# Planted Tanks > Aquascaping >  My 2ft rescape

## rachel

After nearly one year, I decided enough is enough! I cannot stand my messy tank anymore! So off it goes! IMG-20140504-WA0030_zpsa56bce84.jpg<- the messy tank with plants all over and I cannot even see my fish!

The roots are so long!

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## rachel

After hours of careful (trying not to break the tank) Finally its cleared! I must say tearing down the scape is tougher than setting it up! I still scratched the tank![IMG][/IMG]

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## rachel

Temporary fish tub
the soils and sand 
The ADA additives which Mizu world sells separately

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## rachel

Tried a few layout

Realised I do not have enough big rocks! Finally after getting the rocks, this is the final layout which i am most happy with. 

Laying out of the soil took 3hours! It was hard work!
a gab cause the soil to flow through
 found a crooked brush which is really helpful for doing this!

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## rachel

Smashed up the bigger rocks using all the strength I had!

And so this is the final product! Pray hard nothing slopes down any further! 

Oh this is the CO2 tank I will be using.

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## rachel

Still thinking of what type of plants for the tank. Any suggestions?
(will have to wait two weeks to get the plants because I will be away :P )

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## chazrt

Monte Carlo? Good carpeting plant.

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## marle

new hardscape looks good! your tank looks very familiar.. is it from Green Chapter?

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## Shadow

I like the hardscape  :Well done: 

You can try monte carlo/glosso/HC on the front mix with hairgras behind. Some colorful stem plant behind the 2 big rocks right at the split. 

Are you going to add wood?

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## rachel

> new hardscape looks good! your tank looks very familiar.. is it from Green Chapter?


you can tell its from Green Chapter?! yes it is  :Smile:

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## rachel

> Monte Carlo? Good carpeting plant.


I heard much about this plant. Will definitely get this! Thank you!

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## rachel

> I like the hardscape 
> 
> You can try monte carlo/glosso/HC on the front mix with hairgras behind. Some colorful stem plant behind the 2 big rocks right at the split. 
> 
> Are you going to add wood?


I'm not sure about the wood. I am afraid it might be overcrowded. what do you reckon?
Not sure about the stem plants in the middle though. Will explore on that
Yes I think hairgrass will be nice!

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## ichise

Hello pretty ~ nice hardscape ...  :Laughing:  :Laughing: 
Faster plant Now !!!

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## Danialavr

Nice hardscape! And nice tank too. Hairgrass grow too fast i warn you hahah. Go for monte carlo!

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## rachel

> Nice hardscape! And nice tank too. Hairgrass grow too fast i warn you hahah. Go for monte carlo!


Thank you! Is it a bad thing that the hairgrass grow fast? Can it be trim away?

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## rachel

> Hello pretty ~ nice hardscape ... 
> Faster plant Now !!!


two weeks later...

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## Danialavr

> Thank you! Is it a bad thing that the hairgrass grow fast? Can it be trim away?


Well it depends on the individual i guess haha, if you enjoy trimming plants then get it. Personally i get annoyed because it grows back within a few days, made worse since the trimmings are tiny and goes everywhere :O

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## rachel

> Well it depends on the individual i guess haha, if you enjoy trimming plants then get it. Personally i get annoyed because it grows back within a few days, made worse since the trimmings are tiny and goes everywhere :O


I think there are different type of hairgrass. There is one kind which does not grow long. So maybe for that no need to keep trimming?
Please correct me if I am wrong. I would really want to have hairgrass in the tank. 

PS: my trusty 'gardener' aka- my mother always trim my plants in the tank!

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## Danialavr

Yup! There are shorter types. I was told the one i bought was dwarf hairgrass but it grows to about 4inches haha. Best source would be those tropica 1-2 grow since it is a single culture plant grown in lab. Cost more but i would get it for my next scape just so that i wont be let down in future haha.

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## rachel

The last time i bought from C328, it didn't grow upwards but i got fed up with it because it kept floating up! Maybe because my soil was not high enough to hold it down. 

Where do you usually get the tropica p1-2 grow plants?

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## Danialavr

> The last time i bought from C328, it didn't grow upwards but i got fed up with it because it kept floating up! Maybe because my soil was not high enough to hold it down. 
> 
> Where do you usually get the tropica p1-2 grow plants?


I bought my dwarf hairgrass from c328 and it is too long, i've read that there are just too many species of hairgrass that it might not be the smaller dwarf version. Have yet to try tropica 1-2 grow. Seen those at c328 too.

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## Urban Aquaria

I've also tried the various types of hairgrass from LFS, and so far the only variety that i've used which forms a nice compact carpet and naturally stays low is the Tropica _Eleocharis sp. 'Mini'_... for reference, you can check out its growth pattern and height at my 2ft tank journal:

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...074#post771074

The tank has been running for close to 9+ months already and i've not had to trim the hairgrass during all that time, it just grows more compact and doesn't get taller than 2-3cm height. To date, its the easiest and lowest maintenance carpet plant i've ever used in an aquascape.  :Smile:

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## cherabin

Hi UA. Have you tried monte carlo? I'm curious to its difficulty and maintenance level as compared to Tropica's mini hairgrass? Asking as all here knows you're an encyclopaedia  :Smile:  and a gem to the community. 

Sent from my GT-N8000 using Tapatalk

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## Everlance

> Hi UA. Have you tried monte carlo? I'm curious to its difficulty and maintenance level as compared to Tropica's mini hairgrass? Asking as all here knows you're an encyclopaedia  and a gem to the community. 
> 
> Sent from my GT-N8000 using Tapatalk


monte carlo is a very easy plant. 6hrs of proper lighting and co2 are all it takes for you to achieve a carpet in 1 month. the only bad thing about this plant is that trimming is needed very regularly as it grows so damn fast. and trimming regularly = very messy, troublesome and unsightly... but it grows back quickly  :Smile: .

20140531_193919.jpg

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## Urban Aquaria

> Hi UA. Have you tried monte carlo? I'm curious to its difficulty and maintenance level as compared to Tropica's mini hairgrass?


Yeah, i also currently have a test batch of monte carlo growing submersed in one of my indoor grow-out tanks too, as well as a batch emersed in an outdoor container. 

So far from my experience with it, the growth rate is quite similar to glosso... so i guess if you can successfully grow glosso in a tank, you can also grow monte carlo too.

Maintanence is similar amongst such leaf/runner based carpet plants, they will eventually grow layer upon layer into a dense carpet so you'll need to trim it regularly to prevent the bottom layers from browning out.

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## kopiopeng

Nice scape. Good job

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## kopiopeng

looking real good

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## rakurime

livestock still in makeshift tub?

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## rachel

> livestock still in makeshift tub?


I am back! Livestock still in tub. 2 danio died. I think my mom overfed them. 
I'm going to rehome all my fishes to my friend's 3ft tub!  :Smile:

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## rachel

These are the plants i got. 

Planting the monte carlo is so tiring! Luckily my mom thinks its fun and helps me to separate the plant from the sponge. I think I killed a few by plucking out the roots by accident. 


Flooding the tank is tiring too. The water flows so..... slow....


 even my dog is bored. 

finally its done! But I am thinking of getting more monte carlo to speed things up abit. 
missing the bubble counter. Shall go C328 tonight!

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## diazman

Camping here. The tank layout looks really good  :Grin:   :Well done:

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## limz_777

whats that cone shape on the dog for ?

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## rachel

> Camping here. The tank layout looks really good


Thank you! I just hope the monte carlos won't melt away.

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## rachel

> whats that cone shape on the dog for ?


Oh she has skin problem. Thus in the daytime we put on this collar on her to prevent her from scratching or biting herself.

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## rachel

This is my co2 tank. It does not have a timer. 
So i will have to on it 24hours a day. Can you guys help to advice how many bubbles should it release if I have to turn it on full day? Thank you!

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## Urban Aquaria

> This is my co2 tank. It does not have a timer. 
> So i will have to on it 24hours a day. Can you guys help to advice how many bubbles should it release if I have to turn it on full day? Thank you!


For Co2 injection that is on 24 hours a day, you'll just need to monitor the Co2 levels using the drop checker... tune the bps rate until you see the indicator solution maintain a consistent range of dark to light green color during both day and night. Co2 can keep accumulating over time (especially with setups that are on 24/7), so you'll have to keep a closer eye on the Co2 levels. 

Note that the indicator solution has a delayed reaction time (usually around 1-2 hours delay, depending on the diffusion rate).

Start with low bps (ie. 0.5 bps) then check the indicator color regularly and gradually tune it higher over the span of a few days if required. The amount of Co2 that your plants can effectively use will depend on your diffuser placement and circulation pattern, so just shift them around to find the ideal combination.

You can also start with high bps (ie. 4-5 bps) then gradually tune it lower, though that method tends to waste alot of Co2.  :Smile:

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## rachel

> For Co2 injection that is on 24 hours a day, you'll just need to monitor the Co2 levels using the drop checker... tune the bps rate until you see the indicator solution maintain a consistent range of dark to light green color during both day and night. Note that the indicator solution has a delayed reaction time (usually around 1-2 hours delay, depending on the diffusion rate).
> 
> Start with low bps (ie. 0.5 bps) then check the indicator color regularly and gradually tune it higher over the span of a few days if required. The amount of Co2 that your plants can effectively use will depend on your diffuser placement and circulation pattern, so just shift them around to find the ideal combination.
> 
> You can also start with high bps (ie. 4-5 bps) then gradually tune it lower, though that method tends to waste alot of Co2.


Thank you for the detailed explanation!
I am not using a diffuser. I am using the CO2 reactor. ( I think that is what its call) so the co2 is connect to the outlet pipe of the filter then mix with the water and out into the tank. ( I hope i did not confuse you)

Actually, a diffuser is better or the co2 reactor?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thank you for the detailed explanation!
> I am not using a diffuser. I am using the CO2 reactor. ( I think that is what its call) so the co2 is connect to the outlet pipe of the filter then mix with the water and out into the tank. ( I hope i did not confuse you)
> 
> Actually, a diffuser is better or the co2 reactor?


Well, there are various schools of thought when it comes to methods of getting Co2 into tanks, but usually Co2 reactors allow for 100% dissolve rate so they tend to be more efficient, the trade-off is reactors require the use of canister filters or pumps with specific ranges of flow rates to work properly (can't use with hang-on filters)... and when used with canister filters, reactors can reduce the flow rate of the filters by a certain percentage (depending on their individual specifications and design).

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## rachel

> Well, there are various schools of thought when it comes to methods of getting Co2 into tanks, but usually Co2 reactors allow for 100% dissolve rate so they tend to be more efficient, the trade-off is reactors require the use of canister filters or pumps with specific ranges of flow rates to work properly (can't use with hang-on filters)... and when used with canister filters, reactors can reduce the flow rate of the filters by a certain percentage (depending on their individual specifications and design).


ahh I see. Im using the eheim ecco pro 200 canister filter. The power of the outflow still seems quite strong when i full blast it.  :Smile:

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## ichise

Pictures pictures ~ don't ask so much ... Hahahha

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## wuguidan

Woah... Disposable 95g(~135ml) CO2? I had one before, very troublesome, need to turn on and adjust the bubble per seconds every day before going out. Last me about 3 weeks. I used around 2~3 seconds 1 bubble. Around 12 hours a day. If you run 24 hours at 2 seconds per bubble, i think very fast it will be disposed.

Wanted to purchase some more disposable cans but got convinced to purchase a 1 Litre aluminum CO2 tank. Compact,nice and very light. The aluminum tank can be refilled at a low cost as well. I used the old regulator from my disposable CO2 set, connect to the 1L tank using a connector from east ocean. (Connector is needed because the disposable cans regulator is different for those CO2 tanks)

1L CO2 aluminum tank ~ 1000ml ~ $90.
3 CO2 disposable cans ~ 135ml x 3 = 405ml for ~$58. 
You need to buy 6 cans = 1L CO2 tank. Correct me if i'm wrong.

Now, after the inital phase of adjust my bubbles per second on the regulator, i just need to turn on and off the valve at the 1L CO2 tank everyday will do, i do not need to bother adjusting the regulator anymore.

I calculated in the long term, it's better to get a full CO2 tank set, it is much more worthwhile compared to disposable if you are going to go for pressurized CO2 setup.  :Smile:

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## wuguidan

Oops, my bad... never realise you bought the ISTA 1L CO2 set. Sorry~~  :Embarassed:

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## rachel

> Oops, my bad... never realise you bought the ISTA 1L CO2 set. Sorry~~


Thank you for the explanations! I am thinking in the long run, a bigger tank will be better too. But shall see how it goes. It is not 2 bubbles per seconds. Wonder how long it will last! :P

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## thebaldingaquarist

Looks good! Camping here for updates!

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## rachel

the bubbles on surface circulating around are co2 i suppose?

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## hann

> the bubbles on surface circulating around are co2 i suppose?


Did you notice a layer of oil when you see co2 bubbles on the surface? I won't see this happening on the first few days after water change but it comes back after a few days especially when there is a oil layer with no water irritation

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## rachel

> Did you notice a layer of oil when you see co2 bubbles on the surface? I won't see this happening on the first few days after water change but it comes back after a few days especially when there is a oil layer with no water irritation


hmm so far no layer of oil. I think when there are too many plants and no water circulation on surface then will have oil?

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## wuguidan

I have prior experience in my small tank, a layer of oil appearing a few days after water change. I think it is because of the fish flakes that i throw onto the water. Plus also maybe i throw abit much too.

Now i throw my fish flakes into a floating food enclosure and i also noticed a layer of oil within the enclosure itself.

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## Urban Aquaria

Yeah, surface oil layers are mainly a combination of residue from the soil, ferts, fish food and organic waste material... all contribute to creating the oil layer.

From the video, your lily pipe is position lower under the water surface so there is very little surface movement, which also contributes to the oil layer accumulating. You could raise the lily pipe outflow so that it is just 1-2mm under the water surface, then it'll create a vortex to draw down the oil layer and help mix it back into the water column.

Are you using an inline Co2 diffuser or atomizer? If you are, then the bubbles trapped at the water surface seem to be mostly Co2 bubbles, can see the bubbles exit from your lily pipe and float straight up to the top.

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## rachel

> I have prior experience in my small tank, a layer of oil appearing a few days after water change. I think it is because of the fish flakes that i throw onto the water. Plus also maybe i throw abit much too.
> 
> Now i throw my fish flakes into a floating food enclosure and i also noticed a layer of oil within the enclosure itself.


change another type of fish food?

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## wuguidan

> change another type of fish food?


Any recommendations for tetra and guppies?

Thanks.  :Smile:

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## Everlance

surface film can also be caused by plants as a by-product of photosynthesis… please correct me if i am wrong.

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## rachel

Big problem! I was told the plant i got is HC. and so I planted it in small groups. Out of each group, there will be one or two of the plant which is taller than the rest! It seems like some kind of stem plant. However the rest of the shorter ones remained small leaf which is very much like the HC. Can anyone please advise what plants are these actually? Thank you!







 these are growing sideways which seems right.

 the tall plant which has pointed thin leaf

 the more rounded leaf which should be the monte carlo

Should i pluck out all the plants and replant?

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## wuguidan

Never grew HC(Hemianthus callitrichoides) before.
Search in google, your image of HC is not the same as shown in web images.

Looks more like (Glosso)Glossostigma elatinoides?
Need plant gurus enlightenment. :Embarassed:

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## mistic

nice set up!

planning to do a pure rock cave set up!

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## Urban Aquaria

> Big problem! I was told the plant i got is HC. and so I planted it in small groups. Out of each group, there will be one or two of the plant which is taller than the rest! It seems like some kind of stem plant. However the rest of the shorter ones remained small leaf which is very much like the HC. Can anyone please advise what plants are these actually? Thank you!
> 
> Should i pluck out all the plants and replant?


The taller plant with pointed thin leaves is called Hemianthus Micranthemoides (or Micranthemum Micranthemoides), it commonly hitchhikes in with HC. You can just separate it and replant at another area and it will grow, it grows fast and tall, the leaves are slim and bright green, therefore ideal as a nice background plant. Just keep trimming, replanting and shaping it, and eventually you'll get a nice dense hedge.

The shorter plant with noticeably larger round leaves in opposing pairs could be Monte Carlo, due to its popularity nowadays its probably starting to also get mixed in with HC too... i guess for such plants, it only takes one or two bits still stuck to the plant seller's hands to transfer across and hitchhike with different plants.  :Smile: 

The good thing is you have 3 plants for the price of one... HM and MC grow easily so from small bits you'll be able to cultivate and grow alot of them in a short time.  :Grin:

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## wuguidan

> The taller plant with pointed thin leaves is called Hemianthus Micranthemoides (or Micranthemum Micranthemoides), it commonly hitchhikes in with HC. You can just separate it and replant at another area and it will grow, it grows fast and tall, the leaves are slim and bright green, therefore makes for very nice background plant. Just keep trimming, replanting and shaping it, and eventually you'll get a nice dense hedge.
> 
> The shorter plant with noticeably larger round leaves in opposing pairs could be Monte Carlo, due to its popularity nowadays its probably starting to also get mixed in with HC too... i guess for such plants, it only takes one or two bits still stuck to the plant seller's hands to transfer across and hitchhike with different plants. 
> 
> The good thing is you have 3 plants for the price of one... HM and MC grow easily so from small bits you'll be able to cultivate and grow alot of them in a short time.


Thanks for the enlightenment UA. Aqua Guru.  :Grin:

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## rachel

> The taller plant with pointed thin leaves is called Hemianthus Micranthemoides (or Micranthemum Micranthemoides), it commonly hitchhikes in with HC. You can just separate it and replant at another area and it will grow, it grows fast and tall, the leaves are slim and bright green, therefore ideal as a nice background plant. Just keep trimming, replanting and shaping it, and eventually you'll get a nice dense hedge.
> 
> The shorter plant with noticeably larger round leaves in opposing pairs could be Monte Carlo, due to its popularity nowadays its probably starting to also get mixed in with HC too... i guess for such plants, it only takes one or two bits still stuck to the plant seller's hands to transfer across and hitchhike with different plants. 
> 
> The good thing is you have 3 plants for the price of one... HM and MC grow easily so from small bits you'll be able to cultivate and grow alot of them in a short time.


Thank you so much! No wonder there are a few tall ones mix with the shorter ones! So i still have HC in tank! Nearly wanted to throw away everything!. Indeed the Hemianthus Micranthemoides (Gosh such long names!) grows very fast. Within 2 days of planting and it started to grow up. I thought my light isn't bright enough, but if it is not bright enough, shouldn't the rest grow upwards together too? So now i know.... 

Thank you once again!

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## rachel

Can I say these short ones are HC?

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## rachel

> Never grew HC(Hemianthus callitrichoides) before.
> Search in google, your image of HC is not the same as shown in web images.
> 
> Looks more like (Glosso)Glossostigma elatinoides?
> Need plant gurus enlightenment.


i'm worried is that too!  :Sad:

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## Urban Aquaria

> Can I say these short ones are HC?


Yes, the short ones with tiny leaves will be HC.  :Smile:

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## rachel

> Yes, the short ones with tiny leaves will be HC.


Whew! I'm glad! Thank you!

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## ichise

> Can I say these short ones are HC?


NO .. all these are anubias ...  :Laughing:

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## rachel

> NO .. all these are anubias ...


you are too free right :Evil:

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## wuguidan

It's growing fast and good! Hope to see more updates soon!  :Grin:

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## rachel

> It's growing fast and good! Hope to see more updates soon!


yes I hope it grows faster! Everyday I look at the tank, my mom thinks i am weird. She said ' there are no fish inside, what are you looking at??'  :Exasperated:

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## limz_777

if you are still unsure , this is a comparison picture , MC in front , HC behind .

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## Urban Aquaria

The emersed form of HM/MM actually looks alot like MC... quite difficult to tell them apart until they develop into their submersed forms.  :Smile:

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## rachel

And now there are bubbles on the rocks!  :Crying: 


On a brighter note, there is ONE bubble on the plant. 
 (spot the bubble game -_-')

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## wuguidan

> yes I hope it grows faster! Everyday I look at the tank, my mom thinks i am weird. She said ' there are no fish inside, what are you looking at??'


Transparent Fish. Only wise people can see.  :Laughing: 

Your rock is alive!  :Shocked:

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## rachel

brown algae attack!!! 



The brown alage floss

so I added in the cleaning crews. 11 shrimps ( 1 died yesterday) and 3 ottos. Everyday I spent an hour to manually pick up the brown algae floss thingy. Did a pretty good job. Pick up the plant and wash it and replant it back again. Its cleaner now




a mixture of HC and monte carlo ( I think) trimming and replanting them.


cleaner leaves..


Cleaner sand! but I got to clear the black soil from the white sand.. HEADACHE!

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## markus92

MC is a nice plant to keep recently its the IN thing, adding in a group of yammato to clean algae would be good since u already got some cherry and SAE's, dosing chemicals to kill algae should be the last resort as u never know what other problems may arise, good luck bro!

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## rachel

> MC is a nice plant to keep recently its the IN thing, adding in a group of yammato to clean algae would be good since u already got some cherry and SAE's, dosing chemicals to kill algae should be the last resort as u never know what other problems may arise, good luck bro!


Yep I have 2 yamato shrimps. But I don't really like them because they look big and reminds me of cockroaches :P
what is SAE?

ps: I am not bro  :Razz:

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## markus92

SAE= Siamese algae Eater.

Oh my I'm so sorry just came out without realizing 😅 it's good to have more lady's in AQ

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## rachel

> SAE= Siamese algae Eater.
> 
> Oh my I'm so sorry just came out without realizing 😅 it's good to have more lady's in AQ


no worries!
I dare not get any SAE after the two I got jumped out from tank and my dog ate it! 
Record of how many fish my dog ate: 3!

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## rachel

I got a problem. Why are the roots of the plants (Monte Carlo) seem to be 'walking' on the surface of soil? some of the plants are not flat on the soil. They seem to be above soil with their roots acting like legs supporting the plants.

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## Urban Aquaria

> I got a problem. Why are the roots of the plants (Monte Carlo) seem to be 'walking' on the surface of soil? some of the plants are not flat on the soil. They seem to be above soil with their roots acting like legs supporting the plants.


Thats quite normal for MC, their roots are very shallow and they have a creeping growth pattern, so you will sometimes see exposed roots growing out of the creeping runners. If you find those roots unsightly, just manually push those runners with roots deeper into the soil substrate to hide them. 

Eventually the MC will grow all over each other in dense layers and you'll see runners and roots everywhere anyways, so they just need to be trimmed and pushed back into the substrate during regular maintenance.

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## rachel

> Thats quite normal for MC, their roots are very shallow and they have a creeping growth pattern, so you will sometimes see exposed roots growing out of the creeping runners. If you find those roots unsightly, just manually push those runners with roots deeper into the soil substrate to hide them. 
> 
> Eventually the MC will grow all over each other in dense layers and you'll see runners and roots everywhere anyways, so they just need to be trimmed and pushed back into the substrate during regular maintenance.


oh so its normal! I thought its because I did not plant it well in the initial stage. Everyday I stand at tank to plant those roots in, so tiring! Cant really push them into the soil, I push one end, the other end pops up  :Mad: 

Thank you for explaining!

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