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Old 15-01-2011, 03:52 PM   #31
troyz
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Originally Posted by Alvin Koh View Post
troyz, thanks for sharing your experience.
I am still noticing very slow growth at the moment although there are no dead leaves so far.
your welcome Alvin..
25 degrees works best for UG , Japan HG ,most mosses n stem plants..
all the best in your scapes
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Old 16-01-2011, 02:19 AM   #32
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Thanks for sharing your experience in such detail, Alvin! I'm definitely camping here to await more updates from you. Any other flora you are thinking of putting in other than UG?
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Old 16-01-2011, 12:20 PM   #33
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Originally Posted by troyz View Post
your welcome Alvin..
25 degrees works best for UG , Japan HG ,most mosses n stem plants..
all the best in your scapes
troyz, thanks for the tips!

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Originally Posted by tagore View Post
camping here too. quick leh pics pls
I still have a long way to go!

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Originally Posted by Hec View Post
Thank you Alvin, for the input. Will keep a lookout for it. In the meantime, best wishes to your venture and I am sure it will be astounding stunner as you envisaged it to be.
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Originally Posted by Young Man View Post
hi bro have been following this thread since it started and i find this thread is very interesting and i must say i am impressed with the whole journal from start till now. very detailed and good documentation of your thoughts together with pictures definitely gona be very helpful to people like me who are looking for inspirations for our tanks (:
Thank you Hec/Young Man Keeping my fingers crossed that what I've learnt online is applied correctly.

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Originally Posted by roxnork View Post
Thanks for sharing your experience in such detail, Alvin! I'm definitely camping here to await more updates from you. Any other flora you are thinking of putting in other than UG?
roxnork, I am thinking of using 2-3 plants only in addition to the UG. Probably Downoi and Riccia on stones (i.e. 'bushes').

My emersed culture nursery currently consists of mostly small plants:
1) UG - Utricularia graminifolia
2) HC - Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'
3) Downoi - Pogostemon helferi
4) Staurogyne repens
5) Lilaeopsis brasiliensis

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Old 16-01-2011, 01:15 PM   #34
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Nice, I see that you are aiming for the minimalist Zen feel. A touch of Downoi would be really lovely - certainly looking forward to your little gem.

Regarding HC, I find that it takes a good 2-3 weeks for them to morph when they are moved from emersed to submersed form (melting, leave shape change, colour change etc). Perhaps you can start increasing the water level as the transplanting date nears.

Thanks for sharing once again!
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Old 19-01-2011, 06:33 PM   #35
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bro where u get this?

5) Lilaeopsis brasiliensis

thanks.
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Old 20-01-2011, 02:05 AM   #36
Alvin Koh

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Week 1 (19 Jan 2011)

My tank was due to arrive today and the anticipation almost killed me. Just as I was on the way home to get ready, problematic issues cropped up at work that required me back at the office. My tank was delivered without me (*yikes*). Fortunately, the tank arrived in great condition and with some aid, I managed to get it on the cabinet in one piece. With the tank in place, today marks the beginning of week 1.

With not much energy to spare, I decided to setup the hardscape I'd previously planned, with slight revisions.


Soil base work & fillers

I'd previously bought 2 sheets of cork and cut them to just fit the tank base, leaving a small gap all around. This is to protect the inner glass base (and marginally fills up some space).

For height and stability, eviltrain suggested using plastic 'egg crates', which are thick plastic meshes that can be stacked and cable-tied together. I followed his suggestion and approximated the positions of these platforms which will support the rocks. About half the soil went into the tank to anchor the platforms.

Cautiously, I placed the main rocks within the tank and filled the tank with the remaining soil. Total soil used was three 9L bags of ADA Amazonia II. I've decided not to use the lava rock gravel I had purchased previously because plant roots may attach to the filter bag I intended to contain the gravel.

The placement of heavy rocks aggravated my already bad back (slipped/herniated disc) and I decided to take it slow today. No 'back-breaking' planting for me. :P

Taking some of the suggestions given, I've pulled the rocks closer for a tighter scape and used more small rocks for hopefully a bit more variation. I will sleep on this tonight and will determine if I'm satisfied tomorrow.


Plant selection & Dry start method

My emersed culture nursery currently consists of mostly small plants:
1) UG - Utricularia graminifolia
2) HC - Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'
3) Downoi - Pogostemon helferi
4) Staurogyne repens
5) Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
6) Riccia fluitans

There is a serious lack of color contrast. Almost every single plant is mid to light green. I may need to work harder on my plant selection.

My main difficulty I reckon is getting the UG to carpet (considering the limited amount I have). After scouring the internet for UG experiences, I realised it grows like a weed for some and yet dies off for others. The emersed UG I have is showing signs of growth and developing beautiful deep green leaves but not substantial enough - probably 20% growth at this point. The loose submersed UG I have, hardly grew and even turned pale yellow.

I may need to get more before planting so as to fill up the spaces. The tank will undergo DSM (Dry Start Method), thus we will not be seeing much water in the tank anytime soon.

Thank you for reading & I hope to update with more next time.




Last edited by Alvin Koh; 20-01-2011 at 02:48 AM. Reason: typo
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Old 20-01-2011, 02:19 AM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EvolutionZ View Post
bro where u get this?
5) Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
thanks.
If I did identify the plant correctly as Lilaeopsis brasiliensis - I got it at Qian Hu when I happened to be there several weeks ago. I see it quite a bit at PolyArt (Clementi).
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Old 20-01-2011, 02:28 AM   #38
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The arrangement of the rocks looks good. Balanced overall in my opinion. Now lets wait to have some beautiful greens to conclude the final chapters of your journal. Not forgetting the fauna as well.
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Old 20-01-2011, 09:50 AM   #39
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wow finally the wait is over
looking forward for the planting and growth !!
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Old 24-01-2011, 03:01 AM   #40
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Week 1 (23 Jan 2011)

It's been 4 days since the last update and some plants have gone into the tank which I'm starting with DSM (Dry Start method). For the emersed start, I am only using half the available tubes of my light set which means only 2x39w at about 12 hours daily. The average lit temperature hovers around 31-32 degC within the tank when it's covered with a large plastic sheet.

I open the clear plastic sheet every night for a few minutes to let fresh air in and to allow the temperature to go down a bit and I mist the tank occasionally with a highly diluted solution containing potassium (K).

----------------

Water level

I learnt from my experience with emersed HC, that I should not let the water cover the leaves of the plant or the HC will melt and die, which leaves the area susceptible to mold/fungus. A bit of air is probably good for the root system as well. Due to the slope and undulating surface of the soil, there is a pool of water near the front and I try to avoid planting anything there for the time being. There is a balance between the higher soil drying out versus the flooding at the lower parts.

----------------

Flora in tank (emersed)

1) Utricularia graminifolia
2) Downoi - Pogostemon helferi
3) Staurogyne repens
4) Anubias barteri v. 'nana golden'

The Golden nana was planted directly in the soil exposing the rhizome after searching and confirming that many have done the same. The roots can extend quite deep and take a good hold within the soil. I did this so that the plant can be placed in tighter spots.

----------------

End of Week 1

I thought the dry start method (DSM) would be as boring as watching paint dry since it's fogged up all the time and there is lack of fish activity. I was proven quite wrong as the view from all angles is quite unique and gives me time to re-think my flora selection and placement. It is also almost effortless to maintain and tweak. I think I will miss this part of the tank when it finally gets filled with water.

I captured some shots that show some of the progress of planting as well as the different perspectives I get watching the tank. I will refrain from showing full front tank shots in the meantime because the progress is slow and I will present a progress montage at a later date. Cheers!



Last edited by Alvin Koh; 24-01-2011 at 03:14 AM. Reason: Typo
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