Synspilum and plants?

[magpie]

"You can have anything you want. But, you can't have everything you want."

But I want all the things.


Thanks guys! You all don't know me as well as I only lurk here but am a poly person.

I just tore down a 65 gallon densely planted low tech tank with upper jaw polys and ropes in it as the focus. We're moving, and the plan is once we get settled for me to get a larger tank like 180 and then start over but this time with a few lower jaw polys. Not a carpet, I'm not into that.

BUT... when I was getting ready to ship the fish out to their new homes, I ripped out all of the rooted plants and left a few just floating at the top for them to still have cover. I left the DW and rocks. And I really liked it. The polys were more visible, still were comfortable because they had cover from above and it still wasn't super bright.

My aesthetic is very much a natural look, and I personally don't like bare tanks. So I've been looking around the interwebs and the biotope sticky and thinking that I could do a really cool setup that was less planted but stil natural. Leave most of the bottom open, and have some wood reaching down into the tank, or in a way that wasn't all covering the bottom. Add some rocks and leaf litter, cones, etc. Then fix some easy plants to the dw and/or add some plants near the surface riparium style in those suction cup things, so it is kind of like the edge of a body of water, with roots growing down into the water. So the cover comes from plants but they're not in the tank so much.

Mayyybe lilies for a rooted plant but that would be the only rooted plant.

Something more along the lines of this but maybe more open at the bottom.

https://tanninaquatics.com/pages/inspiration

ANYWAY, my original plan was LJ polys, and a Polleni, one of my dream fish. I could go african but my interests in fish are all over the place (FW archers, pike characins, crenicichla, eels...)

And I have just been trying to decide what else to stock it with. Love cichlids but don't want a lot of drama so want to keep it to just a few.

Before dosing excel and nutrients, my plants were dying from nutrient starvation and suffocation by bba. I lost 2/3 the plants I started out before they started showing some life and green growth. But the growth rate was too slow to my satisfaction, so I made a leap to install CO2 injection. CO2 is like steroid, and the plants started to take off and the algae went away. The faster growth also accelerated plant rooting on the rock so I need not re glue them as often. The plants are looking better now. I still have a few algae here and there, still dosing excel to combat bba on hardscape, and still tweeting the balance for perfection

I've never wanted to deal with CO2, but have heard it's not that hard. You make it sound appealing though and like it's working for you. Hmmm.


Thanks for reading my novel here.

 

[kewpiefishypewpie]

I'm on the hunt for a new tank myself magpie Almost settled for a 150 but I'm trying to be patient, I really think a 180 would be worth the extra money

 

[ragin_cajun]

Tank in the pic has floating plants. Those do great with Vieja. I’ve had water lettuce before.

 

[Toiletcar]

I'm on the hunt for a new tank myself magpie Almost settled for a 150 but I'm trying to be patient, I really think a 180 would be worth the extra money

180g is definitely worth the extra IMO. I am thinking of replacing my 150g w/ a 180g. Just have to figure out if my floor can support the extra weight.

 

[Toiletcar]

Tank in the pic has floating plants. Those do great with Vieja. I’ve had water lettuce before.

Also I think hornwort might stand a chance. I have yet to find a cichlid that will eat it.

 

[magpie]

Tank in the pic has floating plants. Those do great with Vieja. I’ve had water lettuce before.

Also I think hornwort might stand a chance. I have yet to find a cichlid that will eat it.

Yeah, in my 65 gal I used water lettuce and I love how it looks. I figured that planting pothos at the surface would have a similar look as the roots grew down.

I just read someone else mentioning hornwort related to not being eaten. I might have to check that out as I've never used it before. Maybe it was earlier in this thread. It's been a busy week - we're getting ready to move.

 

[magpie]

I'm on the hunt for a new tank myself magpie Almost settled for a 150 but I'm trying to be patient, I really think a 180 would be worth the extra money

So many people here say they wish they had a 180 over the 150. I think it's like a version of getting a 75 over my stupid three- foot 65. Probably worth the wait.

 

[kewpiefishypewpie]

So many people here say they wish they had a 180 over the 150. I think it's like a version of getting a 75 over my stupid three- foot 65. Probably worth the wait.

I think that's an accurate comparison! Excited for the move? I hope it goes well for you

 

[Toiletcar]

Yeah, in my 65 gal I used water lettuce and I love how it looks. I figured that planting pothos at the surface would have a similar look as the roots grew down.

I just read someone else mentioning hornwort related to not being eaten. I might have to check that out as I've never used it before. Maybe it was earlier in this thread. It's been a busy week - we're getting ready to move.

The only downside to hornwort is that it can get messy if not maintained or its requirements aren't met. But it doesn't need anything crazy. Just the right amount of light (not too little, not too much) and water lol. It grows really fast and is supposed to be a good oxygenate.

 

[Toiletcar]

So many people here say they wish they had a 180 over the 150. I think it's like a version of getting a 75 over my stupid three- foot 65. Probably worth the wait.

Yes it's the foot print. I think long is important but wide also.