# English woodland Long overdue update



## John Starkey (3 Oct 2010)

Hi all, hope your all well,after selling my 450ltr tank 7 months ago i felt it was time i set up another one be it very much smaller,after visiting Aquajardin last week i got my self a Dennerle 60ltr nano,since i spend of lot of time in the forest of dean,cannock chase and other places of natural beauty i thought it would be nice to have a little bit of woodland in my front room,hence the name English woodland,hopefully i can try and do something that resembles a bit of woodland,
Tank specs = 38cm X 38cmX 43cm 60ltr,s
lighting will be one aquadistri 18 watt at first and if i need more light i will add a second of the same make and wattage,
substrate is Columbo Flora base 10ltr bag
Plant list
christmas moss or versicularia, has anyone tried christmas moss ?
staurogyne repens
Microsorum pteropus Narrow
Marsilea hursuta,has anyone tried this plant,
hopefully i can make the setup interesting reading with some pictures as i go and look forward to your comments/advice

regards,
john


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## Mark Evans (3 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

now this, I cant wait to see


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## Dave Spencer (3 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Marsilea hirsuta will be an excellent plant for this size of tank. It is dead easy to grow, but gets a bit taller than Marsilea crenata in my experience, and is slower growing. Mine chucks out the odd three leaf clover, but I cut those off as they look out of place.

I`m looking forward to seeing the Staurogyne repens. 

By the way, is 60l a nano?

Dave.

P.S. The Marsilea hirsuta may not be too fond of having Excel added anywhere near it. I think I burnt some of mine recently when I chucked a dose in by it at low level during a water change. I am pretty sure the Excel sitting around for a few minutes in the water whilst there was no current burnt some Marsilea h.


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## John Starkey (3 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

By the way, is 60l a nano?
Hi Dave,it says so on the box   ,thanks for the info about the Marsilea,i am looking forward to doing this little tank,
regards,
john.


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## Garuf (3 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Can't wait, John, I'm certain it'll be to your usual exceptional high standard.


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## Nelson (3 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

looking forward to this John   .


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## LondonDragon (3 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

John is back!! Looking forward to the tank and the photography


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## andyh (3 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Come on John get some pics up!


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## Krishs Bettas (4 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

This one looks like an interesting scape in the making, i can't wait to see pics. I'm deferently subscribed for this one.


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## Dan Crawford (4 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Sounds great Jonny Boy, i'm sure you've picked up a mass of inspiration from your wood trecking, even if you don't know it!

Marsilia is a cracking choice, it should suit the forest look very well. Depending on the scape, I recon Juncus repens may work well as it has a very "wild" look to it?

Can't wait to see it buddy


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## sanj (4 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Hello, I have a Dennerle 60 litre also, nice looking tank. 

I have both Marsilea hirsuta and christmas moss in varous tanks, they grow well,  but in this one ive got Ranunculis whats it...


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## Lisa_Perry75 (4 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Sounds good John! Looking forward to this


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## John Starkey (5 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Thanks for the being so enthusiastic,hope I can do something worthwhile,well I have ordered the plants  I have gone for weeping moss instead of Xmas moss,so planting day is this Fridy,I forgot to mention that filtration will be via a eheim pro 3 250 ,
Regards john


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## Dan Walter (5 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Looking forward to this one John. Now I know that you love snapping so get some pics up!


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## sanj (5 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*



			
				john starkey said:
			
		

> Thanks for the being so enthusiastic,hope I can do something worthwhile,well I have ordered the plants  I have gone for weeping moss instead of Xmas moss,so planting day is this Fridy,I forgot to mention that filtration will be via a eheim pro 3 250 ,
> Regards john



The nice thing about christmas moss is the formation, a little like fern, which would have been great for an English woodland. I dont know about the weeping moss but from pictures I have seen it is quite different.


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## John Starkey (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Here the scape i have settled on,its what i can see in my minds eye from the forest of dean,i am sure some will like it and some not ,i may tweek the stones a little but the wood i am happy with.








i am fetching my plants later today from aquajardin so i may get some of them in today,
regards,
john.


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## Dan Crawford (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*

Really nice John, really natural. Can't wait to see it planted!

Oh, the Marsilia may hide your rocks once growing so i'd consider some larger ones.


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## John Starkey (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*

SORRY DOUBLE POST


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## John Starkey (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*



			
				john starkey said:
			
		

> Oh, the Marsilia may hide your rocks once growing so i'd consider some larger ones.thanks Dan,i have been looking at it all after noon and you a right the stones need to be a bit bigger,  cheers mate,
> regards,
> john.



Hi dan,yes your right i realised this afternoon as i was looking at it i will replace them tomorrow during planting,
cheers mate.


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## Garuf (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*

is it at all possible to twist the v shaped wood through about 45 degrees so that it raises up slightly from the substrate on the right hand side? I think it'd help make the scape feel more dynamic, especially once you've some bigger rocks in.

Looks Great, John, Keep the pictures coming!


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## John Starkey (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*

This is the fella i love replys from,you have got to love him aint ya   how ya keeping Garuf ?i take your point and i will look at it tomorrow,when are we going to see your setup ?

cheers mate


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## John Starkey (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*



			
				sanj said:
			
		

> john starkey said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hi Sanj,i cant find a journal about your 60ltr,do you have any pics of it ?,
cheers john.


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## Garuf (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*

I'm very well John, exceptionally poor but that's how it goes when you're a student, hows things your end? My loan still hasn't arrived, it was due on the 10th of September, good to know that after the faff everyone had last year student finance have really pulled their fingers out and got it all sorted.  
I was hoping to have my tank planted full, brimming with plants months back but it just never happened, the sole reason being money, everything I could possibly need is attached to the tank waiting for the plants and water. Infuriating doesn't sum it up well enough. 
Hope you're well Mate.


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## sanj (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*



			
				john starkey said:
			
		

> Hi Sanj,i cant find a journal about your 60ltr,do you have any pics of it ?,
> cheers john.



Hey John,

I dont have a journal for my Dennerle, partly because it was mainly to house a strain of Gertrudes Rainbow. I did not put alot of effort into aquascaping it, so its unfit for showing lol. 

The christmas moss is not in there though its on my larger tank. I will see if i can get a closer shot of some.


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## John Starkey (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*



			
				sanj said:
			
		

> john starkey said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Cheers Sanj.


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## John Starkey (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*



			
				Garuf said:
			
		

> I'm very well John, exceptionally poor but that's how it goes when you're a student, hows things your end? My loan still hasn't arrived, it was due on the 10th of September, good to know that after the faff everyone had last year student finance have really pulled their fingers out and got it all sorted.
> I was hoping to have my tank planted full, brimming with plants months back but it just never happened, the sole reason being money, everything I could possibly need is attached to the tank waiting for the plants and water. Infuriating doesn't sum it up well enough.
> Hope you're well Mate.



Its nice to see the tories are putting this country back on its feet   ,if i was you i would get a job in banking look at all those big fat bonuses,

take care john.


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## Mark Evans (6 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*

looking great John! I reckon i can see where your headin' with it. 

With the placement of the hardscape, you've acheived some good sense of depth allready!


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## John Starkey (7 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*



			
				Mark Evans said:
			
		

> looking great John! I reckon i can see where your headin' with it.
> 
> With the placement of the hardscape, you've acheived some good sense of depth allready!



Cheers mark,it will all look different when planted up.


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## Steve Smith (7 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*

Loving it so far John   I'm looking forward to it's progression matey!


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## George Farmer (7 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*

Very nice, John.  I really like the wood selection and arrangement, in particular.

Keep up the good work; it's great to see a journal from you!


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## John Starkey (7 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland PICTURES*

Planting tomorrow (Friday), i have all of my plants except the Marsilea hursuta which will be with me next week,so i have xmas moss,stourogyne,weeping moss,and java fern narrow,i will also change the stone to slightly larger ones,
regards,
john.


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## John Starkey (8 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland COUPLE OF PLANTING PICTURES*










Hi all,this is what i finished up with,i decided to only have a couple of stones and left the rest out,just the marsilea to go in next week,i am running 36 watts of light over this and i want to add co2 but all my cylinders are too big to fit in the cupboard,how small are cylinders available ?.
regards,
john.


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## Garuf (8 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland COUPLE OF PLANTING PICTURES*

Looks really great, John, I can't wait to see it all fully planted, it already looks an absolute winner!


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## Krishs Bettas (8 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland COUPLE OF PLANTING PICTURES*

I really like it you have inspired me


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## chilled84 (8 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland COUPLE OF PLANTING PICTURES*

Thats a great little layout. I wish my moss would stay like that. My flying fox eats it all. Frankly he is doing my head in.


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## Nelson (8 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland COUPLE OF PLANTING PICTURES*

that looks great John   .

JBL 500g cylinders are about 42-43cm high.then a titchy bit more for the base/stand.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JBL-PROFLORA-M500 ... 33617630d1


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## John Starkey (8 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland COUPLE OF PLANTING PICTURES*



			
				nelson said:
			
		

> that looks great John   .
> 
> JBL 500g cylinders are about 42-43cm high.then a titchy bit more for the base/stand.
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JBL-PROFLORA-M500 ... 33617630d1



Thanks Nelson,is it you selling the jbl cylinder ? as i dont have an ebay account,
regards,
john.


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## John Starkey (8 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland COUPLE OF PLANTING PICTURES*

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments,the plants always look good at first then its all down hill   ,but i will be doing two water changes a week for a few weeks,but i need to get a small enough co2 bottle from somewhere asap,so i can get it rigged up,i will be using easy carbo anyway for most of the time so hopefully i wont get too many algae issues,
whats do guys think of 36watts over this 60ltr,i think it should be ok ?
regards,
john.


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## Nelson (8 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland COUPLE OF PLANTING PICTURES*



			
				john starkey said:
			
		

> nelson said:
> 
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> 
> ...


no,not me.just put that on so you could see what they're like.


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## John Starkey (8 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland COUPLE OF PLANTING PICTURES*



			
				nelson said:
			
		

> john starkey said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Oh ok thanks anyway for that,
chers john.


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## John Starkey (9 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Hi all,any suggestions for fish,i need to have something that are not going to jump out as its open topped,ones i have thought of so far are rasbora maculata,galaxy rasbora,any suggestions for other small species appreciated,
regards,
john.


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## Mark Evans (9 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Looking great john. Good vision.

Regards to fish, I  cant really help. My fish choice, is always poor.


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## BigTom (9 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

My old favourite _Dario dario_ (scarlet badis) would probably look great in there, as would sparkling gouramis. Or for something slightly larger to complement a small group of raspbora you could look at a trio of one of the _Badis sp_. or a non-_splendens_ Bettas.

Or if you want something exceptionally charismatic for their size, you could probably get 3 dwarf puffers in there, although there might not be quite enough cover for them until the plants grow in a bit.


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (9 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*



			
				john starkey said:
			
		

> galaxy rasbora
> regards,
> john.




John

 

Regards
Paul.


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## Stickleback (9 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*



			
				john starkey said:
			
		

> Hi all,any suggestions for fish,i need to have something that are not going to jump out as its open topped,ones i have thought of so far are rasbora maculata,galaxy rasbora,any suggestions for other small species appreciated,
> regards,
> john.




English Woodland?

Surely there's only one fish to chose...

Stickleback


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## Garuf (9 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

There's so much hight I'd suggest a deeper bodied fish, bentos tetra or white fin, black phantoms, something like that.


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## Gill (9 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Looks Amazing, the wood is very well chosen for the depth it gives to the scape. 

For Fish I would always recommend looking here>> http://www.minifische.de/miniTopTen.html Always a good source for inspiration when choosing fish


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## John Starkey (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Thanks for all the fish suggestions,i want to go with small fish so i am thinking maybe galaxy rasboras,or rasboras maculata,but i am still undecided,  
cheers ,
john.


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## GHNelson (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Hi John
What about cherry barbs or ember tetras.
hoggie


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## John Starkey (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*



			
				hogan53 said:
			
		

> Hi John
> What about cherry barbs or ember tetras.
> hoggie



Hi Hoggie,now cherry barbs i do like,they were one of the first fish i kept back in the 70,s when i was a youngster,ember tetra,s is a nice fish too, oooooo choices   ,
regards,
john.


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## Gill (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

have you thought of dwarf livebearers, like dwarf platties. 
If you are thinking about something etherial looking why not feather/ribbon/swallow livebearers/endlers.


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## GHNelson (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Hi John
I like the deep cherry red colour of the male tetras and they don't grow that big.3/4inch
I have some ember tetras these are even smaller in size.
hoggie


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## Mark Evans (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

embers are nice, but i'm partial to platinum tetras. how about a few pencil fish?


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## John Starkey (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*



			
				Mark Evans said:
			
		

> embers are nice, but i'm partial to platinum tetras. how about a few pencil fish?



Pencil fish,never thought of those sounds a good idea Mark   ,cheers mate.


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## John Starkey (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

I have found this fish whilst searching around,its called Microdevario kubota,s (formerly micro rasbora kubota,s)it looks a lovely little fish and i think a few of these would suit my nano very nicely,Has anyone ever kept these fish ?,i read on the PFK site that maidenhead aquatics oxford had some for sale a while back for Â£1.75 each,

cheers john.


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## Garuf (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Yellow Neons? I'm pretty certain George kept them in his very first nano. A beautiful fish once coloured up.


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

John

If your going down the barb line what about some:
 Odessa Barb - http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Puntius_Odessa.php

or 
Checker barb - http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_oligo.php

Regards
paul.


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## misscaretaker (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

I'm going to second the pencilfish. I have these in my 2' and although they are the only inhabitants other than shrimp they shoal together and have done for 3 years. I'm in the process of starting a 3' on the lines of a Yorkshire Dales beck for them and for a tank based on an English landscape I think pencilfish are perfect. Any of the really bright coloured fish, although beautiful, wouldn't look "English" if you follow my drift. That's my take on it anyway...


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## Mark Evans (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

I forget what the real red one is called, but it's a type of pencil fish. when coloured up there stunning.

This was from early Autumn blush


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## Gill (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Ohh I had forgotten the Pencil Fish, I think those pictured are the Dwarf Coral Red


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## John Starkey (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*



			
				Flyfisherman said:
			
		

> John
> 
> If your going down the barb line what about some:
> Odessa Barb - http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Puntius_Odessa.php
> ...



Hi Paul,i have kept both those species many years ago and they can grow biggish,
thanks Paul.


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## John Starkey (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*



			
				misscaretaker said:
			
		

> I'm going to second the pencilfish. I have these in my 2' and although they are the only inhabitants other than shrimp they shoal together and have done for 3 years. I'm in the process of starting a 3' on the lines of a Yorkshire Dales beck for them and for a tank based on an English landscape I think pencilfish are perfect. Any of the really bright coloured fish, although beautiful, wouldn't look "English" if you follow my drift. That's my take on it anyway...



I think i could be agreeing with you young lady   ,
cheers john.


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## John Starkey (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*



			
				Mark Evans said:
			
		

> I forget what the real red one is called, but it's a type of pencil fish. when coloured up there stunning.
> 
> This was from early Autumn blush



Yes they do look nice and not too colourful   ,
cheers john.


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## misscaretaker (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

I believe mine are the Beckford's or Golden Pencilfish (Nannostomus beckfordi) and although it says they prefer acidic conditions, they have been great in my Hampshire water which is as hard as it comes. I have to say that I absolutely love them!


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*



			
				Mark Evans said:
			
		

> I forget what the real red one is called, but it's a type of pencil fish. when coloured up there stunning.
> 
> This was from early Autumn blush



mark

Coral / Ruby red pencilfish.

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Nann ... haleri.php

Regards
Paul.


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## Mark Evans (10 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

thats the ones. Thanks.

pricey little buggers to.


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## dw1305 (11 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Hi all,
Steve Chesters (Ste12000 on Ebay) had some Coral Red pencils for sale recently. They would be a lot cheaper than shop bought. I haven't kept them but I think the males tend to fight with one another, so it would be useful to buy them from some-one who knows a bit about them. I've had _N. marginatus_ (Dwarf Pencil), and they are highly recommended.

cheers Darrel


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## samc (11 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

looking good john  nice to see you back into scaping again.

i would never buy from ste1200 on ebay again!

i bought some killifish eggs and brineshrimp. never recieved a thing! and egnored all emails.


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## John Starkey (11 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Thanks for all the suggestions,i have plenty of time to make up my mind so i wont rush things,paul (flyfisherman) thanks to you too,
regards,
john.


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## John Starkey (11 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*



			
				samc said:
			
		

> looking good john  nice to see you back into scaping again.
> 
> i would never buy from ste1200 on ebay again!
> 
> i bought some killifish eggs and brineshrimp. never recieved a thing! and egnored all emails.



Thanks Sam,i must admit it is nice having a tank to look at again even though its a lot smaller than my last one,
regards,
john.


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## John Starkey (13 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

Hi All,pressurised co2 added today at 1500,by 1830 the drop checker had turned from blue to a nice limeade colour,i am running 4BPS as i dont have any live stock at the moment,i am using a diffuser placed directly under the filter out take pipe,i find this method has always worked well for me,
regards,
john.


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## Mark Evans (13 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*

It's nice to get the whole set up up and running eh john?....  

Looking forward to pic update.


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## John Starkey (20 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland FISH IDEA,S NEEDED PLSE*



			
				Mark Evans said:
			
		

> It's nice to get the whole set up up and running eh john?....
> 
> Looking forward to pic update.



its amazing how the co2 gets the plants growing,its been going just over a week and plant growth is really good,i planted the marsilea on saturday and then cut it right down,its already throwing out new shoots,i dont have any algae problems at the moment but i do have a slight problem with surface scum,its like a thin film of fat but i just scoop it out each evening, i think its down to the new filter still maturing thats what me and a friend think anyway,i will try and get some pics up over the weekend of plant growth,
regards,
john.


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## George Farmer (20 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*




Not sure how I missed the planted pics mate!

It looks great already and will turn into a real stunner, I'm sure.

The fresh green and leaf shape of the Staurogyne contrasts nicely with the moss and ferns.  Refreshing.   

Any update pics?  I'd never keep my L-glass and 7D away from the tank if I were you!


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## Anubia (21 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Hi John..The woodland scape is looking great and cant wait for the tank to fill in..


I've kept the Coral Red Pencil fish ' Nannostomus mortenthaleri ' Prefers dim lighting and will show its colours better over a dark substrate. It looks superb in a heavily planted setup decorated with pieces of bogwood and twisted roots, (sounds like your scape) with a layer of surface vegetation to dim the lighting a touch.

It's best kept in a group of at least 6 fish. Rival males are territorial with one another, but in a heavily-planted tank any serious damage can usually be avoided. 

I've also kept Microrasbora Kubotai...These are great but I've found unless you have got your lighting positioned correctly you miss the effrerescent green markings... Mine look better from a side view in my 30cube nano...

Most small nano fish are jumpers and I've lost a few CPD's, Pygmy Corydoras, so it's a gamble whatever you stock, although some form of floating plant usually helps.

You should also look at Emerald Rasbora, shy at first but will come into colour within your stunning nano...


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## John Starkey (21 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*



			
				Anubia said:
			
		

> Hi John..The woodland scape is looking great and cant wait for the tank to fill in..
> 
> 
> I've kept the Coral Red Pencil fish ' Nannostomus mortenthaleri ' Prefers dim lighting and will show its colours better over a dark substrate. It looks superb in a heavily planted setup decorated with pieces of bogwood and twisted roots, (sounds like your scape) with a layer of surface vegetation to dim the lighting a touch.
> ...



Thanks Anubia,some very good advice and fish selection idea,s,Dan gave me five cherry shrimp on sunday,and they have all settled in very well,



i will hopefully find time to post some pics up of plant growth on saturday/sunday

regards,
john.


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## Anubia (21 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Nice shrimp close up John...what camera settings ?


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## Arana (21 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Glad i didn't miss this!, you havn't lost your touch John


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## John Starkey (22 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*



			
				Arana said:
			
		

> Glad i didn't miss this!, you havn't lost your touch John



Thanks Mark,nice to hear from you again.


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## LondonDragon (27 Oct 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Nice start John, nice choice of plants too, will look great when it matures  nice to see you back in the game!!


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## Toulouse (8 Nov 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

This is very nice already.  I like to see fern in tank and excellence photography.  The shrimp look superb.


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## John Starkey (16 Nov 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Just a little update no pics at the moment,for some reason i am struggling with the marsilea,considering it suposed to an easy plant its just not really taking off,so what i have done is cut it back really hard to see if that works,if not out it comes   ,the xmas moss is going really well as is the java fern narrow,when i get the foreground sorted i will get some pics up,

regards,
john.


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## Steve Smith (16 Nov 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

I think a hard cutback might be what's needed... Act like the Conservative government mate... hack and slash! 

Looking forward to taking a look this weekend, and catching up


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## Piece-of-fish (16 Nov 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Lovely plant choice, they should look very nice all together. Good luck with marsilea its a nice plant.


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## TommyG (16 Nov 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Wow this scape looks lovely. Nice work. Cant wait to see some fish in there!


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## John Starkey (17 Nov 2010)

*Re: English woodland*



			
				TommyG said:
			
		

> Wow this scape looks lovely. Nice work. Cant wait to see some fish in there!



I have put in 8 galaxy rasbors,don,t see them much though   ,and two oto,s
regards,
john.


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## andyh (21 Nov 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

John

Nice to see your tank in the flesh! Looked great did you add your new bits yet?

Andy

P.s thanks for the bacon butty!


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## Steve Smith (22 Nov 2010)

*Re: English woodland*

Those Hengali's really made the difference John!  It was amazing to see the Galaxy rasboras come out and swim about when you put the hengali's in 

Hope you haven't had any jumpers yet!


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## John Starkey (25 Nov 2010)

*Re: English woodland*



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> John
> 
> Nice to see your tank in the flesh! Looked great did you add your new bits yet?
> 
> ...



Hi Andy,i took out the marsilea and replaced it with E Parvula,the diatoms issue seems to be sorted now that the filter has fully matured,i will put up some pics when i am home next monday,i am going to Donna nook tomorrow for three days to photograph the seal pups,
regards,
john.


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## John Starkey (25 Nov 2010)

*Re: English woodland*



			
				SteveUK said:
			
		

> Those Hengali's really made the difference John!  It was amazing to see the Galaxy rasboras come out and swim about when you put the hengali's in
> 
> Hope you haven't had any jumpers yet!



It was amazing how the galaxy rasboras came out of hiding once i put those 6 Hengali,s in,they are on show all the time now,no jumpers yet   ,
regards,
john.


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## John Starkey (4 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*

Just a small update with a shot of the tank before i trim the xmas moss,i removed the marsilea from the foreground as it seemed to be struggling and replaced it with E Parvula,this seems to be doing well and starting to spread around the foreground,i left some of the marsilea at the sides as this seems to be doing ok in the area where there is less light,i am considering  putting something in the right hand corner to add some height as i feel it looks bare,any ideas would be welcome as i want to try and keep it looking english   ,






thanks for looking 

john.


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## Ben M (4 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*

wow, this tank is looking great. it's very inspirational towards my new nano tank which i'll be setting up soon. i especially like the moss on the wood, but i also think that that the E.parvula will look great when it spreads.

cheers


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## sanj (5 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*

Very nice John, E.parvula is my all time favourate ground cover although I do think the Marsilea would be more fitting with the English woodland theme. I have it growing in one of my tanks with leds, no problem getting it to grow. No two tanks are the same of course. Perhaps it needed more time I dont know.


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## Krishs Bettas (5 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*

John again the moss on the wood looks brilliant   Whats your secrete?


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## Sye Davies (5 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*

looks very nice john.


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## andyh (5 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*

That moss has really come on john since i was last at yours! Eating bacon butties!

Andy


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## Themuleous (5 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*

Stonking scape, John.  Can see the Aquajardin influence there. Shrimp look to have settled in ok.

Sam


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## Arana (5 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*

Great Work


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## Dan Crawford (6 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*

Loving the moss Johnny Boy, great work


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## John Starkey (6 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*



			
				Krish's Bettas said:
			
		

> John again the moss on the wood looks brilliant   Whats your secrete?



No secrets,just tie it on and hope it grows,seriously i have never struggled with moss of any type,i dont know if the worcester water has anything to do with it as its very hard,thanks very much,
regards,
john.


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## John Starkey (6 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Picture update 4th dec)*

Thanks everyone for the kind comments,Sam the shrimps are doing ok,only lost one ,

regards,
john.


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## John Starkey (19 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Shock horror)*

Hi All,i dont get to see my setup with the lights on monday to friday as i work 3pm to midnight at the moment,to my shock and horror, when the lights came on saturday afternoon i was greeted with BBA every where    ,the only thing i did was turn the co2 down slightly and turned off the koralia nano,(which is now back on) the week before,so to try and eradicate this i have trimmed all the infected leaves (which was quite a few) and upped the co2 back to 6bps,and did a 50% water change and a good clean up all round,cleaned  the substrate (not that it was very dirty)i have also reduced the lighting back down to 6 hrs from 7 ,it just goes to show how finely balanced our setups are,altering one thing affects many others things and so on,its a pity really as every thing was going very well,one thing i was thinking, do you think i have too much lighting over this tank as most of the plants are slow growing 36w over 60 ltrs (10 gals roughly ) would i better with just the one light 18w ?,

Hope you all have a lovely xmas and a happy new year   ,

regards,
john.


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## Mark Evans (19 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Shock horror)*

You'll bring back around mate.

 At least you know the cause and the remedy.


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## bogwood (19 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Shock horror)*

Bad luck with the BBA.
Ive been tackling it for some weeks now, and seem to be winning.
On your question about lighting, i had 48w over 140ltr, and for the last month have been running with only one tube in 24w.
The plants continue to grow, but the BBA has slowed down. Obviously i cant say its the light, but i feel it has helped.


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## ceg4048 (19 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Shock horror)*

You have too much light John. Pummelling you plants with 36 megawatts of gamma radiation for 6 hours instead of for 7 hours is only a token gesture.  

Cheers,


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## andyh (22 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Shock horror)*

Bad luck John! Get that light reduced and get your plants growing!


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## andyh (22 Dec 2010)

*Re: English woodland (Shock horror)*

Bad luck John! Get that light reduced and get your plants growing!


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## John Starkey (22 Apr 2011)

Hi all,sorry for the long over due update,not much really much  to report,all the algae issues i had have been resolved and every thing is going well,i have changed the lights from one super fish 18w,two two 11w dennerle lights, i am now getting a nice red tinge in the pogostemon erectus and the h, pinafitida,

a quick hand held shot before a trim two weeks ago






thanks 
john.

PS: i have finally convinced the wife to let me have another setup,i am thinking along the lines of a opti-white 80x40x40cm,but i havent made my mind up yet.


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## Mark Evans (22 Apr 2011)

spotless john. 

The best moss i've seen!


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## sanj (22 Apr 2011)

That is really nice John, you certainly have overcome any algae issues. 

I say go bigger on the tank while your wife has given you a window... quick before it closes again! 

Im thinking 120x60x60cm.


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## B7fec (22 Apr 2011)

Lovely John! A really nice, clean looking scape, bet the moss has taken a lot of maintenance to get it looking that good. 

I have a 90x45x45 nice size tank.... plenty of space to let the imagination run wild! Will look forward to seeing your new project come together.

Cheers Ben


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## nayr88 (22 Apr 2011)

That moss looks amazing, the tanks spotless you must be really happy with this one mate.


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## George Farmer (23 Apr 2011)

Brilliant, John.  

One of the best nanos around at the moment, and made even better by your success at eradicating the nuisance algae.  

Kudos.

All the best with your next project; whatever size you decide.


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## Garuf (23 Apr 2011)

I don't think 60l is a nano! 

Great work John, good to have you posting again!


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## George Farmer (23 Apr 2011)

Garuf said:
			
		

> I don't think 60l is a nano!
> 
> Great work John, good to have you posting again!


True.  It's a Dennerle Nano Cube 60.  I'm easily confused.


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## Tom (23 Apr 2011)

So green and clean!! Slightly jealous!


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## Steve Smith (23 Apr 2011)

Fantastic John!  I can confirm that the moss is fantastically healthy, as John very kindly sent me a bag full recently, and it was the healthiest I've ever seen, even after 24 hours in the post!

I look forward to seeing it in the flesh again mate!


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## John Starkey (23 Apr 2011)

Mark Evans said:
			
		

> spotless john.
> 
> The best moss i've seen!



Thanks Mark,
john.


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## John Starkey (23 Apr 2011)

sanj said:
			
		

> That is really nice John, you certainly have overcome any algae issues.
> 
> I say go bigger on the tank while your wife has given you a window... quick before it closes again!
> 
> Im thinking 120x60x60cm.



Thanks you Sanj,i think 80x40x40 is big enough at my age,thats why i sold my 5 footer,loved it but it was hard work,

john.


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## John Starkey (23 Apr 2011)

B7fec said:
			
		

> Lovely John! A really nice, clean looking scape, bet the moss has taken a lot of maintenance to get it looking that good.
> 
> I have a 90x45x45 nice size tank.... plenty of space to let the imagination run wild! Will look forward to seeing your new project come together.
> 
> Cheers Ben



Hi Ben,the moss is very easy as it happen,s i trim it about every 3/4 weeks,itrimmed the stourgoyne back really hard and it,s carpeting well now,

john.


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## John Starkey (23 Apr 2011)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Brilliant, John.
> 
> One of the best nanos around at the moment, and made even better by your success at eradicating the nuisance algae.
> 
> ...



Thank,s George that means a lot from one so talented   ,i am looking forward to my new tank but it will be a little longer yet as i am saving for it instead of raiding the saving,s account   ,

john.


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## John Starkey (23 Apr 2011)

Garuf said:
			
		

> I don't think 60l is a nano!
> 
> Great work John, good to have you posting again!



Thank,s garuf   ,it did say 60ltr nano on the box   ,what i enjoy most about is maintenance takes about 20 mins,

john.


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## John Starkey (23 Apr 2011)

Tom said:
			
		

> So green and clean!! Slightly jealous!



Don,t be jealous Tom,i just have green finger,s     ,

john.


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## John Starkey (23 Apr 2011)

SteveUK said:
			
		

> Fantastic John!  I can confirm that the moss is fantastically healthy, as John very kindly sent me a bag full recently, and it was the healthiest I've ever seen, even after 24 hours in the post!
> 
> I look forward to seeing it in the flesh again mate!



Thank,s Steve,your always welcome mate,Ann enjoys your visit,s   ,curry and few tinnies   ,

john.


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## Tom (23 Apr 2011)

I can confirm the moss I was sent a while ago was pure perfection too


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## LondonDragon (28 Apr 2011)

Looking great John, nicely done and so clean!! where is the water?? congrats and well done


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## sanj (28 Apr 2011)

john starkey said:
			
		

> Thanks you Sanj,i think 80x40x40 is big enough at my age,thats why i sold my 5 footer,loved it but it was hard work,
> 
> john.




Still i like the dimension width being half the length, i think it lends well for scaping.


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## Piece-of-fish (28 Apr 2011)

Super healthy plants John. Great job   
Tankwise yes yes go bigger although i am getting tired of maintaining my office 120x55x45. But thinking about 150x60x60 at the same time


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## John Starkey (29 Apr 2011)

Thanks Paulo,Sanj,and Ed,

john.


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## sanj (29 Apr 2011)

Piece-of-fish said:
			
		

> Super healthy plants John. Great job
> Tankwise yes yes go bigger although i am getting tired of maintaining my office 120x55x45. But thinking about 150x60x60 at the same time



I actually find maintaining an 8ft x 3ft tank just as easy as one your size, but my 60 litre dennerle "nano" has gone to pot with a covering of horrid black slimey algae.  

The biggest pain with larger tanks would have been waterchanging if you did it by bucket, but do it by hose and its a doddle.

I could understand John if he is an oldie lol, but then again when is old actually old? My breeder mate in Belgium is in his 60s and maintains 70 odd tanks. 

So I dont know, we all have to make the decision thats suits, but im just trying to encourage people who if thinking bigger, go for the biggest you can otherwise youll only end up ugrading and spending more money in the end.

I guess another counter point, Larger tanks will be more expensive to run and harder to get flow and co2 distribution even.

Hmm...


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## a1Matt (29 Apr 2011)

sanj said:
			
		

> I guess another counter point, Larger tanks will be more expensive to run and harder to get flow and co2 distribution even.
> 
> Hmm...



No stems and non co2?
That's what I have in my 160l and if it wasn't for the moss (takes about 1 hour monthly to maintain in this tank) it would be near zero 'wet hands in tank' maintenance.  Just WC's and filter cleaning.  Downside... it has taken 2 years to grow in.


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