Reply With QuoteThose tanks are very nice, especially amazing without Co2
It has been a while since I post photo of the aquariums I keep in my office. I have re-scaped both aquariums since then. These are low maintenance aquariums - no CO2 injection and very little fertiliser. Temperature is ~24C.
1. My aquariums - 16" and 2ft aquariums
This is where my colleagues hang out when they are stressed out
2. I keep Nana Petit, Crypts, Narrow Leaf Java Fern, Echinodorus and mosses in this aquarium. The Nana Petit are really lovely when grown under low light and low temperature.
3. 2ft moss aquarium
This is where I keep most of my precious mosses. At the back is what I call "Giant Taiwan Moss" which I mentioned in this post. Its leaves are bigger than the regular Taiwan Moss (5~6" long) and it doesn't branch as much. On the right drift wood is Weeping Moss, at the middle is what looks like Spiky Moss and on tall drift wood on the left is Weeping Moss. Ben Yau's Fissidens is growing on the stone on bottom left.
This is a closeup of the Fissidens :
4. Finally my Moss pole. I have a few Cherry Shrimps in this vase.
I think a bigger vase (2ftx6" diameter) and a longer 'pole' would make a very stunning display. Such vase are very popular and cheap in China, selling at <US$20. (I will post photo of the Fish market in China another time). I hope to hand carry one such vase back one of these days
Those tanks are very nice, especially amazing without Co2
Deborah
Mr Gan,
What's that long grassy-like plant above the 2ft tank in the first picture? I love it! Where did you buy it from?
Both tanks have the maturity and beauty a stable tank acquires only through time.
Thanks
Deborah,
I am glad that you like the aquariums.
I have learned that many plants can thrive without CO2 injection under cool climate.
Terence,
The common name of the plant is 'Spider Plant' (Chlorophytum comosum). There are three varieties - green, green with white center vein and white with green center vein. They are very easy to grow and can be found in most of the nurseries.
I can spare you a few plantlets if you like to give it a try.
Nice tanks Gan.
Did you use any base fertilizers for these two tanks?
I also notice you used two lights for the 2ft tank. Any particular reason?
Zulkifli
Gan,
Really like the 2ft moss tank! I'm curious, too, what you did for the
substrate. How much light (WPG) is over this tank?
Bill
Zulkifli, Bill,
I have base fert in the 16" tank but just an inch of lapis gravel in the 2ft tank as I had intended to grow mainly moss in it.
The 16" tank has 11W PL light while the 2ft tank has 2x15W FL light. Both tanks are getting ~2W/G. In addition, these tanks also get some natural light from the window.
Initially I had only 15W on the 2 feet tank. I found it too dim and the mosses were growing very slowly. After adding another 15W and dosing Seachem Excel, the mosses are now very green and healthy.
One day I might just throw my CO2 cylinder out of the window! I don't like all the solenoid troubles and the never-ending top ups!Originally Posted by Piscesgirl
Those tanks are very nice, especially amazing without Co2
I got my CO2 system fron Nature Aquarium and I have never had any problem (touch wood). In fact I am just got hold another (NA) 2nd hand CO2 set for my office tanks ! I am planning to inject a little CO2 but will still keep them as low maintenance tanks, i.e. no fertiliser or weekly water change.One day I might just throw my CO2 cylinder out of the window! I don't like all the solenoid troubles and the never-ending top ups!Those tanks are very nice, especially amazing without Co2
Don't! You will regret if you do it. CO2 injected tanks need dosing of inorganic nutrients to meet the demands of plants whereas non-CO2 types don't need much except for fish food and maybe an occasional dosing of inorganic nutrients.
Regards
Peter Gwee
Peter,Don't! You will regret if you do it. CO2 injected tanks need dosing of inorganic nutrients to meet the demands of plants whereas non-CO2 types don't need much except for fish food and maybe an occasional dosing of inorganic nutrients.
Regards
Peter Gwee
What is the negative results you have observed of injecting CO2 in low maint tanks ?
I have low maint tank with CO2 injection at home. Kwek Leong also has many low main tanks with CO2 and the plants are doing great. The idea is to remove CO2 as a limiting factor, similar (but exactly) to dosing Excel except it is automated.
Thanks for the plant ID! I think I'll have to turn down your offer, my home cannot support house plants.
Once you remove the limiting factor, plants' demand for nitrogen/potassium/phosphate and everything else increases accordingly. Plants growth get stunted and algae gets growing.
But I guess you've found a certain level of CO2 to injcet where there are no problems?
Gan,
I think, technically, Peter is right. He understands water chemistry and the implications of injecting CO2 better than anyone I know. But then again, it would be a pity not to use the CO2 cylinder if you have already bought it. My balcony tanks are pretty low-tech but I feed CO2 into all of them. Unlike most hobbyists, I have been growing aquatic plants for a long time, long before CO2 injection was discovered. In the old days, growing aquatic plants was very much a "hit and miss" thing. Sometimes they grow but more often than not, they die. But ever since CO2 injection came along, the hobby revolutionalise. Where before, we were delighted to get one or 2 plants growing, now we can't be happy unless there's prolific growth.
I'm partial to CO2 injection. With due respect to people like Diana Walstad who preaches low-tech tanks, I think not using CO2 tanks when they are easily available is such a waste. The hobby should move forward and not backwards to the old days where everything was low-tech. The books in the old days always say the CO2 supplied by the fish is enough for the aquatic plants but I have never found that to be true.
Loh K L
Hello everyone
Yes Kwek Leong, I share your sentiments too. I was very much frustrated in my high school days of keeping planted tanks, reading books that say a proper balance of fish and plants would provide enough CO2. But to no avail, my plants always melted away.
Currently, I'm using DIY yeast CO2 in my 2 nano tanks. Although I'm biased to a CO2 setup, more or less for its pearling effects, I am considering a change to a non-CO2 setup, with good reasons.
I'm new to this forum, and as a courtesy note, I think i should give a brief introduction. I currently attend university in Sydney, but hail from Malaysia. This year end, I will be heading home for the summer break, which spans 3 months. So, my tanks would be left with a friend. I do not want to burden him with making CO2 solutions, on top of feeding and fertiliser dosing. So, I'm thinking of changing to non CO2.
I have a large collection of stem plants and crypts in this tank, also a few moss species I collected from around Sydney. So I would want to make sure they make it through the summer.
I think if one wants to go low maintenence, or planning to own 2 dozen tanks (like me), then definitely go for non-CO2 (well at least for some tanks). But by all means, don't slack. Give your tanks the very best you can provide.
Well, sorry for this immensely long post. And thanks also for bearing with me. I have a tendency to ramble, unfortunately. By the way, Gan, those tanks of yours are very nice, I'm very much impressed that you can keep rare mosses in non-CO2 tanks!
Regards
Min
Welcome to the forum, Min.
I'm a rambler myself so don't worry about long posts
How are things like in Sydney? We know Australia has some very strict rules on live imports so do you get a wide variety of aquatic plants there?
Loh K L
Drop me a note if you change your mind.Thanks for the plant ID! I think I'll have to turn down your offer, my home cannot support house plants.
My experience has been as long as I keep the light level and temperature low, algae will never been a problem.Once you remove the limiting factor, plants' demand for nitrogen/potassium/phosphate and everything else increases accordingly. Plants growth get stunted and algae gets growing.
But I guess you've found a certain level of CO2 to injcet where there are no problems?
I will be setting up a few low tech nano tanks for colleagues and I plan to use CO2 to jump start the plants and remove CO2 once the plants have established themselves. I will tell you guys how this turn out in a few months time.
Thanks for the welcome Kwek Leong. I think I'll refrain from hijacking Gan's thread
Looking forward to your update Gan.
Min
Min,
Non CO2 tanks are generally more forgiving and less likely to have algae problem. Mosses will do well as long as they have clean and cool water. In fact I have more problem with my CO2 tank than non CO2 tanks ;-)
A few months ago I was told that my department had to move to a new floor due to office expansion. I was worried because I know the new cubicles are smaller and I was not sure if I have space to keep all my aquariums.
Two weeks ago we moved into the new floor and I am relieved that I can keep my all my aquariums ! Moving the aquariums took less time than I expected. I drained ~3/4 of the water, transported a tank at a time on a trolley to the new space one floor below and filled the tanks back with water. All in all it took about 2.5 hours.
This is how my new 'setup' looks like :
I have also changed the light on the top right aquarium (16") from 13W PL to 18W PL. Initially I was worried that the additional wattage will cause algae problem but after 2 weeks, not only I don't have algae problem, the plants are now greener and the leaves are very shiny and healthier !
Excellent! I'm just a little worried about the HUGE echinodorus you have there. It used to have sunlight from the window in the old location but now it doesn't. Will the ambient office light be enough?
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