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RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

Nikita — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:53:33 GMT

I'm currently running 4 watts per gallon of compact fluorescent lighting and my marsilia is growing wonderfully. I find that the plant tends to get leggy in low light. It will grow, but the stems have to be longer for the plant to get adequate light. My marsilea doesn ot always stay in the four-leaf form; it often develops one large leaf or occasionally two. However, there are at least 50 new fronds from about three weeks of growth. So I wouldn't consider this plant to be limited to low-light setups; quite the contrary.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

FattFishy — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:43:41 GMT

Screens can work. Just use plastic or stainless steel as regualr steel will rust in the water. If it seems too small to you for the moss to get through, don't use it. The mesh is basically a plastic mosquito screen or something.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

filipem — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:39:32 GMT

sorry for getting off topic

Purps have you figured out what look your going for?

Here is a website with some beautiful planted tanks maybe this can give some help on the direction you would like to go

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2001.cgi?&op=showpage&name=view-showcase

most of the tanks shown here will have a list of the plants that were used in the tanks.

Hope this helps,

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

filipem — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:29:55 GMT

Moss walls look great if they are done properly but the can be a pain to clean. anything debris floating around like food always seem to end up in those walls. Algae can be a nightmare to clean off as well. Most of people I've spoken to that have moss walls will either design the wall to be easily removed from the aquarium or they have any army of shrimp in tank to help keep the wall clean. If anyone wants instructions of how to build one PM me and I will send them to you.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

Purps — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:24:31 GMT

Ok. Will screen work as the same as the mesh? I have plenty of screen on hand if so is why I ask.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

FattFishy — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:25:48 GMT

Yes, keep it attached to the mesh. Eventually, it'll root itself in the substrate and will create runners or spread itself over the substrate.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

Purps — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:01:45 GMT

Thats a plant that i forgot to mention that i have. i have a four leaf clover just not in that tank. i also have hairgrass. i though the clovers needed low lights? mine seemed to die when i had it under lots of light and does fine when it's not. of course i could be wrong, but i will try and see if i can get them to grow good in the tank.

about the carpeting moss, do you leave it attached to the mesh all the time?

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

Nikita — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:37:11 GMT

Other options for a rooted carpet include glossostigma and marsilea (aquatic four-leaf clover), hairgrass, and micro swords. These small foreground plants reproduce by runners and will slowly carpet the bottom of the tank with grass- or carpet-like growth. I'm currently working with marsilea and java moss in my tank. These plants do need rather high-light to keep them growing compactly - if they aren't supplied with enough light, they'll grow upwards and ruin the carpet effect.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

FattFishy — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:29:39 GMT

Plastic mesh with moss inside it. Use two times the length needed to fold it and the moss will be stuck inside... Suction cupping isn't need with carpet effects.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

princessotfu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:09:33 GMT

There's different ways of going about the carpet effect with the moss. Most of them tell you to utilize some type of hard mesh (I use craft mesh) and fishing line or something else to tie the moss to the mesh. Then either use suction cups at each corner, or I weight it with a rock at each corner. I've seen some directions for the same idea, only suction-cupping the moss-mesh to the back wall instead of the bottom. Then just let the moss do it's growing.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

Purps — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:44:24 GMT

[quote]FattFishy (8/28/2008)

YOU MUST GET HORNWORT! Thanks draco for reminding me.

My experiences with it is fabulous. I have hornwort in a slightly fertilized 10 gallon and an un-fertilized 28 gallon. They all float (ones in my 10 are planted... only some) and they look great! It lets shy fish feel secure and allows subdued lighting (fish love it). I got my Hornwort on Sunday... then on the same week on Thursday, it grew about 6 inches. IT'S A MIRACLE PLANT! The lighting on both is 28 watts, daylight type bulbs 6500K.

Other plants... corkscrew val. Anubias barteri, Anubias nana 'petite' (tiny and fancy)... there are lots of choices. Go look around on www.plantgeek.net. Also try a wall moss or carpet moss effect. The idea was from www.aquamoss.net. Look around the site for the moss wall idea![/quote]

I would like to do a carpet effect, but not sure on how to go about that. Would I just leave the moss on the substrate or something? And I will check into hornwort. I will look around on those sites. And like I said, lighting shouldn't be a problem because I rig up my own lights instead of having to go out and pay $200 for an aquarium lighting system.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

princessotfu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:21:14 GMT

Oh yeah. I'm playing around a little with the idea of using plastic craft mesh and java moss and ferns and making shapes and designs for my goldfish tank. I'm just waiting to grow out enough of both so that I can mess with it and not lose it all. Kinda like aquasculpture.:P

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

FattFishy — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:07:37 GMT

I'm assuming lighting is at least 1 wpg... that will sustain Hornwort.

That's why David is making an article about low vs high tech planted tanks. I never knew moss can be used so effectively...

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

princessotfu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:37:19 GMT

Basically, your aquascaping is limited only by your lighting and your imagination at this point. I didn't realize when I started out just how many different things you can do, even in a low-light, low-maintenance situation.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

filipem — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:45:23 GMT

What kind of look ar you going for? Also how much time and work are you willing to invest to it?

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

FattFishy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:44:43 GMT

YOU MUST GET HORNWORT! Thanks draco for reminding me.

My experiences with it is fabulous. I have hornwort in a slightly fertilized 10 gallon and an un-fertilized 28 gallon. They all float (ones in my 10 are planted... only some) and they look great! It lets shy fish feel secure and allows subdued lighting (fish love it). I got my Hornwort on Sunday... then on the same week on Thursday, it grew about 6 inches. IT'S A MIRACLE PLANT! The lighting on both is 28 watts, daylight type bulbs 6500K.

Other plants... corkscrew val. Anubias barteri, Anubias nana 'petite' (tiny and fancy)... there are lots of choices. Go look around on www.plantgeek.net. Also try a wall moss or carpet moss effect. The idea was from www.aquamoss.net. Look around the site for the moss wall idea!

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

Purps — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:43:00 GMT

i have some other plants that i could possibly stick in there with them. other plants i have are, java moss, java fern, water sprite, cabomba.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

Purps — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:39:00 GMT

Lol it is a 20 long! And lighting isn't a problem. Suggest any plants and even if they require high lights, i make my own light systems up so i can pretty much cover anything. The plants i currently have are sags, dwarf hairgrass, and a small crypt wendtii red. and i dont plan on doing ferts or anything like that. i seem to have pretty good luck with none right now, lol.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

draco — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:38:56 GMT

you can try the plague plant java moss the reason it is called a plague is beacause it grows any where even the filter and caulking. but you can make it grow on the rocks and make the rocks a breeding nest for guppies or other fish. also try more of those onion plants since they both need very little light. java moss doesnt even require substrate it just needs fish food as fertalizer and grows really quick. onions barely need your attention from their hardiness and i think that was horn wart you got their that stuff for me i had trouble with and im not to sure about how that will affect the onions. the moss wouldnt be affected just keep it off the other plants and theyll be just fine

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

FattFishy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:05:57 GMT

Is it me or is this picture REALLY wide looking?

Or... is it a 20 gallon long?

Seems fun; keep us updated!

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

Nikita — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:19:44 GMT

Give the lighting values in watts, like, two 20-watt fluorescent bulbs, for example. That helps us quantify how much you have or need to have for best plant growth.

Make sure you stock at least six neon tetras, as these are schooling fish and need to be with large numbers of their own kind. Six is the minimum one should keep of this and other schooling species.

RE: Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

princessotfu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:37:11 GMT

do you know what kind of plants you already have in there?

What kind of lighting do you have, and are you planning on adding fertilizers or CO2?

Aquascaping for my 20 gallon long

Purps — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:40:37 GMT

I am starting up my 20 gallon long tank. I am making it a community tank with guppies and neon tetras. i already have 2 guppies to start out with. I have some plants in there now, but I need some more plants and ideas on where to place them. Here is a pic.