JLAquatic's 10 Gallon Betta Tank Aquascape

Tank has cleared up some in the last few hours.
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Pretty! Following!

 

Some of the stem plants have already begun straightening themselves out! I think they like the new setup! Also planted the Pearlweed a little more thoroughly last night since I had the time to. It hasen't even been one day and I can already see some progress!

The Rotala h'ra was all folded up when it was planted yesterday. Look at those stems now!

 

Some of the stem plants have already begun straightening themselves out! I think they like the new setup! Also planted the Pearlweed a little more thoroughly last night since I had the time to. It hasen't even been one day and I can already see some progress!
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The Rotala h'ra was all folded up when it was planted yesterday. Look at those stems now!

This is low tech right? I'm interested in seeing how these plants will do in a low tech tank...

 

Not

This is low tech right? I'm interested in seeing how these plants will do in a low tech tank...

Not really. The tank currently uses a diy CO2 system.

 

Tank has completely cleared up! I used media from my 29 to jump start the cycle. I have to do a 50 percent water change tomorrow (and every other day for the next few weeks) to maintain the balance in this new setup. However, I think it will be worth it in the end!


The Limnophilia Heterophylla has really perked up today, they are to the left of the Pogostemen Octopus in the back right corner!

 

Believe it or not some of the plants are already beginning to grow in my setup within 3 days! I see visible growth on the Rotala h'ra, Limnophila Heterophylla, and the Pogostemen Octopus! I just did a 50 percent water change and will do another tomorrow or Saturday! I am so excited!

 

Believe it or not some of the plants are already beginning to grow in my setup within 3 days! I see visible growth on the Rotala h'ra, Limnophila Heterophylla, and the Pogostemen Octopus! I just did a 50 percent water change and will do another tomorrow or Saturday! I am so excited!

Awesome sign. Also beautiful scape! It’s going to make for one happy happy betta . Following.

 

Here is an update for you all. Some of the plants are doing great, a few are entering their transition phase and look not so good. However, all the plants show new growth none the less. Here is an image of some of the main plants I added and their progress and growth over only 5 days in the new aquarium!

Bacopa Caroliniana is still green and looks great but has shown just a little growth thus far.


Bacopa Monnieri has shown decent growth so far and is already growing side shoots!


Rotala h'ra has shown great growth! Tons of side shoots and growing new leaves at the top already!



Limnophilia has shown tremendous growth so far, already needed a little trim in the first week!



Pearlweed is starting to grow in nicely! It will take a while to get it to fill in with areas of melting Pearlweed, but this is definitely a great start! Look at all those new shoots!



Ludwigia Rubin has gotten very thick roots and starting to grow now, just slowly.



Possibly one of my new favorite plants, the Hydrocotyle Tripartita groups are now spreading their vines steadily with new growth. I'm really looking forward to seeing this filled in the front section of the aquascape!



The Pogostemen has perked up and is now slowly growing in the back corner now.



The Dwarf Sag and all the Crypts have not had a fun time in the new setup so far. However, I am hopeful as both plant types have new small leaves growing now! Perhaps they are vulnerable to the transition period.

I will post again in a few weeks with another progress update, so stay tuned!

 

The one week update is here!
Drumroll please...


The plants are absolutely doing amazing right now! There is visible growth on almost all the plants now I added, within one week! The Pearlweed has many side shoots now and everything looks more green now! Here is a beginning picture to compare the one week difference now!

 

How? Do you get plants to grow in our nasty water? That looks amazing.

 

How? Do you get plants to grow in our nasty water? That looks amazing.

Okay, so I have noticed there are a few things to consider with growing plants here in Michigan. Do you A: get water directly from a well or B: Get softened water through the tap?

 

I get pure city water. No well no softener.

 

I get pure city water. No well no softener.

Ahh, so our water is indeed different then. I get my water through softened well water directly from the tap. My GH is always zero but buffered to at least 4 (6-7 with shrimp and snails) with Equilibrium and the KH is usually always 13. I do dose diy CO2 in this tank as well and use ADA Amazonia which lowers the pH of the water in the 10 gallon. However, I know my water is perfectly capable of growing aquatic plants without CO2 or pH buffering or all that fancy stuff, the 29 here is living proof of that.


I have a few suggestions for you to possibly try if you would like to hear, it's totally up to you though.

 

Ahh, so our water is indeed different then. I get my water through softened well water directly from the tap. My GH is always zero but buffered to at least 4 (6-7 with shrimp and snails) with Equilibrium and the KH is usually always 13.

Egads my GH is 15 and KH is 8-9...lol yeah way different.

 

Egads my GH is 15 and KH is 8-9...lol yeah way different.

I'm thinking that the GH is your main problem here, making it too hard for most plants to photosynthesize. Our pH is the same and your KH is lower and more ideal for aquatic plants than even my water, so GH is all I can think of. This would explain why the Vals (loves harder water) you have absolutely thrive while most other plants struggle. In my tank with lower GH, your Vals took a different form with more narrow leaves because my setup is not as ideal for them as your's. Changing the KH or pH won't do a thing, but the GH is where your problem likely is. There are ways to naturally decrease GH, which by doing so will give you more opportunities plant wise IMO.

 

Peat moss is what I am thinking about doing, but I if ph doesn't affect plants then I probably won't. For you stargirl, here is one without any additives: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sphagnum-P...ll-_-688-_-2310-_-0-_-20210501_hro_product_id

 

Peat moss is what I am thinking about doing, but I if ph doesn't affect plants then I probably won't. For you stargirl, here is one without any additives: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sphagnum-P...ll-_-688-_-2310-_-0-_-20210501_hro_product_id

PH can affect the growth of some of the more exotic and expensive plants what are harder to care for. If you are using easy to medium difficulty plants like me, pH should not be a problem granted it is not in the extremes.

Egads my GH is 15 and KH is 8-9...lol yeah way different.

StarGirl, In addition to Peat Moss suggested by SouthAmericanCichlids, you can use special aquarium soils in your tanks which will naturally decrease your GH and PH. Here is a API test for PH on the 10 gallon to the left with ADA Aquasoil and the 29 gallon to the right with inert substrate. The soil will have the same effect with GH, but the differences of the tests are much easier to show with PH.

 

The plants are looking really happy today, I just charged up the diy CO2 again, here is the lowdown today.


Ludwigia Rubin is beginning to turn red now!


The Pogostemen Octopus is now getting long red tinged leaves! It looks cooler in person than in the photo.


The Limnophilia is multiplying beyond control!


The Pearlweed Carpet is growing in nicely! Look at all these new shoots!


The Hydrocotyle is pearling for the first time!

I will provide more updates to come, so stay tuned for more.

 

Update! Who does not like updates! Anyway, The ammonia is now stabilizing in this tank after only 1.5 weeks and I added some Ramshorn and Bladder Snails (I personally like Bladder Snails and have had them for a long time now) from the 29 gallon to help seed the tank, the first livestock! I also plan to add 6 of the reddest Cherries from the 29 (4 female, 2 male) into this tank once the Ammonia officially reaches zero. The plants are growing faster each and every day. The first image is from May 3, and the second one is of this morning, only 6 days apart! It is coming along nicely

 

Update! I know it has been only one day and all since the last, but there are a few milestones that I want to share with you all. Vishaquatics, your plants are all growing like crazy!


Whole tank shot today! Everything is super green and healthy. I do have a little brown diatom and staghorn algae, but that is to be expected until everything establishes completely. Snails are making short work of the algae and biofilm on the wood, I am so proud of them!



The largest inhabitant in the new setup so far, this is my blue spotted Ramshorn Snail. I really like his colors against the expanding Pearlweed Carpet!



The Pearlweed is filling in amazingly! It seems this carpet gets greener each and every day with new shoots!



Ludwigia Rubin looks amazing. The new growth is officially a really beautiful red color, this plant has become a great focal point in my aquascape! It is growing very fast now after a slow transition!



The Pogostemen Octopus might need a good trim very soon! I love the draped look for now, so I will keep it a little longer. It is growing extremely fast and plenty of side shoots are forming now! This will prove useful in filling the back corner in completely in the days ahead.



The Rotala h'ra has finally made itself visible in my setup, yay! There are plenty of shoots in there so it should grow up very nicely in the next few weeks. The Hydrocotyle Tripartita in front is spreading beyond control! I will have to manipulate the vines some to achieve the look I want, but lots of growth is much better than no growth at all!



The Limnophilia is about ready for trim #2! I love how this plant contrasts the Pogostemen Octopus!



To no one's surprise, the Water Wisteria I added from the 29 gallon really took a liking to this new setup! I think the leaf morphs will look fantastic amongst the other background plants once they grow in!

 

Woah. The tank is pretty much identical to the photoshopped image now! I’m sure the snails are happy in there.

 

This tank is looking great!

 

Woah. The tank is pretty much identical to the photoshopped image now! I’m sure the snails are happy in there.

I didn't even realize that until now! It really does, that is scary!
Maybe I should start doing photoshop prototype aquascapes for others when they need help!

My tank



The Photoshopped tank I made from a few weeks back


Good eyes you have there, StinkyLoaf!

 

Things are looking really good in there! I absolutely love how it is all coming together. I'd say in about 1-2 weeks, you will be due to hack down the pearlweed real low in that tank. Don't be afraid to chop it down really short, probably around 0.25" - 0.5" down to the substrate. Just a reminder that extremely sharp scissors are key for any sort of trimming. Using dull scissors will cause stem bruising and potentially some melt.

 

Things are looking really good in there! I absolutely love how it is all coming together. I'd say in about 1-2 weeks, you will be due to hack down the pearlweed real low in that tank. Don't be afraid to chop it down really short, probably around 0.25" - 0.5" down to the substrate. Just a reminder that extremely sharp scissors are key for any sort of trimming. Using dull scissors will cause stem bruising and potentially some melt.

That was already in the original plan I had. I have special aqua scaping scissors that should be able to chop though the Pearlweed just fine. Thanks for looking at the updated tank, it means a lot to me! I am thinking I will have to trim and propagate the Pogostemen Octopus and Ludwigia Rubin soon as well.

 

That was already in the original plan I had. I have special aqua scaping scissors that should be able to chop though the Pearlweed just fine. Thanks for looking at the updated tank, it means a lot to me! I am thinking I will have to trim and propagate the Pogostemen Octopus and Ludwigia Rubin soon as well.

I bought a cheapo-pair of curved and straight aquascaping scissors a while ago. Both pairs ended up being really dull, and bruised/tore my plants, rather than leaving a clean, crisp cut. I had to sharpen the scissors with a whetstone to get them to an acceptable state. Yours may be sharp enough, but just a heads up to be on the safe side.

The Pogo and Rubin definitely grow fast too! Tank is looking great overall

 

I bought a cheapo-pair of curved and straight aquascaping scissors a while ago. Both pairs ended up being really dull, and bruised/tore my plants, rather than leaving a clean, crisp cut. I had to sharpen the scissors with a whetstone to get them to an acceptable state. Yours may be sharp enough, but just a heads up to be on the safe side.

The Pogo and Rubin definitely grow fast too! Tank is looking great overall

Thank you! This tank still needs a lot of work to finally become what I expect it to look like, but these two weeks have shown that this is a great start in the makings of a true slice of nature.

 

10g after major trim number one! The Dwarf Sags and the Crypts are finally starting to recover in acclimation! It will be a while until they are in the state I am looking for, but it is all going well regardless and the rocks are visible once again, yay!

 

10g after major trim number one! The Dwarf Sags and the Crypts are finally starting to recover in acclimation! It will be a while until they are in the state I am looking for, but it is all going well regardless and the rocks are visible once again, yay!

Wow man, stellar looking tank.

 

Wow man, stellar looking tank.

Thank you SO MUCH for your kind words! This means so much to me and it is stuff like this which encourages me to explore the amazing hobby of aquascaping more! The tank is not 100 percent grown in yet, but I think that the tank should look like I intended in a month or two.

 

Update! The stem plants have not taken long to grow new shoots from where they were cut! The tank will look much more full next time the stem plants grow in, I'm so excited! Here are the details;


Full tank shot. Not much different than yesterday, but up close there is a different story;



Pogostemen Octopus! Look at that cut stem right under the wood. There are about 8 side shoots forming from where I cut it only a few days back! All the other stems are like this too. The future Betta will have a Pogostemen Stellatus Octopus haven once I get him!



Ludwigia Rubin is the same way! Look at all those little red side shoots forming in the picture. I will have a nice red Ludwigia bush in no time at this rate!



Hydrocotyle Japan is growing so fast I can barely keep up! It is covering everything in clover leaves, but I love the look it gives!



The one plant that was almost forgotten, the Dwarf Sag is beginning to grow in strong after a very long melting period. I think that this will develop into a nice little carpet to contrast the Pearlweed once it grows in the back left corner.

 

Magic of CO2 and good horticultural care on your part at work here! Pretty soon the tank will be well over-run with plants. In my experience, one of the hardest parts of maintaining a hightech tank is managing the vegetation. Everything grows so fast and the biomass accumulates very quickly, which demands frequent and meticulous trimming.

 

Magic of CO2 and good horticultural care on your part at work here! Pretty soon the tank will be well over-run with plants. In my experience, one of the hardest parts of maintaining a hightech tank is managing the vegetation. Everything grows so fast and the biomass accumulates very quickly, which demands frequent and meticulous trimming.

Yeah, I am extremely glad I ended up getting that little diy kit! I have only had to charge it up twice so far, but I will definitely switch my setups to pressurized co2 once I muster enough funds! I thought my low tech 29 gallon grew fast before, but growth rates in this little 10 gallon are almost 5 times as fast!


Another Update: Tank is almost completely cycled now! Just a little more Nitrite to go (.25 ppm), the bottle was dark purple two days ago and ammonia is gone after all this time with leeching ADA Aquasoil, Yay! If the Nitrites are zero by tomorrow, I will add the shrimp and a few other critters to the new tank from the 29, so stay tuned for more!

 

After all this time and dozens of water changes, it has finally paid off. The 10 gallon Betta Aquascape is officially cycled now!


This process took 3 weeks to complete with established media. First the ammonia became a super dark evergreen color (darkest green I ever seen from the ammonia kit) from the horrible leeching of ammonia. I had to do 50 percent water changes every other day for two weeks for the evergreen color to fade into yellow. The next few weeks saw the Nitrite spike to a super dark plum purple. This was like that despite many 50 percent water changes each day until yesterday. It started lightening up and this morning it is finally the desirable blue color! Nitrates are not shown in the picture but they are currently 5 ppm. So, it is finally official. I can begin phase 3 of my grand plan. I started by dosing some Equilibrium in my aquarium to raise the GH to 6-7 dGH. This is ideal for all the critters I plan on adding to the setup, but still low enough for most plants to appreciate.


Water is slightly cloudy, but that is just equilibrium doing its thing. I will have a massive update in a few hours, so stay tuned for more!
Shrimp are making themselves at home perfectly in the new setup!

 

Update: All the shrimp are doing very well. One of the shrimp must have molted overnight because I have 2 berried Shrimp now versus only one yesterday!


You can see shrimp in this photo if you look close enough!



My most vibrant male shrimp



One of my berried Females

 

*Important Note*

I will be combining this old thread with a new thread of mine. This is the new thread here;

JL's Aquascapes and Fish | Members Fish Tanks Forum | 499234

Feel free to follow the new thread if you are still interested in the development of this tank. I will post plenty more updates leading up to the big reveal, the new Betta himself! The old thread will not get any more updates as of today, so I would hate to see you all go.