How many tanks before you stopped?

[APCC]

I wanted to have a big tank but ended up with a Nano-cube instead. Not satisfied, I go on to have several small tanks instead and there is no return since...........It's time to post some pictures for others to suggest for improvements...All non-Co2 with different level of lights.

JBJ Nanocube 24 that set me going- started 1.10.2008 a public holiday.


Here is a 2ft tank started Dec 2008


And here is a 1ft nano cube started in January just before the Chinese New Year.


This was started in February 2009


Looking forward to hearing your suggestions for improvements?

Tks & Rgds

[z_z]

Wow nice! Are they all in the same room? Must be very serene.

Looking forward to more tanks from you

[Jervis]

From your 4 tanks... I can tell you are an artistic person. Your layouts are original and suit the size of your tanks well. Which one will you be sending in for the competition?

[Sphere]

Nice tanks, but personally think that they will look better without the digital thermometers in the tanks....

[APCC]

Thanks for the responses and the compliments. You are indeed encouraging.

Do you think it is really up to standard for a competition? Which one do you think stand a chance?

And yes the digital thermometers, they could be removed easily, just convenient to have them in the tank. Did try to make them less atrocious by putting them in the soil at an angle rather than sticking to the glass.

The mosses got mixed up and look a little messy. How do you avoid this? Do I need to tear them up to fix the problem?

Thanks & Rgds

[bryan]

The tanks look repetative. I'd try to go for a different look for each tank if I were you. Try other plants such as Tiger lotus,the many types of echinodurous, rotala,cryptos etc. Tiger lotus and echis such as Ozelot, red flame, red rubin can be used as the main feature.

[Cloud-Strife]

The first tank is the nicest !

[Philosophos]

IMO the last aquarium looks the best. I'd enter it if you could only do one.

As to whether or not it'd stand a chance... that really depends on the competition. Your plants look healthy, and your design is pretty good. In some competitions, this is all you need to have a chance. In others, there's an obsession with growing plants to a certain qualities. At the worst of times, contestants are forced to copy the work of Takashi Amano until half the entries are iwugami with ADA-brand everything if they want to place. Nothing against Takashi Amano of course, but to me it's like being forced to win an art competition through foragery.

-Philosophos

[ghim]

You will stop only when you have no more space I stopped because I have no permission to buy more

Try a different theme for your various tanks. And about time to go for more difficult plants

[barmby]

The pleasure of what we enjoy is lost by wanting more

[Jervis]

You will stop only when you have no more space I stopped because I have no permission to buy more

I stop adding more tanks by constantly replacing old tanks... that's another way

Oh yeah! I notice you are not making full use of the soil. All your tanks do not have foreground plant and your soil beds will look best with some form of foreground planting. Perhaps give it a try The exposed soil makes the tank look unfinished*

*personal opinion

[APCC]

Thanks for the encouraging remarks and recommendations. Nothing escapes the eyes of the masters. More works need to be done really. I'm constrained in certain ways because of phobia to buy new plants for fear of snail eggs, planaria and worse algi.

Also the intention is to go low-tech low maintenance and I have only 9watts in two of the smaller tanks. I have high light in the two bigger tanks so may try to be more adventure here.

May be can try HC or mini-pellia for the foreground in the next step?

[RHX]

I've stopped at 3. Had a 2ft tank that starts me going & bought a 1.5ft later. It was only when I've got my 4ft which made me stop buying. I have to spend over 1 hr just to change water & do some light maintenence on the 4ft tank, not to mention other tanks. It's really a back breaking job to maintain so many tanks.

BTW I've notice all your tanks are planted tanks. Why not be abit more adventurous & try different biotopes or fishes? Maybe a pleco or cory tank? Just some thoughts .

[Philosophos]

Thanks for the encouraging remarks and recommendations. Nothing escapes the eyes of the masters. More works need to be done really. I'm constrained in certain ways because of phobia to buy new plants for fear of snail eggs, planaria and worse algi.

Also the intention is to go low-tech low maintenance and I have only 9watts in two of the smaller tanks. I have high light in the two bigger tanks so may try to be more adventure here.

May be can try HC or mini-pellia for the foreground in the next step?

For tougher species of plant, a 19:1 ratio of water:bleach for 2 minutes seems to take care of most problems. There's a higher stress to the plant and some leaf loss of course, but it seems to be working for others. Googling should yield a couple of experiments people did with this method, including the results of some commonly kept plants. I prefer to manually remove snail eggs, spot treat algae with flourish excel, then give the plant a good rinse in tap water before planting. Careful with the excel, though.

HC usually needs high light/CO2, though I've heard some cases of it surviving without the CO2. It would probably work in your bigger aquariums. Mini pellia is something I've been eyeing my self for a while; haven't kept any yet.

I suspect that we'll will stop getting new aquariums when we've got a breeding operation running well enough that it takes my self and my fiance a full days work to maintain the business. Maybe 50 -70 of them. For now, we're restricted to 2 aquariums, but there's plans for 2 more in the very near future.

-Philosophos

[beetroot]

stop when you have self-control... hahaha.


like your first tank the most .

[APCC]

Right now I'm into breeding shrimps and most of the tanks are waiting for the babies from the first tank to grow up bigger before being transferred.

Biotopes - hm...that's a interesting suggestion. Let me research more into it.

Chlorine bath in bleach- must try with some cheap plants one of these days.

Growing HC in low-tech tank-I think I read it in Tom Barr's website.

I think most hobbyist can't stop because the fun is in the setting up process. They stopped only when constrained by time or space or even budget for hobby when self-control is imposed upon them? ha ha....

[acit]

I have 8 tanks at home.
3 X 4 feet + 3 X 2 feet + 1 X 3 Feet + 1 X 1 Foot
Hoping to get one more 6 feet tank....I don't think I will stop buying tanks :P

Cheers
Acit

[torque6]

My principle. 1 tank to maintain and sustain for 2 years, then plan before de-commission.

[fotoudavid]

I cannot liao, 2 tank enough.

I stopped at 3 tanks, and another 2 empty tanks. Now downgrade to 2 only.

[ccrs2008]

Hi Acit,
Are you married? If yes, need to learn from you how you can get permit to put so many tanks in your house...
I only have permit to put 2 tanks in my house, one in my study room and one outside my house... No tank should allow in Living room...