# Low tech help



## Martin Osmond (30 Jul 2016)

Any decent links, guides, journal's, video's etc for a complete beginner thinking of starting up a low tech tank?
Also any pictures of what can be achieved would be great.


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## Alex J (31 Jul 2016)

George farmer has just released a new video on how to set up a low tech tank, you should check it out in the tutorial section  also there are lots of threads on low tech set ups in the separate discussions , happy reading


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## rebel (31 Jul 2016)

http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/how-to-plant-a-low-maintenance-nature-aquarium.42123/


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## Tim Harrison (31 Jul 2016)

George's video is definitely worth a watch, many of the principles that apply to low-maintenance also apply to low-energy.
You could also give this a read as well http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-soil-substrate-or-dirted-planted-tank-a-how-to-guide.18943/ also in the Tutorials section.

P.S. The main difference between the two is that low-maintenance doesn't preclude the use of CO2.


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## Martin Osmond (31 Jul 2016)

Tim Harrison said:


> George's video is definitely worth a watch, many of the principles that apply to low-maintenance also apply to low-energy.
> You could also give this a read as well http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-soil-substrate-or-dirted-planted-tank-a-how-to-guide.18943/ also in the Tutorials section.
> 
> P.S. The main difference between the two is that low-maintenance doesn't preclude the use of CO2.



Cheers, ive seen George's video and its a great help. That link is also very helpful, thankyou.

I currently have an fx6 on my 245 litre tank, is this gonna be too much if i go low tech as if my understanding of that link is right you dont need much filtration?

Also I have a 66w led light unit on the tank, which although might not be that powerful on paper it is very bright, will this be ok?

My only other concern, right now at least, is the tank gets an awful lot of natural light from two great bigg sliding patio doors and another window directly opposite it. Its great for my mbuna as they spend all day grazing on the algae but how much of a problem will this be for a low tech planted tank?


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## Rabb.D (8 Jan 2017)

easy just buy a hob filter fill it with nylon string put strong light on the back of the filter where the nylons strings are leave it for a week put some soil in and you have cellular activity

edit: natural filtration


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## sciencefiction (8 Jan 2017)

Martin Osmond said:


> Cheers, ive seen George's video and its a great help. That link is also very helpful, thankyou.
> 
> I currently have an fx6 on my 245 litre tank, is this gonna be too much if i go low tech as if my understanding of that link is right you dont need much filtration?
> 
> ...



I keep a low tech tank next to the window. I also used to keep planted bowls on the window sill. The only algae I got was green algae on the glass, no algae on the plants whatsoever. I'd assume green algae is the one that grew for your mbuna too....And as a matter of fact, in the summer, when the light was stronger, my plants in this tank do best because my tank light is old and not very strong.  If you plant really heavily, possibly emersed plants too, you can make it work just fine.


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## zozo (8 Jan 2017)

And if you run into algae problems, just turn the tank lights completely off.. Or get a dimmer and find that ballance where both are playing well together.
This is a constantly changing factor, on very sunny blue sky days, you probably get a lot of daylight, enough for the tank to do without the leds or where the leds added are just to much. On darker cloudy days artificial light could be welcome, this is something to deside on the fly. While the tank matures and plantmass gets larger, more light can be taken.. In simple words, a planted tank is a dynamic solar cell machine, leaves are the solar cells, more leaves can photosynthesize more energy making more leaves.. Less plantmass is less leaves, results and ampel energy is not going to waste it will be used by other means like lagae.

Depending on how the natural light hits your tank and if open top tank, floating vegitation is a pre.. Look at it as if it is an outdoor pond, ponds also run on full blast daylight and do not need to be a problem, if it is, plantmass is to low and or lak floaters to filter the light. If ponds can, fish tanks can too.  What also will help for a great deal is to throw in a lot of Elodea in the first summer. Or any other free floating fast growing hungry plant. Keep the elodea in till all other plants are transitioned and have sufficient mass to take it over.

I got such a open top low tech getting full blast day light from above from a roof window.. The first summer i had to switch all the led lights completely off to fight off the already developed alga bloom in the spring time started around march. Worked like a charme kept the lights off till late september. On very sunny non cloudy days i had a ful lit tank from 9 in the morning till very late in the evening, not even in need of extra light. Thing i had to take for granted was a dark looking tank when there were clouds blocking the sun. But it only looked darker because of the glass reflection. And can't keep switching the lights on and off 10 times a day.. 

Now i'm going towards the second summer, plantmass has trippled by than, so i have no idea what to expect this summer. Trail and error.. I'm excited to find out, can't wait..


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