# Killies Import > Planted Tanks >  From Green to Clear

## timebomb

Hi, folks,

Thought I should share an experience with you all.

I had a serious Green Water problem recently in my main tank. About one week after re-aquascaping the tank, the water began to turn green. And it remained green for more than 3 weeks but strangely, the Mosses and Hairgrass were growing. 

Sia Meng gave me his bottle of "Green-Away". I medicated the tank several times but it wasn't effective. So I decided to dump into the tank a huge bunch of Hornwort and blacked-out the tank for 3 days by switching off all the lights. I changed more than two-thirds of the water everyday for that 3 day period. The water slowly cleared and this evening, I removed all the Hornwort. 

Here are the "before" and "after" pictures.

*Before*


*After*


Loh K L

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## A.Rashid

Loh,

I really admire your tank. it really is an artwork... an abstract one... it's like telling you a story.

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## timebomb

Thanks for the compliments, Rashid but to tell the truth, I was more concerned about maintenance than art when I re-aquascaped the tank. After so many years of pruning plants, I wanted a tank with plants that require little maintenance. I tried growing Crypts and Ferns (another 2 low-maintenance plants) in my last aquascape but the tank didn't turn out very well. The plants were growing but the overall picture wasn't nice. 

To be honest, I think this is the best aquascape that I've achieved so far. The overall effect turned out almost exactly the way I wanted it, which was to give the impression of a lonely tree standing in the midst of a grass plain.

Loh K L

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## virce

*catches breath*

Amazing. 

If you notice other people's tanks (and Mr. Loh's prior aquascaping pictures) they usually cram in as many plants as possible. I admit I'm one of those people now too. :P But this time Mr. Loh achieved an entirely different look. Kind of like breaking the norm really. Have you considered entering your tank into a contest, Mr Loh??

Well, with those green water I'm sure you can keep baby brine shrimp happy.  :Laughing:  Clint (from petfish.net) keeps his alive by feeding them green water from his pond.

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## virce

correction: daphnia, not baby brine shrimp. Sorry.

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## FC

Kwek Leong,

Wow! Beautiful! Breath taking! Must visit you. . .

Just like you, I started to get tired of pruning too often. Perhaps, pruning once every 3 months would be nice.

I remembered that you shared with me on some of the Amano tanks where he used only one/two type of plant in the aquascape and you said that these tanks are the best in portraiting. However, hobbyists are often very tempted to use much more, including yourself (I am always the one too). Now, your present setup proved to be very nice. Keep it up! and . . . don't look at plant when you visit fish shop  :Laughing:  

Your experience in getting away with green water is very interesting.

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## A.Rashid

Yupz I agree with FC, must visit you., Can? hmm why not we make your house the 1st meeting area b4 the actual meeting place take place.

juz my opinion....

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## zmzfam

> Just like you, I started to get tired of pruning too often. Perhaps, pruning once every 3 months would be nice.


That's very true Freddy. i started out with quite a number of stemmed plants but I don't have the flair of how to trim them properly so as to make them more beautiful.
Turns out to be a jungle and in the end I pulled out all my stemmed plants. Now there are only hairgrass, tenellus, moss, ferns and lotus.

Makes my missus more happy also.  :Laughing:  




> why not we make your house the 1st meeting area b4 the actual meeting place take place


We can also take up Ron's suggestion of having grindal fondue in his garden.

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## checkerboard

I like your tank very much. had this idea sometime back, but i think i am someone who still likes to experiment with more plants.

my earlier tank as Freddy would have seen, is full of stem plants. It is not as difficult as many would think. just require a bit more patience, and don't be scared to trim more. It gives nice dense look, cause each branch you cut, grows more than one shoot from the cut end. 

the earlier tank pictures are in my web album.
http://sg.photos.yahoo.com/tyk1027
comments are welcome

now, i have also switch to low maintenance because i am really busy with my schoolwork. bolbitis heudelotti, narrow leave java ferns, crypts etc.
this tank have a "cool forest" look that i vaguely remembered Freddy mentioning in AQ i think. Maybe when i have time, i will go take some pictures.

by the way, green water can be eliminated by using UV, if people can afford it. but regular water change beats all when it comes to eliminating algae.

Love the erect moss, do pm me when your are harvesting please. I am more than willing to pay a little or exchange some plants for it!

cheers,
yew kiat

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## FC

I also find that stem plants are not difficult to take care. I just trim them down every 3 weeks. They get denser after each cut. I control them from spreading by surround them with Blyxa Japonica.

Ironically, it is the B. Japonica that needs more time in thinning them. Every about 6 weeks, I need to remove all of them. Thin them outside the tank and then replanting.

I have crypt that I had just discard them. They are medium grower and easy to take care but do not fit into my other plants. I am trying E. Diandra as foreground for the past 2 weeks, seems fine.

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## timebomb

> hmm why not we make your house the 1st meeting area b4 the actual meeting place take place.


Rashid, I really wouldn't mind using my house as a meeting place but I'm kind of busy these days. I can't promise that I will host the first gathering but when things are more settled down, I will see if I can find the time to organise a gathering. I don't know about you guys but I can never find enough time to do the things I want. 

I'm so busy sometimes I neglect the fish. I came home late last night to discover many of my Notho guentheri dead in the tank. Must be velvet disease again but it was too dark to see the fish clearly. Sigh  :Sad:  24 hours a day just isn't enough. If only I don't have to sleep.  :Laughing:  




> Mr. Loh achieved an entirely different look. Kind of like breaking the norm really.


Annette, you flatter me. But I'm a sucker for flattery so .....thanks :wink: 
I would like to think I'm breaking norms but that isn't true. Someone already broke the norm long ago. There's a Japanese guy called Takashi Amano and he was the one who revolutionalised the hobby. Amano's books on planted tanks can be found on Amazon.com if you are interested. 

The thing I learnt from Amano is not to use up all the real estate in the tank. The trick is to leave empty spaces so that certain plants become focal points. Having too many different species of plants in one tank would also make the tank lose focus. But don't go pulling out the plants from your tank after reading this. It's quite natural for beginners to want to grow as many plants as possible in one tank. It's something like a "rites of passage". Every aquatic gardener wannabee has to go through this phase (to cram as many plants as he can into one tank) before he learns that "less is more". 




> the earlier tank pictures are in my web album.
> http://sg.photos.yahoo.com/tyk1027
> comments are welcome
> 
> Love the erect moss, do pm me when your are harvesting please. I am more than willing to pay a little or exchange some plants for it!
> 
> cheers,
> yew kiat


Yew Kiat, your tank looks lovely. Seems like you're already quite close to becoming the next Amano. 

I don't have enough Erect Moss to spare now but when I do, I will let you guys know. Be patient :wink: When I start giving out the Erect Moss, the regulars in this forum would be among the first to get them. If you want to qualify as a regular, you will have to keep those posts coming  :Laughing: 

Loh K L

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## boggle

Hello KL,
The 4 footer is truly amazing  :Shocked:  , what are the inhaitants in this tank may I ask? Thanks

Andre

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## timebomb

Andre,

I had some Aphysomenion australes in the tank but they were not doing well. Many became sick so I transferred them into a hospital tank. Now, I have Fundulopanchax gardneri in the tank. They seem to be happy in their new environment. Here's a pic of of one of them.



Loh K L

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## Daz

is it hair grass that's covering the gravel? sorry to ask but can't see too clearly.

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## timebomb

It's Hairgrass, Daryl. Glad to know you finally found your way here. 

Loh K L

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