What are your personal goals w/Planted tanks?
- Thread starter plantbrain
- Start date
Big question. For the moment, the goal is to get all of the plants thriving and manage algae effectively. Ultimately, I want the one heavily planted tank to be an impressive little garden like I see in the books.
I feel like I'm getting there, but slowly. Many of the plants are growing like weeds, the aquascaping is starting to look less random, and I have defeated all the algae except some cyano. I'm trying to bring the macronutrients up (NO3 still not up to 5, PO4 still below 1), and have added a CO2 tank to keep levels more constant.
Life is simpler in the Tanganyikan tank, with low light, anubias and java fern. Looks pretty, and requires no extra work or thought.
I feel like I'm getting there, but slowly. Many of the plants are growing like weeds, the aquascaping is starting to look less random, and I have defeated all the algae except some cyano. I'm trying to bring the macronutrients up (NO3 still not up to 5, PO4 still below 1), and have added a CO2 tank to keep levels more constant.
Life is simpler in the Tanganyikan tank, with low light, anubias and java fern. Looks pretty, and requires no extra work or thought.
For the three 'in the works' tanks:
40: New substrate, get rid of the UGF, expand into planted plants, in addition to the anubias, bolbitis and crypts. Goal is to a plant tank with a few fish, concentrating on the dwarf puffers (whiz bang if they'll breed!) and bristlenose (ditto, though this is a matter of providing a suitable cave for the bugger).
55: Fish tank with plants. Everything is recently planted, so I'm going to let it fill in and see how it looks before making any drastic changes. I'd love it if the java moss would take hold and cover the rock pile--previous efforts with java moss have proven futile--someone was eating it, I think.
55: Brackish tank, currently in conversion. If I can get the java ferns to take hold and be happy, I'll be thrilled.
40: New substrate, get rid of the UGF, expand into planted plants, in addition to the anubias, bolbitis and crypts. Goal is to a plant tank with a few fish, concentrating on the dwarf puffers (whiz bang if they'll breed!) and bristlenose (ditto, though this is a matter of providing a suitable cave for the bugger).
55: Fish tank with plants. Everything is recently planted, so I'm going to let it fill in and see how it looks before making any drastic changes. I'd love it if the java moss would take hold and cover the rock pile--previous efforts with java moss have proven futile--someone was eating it, I think.
55: Brackish tank, currently in conversion. If I can get the java ferns to take hold and be happy, I'll be thrilled.
I finally feel that I've beaten algae into submission and the majority of my plants are growing prolifically. So right now I'm just in an experimental phase. My goal is to try and grow more challenging plants that I've had trouble with in the past (Hottonia palustris, Rotala wallichii, Diplidis diandra). The aquascape is a bit untame, though.
goals
1 - To have breathtakingly beautiful tanks
2 - To manage these tanks easily, with moderate time for maintenance
3 - To have healthy fish
4 - To accumulate and share knowledge
1 - To have breathtakingly beautiful tanks
2 - To manage these tanks easily, with moderate time for maintenance
3 - To have healthy fish
4 - To accumulate and share knowledge
My major goal is to win over the algea. I am doing this very slowly. Then to be able to aquascape. This I think I have no talent for.I enjoy the work this tank requires but it can be frustrating also. Tim
For the future the goals are very similar to anonapersona's.
For now.........balance..........
At this immediate moment.....to bleed the friggin' air out of my filstar XP2 so that I can relax for just...........one..........moment!!!
Len
For now.........balance..........
At this immediate moment.....to bleed the friggin' air out of my filstar XP2 so that I can relax for just...........one..........moment!!!
Len
My goals are, on the positive side, to have attractive, low maintenence, healthy and secure homes for my fish and inverts.
On the negative side, the things I avoid are anything requiring frequent maintenance beyond weekly water changes and mechanical filter rinses - no routine prunings and replantings for me, no frequent dosing (especially after required testing), and the biggie - no Dutch style plantings. I don't do borders in the garden or routine florist's flower arrangements, so why should I want the same look in my fish tanks which happen to be planted?
On the negative side, the things I avoid are anything requiring frequent maintenance beyond weekly water changes and mechanical filter rinses - no routine prunings and replantings for me, no frequent dosing (especially after required testing), and the biggie - no Dutch style plantings. I don't do borders in the garden or routine florist's flower arrangements, so why should I want the same look in my fish tanks which happen to be planted?