Below is a picture I snapped today while working in on my tanks. It’s been three weeks since I posted a picture of this aquarium, and as you can see, the Lilaeopsis is growing in very nicely. I’m getting a few leaves with fuzz algae, largely in areas that aren’t getting a ton of flow. That’s definitely one of the problems with this tank size. I have to used nano-sized powerheads, so they don’t push a ton of water. If I upgrade to the next size, the powerhead disturbs both the substrate and the water surface.

So, I’m going to simply re-position the powerheads I have to try and fix the problem. I’ve also dimmed the LEDs just a tad to slow the growth a little bit. I have to say that I love that this is possible with many LED fixtures! Let me know if you like how it growing in. (Or if you don’t!)

I’ve been working on an Iwagumi scape in my bookshelf tank since August. Back then, I spent several days working on the hardscape, using ADA Aquasoil (powder and regular types) to create the mounds. Originally I planted the entire aquascape with an Eleocharis species that I found growing abundantly near my house. In nature , it looked very much like Eleocharis parvula, the 1-2″ tall dwarf hairgrass that makes such a nice foreground plant. Unfortunately, my lights must not be as strong as the sun, and so it turned out to likely be Eleocharis acicularis, the 4-8″ tall hairgrass that remains as my background plant.

Hardscape – Click for larger

About 6 weeks ago, I pulled most of the hairgrass and replaced it with two types of Lilaeopsis, L. brasiliensis and L. sp. ‘micro’. Below, you can see that it’s starting to take off. The hardscape itself has remained pretty much unchanged since the initial setup. I have added a frosted background to the back glass, and finally put a heater in this tank, which has definitely helped to speed the plant growth.

Aquascape – Click for Larger

I’m not currently using any filtration, but the two nano powerheads do a good job keeping the water circulated and my weekly large water changes keep it in good condition. The only livestock right now are a Dario hysgninon , a few rosy loaches, and a few baby bristlenoses that I pulled from my 50G. The hairgrass on the right background always seems to want to clump together and lay to the right. I need to figure out how to make it stay more like the hairgrass on the left. Otherwise, I’m really happy with how this is turning out, and am looking forward to it filling in. Comments/suggestions welcome!

I recently returned from a week of travel for work. Before I left, I did my water changes, dosed a little bit extra, and made sure that the fish would get fed. Most of the tanks were already in pretty good shape

, but I had recently replanted my 40g farm tank, and it was still in the process of recovering from that shock.

Click for larger version

Much to my delight, the farm tank (above) really rebounded and grew in beautifully while I was gone. In addition, I think the lack of dosing caused the plants to temporarily color up due to needing more nitrate. This is one of those times where I find myself sitting and starring at my farm tank constantly

, even though it’s not really aquascaped. Healthy plants are mesmerizing!

I did my usual weekly water changes this weekend, and want to update on the 50G aquarium. This tank has had a number of changes over the past few months. In terms of equipment , I replaced a 2x96W power compact DIY kit from AHSupply with 4-TrueLumen LED bars from Current USA. While I’m still coming to terms with the coloration and perceived brightness, there’s no question that the plants are getting more usable light than they did with the old lamps, as growth has taken off, particularly in the foreground.

The Ranalisma rostrata has completely filled in the foreground areas, and I have been regularly thinning it out for other hobbyists (and to keep the plant from getting way overgrown.) The Hygrophila pinnatifida has almost entirely stayed in it’s creeping form, attaching itself to the driftwood in this tank. I have a fresh batch of bristlenosed pleco babies , hence the uneven foreground where they’ve dug out until the wood to form their caves. I do still have a maintainable amount of BBA on some of the wood pieces, but the plecos keep it from spreading beyond that, and the plants are free of algae, minus a few older leaves of the Hygrophila. Basically, I just need to focus on trimming this tank a little bit better, particularly the Blyxa japonica in the background, and the stems in the back. Comments welcome!

It’s autumn and with the cooler temperatures some of the plants out in my pond are going to flower. The most striking one is a field of Pogostemon yatabeanus that I have out there.

This Asian native has grown wonderfully all summer for me

, but has started producing terminal flower spikes on most of the stems.

The spikes themselves are quite pubescent (hairy), and are made up of hundreds of individual flower buds.

Up close, the flower buds look more like an insect than a flower, but you can see that they gradually begin to open up, with each bud producing a viable flower.

The flowers themselves are a brilliant purple and very feathery. Each flower has a single stamen protruding outward.

The immature flower doesn’t appear to have pollen (below)

, but over a day or two each stamen is filled with it.

In this 5X magnification (below), you can see the tiny pollen particles clustered on the stamen. I’m not sure if a single flower spike can fertilize itself, or whether multiple plants are required.

Eventually, the individual flowers detach from the spike, with the wind carrying them away.

Below is a close-up of what’s left once a flower detaches.

Eventually, all that’s left is a bare terminal spike that looks similar to how it all started.

I really love seeing how our aquarium plants grow and flower outside of the aquarium. Submersed, Pogostemon yatabeanus has growth that’s similar to its terrestrial form, but it’s more delicate with narrower leaves.

By trimming more frequently, you can encourage the plant to produce smaller leaves, which is really necessary for most aquascapes. It also has a unique feature of sometimes sending out creeping runners that then popup new stems a few inches away. Overall, it’s a great aquarium plant, and it converts pretty easily from emersed form.