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Ok Gang,

I would like to have your input on what plants to use for my 125G. The image below shows you my current vision of how I would like to lay out the tank. Unfortunately, I haven’t found the right driftwood (brown) yet so I don’t know if I can actually create the tank this way.

To explain the individual areas:

- There is a light colored gravel section for most of the front of the tank and around the “island”. The gravel for most of the planted areas is darker, something like Estes Deep River. The front of the island and left and right edges of the main planted sections will be shored up with some rocks (dark gray in the image).

- For the driftwood, I envision some moss and smaller anubias.

- The island will be planted with small spiky plants, like hair grass, dwarf sags, pygmy chain sword, etc. and maybe some sort of smaller crypt.

- The lighter green areas in the main planted sections symbolize smaller to medium sized plants. The smaller ones would be similar to the island plants, maybe with the addition of sag subulata, ludwigia repens, and some different crypts. Otherwise, this is a particular weak spot of mine as I have little experience with medium sized plants.

- The darker green areas are tall plants, like ambulia, Rotala rotundifolia, one or two pennywort, water sprite, babytears, didiplis diandra, mayaca sp, red foxtail, some vals. I have selected a lot of stem plants here as I don’t any experience with non-stem plants.

As you can see, the overall theme is various shades of green (with an accent of light red) and a lot of small leaved plants.

You input is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance,

Ingo

LITTLE_FISH attached this image:

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

On the "island" I'd stick with one type of spikey plant - unless this is going to be a very large island. I'd go with crypts or chain sword, but that's just cause I've had success with them and like their shape.

The other light green areas is where you can mix up the differrent types of fore-midground plants. Crypt balansae would be a nice transition into the taller "dark green" area. You could most likely grow some glosso in the front where it isn't going to get any shade.


I also never heard you mention any sword plants. I really like the E. rubin. I have the narrow leaf variety, and though it's becoming a bit large for my tank, I'm sure it would do well in a 125.

In the dark green section there's tons of room for many different stem plants. I wouldn't waste all that light you have either - get some nice reds mixed in there. R. rotundifola would do well, or maybe rotala wallichi, and Eusteralis stellata. The options are limitless.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

LITTLE_FISH

Are you intending to seperate the gravels rocks etc if not they will blend in adventually and could loose the effect you are looking for.

One big point I would flip it over and have the main focal point at the left hand end and place that as close to one third in from the left hand end and two thirds back from the front. Does that make any sense to you. If not PM me

Keith

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Any type of valli you can pick up would work well to fill the dark green area along with your stem plants.

They look great, and as they germinate they can give the tank a really nice natural look to it.

Matt

Gang,

Thank you for your responses so far, keep them coming

To answer some of your points:

Matt – I don’t know yet how big the island will be, it depends on the driftwood that I hope to find/buy. I envisioned the front section of the tank to be non-planted as I intend to have cories that would need some free area for their food etc. Swords frighten me a little - from what I have heard about them so far - as it seems they develop a huge root system. Mixing in some reds might come later as I would first like to see how the “highlight” area (island) will stick out. I don’t want to remove the focus from there by adding bright red somewhere else.

Keith – I am intending to separate the darker form the lighter gravel. The bigger rocks are marked in the diagram. The other “edges” would be marked by smaller pebbles. I don’t know why you suggest having the focal point on the left though. I know about the golden rule (1.6 to 1) and I will try to follow it by placing the island 1.6 from the left. Why do you suggest the other way? If the island goes further back depends on the amount of open space that I would create by doing so. I don’t want it to be too much.

And Matt (2) – Yes, I mention Vals . I envision them on the way back left corners maybe extending to the sides. In addition, thanks for the new word you taught me (germinate) I had to look it up .

Let the ideas flow,

Ingo

Last edited by LITTLE_FISH at 11-Sep-2005 06:19

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Don't let that fact scare you out of getting a sword plant or even looking at some. You are cutting out a large selection of plants that could really look good in such a large tank by not even considering swords.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Well, I thought you'd never ask

With a tank that big there's a couple of things to consider.

You don't want too many fast growing stems or you could spend the rest of your life trimming and pruning ! For that reason I would rule out swords completely. Yes they do get large root systems, but then so do Crypts and many others. It's not an issue as long as you choose the species carefully and plant in the right location. You don't to put the wrong type in the wrong location and then have to pull the monster up (like I did ), that's when the roots become an issue.

Also the most important step in a new tank is planting it real heavy from the start. This can be tricky or expensive in such a big tank. One option (if expense or difficulty finding your final choice of plants) is to pack it with cheap weeds until it's established and gradually replace with your preferred plant species. Something like Wisteria is good , it's quite a space filler, good nutrient sucker and easy the eye.

With that said onto the plants Actually it's difficult to reccomend , with the set up you have you can grow pretty much anything. But I'll give my $0.02 anyway

For the smaller rear right hand section, I think an all grassy secton would be great. Very natural, good balance to the stems that would go on the bigger left side. Reduces the maintenance too. Personally I'd keep away from the more standard Vals, too tick and wide. Something like Vallisnera Nana or Natans would be great very thin and delicate looking. Cyperus Helfiri is also very beautiful. You could maybe mix it up with different heights. Something like tall Sag Subulata or Giant Hairgrass. You could a specimen plant in there also something to complement the grasses, a stand of tall crypts like Balansae or Spiralis or a nice Crinium. In front of theis grassy section some moss covered rocks.

For the island you'll need something low maintenance so as you don't have to disturbs it too much. Anubias at the base of the driftwood, Narrow Leaf Java Fern on the wood. Narrow leaf is perfect as it naturally develops a shape and look like an island.Bolbitis on the wood is an alternative, although that eventually becomes pretty huge. Nothing too fussy, keep it simple.

The right hand section would be where you could put the stems. This will require some care with choice. Both in terms of maintenance (try to keep it as low maintenance as possible) and color and contrast.
I'd suggest some bulkier stems like Reineckki, Limnophilia Aromatica, Ammannia Gracillis. These are quite wide for stem plants, so fewer stems will take up more space (less trimming ). They are also colorful so can be used as your reds.
For greens a few good choices would be Stargrass,Pearlgrass (Hemianthus Micrathenoides) and Bacopa. The reason I'd pick these is that the Stargrass and Pearlgrass take trimming very very well. The more you trim the better they look, getting bushier and bushier. They very rarely need uprooting and replanting. Bacopa is very attractive but not the fastest grower in the world. All have very different leaf shapes and shades of green so they wouldn't blend into one another.
Hygro Augustifolia is a great space filler as it has really long (mine get over 6" leaves, Make a great specimen stem plant beacuse of it's size and shape.

For the stem section, fewer species but not nice big groups, much more attractive. Try to have the transition between each group smooth. Don't put 2 red plants side by side, have something green in between. You can brak up the stem grouping by having something like a sword plant or the like in between. Something tall and thin would work, Narrow Leaf Rubin, Echinodorous Augustifolia or a nice Aponogeton - Capuroni is a beauty, very bright thin wavy leaves with a beautiful lush texture, stays about 12" max, I got one a while back and love it, very unique looking gets more attractive by the day. Plant the stems in a way that they are easy to access. I'd avoid bushy, frilly plants like Cambomba and Myrio as they really need to be uprooted to be trimmed. They look blah for a long time if the tops are cut.
Foreground is pretty much whatever look you like. I agree that the open space in front of the island would work very well. Border the open area with rocks, crypts, small grasses etc.

As I said the sky's the limit, just keep a mind on keeping the maintenance level down, you want the tank to be something enjoyable, not a chore.

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Haha look at that, you did mention vals I didnt read that far into, perhaps i should next time

Always happy to help.

I added a new decoration idea in [link=This Thread]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Aquascaping/64353.html?08151667" style="COLOR: #ff6633[/link].

This means that the wood and island idea is currently dead. Also I will not attempt to create a distinct terrace but rather let the gravel itself create a "hilly" area.

Thanks,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club