Sleepy_lancs 4ft Tank

[Sleepy_lancs]

Hello All,

Finally got a photo. I didn't clean the glass well enough therefore there is a little fog. Anyway, all constructive comments are welcome.



Picture taken on 08 Dec 2003.

Tank setup on 06 Dec 2003.
Size of tank : 4 x 2 x 2 ft
Lights: 8 x 36 watts (coralife and Arcadia)
Filter: Ehiem Pro II 2028
Cooling: about 28-29 degrees using 1 x AC fan
Substrates: SeaChem Flourite x 6 bags + 8 x black sand
Fertilisers: KNO3 & KH2PO4 (AR grade) from source of mine, Rexolin APN from Dr Mallick and OceanFree root monster from lfs.
Maintainance regime: Weekly 30% water change

Plants as follows:
1. Eleocharis Acicularis
2. Microsorium pteropus 'Windelov'
3. Alternanthera reineckii 'Rosaefolia'
4. Bacopa Caraliniana
5. Cryptocoryne Crispatula var balansae
6. Cryptocoryne wendtti 'Brown'
7. Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Mi Oya'
8. Cryptocoryne willisii
9. Echindorus Osiris
10. Glossostigma Elatinoides
11. Heteranthera Zosterifolia
12. Limnophila Sessiliflora
13. Lobelia Cardinalis 'Small form'
14. Micranthemum Micranthemoides
15. Micranthemum umbrosum
16. Myriophyllum Matogrossense
17. Nymphaea Lotus 'Green' (Nymphaea Zenkeri 'Green')
18. Vallisneria Spiralis var contortionist
19. Ludwigia Reopens
20. Hygrophila polysperma ' Rosa Nervis'
21. Ludwigia Grandulosa
22. Christmas Moss
23. Ricca Fluitans
24. Hydrocotyle Leucocephala
25. Marsilea crenata
26. Vesicularia Dubyana
27. Proserpinaca Palustris "Cuba"

Tank made possible with donation from:
- Victri (Vesicularia Dubyana, Marsilea Crenata, Elatine Triandra)
- VincentTan (Lobelia Cardinalis, Hygrophilia polysperma (Sunset Hygro))
- illumbomb (Proserpinaca Palustris "Cuba")


Fishes: None as yet.

[Simon]

lancs

firstly, what is that pipe at the bottom? IMO, your setup looks more like a garden, neat and organised.. but unlike Dutch style

[Fei Miao]

mmm.. newly set up 6 Dec.. keep us posted, will be interesting to see when the plants grown in....your lawn seems to be doing well..APP?

You might need to add more plants to the left later to hide the pipe/tube?... btw what is thinge doing there? outlet???

[Sleepy_lancs]

Yeap. It is a garden.. kekek.. I just stop trying to make it a dutch tank.. its too much for me to handle. The green tube at the bottom is the outlet for the water from the filter. Can't seem to find a better location for it.. At the moment it would have to do.. Will do something about it later.

I will post the new pics once I get some help from friends with digital camera. The plants have grown and given out to others. Some changes are due at the moment. Will keep this site updated. Plus some facts. Stay tune.

[Sleepy_lancs]

[quote:5e5ebd7ec5="Fei Miao"]mmm.. newly set up 6 Dec.. keep us posted, will be interesting to see when the plants grown in....your lawn seems to be doing well..APP?
[/quote:5e5ebd7ec5]

Its mostly glosso. The APP is at the extreme right. Which will take over as the final lawn. The glosso well.. have to either pass it to someone perhaps start another tank... glosso tank.. hahah..

[Sleepy_lancs]

09 Dec 2003
- Add Ceratophyllum demersum (complements from VincentTan)

17 Dec 2003
- Add Pista Stratiotes (complements from Victri)

18 Dec 2003
- Add Hydrophila polysperma ' Rosa Nervis' (Red bottom) (complements from WackyTpt)

21 Dec 2003
Add Proserpinaca Palustris "Cuba"
Add Monoselenium ternerum (Pellia endiviaefolia)

01 Jan 2004
- Remove Hydrophila polysperma ' Rosa Nervis' (Red bottom)
- Remove Nymphaea Lotus 'Green' (Nymphaea Zenkeri 'Green')
- Add Rotala Macrandra 'Green Narrow Leaf' (Complements from Knoogy)

02 Jan 2004
- Add Hydrophila polysperma ' Rosa Nervis' (Complements from Cakchew)

03 Jan 2004
- Remove Echindorus Osiris
- Remove Ceratophyllum demersum
- Add Eichlornia Azurea (Complements from VincentTan)
- Add Ludwigia Inclinata var verticillata "Cuba" (Complements from Victri)
- Transplant Micranthemum Micranthemoides
- Transplant Myriophyllum Matogrossense

04 Jan 2004
- Add Anubias Barteri var nana (Complements from Victri)
- Add Microsorium Pteropus (Complements from Victri)
- Add Microsorium Pteropus 'Narrow Leaf' (Complements from Victri)

05 Jan 2004
- Add Anubias Barteri var nana (Complements from VincentTan)

10 Jan 2004
- Added Echinodorus 'Oriental' (Complements from Geoffrey)

11 Jan 2004
- Remove Monoselenium ternerum (Pellia endiviaefolia)
- Remove Hydrophila polysperma ' Rosa Nervis'
- Remove 1/3 Glossostigma Elatinoides

13 Jan 2004
- Remove Microsorium Pteropus 'Narrow Leaf'
- Remove Anubias Barteri var nana
- Remove all Myriophyllum Matogrossense (except 3 stalks)

14 Jan 2004
- Remove Eichlornia Azurea (gone submerse from emerse form )
- Transplant Micranthemum umbrosum
- Transplant Heteranthera zosterifolia

17 Jan 2004
- Added Ludwigia Grandulsa (Complements from VincentTan)
- Added Pogostemon Stellatus 'Broad Leaf' (Complements from VincentTan)

[Sleepy_lancs]

Based on the previous discussions for SeaChem Equilibrium, these are the changes made and the effects:

Problem
Notice that many plants have stunted growth plus fast growing plants with pale new leaves. Slower growing plants have distorted (warped) leaves, old leaves looks transparent.

10 Jan 2004
Stop dosing SeaChem Equilibrium and Sera's KH Plus. Added fist full of Coral Chips (placed in a filter bag) with KH at 1.5 (At the advice of Geoffrey)

13 Jan 2004
KH risen to 2

[18 Jan 2004[/u]
New leaves emerges with potential growth and are mostly in their right colour

[20 Jan 2004[/u]
Good growth rates and most plants recovered.

[23 Jan 2004[/u]
KH raisen to 5. Plants that were affected were given trimming and replanting. And all looks very promising. (My heartfelt thanks to Geoffrey)

[Sleepy_lancs]

Hi All,

After 1 year, I decided its about time I update the 4ft tank.

This is what happened after 1 year:



Picture taken on 17 Nov 2004.

Changes:
Lights: 6 x 55 watts + 2 x 36 (watts)
Maintainance regime: Weekly 50% water change

Plants as follows:
1. Ammannia Gracilis
2. Ammannia Multiflora
3. Bacopa Caraliniana
4. Glossostigma Elatinoides
5. Heteranthera Zosterifolia
6. Hydrophilia corymbosa (Normaphila stricta)
7. Hydophilia Corymbosa 'Compacta'
8. Lindernia rotundifolia 'Variegated'
9. Lobelia Cardinalis 'Small form'
10. Ludwigia Inclinata var. verticillata ''Cuba''
11. Rotala Macrandra
12. Rotala Macrandra 'Narrow Leaf'

[tcy81]

nice tank with healthy plants.

[cherietung]

I like your old setup better. Now, it looks so commercial like an lfs selling plants.

Any new changes in the future?

[Sleepy_lancs]

tcy81,

Thanks... It think it needs trimming

cherietung,

The old set up has to keep maintaining.. not easy when you don't have much time. This tank, I think I'll keep it this way for a long time..

[blurrblurr]

nice nice!

[juggler]

[quote:a81b0e2ca6="cherietung"]I like your old setup better. Now, it looks so commercial like an lfs selling plants.

Any new changes in the future?[/quote:a81b0e2ca6]

Very colourful and healthy. Perhaps can add some driftwood or stone to make a focal point. BTW - I can't see any fish in there??

[Simon]

lancs

i agree with cherie, it does look like those tanks found in lfs... especially those tank with plants they wanna sell (no pun intended)

[Fei Miao]

[quote="Sleepy_lancs"]





Plants looks heahtly. Tanks looks closer to Dutch style right now

Whats's the plant in the foreground...Ludwigia Inclinata var. verticillata ''Cuba''? IMO 3 reds are too much and are now all over the place ..perhaps removing that or shift it near the Rotala Macrandra would be better. Agree with other bros that some drift wood or perhaps big rocks would help. Some tighter trimmings would create more depth and neater also.

[Sleepy_lancs]

Sighs... looks like this tank needs more work.. Can't put any driftwood. Due to the lighting... its not easy to position the plants... no fish as I can't take care both plant and fish at the same time.. until I am ready, fishes are out of bound... lol

Simon,
Throw more than I sell... lol I hardly had time to sell....

Hope you guys can throw in more ideas...

Moving macandra is out since I have tried too many places and that spot is the best... The cuba has gone down much now....

The narrow macandra was not what I planned for but since I got it, I don't really want to kill it out

[Simon]

[quote:a55686af85="Sleepy_lancs"]Sighs... looks like this tank needs more work.. Can't put any driftwood. Due to the lighting... its not easy to position the plants... no fish as I can't take care both plant and fish at the same time.. until I am ready, fishes are out of bound... lol

Simon,
Throw more than I sell... lol I hardly had time to sell....

Hope you guys can throw in more ideas...

Moving macandra is out since I have tried too many places and that spot is the best... The cuba has gone down much now....

The narrow macandra was not what I planned for but since I got it, I don't really want to kill it out [/quote:a55686af85]

perhaps trim the plants to achieve the terracing effect will be easier. you can also get some mangrove root and insert

[lorba]

[quote:c202717aca="Sleepy_lancs"]

[/quote:c202717aca]

The tank looks nice and healthy, something i had seldom achieve keeping stems plants. :P

Some opinions:
1. Agreed that you need some hardscape to define some lines in there.
2. The plant colors are nicely matched, but the shape and sizes of the leaves didn't give the right feel.
3. The grouping of the different plants are too well defined that it is very clear you have 10 different plots.

Are you sure this tank needs lesser maintenace?