Riparium setup with Synodontis petricola

[MaddMaxx]

I love your work! You've put together some seriously impressive pieces and have a real talent for aesthetics. That C. johnstonii is outta this world!

I like the "little bit" of algae you have going as well, but you experience blooms with all the light you're using? If so, how do you battle the excessive algae?

 

[hydrophyte]

Thank you very much. Really these plants are pretty easy to grow, although it does help to take some time to experiment to find nice combinations of foliage. I agree that C. johnstonii is just about my favorite plant right now. I hope that I will have some divisions of that one to share some day.

I haven't really seen excessive growth of algae in this setup--just that dusting on the rocks. I've only observed small amounts growing on the glass. I think that the algae on the rocks look cool so long as it is contrasted with totally clean gravel. I stir the gravel up every time that I get in there so that algae will not start to grow on it.

 

[hydrophyte]

I have another quick update from tonight. I have moved the stones around some more.

This is not such a good picture--the water was still cloudy from my disturbances.

I also got a quick shot of one of the Synodonitis lucipinnis.

What a cute little fish.

 

[hydrophyte]

Here is one more picture form last night. The Cyrtosperma johnstonii is still growing well.

This is just about my favorite plant. I think I ahve taken a picture of it with every new leaf that it has grown.

 

[hydrophyte]

The Bacopa stems are finally beginning to cover well as a dense carpet. You can see just a couple of little corners of the foam trellis raft around the edges.

It took some time and training to get it to grow like this. As the stems have grown longer I have snipped them off where they reach past the edge of the raft. This encourages branching and more compact growth.

 

[MDK500]

Very nice, your tank is beautiful.

 

[hydrophyte]

Thanks so much MDK500. I hope to have more picture updates soon.

 

[hydrophyte]

Tonight I was admiring the 'Tropica Marble Queen' sword. This is such a nice plant.

 

[evojoey]

Fantastic! I'm trying to get the wife to agree to a tank like this. I think pictures of your tank might win me the argument. Nice work.

 

[hydrophyte]

Thanks so much. These riparium setups really are pretty easy to put together. For one thing you don't have to fight algae as you might have to for a regular planted tank.

That 'Tropcia Marble Queen' sword really is a great riparium plant. Here is a close-up that better shows the white leaf variegation.

If you need to convince your wife, then show here this shot of the Hymenocallis sp. spider lily bloom that I got a while back.