Ric's Rena

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Ric
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Then proceeded to clean the tank, level the stand (thanks for the inspiration @WinterRose73 ) and slowly built everything up again.

Decided to chuck all the limnophila sessiliflora - it simply had become too straggly. Also got rid of an old piece of wood which just crumbled. Had already got a new (2nd-hand) piece of wood ready to go in.

And this is where my tale ends for tonight :D

The fish are all back in but the tank is still a little cloudy so I shall take pics of the new look tomorrow, perhaps... :swim:
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Ric
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Still looking a little cloudy but here goes:
FTS:
Image

SAE & netted algae eaters dancing along the front glass:
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Amazon Sword surrounded by a ring of vallis:
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Octopus plants(not sure whether that's the name?) and some guppy grass:
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Marimo moss on wood & coconut shell. That stuff holds water like a sponge:
Image
Last edited by Ric on Sat Feb 22, 2020 17:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ric
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..and a couple of videos:
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Ric
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Only thing I've noticed is that the gravel is lighter in colour after it has had its rinse than it looked in the pack at first. Apart from that there is now more space for the fish until, I hope, the amazon sword fills in the middle part of the tank.
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Fishtales
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Your tank looks great @Ric The layout is really impressive. I hope I can get my tanks to look like this one day :D

Is that guppy grass easy to grow?
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Ric
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Thank you, @Fishtales , that is very kind of you to say. I just play around with the plants and hardscape stuff and see what happens. Like the lemnophila, which had become rather unsightly, so decided to chuck it; also left out a few bigger stones I had in previously and just used the wood and plants. The rest is simply up to how you like it :)

The guppy grass is really easy. Got it a few weeks ago in a swap, same as that octopus plant, and both have been doing really well. I've simply stuck the guppy grass in the corner among the octopus plants just to keep it secure in an area. Also, both plants have very similar leaves so fill in that space nicely (in my mind). One thing I've read a few times and found happening recently is that the guppy grass tends to break off and float around in the tank. Depends on how fussy you are, this may annoy you or you'll just be happy that the plant is growing really well :D
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Fishtales
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Thanks Ric. Oh I'm not fussy, I would be over the moon with good plant growth :) I really like how natural your tank looks and yet well balanced at the same time. I am still a bit scared of real plants, I only have Elodea Densa in my tank and a tiny bit of Amazon Frogbit.

I think I will get some Guppy Grass and give it a go :)
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Ric
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Both the female mollies have been spending time near the heater over the last few days and today this one is going crazy - up and down that glass. I think she is about to drop today or tonight... :)
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Ric
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Looking clearer today, even if it does not show much difference on the pic:

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Last edited by Ric on Sat Feb 22, 2020 17:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Andys temperate tank
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Looking good Ric lad.

I always find photos dont do a clear aquarium justice.
64l kitchen tank: 16 golden tetra.
5ft 425L: 3 blue angel fish, 30 rummie nose tetra, 20 black neon tetra, 1 longfin bristlenose plec, 2 corydoras sterbai, 24 corydoras duplicareas,2 SAE.
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