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Patty , so how about showing us the growth , more pics is what we need .!!!!!

Garry

Na, you don't need more pics yet Garry.
But thanks for asking.

There isn't that drastic of a change yet, except I've clipped the the anacharis in half & planted those, for a bushier look, the straight valls have reached the top of the water & the hownwort wants to take over the tanks.

Probably in a few mo.'s when I think everything has reached maximum growth, then I will take what should be the final pics.. Before, after & full grown will be the extent of my "log" I believe. I'll leave the longer logs up to the rest of you guys.

Wow, Fishpatty, where have you been? Those tanks are sweet, if i say so myself....(). just comes to show what a few months/years of experimenting and advice, along with pix from others, can do! Great Job!

All i can reccomend is to Add more gravel to both tanks, at least another inch, so the plants can root deeper. Also, i think that you should remove the gravel, and trim the plants a bit in the 18 gallon. A dark substrate, like black or deep brown will look nice, and be sure to have 3inches of gravel for the swords. (PS: I see the snails! )

I also agree with CLF, in that moss is going to be awesome for this tank!!! I would definately put weeping willow moss on the cave, and put some Javafern in the background, like in/behind the DW, behind the cave, and in front of the rocks, in that little corner where what looks like a moneywort is planted. That would definatley accent the tank indefinately. Finnally, i would suggest a reduction in the hornwort, as it looks a bit messy where it is right now...

Otherwise, a VERY nice tank! Great Job!

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fp... I finally got to check out your tank pics! I realy love that background on your 55g. I cant wait to do mine... I just dont have the space at home yet, or all the stuff I need in order to do it. but, Christmas is coming!

That is some pretty exciting gravel ya got there in the 18 lol. Beggars can't be choosers, right?

I really like how you've set them both up... Sometimes I am fearful that I've got too much packed into my 20 g. I had to rearrange so the barbs and WCMM's would have room to zoom. You've done a nice job of providing various features including some open water.

Thanks for sharing, can't wait to see how things have developed!

Patty .... see its not just me who wants to see updated pics . Your humble audience awaits

Garry

Thanks Goby! Yeah, I agree I need more gravel in both tanks, & I'm ready for a gravel change in that 18 g..
I'm not sure which tank you're talking about, but I have a pothos plant growing across the back of my 18g. & have shoved all the hornwort behind the stems, so that it's forming a background of hornwort. I am getting weeping moss. As to where I'll put it, I'm undecided.

Thanks scott! And I would be lost without that background. If not for it, I would have to fill the tank with plants then.
I've seen your tank scott & I don't think it's over planted. In fact I saw a bare spot in the back.
There's a small plant back there so I guess you're waiting for it to grow up & fill in the spot.

You're going to have so much fun with that new 55g.! There's so many decorating possibilities with it!

Garry..............

Patty:

I have to come to Garry's support: more pics is what we want and need! you got the rap already with the 'acid gravel' now I will hit you with the bright blue tape holding the background to the 55 G in place! You did such a nice job with the tank but the tape

I have to agree with Robyn that some of your stones do look like petrified wood! Congratulations on these nice pieces, I paid handsomely for my 20 Long to get something similar. Probably it is petrified wood but without the certification that comes with a price tag. Lucky you! How 'bout some more plants, though? You do not have to do it my way with way too much growth but a little bit more would look sooo nice.

Bright blue tape?!

I had to take a look at the pic to see what you were talking about. That isn't blue tape, but part of the background. It's supposed to be blue water in the distance, looking up past the rock canyon. I know it's gaudy, but I didn't make the background. If I did, I would have put a different color in there!

So I have petrified wood?......& I don't even care. I was just looking at the lake for squarish rocks to match my background as close as possible.

People want more plants in my tank, but I'm already drifting from my original intent with this tank. I wanted to make the front match the back. I even identified the only species of plant in the background & looked it up on the net to buy it, but it was too expensive with the shipping.

Then I found that nice piece of driftwood & had to use it &
then I fell in love with valls & decided just valls on each side would be nice. But the guy selling the valls had other plants for cheap, so I got them while I could. Now you all want more plants & there isn't a lot of plants in the background!?

What are you all thinking?......since I ruined my original scape with odds & ends of plants & wood that I might as well go all the way & just make the front a planted tank?
You did say, "a little bit more", so I'll think about that.
I just bought some weeping moss & a java fern from this site (cause it was cheap) so I expect you all would like to see it on those rocks in the front?

I don't know. I do appreciate the suggestion & will seriously contemplate it. "The best laid plans of mice & men, huh?

It's supposed to be blue water in the distance, looking up past the rock canyon.

Congratulations to myself

Aquarium viewing can be deceptive.

Yay! You got some Java Fern! And some weeping moss! Cant wait to see the updates!

BTW, in your eighteen gallon, what are those plants in the very back, behind those rocks? They look like something i tried putting in my tank, an ivy or something like that.....Mine died because of lack of light. I dont have a light on my 10 gallon yet. Anyway, im closing it down to make room for the 30 gallon long (yes, i cant get anymore. My tanks are upstairs).

And gee, FP, you are so humble! You deserve the recognition of the "Glorious" petrified wood looking rocks in your tanks, as they really did match the BG. BTW, what is the plant that you looked up on the website that was too expensive? Can you PM me the website? I want to check out what they have for my new 30 gal.

Congrats Again!

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Ahhhh... another fan waiting for a pictorial update !!!!!


Garry

Yup judging by how your tanks started out which are very nice, they will only continue to get better. Especially with the good Fp'ers here being a bad influence on you

You have moss and a java fern on the way ? Nice !

The Amazon Nut...

in your eighteen gallon, what are those plants in the very back, behind those rocks? They look like something i tried putting in my tank, an ivy or something

Goby, that started out being a small clipping of a house plant called Pothos or Devil's Ivy. I stuck it in the back left corner with a couple leaves above water. It grew most of the way across the back of the tank & is now headed toward the front right corner. It only has 3 more inches left before it reaches the length of that 30" long tank. It's not a high light plant, so should grow most anywhere.

Thanks for the compliment on my rocks. It's not really deserved though, as it was pure luck. Just went down to the lake & they were sitting there waiting for me.

what is the plant that you looked up on the website that was too expensive? Can you PM me the website? I want to check out what they have for my new 30 gal.

Cryptocoryne x willisii
Origin: Sri Lanka (Asia)
plant on my background

Sorry, I don't remember the site I saw it on. But if you want plant sites, I saved some that have been listed here on FP. I will paste them below. Hmmm I think they're plant sites, anyway. ?

Plant Sites
http://user.aol.com/andrerich/aquarium/page4.htm

http://www.aquabotanic.com/gallery.htm

http://naturalaquariums.com/plantedtank/0512.html

http://www.azgardens.com/newhabts2.php

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_list.php?category=1&filter_by=2

http://www.aquariumgarden.com/

Good luck!
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Garry
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Mossman Thanks.......& the only bad influence the FP'ers have been on me is the encouragement to be better, which means more studying for me on every aspect of fish & plant care, plus to keep up on those water changes!

You have moss and a java fern on the way ? Nice !

patty, where did you order your moos and java fern from? i have been looking for a place with reasonable prices, but i couldnt find any... or at least found all the wrong ones...



\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Brando, I got my plants from DaMossman, but all he has left now to sell is weeping moss. I suppose he'll put it in the classifieds on here unless word of mouth gets around enough that he sells it all before he has a chance to advertise.
Just pm him about it.

I have a bunch of hornwort I was thinking about selling....just for the shipping cost, but I've never shipped plants, so I'm wondering if it would make it in this cold weather?

hornwort would do fine in cold weather, but you wouldnt be able to turn much of a profit for it... i bought two big bushels of it for about 5$ or less. i wil be sure to PM mossman though!!!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

UPDATE

I'm replacing the colored gravel in my 18g.

I lost a baby java fern in there & sort of tore the tank up looking for it, so decided it was a good time to start on the gravel. All that green was clashing with it anyway. Last night I changed 1/3 of the gravel over to a natural colored gravel. Next week I will do another 1/3, & week after, the last 1/3. Water & fish are still in there. I know to watch for a change in test readings.

And yes, I will take pics when I'm done.

Brando- I wasn't after a profit on the hornwort. I just hate to throw it away if there is someone that has a hard time finding it.

yeah thats true.

one one thread i read some guy ordered stiuff on az gardens and he didnt use al of it so he threw it away i was like you could sell that to so many people on FP!

how big of chunks were you going to sell?


\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I have handfuls that I'm about ready to ditch. It multiplies so fast that I really shouldn't feel guilty about throwing it away. If I mailed anyone any I would be doing it the cheapest way, which would probably be in a large manila envelope. I'm guessing it would cost $2 or $3 to send it. That would be all I would ask for it, just the shipping cost.

Your log's nice to read, you've a great sense of humour. I think you SHOULD be congratulated on a free find of petrified wood. I couldn't find any for sale here in Aus (unless polished up as ornaments) or any free lying around near lakes & what not, so I bought some from USA on ebay. Very envious you can just find it& pick it out. Even so, takes talent to pick & arrange the right pieces, and you've done it nicely.

Well, I guess we will have to continue to wait for more pics. I glad you're changing the gravel - what colour have you chosen?

Cheers
TW

Thanks Robyn. As far as the petrified wood goes.....why would someone especially want it in their tank? I just picked it out cause it was flat. Why do other people want it?

The colored gravel in my 18g. I'm changing over to a natural colored gravel. I bought a big bag of Pea Gravel at Lowell's. I did the second 1/3 of it the other day. Just one more time & I'll be done. It's already looking a lot better with the new gravel & all the green hornwort forming a nice background. Plus I've already added a few different rocks & a nice piece of driftwood (not a stick) lol It looks like a different tank already.

I'll get a pic when it's done.....weather permitting me to leave to borrow a camera. I live in Oklahoma, which is a National disaster area right now from that ice storm. Thankfully our house has been spared this year from loosing electric, so far.....unlike last year's ice storm which left us without heat or anything for a week. But the weather just said snow is coming now as our ice storm is headed to those who live in the East now.
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Oh my gosh! It just occurred to me! I wonder what rocks you guys are referring to as being petrified wood!? I thought you meant the rocks in my foreground, as those are the ones I got from my lake. But petrified wood would be round wouldn't it? Now I'm thinking you guys might be referring to the wood in the pic of my background! lol Some people are having trouble distinguishing what is on my background & what is actually in my tank. There are two logs in my background pic.....one on the far right & one on the left side of the tank. Someone please tell me what exactly what it is that you are thinking is petrified wood??

Ah, this is funny, if it's what I think it is. I loved that background cause I thought it looked so real, but I didn't think it was real enough to deceive people.

Wow its been a long time before the last post.....

TO answer the question, i think petrified wood is wood that has been fossilized(?) and the organics and wood on the inside has been replaced by minerals seeping in, therefore taking the shape of wood or wooden chunks, while retaining a nice stone color. THe stones in front of your tank are suposedly Pet. Wood.

Cant wait! Also, be safe in the snow!

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The squarish stones are supposed to be pet. wood? That's odd, cause trees are round. Oh well, I'll hang on to them anyway.

The person whose camera I was going to borrow said their camera wasn't very good, so I decided to wait & borrow the same camera I used before. That camera will be back in state at the end of next mo.. I will probably put up a new post with a before pic with the colored gravel in my 18g. & an after pic with the natural gravel now.

We never got the snow.......but we had tornadoes last week that killed two & injured about a dozen. Thankfully, it didn't touch our little town though. So......see ya next mo.. Thanks for stopping by!

Patty ... another month ...we will die of suspense .


Garry

awsome tanks patty
i truley beilive that the 55 gallon is the nicest tank i have ever seen
it looks like the lost city of atlantis !!!(in a good way)
you sure know what to do with rocks
how about a updated photo for us all?????????

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Garry- Please don't die.......we will miss you!

Well, thank you so much platy boy! I'm glad you like my tank.

I guess I can take an updated photo of the 55g. when I take one of the 18g., though I don't think you'll see much change. The regular valls on the left have grown a little but the corkscrew valls on the right side have not really grown much. I am still battling hair algae. I bought Prime to combat the nitrates in my well water, & phosphorus pads to remove the extra phosphorus. I am also dosing with Flourish Excel as I read on here that it might help. At the end of next mo. I will post updated pics..

wahoooooooooooooooooooo
pics pics pics!


33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

patty!!! patty!!! i want pics!
comon patty lets see some pics!

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

At the end of next mo. I will post updated pics..

Platy boy .... You will soon learn there is no hurrying Patty..a very determined young lady .

Garry

hey garry i like the new avatar what type of fish is it?

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

patty i am awaiting picts as i have been eagerly reading all of this thread multiple times.. and well i think as a testament of how much you love those loyal FP readers you should post some pics a bit earlier...



\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Platy Boy ... Black Shark ...hence the tag line..

Garry

hey garry seeing as patty wont show us some pics could we see a full shot of the shark please?

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Mate ... check out my log in the Planted section ...you can't miss him he's in nearly evry shot

Garry

As flattering as you are brando...... how do you propose I take these early pics when my camera person will not be back till end of next mo.?

magic
???????????????????
????????????????????????????????
??????????????????????????????????????


please patty?

jk i know...
it would be hard w/out a camera... dang!!!!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

pppppppppppppppppppppaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pics! do you have the camara yettttttttttttt?

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

The camera will be back in state on the 21st. Then a few more days before I see that person.