New Layout and Plants for my 7 day old 10g (pictures included).

[nurburgring]

Hi Guys,

FIrst and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who has helped me with my new tank. This forum has been most helpful, and is perhaps my most useful resource.

For those who have read my previous post, I have been plagued by algae and difficuties with my Hydrophile Difformis lookalike (it isnt a difformis I realised after seeing a real difformis.) and hairgrass. I've removed the difformis altogether and put in place a riccia centre piece (USD$7). I've also moss walled my aquarium (Taiwan Moss).

My glosso seems to be growing very fast, 1 new bud a day per plant.

Somehow my new layout doesnt seem to gel nicely. SOmething is missing. Any contributions would be useful.

Here are the fresh pics of my 10g tank (1.5 feet).

http://www.pbase.com/marcwang/image/74744217.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/marcwang/image/74744215.jpg

Many Thanks!

On a side note, I dump 10 yamato shrimps in today.... and they all died within 2 hrs. Its so sad. Something must be wrong.

[phanmc]

You need something behind the riccia, perhaps some color or broad leafed plant since everything else has a fine texture. Try a crypt wendtii, anubias, or blyxa japonica. I'd stay away from most other stem plants because their growth is usually too fast for a 10g tank.

[Mgamer20o0]

i agree. i would add a plant thats brown or red to give it some color. crypts are really good.

[nurburgring]

Thanks once again.

I'll try to add in some broadleave plants to see if it fits the layout of the tank. Maybe some lotus ?

I've gone for fine leave plants because being a small tank, broad leave plants would make the take look small. And I want to get the japanese garden look, where most plants are fine leaved.

[skillful abbot]

What happened to the rock? I liked it. It would look nice behind the Riccia in my opinion.

[nurburgring]

The rock is sitting on my desk at the moment. Not sure how am I gonna squeeze it in, there is hardly any space left. I was my tank to look open, like a grassy plain. But I'll see if I can just squeeze it behind. I dont want things to get too tight. I'm not sure if the piece of riccia drift wood is actually too big a piece for my tank.

[Jaysn]

Is that an established moss wall you put in, or has that grown in just a week?!? I agree, some contrasting color would look nice in the background. That's kinda scary that all 10 shrimp died within two hours though, did you test the water after?

[clawlan]

im alwasy a fan of a stump of log of sme kind. Adds the brown that you need and give fish a nice hiding area.

[skillful abbot]

Yeah, if you look at any ADA 'scapes you'll notice there is always some kind of rock or wood behind the riccia that serves to establish the foreground and background areas...

[Rbishop]

Very nice looking.

[nurburgring]

Is that an established moss wall you put in, or has that grown in just a week?!? I agree, some contrasting color would look nice in the background. That's kinda scary that all 10 shrimp died within two hours though, did you test the water after?

The Moss wall was purchased from a LFS for 2 dollars a plate. There are 4 plates in there. It was already established. Here in Singapore, the Taiwan moss plate was SGD$3 per plate, thats abt USD$2.

[Lady Friesian]

Sorry about the shrimp. Shrimp are extremely sensitive to nitrogen levels and to various heavy metals, in particular copper. Are you fertilizing heavily with these metals? This article might help you:

Why are my shrimp dying? (http://www.petshrimp.com/articles/whyshrimpdead.html)

I think your mosses look awesome, by the way!

[FishyMatty]

did you build and grow that moss wall or did you but a sheet of it?
I read recently on how to build and grow your own but I like instant gratification so if you bought it like that I would love to know where.

[jgavlock]

He lives in Singapore - quite a trip for you ;)

[FishyMatty]

Looks Real good. Did you build and grow that moss wall or did you buy it in a sheet of some sort?
I just read a few days ago about how to build and grow your own but I'm the kind of person who needs instant gratification. Some I would love to buy it in sheets.
Again good job, thats going to be real nice when it grows in.

[nurburgring]

The moss wall u see in my tank is 3 hours old. I bought tied down already to some plastic plates that can be connected together. it can be done easily if u can get yourself to some moss. What a friend did was to staple moss onto a styrofoam board as a backdrop.

[Marinemom]

I like the look. I think it looks nice but I agree that you may want some contrast in there so everything does not look like it is all blended in. Maybe some anubias and a log or rock to break it up.

Marinemom

[nurburgring]

Just cant stop visiting the aquarium store. Now I'm back with more of the rotalia looking plant to fill the back which looked really imbalance imho.

I've also purchased some mosquito rasboras. Beautiful fishes. Really tiny too.

http://www.pbase.com/marcwang/image/74950707.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/marcwang/image/74950706.jpg

[fresh_newby]

those are my favorite fish...so detailed for such a tiny fish. Beautiful job!
<that is Rotala nanjanshan BTW>

[Plecosterone]

Nice work. very nice as it is but as said previously you might want to add some hardscape to break it up. Something like this maybe?. Just my 2 cents.
13049

[Mgamer20o0]

i mess with mine a lot until i am happy with it.