My First Planted Tank - Juwel Rio 125

[LondonDragon]

Thanks racoll for the explanation, I find it easier to maintain an high light/CO2 tank than low light, I am starting a low light setup its cycling at the moment for shrimp breeding, hopefully Red Crystal so will see how I handle that.

[LondonDragon]

Just another quick update, plant wise nothing as changed just moved a couple of things around and gave most of them a good trim. What I have added this week was a couple of rocks and a piece of redmoor wood.
I like the colour of these rocks thats the reason I went for them so will see what you guys tink about it, not 100% sure on position yet but I didn't want to move too many things to get them in for the time being.
Also this week gave the glosso a good trim, its not looking its best after that but I hope it will just fill back in again, trying that first before tanking the step of replanting it all.

Here is the tank last week:


Here is the tank today:


Small rock under the moss:


Close up of smaller rock:


Top of the larger rock:


Large rock:


Comments and critics always welcome

[LondonDragon]

Hi guys just a quick update, things are looking up, things are growing faster and faster in the tank and I see so much pearling now even the mosses are pearling lol, this week added some Monosolenium Tenerum (Pellia) and Fissidens splachnobryoides (which later found out is non-aquatic so will see how this does, the amano shrimp seem to love it).
Decided to trim the glosso again this week, trimmed it just over a week ago to test and it grew back pretty quick and stong so this week gave it another proper trim see how it reacts this time, hopefully by next week it will be looking lush again.
Also decided to try one more stone on the right side of the Blyxa, really like this mini landscape rock

Tank last week:


Here is the tank today:


Spiky moss in the center:


Close up of the glosso, in the middle the two new additions:


Another close up of the glosso:


The hairgrass is growing nicely for the first time in my tank:


Separated and replanted the Staurogyne sp.:


New addition to the tank, was too fast and this is the best shot I could get, will try another soon:


My rainbow:


Comments and critics always welcome, thanks for looking

[loachy_406]

Awsome pics - a stunning tank that many could never achieve!

[LondonDragon]

Awsome pics - a stunning tank that many could never achieve!

Many thanks, with a little determination and patience anyone can get there eventually, its taken me about 12 months ;)

[loachy_406]

I guess, but then some people just can't be bothered. Good perseverence

[LondonDragon]

I guess, but then some people just can't be bothered. Good perseverence

You can only be good at this hobbie if you have a passion for it, keeping fish is too simple, keeping plants is the challenge ;)

[sidguppy]

nice plants and all, it looks a lot like the "Holland planted tanks" that are highly popular over here

but I for one find the sight of a Corydoras sitting on dense undergrowth because there's no way it can rest on the sand (wich isn't there, it's course gravel) a bit sad.......

me being Dutch and being catfishy, I've seen my fill of Dutch ornately plant farms, I'm not overly fond of those "underwater gardens".

they look nice, and if you keep shoaling fishes (like the Rainbow fish here), the occasional Betta and Otocinclus, it's fine.
but most catfish can't move around in a tank like that, and a species that sifts sand for a living (Corydoras, Hoplo's etc) should have much more unplanted space on the floor and sand, not gravel, as a substrate

[andywoolloo]

I bet the betta digs on it!

Interesting point tho re the cories, mine always sift along and snuffle thru the sand.

[LondonDragon]

Thanks for the suggestions and opinions duly noted, I have a 500 liter tank in the project stage, just waiting for some quotes, should have been done by now but taking longer than expected, then the corries will be going into that tank where then will have more tank mates to play with on their sanded beach, till then they have a large patch of fine gravel to play with under the moss on the right hand side, can't see it from the photos but under that large clump of moss there is no other plants and they hang in there most of the time.

[orti]

Hello LondonDragon,
Hello everyone else her, my first post, and not catfish-related....

I have a question regarding your dosing regime in this wonderful tank;: do you really add 3 times a week 0,6g KH2PO4 to a tank with 146 Litres ?
If so, you would add about 8,6 mg/l (=ppm) phosphate whereas most sites (Barr report, UKAPS "The Economics of Dry Powders") recommend far lower levels of

Phosphate (PO4) 3ppm per week(UKAPS) or 2-3 (Tom Barr)

If its no typing mistake and this really works, I would be more than glad to repeat this in my tank, never having gone beyond 2 ppm before...

Best regards form Innsbruck, Austria

Jörg

PS: How do you measure 0,6g? Did you make a stock solution?

[LondonDragon]

Hello LondonDragon,
Hello everyone else her, my first post, and not catfish-related....
I have a question regarding your dosing regime in this wonderful tank;: do you really add 3 times a week 0,6g KH2PO4 to a tank with 146 Litres ?
If so, you would add about 8,6 mg/l (=ppm) phosphate whereas most sites (Barr report, UKAPS "The Economics of Dry Powders") recommend far lower levels of
Phosphate (PO4) 3ppm per week(UKAPS) or 2-3 (Tom Barr)
If its no typing mistake and this really works, I would be more than glad to repeat this in my tank, never having gone beyond 2 ppm before...
Best regards form Innsbruck, Austria
Jörg
PS: How do you measure 0,6g? Did you make a stock solution?

Hi Jorg, I dosed the recommend amount for a while and was getting algae issue on my tank, after asking for help at UKAPS and speaking to a couple of people there I was recommended to increase my dosing which I done so, this was about 2 months ago and all the algae as gone away and my tank is looking ever so healthy, over dosing is never a problem if you keep up with the 50% water changes. Maintenance is the issue.

[LondonDragon]

Just some photos of the tank, the L. Aromatica is growing pretty nicely, I think I am going to move things around and plant it to fill that left hand corner completly. and maybe move the anubias which are behind it to the front and see how it looks.
Also the Blyxa is looking great, the Skipy moss took a huge trim the other day when I sent out to 4 board members now needs to grow back again, still plenty there though. The Lilly is shooting new leaves on a daily basis at the moment.

Over the past 2 weeks I have been running 6x24w T5 on this tank just to see how it reacts to high levels of light, I have increased the CO2 slightly and also the ferts to cope with the extra light. So far I am seeing great results, specially from the L. Aromatica and the Glosso is growing ever more compact afer the trim I gave it a couple of weeks ago.

Some photos:






Critics and comments always welcomed, thanks for looking

[slakey]

Still amazes me how yours looks compared to mine lol.

[LondonDragon]

Still amazes me how yours looks compared to mine lol.

Bit of work and patience and you can get yours looking like this too ;)

[LondonDragon]

Just a quick update, my glosso was way too thick so it started rotting away at the gravel and this morning half of it uprooted, so was time for a major change and replating the glosso.
Moved a few plants about and also the rocks and wood, was a shame as I was starting to like the way the tank was going but oh well gave me the day to do something in the shade its way too hot outdoors at the moment.

First turned it into a Paludarium:


All the plants and hardscape:


After replating it all:


Left Side:


Right Side:


Photos not very clear as I just filled it up, I have since also replanted the glosso, what a nightmare of a job! Took forever to sort it out and to replant it. Can't wait until it fills in again, was a nice learning experience anyway, now I know I have to keep on top of it all the time with the trimming and never let it get too thick.

Now I have to wait a couple of months before it looks decent again

Thanks for looking and as always comments are welcome

[LondonDragon]

Hey guys/gals, just another quick update a week after the rescape. Haven't really done much apart from chopping up the moss wall and sending the mosses to a few users and you can see the glosso planted now. Still trying to get some donnoi to create an effect betwen the carpet and the stem plants, going to the LFS this afternoon so will see what they have in stock.

Here some photos taken this morning:











Comments and critics always welcomed thanks for looking

[LondonDragon]

Planted the 5 pots Pogostemon Helferi that I got yesterday afternoon after a visit to the LFS, here a couple of photos how it looks now:

Before:

After:


From above:


Just have to wait and see how it grows, planted it pretty compact, lets see how it does. First time I am trying this plant.
Also purchased for Apistogrammas, they were too shy yesterday to face the camera, will see if today they come out for some photos.

[LondonDragon]

Managed to get a few shots of the Apistogramma cacatuoides today, they still a little shy but came out of hiding to eat. So I quickly grabbed the camera and took some shots. Not the best but this will have to do for now, I assume the first is a female and the second is male, I have two of each.









Thanks for looking

[Richard B]

Your assumption on sexes is correct - even i could figure that one - have you got breeding aspirations at all?

[LondonDragon]

Your assumption on sexes is correct - even i could figure that one - have you got breeding aspirations at all?

Fish stocks are very low in this tank now, if they breed naturally then it would be great ;)

[arjenk]

Verry nice tank! Your Glosso look's verry nice.

[LondonDragon]

Was cleaning the tank and decided to take some photos of the Moss wall, its made of Weeping moss if you missed earlier posts ;)









Problem with a moss wall is keeping the top of it tidy and clean, after a prune it becomes cluttered with bits of the plants you just prunned, mine as taken life at the top, its growing glosso, HC and some riccia lol here a photo:



Water was still a little cloudy, thanks for looking

[LondonDragon]

Couple more, was just messing about with the camera, trying a few things since its playing up and took these:





Looks pretty cool when the neon is on, and you can see all the pearling in the tank.

[LondonDragon]

Just a quick update, after 4 monhs my CO2 bottle is running out, so it will be time to try a FE for the first time, going to be interesting that ;)

My glosso is filling in nicely, almost covered the front now, I prunned it at the weekend and now have new shoots going everywhere, here a quick photo:



Thanks for looking

[LondonDragon]

Took some more shots today, did a water change yesterday and gave things a good prune. Nothing much has changed, just letting things grow, have reduce the lighting back to 4x24w, think the 6x24w was a bit too much.
Been slacking a little on the EI dosing and water changes, so have noticed some algae, will do another water change mid week to get things on track.

Here some shots of the tank:






Comments and critics always welcomed

[LondonDragon]

Some photos of my fish the plants are just growing for now ;)













And the Betta:


Thanks for looking, comments and critics always welcomed

[LondonDragon]

Just a quick update with some photos, not a lot has changed, just letting things grow now and keeping the glosso trimmed and low, few photos for you to see whats going on so far.









The Staurogyne sp. is doing better now:


So is the P. Helferi:


Close-up of the Fissidens Fontanus:


Hope you liked the photos and tank, critics and comments always welcomed.

Thanks for looking

[pictus_man_77]

Excuse my ignorance, but could someone explain 'Pearling' to me?

[Gulper]

Very nice tank, i struggle to keep Java Fern alive !!!!