5 year run, my first 3ft tank

[roxs]

Hello Forum people =D

Started a side project, while i was studying.
Had to factor in, maintenance time, and budget.
The forum helped me alot.
Enjoy the pics!


this is low tech/ maintence tank. no co2 used.
3ft x 2ft x 1.5 ft tank
4x 39W tube lights
1 Atman CF-1000 filter
1 Atman CF-1200 filter
Gex green substrate
(overkill with filters, but cleaner water? )

(2008 )
- started the tank with 10-20 neon tetras
- followed by 50 neon tetras to further the eco system
- followed by 20 cardinal tetras added few month later
-a few zebras, a few orange fishes, a few cories


(2009 )
-moss growing 1 feet tall
-decomposing zebra fish, causing brown algae at the top




(2010 )
- remaining tetras naturally recovered from white tail spots


(2011 )
-90% cardinal tetras since 2008 survived from white spots; pretty strong breed


(2013 )
-4th-5th year been busy with school and work
-complete with an unkept tank picture


notes and observations:
- 2ft tank height, a bit hard to do ground work
- zebra fishes in 2008, easily susceptible to belly disease
- lights couldn't sustain red plants, carpet plants
- brighter lights = probably co2 needed?
- neon tetras adapt quickly, but not very long lived
- cardinal tetras much stronger immune system then neon tetras, harder to adapt
- cardinal, cory, SAE survived longest

will be de comissioning the tank soon. probably planning for co2 + cooler in future

any feedback is appreciated =D

[mukyo]

sounds similar but i have just run 2year-ish.
my neon tetra also dont live as long as my rummy nose. and ditto to zebras.
i feel that the tank actually do its own nature selection in terms of overcrowding.
after awhile they sustain the amount of fish

-----------------------------------------
Visit and comment my L Tank and S Tank... <-- Click click !!
Thank you

[Shadow]

wow everything going out of the tank

[wongce]

haha, all grow out of the tank.... like plants in a rectangular vase.......

maybe you can organise a free for all trimming session, i am sure a lot of aq member will help you trim them until "botak"

[Jonneh]

haha, all grow out of the tank.... like plants in a rectangular vase.......

maybe you can organise a free for all trimming session, i am sure a lot of aq member will help you trim them until "botak"

AGREEDD haha

[Urban Aquaria]

I actually like the last photo... its got a natural riparium style to it.

[David]

I love the 2009 tank!!!!.....wild looking....topped up with brown algae chocolate sauce... joking joking...seriously I love the 2009 look!!!!

PS: SAEs are INDUSTRUCTABLE...you can take an SAE and sun it for 3 days.... just add water over its dried up body and it bounce back to life....ready to terrorize!!! Joking joking...

[roxs]

sounds similar but i have just run 2year-ish.
my neon tetra also dont live as long as my rummy nose. and ditto to zebras.
i feel that the tank actually do its own nature selection in terms of overcrowding.
after awhile they sustain the amount of fish

yea, fishes jump out of tank one by one over the years
i put a big plastic board over the tank. and population stayed around 70-50 for most period.
quite sad, my remaining SAE just jump out of the tank a couple weeks ago.

[roxs]

I actually like the last photo... its got a natural riparium style to it.

Last photo, made me consider trying a vivarium.
Part aquarium, part vivarium ^^

[atolylica]

Agreed that 2ft height is hard to do ground work maintenance.
That aside, you must have been really patient with keep the same fishes/plants for 5 years!

[Phillipians]

Unless you insist on the 'Dutch' style of aquascaping, I am curious why you do not add some hard scape to give your tank some shape...

2 drift wood or some huge stones will give you some nice focal points. Also, I think you will need an extra light set unless you plan on keeping just ferns and nanas...

[Dodofish]

I really like how your moss grow in the foreground in the 2009 picture. Do you have any step by step guide on how to make that? It will be great to know how long it take to grew that densely covered carpet.

[roxs]

Unless you insist on the 'Dutch' style of aquascaping, I am curious why you do not add some hard scape to give your tank some shape...

2 drift wood or some huge stones will give you some nice focal points. Also, I think you will need an extra light set unless you plan on keeping just ferns and nanas...

you are right.. some drift wood or Huge stones definitely needed for a change..
but i felt my 1.5ft wide tank , a bit limiting for dw or huge stones. may try smaller size of wood
i may consider going with a shorter & wider tank the next time round

[roxs]

I really like how your moss grow in the foreground in the 2009 picture. Do you have any step by step guide on how to make that? It will be great to know how long it take to grew that densely covered carpet.

from the first photo, you can see about 5 metal mesh plate with fern tied with fish string.
after that was just letting it grow, with a little trim maybe twice a year, and to give it some shape
however it grew quite havoc at the back entangling with my background stems plants, something to take note.

conditions wise,
-i felt my tank was quite heavy on minerals/nutrients it was running on roughly 70 fishes + occasional dead fish trapped in tall plants
-2nd picture was 2009, that took 1 year. without co2. probably much much faster if use more lights + co2

-i also realize, cooler water gave a more lush and greener fern carpet.
-no chiller or fan was used though. just ocassional air con, which may have helped a little. definitely will to use chiller on my next attempt

[roxs]

a couple more pictures

2008 Oct. about 4 months old
- a bit too many fishes ^^



2008 Nov



this is a 2009 JUL picture. after clearing the algae(2009 Apr).
-moss at its peak


another shot with just the afternoon sunlight

[Phillipians]

you are right.. some drift wood or Huge stones definitely needed for a change..
but i felt my 1.5ft wide tank , a bit limiting for dw or huge stones. may try smaller size of wood
i may consider going with a shorter & wider tank the next time round

Actually, I have a 2 x 1.5 x 1.5 ft tank now. I am using driftwood. Instead of getting huge DW, you can consider combining 2 mid sized ones. I was able to find them fortunately. May post up my pictures to show you tonight. However, as satisfied with my DW as I am, I think my stones have not been correctly placed. Maybe will rescape it next year. Well AFI is good though.

[Dodofish]

from the first photo, you can see about 5 metal mesh plate with fern tied with fish string.
after that was just letting it grow, with a little trim maybe twice a year, and to give it some shape
however it grew quite havoc at the back entangling with my background stems plants, something to take note.

conditions wise,
-i felt my tank was quite heavy on minerals/nutrients it was running on roughly 70 fishes + occasional dead fish trapped in tall plants
-2nd picture was 2009, that took 1 year. without co2. probably much much faster if use more lights + co2

-i also realize, cooler water gave a more lush and greener fern carpet.
-no chiller or fan was used though. just ocassional air con, which may have helped a little. definitely will to use chiller on my next attempt

That sounds really difficult to maintain. Haha

[thebaldingaquarist]

from the first photo, you can see about 5 metal mesh plate with fern tied with fish string.
after that was just letting it grow, with a little trim maybe twice a year, and to give it some shape
however it grew quite havoc at the back entangling with my background stems plants, something to take note.

conditions wise,
-i felt my tank was quite heavy on minerals/nutrients it was running on roughly 70 fishes + occasional dead fish trapped in tall plants
-2nd picture was 2009, that took 1 year. without co2. probably much much faster if use more lights + co2

-i also realize, cooler water gave a more lush and greener fern carpet.
-no chiller or fan was used though. just ocassional air con, which may have helped a little. definitely will to use chiller on my next attempt

Just a tip on the trimming of moss so deep. when you do water change, use a hose and shut off the filters/wavemakers/pumps. on the outlet of the host (into a pail or something) put a fishing net.

As you trim the moss, suck the trimmings out using the hose. Need to act fast, as the tank is not big. this way, the trimmings will not run away and you can harvest the trimmings more efficiently.

[roxs]

=D thanks for the tip, you tape the fishing net over the hose? i usually just pour the pail water / gravel / trimmings over a filter utensil

[roxs]

Actually, I have a 2 x 1.5 x 1.5 ft tank now. I am using driftwood. Instead of getting huge DW, you can consider combining 2 mid sized ones. I was able to find them fortunately. May post up my pictures to show you tonight. However, as satisfied with my DW as I am, I think my stones have not been correctly placed. Maybe will rescape it next year. Well AFI is good though.

yea.. hunting wood is one thing.
and yes post some pics please, see see ^^
what's AFI btw?