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L# General
 L# Aquascaping
  L# please help re-do my 29g
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Subscribeplease help re-do my 29g
Theresa_M
 
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Queen of Zoom
Posts: 3649
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Registered: 04-Jan-2004
female usa us-maryland
I've never been happy with the aquascaping with this tank. Since it was my first, I've gone thru fake plants, plastic decorations, terra cotta pots, etc etc.

It currently has 2 pieces of wood that I want to keep. Substrate is a flourite and gravel mix. Lighting 1.5 wpg. I know the swords look awful; they're refugees from a tank that houses a plant-hating cichlid The floating hornwort can stay or go, but I would like to keep the moss balls. It's home to a pair of keyholes, a few platies, a rescued (stunted) angel, and some bottom feeders.

I'd like to place a plant order in the next few days but I really need some ideas and suggestions.

Theresa_M attached this image:


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Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:26Profile Homepage PM Edit Report 
Bob Wesolowski
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Mega Fish
Posts: 1379
Kudos: 1462
Registered: 14-Oct-2004
male usa
Theresa,
Where would you like to go first, to plant types or plant/hardscape arrangements? The key to plant types will be the amount of light available and substrate. Arrangement may be driven by plant types, that is, low or medium or bright light tolerant plants.
From your post, it appears that you have given the substrate some consideration as it is a combination of gravel and fluorite. The consuderation will then be available lights. In your 29, it appears that you have a single tube fixture. If so, you have 25 watts of light or less than 1 watt per gallon (wpg). A dual lamp fixture would push you to 1.7 wpg (50/29). Shifting to a power compact will boost you to 55 or 110 watts with greater intensity.
Your current lighting places you in the low to medium low intensity range. You should give consideration to cryptocoryne beckettii, cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae, cryptocoryne pontederiifolia, cryptocoryne undulata, cryptocoryne undulata ''broad leaves'', cryptocoryne wendtii ''brown'', cryptocoryne wendtii ''green'', echinodorus 'Ozelot' (Green), echinodorus 'Red Special', echinodorus ''Tricolor'', echinodorus angustifolius, echinodorus cordifolius ssp. fluitans, echinodorus parviflorus (''peruensis''), eleocharis ''parvula'', hygrophila corymbosa ''Siamensis 53B'', monosolenium tenerum (''Pellia''),riccia fluitans and sagittaria platyphylla. You can find pictures and requirments for these plants at http://www.tropica.com.
Next is arrangement. There are three schools of planted aquaria. They are "Dutch", "Nature" or Amano, and jungle. This link will take you to a short discussion of each style - http://www.aquahobby.com/tanks/e_tank0212.php.
I like to use the golden length idea of the "Dutch" stylists. That is, the tank shoul have a focal point that is slightly off center. It is 3/5 of the length of the tank and 3/5 of the diagonal of the tanik. Use your driftwoof to create that focal point 3/5 of the distance from the front of your aquarium. Choose your plants to create a gentle slope downwards from your focal point along the back of the aquarium. Use shorter plants to mask the "feet" of your background plants. Leave the face of your aquarium unplanted with only the moss balls for effect.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:26Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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