New 4ft - low maintenance. Hopefully.

[cicjay]

Well heres my set-up guys.
tank
48x15x18in
Fluval Roma 48in black cabinet
Fluval 405 external filter (more than enough for tank size, good turnover)
Arcadia 48in 4x54W overtank luminaire
Rena smart heater (get a Hydor external soon, much neater)

Substrate:
Old tank sand/gravel mix(loaded with bacteria)
ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia
ADA Bright Sand

Hardscape:
Seiyru-seki (mini landscape) rocks
Driftwood
Gravel

So heres a couple of hardscape ideas I had.
Spiders
Same way

Didn't really stick with either of these for long, but I did start fixing some moss and ferns onto the wood. Was really happy with the left side but kept changing up the right side wood.

Layed down rest of substrates and finalized hardscape


Had lots of plants ready for this tank but most of them turned to mush waiting for me to set up.
Saved some hairgrass, ech. tenellus, downoi and some crypts.

Brought some Amazon frogbit to float to help soak up some nutrients and floated bacopa to keep the plant load up.

Got loads of plants yesterday and finished planting, just waiting for water to clear.

Comments and suggestions more than welcome. Thanks.
More pics soon

[cicjay]

Heres the tank as of this afternoon.
Planted the side hills and the middle clearing with tenellus(bad condition), hairgrass, downoi, HC Cuba and glossostigma. Also some hydrocoytle sprouting in places.

Trying out hemianthus micranthemoides and didiplis diandra for the background. If they do well then I may bring some small bushy clumps further into the foreground, around the wood.

[the_r0ck]

The hardscape looks good but I'd reckon you need more nanas to help fill the areas lining the wood. Having just 1 or 2 seems alittle funny though.

Nice tank, good potentials.

[Jervis]

It is looking very natural! Well done

If your lighting can offer better spread, especially to the front part. Your scape will look even better

[cicjay]

Sure my lighting levels are enough to grow out the plants... Hope so anyway
I think the anubias are going to be going somewhere else, maybe in a clump in the background and add more HC and Ech. Tenellus along the wood in the foreground. Should fill out better.

Heres a close up of the middle... really hope it works out!


Haven't got much algae at the minute,just some brush on the Bolbitis.
The ammonia is off the charts though.

[Verminator]

Keeping tabs on this tank. Looking good so far. I agree with the r0ck, more Anubias nana around the wood.

[cicjay]

Understand about filling those areas, but not really a fan of anubias. Just in there at the moment to add plant mass... Thinking of filling up those areas with maybe some more overhanging bolbitis. I love that plant.

[blue33]

Seems to me some of the plant is turning brown? Nutrients? Lots of potential for this setup.

[Verminator]

For a low tech tank - theres some odd plants. Hydrocotyle in my experience only does well with high lights and added nutrients and CO2.

I love anubias So easy to grow in the most basic of tanks, and fills up ugly wood structures well.

[cicjay]

Seems to me some of the plant is turning brown? Nutrients? Lots of potential for this setup.

They were brown before I put them in there from storing them in an un-lit tank while waiting for this to get set up. Theres new shoots coming from the browned leaved plants (hairgrass and tenellus) should be fine

For a low tech tank - theres some odd plants. Hydrocotyle in my experience only does well with high lights and added nutrients and CO2.

No way would I class this as low tech mate... sure I listed the spec
High light, co2, substrate and nutrients. I guess I should be more specific in that I'm growing it all out hi-tech and hpefully once it all balances out, I'm going to reduce lighting slightly and stop the EI nutrient dosing and massive weekly water changes... then it'll be low maintenance... hopefully

[Verminator]

No worries, i realise now i mis-read what you put anyway. I read low maintenance as low-tech in my head Haha.

Can't wait to see the progress on how this tank goes!

[leechaorui]

Very nice tank. Good set up. It will be good to share with us how you maintain the water condition. Do you do WC frequently?

[uklau]

One natural looking tank. Well done .

[cicjay]

Very nice tank. Good set up. It will be good to share with us how you maintain the water condition. Do you do WC frequently?

It would be good... here you go.
At the moment, I am doing 1 50% water change every week, with Purigen in my filter.
I have quite hard tap water where I am from but the ADA Aqua Soil combined with Co2 injection seems to bring down the pH quickly. I de-chlorinate with ADA Brighty-K. The cycling of the tank is coming along nicely and ammonia is reducing with minimal algae.
The lights are only on for 6 hours a day so far. will increase this as the ammonia goes so as to reduce the risk of algae. The glosso and HC are starting to carpet well.

Thank you all for the comments so far

[cicjay]

2 weeks growth and I think its coming along nice. Still need to fill out the back corners though, not sure what plants to use

[Morgan01]

looks really nice and natural. well done considering you labelled it low tech...in fact looks a lot nicer than number of hi-tech i have seen.

any CO2? what fertilization?

keep the updated postings coming.

[cicjay]

Its not low-tech... I think its very hi-tech actually... but its "low MAINTENANCE" All the specs are on the 1st post, high light, high Co2 and lots of dosing.

The thing with the low maintenance idea is that once its grown out, I'm going to reduce lighting period and keep Co2 high with nutrient dosing just when I need it. My goal is to be able to have a nice planted, scaped tank that I get to look at more than working on, with pruning and water changes.

[Verminator]

Idea = Ambitious

Good luck Although it looks great currently.

[blue33]

Looking really good now.

[BuWaC]

Bro, juzjust a check, how many bubbles/sec when uyou term it high CO2? I have a low tech tank but facing with BBA...I tried to clear it off by handpicking it off from my moss but it juzjust keeps coming back.