# rookie scape



## goby wan kenobi (13 Dec 2011)

hey guys, ive been lurkin around for some time and learnt quite a bit here, thanks for that   

just took the first pics of my first tank that i started in august. allready planning a new one of course..























By romvaesn at 2011-12-13

thanks again to all of you for such a wonderful treasure of aquatic information!


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## GillesF (13 Dec 2011)

Your tank looks great, especially since it's your first one! You've got some skills, mate.


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## Arana (13 Dec 2011)

very nice work, well done


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## goby wan kenobi (13 Dec 2011)

thanks guys  did 6 months of research on this forum before i started, wouldnt look like much othervise, thats for sure.
got all the inspiration and technical info i needed here


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## mitchelllawson (13 Dec 2011)

Looks insanely good!


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## Lewisr (13 Dec 2011)

1st try?!? damn thats good... Taken me about 10 attempts just to get something that i cant kill!


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## Alastair (13 Dec 2011)

Verify nice. Sod tens times I'd need ten years lol 


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## Westyggx (13 Dec 2011)

Looking good mate well done.


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## spyder (14 Dec 2011)

Love the rock, my eyes were scanning back n forth in the little nooks n cranny's. Looks nice and healthy. Good job,


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## creg (14 Dec 2011)

wish my first attempt looked as good as this

is that a killifish sniffing the nerite snail? looks nice


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## Callum (14 Dec 2011)

Love it, especially good for a first try!


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## sdlra (14 Dec 2011)




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## sarahtermite (15 Dec 2011)

That's amazing, especially for a first attempt! How long's it been set up? It really looks like somewhere you'd like to explore. What's the rock you used?


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## goby wan kenobi (15 Dec 2011)

hey all and thanks for kind replies, the hobby suddenly got even more exciting   

the tanks was set up in august and the rocks are japanese dragon rocks. 
it was supposed to look like a miniature mountain, but it basically looks like rocks with plants around them, so not too happy with that, albeit it looks nice now that is stable. 

i had problems with the cuba the first weeks, but they started to thrive once i lowered the temp from 26c to 24c. 
therse plenty of substrate under it, from jbl and aquatic nature, guess that helps. 

also had problems with the co2 (it leeked) and once i overdosed and killed a coupple of fish in the process, but a rapid water change saved the rest. my advise, stay home and survail while installing co2 the first time(s). now i have 2kg pressurised tank that works very well. but only a few times hav i seen oxygen bubbles on the leafs.

another thing i failed on was the sand i used in the front, which is too fine, so the cuba wont grow propperly there. i took out lots of it last night and replaced with more substrate, so i will see how that works out. the rest of the plants also thrive, except from the marsiela, its seems like the stems are rotting, but now new ones are coming up and they look really healthy.

3 weeks after set up diatoms started so show up, but they soon dissapered. and after about 2 months i started to get quite a bit of these dark hairy algaes (that was the time i had lots of hassle with the co2), but they too disapeard after lowering the lighting circles from 10 to 8 houres, fixing a steady co2 supply and rapid water changes. 

the scape looked great in mid october, alages gone, fish and plants got colours etc. since that i havent done much, excpet from trimming the plants twice and changin 1/3 of the water once a week and cleaning the glass every second day. first big change was yesterday, and today it looks pretty ok with clear water and all. 

so basically imo the key to success i lots of research (in sites like this) good lights and love and care for the hobby. 
i have a quite stressfull job, so classical music and one 30min with care, then one houre witch just gazing at it really makes a difference for the state of mind. its a living biotope where one pllays the role of god (kind of) and it really is zen for the soul  8) 

ps that little fish chatting with the snail is sleeping goby Tateurndina ocellicauda, got three of them and they are joyfull little creatures. 

specs,
woha aquarium 59x40x40cm - 93l
doubble tmc growbeam leds with dimmer
tetratec ex700 filter
pressurised co2 with atomizer
lots of substrate 

flora:
weeping moss
java moss
cuba
marsiela,
brasilliensis 
micranthemoides
hygrophila
and one other type of grass-like plant.

fauna:
20 moskito rasboras
3 sleeping gobys
4 ottos
2 botias
14 amanos
8 crystal red
5-10 pinochio shrimps (?)
2 zebra snails and
bunch of sandsnails

hers my favourite, these guys truly have a lot of presonality, and they keep the unwanted snails at bay   




By romvaesn at 2011-12-13


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## Alastair (15 Dec 2011)

Do your botias not try to eat your zebra nerites? I've got a few little pest snails and was interested in the smaller botias but don't want them eating my zebras


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## goby wan kenobi (15 Dec 2011)

Alastair said:
			
		

> Do your botias not try to eat your zebra nerites? I've got a few little pest snails and was interested in the smaller botias but don't want them eating my zebras
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



no, they dont even touch the bigger sandsnails, guess they pick their fights..


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## Gill (15 Dec 2011)

Wow that is really a Stunning Tank.


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## Kristoph91 (12 Jan 2012)

Well done that tank is beautiful!. You're right about the "playing god" part too!


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## Dan-CR4 (31 Jan 2012)

looks real nice


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## goby wan kenobi (1 Feb 2012)

thanks gill and dan 

well, it doesnt look quite look like that now, i was away for 2 weeks and came home to brownish, dwarfing cuba..
after coupple of weeks expermenting i found out that the java moss had gone ballistic behind the rocks. i draged out loads of it and gave it away, and now finally the cuba is retrieving. needless to say, the java took all the nutritions, and i had no idea that was the case. learning by doing i suppose.

ive also added two blue neon fresh water gobys which are really entertaining


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## jack-rythm (26 Jul 2012)

mate! nice work. Have to ask. what fish is that with your snail? they look cool as!


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