Low-tech (non-CO2) tanks post your pics!

**CKM** · 5th Jul 2005, 02:12

Originally Posted by CEL

this is a nice set up...... wat r those plant in the foreground?

Those are Hair Grass... Thanks for the comments

**d0td0t** · 7th Jul 2005, 23:06

Nice.
sore with envy..

keep it up guys

**fisheld** · 9th Jul 2005, 23:11

Hi guys.... newb arnd.. was wondering if i were to set up a lowtech tank... what will be lowest layer of the tank substrate... and what will follow on top.. i got a 2 ft tank... any hopefully somebody can tell me the price of the substrate

thanks!

**taz_boy** · 9th Jul 2005, 23:16

Originally Posted by fisheld

Hi guys.... newb arnd.. was wondering if i were to set up a lowtech tank... what will be lowest layer of the tank substrate... and what will follow on top.. i got a 2 ft tank... any hopefully somebody can tell me the price of the substrate

thanks!

for a low tech tank, u definitly need a very rich substrate...i.e quite some depths of base fertilizers coupled with gravel....

**Biotypical** · 14th Jul 2005, 07:35

The tank now:
Specs:
Tank:All-Glass 29g

Lighting: 2x65w PC 10-14 hrs/day

Substrate: 3" Local creek sand and gravel w/peat

Circulation: Small powerhead, no filter

Fish:
Gambusia holbrooki

Plants:
Ludwigia palustris
Ammania coccinea
Alisma subcordatum
Myriophyllum brasiliense
Rotala ramosior

All of these plants and fish were collected from a pond near my house. It's a shallow depression that is regularly renewed by a creek when it floods and is home to a large amount of plant and animal life. The substrate is highly sedimented and is a rich silty-clay. In the interest of tank hygiene I used gravel collected from a less sedimented portion of a different, but representative, creek. When adding the plants I made sure to keep as much of the substrate attached to the roots as possible to enrich the aquarium substrate with native microorganisms.

The fish get fed a standard flake a couple times a day and the tank gets topped off every few days or so. Aside from the peat in the substrate those are the only non-collected things that have gone into this tank.

There is algae on the plants and substrate. The collection site is a highly eutrophic environment and algae are all over the place. I feel that it is an important element of the both the natural site as well as the aquarium. Only when it gets overwhelming or too unsightly will I remove some of it.

Some of the Rotala had fruits on it when I collected it and they dropped seeds in the tank. There are a bunch of little sprouts growing up in patches at the front. I'm excited to follow their growth progress.

Regards,
Phil

**juggler** · 14th Jul 2005, 11:42

Hi Phil, thanks for sharing the setup. It's admirable of your attempt at recreating that pond biotope in your home.

BTW, 165W for a 29g is like 4.5W/g. Isn't it too much light for a "low-tech" tank? Perhaps the algae flourish because of that?

**Goondoo** · 14th Jul 2005, 13:43

Originally Posted by juggler

Hi Phil, thanks for sharing the setup. It's admirable of your attempt at recreating that pond biotope in your home.

BTW, 165W for a 29g is like 4.5W/g. Isn't it too much light for a "low-tech" tank? Perhaps the algae flourish because of that?

How you get 165w?

**juggler** · 14th Jul 2005, 14:05

Originally Posted by Goondoo

How you get 165w?

Sorry -- typo. 130W for 29g. But still 4.5 W/g.
Thanks for "high-lighting".

**Biotypical** · 14th Jul 2005, 19:35

Juggler,

Yes, it's high light, but no-tech. The only hardware in the tank is a powerhead for circulation, everything else is natural. There is some filamentous algae, but it doesn't grow very fast and is a part of the natural environment where I got the plants and fish so I figure some needs to be a part of the tank as well. I do occasionally have to remove some from the open area in the front when it gets to be more than I want.

Thank you for asking about my tank,
Phil

**wong1979** · 15th Jul 2005, 00:34

I feel that this thread title is a bit ambiguous although generally people asscociate low-tech with a tank without CO2 and low light. To me, 'tech' this word, refers to those gadgets and gizmos that you use to produce good parameters for the tank. Chiller, UV steriliser, CO2 by solenoid valve are such examples of 'high tech' to me. But what about a tank with DIY CO2, medium to high lighting with either internal or undergravel filtration? Is this not low-tech enough? Also, does high lighting make one's tank high tech?

Perhaps a better thread title would be 'Low light, tech, maintainence tank'

**gregorsamsa** · 15th Jul 2005, 01:21

hey wong,

i guess juggler/KF meant to say that given such high intensity lighting, the tank's low technolgy may not be able to cope? Am i right to say that KF?

Well i think they did try to define low tank in the beginning of the thread, but i think it went a bit hay wire with competing definitions

**juggler** · 15th Jul 2005, 09:51

Originally Posted by gregorsamsa

hey wong,

i guess juggler/KF meant to say that given such high intensity lighting, the tank's low technolgy may not be able to cope? Am i right to say that KF?

I used to think that too. But after seeing more than one case, I believe it can work somehow. See tank by BCLEE at http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=13621

Originally Posted by gregorsamsa

Well i think they did try to define low tank in the beginning of the thread, but i think it went a bit hay wire with competing definitions

A bit hard to have a good definition ...

**Emg** · 15th Jul 2005, 10:45

Here's a pic of my 29 planted. I'm waiting on a 65watt 6700K pc flourescent light to come in. Right now this tank only has 40watts....one 2800K bulb and one 4200K bulb. I also have a bit of red algae growth..the kind that leaves black colored spots on your leaves...blah...and also gets a bit hairy looking in some places. I've heard that siamese algae eaters are a good fish to take care of that stuff...but I don't think my rams will like thier activity from what I have read.

In this tank I have :

2 neon dwarf gourami
1 pair of breeding german blue rams
4 otocinclus
2 panda cories..(had 3 but one disappeared while I was on vacation...still can't figure out what happened to it..not a trace of it anywhere ("??")

Anyway, here's the tank.....

The aponogetons in the back left corner aren't too happy..and a small patch of java moss I have on one of the driftwoods isn't thriving very well either. I'm hoping the added light will help. I have been dosing with flourish excel and have flourite and some Echo-Complete for planted tanks as a substrate..mixed with the brown colored gravel. All I did with the echo complete was to pour some in around the roots of some of the plants I had added in last..and cover it with the gravel.

**mitsukake** · 17th Jul 2005, 17:08

[hey bro joe..!
i am impress with ur tank....
even ur moss can grow til so nice..
mine not so nice de leh
so sad..

**eric_kclee** · 18th Jul 2005, 20:30

My 230x160x170mm nano tank.

No CO2, 2 month old.
13Watt PL light (cover up half the tube due to too bright).

Fish: 3 small Guppies only
Tonina: Manaus, Belem, Mini, Fluvitalis, Uaupes
Ludwigia SP.Downoi and Some Moss.

**|squee|** · 24th Aug 2005, 22:06

My poor effort. The dirty looking moss in front is the result of leftovers from trying to grow them emersed in peat tubs. Didn't wash it properly.. I think I got to get some nice clean moss to replace them. Fish are boraras brigittae, hiding among the hairgrass at the back. This tank is an 18cm cube.

**Emg** · 25th Aug 2005, 00:13

Ewww..yeah, I have a little tank that looked like that....I too had added a plant that I didn't wash off properly....I only just emptied all the water out of that one this morning and cleaned everything off good and put some fresh clean water in it. It's a small 2 gallon cheese puff container....lol....a tank I had setup with good substrate and lighting along with excel dosing ...to put new plants in for quarenteen. I have one betta swimming around in it..and a few freshwater clams...(they're an experiment..lol)

The setup looks nice in that tank Squee as far as placement of the driftwood and such....just needs a bit of a cleaning

**Merduka** · 6th Sep 2005, 00:31

Originally Posted by joe

More details on shrimpie tank

Dimensions: 30x30x30 cm
Lights: 13W PL (8 hrs/day)
Filtration: Eden 316
Parameters: Long time never measure but ph shd be 6.4 to 6.6, kh shd be 3
Water temp: Weekdays - 24 degrees, weekends - 26 degrees
Gravel: Pure ADA Amazonian soil
Plants: Nana, xmass moss, hairgrass, java fern windelov
Bioload: 2 otos, tonnes of cherry shrimps

Hi Joe,

Mind sharing what substrate you use and the [lants. thinking of getting in but the more I read the more scarred I became with CO2 etc...

**Urkevitz** · 3rd Oct 2005, 06:27

Here is my 2.5 gallon, 18 watt mini aqualight, azoo palm filter, no Co2 or ferts. Cherry shrimp and snails are its inhabitants. Plants: Dwarf hairgrass, Tawain moss, Asian ambulia, pearlweed.

**amidala** · 6th Oct 2005, 13:48

Originally Posted by juggler

amidala: Why not put moss on the substrate as well? For variety, can try Java Fern on the driftwood too?

Hi juggler, oops! Didn't see your comment - thanks by the way!

Have a look at the tank now after some recent rescaping - trying out a moss floor this time!

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