Tropical Fish Keeping banner

aquascaping a 12 eclipse

6K views 48 replies 5 participants last post by  hotshotdevil32 
#1 ·
Yesterday I added some live plants along with a pair of amano shrimp to a 12 gallon eclipse tank I am setting up for my GF.

I know the picture isn't great quality but I hope you can get a decent idea of what the tank looks like. the water is still milky from the substrate and unfortunately the shot only shows like 3/4 of the tank. a few stray roots are sticking up out of the gravel. should I trim them? how long do plants take to set up a decent root structure? I know the plants in the foreground are dwarf Sagittarius but can anyone Id the plants in the back. the one on the right is some kind of anubias. I know the tank looks a little sparse but hopefully adding some driftwood will help.
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
By the way the lighting on the tank is a 13 watts 5000k compact fluorescent bulb. Is this sufficient? I know it is a little low and I want to upgrade but it is a very strange lighting socket. It square and has 4 pins. The light is actually two fluorescent tubes that run parallel to each other and curve to form a U shape.
 
#3 ·
I can't see the plants well enough in the photos to suggest possibile species. As for the light, I've no experience with this type of bulb so hopefully one of our members who has will be able to advise. Does it come in a higher wattage?
 
#4 ·
#5 ·
Sorry my gf took the picture so it's not great quality. I'll ask her to take a few more. This is the kind of bulb I am talking about.

Opentip.com: 13w- 10,000k Compact Fluor Replacement Bulb 6" For Eclipse 12

Is there something I can use to push the roots down because if I do it by hand I just push more up
There's no data on its possible intensity there, and without my having used it I can't compare it to anything I have.

I find the easiest way to plant is to make a sort of depression i the substrate, push the clump of roots into it and then fill it in If you go down deep, once it is filled in you can then gently pull the plant up a bit so the crown is not buried. Some people use those tools but I just use my fingers. I find it much more difficult with sand than gravel.
 
#8 ·
I will make sure to get some better pictures of the tank and plants. I think I will give the plants 3 weeks to start growing before I add fish
 
#9 ·
Here are the pictures as promised. I think I will definantly get some drift wood, a black background, and also a nice rock to give to some depth.




any other ideas on how to spruce up the tank? I think for my first planted tank ever though its not half bad.
 
#10 ·
|Give it time to settle in. And some floating plants...did I mention floating plants?:lol:

The two small plants look similar, if the front are Dwarf Sagittaria as you earlier suggested, the back ones may be pygmy chain sword.

Plant fertilizer should be added, a complete liquid like Flourish Comprehensive Supplement or FlorinMulti, which I also think I mentinoed...somewhere.:roll:
 
#11 ·
I think all of the grass type plants are dwarf sagitarra. I added seachem excel to the tank. How long do you think it will take for the plants to growing?


Posted via Mobile Device
 
#13 ·
1) For the lights, a friend of mine runs the larger eclipse systems and he has trouble growing high light plants. However, his low-mid light plants do fine.

2) The stem plant looks like rotala indica. It roots very quickly. The others all look like sagittaria subuluta. Both are plants that can do ok with your current light. However, the way they grow will vary depending on actual intensity. The rotala will grow shorter nodes and give a bushier look under more powerful light, longer nodes if the light is lacking. The sagittaria will grow longer leaves if the light is insufficient and shorter leaves if the lights are stronger. Both are hardy plants that will root fairly quickly. My rotala indica was shooting out long roots within 2-3 days of planting.

3) From the picture, it looks like the rotala indica is still tied by the lead weights. Its recommended to lose the weights and plant the stems into the gravel directly. The lead, although many say its safe, can potentially leek metals into your water. The plants should be rooting soon and the lead weights will be harder to manage when its anchored into the gravel so it might be a good idea to take the weights off and plant the stem. It might float for the first couple of days, just gently stick it back into the gravel.

4) I dose excel in my tanks with flourish comprehensive. They work well together, but you must be careful with excel as it can be very damaging, even to plants, if too much is used. Also some plants take better to excel than others. I am not sure if either of these plants do. For the acclimation period, i would avoid excel until you see healthy growth. Once that happens you can dose excel. If you see improved growth in a week, then keep dosing. If you do not see improved growth, then don't bother with the excel. (This is just the method I use, there are other ways to fertilize plants with carbon or using excel).
 
#14 ·

Im sorry I am gettting confused about which plant is which. I edited the full tank shot in MS paint and put a number by each plant. could you name them by number please? I know that the tank certainly doesn't have high light but the plants I currently have in the tank should be alright than? I will leave the lead weight on for one more day so that the plants will have sufficient root structure. Is that alright? Unfortunately I have already dosed with the excel once. I will be sure to get some of the seachem comprehensive but when I bought the plants they only had excel so I figured I would give it a shot. hopefully it doesn't do any harm
 
#15 · (Edited)
1: Rotalia Indica

2-5: Sagittaria Subulata

6: Unkown.

The lead can be left on for the roots if you want, its just better to not disturb the roots after they have grown. You may damage the roots and prolong the acclimation period. Also, if the roots grow around the weight, it will be hard to get it off without damaging the plant.
 
#16 ·
I believe six is some kind of Anubis. In the store it was very large 24" tall maybe, and it had red spots on the leaves. he pulled off one of the shoots for me. hopefully that gives you some kind of clue. looking through an aquarium reference book I have it looks closest to an African tiger lotus
 
#18 ·
I'm am sorry about the pictures but as I said before my girlfriend took them not me. Any ideas for the aquascaping sin crisis?
 
#19 ·
For aquascaping,

1) Hardscape: You don't seem to have any non-plant decorations except he gravel. Did you want some major features such as a rock, driftwood, ornamant? However, a basic thing that you can do now before you decide on hardscape features is to slope your gravel upwards towards the back. It gives the illusion of depth and the tank will look a little deeper than it is now. Another is to add a dark background. Something like a solid black background will further the feeling of depth in the tank.

2) S. Subulata is a great foreground to midground plant. Seeing as none of us here are 100% sure how powerful your lights are, i would leave them midground until you find how tall they are growing. THe melon sword will get big, I would leave it in the background. Same as the R. indica. The R. indica is a good plant to create a bushy effect. Once hte plants are established. You can cut them, a few nodes from the bottom. Make sure you leave some leaves. Usually, the plant will grow 2 stems from that point on. Repeat over a few weeks and replant the tops and you should have a nice bushy bunch of plants in the back after a couple months.

3) Equipment hiding: A dark background will help with this. Since the Eclipse is a ll in 1 hood/filter, you can't do anything about the intake pipe so you just need a background that makes the pipe harder to see. For the heater, it looks like you have a submersible heater so one trick is to lay it horizontal across the back so the plants hide it.

Specific locations cant be determined until you finalize what you want for your hardscape. Often, the placement of rocks and driftwood will be huge factors in getting the effect you want. Gnarly branchy driftwood for that foresty look, large rocks for a more river look. There's are lots of options for hardscape placement.
 
#20 ·
I would be happy to slope the gravel but I won't be able to do this untill the weekend. the tank isn't in my house don't forget. I was definitely going to get some non-plant decorations I just haven't gotten the chance yet. I was thinking two pieces of small drift wood Hopefully kind of knotted branchy one that the fish and shrimp can hid in. Ideally I would look for a log for second piece and set it up so some of the S. Subulata was in front of it and some of it was growing up behind it. I think it might create a very cool effect. Infact just thinking about it are there any kinds of aquatic mosses. that might look very cool! also the more I look at some of the artificial rock decorations the more appealing they are to me. Here is a nice one.

RockGarden Sculptured Lava Rock at PETCO

For aquascaping,

1) Hardscape: You don't seem to have any non-plant decorations except he gravel. Did you want some major features such as a rock, driftwood, ornamant? However, a basic thing that you can do now before you decide on hardscape features is to slope your gravel upwards towards the back. It gives the illusion of depth and the tank will look a little deeper than it is now. Another is to add a dark background. Something like a solid black background will further the feeling of depth in the tank. I can't wait for the plants to start growing so I can propagate them as you described. i was hoping to create that curtain of tall plants in the back of the tank if you know what I mean. How long does it usually take for a stem to regrow after it is trimmed? will the S. Subulata spread horizontally on it's own. I will also be buying a black background for the tank hopefully on friday.

2) S. Subulata is a great foreground to midground plant. Seeing as none of us here are 100% sure how powerful your lights are, i would leave them midground until you find how tall they are growing. THe melon sword will get big, I would leave it in the background. Same as the R. indica. The R. indica is a good plant to create a bushy effect. Once hte plants are established. You can cut them, a few nodes from the bottom. Make sure you leave some leaves. Usually, the plant will grow 2 stems from that point on. Repeat over a few weeks and replant the tops and you should have a nice bushy bunch of plants in the back after a couple months.

3) Equipment hiding: A dark background will help with this. Since the Eclipse is a ll in 1 hood/filter, you can't do anything about the intake pipe so you just need a background that makes the pipe harder to see. For the heater, it looks like you have a submersible heater so one trick is to lay it horizontal across the back so the plants hide it.

Specific locations cant be determined until you finalize what you want for your hardscape. Often, the placement of rocks and driftwood will be huge factors in getting the effect you want. Gnarly branchy driftwood for that foresty look, large rocks for a more river look. There's are lots of options for hardscape placement.
 
#21 ·
Should I let the plants establish for a few weeks before I introduce the endlers livebearers into the tank or will the plants be unaffected?
 
#22 ·
Once the plants are in (they are now;-)) you can add the fish, the Endlers will be fine, though I would still get some floating plants, they use a lot of ammonia. On the hardscape, that lava rock looks nice. I would get two smallish bits of Malaysian Driftwood as well, so one rock formation and two bits of wood. Donèt put the rock centre, off-centre is more natural.
 
#25 ·
I will ask her about the brazilian pennywort and I'm sure if I tell her that she can only add fish now If she buys it her opinion of floating plants will instantly improve. Could I plant the pennywort and let the branches grow up to the surface and float?
 
#26 ·
Yes. The lower leaves on the stems may die off, I've had this sometimes and not other times when the pennywort starts growing across the surface. This is because the surface leaves are closest to the light, so the plant directs its energy there.
 
#33 ·
Stocking aside, As Byron said, off center for the rock is a good idea for a more natural look. Once you get the rock and wood, take pictures and we can help you arrange them. There are many different styles, some like the triangle shake where everything is more busy on one side and slowly gets cleaner as it goes to the other side. Others use a U or V shape where the edges of the tank are busy and the center is cleaner. There is also the A shape where everything is in the middle and the sides are clean. Those are, i think, the more common styles. Obviously here is the plant everywhere and just let the plants contrast with the hardscape look too. Since I don't think you have fish yet, you can play with the hardscape to figure out what you want.
 
#34 ·
I am at least willing to give live food a shot if worst comes to worst and I decieded that the fry was becoming too much I could put all the males in one tank and all the females in another. I will probably be getting the hard scape supplies this Friday so I will set up them up In the tank and post up some pics so we can go from there.
 
#35 · (Edited)
You've gotten lots of wonderful advice to get you started - you aren't getting many other replies because you have a couple of pros helping you out already, and there isn't really much to add to that! Listen to them - they know a lot about these things and won't steer you wrong!

Once you get your hard-scaping supplies and post up a picture, it will be easier to suggest ways to arrange things from an artistic standpoint to get a look you'll be happy with. If you're going back to the shop that sold you the plants, see if you can get a positive id on them. It can be really difficult to say for certain what types of plants they are, and though you've gotten some guesses that are likely correct - without being sure there will have to be a bit of wait-and-see on the final design as they grow in and fill out.

Right now you're likely feeling frustrated because you don't have the look that you want. Patience is key here. Once you have all of your supplies you will be able to pick a direction you want to go in, and things will start to come together for you.

One thing that I can almost guarantee will have you feeling happier about what you have already instantly is simply adding a dark back-round to the tank. Cheapest way to do this is to get some poster board from the craft store (around here they even have the stuff at pharmacy chains). You'll have to cut it to fit, but it'll only cost you around $1, and make the tank look a million times better in under 5 minutes.

I'll check back in over the weekend to see what you've come up with. Good luck!
 
#36 ·
Before i re scape a tank i always "google" planted tanks, aquascape, hardscape etc etc. Once i see a few tanks i like i try to steal little bits from each one and make it my own. Its a lot easier to have a plan going into this than just buying supplies and dropping them in the tank.

Im in the process of combining a hardscape tank with a planted tank (at either ends) with a small creek weaving its way through the middle (using different color substrate) and a moss tree hanging over the "creek"

Let your imagination run wild and you will be suprised what you come up with, good luck im looking forward to seeing your end result :)
 
#37 ·
@chesherca I will definantly be getting a black background when I go to the local fish store on Friday. I was feeling, just as you said, a bit frustrated that the tank was not coming out the way I wanted it to. I think that is in part because the tank is so young. I guess I figured if I can make such a nice reef aquarium a planted tank should be a walk in the park.

Now I can't wait to get to the fish store and buy the hard scaping supplies! Btw I was thinking about growing some java moss on the driftwood. Does anyone have any experience with this? I think it would create a very cool tropical effect.
 
#38 ·
@chesherca I will definantly be getting a black background when I go to the local fish store on Friday. I was feeling, just as you said, a bit frustrated that the tank was not coming out the way I wanted it to. I think that is in part because the tank is so young. I guess I figured if I can make such a nice reef aquarium a planted tank should be a walk in the park.

Now I can't wait to get to the fish store and buy the hard scaping supplies! Btw I was thinking about growing some java moss on the driftwood. Does anyone have any experience with this? I think it would create a very cool tropical effect.
Just attach the strands of java moss to the wood and it will take root and spread. I usually just poke some into a crevice in the wood.

The least expensive background is a sheet of plain black constructino paper that you can buy in a hobby/craft type store. I use this on all my smaller tanks. The plain backgrounds in fish stores are very expensive, and usually shiny which is not good.
 
#42 ·
If possible, do what Byron tells you to do ALWAYS! I've only done it one time - he is far more experienced at this stuff than I am - I'm a newbie aquarist 100%. I attached mine using fishing thread. It was a PITA to deal with wet, but it worked, and I was glad that it was more or less 'invisible' I also attached my ferns to driftwood and rocks this way. The ferns haven't rooted yet, but they will! :)

Can't wait to see your salty tank! Purdy. . .
 
#43 ·
How is your GF on tank upkeep? In my experience, java moss is a great plant but can easily get out of control. I pulls handfuls out of my tank weekly, its just a crazy fast growing plant. It attaches to a lot of different surface including the gravel and other plants. If she, or you, do not keep up with it, it can be a real pain to control it later on. Just a forewarning. Otherwise, it really is a beautiful plant.
 
#44 ·
Thanks for the heads up man! She does water changes and that whole bit but I can assure you she wont be pulling chunks of java moss out of the tank weekly. I might try it in my brothers tank where I can watch it more closely though
 
#47 ·
That's doing well. You could add a few fish any time, just a few at first. Forgotten what is planned.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top