# Low maintenance Jungle set up



## Swampy (18 Mar 2012)

Hi all, I've just up graded for a Juwel Rio 240 with a TetraTec 1200 filter and Hydor 300w. 
Lighting is a T5 Arcadia Luminaire.

As before no water changes, just top up with filter maintenance once a month.

At the moment dosing is once a week with 5ml Trace, 2.5ml Easycarbo daily.

Fishes;
Neon Tetra
Pretty Tetra
Pristella Tetra
Harlequin Rasbora
Glowlight Rasbora
Cherry Barbs
Siamese Flying Fox

Molluscs;
Melanoides Tuberculata
Antentome helena

Substrate; 60 lts black Flora Base.

Hardscape; Bogwood, Redwood and Manzanita wood

Plants;
Cryptocoryne parva
Cryptocoryne wendtii ''green''
Cryptocoryne wendtii ''brown''
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Tropica'
Cryptocoryne x willisii
Cryptocoryne beckettii ''petchii''
Cryptocoryne crispatula
Echinodorus 'Rosé'
Echinodorus Parviflorous
Microsorium pteropus
Nymphea Maculata
Vallisneria Torta














Its a long term scape, more updates later on this year.

Martin.


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## Swampy (18 Mar 2012)

Before everyone jumps in, the pictures were taken before I added the Hydor 300w. The heater in the images has since gone to heater heaven.   

Martin.


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## Ady34 (18 Mar 2012)

Hi Martin,
great looking tank, very natural wod placement and a very effective choice of plants. 
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## GillesF (1 Apr 2012)

Cool tank, might be using this as inspiration for my father's low maintenance setup!


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## darren636 (1 Apr 2012)

that is nice. Very nice.


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## Eboeagles (1 Apr 2012)

Just lovely!


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## roadmaster (2 Apr 2012)

Sword plant's don't appear to be doing too well. 
Perhaps a couple root tabs near these? Or could opt for Crypt Balansae that would achive tall growth but perhaps not as broad  leafed?
I like the tank overall.


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## Steveyg81 (2 Apr 2012)

Looks fantastic,

Im trying to achieve a similar look and this has given me some new ideas, 

So thanks 8) 

Steve


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## Wallace (7 Apr 2012)

Lovely looking tank, and lovely piece of wood and effective placement.


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## spyder (7 Apr 2012)

The tank looks, great, fantastic composition and looking clean and fresh.

Are you dosing any NPK, or only trace?


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## Kristoph91 (7 Apr 2012)

Very nice  
Great wood, and good choice of plants 

Kris


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## George Farmer (7 Apr 2012)

Very nice. My kind of long-term 'scape!


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## Swampy (4 Jul 2012)

*Update...* well growth is good as ever and I have started to use easycarbo since I last posted as an experiment and increased the easycarbo from 2.5ml (_end of Jan 12_) from I last posted to 10ml per day now. Inmates show no ill effects and plant growth has increase. Once a week 2.5ml NPK and a increased dose of Trace 10ml. Filter maintenance still once a month, freshwater top-ups when needed. 





On a different sad note, some how NTD (Neon tetra disease) has found its way into my set-up. The latest batch of Neons were quarantined just a month ago.
This is a first for me that Ive had this disease, and I feel somewhat upset that its slowly killing the Neon Tetras and also seems to be affecting the Pristella Tetras aswell. No signs of the disease on the Pretty Tetras as of yet. Don't think there’s a awful lot I can do about either. From what I have read online there's no cure. Think it will be some months before it gets to them all. Then I'll have decide what course this set-up will take in the future. In the picture below, you'll see a Neon Tetra with NTD bottom right.





Still cannot get the lily to go very red, maybe dosing wrong or not pruning it back enough?

New fish, I missed my old community set-up and thought what the heck, and added four young Angelfish, six red Platy's and eight Golden Barbs.





Thinking maybe of moving this set-up into a Juwel Rio 400 sometime next year as it's slowly out growing the 240.   




_
Click on last image for larger version._

Martin.


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## Alastair (4 Jul 2012)

Looks fantastic Martin I'd be very proud of that. The crypts look lush. No water changes at all even though using easy carbo??


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## Joecoral (5 Jul 2012)

I like that....I like that a lot.....


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## Tim Harrison (5 Jul 2012)

Must admit I'm liking it lots too


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## JohnC (5 Jul 2012)

lovely crypt growth. can you tell me more about your lighting? amount and duration. thanks.
john


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## awtong (6 Jul 2012)

Crypt-tastic!

Absolutely brilliant.

Andy


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## Swampy (6 Jul 2012)

Alastair said:
			
		

> Looks fantastic Martin I'd be very proud of that. The crypts look lush. No water changes at all even though using easy carbo??



Yes, very proud of it, this aquarium the best one I've ever had running.

Thought I'd give a go when read online someone in the states was using it in small doses on a Walstead type set-up to control the algae. I give it a try starting at 2ml per day till now its up to full dose of 10ml a day. Seem's to work other than I do get 'Green spot algae' still but with no other problems except the Echinodorus grow like wildfire!   



			
				JohnC said:
			
		

> lovely crypt growth. can you tell me more about your lighting? amount and duration. thanks.
> john



Sorry folks I mean't to update the lighting issue aswell. 

I was using T5 Arcadia Luminaire, which modified with two leads so two timers can be used (older model Luminaire 4 x T5 58w) and so I was only using two tubes to start with, on 8am till 10am then back on 4pm till 8pm. All four T5's was far to much light. Having got the system up and running I found there was one major draw back, being with the tank having an open top like a high tech set-up, mean't more freshwater top-ups (up to 2 gallons a week) which started algae issues. Something had to be done, my other low tech tank was a standard Juwel 180 with 2 x T5 high lites plus lids and ran with no problems. So I purchased an Juwel T8 'i' bar kit ( 2 x T8 38w + Juwel reflectors) with Juwel lids which has been on since end of March. I mean't to buy the T5 version but ticked the wrong box online, so bit of a shock when it turned up in the post. No matter I thought, having read Georges _''Less lighting is more''_ article on PFK, I went ahead and installed the Juwel T8 system (fingers crossed) No freshwater top-ups need from then on, only when filter maintenance once a month with 2 gallons of freshwater. Lighting with the T8's started the same as the T5 times but slowly increased so now lighting is, on 7am till 11am then back on 4pm till 10pm. Having changed the lighting the other algaes, thread and hair algae have disappeared, with that Crypt growth improved dramatically, along with the Java ferns.

Martin.


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## spyder (7 Jul 2012)

Looking very lush and natural.

A little phosphates may help beating the GSA into submission.


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## Swampy (8 Jul 2012)

spyder said:
			
		

> Looking very lush and natural.
> 
> A little phosphates may help beating the GSA into submission.



Phosphates. As a separate dose or the NPK dosing, if so much do you all think?

Martin.


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## Alastair (8 Jul 2012)

Try adding just a pinch a week and see if that helps 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## GHNelson (8 Jul 2012)

Quote
Still cannot get the lily to go very red, maybe dosing wrong or not pruning it back enough?
I think you may have a green variety.
hoggie


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## Swampy (8 Jul 2012)

hogan53 said:
			
		

> I think you may have a green variety.
> hoggie



That just my luck, now where did I leave that tin of red paint? 

Martin.


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## Swampy (22 Sep 2013)

Hi all, hope i find everyone well, and with good growth in their aquariums!

Update; I've since shut this set up and now stopped fishkeeping for the foreseeable future. The set up ran very well with little or no problems, if anything the only problem I did really have was keeping control of the plant growth which sometimes I just couldn't keep up with!
With minimal fuss this aquarium ran for two years and if I ever do start again, I think I would run it the same way again.



Thanks all, see your all soon.


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