'Secret Shore' - A Step-by-step Documentation

The above image shows one of my creative aquascape project "Secret Shore". This is one of my favourites among the Creative Aquascapes, I have done in recent past. Unlike, Nature Aquascapes, my Creative Aquascapes are much short-lived and being prepared for the final photo session, from the first day.

Please rate this tank here at RateMyFishTank


Below are few photographs taken to document the set up process:

1. Rounded riverbed rocks goes in the form the base of the layout



2. Card board goes in, creating the boundary of the planting area



3. Substrate goes in, forming the base of planting area



4. Fertilizers goes in forming the nutirient layer



5. Planting area ready



6. Fine white river sand goes in, for non-planting area (for decorative purpose)



7. Ready for planting



8. Dry planting started with Ferns and Anubias



9. Dry planting finished and ready for wet planting



10. Planting completed



11. Few hours after planting (right part)



12. Few hours after planting (left part)



13. Full shot after set up is done



14. Two days after set up



14. Close up of the right corner after eight days



15. Close up of Hygro after a week



16. Another close up of Hygro in 2nd week



17. 'Secret Shore' after 12 days



18. Full front after 2 weeks



19. Close up of Hygro after 2 weeks [Notice the change in color]



20. Bacopa close up after 3 weeks



21. Full front after 3 weeks



22. Close up of middle are after 3 weeks



23. Cabomba Close up - 4th week



24. Hygro Close up - 4th week



25. Mid area close up

Planted Tank Tips

I was looking at this archived image of one of my initial planted set ups. I thought it would be great to share the mistakes I made in my first attempts, with fellow aquarists, especially the ones who are new into this amazing world of planted aquascapes!

1. Choosing the plants: In those initial attempts, I have done a major mistake by picking up plants almost randomly, sometimes depending on the availability and off course by their look. I have never considered their compatibility with each other or their requirements. Choose the plants wisely. Know them before you plant them (or even before you get them). Identify the plants and know their requirements, habitats and nature.

2. Examining the specimens thoroughly: Examine all the specimens you get, very VERY carefully. Algae, snails and other pests and infections can travel smoothly to your tank, using these plants as carrier. Algae and snails are easy to find. Remove the Algae-infected leaves and pick snails with your fingers. But finding snail eggs are difficult, and off course much important, too. A tiny leaf covered by snail eggs can set hundreds snails loose in your tank. And most of the snails are vegetarian and have huge appetites. I'd suggest keep the newly sourced plants (must if the source is unknown or not so reliable) in a quarantine tank for few days and watch them closely, before you introduce them to your main tank.

3. Choosing the fishes: Choosing the right fish for a planted tank is also very important. Avoid compulsive plant-eaters and root-diggers, like gold fishes, Koi carps, Gouramis, African lake Cichlids. Also DO NOT keep large fishes, as the turbulance created by their body movements (also consider the filter flow rate that you need to have if you want to keep a large fish) will tear apart the delicate plants.

Taiwan Moss

Taiwan Moss [Taxiphyllum alternans]

I was trying out Taiwan moss in my nanoscapes and I am quite satisfied with the outcome. Here are my few initial findings about this beautiful aquatic moss:

1. Taiwan moss or Taxiphyllum alternans grows and spread faster than Java Moss.
2. They do extremely well if dosed with CO2. I have seen the entire group coming up with numerous brighter tip buds once I started adding CO2
3. Being more fragile and thinner than the common Java moss, Taiwan moss tends to be torn away quite often. Even if your filter creates little turbulance, you will find tiny pieces of taiwan moss all over your tank, tangled with other plants and happily growing!

Taboo in twilight

Temporary light arrangement is one of the key elements of an aquascape. It creates the right ambiance. Pictures taken in actual lightings are usually flat, Though, they are good for technical documentation, but they often fail to create the right impact. When I take photographs of my aquascapes, I switch off the tank lights, room lights and all other sources of lights in the room and then set up the temporary light arrangement.

Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa monnieri or Brahmi is very common through out India, as a medicinal herb. It increases memory and reported to improve intellect. It is also used to treat asthma, hoarseness, insanity and epilepsy. It is a potent nerve tonic and anti-anxiety agent.



According to Pankaj Oudhia, Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM), "..it (Bacopa monnieri) is bitter, pungent, heating, emetic, laxative and useful in bad ulcers, tumours, ascites, enlargement of spleen, indigestion, inflammations, leprosy, anaemia, biliousness etc. According to Unani system of medicine, it is bitter, aphrodisiac, good in scabies, leucoderma, syphilis etc. It is promising blood purifier and useful in diarrhea and fevers."

SOURCE: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/CropFactSheets/bramhi.html

Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus)

Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) can be grown very easily on a driftwood. This is one of the least demanding plants used in a planted aquarium. This is a low-light plant. Under intense light, the leaves tend to "burn" and develop large black areas around the edges.

EXCLUSIVE TIPS:
If you have Java ferns in your tank, put a net around the inlet of your filter and it check regularly. You will find tiny Java ferns are stuck on the net. Keep them in a bowl or a jar beside your mail tank. Change the water as needed. Drop a dose once in while or when dosing your main tank. Within few weeks you will have enough to exchange or even sale.

Creative Aquascape

After these dedicated years of Nature Aquariums and Natural Aquascapes, I decided to explore a comparatively new area of this fascinating hobby - Creative Aquascaping!

[Check out one of my previous Natural Aquascapes here]

Apparently, there are not too many differences between Natural Aquascaping and Creative Aquascaping.

In Natural Aquascapes we try to simulate an underwater scenario, sometimes specific to a particular biotope, sometimes a fancy combination of various species! But, every bit of the process is aimed to make the tank look like a natural underwater environment. But Creative Aquascapes are rarely aimed to simulate an underwater scenario. It's like creating any landscape with a glass tank filled with water, live aquatic plants, fishes and props like stones & driftwoods!



Another thing I noticed is, in Creative Aquascaping photographing your tank is also very important. Thematic light settings, translucent backgrounds with vignette, placement of props are also very critical issues, in Creative Aquascaping. It's not only about growing healthy plants or make your tank look like natural river bed! It's a search beyond that! It's about creating an ambiance, a mood or a moment.



The most interesting thing, I noticed, in most cases, Creative Aquascapes are made for much shorter period than Natural Aquascapes.

I decided to go for Nano aquascape, for initial experimentation. Nanos might be difficult but I can keep quite a few to try out different layouts with different plant species.

Click here for few selected images of my Creative Aquascapes


[Re-posted from Samitonline.net]

Taboo Island - More images

Few more images of another planted nano set up of mine - the "Taboo Island"!

Secret Shore - Updated

An updated image of my planted nano - "Secret Shore"

Few More Gold Fishes

Moe images of my gold fishes!

Gold fish # 7

Gold fish # 8

My gold fishes, again

Few more photographs of my gold fishes.

Gold fish # 5
Gold fish # 6

More Gold Fish Photos

Few more images of my Gold fishes in outdoor setups. Gold fishes are easy to keep and perfectly suitable for mid-sized and larg outsoor set ups and ponds. Being a cold water fish, they do perfectly fine without heater, even in tropical winter. Unlike most other ornamental fishes, gold fishes look pretty from top view, because of their broad and colorful back (top).

[My apologies for poor quality of the photographs.]

Gold fish # 3

Gold fish # 4

Gold Fish

Few photographs of my gold fishes in one of my outdoor setups:

[Being a person without any knowledge about photography, my sincere apologies for the poor quality of the images]

Gold fish # 1

Gold fish # 2
Notice the black one at bottom left corner!

Amazon Sword

A big Amazon Sword plant or Echinodorus amazonicus in one of my outdoor cement tubs for live-bearers. This is a female plant and often comes up with multiple saplings. One sapling can be seen at the upper left corner of the image.

Amazon Sword plant (Echinodorus amazonicus and Echinodorus bleheri - both are known as Amazon Sword plant) is one of the most common rosette plant used by hobbyists. Being a very hardy plant, Amazon Sword is appropriate for the beginners. It is a large plant and mainly used as a center piece in planted aquascapes. It can grow really large, even without fertilization and CO2, provided you have enough space and a nutrient rich substrate.
beginners

Flowering Water Lily

I was surprised when I noticed this pink bud of the water lily plant (Nymphaea lotus var. pubescens/pubescens/esculenta) in my gold fish tub. I was not expecting it. Just because, I have never put any extra care for these plants - I kept them in my outdoor tubs for goldfishes and live-bearers, with minimum substrate and without any fertilization. Still it's flowering - I am happy, grateful too!
Red (pink) water lily or Nymphaea lotus var. pubescens is one of the most common aquatic plants found through out India. This is another easy-to-keep', to be precisely 'hard-to-kill' plant, but not actually suited for smaller indoor set ups. I haven't seen it flowering under artificial lightings in an indoor set up. But they do very well in outdoor set ups with direct and/or indirect sunlight.

The picture below, shows the lily in my goldfish tub, from top.

Anubias

Among all broad-leaved aquatic plants, Anubias are my longtime favorites. I just loved their thick, dark green leaves, their growing pattern, the way they create amazing lines and dark zones in your aquascapes. Anubias are easy-to-keep (or should I say, hard-to-kill plants) that need little care and maintenance. This image shows Anubias Nana, Anubias Nana ‘Petite’ and Anubias Barteri, dumped in a temporary tank, as their tank is being shifted to my new place! They look little clueless and confused! Right?

Alone In The Forest: During Planting

The images below, show Alone In The Forest, in making, before it was fully planted:

See more images of my recet Aquascape Project, Alone In The Forest, here!

Cryptocoryne parva, just after planting:

Flowering Nymphaea

Flowering Nymphaea spc. in my open cement tub. This plant was collected from a lake near Kolkata, during a collection trip! This perticular variety produces small white flowers if kept under natural light! In my tubs they never produced any submerged leaves. Again, I am not sure, how this will look, if kept in a indoor glass tank with artificial light source!

They do well, if nutrient rich substrate is provided, along with natural light source. This could be planted in sealed pots with a 2-3" layer of garden soil, peat moss, or vermicompost at the bottom and then layers of river sand to restrick the soil to cloud the water, and then the posts could be planted inside the tubs, filled with water!

Alone in the Forest : 2

Partial view of Alone in the Forest from front.
Could you spot the lonely rasbora?

More Photos:

Alone in the Forest : 1

My Latest set up! A humble 28 gl (36"x12"x15")!
I named it: Alone in the Forest!

New Plant

I picked up this plant yesterday from a small local pet shop. As usual, the boy attending the shop could not tell me the name, not even its local name. It had pale green leaves, and a thick stem without any roots. The stem is fibrous, soft and watery. Within a day, the top leaves turned into red, as shown in the picture. Probably, because of high light in my tank. It also has small purple flower buds.

Apparently, it looks like Ammannia gracilis or Nesaea crassicaulis, but weak and stressed due to the unhealthy conditions in the pet shop's dark, dumping tank. But I am not sure. I hope, it shows more of its original characteristics, as it regains its health in my 'test tank'.

It would be great if someone can help me to identify this plant!

The inset picture shows the top view of the same specimen.

Loaches

Tips for keeping freshwater loaches in your aquarium: Part 2

All loaches are bottom dwellers and love to dig around in the substrate. That is why, substrate plays an important role in setting up a perfect loach set up. Big pebbles, especially the ones with sharp edges, and other sharp-edged substrate materials, like beach sand and coral sand, should be avoided completely.

Loaches are born diggers and prefer softer substrate to dig into it while searching for food or looking for a peaceful hiding place. Because of this particular habit of loaches, fine and calcium-free sands, (free from the broken pieces of shells), like freshwater sand, river sand, Silver (playpit) sand, are ideal substrate for a loach tank The finer is better, as the finer sand won’t cause any damage to their sensitive barbells.

Few loaches have an interesting habit of taking sands in their mouth, eat the microscopic food particles and spit (?) the sand out through their gills. Few loaches, like Horseface loaches and Weather Loaches have a habit of covering themselves, entirely under the sand, except their eyes.

Clown loach

Tips for keeping freshwater loaches in your aquarium: Part 1

Provide lots of hiding places using clay pots (whole and broken), drift wood and of course, plants! Pile of rocks can be used to form caves but they need to glued to each other firmly, using silicone glue and should be buried under the substrate at least few inches deep, ensuring the loaches cannot dig their way in under the rock structure. This can be proven fatal to the unsuspecting loaches resting under the rocks. Pieces of non-metallic pipes with different diameters, depending on the size of the loaches you have, can provide nice hiding places to them. Again, though pipes are great for the loaches, it might not look nice to you.

I use clay pots, whole, and cut into halves, as well as, broken pieces, too, and tie few java fern cuttings with them. Within few days java ferns root themselves with the clay pots and your "Portable Loach House With Attached Garden" is ready!

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Loaches online - the most comprehesive online resources for all loaches!

Common Mistakes: One

Common Mistakes: One - Buying tank and fish, together

This is the most common mistake done by the beginners, as well as some times by experienced hobbyists, too. Never put fishes immediately after setting up a new tank. Ideally, you should put the first fish in your tank, at least after week or two after the installation. You should fill the tank with water, add substrate, place the props like stones or drift woods, keep the air pump and filter running (also the heater, in case of winter season or chiller weather), switch on the light and maintain this 'fish-less tank' for a week or more. In hobbyists circle this phase is known as 'Fish-less tank keeping'. Few experienced aquarists also suggest to add little bit of fish food, regularly in the tank, even though there is no fish in the tank.

Though, apparently it looks ridiculous to keep an empty tank with filter, pump running and add fish food in that, but actually this is one the most critical phase of a new set up. This 'Fish-less tank keeping' ensures that the nitrogen cycle of the tank is running perfectly and you have built enough de-nitrifying bacteria in your tank to take care of the ammonia and nitrite to be produced from excreta of the inhabitants of the tank.

After running this fish-less tank for week (more if you have larger tank and have a plan to keep the little crowded), add fishes slowly. Never put a large number of fishes together in a new tank. This might cause a sudden ammonia spike and could be proved fatal for the livestock. I usually add, one or two very hardy fishes like, Sail fin mollies' and juvenile 'Common Plecos' (nice housekeepers for a planted set up) and wait for few more days before adding the central attractions of the tanks.

The image shows lily floaters in my planted set up.

Pakistani Loach

A juvenile Pakistani Loach or YoYO loach or Botia almorhae from my tank. This beutiful loaches are native inhabitants of the water pool areas of highland streams. Keep driftwoods, rocks and plants in your tank creating lots of hiding places. Finer sand substrate is ideal for this fish, as their habit is to dig into the sand searching for food. Usual feeding habit include, sinking pellets, algae wafers, chopped earthworms, thawed frozen Bloodworm, Mysis Shrimp, chopped cocktail shrimp. Try to avoid over-feeding as these fish are very greedy. This species is an avid consumer of snails, making it essential 'housekeeper fish' for that aquarists having snail infested tanks.

Check out the marks on its body that resemble 'Y' and 'O'. The fish got its name 'YoYo' from the marks that resemble the same on their body. Again, 'Y' & 'O' marks could be found only on the jouvenile specimens of this species. The marks change and bevcome more random as they grow up.

The particular speciment, shown in the picture is little stressed (check its folded dorsal fin) due to the transport. I have taken the picture just after it is released in my 42gl South Asian Loach set up.

Golden CAE Again

Another image of a Golden CAE (Chinese Algae Eater) in my tank. Golden CAEs are un-pigemented versions of Chinese Algae Eater or Indian Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri).

I heard a very interesting behaviour of this fish. As the name suggests, this fish eats algae. But, strange fact is, it will stop eating algae in colder temperature. If the temperature goes down below 69° F (20° C) they will not eat algae!

See more information about Golden CAE here.

Marbled Sailfin Molly

Marbled Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna) is another very common fish that could be found in the aquariums in almost every corners of the world. This is a live bearer and gives birth of babies instead of laying eggs. This is a very hardy fish making it suitable for beginners’ tanks. As mollies are often found in saline water it is suggested to put rock salt (non-iodized salt) in the water.

Java Moss on Stone or Wood

Java moss does exceptionally well if tied up with driftwood or a stone. Nylon fishing line or simple cotton thread can be used for this purpose. I generally use cotton threads as I find them easy to handle. Within few days they will be attached to the stone or the driftwood and then you can carefully remove the thread that you have used to tie it up. To avoid the risk of the Java moss getting separated from the wood or the stone, I would suggest not removing the threads even in next few months. Good quality cotton thread or nylon thread might not harm your tank inhabitants or change the water quality. In some countries, you will get aquarium friendly, bio-degradable threads exclusively for being used in fish tank and aquariums. I never got it in the pet shops here in India. I guess they would the ideal for this purpose. Use black threads, if you are using cotton thread so that would be less visible. Nylon threads will be anyway transparent, so you need not worry about the color.

Aquarium Resources

I always find the online forums and communities extremely helpful to have a healthy tank, understand your mistakes, gather the knowledge to restify them and share your learnings and experience with other aquarists. These fourms, like the Krib, fins.actwin.com, IAH, Aquatic Plant Central etc are being considered as the most valuable online resource for aquarium and fish keeping.

Black Beard Algae

Algae are the recurring nightmares of any aquarist having a planted tank. Among all algae that infest a planted tank, Black Beard Algae or BBA is considered to be the most notorious one. The attached image shows BBA infested plants in my tank. This is a very hardy algae and it’s really very tough to remove it from the tank. The main reason for this algae is the phosphate and other nutrients generated from leftover food. So, if your tank is infested with BBA, I’d suggest cutting the feeding off, immediately. You need to stop all fertilization and CO2 injection as well, ASAP.

There are very few fishes that will eat these algae. SAEs and Yamato Shrimps (Amano Shrimps) are known to eat these algae but they might not be enough if BBA are well-settled in your tank. total black outs also may not work as these algae are not caused by extra light but by extra nutrients. Frequent water change is suggested during the treatment. Adding more plants, especially the aggressive and fast-growing floating ones like, Pistia, Salvina, Duckweed to absorb the extra nutrient quickly, might work as well, if the algae bloom is in it's initial stage.

Some people advice that to scrap off the algae manually from the leaves is the only way to get rid of these ugly additions. Some also suggest giving the affected plants a quick and short bleach bath. I have never tried this bleach bath, as I thought it would be too risky for the plants.

I had a real tough time fighting against these unwanted guests. I was not too careful at the time of the first attack and I ended up in almost revamping the entire set up. After that, for BBA, I started believing "Prevention is Better than Cure"! As soon as I see the first sign of BBA, I add extra plants (floating plants are good as they are easy to add and remove) and try to figure out what could be the reason of these extra nutrients to stop it immediately.

Useful tips to set up a planted tank: Part 2

Useful tips to set up a planted tank: Part 2

Pruning your plants:

Pruning your plants on a regular basis is also very critical for the growth of the plants. Prune them often. Remove old leaves, cut rotten roots that are coming out of the substrate, clip unwanted branches. While planting remember to clip off all old roots and leaves and do not forget to prune the plant again within a week after planting.

Cutting the budding tip off of the stem plants allows them to shoot new branches and makes the plant bushy. Cut the old leaves regularly from the rosette plants to encourage new leaf growth. Pruning is also crucial to control algae. Cut the leaves that are affected with algae. Few plants like hair grass and other fine grass like plants require regular clipping to keep them free from the brush algae.

Remember to be very careful while pruning slow-growing plants like Anubias etc. However, all fast-growing plants will need regular pruning, to control their growth.

In most of the cases (especially fro the stem plants), pruning also yields loads of new plant cuttings, ready to be planted in your tank.

Useful tips to set up a planted tank: Part 1

Useful tips to set up a planted tank: Part 1

Substrate:

Substrate is one of the most critical issues for a planted tank. The substrate can vary from set up to set up and heavily depends on the species that you are planning keep in the tank. Please remember that the substrate in your tank is not just few colorful pebbles with shiny look or a heap of sand dumped at the bottom of the tank. It is one of the key elements that keep a tank living and growing.

Layering in your substrate is also very critical, as you need to use multiple materials for the substrate, depending on the need of the flora and fauna kept in your tank.

For the bottom layer, I use ¼” thick, Iron rich Laterite soil layer at the bottom of the tank to ensure a constant source of Iron for l-o-n-g time. On the top of that I use a 1-1 1/2” think layer of 4-5 mm sand and then 3-5” thick layer of 2-4 mm sand. I put fine sand at the top most layer just for decoration.

Please remember to use calcium-free sand, i.e. sand free from broken pieces of shells etc. if you are planning to add CO2 in your tank, at a later stage.

Use fine sand only for decoration and in limited amount, (better not to use them at all) as the plants do not grow well in fine sand.

Indigenous species

This is a photograph of an indigenous species that I could not identify. I picked up this speciment from a small pet shop in Eastern region of India.

Side View

A side view of my 42 gl. Planted tank. A Corydora julii and a Clown loach can be seen in the photograph with one or two other species.

Loaches

The image shows an Indian spiny loach (Lepidocephalichthys thermalis) in my tank. Initially I kept him, along with few other specimens of the same species, in one 32 gl planted community tank. Later, when the 42 Gl planted set up for loaches was ready, I moved them in that, with other 4 other varieties of loaches – Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus), Kuhli Loach (Pangio kuhlii), "Yoyo" Loach (Botia almorhae), Zebra Loach (Botia striata).

Indian spiny loach (Lepidocephalichthys thermalis) is one of the small and peaceful loaches and could be kept with other fishes. Usually, loaches are very much friendly with other loaches, even if the other one belongs to a different species. They are also very peaceful with most of the common aquarium fishes.

If you keeping loaches, then make sure to have a finer substrate such as river sand and lots of hiding places with plants, rocks, earthen pots (this one is best according to me), driftwoods etc. Loaches are particularly sensitive to temperature, so make sure have a thermostat. Most of the loaches prefer little current in the water. So, do not forget to put a power head. Loaches are best while kept in groups.

For more information on loaches visit Loaches.com

Guppies

The photograph shows one of the breeding female Guppies in my tank. Guppies are the most favorite live bearer of mine, like thousand other aquarists from across the world. Guppy or Poecilia reticulata is probably the most popular freshwater aqurium species in the world. The fish is named after Robert John Lechmere Guppy (a British-born naturalist, 1836-1916) who has discovered this tiny fish in Trinidad, way back in 1866. However, this fish was known to European Aquarists, even before that.

This is a very hardy fish, making it suitable for the beginners. It prefers hard water and can withstand salinity levels up to 150% seawater, making this fish suitable for even a marine tropical community setup.

Its most famous characteristic is its tendency for breeding prolifically. It is known to give birth even while in transit from the pet shop to the home tank. The females are usually ready for conception again within a few hours, after giving birth and can use stored sperm from the previous mating to become pregnant again. Guppies prefer 22 °C (72 °F) for reproduction, but can do well in higher temperature like 26-27 °C, too.

Cryptocorynes

Photograph of a group of Cryptos in my one of my South Asian planted tanks. You can also see the Java ferns (Microsorum pteropus and var. Windeløv) on the driftwood.

Cryptocorynes are grown in a vast region of South Asia, raned from India to Papua New Guinea and probably one of the most popular plants among aquarium hobbyists through out the world. It's been recorded that the first Cryptocoryne cultivation in Europe was started years back, in 1910. Though few Crytocoryne varieties are are avaialble in pet shops in almost every country of the world, some species are nearly to extinct.

Find more details about Cryptocorynes on Crypts Pages.

Corydoras julii

Corydoras julii or Julii Cory or Leopard Cory cat is one of the most adorable fish among all Corydoras and catfishes. This is a small cat fish that originally belongs to Brazil, but later became very popular among the aquarists across the border. The prefer to lie in small groups. So, make sure you never have a lonely Cory in your tank. Like other Corydoras, Cory Julii is also a bottom feeder and eats everything from flakes to dried blood worms. Ideal condition is pH 7.2 and temperature 24-25°C.

Corydoras julii looks very similar to C. trilineatus and often mistaken as the other one, though they are two different species.

Salvina natans 2

Another image of Salvina natans from my tank. Salvina natans is also very useful to absorb extra nutirnets from the water, reducing the possibility of algae bloom in newly set up planted tanks with regular CO2 supply and fertilization.

Salvina natans 1

Salvina natans, is often mistaken as some kind of floating aquatic moss but actually this is a floating aquatic fern. Salvina natans has small, round leaves covered with tiny water proof hairs called papillae. Each node of the plant has a pair of floating leaves and as well as a third submerged leaf that serves as root. The spore is stored at the base of the submerged leaf. Salvina natans is found in almost every corner of the world. It is a quite common plant species found in Central Europe, South America, Asia as well as Africa. Few reasearchers say that Salvina is actually originated from South America, Maylasia, or Central Europe. This is a quite aggressive and fast growing plant and has a reputation as invasive weed.

Salvina is a very common aquarium plant and popular among the aquarists. This is a nice ornamental addition to all open top tanks, but it needs to be monitored and trimmed regularly. This is also great for breeding set ups. Its submerged leaves and roots provide nice hiding places for the fries.

Common Pleco

Here is a juvenile Common Pleco or Hypostomus plecostomus in one of my planted tank. I always introduce couple of juvenile plecos in my mew set ups, as new set ups are prone to be affected easily by brown algae and Plecos are very effective to clean this ugly brown stuff from the leaves of the plants, driftwood or other props that have been used in the tank. But there is only one issue in introducing Plecos in tank. Do remember that these Plecos can grow very large, sometimes 60 cm or more and as they grow up they can become very aggressive, especially to other Plecos. However, this is quite peaceful and hardy fish and ideal for beginners’ and community tanks, provided the tank is large enough to accommodate a grown up pleco.

It does eat algae, but needs other foods like sinking pellets, lettuce, zucchini, sweet potato and green peas. Plecos will eat live plants in the tank, if regular food is not supplied. Do not forget to put driftwood in the tank, as they love to hang around the driftwood and gorge on the algae deposited on it.

Hair grass

Hair grass or Eleocharis acicularis (also called as 'Needle Spike-rush') is one of the most difficult species that I have handled. As the name suggests (Hair Grass), this is a grass-like plant with very fine leaves resembling human hair. This is low height plant that requires high light and nutrient rich substrate and forms a dense underwater 'lawn', making it quite popular among the aquarists, as a 'foreground' plant. It does really well with regular CO2 supply and fertilization.

Hair grass, is found as a bunch of thin threads, entangled with each other. The toughest job is to plant them. Hair grass does extremely well if individual plants are separated in smaller clumps and each clumps are planted in the substrate, separately with a pair of tweezers. Once planted, do not forget to clip the tips off, after a week or two. Hair grass is also very prone to be affected by brush algae. Clipping the tips regularly, helps to control the brush algae growth on the thin leaves of hair grass. Once, the thick 'carpet' is formed, remember to vaccum regularly to get rid of the debris, deposited in the dense 'carpet' of hair grass.

Pistia stratiotes

The above image shows, Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) in my tank. This is a free-floating plant with little thick and spongy spongy, pale green leaves. The leaves are covered with tiny hairs, making them water-resistant. Usually the leaves are 1 to 6 inches wide in wild, but in indoor setups, it might be much smaller. This is a very aggressive invader and can grow very very fast. This has no known direct food value to wildlife and is considered a pest species.

Pistia could be used very effectively in new setups, to absorb extra nutirents that couses algae bloom, but it needs to be monitored very closely on a regular basis, so that it does not cover the whole tank.

Pistia shows a very interresting instance of Allelopathy (Allelopathy - a chemical process that a plant uses to keep other plants from growing too close to it. See Wiki ) with Salvina natans. If Salvina is introduced to a tank that is infested with Pistia, within a week or so, all pistia will disappear and melt away, leaving only the Salvina in the tank.

Salvina molesta

Photograph of a Giant Salvina (Salvina molesta) in my outdoor tub, a breeding heaven for my mixed live bearer community. This is a very aggressive and fast growing plant and can take over your entire tank or tub or pond or stream and lake or river very quickly. Origin of this plant is actually Brazil, but it had been introduced to the hobbyist and aquarists all over the world as a decorative addition to home aquariums. Soon, this aggressive species covered local water bodies choking indigenous plant species to death. Many countries, announced this particular species as an invasive alien species and a pest.

In Zambia, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) has described this Salvina molesta {locally known as Kariba weed) as obnoxious weeds under the Obnoxious Weeds Act, along with few other introduced species like Lantana camara and the aquatic fern. Among them Salvinia molesta or Giant Salvina has also been reported to be a major cause of death and depletion of certain forms of aquatic life including edible fish and reptiles, in Zambia.

It is not welcome in other countries, too. UNESCO World Heritage Center had to put Djoudj Water Sanctuary in Senegal under Danger List in 1981, because of the menace created by this introduced species. However recently, in 2006, Djoudj has been taken out of the Danger List of WHC.

In US, people have started providing professional help to aquarists and fishery owners to eradicate this ‘monster’ weed. A significant growth Salvina is also reported from Australia, Honolulu, UK and other parts of Europe.

Golden CAE

Above is a photograph of a Golden CAE or Chinese Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) from my tank. This is also called as Sucking loach or Indian Algae Eater. As the name suggests, they are good algae eaters. But you need to be little careful while adding CAE in your planted community tank. Number one, they will eat but only when they are young. Grown up CAEs do not touch algae. Number two, grown up CAEs they can become very aggressive and territorial, causing trouble to other CAEs in the tank as well as all other inhabitants of the tank. Again, CAEs can grow up to 8”-10” making them unsuitable for usual home set ups.

However, the golden variety of CAE is a nice addition to a planted tank. But, make sure you introduce him young; introduce only one or maximum 2 (if you have l-a-r-g-e tank) specimen of the species; create enough hiding places for other inhabitants, specially if you have other bottom feeders and algae eaters; plan for an old age home for the guy!

The usual specimen species has complete different coloration than this golden variation of the same species. The usual ones have burnt yellow sides with a dark brown stripe running through length of the body and the stripe is usually interrupted with brown irregular spots. The tail and dorsal fins are usually clear but might have some small patches.

See photograph of the usual specimen of this species from biology.ualberta.ca

In the photo, you can also see a juvenile Pleco along with the CAE.

Bronze Cory

Photograph of a Bronze Cory (Corydoras aeneus), one of the most common Corydoras you will find in hobbyists' tanks around the world. This fish is originally from Amazon region, Trinidad and the Guianan plateau of South America and grow up to 7 cm. Ideal pH of the water should be 7.3 and ideal temperature would be 24°C. This is a very peaceful species and ideal for community tanks. A tank with minimum 50L capacity is recommended for Bronze Corys. Bronze Cories are best kept in groups. A small group of 5-6 fishes are ideal for a mid-sized tank. These fishes are bottom feeder like most other cat fishes. In wild, they feed on algae and lower plants as well as insects, crustaceans and worms. Captive Cories eat sinking pelletes, sinking wafers, frozen bloodworms, shrimp pellets and of course the left over from other fishes. Soft sand as substrate is ideal for these guys, as it will not damage their sensitive barbels.

Cories have a strange but very interesting behaviour. They will dart to the top of the tank to take air. However, they should not do this often and this behaviour, if happens repeatedly, should be considered as one of the first signs that a water change is overdue. Though, bronze cories are bottom feeder like other cories and cat fishes, they will also feed at the top if they realize that their other tankmates are doing so. Quite intelligent and quick learner!

Fish room

This photograph shows a partial view of my fish room. Well, to be frank, it was never a fish room. It is our guest room that I use as my fish room. Of course, our guests like this room very much.

Common Spiny Loach

This is an indigenous loach species, commonly called as Indian Spiny Loach or Common Spiny Loach or Malabar Loach (Lepidocephalichthys thermalis). This is a very peaceful fish, like most of the loaches and could be kept in a community tank. They need plenty of hiding places with soft substrate, like fine sand. Use bogwoods, driftwoods, earthen pots, river stones and plants to provide enough refuge. Ideally, like other loaches, this fish should be kept in groups. It is recommended that minimum 3-4 fishes should kept together. Very active species that love to spring around. They love to burrow themselves under soft sand. A canopy is must if you do not provide enough hiding space in your tank. Try to have a have medium water flow in your tank. Avoid sharp stones, thick sands, as these fishes have a very delicate skin. Feeding habit of these Spiny Loaches are easy. In wild they feed on detritus and occasional algae. In captivity, they could be fed with flake, sinking pellets, thawed frozen mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, daphnia etc. They have very fascinating eating habit. They put a tiny amount of fine sand in their mouth, eat the tiny food particles attached with that, and then throw out the sand through their gills!
pH range required: 6.5 - 7;
Temperature Required: 22 - 24°C

Housekeepers

This is the side view of my 32gl Planted Community tank, densely planted with various species. This was a community set up for fishes, for plants too!

Notice, few of the house keepers in this image - a Sail fin molly and a baby Pleco {Hypostomus plecostomus)! Sail fin Mollies (Poecilia latipinna) are really effective to get rid of Green algae, if not fed with any other kind of food. They will eat every bit of green algae, if they are hungry. But remember, NO FOOD! They won’t even go near the algae, if they are well-fed. The first fish that goes into any of my planted set up - is a 1 or 2 male sail fin mollies. In my views, Sail fin black mollies are the best option to be introduced a newly set up tank, as the first fish. They are hardy and tough; they can stand sudden temperature and pH changes. They are also called as Mexican Sail fin Molly or Giant Sail fin Molly. Another very interesting fact about this fish is, with gradual acclimatization they could be kept in Salt Water tank, fresh water tank or a brackish water tank.

Tank Background

Black background looks always good for planted aquariums. It increases the sense of depth; makes the bushes of background plants at the rear end, look more thicker; covers the back and sides of the tank and prevent unwanted lights!

White or other light color backgrounds might look good in a non-planted set ups like frontosa or mbuna setups.

Nymphaea stellata

Photograph of a floater of a Dwarf Red Lily (Nymphaea stellata) in one of my Community Planted Tanks. Floaters are not really very good for indoor glass aquariums. They just block the light and do not allow the light to reach other plants. Again, floaters are not actually visible from the prime viewing angles, e.g. front or side of an indoor glass aquarium. Again, while developing floaters, most of the plants do not shoot any new submersed leaf. However, I like to keep few floaters in my open top indoor tanks. They look pretty nice. But, floters should be monitored and cleared on a regular basis, to ensure that they do not cover the other plants from the light.

Aquatic Plants

Aquatic plants develop entirely different leaves when they out grow the water level. Like this plant develops reddish green thick and short leaves, instead of usual bright orange, thin, delicate and long leaves that it develops under water. You can see the color of under water leaves of this plant, in Picture No. 027, behind (below) the Hygrophila corymbosa ''angustifolia''.

Hygrophila corymbosa ''angustifolia''

Top view of Hygrophila corymbosa ''angustifolia''. The main difference between, Hygrophila corymbosa and Hygrophila corymbosa ''angustifolia'' is in the shape and size of their leaves. Hygrophila corymbosa ''angustifolia'' produces much longer leaves than ordinary Hygrophila corymbosa. This is a typical stem plant with strong roots and branches. The leaves grows smallers and dakrer in color if grown above the water surface.

Planted Tank

Side view of one of my freshwater planted tanks!

Cryptocoryne and Others

The image shows various Cryptocorynes and Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana) in my planted tank. Like Java Moss, Cryptocorynes are also South Asian plants. Cryptos have been one of the most favorite plants among aquarists. They are not demanding, grow fast, do not require much light and suitable for even hard water. However, Cryptos require a nutritious bottom. They grow long and very strong roots. Once rooted properly, Crypots form a thick bush, making them suitable as mid-ground and background plants. Uprooting an year-old bush of Cryptos would lead you to rip off the entire set up, making the substrate, along with all other adjacent plants to come out with them.

Like other aquarists, crypotos are my favourites, too. I liked to use various Cryptocorynes together, to form a cohesive group of thick bush, including Cryptocoryne wendtii (both 'Green' and 'Brown' varieties), Cryptocoryne parva (the smallest Crypto) and Cryptocoryne undulata. They are also my favorites for their variety of shapes and colors. Colored Cryptos are probably one of the few colored aquatic plants that produce colored leaves without lot of light. It is compatible with most of the plants, it might restrict the growth of any 'rooted' plants, if that plant was planted in close proximity of a family of Cryptos.

PS: Can you see my Madagascar Lace (Aponogeton madagascariensis) in the corner?

Ludwigia repens

A close-up of Ludwigia repens. This is one of my favorites among all fast-growing and less demanding Stem Plants. A native of North America, this plant is one of the most popular aquarium plants through out the world. It can survive with even medium light, but will show it's actual color, bright red, only if it gets high light. Like other stem plants, Ludwigia repens is very effective to fill the mid-ground or background of the tank, if planted in small groups. This plant needs to be pruned regularly and when pruned it develops numerous side branches and becomes bushy.

Indian Aquatic Fern

This is a floating Indian aquatic fern (Ceratopteris thalictroides! Notice the thick bush of the roots that provides secured hiding places for the fries!

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Another close-up of Ceratopteris thalictroides or Indian Floating Fern! Notice the red (purple) Alternanthera reineckii at the right corner!

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Floating Ceratopteris thalictroides, commonly known as Indian Aquatic Fern. This is a south Asian plant, ideally needs soft and acidic (pH 5.5-6.5) water., bright light, and 20-26oC (68-78oF) temperature. It can be grown submersed or as a floating plant. I like them to keep floating in my planted communitty tank of live bearers. The thick bush of its green broad leaves and dense bunch of roots provides a secured refuge for the fries! Buds form on the tips of older leaves, which can be separated and replanted or left floating. Though the leaf colour and shape is variable under different lighting conditions, in optimum conditions it becomes bright green and displays its visually rich foliage, as its plumage!

Hornwort

Another close-up of Hornwort (Ceratophylum demersum)! Hornwort does equally well if rooteed or not! If not rooted it floats and branch out to cover all available space. Nice Floating plants for breeding set ups for nest builders and live bearers.

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Close-up of a Hornwort (Ceratophylum demersum)! This is a fast growing plant, that out grows all other plants in the tank and covers the entire space avaialble! Very nice looking and require little care, but needs to be monitored and pruned regularly! In some countries, like New Zealand, Hornworts are considered as and invasive pest that is hard to eradicate.

Hygrophila corymbosa ''angustifolia'

Close-up of Hygrophila corymbosa ''angustifolia'' from my 29gl Planted. Alternanthera reineckii is also seen in this photograph, at the right corner!

New Set Up

A new set up! Only livebearers are introduced initially with plants and other accessories to start the nitrogen cycle!

Accessories:
1. River-bed Rocks
2. Driftwood
3. Fossil Rock

Substrate:
1. 1" - 2" thick layer of 2-3 mm Calcium-free Sand on top
2. 3" - 4" thick layer of 4-5 mm Calcium-free Sand in the middle
3. 3/4" - 1" thick layer of 4-5 mm Calcium-free Sand mixed with rich red Laterite

Flora:
1. Anubias barteri
2. Anubias barteri var. nana
3. Anubias barteri var. angustifolia (''afzelii'')
4. Microsorum pteropus
5. Microsorum pteropus 'Windeløv

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Another image of my South Asian Loach tank

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My loach tank!

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Top View Outdoor Tub for Live bearers and cold water fishes like Gold Fishes and Koi carps! The Picture shows Floating Plants and Floaters of Submerged Plants

Laterite in Substrate

Red lily, Nymphaea stellata in 42 gl planted tank! The submerged leaves of Nymphaea, always look very good on glass tank.Tough, in tub and ponds, the floaters look better. As far as, the plant's prefernece is concerned, I noticed that they like to shoot floaters ( click here to see 'floaters' ), rather than developing submerged leaves, if there is enough light. Like any other red aquatic plants, red lily, produces bright red leaves, if substrate is rich with irons! I use laterite soil, in the substrate! It works!

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Tropical Fish Tank with Aquatic Plants

Madagascar Lace in my awarded tank

One of my initial planted set ups, mostly mixed plants - from various biotopes and geo-locations! It was pretty, but it never had any strong characteristic! However, my favourite Madagascar Lace (Aponogeton madagascariensis) was there in this set up!

In 2004 I have recieved an award for this set up! Click the link below to see details: 2004 Photo Ace Contest by About.com

Madagascar lace is a quite difficult species. It requires nutrient rich substrate, enough light, regular fertilization, co2 supply etc. Though it could be kept in a community set up with other species (except few aggressive and fast growing species like hornwart or pistia etc), it is so demanding that people prefers to put it in a separate tank to provide more care. Even if planted with other plants it is suggested to keep few inches away from other plants just to ensure it receives proper light without being guarded by other plants. Just to give this plant a little more advantage.

This plant has a long dormant period. So, even it is not growing, I'd suggest to keep the bulb in your tank, buried in your substrate. It might surprise you one day with a green bud.

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Planted Tank of Samit Roy

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Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana) in my 42gl Planted Aquarium! These are quite hardy plants and does not require too much light! They look really pretty if attached with stone or driftwood! They get seriously damaged by Green Algae if exposed to sunlight or other high light, for long!

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Flowering Aquatic Plan with Floaters

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Fresh water Planted Tank of Samit Roy

Planted Nature Tank

Freshwater Planted Tank of Samit Roy

Aquarium Tips: Part 5

Tips that you must know before setting up an Aquarium Part 5:

9. Be aware of the “Beginners’ Blue”. The initial weeks could be frustrating, as your fishes might die suddenly, water might become cloudy or green, plants might die or get covered with ugly algae. Be patient. Try to understand the cause of the problem. Remember, the slow and steady still wins the race.

10. Be prepared to spend time with your tank, fishers, and plants. You don’t need to spend all the time beside your tank or work vigorously everyday cleaning up buckets of dirty water. Just spend an hour or a half, everyday with your tank. Watch them, feel them, touch them, try to understand them. You will never regret that!

Aquarium Tips: Part 4

Tips that you must know before setting up an Aquarium Part 4:

1. NEVER get your fishes and tank together. It will take minimum a week or two, sometimes more, to prepare a tank for fishes. This is the MOST COMMON MISTAKE that everyone makes. You must allow the beneficial bacteria to settle down build colonies and start the nitrogen cycle.

2. Accessories are not always extra. Choose the filter, heater, air pump and the lighting system very wisely. Filter is the most critical equipment for a successful set up. There are various types of filters available in the market. What kind of filter would be right for you, will greatly depend on the type of set up you are planning to build, the size of your tank, the number of fishes you want to keep, their sizes and so on.

Aquarium Tips: Part 3

Tips that you must know before setting up an Aquarium Part 3:

1. Make sure you have electric connection and switch board adjacent to this space. You will require minimum 3-6 plug points with individual switch, depending on the size of the tank and type of set up. DO NOT forget to check the earthing and wirings carefully. Electricity leakage in tank could be fatal.

2. Always go for the largest possible size that fits in that space and your budget of course. NEVER think like the mythical fool who said, “Let’s begin with a smaller one! I will buy a larger tank, if this does well!” You will be sorry. It won’t do well, if you are a beginner. The smaller tanks are harder to maintain and could be done only if you have enough experience.

Aquarium Tips: Part 2

Tips that you must know before setting up an Aquarium Part 2:

1. NEVER plan to keep your tank in the areas where you and your family members move very frequently, like in a narrow corridor or beside the doors or on the center table of your living room! Also, try to keep it away from the reach of the kids and other pets.

2. Avoid the space that gets direct sunlight, even if it gets sun for few minutes a day and for few months of a year. If your tank gets sunlight, even for a few minutes, you will have tough time with algae.

Aquarium Tips: Part 1

Tips that you must know before setting up an Aquarium Part 1:

1. Your aquarium is not a lifeless toy or showpiece like your Ming flower vase or Michelangelo replica. It is a living being – growing, breathing, aging like us. You need to treat it as a sensible and delicate life form. The idea is to set up a replica of the living nature, in a very small scale.

2. Decide the place you want keep your tank, before you buy it. Measure the space. Remember, you will need minimum 2’ wide area on both sides of the tank and 1’ at the back. You will need this area to maneuver your tanks and sometimes to keep accessories.