolbitis_ fern.










i have that one planted on an Epi-Trellis raft. it took that plants months to adapt to emersed culture, but when it finally did it began to grow really well. it is a pretty plant and adds a pleasing soft ferny texture.

to the left there are a couple plants with _Ranunculus inundatus_, which are also growing, but slowly. the light is probably too dim for them in there. i mean to move them.


----------



## hydrophyte

i got more fish in there today, a group of gold barbs (_P. semifasciolatus_ var. _schuberti_) that i had in QT. there are nine of them. as they grow up this will be too much for this volume of water, but i wanted to get something in there to add more color.










i think that the orange will go well with the rust red and the dark greens. i like that they look a lot like goldfish.


----------



## sewingalot

So pretty. I want to change my 55 into a riparium now.


----------



## hydrophyte

sewingalot said:


> So pretty. I want to change my 55 into a riparium now.


hey thanks! well your 55 was looking great in your last update. i hope you don't mind if i quote one of your pictures here.



sewingalot said:


> ]


you other shots showed how very happy your plants were. do you have any new updates?


----------



## cah925

This tank is looking good. I like the contrast between the dark green leaves and the reddish orange rocks.


----------



## hydrophyte

thanks! i think that having the underwater area with black background and the emersed part just clear behind worked out well in this case and enhanced visual contrast. 

these plants are all slow-growing, so it might be a while before i have new updates on the whole scape. however there are a few more observations that i mean to post and i also hope to see more *flowers* too.


----------



## hydrophyte

here is a shot from today, with gold barbs and yo-yo's.










the fish are still rather small and don't show in photographs so well, but they work well as accents. the orange-gold of the barbs goes with the brick-red of the rocks, the dark greens and the dark purples.


----------



## kyle3

the gold of the fish is a wonderful splash of color down there they make the plants look larger too.

cheers-K


----------



## cah925

I agree, this tank looks HUGE now with the fish as a reference. I can't wait to get fish in mine.


----------



## hydrophyte

i think that i will like those fish better when they have grown some. i am still pondering whether to add the paradise fish.

those barbs are still shoaling pretty tight, and they swim around fast. i hope that they will retain these behaviors. i like them better in this way than my group of cherry barbs that i have in another tank. the loaches have excellent behavior for viewing too.


----------



## hydrophyte

i was moving some plants around today and i just had to get a few shots of this crypt, which is one of my favorites.










i mean to divide this one soon, so i wanted to get a shot of the nice, full mature plant.

i don't know what this one is. it might be _C. undulata_(?). does anybody recognize it? it is similar to the stuff that i have that i believe to be _C. wendtii_ 'Bronze', but it has a much tidier growth habit. this one grows pretty tall, which is good for my purposes. here it is about 6" tall and still growing bigger.

isn't it a nice plant?


----------



## kyle3

beautiful plant, could it be wendtii tropica?


----------



## hydrophyte

i don't think so. look at this picture:

http://www.vizipokakvarisztika.hu/images/novenyek/Cryptocoryne%20Tropica.jpg

this one is quite different. i think that i also have some 'Tropica' and it has distinctly rounded leaves, which tend to lie flat.

_undulata_ might be a good guess. here is a picture of an immersed specimen:

http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/e_Cryptocoryne_undulata.php


----------



## sewingalot

hydrophyte said:


> hey thanks! well your 55 was looking great in your last update. i hope you don't mind if i quote one of your pictures here.
> 
> 
> 
> you other shots showed how very happy your plants were. do you have any new updates?


Hydrophyte,

I am touched. Coming from you this is a great compliment. I have a few updates to do, I have just been busy with outing the algae. Your tanks are fantastic. I look forward to seeing the 30 and 10 retro tanks getting aquatic life. I am in love with this riparium idea. How did you think to ever do this? That last crypt is simply outstanding. roud:


----------



## CL

Hey! It's looking really good!  Those plants are growing awesomely. You should grow some petite emersed because a.) it's my favorite plant :hihi: and b.) I have never seen one flower. I'm not even sure if they can flower, considering it is a man-made cultivar.


----------



## sewingalot

hydrophyte said:


> i was moving some plants around today and i just had to get a few shots of this crypt, which is one of my favorites.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i mean to divide this one soon, so i wanted to get a shot of the nice, full mature plant.
> 
> i don't know what this one is. it might be _C. undulata_(?). does anybody recognize it? it is similar to the stuff that i have that i believe to be _C. wendtii_ 'Bronze', but it has a much tidier growth habit. this one grows pretty tall, which is good for my purposes. here it is about 6" tall and still growing bigger.
> 
> isn't it a nice plant?


This is definitely the nicest crypt I have seen! :icon_mrgr


----------



## kyle3

i see the difference for sure: much too pointy to be tropica

I'm not very familiar with how the foliage differs when the leaves are emergent growth, but your undutata guess seems like a good one 

cheers-K


----------



## hydrophyte

sewingalot said:


> Hydrophyte,
> 
> ... I have a few updates to do, I have just been busy with outing the algae. ... I look forward to seeing the 30 and 10 retro tanks getting aquatic life. I am in love with this riparium idea. How did you think to ever do this? That last crypt is simply outstanding. roud:


thanks so much. i just had a look at your updates and you have real nice shots of plants and fish. i am pleased with that crypt in my picture. it has about the nicest shape of any of mine. i mean to set up a photo studio area for carefully shooting pictures with the same light, camera settings and so on to make a gallery for comparison. 

we should start a 55G club. what do you think? does the forum have one yet?



clwatkins said:


> Hey! It's looking really good! Those plants are growing awesomely. You should grow some petite emersed because a.) it's my favorite plant and b.) I have never seen one flower. I'm not even sure if they can flower, considering it is a man-made cultivar.


thank you very much. i do have some petite growing on a raft, but it is in another tank and _very slow_. it is growing though. for emersed c ultiure that one might be a better candidate for sticking to a rock or driftwood--it doesn't really have enough dimension to go with those rafts.


----------



## hydrophyte

i have a few more observations to add about using Epi-Trellis Rafts. here is another picture of that _Bolbitis_ fern that i am so happy about. 










it is growing really well and i pulled it out to admire it some more. it just sat there gorwing slowly for several months, but now it is constantly sending new fronds. anyway, i will be back in a little while. this joint is closing and i need to go back home.


----------



## hydrophyte

...so, here's a shot of an _Anubias barteri_ 'Nana' on an Epi-Trellis. this plant is growing well, but it will take a few more months to cover the raft. when i planted this one it was just a few small divisions with a couple of leaves each.










and here is the view form beneath.










this plant had more roots, but some died back when conditions changed while moving the setup. new roots are growing back in. some of these roots are already sticking to the foam. _Anubias_ are somehow able to adhere to the substrates upon which they grow.

the next shot shows detail of the raft.










i attached the plants with 4" plastic zip ties. note that the tie is holding down a few roots, _*not*_ the plant's rhizome. for the first few plants that i tried with the Epi-Trellis i did tie around the rhizome, but this caused rot right away and killed the plants. 

one could also use a super glue product to attach the plants to the raft, although this would muck up the raft and make it more difficult to remove/reposition/divide the plants later on.


----------



## SearunSimpson

Hey, for hiding equipment, you could hide the filter by tilting it sideways and putting it on the back wall, under the trellis'.


----------



## hydrophyte

that power filter is just temporary. i am going to install a Filstar. i intend to situate both pipes in a rear corner, then hang plants in front along the side wall.


----------



## sewingalot

hydrophyte said:


> thanks so much. i just had a look at your updates and you have real nice shots of plants and fish. i am pleased with that crypt in my picture. it has about the nicest shape of any of mine. i mean to set up a photo studio area for carefully shooting pictures with the same light, camera settings and so on to make a gallery for comparison.
> 
> we should start a 55G club. what do you think? does the forum have one yet?


We totally should. No one has yet, but Rekles75 gave a list of names a while back in my journal. Haha, it still makes me smile. I actually looked it up. Here's the names. :hihi:



rekles75 said:


> . . .
> inept depth
> no room
> 12in of no pleasure
> Shallow falls
> Cant Get Right
> 2 deep not wide enuff . . . .


I love that crypt. It is simply amazing. You are amazing when it comes to pictures. Could you take a picture of the fish at water level soon? I am interested in seeing the crypts floating on those trellis thing a majigs.


----------



## sewingalot

hydrophyte said:


> i have a few more observations to add about using Epi-Trellis Rafts. here is another picture of that _Bolbitis_ fern that i am so happy about.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> it is growing really well and i pulled it out to admire it some more. it just sat there gorwing slowly for several months, but now it is constantly sending new fronds. anyway, i will be back in a little while. this joint is closing and i need to go back home.



So pretty it shouldn't be real. :eek5:


----------



## hydrophyte

sewingalot said:


> We totally should. No one has yet, but Rekles75 gave a list of names a while back in my journal. Haha, it still makes me smile. I actually looked it up. Here's the names. :hihi:
> 
> . . .
> inept depth
> no room
> 12in of no pleasure
> Shallow falls
> Cant Get Right
> 2 deep not wide enuff . . . .
> 
> I love that crypt. It is simply amazing. You are amazing when it comes to pictures. Could you take a picture of the fish at water level soon? I am interested in seeing the crypts floating on those trellis thing a majigs.


:hihi: i like "inept depth" the best. i thought of a few more:


Wide Screen Plasma
Wallpaper
Pressed Plants
Storm Door
Ant Farm
Lacking 3rd Dimension

do you know how to start a forum club? is it just a question of copying a signature, or is there any way to subscribe? i should do a search it might be explained somewhere.

my crypts are all in hanging planters. the floating trellis rafts just have the ferns and _Anubias_.


----------



## hydrophyte

i had one last fish in QT that i added last night--an opaline gourami (_Trichogaster trichopterus_). this is another extremely common petstore fish.

this tank has a lot of fish biomass. i will have be diligent with my water changes. i intend to add another picture later today.


----------



## malaybiswas

If you feed them conservatively and clean the tank once a week you should be fine. I have over twice the recommended fish biomass for my tanks, but pretty much these 2 practices has helped me so far.

The bolbitis looks too good.


----------



## hydrophyte

yeah i agree that water changes and especially conservative feedings can go along way to maintaining water in tanks with lots of fish. i understand that some commercial fish breeders pack many large fish into smaller enclosures, but maintain excellent water quality with large frequent water changes. this is easier really than keeping fewer fish in a larger volume water, where water changes replace a smaller percentage fo total volume.

some of my fish in this tank really will grow too large. i know tht it is not such a good practice to stock with fish that will eventually outgrow the tank, but i am constantly moving fish around, and this combination of fish had the right look for this tank.

that _Bolbitis_ ia a quite happy plant. i need to get another shot of it in the aquarium because it makes a nice effect. i really want to get some needle-leaved Java fern going on trellis rafts--i takes a while for them to fill in though because they spend a few months adapting to the emersed conditions then more time growing in. 

i had this Java fern picture on the first page of the journal.











it has grown to probably 2X this size. i had some trouble with it tipping the raft over, but i was able to even it out with some pruning of the longest leaves.


----------



## Gatekeeper

hydrophyte said:


> it has grown to probably 2X this size. i had some trouble with it tipping the raft over, but i was able to even it out with some pruning of the longest leaves.


I meant to ask you about that. Aside from trimming leaves off, is there any way to counterweight the raft or provide some type of ballast to it to keep it from tipping? Can you interconnect rafts together to provide more stable buoyancy for the larger plants?

I really like this style of tank. At first I was very skeptical of it, but since you have done some nice journals of it, the more I look at it, they seem to be quite elegant really.

The "void" that is created under the plant mass gives it a very surreal look (almost a contemporary edgy feel). 

In that last Crypt photo, what substrate is that? Schultz aqua soil? 

What material are the screens in the planter boxes?


----------



## hydrophyte

gmccreedy said:


> I meant to ask you about that. Aside from trimming leaves off, is there any way to counterweight the raft or provide some type of ballast to it to keep it from tipping? Can you interconnect rafts together to provide more stable buoyancy for the larger plants?
> 
> I really like this style of tank. At first I was very skeptical of it, but since you have done some nice journals of it, the more I look at it, they seem to be quite elegant really.
> 
> The "void" that is created under the plant mass gives it a very surreal look (almost a contemporary edgy feel).
> 
> In that last Crypt photo, what substrate is that? Schultz aqua soil?
> 
> What material are the screens in the planter boxes?


the principal means of trimming up those rafts is with the use of the "dumbbell floats", which are cut form the same foam material as the rafts and clamp onto the raft segments. here is a shot of a float.










if you look closely at that Java fern picture you can see two of these along the bottom edge of the raft. 

it also helps a great deal to steady the rafts in place against the planter cups with VelcroTM fasteners. this is also very important for keeping the rafts in place so they don't float all about the aquarium. the rafts can be fastened to each other too. the regular Trellis Rafts link together like this...










...or however you like. in that 120 Mexico river tank i have two pairs of these with healthy carpets of _Bacopa_, which have quite a pleasing appearance.

i think that the gravel in that planter cup was Turface. any clay-based planted aquarium substrate (Aquasoil, Fluorite, etc.) will do fine in there.

that screen is just a plastic-coated cloth screen.

i really want to get some needle-leaved Java started on a raft. that wil look cool.


----------



## oldpunk78

hydrophyte said:


> i was moving some plants around today and i just had to get a few shots of this crypt, which is one of my favorites.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i mean to divide this one soon, so i wanted to get a shot of the nice, full mature plant.
> 
> i don't know what this one is. it might be _C. undulata_(?). does anybody recognize it? it is similar to the stuff that i have that i believe to be _C. wendtii_ 'Bronze', but it has a much tidier growth habit. this one grows pretty tall, which is good for my purposes. here it is about 6" tall and still growing bigger.
> 
> isn't it a nice plant?


did you ever figure out which crypt you have there? i have some of the exact same stuff i bought under the name c. wendtii 'red'. i also believe mine was grown emersed. anyway, awesome plant!


----------



## hydrophyte

i still don't know which one it is. my best guess is still _C. undulata_. i think that it is probably not a _wendtii_. i have several _wendtii_s and they all bloom constantly. i still haven't seen a spathe from this one. has yours flowered?


----------



## oldpunk78

hydrophyte said:


> i still haven't seen a spathe from this one. has yours flowered?


nope.


----------



## hydrophyte

here is a quick shot from today. the plants have grown in a little more.










i hung up the new Jump Start light fixture, which i describe here.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/85748-aquarium-stand-raw-industrial-style-5.html#post858409


----------



## Hilde

I think it be cool to add a turtle scheme to this setup. You, know what I mean. You, know a rock for the turtle to bask on. Oh, you know add turtle too.


----------



## chase127

awesome dude  these ripariums are great.


----------



## hydrophyte

thanks very much. i have a lot of fun building these.

a turtle would create real mayhem in there. the above-water area is primarily just for the observation of the plants and their flowers. any animal bigger than an ant would just knock down those delicate crypt leaves. there is quite a bit of water for the fish to swim around in.


----------



## idontknow

Great looking setup. I love crypts. Have you thought about adding a sunset crypt in there?


----------



## SPECIAL||PLANS

the light fixture is nice. like a delicate louis poulsen fixture over your overly robust frame.


----------



## hydrophyte

idontknow said:


> Great looking setup. I love crypts. Have you thought about adding a sunset crypt in there?


there is a 'Florida Sunset' in there. it is growing faster than anything else. do you know if that one is just a variation of an existing _wendtii_ variety. in addition ot the variegation, it has really nice leaves--more robust than any other _wendtii_ that i have and with a beautiful satiny luster. i need to pull that plant out and get some shots of it.



SPECIAL||PLANS said:


> the light fixture is nice. like a delicate louis poulsen fixture over your overly robust frame.


my overly robust frame? i'm really pretty scrawny in fact.

i was pleased when i scored that light. the whole shebang was just 85 bucks including fixture, chain and my rustic hanging hardware.


----------



## sewingalot

Nice light.


----------



## hydrophyte

i highly recommend that light*. check out this link, look for the fourth listed item.

http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/lights2.shtml

an amazing value. that's fifteen bucks cheaper than what i paid, although i bought it with the stand, which i am not using in this application.

*this recommendation in no way constitutes an endorsement of use of this device or any other device of any kind with your fish tank. you would have to be crazy to put anything with electricity running through it anywhere near an aquarium.


----------



## idontknow

hydrophyte said:


> there is a 'Florida Sunset' in there. it is growing faster than anything else. do you know if that one is just a variation of an existing _wendtii_ variety. in addition ot the variegation, it has really nice leaves--more robust than any other _wendtii_ that i have and with a beautiful satiny luster. i need to pull that plant out and get some shots of it.
> 
> 
> 
> my overly robust frame? i'm really pretty scrawny in fact.
> 
> i was pleased when i scored that light. the whole shebang was just 85 bucks including fixture, chain and my rustic hanging hardware.


I have them growing in my tank right now. It looks much nicer immersed. They look a lot like crypt wendti red submersed. The "virused" streaks are not nearly as defined as they are in the immersed form. I took one of my plants out and am regrowing it immersed outside on my porch.


----------



## hydrophyte

i wish i knew what the other big brown _wendtii_ is that i have. i had assumed it to be 'Bronze', but i don't know. it's leaves are similar to 'Florida Sunset', but more slender, less opaque and without the nice luster.


----------



## sewingalot

That is a sweet light. Now I want to have an indoor garden, too. I've gotta quit looking at your projects. I keep getting more and more ideas.


----------



## kyle3

sewingalot said:


> That is a sweet light. Now I want to have an indoor garden, too. I've gotta quit looking at your projects. I keep getting more and more ideas.


i know just how you feel!


----------



## hydrophyte

i put together a blog post with more observations on use of that light. it's right here...

http://hydrophytesblog.com/?p=542

i think that the fixture goes really well with the economy tank and the stand. i might paint the white plastic endcaps with some black Krylon Fusion.










it is a lot of the light for the price of the fixture and the wattage. i like the color of the 6400K lamp that came with it too.


----------



## sewingalot

I think that is a great idea to paint the end caps. But would you then have to paint the cord? Is that doable? I am going to read your blog on this light.


----------



## CL

gmccreedy said:


> I really like this style of tank. At first I was very skeptical of it, but since you have done some nice journals of it, the more I look at it, they seem to be quite elegant really.
> 
> The "void" that is created under the plant mass gives it a very surreal look (almost a contemporary edgy feel).


From this comment and the other one he posted, It sounds like you've almost got Glenn convinced :icon_surp


----------



## sewingalot

Okay, you need to setup a ripariums for dummies section for me to follow. I am so totally loving this more and more.


----------



## sewingalot

Ooooo! A nano riparium with shrimp! Do I have an idea!


----------



## hydrophyte

that thread with the 20G gives a pretty good step-by-step with some specs for equipment and so on.

i'd say that a 20G high is probably the smallest tank that can hold one of these. it would be difficult to hide the foam and plastic planting hardware in a smaller tank and most of the good plants are more coarse, so they wouldn't scale well in a real small space. 

shrimp would be a good idea though. i neat setup might be a low/moderate light shrimp tank with emersed crypts and _Anubias_, then _A. nana_ 'Petite', little crypts and mosses in the underwater part.


----------



## hydrophyte

one of my _C. cordata_ has a developing spathe. it looks sorta funny though and i wonder if it might fizzle. i hope it will open. this would be a new species for me. 

here is a shot from when i got this plant. 










the emersed growth looks just the same as the underwater form leaves. does anybody have an idea which _cordata_ this might be?

i will most definitely post pictures of the spathe if it opens for me.


----------



## sewingalot

hydrophyte said:


> that thread with the 20G gives a pretty good step-by-step with some specs for equipment and so on.
> 
> i'd say that a 20G high is probably the smallest tank that can hold one of these. it would be difficult to hide the foam and plastic planting hardware in a smaller tank and most of the good plants are more coarse, so they wouldn't scale well in a real small space.
> 
> shrimp would be a good idea though. i neat setup might be a low/moderate light shrimp tank with emersed crypts and _Anubias_, then _A. nana_ 'Petite', little crypts and mosses in the underwater part.


I am going to look over that and come up with some more ideas.  Be prepared for questions!


----------



## Gatekeeper

I read the blog entry on this light fixture but don't see the name of the manufacturer. I looked through that store link too and couldn't find it. LOL. Am I losing it?


----------



## hydrophyte

Glenn, nope, you're not losing it. i mentioned it further up this thread, but no place else. here is the manufacturer's page: http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=8881


----------



## sewingalot

Uh-oh. I think you have Glenn hooked as well.


----------



## Gatekeeper

I am totally hooked, but won't be happening any time in the near future.


----------



## hydrophyte

this light might be too bright. today i notice a couple of plants that seem to be leaning up against the rear pane of glass, like they're trying to get away. i have seen this before with some kinds of plants under those Tek Lights with all 4 or 6 lamps blazing. i will have to watch to see what happens. i can hoist the fixture up higher or maybe even put some kind of shape (window screen?) on top of the tank if it's too much light.

hey did you see my latest picture from the Mexico tank? i have this in the General forum. it is a view down inside that i made with 5 shots stitched together.










the _Xanthosoma_ taro over there on the right is a neat plant and it is doing well. over on the left side is a _Zephyranthes_ rain lily bloom all shriveled up i missed that one by a couple of days. i wish that i could keep this tank looking nicer, but it is difficult because it is on the other side of town and i can only ever make it over there for 1/2 hour once a week.


----------



## Down_Shift

Wow that looks great. Any close up shots? What are you stocking?

Also how do you keep your water from making an ugly water line on the glass?!?!


----------



## hydrophyte

Down_Shift said:


> Wow that looks great. Any close up shots? What are you stocking?
> 
> Also how do you keep your water from making an ugly water line on the glass?!?!


thanks very much! that last shot is actually from a different tank. i have close ups of this and that. here is a shot of a _C. wendtii_ ('Bronze' i think?) spathe.










my main idea with this tank was a setup that would allow observation on emergent crypts (and their flowers) in a real aquascape. 

erasing that chalk line and any water spots that might appear is the most important thing about keeping these tanks looking nice. this crypts riparium is almost completely covered to maintain humidity, so there isn't much evaporation and it doesn't develop a chalk line. that tank in the picture above, on the other hand, is open-topped and loses almost a gallon a water a day to evaporation. every time that i service it i wipe the chalk line away with a rag moistened with a little vinegar. vinegar is good for cleaning water spots away too.


----------



## jfrank85

Why must you tempt me so? I want to set up a riparium so bad now!


----------



## hydrophyte

to avoid confusion, here is a previous FTS for the tank that this thread is about.










i hope to fill this tank in a little more with some bushier plants. the crypts are growing, but slow. i got some pictures of a couple of new things that i potted up last night. these aren't crypts, but they are aroids and share that general aroid appearance.










this one isn't so new--it's a peace lily (_SPathiphyllum_ sp.) that i already know to grow really well in hanging planters.

here is a really cool plant that would make a great composition centerpiece.










this is an "African Mask" type _Alocasia_ sp.. i have no idea how this one might do. i found limited cultural information for this one, but a few vague references to growing in ponds. 

this link goes to an Aquarium Design Group gallery picture of a paludarium with one of these...

http://www.aquariumdesigngroup.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=7&p=6

that sorta looks like it might have its roots up above the water.


----------



## kyle3

I have one of the plants in the second picture. It is grown terrestrial-ly -regular house plant style. in those conditions it grows pretty fast - new leaf or 2 every week- super cool looking foliage huh! I'll be interested to hear if it grows better in more humidity.

cheers-K


----------



## hydrophyte

i'll try to remember to post an update. it might just rot and croak with its roots wet. that pot actually gave me three divisions. i saved the third to plant in a regular potting medium to go into my indoor greenhouse. it really is a cool-looking plant.

i know that that particular peace lily will grow in riparium conditions because i have tried it before. that one is a good cheap way to fill in some space in a new tank.


----------



## sewingalot

Seeing your full tank shot from earlier makes me like the new light more and more.  That spathe on the crypt bronze is amazing. I love the detail you were able to capture. Two shades of violet in there. Beautiful!


----------



## hydrophyte

thanks very much. i like this new light much better too. pendants are so much preferable to strip lights sliding around on top of the tank and getting in the way.

i have four different _wendtii_ vars with spathes right now. they all have that same purple under the hood, but the sizes of the spathes vary quite a bit. the 'Tropica' spathe for me is just an inch or so long, and the tube is whitish in color.


----------



## sewingalot

hydrophyte said:


> :hihi: i like "inept depth" the best. i thought of a few more:
> 
> 
> Wide Screen Plasma
> Wallpaper
> Pressed Plants
> Storm Door
> Ant Farm
> Lacking 3rd Dimension
> 
> do you know how to start a forum club? is it just a question of copying a signature, or is there any way to subscribe? i should do a search it might be explained somewhere.
> 
> my crypts are all in hanging planters. the floating trellis rafts just have the ferns and _Anubias_.


Hahaha! Pressed Plants is my favorite! Reminds me of the Amazon I had in my tank.

I don't know how I missed this, sorry. Go to this link: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/groups/ and scroll to the bottom. In the middle, create a new link. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/group.php?do=create

:redface:

Edit - after burning myself twice and almost dropping the light fixture in the tank, I am starting to like the idea of a pendant light.


----------



## hydrophyte

roger that.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/groups/55-gallon-club.html

i'll post a club invite in the Lounge.


----------



## sewingalot

Joined. :thumbsup: We gotta find rekles75. Ant farm, lol. I am cracking up.


----------



## hydrophyte

this opened just this morning. 










i was so happy to see it. this is a hardy plant and easy bloomer; it started to grow right away when I potted it up. here is a shot of the whole plant.










i wish I could figure out which _cordata_ this is. i have asked around a few times but haven't gotten any suggestions. i originally acquired this one from Crispino Ramos.


----------



## Gatekeeper

Looks like a_ Cryptocoryne pontederifolia _spathe to me. Interesting.


----------



## hydrophyte

yeah that's funny, it almost looks a little more like _pontederifolia_ because the limb has that twist at the end, the pictures there on _The Crypts Page_ show the _cordata_ blooms as more straight, and also more open. hmmm.


----------



## Gatekeeper

From some other hobbyists.

http://kryptokoryne.aquaticscape.com/2007/08/29/cryptocoryne-pontederifolia-spathe/

http://greenstouch.com/blog/?p=110

Some from my setup.


----------



## hydrophyte

how funny. all of those spathe images really do look more like my plant than the pictures of _C. cordata_. however, i understood that _pontederifolia_ has green leaves, sometimes with a rosy blush on the undersurface, but my plants have this unusual gray/mauve color and no green anywhere. i have some other plants that i acquired as _pontederifolia_, but in my conditions this thing that i understood to be _cordata_ is much hardier and faster.

maybe this spathe will open up some more tomorrow and look more like the pictures of other _C. cordata_(?).


----------



## HoustonFishFanatic

It is C.pontederifolia. The leaves tend to turn red under intense light IMO. The twist on the limb of spathe is also variable.

Bhushan


----------



## hydrophyte

thanks. that seems to be the consensus. i still think ti funny that i have never seen mention of this leaf coloration--everything that i have come across has described _pontederifolia_ as bright green and nearly indistinguishable from _moehlmannii_, except that it sometimes has a pink blush on leaf underside.

i don't have mine in such bright light. in fact i have them in several different tanks with varied conditions and all look like this.


----------



## HoustonFishFanatic

The leaves in crypts can be highly variable. Not a good way to identify closely related species.


----------



## hydrophyte

I started the 55 gallon club and posted an invite in the Equipment forum.

Here is the invite link: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/ant-farm-55-gallon-club.html#post864329

And here is the club link:
Ant Farm: The 55 Gallon Club

We have five members already. We should put up a few pictures.





sewingalot said:


> Hahaha! Pressed Plants is my favorite! Reminds me of the Amazon I had in my tank.
> 
> I don't know how I missed this, sorry. Go to this link: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/groups/ and scroll to the bottom. In the middle, create a new link. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/group.php?do=create
> 
> :redface:
> 
> Edit - after burning myself twice and almost dropping the light fixture in the tank, I am starting to like the idea of a pendant light.


----------



## hydrophyte

i had also asked for help about the identity of the plant with that spathe on another forum . _illumbomb_ was among several respondents who steered me toward _pontederifolia_ based on the appearance of the flower, and he also posted a biotope picture (linked here with permission) showing plants with the same unusual coloration as mine.










that picture was shot in Singapore. _Cryptocoryne pontederifolia_ is not native there, but found its way via the aquarium trade.

check out _illumbomb's_ blog, which is all about crypts.

illumbomb's cryptocoryne blog



~


----------



## mountaindew

Hydro, quick question.
Have you tried using a 3500k bulb or bulbs in your light fixtures to induce more flowering. Not much light from this part of the spectrum kicks many flowering plants into high gear! I have a tank set up this way and if I turn on the 3500k bulbs for just a couple hours over a couple days it will make every plant that produces a flower to shoot a stem to the surface and pop one out! Just something to try or think about  
MD


----------



## CL

mountaindew said:


> Hydro, quick question.
> Have you tried using a 3500k bulb or bulbs in your light fixtures to induce more flowering. Not much light from this part of the spectrum kicks many flowering plants into high gear! I have a tank set up this way and if I turn on the 3500k bulbs for just a couple hours over a couple days it will make every plant that produces a flower to shoot a stem to the surface and pop one out! Just something to try or think about
> MD


That's crazy awesome!


----------



## hydrophyte

that is an interesting idea and reminds me that a while back i actually got a red LED light with the intention of seeing if it might induce flowering. 

in commercial greenhouses they use High Pressure Sodium lamps--which are lower K and have a lot of red--to force blooms.

i ought to try this idea with some of these plants. of course, with these slow-growing crypts one could also run the risk of burning plants out by forcing them too hard.


----------



## mountaindew

Hydro,
They do make 3500k t5 light bulbs in all sizes that are about the same spectrum as high pressure sodium's, of course not as intense or efficient! HPS lights are known to be the most light for the watt you can get, outside of new tech like l.e.d. And the intense red spectrum will induce flowering in plants. On the flip side if that is the only spectrum of light, many plants will deform and or wither away.
Another idea to keep in mind is higher phosphate levels can also help plants produce flowers. And from my observations it also makes leaves a glossy green, over time of course. Not a real good idea for most aquariums but it is something to consider.
md


----------



## hydrophyte

yeah i do fertilize with phosphate every week if i can remember. i like to pipette mixed solution right onto the surface of the gravel media in the planter cup, which i hope to have the effect of slowing it from getting into the aquarium water. i also do get the impression that phosphate improves the look and vigor of the plant overall.


----------



## sewingalot

Hydrophyte, can we get some more pictures of your crypts? I love this setup.

The Lagenandra meeboldii 'pink' is amazing: http://kryptokoryne.aquaticscape.com/2009/05/24/lagenandra-meeboldii-pink/

Do you have any experience with it?


----------



## hydrophyte

oh thanks again. i hope to add some more new updates pretty soon. i haven't seen any more new blooms, but the plants have been growing.

i have one plant that i suspected to be a _Lagenandra erosa_, but i think it might just be a _C. spirales_. i do want to get some _Lagenandra_ sometime.

i just got a few more new crypts, plants that i got in exchange with *gmcccreedy*  . he sent me some really nice stems too. i shot some quick pictures and put together a blog post http://hydrophytesblog.com/?p=719 Glenn included a crypt that is apparently a _wendtii_ variety. it is very different with subtle white mottled variegation on the tops of the leaves.


----------



## Gatekeeper

That Crypt is certainly one of my favorites. Glad it all arrived well.


----------



## hydrophyte

thanks again for sending that stuff. it all has such pretty colors. my plants look more dull than yours. you must have them more well-nourished than i do.

i went back over to APC and found that reference with the questions about the identity of that "_Hemigraphis traian_". *Cavan Allen* had done some sleuthing. it looks as though it is certainly not a _Hemigraphis_, and not even an Acanthaceae, rather it seems to be a _Hyptis_, "bushmint", in Family Lamiaceae.

here is the APC thread http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/general-aquarium-plants-discussions/52738-hemigraphis-traian-flower-2.html

here is the shot of the plant that Glenn sent to me...


----------



## hydrophyte

i finally installed the shelf into this stand. i think that it will look nice when i get the whole thing all set up.










it will be good to hook up the Filstar too. i currently just have an airstone in there for water circulation, and an impressive layer of mulm on the floor of the tank. the loaches really like to root around in the mulm--what do they find in there?--but i will be happy when the tank looks cleaner.


----------



## Gatekeeper

Thanks for the reference for the Lamiaceae. Cute little filter you got there.


----------



## hydrophyte

well thanks gain for sending those plants. they are growing. have you ever gotten that one to bloom?


----------



## oldpunk78

> i finally installed the shelf into this stand. i think that it will look nice when i get the whole thing all set up.


sorry man, i just gotta ask...

why green? (why not black?)


----------



## hydrophyte

oldpunk78 said:


> sorry man, i just gotta ask...
> 
> why green? (why not black?)


because green looks better? 

the choice of paint color is ultimately subjective, but i did apply some design principles here. by using that green, i accentuate the green foliage in the tank. the same visual effect is used in framing pictures, where a hue in the frame or matte can draw out and emphasize colors in the photograph or painting. 

i would not have liked black, and it would not have worked in this room. the green makes a much better contrast with the warm orange cedar color of the rest of the stand.


----------



## Gatekeeper

I think the green goes with the contemporary feel of the stant style, and certainly the style of scaping.

You got my vote.


----------



## sewingalot

Just checked out the blog. Those are some nice stems! Very healthy looking. The Alternanthera reineckii var. rosaefolia is amazing. I want some now. I also really like that crypt, the lines are beautiful. By the way, I think the green works well, too.


----------



## hydrophyte

thanks so much. that _Altenranthera_ is gorwing like mad for me and retaining its nice color, although one of the other stems petered out. i should post an update for those plants. that crypt with the white variegation is also going strong and maintaning its unique coloration.

i have more new updates for the crypts riparium too. i have been out of town for the past week, but i hope to put together some new updates soon.


----------



## lauraleellbp

I must say, you have some of the most fascinating and informative threads! I've just read through several (IDK why I'd never found them before?) and I love the way you think "out of the box."

You've also got me wanting to set up a riparium now... *sigh* I need a fishroom...


----------



## hydrophyte

sewingalot said:


> Just checked out the blog. Those are some nice stems! Very healthy looking. The Alternanthera reineckii var. rosaefolia is amazing. I want some now. I also really like that crypt, the lines are beautiful. By the way, I think the green works well, too.


i should point out again, that is what those stems looked like when i pulled them from the box that *Glenn* sent. he is doing something right with his emersed setup, because the colors of those plants were beautiful. i wish that i could get stems to grow with such vigor in my ripariums. i do really well with rosette plants, like crypts and swords, and certain other plants, but most stems don't perform so well.



lauraleellbp said:


> I must say, you have some of the most fascinating and informative threads! I've just read through several (IDK why I'd never found them before?) and I love the way you think "out of the box."
> 
> You've also got me wanting to set up a riparium now... *sigh* I need a fishroom...


thanks very much. i wish that i were more competent and had a better idea of what i am doing. i really do hope to pull together an update for this tank. i was working on the above water part the other day--i switched and moved a few plants--and it's looking good right now. it all cleaned up real well with the addition of that canister filter and the fish love the swift current along the front of the tank. i have found with those hyperactive barbs and loaches that this is an entertaining fish display. 

i just need to work on tidying the underwater part and i'll be ready to shoot some more pictures.


----------



## hydrophyte

I was tidying up this tank again too and got a few quick shots. The plants have grown in some more...










I am going to add a few more plants and also wait for everything to straighten out again, then shoot some more pictures. I will get better color and contrast with new shots.


----------



## Hoppy

This tank must have a black painted back only behind the below water portion. If so, have you decided whether you like that better than having the whole back of the tank black? I'm leaning towards thinking the black back is the best looking.


----------



## hydrophyte

I hung some of that plastic-coated aquarium background from the LFS behind the underwater area with a few tabs of tape. I left the above water background open so that I could try different effects. I like it with just the white wall behind, although that photograph isn't the greatest. 

I am going to make some time to get a few better picture updates. I have a second piece of background that is blue on one side and black on the reverse and I will try those too.

I have used solid black for most of these tanks, and usually painted on because taped on sheets can get in the way and paint is also cheaper too. It is very important to get the glass very clean before painting with latex.


----------



## macclellan

Have you considered drilling the back wall for a closed-loop canister or sump? The long runs of tubing are hard to hide in paludariums and don't exactly look good. Anyways, that's what I intend to do when I set up a 75g after I move in a few months. It will be rimless and backgroundless with a hanging fixture, so I thought I'd rather just make all the equipment invisible.


----------



## hydrophyte

In my 65 I have a configuration similar to this, but with the intake & return reaching over the back. They are covered with foliage and out of sight. For this tank with crypts I hung them on the side because I wanted to save the real estate along the rear pane for plants. I don't really mind the look of the pipes and they go with the exposed-everything theme of the rest of the setup.

Goinng through the floor with bulkheads and short standpipes can be a good option too. That's what I did in the 120 that I set up and the plumbing is near invisible.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have done a little more gardening and got some new shots tonight. I think it is looking better.










There really are fish in here. You can see a few of the barbs there in the lower right. I need to get a few more crypts into the underwater foreground to brighten that area up.

I had to install a heater again. It has been chilly here. I don't know what's happening with our weather. It is supposed to be dog days of summer here, but last night it was 47F and this tank woke up this morning at 68F.


----------



## hydrophyte

Today I got a few pictures of this really happy _Anubias_ with my King of Pop glove because I transferred it from a culture tank into the crypts display. I had been growing it on an Epi-Trellis raft for about 5 months.










The leaves have a beautiful luster which this picture fails to show. If you look at the latest FTS you can see it there in the lower right of the emersed area. What a nice plant. It has great root development.


----------



## Hoppy

hydrophyte said:


> I have done a little more gardening and got some new shots tonight. I think it is looking better.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There really are fish in here. You can see a few of the barbs there in the lower right. I need to get a few more crypts into the underwater foreground to brighten that area up.
> 
> I had to install a heater again. It has been chilly here. I don't know what's happening with our weather. It is supposed to be dog days of summer here, but last night it was 47F and this tank woke up this morning at 68F.


This answers one of my questions: a riparium will need a heater even more than a standard aquarium does, since there is less water, and more surface area per gallon of water, so the water cools faster. But, the heater could be a smaller wattage one, sized to the amount of water instead of the size of the tank. One more electric cord hanging over the top of the tank. And, another good argument for having a canister filter, and a drilled tank - use in-line heaters only. I won't be going that way though - I think.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have pondered using that Hydor inline heater, but I think that the smallest model is 200 watts. I usually try to undersize heaters and sometimes use two of them because I worry about them getting stuck in "ON" and cooking the tank. I have had heaters fail this way more than once, but I always managed to catch them as the temps started to climb.

That submersible Eheim works well enough in this tank.


----------



## legomaniac89

Man, that's looking really nice. Have you been able to get any new spathes out of the crypts recently?


----------



## hydrophyte

I have been getting spathes here and there, but nothing new--just more of _ciliata_, _pontederiifolia_ and various _wendtii_. 

I am trying to get this tank into better shape little by little. Here is another shot from tonight, with blue background...










I'll try next with black.

This picture post-processed just a little bit.


----------



## Hoppy

Back to basics: Are there just 2 basic riparium types? One would be an open top tank, with plants not needing high humidity, and the other a mostly closed top for plants that have to have high humidity. If so, would the high humidity plants mostly be aquatic plants growing emersed? What other category of plants needs the high humidity?


----------



## CL

Wow, what kind of anubias is that in post #201? I love the variegation on it! It almost looks like stardust, but bigger, and with a little less variegation...
Enlighten me!


----------



## hydrophyte

I am not sure of which _Anubias_ that might be(?). That is actually just water drops on the leaves, not variegation. I misted it while I had it out of the high-humidity tank. I really would like to try some variegated _Anubias_. I think you had a few of those, right? Have you ever grown 'Stardust'?

One specific thing that I did observe about that plant was that the emersed leaves grew much bigger than any of the underwater leaves that it came with.


----------



## CL

hydrophyte said:


> I am not sure of which _Anubias_ that might be(?). That is actually just water drops on the leaves, not variegation. I misted it while I had it out of the high-humidity tank. I really would like to try some variegated _Anubias_. I think you had a few of those, right? Have you ever grown 'Stardust'?


Oh, I see now. I just have marbled anubias, which has streaks of white, like marble, but 'stardust' has a lot more variegation, and has a "spray" of white dots on the leaves. It's also crazy expensive. Depending on how fast my marbled anubias grows emersed, I may be willing to part with some. I'm not sure how much I want to use in my scape, but if it keeps growing at this pace, I should have plenty of it by the time my tank is ready for water. The variegation becomes more intense when grown emersed.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is another picture showing just a little less than one-half of the whole width of the tank...










This gives an idea of what a setup like this would look like in a 25 High. That Java fern there in the middle sure is a nice plant. Notice also the arrow-leaved plant on the right, _Anubias hastifolia_. That's a cool one.

You can see the light dusting of I think its diatoms on the rocks. I had the better of that stuff for a while, but a little bit of it has come back again.


----------



## hydrophyte

I got a picture tonight with the black background...


----------



## greekfish

that looks awesome :icon_lol:


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks!. Sorry the colors are screwed up I was playing around with the RAW file and that was what I came up with. I need to go back and try again to get better representation.

The plants are all doing well in there right now.


----------



## hydrophyte

...here is the jpeg right out of the camera


----------



## fastfreddie

If you don't mind me asking, how did you get all of the white glare out of the jpeg? I have that washed out whiteness in all of my pictures.


----------



## Hoppy

I'm convinced! Black is the color of my true love aquarium back wall! It really makes the plants stand out beautifully, just as I find it does for aquatic plants.

But, just to vacillate a bit, with an open top riparium, with plants growing up out of the confines of the tank, is the transition from black to the wall color a problem? The problem with a black back tank is that changing your mind causes you an awful lot of work. But, I suppose not painting the back black does the same thing if you change your mind. 

I think I'm in a vacillating mood today.


----------



## hydrophyte

fastfreddie said:


> If you don't mind me asking, how did you get all of the white glare out of the jpeg? I have that washed out whiteness in all of my pictures.


I really don't know what I am doing but I'm trying to figure it out. I had for the longest time procrastinated shooting pictures in RAW format because I didn't think I had the extra time or computer memory for messing around with those large files. It's much better, however, to capture images in RAW. Here is the jpeg from the camera again.










The uppermost leaves show a lot of white glare, while the underwater part of the scape is darker than what I see in real life. When formatting the jpeg the camera is enhancing glare and shadow too much.

Here is another jpeg made with a re-worked RAW file.










I was able to get more natural contrast with this picture, but the colors are not such good representations. I slid several adjustments around and couldn't get very close. I get really good color with jpegs, but bad contrast, with the "auto" white balance setting on the camera.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy said:


> I'm convinced! Black is the color of my true love aquarium back wall! It really makes the plants stand out beautifully, just as I find it does for aquatic plants.
> 
> But, just to vacillate a bit, with an open top riparium, with plants growing up out of the confines of the tank, is the transition from black to the wall color a problem? The problem with a black back tank is that changing your mind causes you an awful lot of work. But, I suppose not painting the back black does the same thing if you change your mind.
> 
> I think I'm in a vacillating mood today.


I like the black best too. The open background was nice because it emphasizes the silhouette shapes of the plants, but colors look better agains thte black. I didn't like the blue so much. 










I used that plastic-coated aquarium backing from the LFS. It is no trouble at all to switch up the background. I just have it stuck on there with transparent tape. Of course this wouldn't work so well for a tank with the background wrapping around both sides, as for my 65.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's another picture from the other night. Not much is new...still playing around with RAW files.


----------



## hydrophyte

This tank is overgrown! Here is a shot that I just got...










The emersed plants look real nice, but they are shading the whole underwater area. I now wish that this were a 75 or 90, because a shape like that would have more space along the front pane of glass. The 12" of depth in this 55 just isn't enough.


----------



## legomaniac89

Wow that is some serious growth! That Java Fern is huge!


----------



## Hoppy

What lighting does this tank have? And, how are you fertilizing? That is very fast growth!


----------



## CL

legomaniac89 said:


> Wow that is some serious growth! That Java Fern is huge!


Very much so! Just wait until the fern starts getting the pinnate leaves. It will fill that tank up real fast


----------



## hydrophyte

I really wish that I had used a bigger tank. I think that I will soon start taking some of the big plants out of there so that I can open it up again. If I had a 90-gallon I would just transfer all those emersed plants right to it. 

It looks pretty cool if I crop away the underwater portion...










I really like the big Java fern there on the left and also the large _Anubias barteri_ on the rigth-hand side.

The 55 saved me some money though--with the light fixture, filter and tank.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy said:


> What lighting does this tank have? And, how are you fertilizing? That is very fast growth!


There is less than 1-watt/gallon of HO T5 lighting. I used the 48" Hydrofarm Jumpstart striplight, which is amazingly cheap and highly efficient.

I apply something like sloppy EI dosing in here, going light on the ferts. I also added API Root Tabs to the planter cups a while back.


----------



## speedie408

hydro,

do you have a close up shot from the front of what's right below the water level? I'm asking because I had an idea you may be able to get more balanced pics of the top and bottom. Depending on what's below the water level, you may be able to use a blue or white background just for the bottom section while maintaining a black (or darker) background for the top section.

btw, the tank is looking Awesome!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks. That is a good idea. Unfortunately, the emersed plants really are covering almost the entire water's surface. I think that I am just going to plan to yank all of the large bushy things and replace with smaller plants. It's too bad that I don't have a bigger tank on-hand. It has crossed my mind to try to sell off that tank and stand and get a 90-gallon, but I don't have time for that. I do have some less common little crypts that should be nice additions to this setup.

Hey you had some great photography in your recent posts.


----------



## jaidexl

That is one sweet looking tank! I wish I had time to do this, I still have a 29 waiting... some day, anyway. :icon_cry:


----------



## hydrophyte

Is there anybody out there who might like to put together a setup like this? I am going to rearrange this one soon, and I'm struggling to find space for all these plants.


----------



## trackhazard

Are you still running the one T5 strip light on this tank?

I think I may have to drop a bulb from my setup.

Charlie


----------



## hydrophyte

Yes this one just has the single T5 strip, but it is only 12" deep front-to-back, whereas that 75 of yours is 18". I wonder if a single tube would be pretty thin light for your setup(?). Have you tried running yours with just one lamp for either of the two-lamp pairs? My 36" Tek Light won't work at all unless the two lamps for each pair are installed. 

I have also wondered about using just regular output T5s, instead of the HOs. I haven't gone shopping for those yet though.


----------



## trackhazard

My 2 bulb Tek won't work with just 1 bulb but I have a 1 bulb Hagen GLO T5HO fixture sitting around. The reflector is wider than the Tek and since I'm running the lights approx 10" off the top, I'm thinking I may have enough light spread. I guess there's no harm in experimenting.

-Charlie


----------



## Hoppy

trackhazard said:


> My 2 bulb Tek won't work with just 1 bulb but I have a 1 bulb Hagen GLO T5HO fixture sitting around. The reflector is wider than the Tek and since I'm running the lights approx 10" off the top, I'm thinking I may have enough light spread. I guess there's no harm in experimenting.
> 
> -Charlie


What did you see that convinced you that you have too much light? I can do a pretty good guess about what light is needed for a conventional planted tank, but not for a riparium, yet. I now have a PAR meter in hand, our aquatic plant group's meter, so I will be making some measurements before too long. There is always something else that I want to do with more priority.


----------



## demonbreedr16

hydrophyte said:


> Is there anybody out there who might like to put together a setup like this? I am going to rearrange this one soon, and I'm struggling to find space for all these plants.


 
Oooooo!! Me me me!!!

This was a type of tank I've wanted to try! Crypts & Anubias are 2 of my favorite plants! [As you can tell by my tanks...] Send me a PM and maybe we could work something out?

Kenny


----------



## trackhazard

Hoppy said:


> What did you see that convinced you that you have too much light? I can do a pretty good guess about what light is needed for a conventional planted tank, but not for a riparium, yet. I now have a PAR meter in hand, our aquatic plant group's meter, so I will be making some measurements before too long. There is always something else that I want to do with more priority.


I getting bad thread algae at the substrate level. It got a lot worse once I replaced the previous bulbs w/ fresh ones. If I let it go, it might for a really nice carpet.

Starting to choke my crypts and java moss.

-Charlie


----------



## hydrophyte

Charlie, Your emersed plants look pretty happy with that light that you have, so what do you think about additional alternative approaches to managing that algae? Did you say that it was _green_ thread algae? If it is then I bet that a bristlenose plecostamus would control it. They are cute fish to have anyway too. Getting more plants into the underwater area would also suppress algae and so would Excel dosing.


----------



## speedie408

I don't know about your BNP hydro but mine does not eat any form of thread algae AT ALL. She'll dine on diatoms all day, which helps keep the glass clean. If you're looking for a fish that eats thread algae, you should check out the freshwater neon gobies. I got 2 of the Green variant ones and I've witnessed them slurping in thread algae like you'd eat spaghetti. However they don't graze often so in order to make a significant impact, you'd need 20 of them. lol


----------



## hydrophyte

What is the difference between thread algae and hair algae anyway? Maybe it was green hair algae that my pleco eliminated.

Edit: I just went and looked, and I believe that it was thread algae that I had before. After that stuff was gone the tank had diatoms for some time on the glass and foreground plants, but the pleco didn't touch that. The diatoms eventually went away on their own.


----------



## jaidexl

I think it comes down to common names vs species. In my opinion anyway, thread and hair is the same, usually Spirogyra or Rhizoclonium, long sweeping strands that eventually turn into thick masses flowing in the column if left alone. Rhizo seems to get thicker and even traps bubbles like cyano, at least I think so, it might take a microscope to tell the difference. 

The smaller stuff I just call "fuzz algae", and I think a lot of folks consider it thread, I really don't know much about the species there because I've never had to deal with them too much, or never cared. If it disappears from sight when I walk ten feet away, then it's ok with me and I can appreciate it for it's benefits.

Tom would be the right person to chime in on this.


----------



## jaidexl

Here's my old prize colony of Rhizo (or spiro?) :tongue: ...


----------



## hydrophyte

demonbreedr16 said:


> Oooooo!! Me me me!!!
> 
> This was a type of tank I've wanted to try! Crypts & Anubias are 2 of my favorite plants! [As you can tell by my tanks...] Send me a PM and maybe we could work something out?
> 
> Kenny


PM sent. I should be able to turn up a few plants.


----------



## hydrophyte

I am going to do some rearranging in this tank. I need to get some of the large plants out of here and switch with smaller potted crypts. The huge octopus _C. wendtii_ to the right of center is especially unwieldy. My greatest dilemma is deciding what to do with the big _Anubias hasitfolia_ and _A. barteri_. 










I really wish that this tank were larger, because now I have to take out some of the most attractive specimens.


----------



## CL

That looks really good, too!
Do you realize that this thread has 11k views?


----------



## hydrophyte

Oh look at that, and it is 17 pages long. I did start it way back in March. Here is a shot from 4/29/09:










That plants have grown up. It is just a shame with this skinny 55-gallon shape that those nice full plants are now shading the whole underwater area. I wish that I had the space (and budget) for a 90-gallon I would just transfer the whole thing.


----------



## CL

Wow! It's really grown a lot!


----------



## RianS

my goodness the transformation is amazing. 
in the beginning it just looks pathetic but once it's all filled in as always it's just redonkulous.


----------



## hydrophyte

The Java fern is especially monstrous. You can see it in the picture from April over on the far right-had side. It was just 4 small fronds back then.

Well it has been six months now already. One plant that has impressed me with its rate of growth is the big _Anubias barteri_. That thing has grown much faster as an emersed plant than it would have underwater. Now it is just too big for that spot. This picture is from about 6 weeks ago. Now the plant is about twice this size.


----------



## Hoppy

Looking at the root structure under that Anubias I keep wondering all ripariums are doomed to have the water completely filled with roots. I suppose this is no different from a regular planted tank - you just have to do pruning, replacing plants as they get too big, etc. just as you are doing now. But, it seems to make keeping fish in the water a challenge.


----------



## hydrophyte

The roots on that plant don't really get in the way of anything. They are in the rear 1/2 of the tank and covered up with underwater crypt foliage.

The big problem now is that the emersed plants are so big that they are shading the whole underwater area. I might have to move some of them to my new 56-column. I had wanted to make that new tank a moderate-humidity setup, not a high-humidity tank, like this one, but I might re-think that idea.


----------



## speedie408

You always wear gloves when you handle your plants?


----------



## hydrophyte

That was King of Pop tribute night.

No, I think that I was applying some glue or something that evening and I had the camera out so I shot some pictures.

I gotta get another new shot of that plant. It is really impressive now. The leaves just keep getting bigger and bigger.


----------



## jaidexl

Wowzers, what a difference. I like Rian's word, redonkulous, have to second that one :hihi: You could keep a spider monkey in there.


----------



## jaidexl

hydrophyte said:


> The big problem now is that the emersed plants are so big that they are shading the whole underwater area.


How about attaching a small fluorescent desk style strip light to the back of the tank, just below the water's surface, or even below the bottom rim to create a gradient across whatever background is still visible through the roots and bottom foliage? Like a light box on the bottom half of the tank.


----------



## hydrophyte

jaidexl said:


> Wowzers, what a difference. I like Rian's word, redonkulous, have to second that one :hihi: You could keep a spider monkey in there.


I should have some impressive shots of that Java fern when I yank it out of there. I am going to slice up the rhizomes and start several more new trellis rafts of it.



jaidexl said:


> How about attaching a small fluorescent desk style strip light to the back of the tank, just below the water's surface, or even below the bottom rim to create a gradient across whatever background is still visible through the roots and bottom foliage? Like a light box on the bottom half of the tank.


I have tried shining a strip light through the underwater area from the side. The light did not brighten the underwater portion very much, but it did accentuate the plastic planter cups. It wasn't a very good effect.

I think that I will be able to resolve things just by getting the big fern and _Anubias_ and _C. wendtii_ out of there. Still, it sure would be nice to have a larger tank to put them into.


----------



## jaidexl

Hmm, tricky situation. I have these submersible LED's that my wife bought from an LFS, might be a good solution for that. Only problem is they're ugly red and green, there's probably no white submersible LEDs marketed for aquariums or anything else, so the amount of work or money it may take to accomplish it might not be worth it.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah well like I say what I really need to do is just yank the largest plants out of there. I have some cool smaller crypts in riparium planters that I can add and I can also use mostly _Anubias barteri_ 'Nana' on trellis raft for the midground.


----------



## hydrophyte

This weekend I finally got started moving the large plants out of this tank. Here is one one of the new smaller additions that I am going to introduce, a _C. wendtii_ variety that I understand to be identified with the unofficial variety name 'Hybrid'.










This plant has unusual leaf patternation. I put together a blog post with a few more specific observations.

*http://hydrophytesblog.com/?p=1231*



*


----------



## HoustonFishFanatic

That leaf has some nice texture.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah and in addition to that fine white reticulated pattern on the leaves it also has this more splotchy white variegation.










I only noticed that when I opened the pictures again. This is more subtle that the variegation on 'Florida Sunset', but pretty cool anyway.

I originally got this one from *gmccreedy*.




*


----------



## HoustonFishFanatic

Great. I would be intrested on getting a plantlet when you have extras. The extent of hybridization in C wendtii is amazing.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey you bet I would be happy to send you some divisions if I can ever get any. However, this plant is slow to off set for me--I've had it for 5 months now and I haven't seen any new little plants in the planter.


----------



## MrJG

I've never seen it not grown in submerged conditions but that looks a lot like the 'green gecko' variety.


----------



## hydrophyte

The truth is that I am confused about what this might be. I got it as 'Hybrid' and I also have one that I received as 'Green Gecko'. The latter of these has leaves similar in shape to this plant, but without the white variegation.

I just don't know very well.


----------



## sewingalot

hydrophyte said:


> The Java fern is especially monstrous. You can see it in the picture from April over on the far right-had side. It was just 4 small fronds back then.
> 
> Well it has been six months now already. One plant that has impressed me with its rate of growth is the big _Anubias barteri_. That thing has grown much faster as an emersed plant than it would have underwater. Now it is just too big for that spot. This picture is from about 6 weeks ago. Now the plant is about twice this size.


Nice gloves. :hihi: Seriously, those roots are super healthy. What is your dosing schedule?


----------



## Hoppy

sewingalot said:


> Nice gloves. :hihi: Seriously, those roots are super healthy. What is your dosing schedule?


I'm trying to figure out how to dose the water for a riparium too. It seems that it would take more fertilizing than a planted tank, because the plants using the nutrients are such big ones, but they grow slower, making me think that just an EI dosage might work out well. I have been roughly following the EI dosages, but I keep thinking I should dose more.


----------



## hydrophyte

sewingalot said:


> Nice gloves. :hihi: Seriously, those roots are super healthy. What is your dosing schedule?


I am afraid that my ferts dosing is rather casual. I dose N, P & K once per week when I do a water change. The fish are growing fast and I feed them a good-sized volume of food every day, so the tank must be getting a nice steady amount of N from them. I also add CSM+B a couple of times a week and a shot of Excel everyday. The water is 1/2 RO + 1/2 Madison municipal, so I think that it has plenty of hardness. 

I posted an offer in _Swap & Shop_ for Java fern divisions from the big plant in this tank.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/swap-n-shop/95856-fs-emersed-java-fern-epi-trellis.html

That big fern in the tank has such nice foliage.


----------



## Coltonorr

hydrophyte said:


> The truth is that I am confused about what this might be. I got it as 'Hybrid' and I also have one that I received as 'Green Gecko'. The latter of these has leaves similar in shape to this plant, but without the white variegation.
> 
> I just don't know very well.



Hydro,
I am in no way a crypt expert...but
If I understand correctly, the "hybrid" has reddish undersides to the leaves, when grown submersed. 
I could be wrong, but I believe that is the difference. I am going to grow some hybrid and green gecko emersed and submersed to see the differences.


----------



## Gatekeeper

Funny you bring this up. This has been a frequent discussion lately it seems. Yes, there is a hybrid that has a very similar leaf style as the gecko, but the plant is much darker green and also grows taller. The red underside is also alot more subtle.



Pics. Red circle is the hybrid. Blue is Gecko.










My stand of 'hybrid'. 









Another with the hybrid in the back of the gecko from a different angle.








[/QUOTE]

I have to apologize for the bad photos. I am no photographer.


----------



## hydrophyte

I posted again into my thread on using MTS in riparium planter cups with an observation on the large _C. wendtii_ that I have in here.

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


----------



## agutt

gmccreedy said:


> Pics. Red circle is the hybrid. Blue is Gecko.


The Red circle to me looks exactly like the Green Geckos I just received from Legomaniac... not sure if that means that the red circle is green gecko, or if mine are hybrid, but just thought id chime in... Here is a picture of mine... They can be seen in the back left corner


----------



## dantra

Every time I read one of your threads I know I'm in for a surprise! You always seem to have beautiful plants and even better looking ripariums.

I hate reading your threads because whenever I do, I'm one step closer to starting one. roud:

Dan


----------



## emmanuelchavez

dantra said:


> Every time I read one of your threads I know I'm in for a surprise! You always seem to have beautiful plants and even better looking ripariums.
> 
> *I hate reading your threads because whenever I do, I'm one step closer to starting one. roud:*
> 
> Dan


Haha. Me too. I'm so close to converting my 100g into a riparium.

I really like what you've done with your tanks! roud:


----------



## HoustonFishFanatic

hydrophyte said:


> I posted again into my thread on using MTS in riparium planter cups with an observation on the large _C. wendtii_ that I have in here.
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/substrate/95412-mts-riparium-planters.html


D, are you sure this is a C wendtii. Did you get it labeled from a nursery or from a hobbyist or have you flowered it ? The bullated leaf right in the center of the picture reminds me of C affinis.


----------



## Hoppy

emmanuelchavez said:


> Haha. Me too. I'm so close to converting my 100g into a riparium.
> 
> I really like what you've done with your tanks! roud:


A 100 gallon riparium would be awesome! Please, go for it, and post lots of photos.


----------



## emmanuelchavez

Hoppy said:


> A 100 gallon riparium would be awesome! Please, go for it, and post lots of photos.


I'm thinking about converting it within the next year or so, maybe as a "gift" or reward for myself for (finally) completing my undergrad degree. 

In the meantime, I started to grow some of the plants that I currently have in emersed form in another tank, trying to decide which plants I'd like to use.


----------



## hydrophyte

HoustonFishFanatic said:


> D, are you sure this is a C wendtii. Did you get it labeled from a nursery or from a hobbyist or have you flowered it ? The bullated leaf right in the center of the picture reminds me of C affinis.



It's not the greatest shot but I did find a picture.










This spathe had a velvety purple area around the inside top of the tube which I thought was characteristic for _wendtii_(?).


----------



## HoustonFishFanatic

Great! I love the bullation on that plant. Do you remember where you got this one from? Did you get it as C wendtii ' Tropica'?


----------



## hydrophyte

So do you think that it is a _wendtii_? I just got it as "a crypt". I had imagined that it was 'Bronze' or 'Mi Oya'. I thought that those two had similar appearances. The bullation became much more pronounced as it grew up huge thanks to the MTS.


----------



## HoustonFishFanatic

hydrophyte said:


> So do you think that it is a _wendtii_? I just got it as "a crypt". I had imagined that it was 'Bronze' or 'Mi Oya'. I thought that those two had similar appearances. The bullation became much more pronounced as it grew up huge thanks to the MTS.


Yes, looks like it is. A closer picture of the spathe would have helped. FAN sells C wendtii 'Tropica' as C wendtii 'Bronze'.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks! I do have some other stuff that I believe to be the real 'Tropica' and it has very attractive emersed foliage. I should get some shots of that one too as I rearrange stuff in this tank.

Hey those _C. cordata_ var. _cordata_ came in the post yesterday and they looked great. Thanks again for those.


----------



## Hoppy

I'm ready to decide that crypts are the best submersed planting for a riparium. They are very uncritical about light intensity, and that can be pretty low with the shading done by the emersed plants, they look great, don't grow very fast, and there is a good variety to choose from. My broadleaf chain sword, is staying alive in my 65 gallon tank, but not growing well at all. But, the crypts I have in a poorly lighted 15H now in use as a nursery, are doing fine.


----------



## hydrophyte

I got a few pictures of a real nice plant that I had in this setup, an _Anubias hastifolia_.










I wrote a few observations in a post in the Plants forum.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/plants/96163-prettiest-plant-my-collection.html


----------



## hydrophyte

gmccreedy said:


> Funny you bring this up. This has been a frequent discussion lately it seems. Yes, there is a hybrid that has a very similar leaf style as the gecko, but the plant is much darker green and also grows taller. The red underside is also alot more subtle.
> 
> 
> 
> Pics. Red circle is the hybrid. Blue is Gecko.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


Thanks for those pictures. I have some 'Green Gecko' growing emersed too. When it grow a little bigger I am going to get some pictures for comparison. To further complicate the issue, I think htat 'Green' might also be similar. I think it was maybe legomaniac who had some 'Green' that looked a lot like his 'Green Gecko'.

Who came up with these names anyway? 'Green' and 'Hybrid' are not especially inspired.


----------



## hydrophyte

I finally got into this tank and pulled out the over-sized plants and did some other rearranging. Here's a FTS.










I have some cool stuff in there. I mean to come back with a numbered version of that shot and an annotated list of species/varieties. The fish are still in there, but they were all lurking in the background when I got this picture.


----------



## Digsy

Looks good! I'd like to see a list of the species when you get around to it but in the meantime, which variety of crypt is this?


----------



## hydrophyte

Digsy said:


> Looks good! I'd like to see a list of the species when you get around to it but in the meantime, which variety of crypt is this?


I think it's just a _C. wendtii_ ('Bronze' maybe?) that went kinda crazy when I added MTS to its planter cup.










*


----------



## hydrophyte

I'm doing a bunch of image editing tonight.

Here quick is a shot of a pair of leaves form that same big _C. wendtii_.


----------



## Digsy

Ok, up close it looks like my C. wendtii bronze. That plant is gigantic!


----------



## hydrophyte

I know. This specimen is like 3x bigger than any I have had before of the same stuff. Usually it only grows to about 9" tall emersed. I think it might have been that the MTS added or enhanced some vital nutrient.

Does yours have any of that little splash of green variegation? You can see it there along the top edge of the leaf on the left.


----------



## hydrophyte

...and here is _C. pontederiifolia_, the same one that *Crispino Ramos* sent me. 










This is a real nice plant too. It has bloomed for me several times. There is a new developing spathe there in the crown of the plant.


----------



## kyle3

long time no post! glad to see your riparium is still gorgeous and inspiring many. 

cheers-K


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey welcome back you haven't posted in a while. How is your tank doing?


----------



## hydrophyte

I got several other specimen shots when I was rearranging plants the other night. Here is the great _Anubias barteri _that I removed to another tank because it was throwing so much shade.










The leaves of this thing just keep getting bigger and bigger.


----------



## demonbreedr16

WOW that's a big Anubias!!

I have one floating in my 10 that just pearls all day long...It'd actually take the time to attach it to the DW if it wasn't soooo happy, but growing 3 leaves in 2 days is a good thing I think! LOL


----------



## hydrophyte

And here's a couple shots of the _A. bartri nana_.


----------



## RipariumGuy

The C. Pontederiifolia and A. Barteri looks really cool!


----------



## kyle3

hydrophyte said:


> Hey welcome back you haven't posted in a while. How is your tank doing?


I know; I've been really busy this summer and fall. Tanks doing good though. I'll have to post an update soon. 

cheers!-k


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey well glad you found your way back here. I look forward to seeing your updates.


----------



## hydrophyte

I picked up another new species at the LFS the other day, _Cryptocoryne usteriana_.










I didn't put it into the 55 just yet. I potted it up, then placed into a 20-gallon growout tank with the crown a couple of inches down below the water's surface. I hope that new leaves will be compelled to grow emersed, and eventually give me a nice emersed specimen. This thing might eventually grow very big.

_c. usteriana_ apparently originates from an island in the Philippines. The species entry at The Crypts Page shows a nice emersed plant.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~crypts/Cryptocoryne/Gallery/ust/ust.html




*


----------



## demonbreedr16

I never really thought much of that plant before I saw that picture...

and *sigh* I killed all my C. Pontederiifolia and C. Spiralis or C. Retrospiralis, it's been one of those weeks...I got shocked too which now prevents me from doing any work on the tanks...

My arms are black-ish...BURNT! Ow.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah I was really impressed when I saw it in the store. It looks like a sturdy plant, almost as stiff as _C. ciliata_, so it should be good for growing emersed. A lot of crypts are so flimsy and fleshy that they just flop over when grown emersed. 

Yikes! How did you get zapped? Did you shock yourself in a tank? You might be lucky to be alive. Do you use GFCIs with your aquarium appliances? It's a good idea.

Have you made any more progress on that 65G ripairum setup? I have some plants that would be good choices for that I can send your way. _Crypt. ciliata_ could be a good one for that, and it has these wild blooms.


----------



## demonbreedr16

WoW! That's a beautiful bloom! That is definitely an option! I think it's going to be relatively low tech with mostly crypts & anubias. 

I PM'ed you on what exactly happened...and no, I don't use GFI's simply because I never expected this in a million years!


----------



## Phoenix-cry

This is insane amazing!!


----------



## hydrophyte

demonbreedr16 said:


> WoW! That's a beautiful bloom! That is definitely an option! I think it's going to be relatively low tech with mostly crypts & anubias.
> 
> I PM'ed you on what exactly happened...and no, I don't use GFI's simply because I never expected this in a million years!


That _ciliata_ is a good one. It is one of the hardiest plants that I have grown. Unlike most crypts it can grow well in moderate humidity, so you can keep it in an open-top tank. It does get tall though. It needs a tank at least 24" tall or an open-top setup so it can grow out the top.

Can you put together a thread about your electrical experience? That would be a good reminder for everybody to use extra caution when handling water and electrical appliances and planning setups. I have tried to keep cords as tidy as possible, but I do have one tanks that still has a big mess of cords and a power strip right on the floor and I really need to fix that. Can you get some pictures of the burned equipment, or did you throw it out already?


----------



## Hoppy

I second Hydrophyte's request. Electric shocks are not very common with aquariums, as far as I can tell, probably because so many of us do use GFCIs, and equipment is usually very good. We can all learn a lot from your bad experience.


----------



## CL

That spathe alone is a reason to keep crypts. Very beautiful!
Demonbreedr16: dang! A blackened arm sounds pretty bad


----------



## macclellan

Good stuff as always *hydro*. 
*Wow*, those pics of _c. usteriana_ and _c. pontederiifolia_ makes me really excited about the crypts/apon order I'm getting this week! w00t! And then I'll have reserve stock for when I do an emmersed setup.


----------



## speedie408

Sick looking spathe my friend. Tank looks great as always.


----------



## CL

I wonder why my crypts have yet to flower? Maybe lowering the temperature for a day or two, or putting a different color bulb in would trigger them to bloom?


----------



## demonbreedr16

hydrophyte said:


> Can you put together a thread about your electrical experience? That would be a good reminder for everybody to use extra caution when handling water and electrical appliances and planning setups. I have tried to keep cords as tidy as possible, but I do have one tanks that still has a big mess of cords and a power strip right on the floor and I really need to fix that. Can you get some pictures of the burned equipment, or did you throw it out already?





Hoppy said:


> I second Hydrophyte's request. Electric shocks are not very common with aquariums, as far as I can tell, probably because so many of us do use GFCIs, and equipment is usually very good. We can all learn a lot from your bad experience.





CL said:


> That spathe alone is a reason to keep crypts. Very beautiful!
> Demonbreedr16: dang! A blackened arm sounds pretty bad


If you want, but it'll just be the experience as all the burned equipment is thrown away already. It was really one of those "I'm kinda out of it, but I need to get some work done" days....so, it's stupidity on my part...

CL: Not just an arm...where ever the water went is where it burnt[didn't have any time to do much else as I was able to unplug it fast...This didn't happen IN the aquarium, but by the cords and everything while doing a WC... The thread will be up in a few minutes...


----------



## hydrophyte

CL said:


> I wonder why my crypts have yet to flower? Maybe lowering the temperature for a day or two, or putting a different color bulb in would trigger them to bloom?


It seems that environmental changes can indeed be triggers for blooming in crypts. You might try varying water level, temperature, ferts, day-length and so on. I understand that wild crypts seem to cue flowering with changes in water level, which makes sense because a lot of them like in seasonal high rainfall areas where the water can rise quickly during rainy periods.

So far I have only gotten the easy ones (e.g., _wendtii, ciliata, pontederiifolia_) to bloom.


----------



## hydrophyte

This tank is finally getting closer to what I had in mind. Here is a new update from the other night.










Some of the plants had grown up so big that I was disappointed that I didn't plant into a larger tank, such as a 90, but after removing the large Java fern and _Anubias barteri_ I have found that everything else scales really well with the dimensions of the 55.

This image was post-processed a little bit for exposure.


----------



## HoustonFishFanatic

It is looking great. _C wendtii _ above the _B heudelotii_ looks huge in comparison.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah that _C. wendtii_ grew super huge. The _Bolbitis_ is a little messy I need to get in there and trim some of those disorganized fronds.


----------



## speedie408

Very nice! I like the post processing job man. Did you layer 2 shots together? 

Plants are growing in nicely, especially the submersed crypts. Love it!


----------



## hydrophyte

No I just adjusted "exposure" for hte underwater portion because it was a little dark.

It really is getting to where I wanted it. I would like to work on the underwater area some more. I think that it will improve if I move a few plants areound into more organized groupings.

I like the view down through the top too, it's too bad that I can't keep it without the tight-fitting canopy.


----------



## speedie408

You probably said it somewhere in this tread already but I'm lazy. How often do you have to spray (mist) the leaves throughout the day?


----------



## hydrophyte

I don't ever mist them except when I take the canopy off for servicing or photography. It stays plenty humid inside with just the cover on top.


----------



## hydrophyte

I really enjoy the different colors and textures in here. One of my favorite plants is the _C. wendtii_ 'Tropica' visible here to the left.










I think that the plant to the upper right with the arching leaves was sold to me as _Anubias afzelli_. Does anybody have any opinions about that one? That's another nice plant. It is slow-growing.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's another picture from last week. This is an open spathe of the large _Anubias barteri_ that I removed to another tank a little while ago because it was getting too big.










It is substantially larger than the spathe of _A. barteri_ var. _nana_, but otherwise similar. Here is a second shot of the same regular _barteri_ to show scale.










You can see the unopened developing spathe in this picture, in front of the lighter-colored new leaf to the left, from a few weeks ago.


----------



## kyle3

hydrophyte said:


> I think that the plant to the upper right with the arching leaves was sold to me as _Anubias afzelli_. Does anybody have any opinions about that one? That's another nice plant. It is slow-growing.


i believe i have one of these too and i've had trouble with an id

i found one on tropica that seemed like a possibility: Anubias barteri var. angustifolia

x. frazeri seems possible too but i can't find many good photos 

but from the few photos i've seen of afzelli seem likely too.

it's a mystery :biggrin:

cheers-K
ps I'm off to watch the vikes - thanks for Favre


----------



## Hoppy

When you get one spathe is it usual that you get a few more with that "blooming" episode? I think I'm getting a second one on my Colocassia - and I'm assuming that most plants of that type send up spathes in comparable numbers. But, one thing I have learned here is that when ever I assume something I am wrong way more than half the time.


----------



## hydrophyte

kyle3 said:


> i believe i have one of these too and i've had trouble with an id
> 
> i found one on tropica that seemed like a possibility: Anubias barteri var. angustifolia
> 
> x. frazeri seems possible too but i can't find many good photos
> 
> but from the few photos i've seen of afzelli seem likely too.
> 
> it's a mystery :biggrin:
> 
> cheers-K
> ps I'm off to watch the vikes - thanks for Favre


Yeah the names that vendors use you have to take 'em with a grain of salt. This plant looks happy and is growing actively, so maybe it will give me a spathe that can help with an ID. Hey there's a new blog from Russia all about _Anubias_ and with lots of pictures of spathes.

www.anubias-engl.blogspot.com

Do you mean Brent or Brandon or whatever his name is? Yeah well you can have him. :flick:


----------



## kyle3

great link!


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah he is an enthusiastic blogger. I hope that he will keep posting. I mean to start a thread in Other Websites with a link to his site. In other aroid news the International Aroid Society just started a new Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/South-Miami-FL/International-Aroid-Society/291094100787




*


----------



## Slivun

Hi all!

Probably, the anubias with lanceolate leaf blade is Anubias barteri var. angustifolia. For more assurance the photos of inflorescence are necessary.

The large Anubias barteri on photo above is very similar to Anubias barteri 'Broad Leaf'. Usually, this breed is delivered to Europe by Asian firm "Aquarium Oriental".


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks very much Slivun.

Do you have an opinion about the plant in the next picture? I bought it as _A. hastifolia_.










I haven't gotten any spathes from it yet.


----------



## Slivun

According to Crusio's revision the description of _A. hastifolia_ is constructed on several species which have different form of leaf blade. I think that this variety corresponds to _A. Haullevilleana_ which is a synonym of _A. hastifolia_.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks so much Slivun.

I have another one that is similar, but which I purchased as _A. gigantea_. I should post a picture of that one too naybe you can have a look at it and tell me what you think.


----------



## Slivun

Distinction between A. hastifolia and A. gigantea on the form of leaf blade is inconvenient. They are very similar. Especially it is impossible for juvenile specimens. For correct determination only the inflorescence is necessary. A gigantea has essentially longer inflorescence as compared with A. hastifolia. Moreover I have not enough experience of the growing of A. gigantea. Nevertheless, I will be very glad to see your plant.


----------



## hydrophyte

The leaves of this plant do look a little bit different than the _A. hastifolia_. The _hastifolia_ also grows faster and is hardier overall than this plant in question.

I have not seen any hint of flowering from these plants. Can you suggest ways to encourage blooms? I might just have to wait for the to grow up larger(?).


----------



## Slivun

hydrophyte said:


> I have not seen any hint of flowering from these plants. Can you suggest ways to encourage blooms? I might just have to wait for the to grow up larger(?).


Unfortunately, I have not enough information on the reasons causing flowering of anubiases. But I saw both young and adult plants in the blooming. Nevertheless, adult plants are preferable. I think that change of conditions of the growing (for example, temperature or humidity) is very important.

Here are the two photos of leaves and an inflorescence of _A. gigantea_ from Russia:


----------



## hydrophyte

Wow, that's a nice spathe. Do you have a shot of _hasitfolia_ too?


----------



## Slivun

hydrophyte said:


> Do you have a shot of _hasitfolia_ too?


No. I saw only a bud of A. hastifolia (variety from "Aquarium Oriental"). Unfortunately, I have missed the flowering. But this bud is considerably shorter (up to 5 cm) than its for A. gigantea.


----------



## hydrophyte

I got a quick shot of this thing last night--overgrown again.










I need to make some time to clean it up this week. That _C. wendtii_ and _Bolbitis_ there in the middle get too big pretty fast, but I like them a lot. 

Anybody want some emersed crypts in riparium planters?


----------



## hydrophyte

I have started to shuffle things around in here. I took the opportunity to get a few specimen pictures. Here is one of the handsome and good-sized _Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia_.


----------



## Digsy

hydrophyte said:


> I have started to shuffle things around in here. I took the opportunity to get a few specimen pictures. Here is one of the handsome and good-sized _Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia_.


Gorgeous plant! I haven't checked in on this thread in awhile and was surprised to see how much everything had grown. Looks great!


----------



## hydrophyte

Really I need to re-plant it because it has gotten to be too overgrown. I intend to just yank the _Bolbitis_ and that big _wendtii_ right out. I might have an update by the weekend.

That _C. pontederiifolia_ really is a nice plant and one of my favorites. I mean to try it in an open-top setup. In comparison to most other crypts it has quite leathery leave (almost like _C. ciliata_) and I wonder if it can handle lower humidities.

I also got a shot of the _C. wendtii_ 'Tropica', which has also spread really big. I love the colors in the leaves of this plant. It would have been better to get this shot against a white background I think.


----------



## problemman

wow that sure did fill in!


----------



## Hoppy

As I recall, you keep the humidity high in this riparium - right? Is that necessary when using emersed crypts? Those are beautiful plants, but if they have to have high humidity they wouldn't work well in a riparium with all of the plants extending above the top of the tank.


----------



## RipariumGuy

Those plants are stunning Hydro'! How humid would a tank have to be to sustain Crypts'?


----------



## Digsy

That C. wendtii 'Tropica' is a monster! I'm starting to think that crypts look a lot better in ripariums than submersed. At least you don't have to deal with melt, which I seem to have far too often.



JakeJ said:


> Those plants are stunning Hydro'! How humid would a tank have to be to sustain Crypts'?


I'm curious about this too. I just threw a couple of small C. wendtii and moss into a 1 quart jar with potting soil, just for the heck of it but am wondering how long they're going to make it and just how much humidity they need.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy said:


> As I recall, you keep the humidity high in this riparium - right? Is that necessary when using emersed crypts? Those are beautiful plants, but if they have to have high humidity they wouldn't work well in a riparium with all of the plants extending above the top of the tank.


Most crypts require very humid air and will wither right up or stop growth if exposed to drier conditions The notable exception is _C. ciliata_, which has thick, leathery leaves and does just fine in open-top setups. I am wondering if _C. pontederiifolia_ might also be able to handle drier air. Mine do not start to wilt when I have them out in the room air the way that other crypts do, but I don't know if their growth would be compromised(?). I should try one out in an open tank.



Digsy said:


> That C. wendtii 'Tropica' is a monster! I'm starting to think that crypts look a lot better in ripariums than submersed. At least you don't have to deal with melt, which I seem to have far too often.
> 
> I'm curious about this too. I just threw a couple of small C. wendtii and moss into a 1 quart jar with potting soil, just for the heck of it but am wondering how long they're going to make it and just how much humidity they need.


I like that 'Tropica' too. I should have gotten a few more pictures of it because I clipped all of the large leaves while I had it out and now it is smaller. Emersed crypts really are attractive. I think that I can see more different colors in the emersed leaves than in the underwater leaves. 

It is my impression that the addition of small amounts of MTS or regular topsoil to the potting media improves leaf coloration in emersed crypts.

That little mini emersed setup sounds great. I bet the plant will grow fine but slow in there. 

That _C. pontederiifolia_ had a spathe on it too.


----------



## BobB

You really have to stop the posting of all these plants. I cant make my mind up! BTW what filtration do you use?


----------



## hydrophyte

BobB, I have many of my favorite plants in this tank...and spread around also among all the rest of my tanks.

This setup uses a Filstar XP1 with a simple plumbing mod to reach down to the water level. I have a thread somewhere explaining that I will look for the link.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have started a thread in the _Plants_ forum on a new kind of plant that I am trying out as a riparium subject, "maidenhair fern" (_Adiantum_ sp.). Here is the link.

*Riparium Plant: Adiantum sp.*

This plant could be a nice addition to the kind of planting that I have in this 55-gallon. Here is a close-up showing the frond.


----------



## hydrophyte

I tore this tank down, then set it up again. Now it's at a local retail establishment. Here's a long shot...










...and a close-up.










I added hardscape too after getting this picture. I'll come back with a couple more image files when I get them loaded. I have some new plants in there too and some comments on them to add.


----------



## kyle3

it looks great in it's new home! It's wonderful you are able to get your tanks out into public venues- so often the tanks you see in the doc's office are sad and a at least a little dirty. your's show people what a beautiful, healthy, imaginative aquarium can be. big ups hydrophyte!

great fern by the way we have some in the yard and it's really delicate and pretty

cheers-k


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks a bunch Kyle! As before, I plan for this to be a pretty low maintenance setup. I hope that the algae won't flair up with the hands-off approach.

That _Adiantum_ fern hasn't responded so well--it's mostly dead. I might try it again planting it more carefully.

Here is another shot that I got of that tank after getting the hardscape in there. It's just a simple arrangement of rocks and manzanita.


----------



## RipariumGuy

It is really cool you can market you products like that! Tanks looks great too!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Jake!


----------



## Hoppy

So far my maidenhair fern is hanging in there in the riparium. The few fronds that wilted right after I planted it are the only casualties so far. I don't see any new growth yet, but no dying plant either. 

That is a very nice addition to that store, too. I keep thinking someone here could make some money setting these up. There is so much less maintenance compared to a regular planted tank, so twice a month visits might be all it takes to maintain one. That's assuming an automatic water change system is also installed though. The time consuming task is maintaining the water level, otherwise.


----------



## F22

hydro, I saw that maidens fair fern growing in a friends poison dart frog tank.. it appears to be rooted in some coconut fiber that has constant water running over it... has really been showing alot of growth I think it will do very well...


----------



## hydrophyte

I got some fish back into here yesterday. They are still shy, but they will get to be more lively. Here's a quick shot of them cautiously going after a Hikari wafer.


----------



## Craigthor

hydrophyte said:


> I got some fish back into here yesterday. They are still shy, but they will get to be more lively. Here's a quick shot of them cautiously going after a Hikari wafer.


Nice and colorful, what species are you keeping in there? Also is that ADA Xingu sand?

Craig


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy said:


> So far my maidenhair fern is hanging in there in the riparium. The few fronds that wilted right after I planted it are the only casualties so far. I don't see any new growth yet, but no dying plant either.
> 
> That is a very nice addition to that store, too. I keep thinking someone here could make some money setting these up. There is so much less maintenance compared to a regular planted tank, so twice a month visits might be all it takes to maintain one. That's assuming an automatic water change system is also installed though. The time consuming task is maintaining the water level, otherwise.


I'll be interested to hear what you observe. I am contemplating putting together a "nature riparium" and this could be a good plant for that to go along with mosses and grassy stuff like _Acorus_. I might have to start over though as I don't have much left of the maidenhair that I tried to start.

Yes it seems like ripariums could be very useful for aquarium setup & maintenance businesses. With the right combinations of plants and livestock they are apparently less demanding of maintenance than most planted aquaria. A riparium can offer a nice big full display with lots of plants, but if only partially-filled with water will require less input for water changes, fertilization, water heating and fish feeding. 

They are also relatively crash-proof compared to high-light tanks with CO2 injection.



F22 said:


> hydro, I saw that maidens fair fern growing in a friends poison dart frog tank.. it appears to be rooted in some coconut fiber that has constant water running over it... has really been showing alot of growth I think it will do very well...


It will be useful to see if this plant will grow in a riparium planter. As we discussed before there might be substantially less oxygen inside the planter in comparison with the surface of a wet rock. It would also be worthwhile to try planting one of the creeping rhizomatous _Adiantum_ on a trellis raft too.



Craigthor said:


> Nice and colorful, what species are you keeping in there? Also is that ADA Xingu sand?
> 
> Craig


That is Xingu Sand mixed with another one, River Sand maybe I can't remember(?). 

Those are cherry barbs, gold barbs and yo-yo loaches. The barbs are nice for a tank like this because they have the nice bright, opaque colors and show up well.


----------



## hydrophyte

More fish catch the scent...










...now everyone joins the party.


----------



## !shadow!

Those male cherry's look real healthy, and those rocks really add the perfect touch to that tank. great job man.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks !shadow!!


----------



## Hoppy

I was going to use cherry barbs in my last riparium, but decided not to because they like the bottom part of the tank, and I wanted fish in the upper half. Do these barbs hang at the bottom all of the time? They are just about perfect for appearance. My tiger barbs spend most of the time down near the substrate, but do wander all over at least part of the time.


----------



## kyle3

i love the fish you have in this tank they suit it perfectly. i'm a big fan of the stout sort of sprite-ly way gold barbs have about them. 

cheers-K


----------



## hydrophyte

I like those barbs a lot too. They are so hardy and easy. Both the gold barbs and cherry barbs are good in combination with loaches. They are all relatively aggressive little fish, so they balance out well and they all seem to get plenty to eat at feeding time. I had some of these mixed with tetras and apistos before, but the barbs always hogged all the food.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hoppy said:


> I was going to use cherry barbs in my last riparium, but decided not to because they like the bottom part of the tank, and I wanted fish in the upper half. Do these barbs hang at the bottom all of the time? They are just about perfect for appearance. My tiger barbs spend most of the time down near the substrate, but do wander all over at least part of the time.


Cheery barbs are great. They have downward-facing mouths, like tiny little carp, and it might the case that they tend to hang out near the bottom, but mine swim around at all levels of the tank.


----------



## hydrophyte

I was over there at the garden center servicing this tank today and I got a couple of shots. Here is a view in through the top.


----------



## BobB

Where did you purchase the barbs?


----------



## hydrophyte

Oh hey Bob I haven't heard from you in a little while. 

I got those barbs at the LFS. Both cherry barbs and gold barbs are widely available and should be easy to find.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here's that FTS. The fish were all hiding in the shade--I should have thrown a food wafer in there.










The stem plants have grown up quite a bit.


----------



## Hoppy

It has grown in a lot, but is still very beautiful. What is the very red plant? I don't remember seeing it before.

I think some needle leaf Java Fern would look very good spread out a bit on the bottom, growing on bits of wood. Needless to say, I'm very pleased with how well mine id growing and looking.


----------



## hydrophyte

That red plant is an _Iresine_. It is undemanding and grows well planted right on the Nano Trellis Raft. For me it was a bit too much red. After getting those pictures I trimmed it down short again.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is one additional angle. Notice that _Spathiphyllum_ bloom over there on the right.


----------



## hydrophyte

I put together a blog post about moving this tank over to its new spot there at the Paradigm Gardens store. Here is the link...

*http://hydrophytesblog.com/?p=1799*


----------



## AquaNorth

Tank looks great, I really like your stand.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks!


----------



## BobB

Which tank do you have the barbs?


----------



## hydrophyte

Bob the barbs are in this same tank. They lie to swim around in the shadows, so don't usually show up in pictures. It is going to get to be too crowded when they grow up some more, but they are still OK in there.


----------



## hydrophyte

I put together a new blog post with descriptions of stuff that I received in a new order from Asiatica Nursery. I got two _Schismatoglottis_ spp. plants and a couple of other fun and intriguing possibilities for riparium growing. 

Plants in genus _Schismatoglottis_ have a natural distribution in Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia. A number of them live in streamside situations out in the rainforest and it seems that they could be good choices for a lowish-light, high-humidity ripairum setup like this one and good companions for emersed crypts and _Anubias_.

Here's the link to the post.

http://hydrophytesblog.com 
*New Order from Asiatica Nursery, Part I: Schismatoglottis plants*

And here are shots of the two plants that I describe there.










_*Schismatoglottis*_* 'Frosty Kiss'*










_*Schismatoglottis picta*_


----------



## hydrophyte

I got a bloom from my emersed _Cryptocoryne usteriana_ last week. It was pretty cool.


----------



## Craigthor

hydrophyte said:


> I got a bloom from my emersed _Cryptocoryne usteriana_ last week. It was pretty cool.


Drool!


----------



## RipariumGuy

Double drool!


----------



## Craigthor

Devin - I'll keep you in mind for some Legenandra as soon as I'm ready to split it.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey that would be awesome if you think of it. I will probably have this and that to offer in trade by then too.

Here are a couple more shots of that _usteriana_. 










...with foliage.


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is one last shot I think this one shows the spathe the best.


----------



## Craigthor

Your such a tease!


----------



## F22

that is unreal, and i want it


----------



## hydrophyte

_C. usteriana_ shouldn't be too hard to find. I have seen it around here and there.


----------



## Wasserpest

That spathe is beautiful. You've got macro photography down pretty well. Not easy to have all the important parts of your subject in focus. Well done! :fish:


----------



## legomaniac89

Sweet spathe Devin. Me likey


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey thanks you guys.

I have a new tank in the works for my better crypts and I might start a journal for it soon.


----------



## RipariumGuy

hydrophyte said:


> Hey thanks you guys.
> 
> I have a new tank in the works for my better crypts and I might start a journal for it soon.[/QUOT]
> 
> Yippeee!!! :icon_smil


----------



## luke20037

Looks amazing!!


----------



## !shadow!

hydrophyte said:


> Hey thanks you guys.
> 
> I have a new tank in the works for my better crypts and I might start a journal for it soon.


hey it's the weekend why not today? :hihi:

anyways l'll be looking forward to that journal.


----------



## knuggs

Wow ok so its been 2 years since I have logged into this site and this is what I find :drool: Freeaking amazing! Ripariums hmm 2 years ago u didnt even see these, there were only vivariums and terrariums. But I love the idea and u have done a mighty fine job with them hdyrophyte. I think I might have to start one, gotta work on my other 5 tanks which I have neglected and have grown absolutely wild, prolly gonna make a thread about them cuz it is interesting how they have managed with 'absolute' minimal effort as in water change every couple months and no filters and stuff. Jus wanted to say awesome work and thanks for sparking up my enthusiasm and adding something to the line up. :thumbsup:


----------



## Wasserpest

Welcome back knuggs. There's always something new in the planted tank world.

D - have you checked out HDR? If the aquatic part of your riparium is nicely aquascaped, you can take two images, one normally exposed, the second one overexposed by a couple of stops, and then combine both afterwards to make both parts visible.

This isn't really cheating, as the human eye has a much greater dynamic range than a sensor in a camera. I tried that recently with my half-full 36gal tank and it looks good too. Of course, leaving the wet area underlit looks good and may have its advantages too.


----------



## hydrophyte

I hope to get to work on that new project idea pretty soon here--I have such a long to-do list.



Wasserpest said:


> Welcome back knuggs. There's always something new in the planted tank world.
> 
> D - have you checked out HDR? If the aquatic part of your riparium is nicely aquascaped, you can take two images, one normally exposed, the second one overexposed by a couple of stops, and then combine both afterwards to make both parts visible.
> 
> This isn't really cheating, as the human eye has a much greater dynamic range than a sensor in a camera. I tried that recently with my half-full 36gal tank and it looks good too. Of course, leaving the wet area underlit looks good and may have its advantages too.


I have done some of that. It can be disappointing to see the underwater area so dark in a photograph, because it doesn't look that way in real life. It is also easy enough to select the underwater area--it's just a rectangle--and brighten it some, although you do get a better result as you say by stitching together two shots at two different exposures.

I also try to apply as strategies the use of light-colored substrates, bright green plants and showy fish as ways to brighten the underwater portion of the layout. This picture here is one of the last that I got when I had this tanks set up with mainly crypts.










The underwater part is pretty bright here, although the upper leaves in the emersed portion show a lot of white glare.


----------



## hydrophyte

I have a fun piece of of hardware to use for the new crypt tank project, a new riparium trellis raft design that is designed for medium-small varieties of emersed aquatics that grow on hard substrates, such as Java fern 'Windeløv' and _Anubias barteri_ var. _nana_. Here is a shot of the raft, which is about 5.5" long.










I imagine this design to be a good substrate This picture shows a _nana_ growing on the old prototype raft, which had more pieces of foam sticking out.










I am going to shoot for an emersed midground hedge of _nana_ and maybe also a few stems, such as this NOID _Pilea_.










I think that I have a pretty fun idea for the tank configuration. I might do some fish & tank juggling tonight to make some headway. I should a new journal for that because I am not doing it in a 55.


----------



## RipariumGuy

hydrophyte said:


> I have a fun piece of of hardware to use for the new crypt tank project, a new riparium trellis raft design that is designed for medium-small varieties of emersed aquatics that grow on hard substrates, such as Java fern 'Windeløv' and _Anubias barteri_ var. _nana_. Here is a shot of the raft, which is about 5.5" long.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I imagine this design to be a good substrate This picture shows a _nana_ growing on the old prototype raft, which had more pieces of foam sticking out.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I am going to shoot for an emersed midground hedge of _nana_ and maybe also a few stems, such as this NOID _Pilea_.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think that I have a pretty fun idea for the tank configuration. I might do some fish & tank juggling tonight to make some headway. I should a new journal for that because I am not doing it in a 55.


Those new rafts are sweet, I cant wait to get mine! A new riparium eh? Even sweeter!


----------



## hydrophyte

I got a quick shot of this tank today. It was having some trouble with algae but now it's all clear again.










I'd say it could use a trim. It looks like a big wall of aluminum plant in there. I also hope to add a few underwater plants sometime soon.


----------



## Centromochlus

AHH that sure is purty.. once i get done with my 150, i'm gonna start pushing my parents to let me get a riparium. :hihi:


----------



## Tigerfish

wow, I really like this! Its got me thinking now about redoing my 46 gallon bowfront (need to take it down for moving anyways). It seems like its easy for you to take plants out and rearrange them, this really appeals to me. I was curious if you have problems with getting mineral deposits on the glass at your water line and how you deal with that. My tanks always get deposits at the water line. I will definitely be researching ripariums more! I've always liked paludariums and this seems similar and much simpler to do. I also have a friend who grows herbs and tilapia using aquaponics, its always intriuged me and this seems similar to that as well.


----------



## Jadelin

I'm sure you've said it before, but what is this pink plant? Is it semiaquatic, then? I acquire a lot of my houseplants through 'rescue missions', and consequently I don't always know what they are. 

I've tried this plant all over my house in different lighting and could never find anything that would make it happy; it seems like it likes high light (otherwise it grows really tall and leggy), but it wilts with too much sun, and even in partial sun it needs to be watered at least twice a week in the summer because it literally wilts and bends over otherwise. If it's a water plant it all makes sense now!

Does its growth stay fairly compact and does it keep its leaves in the environment you have it in? For me it keeps growing really tall and all the leaves on the stem fall off after a while.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Hoppy

Jadelin said:


> I'm sure you've said it before, but what is this pink plant? Is it semiaquatic, then? I acquire a lot of my houseplants through 'rescue missions', and consequently I don't always know what they are.
> 
> I've tried this plant all over my house in different lighting and could never find anything that would make it happy; it seems like it likes high light (otherwise it grows really tall and leggy), but it wilts with too much sun, and even in partial sun it needs to be watered at least twice a week in the summer because it literally wilts and bends over otherwise. If it's a water plant it all makes sense now!
> 
> Does its growth stay fairly compact and does it keep its leaves in the environment you have it in? For me it keeps growing really tall and all the leaves on the stem fall off after a while.
> 
> Thanks in advance.


That's the same question I asked: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/t...55-gallon-crypts-riparium-25.html#post1043759 I don't recall seeing that plant at my nursery, but I may have just missed it.


----------



## hydrophyte

That is a "bloodleaf" (_Iresine_). They are really easy to grow in a riparium on a trellis raft with their roots right in the water. They are also easy as houseplants. In a riparium they will grow pretty tall and leggy unless you shine pretty bright light on them and trim them back from the top. I don't think that it is the most attractive plant but in a riparium they are nice for adding some red.


----------



## Jadelin

Thank you for answering my questions. 

When I did a goodle search, I found this image:









I sure wish mine would grow like that!

And your riparium is beautiful, by the way--I should have said that sooner! This is one of the first ones I ever saw, and it's still one of my favorites.


----------



## hydrophyte

Yeah it is a nice plant for adding some red easy. If you put it right in the sun and give it plenty of water it will grow bushy like that.


----------



## HX67

Gosh, I love your work.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks HX67. Really this planted setup was very easy to put together.


----------



## luke20037

your tank is amazing hydro! as you know insperational!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Luke!


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey I have exciting news folks. There are two developing spathes on my _Anubias hastifolia_ plant. This one has never bloomed for me and I'm pretty stoked. The spathes are pretty big. I'll come back with photos soon.


----------



## isais

Right on, can't wait to see them. Congrats


----------



## hydrophyte

Here is that spathe on my _Anubias hastifolia_. It's not so much to look at, but I have had this plant growing now for a couple of years and it is fun to see it bloom. The spathe might open up some more. I will return with more pictures if it does.


----------



## Chrisinator

Very nice!


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks Chris!

Here's a crop of that same picture for a better view.


----------



## hydrophyte

Hey everybody I just started a thread over in General Planted tank Discussion, *Riparium How-To: High-Humidity Setups*, that uses this tank as an example. Here is the link...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/general-planted-tank-discussion/115353-riparium-how-high-humidity-setups.html


----------



## hydrophyte

I just added a second detailed post to that thread...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/general-planted-tank-discussion/115353-riparium-how-high-humidity-setups.html#post1147024


----------



## hydrophyte

I completed most of a new entry for the thread *Riparium How-to: High-Humidity Setups*. This is the one about "Plant Selection". Here is the link.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/general-planted-tank-discussion/115353-riparium-how-high-humidity-setups-2.html#post1150639


----------



## hydrophyte

I got a picture of the second spathe on that _Anubias hastifolia_. I was wrong before--the spathe does open up pretty wide! And it is sweetly fragrant. Look at this quick shot.


----------



## hydrophyte

I just put together another Proven Riparium Plant Combinations post. This one is about 

*2. A layout with Spathiphyllum peace lilies, Pilea and other tropical forest plants*


----------



## Hyzer

Your work is excellent. Thank you for sharing.

I like the new post about plant combos.


----------



## hydrophyte

Thanks again Hyzer. I hope to keep working on that thread some more and have a new entry pretty soon.


----------



## malaybiswas

Hey hydrophyte - this tank looks stunning. I am starting a riparium soon but on small scale. However I plan to keep it open top like your other riparium (33g i think). One issue I am worried about pests with lot of open vegetation. Unlike house plants I cannot use commercial pest controls here. Any experience or thoughts on pest control issues?


----------



## hydrophyte

There are some insect pests that can get into riparium plants, but they are manageable. It is pretty easy to control or eradicate bugs by simply dunking any affected plants underwater overnight. It is much easier to do this dunk treatment with riparium plants than with regular houseplants. 

Some of the best riparium plants are also resistant to insect pests. I have had very little trouble with pests on _Spathiphyllum_, _Cyperus_, _Pilea_ and most of the emersed aquatic stem plants. 

One particular problem that I have run into is that _Acorus_ are a favorite of spider mites. During the warm weather this summer I observed spider mites a few times on the _Acorus_ in my 50-gallon tank. However, I was able to keep them under control by once per month dunking the _Acorus_ overnight right in the tank. This was an easy measure.


----------



## hydrophyte

malaybiswas said:


> Hey hydrophyte - this tank looks stunning. I am starting a riparium soon but on small scale. However I plan to keep it open top like your other riparium (33g i think). One issue I am worried about pests with lot of open vegetation. Unlike house plants I cannot use commercial pest controls here. Any experience or thoughts on pest control issues?


Do you have a particular tank size/shape in mind for this project yet?


----------



## malaybiswas

I am planning to use either my 22g or a 10g. Not any bigger than that to start with. I for a pumice rock planter from my local lanscape store. About 8"X8"X6" with a hole cut out in the middle. I can grow moss on it and put some AS in the middle to put some stem plants. That makes the wabi kusa. Then some floating planters for rest of the riparium plants. What do you think?


----------



## hydrophyte

I think that for a smallish tank like that you might do better with a wabi kusa setup _*or*_ a riparium planting. It seems to me there would be little room for both and that the layout could get to be kind of muddied. 

The riparium raft planters really work best if combined with the hanging cup planters as an integrated unit. Here again I think that it would be a lot to squeeze into a tank to have the wabi kusa, trellis rafts and hanging planters all in a small tank.

I really need to make some more videos and tutorials on how the riparium planters work: but when!? I don't think that I have conveyed the riparium stuff in a complete way because it seems that nobody understands the whole system. The riparium methods really do work well if put together in the standard way and with the right kinds of plants. I really gotta set up to do some more video.


----------



## malaybiswas

Yes it might be cramped. I do plan to use the raft and planters. My initial thoughts are to have the riparium planting concentrated on one side and the wabi kusa on the other side so that the plant mass is concentrated on top of one side and bottom of another. 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


----------



## hydrophyte

malaybiswas said:


> Yes it might be cramped. I do plan to use the raft and planters. My initial thoughts are to have the riparium planting concentrated on one side and the wabi kusa on the other side so that the plant mass is concentrated on top of one side and bottom of another.
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


Hey did you do any more work on this?

I might have a photo update for this setup pretty soon.

This setup has been very low maintenance. I give it only about 20 minutes per week but it still looks great and stays nice and clean.


----------



## hydrophyte

This tank is still doing well. This is most definitely the least demanding setup tat I have ever done. It gets only about 20 minutes of attention each week and looks great. A riparium setup like this would be real good for dentists' offices and similar settings.


----------

