Advice for Converting Established Tank to Planted

kangy

Thanks Byron, I did some very slight rearranging yesterday, if you can call it that. I got tired of the random mass of floaters (four different types of plants, some were mostly floating to keep them close to the light and until I figured out what I wanted to do with them, and to see how things were going to grow in lol). Anyways, so I moved some of the emersed form of Wisteria, a stem of Anacharis, and a yet to be identified thin red stemmed plant to some handy holes I had in the top of the drift wood, was just experimenting out of boredom but actually kind of like the way it looks. And my Emeralds decided to utilize their snouts as earth movers and uproot a couple of the small blotches of micro sword so I re-consolidated and moved that to the 10g. Silly catfish.

kangy

Here is a shot of the tank last weekend. Lot different always changing/evolving

kangy

And here is a shot of the 10g

Byron

One thought on the sponge filter in the larger tank. I found that it works if you adjust the sponges downward; the plastic holders will rotate. So the sponges are pointing toward the substrate, close to it. This I thought would create more water pull from the substrate.

kangy

hmm didn't think about that. The sponge in the 10g (behind the wood) is laying horizontally along the bottom, and you were not kidding about how much that single sponge absorbs. The next time I have my arms in there I'll experiment with the dual sponge. So you are saying to keep the lift tube how it is but rotate the sponge so they point down towards the substrate, still along the wall or do you have your's at a 90 degree coming from the wall along the substrate? Not sure if I could pull that one off with the small amount of floorspace I have left. I wondered about that though, the lift tube is all the way extended and that is as low as I could get the sponges. I have the heater directly under it with the thought that as it heats the water it will rise from the bottom past the sponge.

Byron

I did this in my 29g which is deeper. I like the return at the surface, it creates a slight current across the surface which is probably good. But that means the lift tube at full extension still won't reach the bottom, so I thought, h'm, rotate the sponges down. Mine are at less than a 45 degree angle, and partly behind a bit of wood.

kangy

Here is a more recent shot with the Hagen Life-Glo Bulb. Not sure what's been up with my camera lately, please excuse the blurry shot. I'll try to get a better one put up.

Byron

What a difference. Very lovely.

kangy

Here's a little better (less blurry) picture, still has some streaks, not sure what's up with my camera.

Boredomb

The tank is looking really good Kangy!