2.5G Scape – 1 Week In
July 7th, 2008My 2.5G aquascape is now planted, and a week old. I haven’t really seen a ton of growth yet, but I’m hoping that the plants are just getting themselves acclimated to the conditions. I am running pressurized CO2 into the aquarium in hopes that it will speed things along.
The plants are pretty bread and butter type plants for a nano tank. From left to right, in the back I’ve got Downoi, Narrowleaf Java Fern, and Java Fern ‘Trident/Fingers’. In the foreground, there’s Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC) and Anubias barteri var. ‘nana petite’ in the midground. I’m going to need to thicken up the downoi a little bit, and let the HC grow in, but otherwise, if those two things happen, I’m pretty happy with this aquascape. As always, I would love some comments/critiques.
July 8th, 2008 at 1:46 am
How are you controlling the CO2 and what dosing schedule are you using? Maybe I missed it, but I don’t know what wattage you’re using on this tank either.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:47 am
I think it looks good so far! The only thing I’d do is perhaps put a small green something with broader leaves in the rock triangle on the left side.. Maybe continue with the plants you placed in the center? Anyways, can’t wait to see the tank when the greenery starts bushing up. 🙂
July 8th, 2008 at 6:52 am
m@: For the CO2, I have a 3-outlet manifold on the pressurized regulator that I use for my 40G tank. Each outlet has a bubble counter and needle valve, so I can fine tune the bubble rate for the 2.5G from there. Since there are no fish in this tank, I’m not too worried about cranking it up.
I’m not currently dosing anything since I’m using fresh ADA Aquasoil, which in my experience does not need to be dosed for the first 4-6 weeks, outside of the occasional addition of K.
Rami: Thanks for your comment. I could probably jam a few more Anubias ‘nana petite’ in that crack between the rocks. 🙂
July 8th, 2008 at 7:27 am
I’ve tried to find your contact info but couldn’t I have a rather active aquarium blog and thought of exchanging links because your blogs complete my weak point and I’d love a guest post too
If you can please contact me
July 8th, 2008 at 10:40 am
It’s beautiful! I love the plants with those rocks. But there is something I don’t like about the soil, I just don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the the color, or the shape, or the amount. Maybe it’s the soil with those rocks. I don’t know, I don’t have an eye for art so I should probably just shut up.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I do agree Tennessee Mom. The Malayan aquasoil is definitely a lighter color than the Amazonia aquasoil. I’m hoping that once the HC spreads across that very little of the aquasoil will show.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:17 am
I saw a 2.5 gallon like the one you have in Petsmart the other day. It’s the first one I’ve seen, and it’s so tiny! I was surprised at how small it is. But your pictures make it look like a 10 gallon!
July 8th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Is that a palm filter on the back?
July 8th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Thanks Tennessee Mom! The filter on the back is a Red Sea Nano Deco. I highly recommend it!
July 12th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Very pretty. Are you going to let any of the HC grow on the rocks or let it stay just around the base? I kinda think the rocks, at least on the right need to be covered up a bit more. Maybe when more of the downoi grows out some can spill over on it?
Out of curiosity, how large will the java fern ‘trident’ grow? I was thinking of putting some in my 2.5 whenever some comes up on APC, but if it’ll overgrow the tank that would be a problem.
July 12th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Thanks for the comment teaparties. I’m hoping that the HC will grow and drape over some of the rocks, same with the downoi. The Java Fern ‘trident’ is full grown right now. I highly recommend it. I have a large stand of it in my 75G and it looks fantastic. Best Java Fern in my opinion.
July 13th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Cool. Remember me if you ever sell any.
July 18th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
i always see these aquascapes but i can’t find the nicely textured stones they use, if i knew what they were i could probably find them
July 18th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Kim, these particular rocks were found in a California landscaping rockyard, and sold as “porous mossy rock.” I believe they may be basalt, which is a volcanic rock. They’re fantastic for aquarium use!
July 20th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
[…] weeks ago, I setup this 2.5G aquascape, and if you compare it with my previous update, you can see that some progress has been made. The HC has grown tremendously, largely due to the […]