# Planted Tanks > Aquascaping >  32 Litre "Tapestry Garden" Tank!

## Urban Aquaria

I decided to re-scape my previous 32 Litre "Tree Scape" Tank and convert it into a flora/fauna holding tank, as i'm currently in the midst of preparing larger tanks for my future scapes too.

To stock up on some plant selection in advance, i sourced assorted suitable plants from the various LFS, then properly cleaned and quarantined them before adding them into the tank.

Although it wasn't my intention to create a scape (its just meant to be a holding tank after all), i still followed the usual layout of placing fast growing tall stem plants behind, slower growth lower plants in the middle and carpet plants in the front. I also made sure each plant group had some space between them to accommodate horizontal growth and propagation too.

After arranging everything in the tank, it somehow turned out to be a rather pleasant layout. It kind of reminded me of those "dutch style" tanks with plants arranged in neat groups, or those "collectoritis style" tanks with masses of different plants.  :Smile: 



The plants are abit short at the moment, hopefully they eventually grow and fill up the tank soon. 

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Here are the tank stats:

*Tank Size:* _45cm x 30cm x 24cm_ _(High Clarity / Low Iron Glass)_
*Substrate:* _ADA Aqua Soil New Amazonia (Powder Type)_

*Filter System:* _Eheim 2224 + 13mm gUSH Lily Pipe Set_
*Filter Media:* _Seachem Matrix_

*Temperature:* _29-30__°C (Day)_ _/ 27-28°C (Night)_

*Lighting:* _Up Aqua Z-Series Pro LED Z-15 (45cm)_
*Light Duration:* _2 x 4 hour shifts (9am-1pm / 5pm-9pm)_

*Co2:* _None_
*Carbon:* _Seachem Excel_
*Fertilizer:* _Tropica Plant Growth Specialised Fertilizer_
*Fan/Chiller:* _None_

*Water Change Regime:* _50% Weekly_

*Water Parameters**:*
_Tested using API Freshwater Master Test Kit_
_pH = 6.6_
_Ammonia = 0 ppm_
_Nitrite = 0 ppm_
_Nitrate = 0-5 ppm_

*Flora:* 

_Front:
Hemianthus Callitrichoides
Hemianthus Glomeratus
Staurogyne sp. 'Repens'
Eleocharis Acicularis

Middle:
Cryptocoryne Parva
Cryptocoryne Willisii 'Lucens'
Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Mi Oya'

Back:
Hygrophila Polysperma 'Sunset'
Rotala sp.'Nanjenshan'
Bacopa Caroliniana
Ludwigia Palustris
Bacopa Monnieri
Lindernia Rotundifolia 'Variegated'
Aciotis Acuminifolia_

*Fauna:*
_Danio Margaritatus_
_Corydoras Habrosus_
_Otocinclus_ _Macrospilus_ 
_Otocinclus Cocama_
_Neocaridina Heteropoda_

*Feed:*
_Hikari Micro Pellets_ 
_Hikari Micro Wafers_
_Hikari Sinking Wafers_

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I would have liked to add even more plants, but this tank is really out of space... maybe i might use one of my larger tanks to create a dedicated plant collection tank too.  :Grin: 

For now, i'll just be monitoring the growth rates of the plants and tweaking the conditions (adjusting flow, excel and fertilizer dosage, water changes etc) and see how well they acclimatize to the tank environment. It'll be a good opportunity to observe how the various plants grow over time.



Although there is a relatively high fish and shrimp bio-load in the tank, the large amount of plant mass naturally consumes nutrients and nitrates from the water very quickly, i tested the nitrate measurements using a API test kit and the results came up yellow, which means almost 0 nitrates in the water.

This indicates that the plants are consuming more nitrates (and possibly more nutrients) than the bio-load can produce, hence i now have to regularly dose fertilizers which contain both micro and macro nutrients to keep up with the plants demand. At the end of each week, a large water change is done to remove the excess nutrients and reset the nutrient levels.

On a side note, most of the plants i choose are in the easy-moderate demand range, which are able to grow without pressurized Co2 injection (albeit at a slower pace, therefore no need to trim the plants as often). The approach for my future tanks will also be based on similar lower maintenance conditions.



Will update on the tank and plants progress over the next few weeks.  :Very Happy:

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## qngwn

hey bro,

how do you usually clean and quarantine your plants before introducing them to your tank?
i'm having a bad time with button snail infestation that my dwarf puffers are not able to clear.  :Crying:

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## erwinx

Is the red plant a Rotala or Ludwigia? (sorry still learning)

I'm looking for a red plant that stays red in low-tech tank. So far my red plants new growth is green even though I dose iron and using 2 x T5 tubes for my 30l tank....

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## Urban Aquaria

> hey bro,
> 
> how do you usually clean and quarantine your plants before introducing them to your tank?
> i'm having a bad time with button snail infestation that my dwarf puffers are not able to clear.


What i usually do for new plants is wash them thoroughly in running water, then physically inspect the stems and leaves for worms, snails, eggs etc (manually removing any if i spot them), then dip the plants in salt solution, then excel solution, then wash again in running water.

After that i put them in a clear plastic container for a few days with regular lighting, once i see no more critters popping out, then i add the plants to the main tank.

Sometimes if i find too many pests on a plant, i'll just throw it away rather than take the risk.

It does require a fair bit of extra work to check and prepare plants this way, but the benefit is that i've not had any snails appearing in my tanks so far (at least none that i can spot yet, fingers crossed!).  :Smile:

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## marle

i think its fantastic that you are putting in that extra effort for luxurious plant growth and aquarium health!  :Well done:

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## Urban Aquaria

> Is the red plant a Rotala or Ludwigia? (sorry still learning)
> 
> I'm looking for a red plant that stays red in low-tech tank. So far my red plants new growth is green even though I dose iron and using 2 x T5 tubes for my 30l tank....


The red plant at the far right of the tank is supposedly _Aciotis Acuminifolia,_ i could be wrong though, but its the closest match that i can find through descriptions and photos online. 

The stems and leaves on that plant are only red underneath, the top sides of the leaves are green... but the whole plant tends to look red because the new leaves point upwards so we see more of the red undersides.

So far after a week, the plant's color still looks the same, and i've spotted some new small leaves popping out with the same top green and bottom red feature, so i guess it still retains the same coloration in low tech environments. Maybe this particular plant's color is not as noticeably affected by differing conditions. 

Anyways, i'm monitoring how it grows over the next few weeks, see if the color still retains over the long term.  :Smile:

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## Urban Aquaria

> i think its fantastic that you are putting in that extra effort for luxurious plant growth and aquarium health!


I guess i have abit of "OCD" too... so i tend to go slightly overboard when doing stuff.  :Grin:

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## cherabin

I was wishing to actually see the tree scape tank in the long run. To access the viability of sustaining healthy HC in a low tech environment.

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## Urban Aquaria

> I was wishing to actually see the tree scape tank in the long run. To access the viability of sustaining healthy HC in a low tech environment.


Yeah, the HC carpet became quite stable after a few weeks post-flooding, after that it wasn't declining (other than the shaded areas with low circulation), but also not growing much, just status quo.

From that experiment, i can somewhat conclude that for low tech tanks, the only way HC can realistically maintain a carpet in low tech tanks is if they were pre-established via DSM, and the plant selection has to be very limited and the bio-load kept low... otherwise it'll be very tough to get them to even survive past the transition and maintain a carpet.

If i didn't need to re-arrange the setup to prepare for other tanks, i would have kept it running for abit longer, though it would probably still look the same over the next few months anyways.

I'd admit it actually got abit boring looking at the tank after a while though... so i was also itching for a change in scenery.  :Grin:

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## milk_vanilla

Sounds like duchy style this time bro, keep it up.

Can't wait the next episodes.

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## marle

More pictures please!  :Smile:

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## cephelix

Nice,so much care taken in prepping the plants. Once everything is done,u would have tons of trimmings

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## inrewind

Clean and preppy. How about the other projects?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Clean and preppy. How about the other projects?


Still waiting for equipment orders to arrive... somehow all the LFS are currently out-of-stock of the various items i need for the setups. So for now i'm just staring at empty tanks on their racks.

Luckily i have this temporary holding tank to keep me occupied in the meantime.  :Smile:

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## Urban Aquaria

Testing time... this is what happens in a tank full of fast growing plants after a week.



Nitrates still showing yellow color on an API test kit, the effects of faster growing plants and higher plant density is very noticeable.

Looks like i'll have to dose a higher ratio of macro fertilizers to prevent nitrate/nitrogen shortage.

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## hydrophyte

That is lovely. You take such great pictures.

This is like a Dutch style planting.

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## sfk7

Which lfs sells ada soil in powder form?

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## Urban Aquaria

> Which lfs sells ada soil in powder form?


Powder type aqua soil seems to be currently out of stock at the various LFS, guess we'll have to wait until they restock.

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## cephelix

so long out of stock??

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## Urban Aquaria

> so long out of stock??


Yeah, seems to be the case... i've been checking at the popular LFS for the past few months and all still no stock yet.

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## Urban Aquaria

I've been receiving a number of queries about the plants in this tank, seems there is some interest in them. I'm new to these plants too, so this is also a learning experience for me.

To share some additional insight and a closer look, here are some of my own preliminary observations on the various plants in the tank.

_Aciotis Acuminifolia_



This plant is quite unusual in that it has a very striking purplish-red coloration on the stems and undersides of the leaves... the color is very intense and it looks almost "unreal" when one sees it for the first time. I had people who looked into the tank asking me if this plant was real or fake.  :Grin: 

The stems and leaves on this plant are strong. Easy to plant into the substrate and it grows side roots very quickly.


_Hygrophila Polysperma 'Sunset'_



Very interesting plant, it has leaves which range from green on the bottom to pink at the top. The leaves have an whitish vein patten which is apparently caused by a virus in the plant that blocks the production of chlorophyll in the leaf veins. The virus is only specific to this plant though.

This plant is a fast grower, so i'm looking forward to propagate it for my other tanks once its starts growing taller.

On a side note, as the current flow at the left side of the tank is much stronger, i found that the _Hygrophila Polysperma 'Sunset'_ ended up getting constantly buffeted around and bent by the strong current (this plant has rather soft stems and leaves), so i swapped its position with the _Aciotis Acuminifolia_ (which has a much stronger stem and leaf structure).


_Rotala Wallichii (previously i mis-identified it as_ _Rotala sp.'Nanjenshan'), Bacopa Caroliniana, Ludwigia Palustris, Bacopa Monnieri, Lindernia Rotundifolia 'Variegated'


_
All fast growing stem plants, each in different shades of colors. Some interesting features of note...

The top leaves of _Rotala Wallichii_ have a nice pink/orange coloration. The leaves actually close up during the night and open up during the day.

_Bacopa Caroliniana_ has spade shaped bright green leaves, while in contrast_ Bacopa Monnieri_ has rounded tear drop shaped leaves with a more neutral green color.

_Ludwigia Palustris_ has a deep maroon coloration on the stems and undersides of the leaves, with the reddish color fading into green at the tips. 

_Lindernia Rotundifolia 'Variegated'_ has round light green leaves with a striped patten, at certain angles they kind of resemble mini watermelons!  :Smile: 


_Cryptocoryne Parva, Cryptocoryne Willisii 'Lucens',_ _Cryptocoryne Wendtii 'Mi Oya'



__Cryptocoryne_ plants are relatively low demand, adaptable to different conditions and come in a wide variety of different shapes and sizes, ideal for both low and high tech tanks. 

Interestingly, the ones in this photo were only planted a week ago and they have already started sprouting fresh new leaves. 

Overall the plants seem to adapting well to the tank conditions so far, hopefully over time they'll grow large enough to be propagated too.

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## Alvin Koh

Thanks for sharing. Would love to have an underwater garden like that in a spare tank! 10/10!

Have you considered compartmentalizing (wow! this word actually exists) the soil to make it easier to manage in case the roots/runners start intertwining? 
I'm getting itchy fingers.  :Opps:

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## Urban Aquaria

> Thanks for sharing. Would love to have an underwater garden like that in a spare tank! 10/10!
> 
> Have you considered compartmentalizing (wow! this word actually exists) the soil to make it easier to manage in case the roots/runners start intertwining? 
> I'm getting itchy fingers.


Hmmm... interesting idea, though i haven't seen anyone do that so far yet, i guess most people just let the plants mix together naturally to create a merged scape. When its time to re-scape, it'll just be the usual massive uprooting session.  :Grin: 

Though if the tank was a "farming" type setup to grow out plants for other tanks, perhaps putting the plants in small plastic pots and then embedding them into the substrate could be an option, then it'll be much easier to just take them out to transplant to another tank. Thanks for the suggestion!  :Smile:

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## Shadow

The red plant with green top is look more like Alternanthera reineckii rather than Aciotis acuminifolia, different leaf structure

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## Urban Aquaria

> The red plant with green top is look more like Alternanthera reineckii rather than Aciotis acuminifolia, different leaf structure


You're right! _Alternanthera Reineckii_ does look like it too... my goodness, this plant is proving to be tough to ID, i see the photos of so many similar plants on google image search and all look slightly different with different ID, what a big headache. 

If only LFS can just label their plants properly, solve all the guessing games!  :Grin:

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## cephelix

could it be ludwigia glandulosa? basing it off Tropica pictures

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## Shadow

Ludwigia do not have 2 separate color top and bottom.

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## cephelix

ahh..good to know. Thanks Robert

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## Urban Aquaria

Managed to take a close-up snapshot of _Otocinclus Cocama_ (aka Zebra Oto) resting on a leaf...

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## AQMS

nice shot! :Smile:

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## sawzai

> Which lfs sells ada soil in powder form?


if you cannot find in lfs , get it online, thats what i always do. freshnmarine.  :Smile:  mizuworld out of stock for now.

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## Urban Aquaria

Quick update... the tank is now in its 2nd week and the plants have transitioned well. The plants are growing and still maintaining their bright green and red colors too.



I measured the various stem plants and the majority of them grew 1-2cm in height over the course of a week, sprouting new leaves and lots of new roots to anchor themselves into the substrate. The fastest grower so far is the _Rotala Wallichii_ which grew around 2-3cm taller.

At this growth rate, the background stem plants would probably reach the water surface in about a month, so it'll be time for a trim then. I would probably rate the growth speed as moderate, which is what i was aiming for, so that the plants don't overrun the tank too fast, and i don't need to keep constantly trimming them every week.  :Smile: 

Surprisingly, the _Staurogyne sp. 'Repens'_ actually rooted in and grew quick enough that i was actually able to cut the tops off a few of the taller ones and replant them, had to clear a portion of the _Hemianthus Callitrichoides_ on the left side to make space for them though.

The_ Cryptocoryne_ plants are growing new leaves too, which are starting to form a bushy look.

I'm currently dosing Tropica Plant Growth Specialised Fertilizer as well as Seachem Excel, both at double dosage to factor in the higher plant density. So far so good, no algae issues and plants are looking healthy.



Looks like the tank conditions are suitable for the plants and they are filling in well... though my main concern now is figuring out how to catch and transfer out all the fishes once my main tanks are ready, since they all like camping deep inside the plant mass.  :Think:

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## cherabin

This tank has no CO2 injection?

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## Urban Aquaria

> This tank has no CO2 injection?


Yeah, no Co2 injection, just dosing Seachem Excel as carbon supplement.  :Smile:

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## cherabin

Always great to see the variety of plants you can grow with just liquid carbon. Cheers.

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## hydrophyte

That looks fantastic. You have such excellent photos.

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## Dredshere

looks like a nursery!

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