My tank got a bad haircut.

[squall_japan]

After 9 weeks my tank became so crowded there are no rooms for my fish to swim. I found my Gourammi stuck in my hagen ladder. He/She made it out safe without help. She managed to get in so i assumed he/she can creep out.
The floor is not getting enough light causing my glosso to crawl vertically.

Before
http://static.flickr.com/37/82283045_423a06234c.jpg

After
http://static.flickr.com/43/82283025_c910e297a3.jpg

Any advice on how i should it trim it next time? Should i trim it so i have triangles on both sides? Sorry i don't have any creative bone in my body.

[happychem]

I'm by far no expert, but here are my thoughts on your 'scape.

You'll have a hard time keeping the glosso and the tenellus (or is that dwarf Sag?) together because the tenellus will be forever crowding over and shading out the glosso. With some dedication you could probably get the tenellus to stay to one side, but I think that the tank would look much better with only one of the two. Given the look of the rest of the tank, I'd say that the tenellus is a better fit.

Move the lotus to the back. In the front, it makes the tank look crowded.

Finally, keep your water level at or above the black trim, waterlines take away from the scene.

[z71silverado98]

alternatively you could cut all the but one of leaves off of the lotus and the leaves that grow in will be much smaller. ive done that repeatedly w/ my waterlily and now have tons of leaves no bigger than the Dia. of a Silverdollar.

you could effectively do this to all your plants to make much more dense plants therefore giving you more open space for you fish, but just as much if not more foliage.

on stem plants w/ a meristem you can try cutting %70 of the meristem off leaving just a small amount. instead of growing just 2 shoots from the lower node, you will get 4 shoots, 2 from the meristem and 2 from the lower node.

[squall_japan]

Thanks for both your advice. I just decided on trimming the red tiger lotus and continue to do so until it doesnt shoot out big leaves. I removed my glosso too to make more space for my tenellus. I filled it with water to the brim(almost). It now look not so crowded(i think), thanks again. If there's anything else i can do to improve don't hesitate to tell me.

http://static.flickr.com/39/84687884_9d8a5aa6b4.jpg

[Captain Hook]

I like how you have it now much better. Not so crowded and unorganized looking.

[happychem]

Agreed. Now it looks full, lush, but not crowded. I really like the spiky look of the Anubia roots hanging down. When the tenellus fills in your foreground will look awesome.

[reiverix]

That's a really nice looking tank. I'll have to try that trick with the tiger lotus since it tends to shade my ludwigia glandulosa.

[RockabillyChick]

i honestly think the tank is going to look beautiful no matter how you prune your plants :p:

[squall_japan]

Thanks everyone for your kind words! I just need to wait for tenellus to spread now.

happychem and reiverix you got very nice tanks.

[Wildiana]

pls post your specs.


size, lighting, etc.

[happychem]

Thanks squall (FF8 ref?), it doesn't look all that hot right now though. I'm in transition between DIY and pressurized CO2, but the regulator that I bought off e-bay is defective and irreparable (that's what you get from something sold "as is"), so I've had it on half lighting for a while to keep down the algae. The plants are hanging in, but not looking stellar.

[squall_japan]

Wildiana, the specs -> http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=511605#post511605

happychem, yep FF8. Sorry about the regulator. I'm planning to get one myself I'll probably just get this

http://static.flickr.com/6/78244723_17a5af1eb9_o.jpg

around 8000 to 10000yen($66-$83) here.

[happychem]

No probs. Bit the bullet and bought a new regulator from Praxair yesterday. Spent several hours rescaping the tank and doing a serious overhaul. Can't wait for it to grow back in!

How big is the CO2 tank in that gettup, squall?

[squall_japan]

happychem: The tank is really small. I think it's a 64g tank, good for 3-4 weeks.

Anyway just want to post an update. I finally got an algae(unfotunately), it's BBA and i'm kinda panicking.

I trimmed all the affected leaves mostly the Cyperus helferi.
http://static.flickr.com/35/88376455_4db7c73b32.jpg
The LFS guy told me that BBA loves strong current and it makes sense because all the cyperus affected were situated right outside the outlet of my filter. Since i can't control the current i just tried doing the following.
-got 3 Ottos
-got 4 amanos
-decreased the time the light is on from 10 to 8 hours

My anubias with the spike root got some too so i trimmed it last night.

I hope the trimming and my cleaning crew can help eliminate the problem.

[happychem]

None of those critters will help with BBA. Turn up the CO2 (and keep it up) and keep pruning whatever is affected. Anubias is definitely algae prone, being a slow grower.

If the refill cylinders for that little tank are cheap, it may be worth it. Otherwise you may want to look around for a larger setup. It will cost more initially, but should pay for itself in cylinder refills.

[squall_japan]

Thanks for the advice I will try to turn my CO2 up. One of my tenellus and some of the hydras caught BBA too, pruning time again.

I think the refills are cheap compare to ADA's.