Saturday 16 April 2016

Anubias sp. 'Pangolino' - The smallest Anubias

Anubias sp. 'Pangolino' is the smallest Anubias existing in the world. It has narrow, very small leaves and very short thick rhizomes.
It was actually discovered when cultivating the Anubias nana ´Bonsai´, which is produced by means of meristem cultivation in Dennerle greenhouse. Occasionally, some seedlings would grow in their cultured plant beds with considerably smaller leaf size. By selection, they have isolated a couple of the “miniature plants” and observed them thoroughly. An important step was the test phase in an aquarium. In cooperation with Dennerle, Mr. Massimo Ianella from Italy has tested this new plant. After some time it became clear that the plant continues to grow steadily in this dwarf form. Being a creative collector of rarities, Massimo almost immediately came up with a great name: ´Pangolino´! This name is inspired by the scaled body of the Pangolin. The narrow leaflets of this new variety are often overlapping like scales. During production as well as in the aquarium, the plants grow extremely slowly. For plant freaks, the ´Pangolino´ Anubias is a true rarity and a genuine enrichment among the miniature plants.
Like most Anubias species, Anubias sp. ‘Pangolino’ does not require much attention. Regular water changes and the occasional dose of fertilizers will keep this plant healthy. It grows well in a wide range of water conditions, but grows fastest in cool water, high light and carbon dioxide inject setups. In lower light conditions, it is truly a low maintenance plant and will continue to grow slowly (1-2 leaves a month). Attach the rhizome to driftwood or rock using thread or fishing line.

Wednesday 13 April 2016

Nano aquascape - "Dance of the Fireflies"

Dimensions: 38x19x22cm or 15x7.5x9" (15 liters) - Optiwhite
Lighting: Chihiros A-Series 21W
Filtration: Eheim 2211 (sponge, ceramic rings, Purigen) 
CO2: 3kg cylinder, Inline atomizer, 1 bps 
Heating: DIY inline with Jager 25W
Substrate: JBL Manado
Hardscape: Redmoor wood, lava rocks
Fertilization: PPS pro, Easy carbo
Water parameters: Temp. 24'C, pH 6.7, KH 5, GH 8
Plants: Cryptocoryne tokinensis, Cryptocoryne parva 'Mini', Bucephalandra sp. 'Cherry', Bolbitis sp. 'Mini Guinea 2002', Microsorum sp. 'Dwarf narrow leaf', Eleocharis acicularis,, Fissidens fox, Fissidens Grandifrons var. Planiccaulis, Fissidens sp. 'Brasil', Phyllanthus fluitans, Bolbitis heteroclita 'Difformis', Riccardia chamedryfolia, Crepidomanes Sp. Calicut.
Fish/shrimps:  Boraras brigittae, Neocaridina heteropoda var. "Yellow", Leopard ramshorn snails