Plant layout ideas

Righteous

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Apr 10, 2017
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Hi all.


Looking for some ideas for this aquascape. My initial idea was that I'd keep the rotala between the rocks trimmed low, and I hoped it would redden up, but it's growing crazy fast and I don't like the look at the moment. I also am looking to add more plant mass for the health of the tank. Here's the tank now (about 6 weeks old)





Here's my current idea. I'd like to replace most of the Rotala between the stones with some Alternanthera Reineckii ‘Mini’, and move most of the Rotala to the back and left. I also thought about adding some Staurogyne Repens as an accent on the right....





I'm still learning about various plant species so any suggestions are more than welcome!


Thanks for looking!!


-- Mike
 

Righteous

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I'd also like to keep the view from the top in mind... it's a shallow tank so I spend a lot of time looking at it from above...




top.jpg
 

DutchMuch

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To much reineckii, use some helferri to make more greens and have different leaf texture. What type of rotala btw?
 

DutchMuch

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That reineckii is fine all the way to the left where you marked it with read, going "down hill" it will look good, Helferi could go in that tiny circle in the middle where you marked it as reineckii, as for the other reineckii all the way to the right maybe rotala indica?
 

Greggz

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Righteous said:
I'd like the red area on the right to stay fairly low I think. Came across Penthorum sedoides on tropica http://tropica.com/en/plants/plantde...ides(138)/4764 Any experience with it? Sounds like a compact stem plant which might work?

It's only an 8.6 gallon, so maybe that's too big?
Penthorum Sedoides is a very nice easy plant. However, it grows pretty quickly, and gets to 5" to 6" easily. I trim it down quite often, so don't know how tall it would eventually get. Here it is my tank in the front right corner. I had just cut them down about 50% right before this picture.

RS1 (Small).jpg
 
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Righteous

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Greggz said:
Penthorum Sedoides is a very nice easy plant. However, it grows pretty quickly, and gets to 5" to 6" easily. I trim it down quite often, so don't know how tall it would eventually get. Here it is my tank in the front right corner. I had just cut them down about 50% right before this picture.

What's that purple/mauve one in the center?
 

Greggz

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That's Hygrophila Araguaia. I got both of those from Burr740 here on the forum. I actually refer to that area as "Burr corner", since most of those originated with him. If you take a look at his journal thread, you'll see lot's of interesting plants/ideas.
 
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burr740

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Righteous, at first I didnt like the idea of doing AR in all three of those areas. But the more I think about it, might be a pretty good look.


Id probably try something else in the center spot though. Something green and grassy like Blyxa japonica or Erio vietnam. Or Hygrophila 'compact', that'd be even better since you dont have a larger leaved species.
 

Righteous

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I like the look of the Blyxa... I was trying to go for something like that with the hair grass in the center, but it's too diminutive... does Blyxa do okay trimmed about 2-3 inches?
 

burr740

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Righteous said:
I like the look of the Blyxa... I was trying to go for something like that with the hair grass in the center, but it's too diminutive... does Blyxa do okay trimmed about 2-3 inches?

No.


Blyxa is a stem plant. You can cut the stem itself and it'll re-sprout. But you cant just mow down the blades like hairgrass. The leaves will just die,


I think it'd be a good height though. You want something almost as tall as the rock, but not quite. The dark rock will make a good background for a green plant. Whereas red isnt going to stand out very well


Here's the Hygrophila var 'compact' (green plant on the left) they get about like a softball


32561022362_fd278eaca0_b.jpg
 
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DutchMuch

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riccia carpet area should be expanded to that whole right side of the tank, but in the middle kind of combined with your other carpet plant. Otherwise I love your idea as of right now, and I was thinking this from the start but didn't say, on the left side were the stems of rotala mac would show next to the rock I would put another Midground plant in front of that, curving around the left side of the rotala mac so it hides the dull stem colorations from older leaves.


Otherwise I love it so far bud!