whetu Posted July 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 You could maybe try adding daily trace elements. Red Sea Flora24 or Seachem's trace would probably work - the Seachem one is the least expensive of the two per 100mL and says to use it only twice a week, while the other is daily and only requires i think 1 drop per 50L. Yes, I really need to visit the LFS and take a look at what they have in the way of bottled brews. I bought the Nutrafin Plant Gro thinking it would solve my problems but it hasn't. I needed to do a bit more research first - next time I will look for one with potassium in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Looks mono tone green IMO Need to bring some colour into it I agree that would be nice, but I don't know what coloured plants would grow in a tank with 110 watts of light. (Today I bought a new light so soon I will be able to boost it to 170 watts... I think coloured plants may be in my future!) Can you recommend any particular coloured plants? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 omg! red ludwigia! its the best ever. wanna pic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 omg! red ludwigia! its the best ever. wanna pic? Yes please! :bounce: Now I hope it's not purple-red :-? because I need something that co-ordinates with my gold barbs so orange-red would be better. But yes please to the pic! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemines Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 You could go for rotala macranda...that's kinda pinky goldy red, and if your light isn't quite bright enough it just stays a kinda goldy green. though apart from lots of light, red plants also need a lot of iron and really thrive with CO2. Or if you want heaps of colour maybe go for the artificial, neon blue silk milfoil on TM :lol: :roll: Or you could get some crypts, go for the nice rich earthy colours , and they're low light as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 ok so. not the best pics, but this is red ludwigia. readily available. and this is crypt wendtii brown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaNs Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Also leaf shape variation would be good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 You could go for rotala macranda...that's kinda pinky goldy red, and if your light isn't quite bright enough it just stays a kinda goldy green. though apart from lots of light, red plants also need a lot of iron and really thrive with CO2. Or if you want heaps of colour maybe go for the artificial, neon blue silk milfoil on TM :lol: :roll: Or you could get some crypts, go for the nice rich earthy colours , and they're low light as well. All good suggestions (especially the neon blue fake plants - I wonder if they do hot pink as well?) I can provide them with lots of iron as I have a big bottle of liquid Plant Gro that seems to contain plenty of iron but not a lot of other elements. Not keen on the CO2 though. I've had CO2 in the past but I really don't want to start getting too complicated with this tank. I prefer to keep it simple. I will go and look for pics of all those plants. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 ok so. not the best pics, but this is red ludwigia. readily available. [pic] and this is crypt wendtii brown [pic] Oooh I like the look of the ludwigia! Thanks for the pic! I will investigate further. Not so keen on the crypt though. Like HaNs subtly implied, its leaf shape is quite similar to the Java fern so might not add as much variety to my tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Ludwigia repens will go a bit red with good light but the red varieties (I think there are three around) need pretty intense light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 My Bacopa's gone red at the top but stayed green at the bottom. I've found that many plants will go red near the surface if there is strong enough lighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 My Bacopa's gone red at the top but stayed green at the bottom. I've found that many plants will go red near the surface if there is strong enough lighting. Yes, my ambulia (which is currently floating so it's about as close to the lights as it can get) is very bushy and reddish at the moment. When it's planted it's often green at the bottom and then reddish-pink at the tips once they hit the surface. But usually I'm quick with the scissors and it gets pruned before it gets to that stage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Ok I rearranged my tank to hide the filter intake. Basically I just took one of the pieces of Java-fern-covered-driftwood that was lying horizontally and repositioned it vertically in front of the intake. I also had to move the right-hand amazon sword forward to fit the driftwood behind it. I also moved the heater down a bit to try to hide it on the left - but it's such a long heater now you can see it inside the cave in the middle! :roll: And I must remember to hide my magnetic algae-scrubber better when I'm setting up for a photo. Before: After: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 My next question is this: I would like to plant my ambulia back in somewhere (it's currently in a bucket awaiting my decision) and I would also like to try some red plants like the ludwigia as suggested by Phoenix. Unfortunately I have completely run out of room! There is no room to plant anything behind the big amazon sword because the heater's back there. And I can't really move the sword forward without using up all the open space. I think I might have to remove something to make room. Suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 It all looks so good! I dont envy you having to remove some of those lovely plants. Don't leave the Ambulia in the bucket too long though. Maybe try some low foreground plants too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Looks good Whetu! Now I wonder if I can just shift a couple of things around in my teenager's room and make it look good - naaahhhhh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 It all looks so good! I dont envy you having to remove some of those lovely plants. Don't leave the Ambulia in the bucket too long though. Maybe try some low foreground plants too? Yes, I just got another light so I'm going to get it some new tubes in the next few days, then maybe try something like hairgrass in the foreground. I might just re-float the ambulia while I'm trying to decide what to do with it. I like having it in my tank as it's a nice textural contrast with the other plants, and also being so fast-growing I think it helps absorb any surplus nutrients in the water and helps keep everything nice and stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted July 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Looks good Whetu! Now I wonder if I can just shift a couple of things around in my teenager's room and make it look good - naaahhhhh! I suggest sealing all the joints, filling it with water and calling it a fish tank! :bounce: I would donate a lot of lovely aquatic plants to see that happen! :lol: Or you could just sprinkle grass seed on the carpet and water it. I hear you can achieve a nice 'lawn' effect that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 Hmm, don't know about the grass seed option, that would require opening the curtains? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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