POST PICS OF YOUR PLANTS AND PLANTED TANKS HERE

Stanzzzz7

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Only just seen these pictures. Stunning tanks and great fish choices. I love the way you have planted these tanks and the scrapes are really nicely laid out.
Great job Amy, love both tanks.
 
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Stanzzzz7

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Only just seen these pictures. Stunning tanks and great fish choices. I love the way you have planted these tanks and the scrapes are really nicely laid out.
Great job Amy, love both tanks.

 
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Lilyann

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Only just seen these pictures. Stunning tanks and great fish choices. I love the way you have planted these tanks and the scrapes are really nicely laid out.
Great job Amy, love both tanks.
Thanks Stanzzzz7 Stanzzzz7 . Had a really unfortunate delivery of the Tucano's from The Wetspot. Only 4 of the Tucano's survived in the first 12 hours of introduction to my aquarium. I received a credit ( with much back and forth- the credit took a lot of work to get). I decided not to get a replacement of them as they were very small and feared that getting more of the same from the Wetspot would have the same result.
The four I have are doing well. As it is, there are 3 Oto's, 5 Tucano's ( I had only 1 left from a group I had got in January that died when my tank sprang a leak-- Tucano's have been very bad luck for me), and one small bristle-nose in tank. I haven't wanted to add any more fish. The plants are doing well though. I actually took out some plants that were overgrowing this tank and put them in my 180 and 60 gallon tanks. It has become a nursery tank of sorts for plants to transfer to other tanks.

Hope all is well and sure would like some updates on your aquariums and fish :)
 
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Stanzzzz7

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Seems like it is someone else s turn to share some pictures ( Stanzzzz7 Stanzzzz7 !!- this means you:p) . Okay, I know, your busy. But, I have some more.-- whether you want to see them or not.:D

View attachment 1334895 View attachment 1334896

View attachment 1334894
Beautiful as always. Love this tank.

OK Lilyann Lilyann since you asked.
Not loads of plants in here but the ones I do have are doing well.

I posted this video recently in the cichlid section but I don't suppose it hurts to post it here too.

 

Lilyann

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Excellent Stanzzzz7 Stanzzzz7 !
Questions:
The roots coming down from top of water on left hand side, what kind of floating plant is this ? These roots give such an interesting texture...
Ive tried floating plants in my tanks and they never do well, not sure why- even duckweed. I had it grow for a short period of time, maybe a couple months when it was introduced into my tank and was suddenly gone - like in a matter of days. Also tried Frogbit and Water lettuce. Both died within same period.
I think the discus and geophagus tank, because I change so much water, just dont have enough nitrates to sustain growth. Always under 10 ppm.

The tall grass like plant- love! This looks like my Helianthum.

The leaf litter, of course, makes this tank amazing. You know, I ordered the organic material from Tannin Aquatics, put them in the tank and the geophagus proceeded to bury this over from sifting the sand. I am a bit discouraged as I got very little tint and spent 85.00. Hmm..
Not sure what to do, maybe just get some leaves from them next time.
 
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Stanzzzz7

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Excellent Stanzzzz7 Stanzzzz7 !
Questions:
The roots coming down from top of water on left hand side, what kind of floating plant is this ? These roots give such an interesting texture...
Ive tried floating plants in my tanks and they never do well, not sure why- even duckweed. I had it grow for a short period of time, maybe a couple months when it was introduced into my tank and was suddenly gone - like in a matter of days. Also tried Frogbit and Water lettuce. Both died within same period.
I think the discus and geophagus tank, because I change so much water, just dont have enough nitrates to sustain growth. Always under 10 ppm.

The tall grass like plant- love! This looks like my Helianthum.

The leaf litter, of course, makes this tank amazing. You know, I ordered the organic material from Tannin Aquatics, put them in the tank and the geophagus proceeded to bury this over from sifting the sand. I am a bit discouraged as I got very little tint and spent 85.00. Hmm..
Not sure what to do, maybe just get some leaves from them next time.
Thanks Lilyann Lilyann ,

I think the plant your referring to on the left is this..

_20180913_195848.JPG

These are dead bamboo branches. Not the very tall growing type with thick cains, but more of a bushy shrub type of bamboo. I have loads of it in my garden.
I make sure it's completely dead and put it right in.
I use cable ties to attach them.
Tetras love hanging out under there as do the festivums.

The tall grassy plant is just vallisneria

_20180913_194516.JPG
It's really taken off since planting and little off shoots are starting to push their way up through the leaf litter.

The only other live plant in this tank is nymphia red lotus lily.

_20180913_194907.JPG

I always find this a very easy and reliable plant to grow. It also closely resembles some of the lily's found in the amazon.

Have you considered collecting your own leaf litter?
The leaves in my tank are magnolia, I also have a few palm fronds in there.
I love the look of magnolia leaves but they don't give off much in the way of tannins. Oak,Banana and Indian almond leaves give off the most tannins in my experience.
I like collecting my own leaves, they are plentiful and free and I love the way they look in fish tanks.
I've used oak, beech, hawthorn, apple, birch, magnolia, bamboo, palm and banana leaves in the past.
I have purchased seed pods and the like from places such as tannin aquatics.
They have proven great refuge for apistogramma and great spawning sites for ancistrus catfish.
 

Lilyann

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Oh! Bamboo Branches! It looked like plant roots to me in the video. How silly of me :confused:-
Those are incredible.
I have thought about collecting my own leaves. I really like the oak leaves. Ill have to search out some sources.
I have noticed my juvenile ancistrus eating the biofilm off of the pods, etc..
There are some that havent been buried and are starting to get that puffy white bipofilm on them that the Oto's and ancistrus are really loving. So, at least this did provide some beneficial effects in this regard.
I just need much more leaves, I think that even if they do get buried, Ill still be able to get the tint that Im looking for.
 
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Stanzzzz7

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Oh! Bamboo Branches! It looked like plant roots to me in the video. How silly of me :confused:-
Those are incredible.
I have thought about collecting my own leaves. I really like the oak leaves. Ill have to search out some sources.
I have noticed my juvenile ancistrus eating the biofilm off of the pods, etc..
There are some that havent been buried and are starting to get that puffy white bipofilm on them that the Oto's and ancistrus are really loving. So, at least this did provide some beneficial effects in this regard.
I just need much more leaves, I think that even if they do get buried, Ill still be able to get the tint that Im looking for.
Definitely, you can't go wrong with oak leaves if your after a black water effect.
I like the big red turkey oak leaves and the common oak.
They last longer than most leaves and give off a lot of tannins.
 
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