My 4ft Planted tank - Dec 2004

[hobbit6003]

Hi guys,

Finally, managed to get my hands on a digital camera! Haha, wanted a digital SLR, but my wife had had enough of SLRs and we finally got a pt and shoot, the Canon Ixus 40. She says that it is easier to carry it around, in her handbag. Ah well.....women!

Ok, here goes some of pics I took last night, please advise me how I can improve upon the aquascape:

http://www.killies.com/forum/modules...view_photo.php

http://www.killies.com/forum/modules...view_photo.php

http://www.killies.com/forum/modules...view_photo.php

[RonWill]

Ok, here goes some of pics I took last night, please advise me how I can improve upon the aquascape

Kenny, it's nice to see how your setup have matured from this;

I particularly like the unkempt look... more natural than 'tea gardens' IMHO.

Anyway, I've moved your pics from the general area into your album (please upload future images there, ya?)

The previous links are no longer valid but these were what you tried to share. [all clickable thumbnails]

[stormhawk]

Kenny, that's a stunning tank IMO. :wink:

[hobbit6003]

Ron,

Thanks for your help man! I'll learn how to upload my pics from now on!

Jian Yang,

Thanks for your kind comment, but I think it is still far from complete. The valley in the middle look abrupt, perhaps I should let the Tonina sp. in front of the red lotus grow abit taller...

Ok, I've just uploaded another pic of the Apistogramma bitaeniata which was given to me by Rashid (thanks man, it is gorgeous!). Let me try to see if I can post the thumbnail right here....pardon the snowing..they're just BBS!

[RonWill]

Let me try to see if I can post the thumbnail right here....

Kenny,
Try looking up this post.

[A.Rashid]

Wow Kenny!

Me too love your aquascape. Your A. bitaeniata is simply gorgeous for an F1. Have they spawn yet?

[hobbit6003]

Wow Kenny!

Me too love your aquascape. Your A. bitaeniata is simply gorgeous for an F1. Have they spawn yet?

Hi Rashid,

I must thank you for giving me this gem!

Nah, the 4 fter is not conducive for them now I guess. It has become a deumping ground of sorts for my young Ap. borellis.

The female bit, doesn't look ready to spawn though. She looks abit thin and have not don her spawning garb yet. she's occupying the left side of the tank while this male is staying put on the right mostly.

I've also got not enough space to put in a tank for them. My borellis are growing out of my ears! The 2fter is constantly producing frys, and my record is 9 simultaneous spawns in there! I've created another grow out tank for their frys, and looking abit cramped already, with more than a 100 in there. The original 2fter is still holding more than 100 frys in there, and I've noticed that another 2-3 females are brooding.

If you think that this bit has got potential and you want to spawn him, please, you can have it back, as I don't want to deprive him of his chance at pro-creation.

Cheers,

Kenny

[Piscesgirl]

The plants look nice and healthy and the fish very pretty - you should be proud! Good job!

[FC]

Kenny,

Nice setup! I like the rum fish you have.

Questions:
1) What's exact size of the tank?
2) How much (watts) light you have and what type?
3) What fertilizers (base and liquid) you use?

[hobbit6003]

Kenny,

Nice setup! I like the rum fish you have.

Questions:
1) What's exact size of the tank?
2) How much (watts) light you have and what type?
3) What fertilizers (base and liquid) you use?

Hi Freddy,

Oops, didn't post my technical specifications earlier....so here goes:

Tank dimension : 4 x 2 x 2 ft
Water volume : approx. 380 litres
Light : 288W ( 8 x 36 W PL compact lighting)
pH: 6.3 , kH: 3, gH: 6, CO2: 45ppm, NO3: 20ppm avg, PO4 : 1ppm avg, TDS: 260 avg
Substrate: Lapis sand
Base fertiliser: JBL
Liquid fertilisation: KNO3 ( 1 teaspoon twice wkly), KHPO4 (small grains thrice wkly), MgSO4 ( 3 teaspoon wkly), K2SO4 (2 teaspoon wkly), Seachem equilibrium (wkly), Seachem Trace Elements (twice wkly), Seachem Iron (twice wkly), Seachem Excel (twice wkly).
Water change: approx. 50% wkly.
Water temp: 25-27 degrees celcius

Cheers,

Kenny

[timebomb]

Nice tank, Kenny but what happened to your Arowana? Aren't you keeping this fish anymore?

Your tank is very well-aquascaped as there are quite a few empty spaces. A nice tank has to have empty spaces or else it will turn out to be like a jungle. Amano uses empty spaces very well and I can see you're a budding Amano. But shouldn't you move the Red Nymphaea to the front? It will bring some colour to your tank but now, it's almost completely hidden.

Loh K L

[hobbit6003]

Nice tank, Kenny but what happened to your Arowana? Aren't you keeping this fish anymore?

Your tank is very well-aquascaped as there are quite a few empty spaces. A nice tank has to have empty spaces or else it will turn out to be like a jungle. Amano uses empty spaces very well and I can see you're a budding Amano. But shouldn't you move the Red Nymphaea to the front? It will bring some colour to your tank but now, it's almost completely hidden.

Loh K L

Hi KL,

For a day, I thought I was banned from this forum!!! Retribution perhaps, since I'm always the one doing the banning in arofanatics.

Ok, I thought I told you before that I've moved the fish into a pond? My friend's pond actually, as he is trying his luck breeding them...

Haha, it is actually sad to hear that after all these years, I'm still only a budding Amano!!!

I tried to follow his technique and methods, but I guess my laziness and lack of time let me down. Thus, what you see is a little unkempt, which I already had done a bit of pruning prior to the above pic taking.

I'm thinking of doing a moss wall right behind, but am afraid if my water temp. is too high for that. The water temp is btw. 25-27 deg celcius for now, which would be expected to go up by at least 2 degrees when the hot season resumes in march.

Cheers,

Kenny

[shortman]

I'm thinking of doing a moss wall right behind, but am afraid if my water temp. is too high for that. The water temp is btw. 25-27 deg celcius for now,

Kenny,

Not too sure you have a DIY fan on top of your tank it does reduce the temperature to 2-3 dC.

And I think your temparature of 25-27 dC is good for the moss.

[hobbit6003]

I'm thinking of doing a moss wall right behind, but am afraid if my water temp. is too high for that. The water temp is btw. 25-27 deg celcius for now,

Kenny,

Not too sure you have a DIY fan on top of your tank it does reduce the temperature to 2-3 dC.

And I think your temparature of 25-27 dC is good for the moss.

Hi Kho,

Yes, I do have those DC fan on top of the tank, and now in colder days, the water temp can go down to 23.5-24 deg celcius at the deepest end of the tank.

The problem is, my room is a 'hot' room, and in the 'summer', the water temp can hit 31 deg celcius even with the fan on. That's the peril of living in a low floor surrounded by high rise buidlings packed like a sardine in a land scarce country.

Cheers,

Kenny

[fazlee]

Hi hobbit6003;
Is that tenellus you are having as foreground plants. Good if you could share the list of plants in your tank. Nice setup!

fazlee

[hobbit6003]

Hi hobbit6003;
Is that tenellus you are having as foreground plants. Good if you could share the list of plants in your tank. Nice setup!

fazlee

Hi Fazlee,

Yes, the foreground plant is Ech. tenellus. And the other plants in the tank include:

Ech. Rubin, Cyperus helferi, Nymphae sp, Tonina sp, Heterazanthera zosterfolia, Aponogeton undulatus, Blyxa japonica, java ferns, windelov ferns, Anubias sp, assorted cryptocoryne sp.

Cheers,

Kenny