# Windowsill Nature pt. 2



## Akwaskape

Hi All
here's a picture of my #lowandslow windowsill tank.

Dimensions: 42"×10"×12" (with a 2" sub the water column is 42"×10"×10")

Set up a few months back and kit consists of an airline and a heater.

Substrate is top soil capped with gravel.

Home to threadfin rainbowfish and bronze corys. Plus alot of snails and a few cherry shrimp.

Hope you enjoy it


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## banthaman.jm

Really great natural looking scape 
Jim


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## Akwaskape

@banthaman.jm 
Thank you 

Sustainable Aquaria


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## weejoe

I like it -no gas - no trash - no need to spend your cash.

Joe


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## Akwaskape

@weejoe
sustainable for the environment and the pocket
thanks, glad you like it.


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## Christos Ioannou

sun rays through the scape are superb!


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## jsiegmund

Wow great! So am I wrong or are you saying you're also lacking a filter? No lights and no filter?


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## Akwaskape

Christos Ioannou said:


> sun rays through the scape are superb!


Thank you, it's like my slice of paradise. This scape has a very chilled vibe, the gentle bubbling of the open airline completes it. Very relaxing.

Scaping for the senses 

Sustainable Aquaria


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## Akwaskape

jsiegmund said:


> Wow great! So am I wrong or are you saying you're also lacking a filter? No lights and no filter?


Correct just capped dirt and an airline with no stone. Which has been burried beneath the sub for discretion. So the rim of the glass is pretty minimal.

Sustainable Aquaria


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## jsiegmund

Amazing, I didn't even know that was possible. Do you need to be careful which plants you pick? And how do you battle algae 'cause I assume you have little flow in your tank, only that from the air bubbling up? Anyway, nice work and a lot more sustainable than most tanks here (mine included).


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## Akwaskape

jsiegmund said:


> Amazing, I didn't even know that was possible. Do you need to be careful which plants you pick? And how do you battle algae 'cause I assume you have little flow in your tank, only that from the air bubbling up? Anyway, nice work and a lot more sustainable than most tanks here (mine included).



thanks
I guess flow is flow. It's more dead spots your worried about. A bubble travelling from the sub to the surface will push water up and also draw water behind it. And watching the surface ripple as the bubble hits shows it spread into every corner of the tank. I'm no scientist, but my hunch is that it leaves no dead spots at all. Albeit at a very gentle rate. I suppose if your intention is to shift large quantities of nutrient around at a high rate then def not the way to go. But fortunately this method doesn't require that it's a long tank so I split the line into 2 and have got them 2/3 set back into the tank and equally split across. The heater sits between them horizontally on the back wall so as to interact with both currents.


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## Akwaskape

Yes plant choice is important


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## dw1305

Hi all, 
If you put an "air lift" on an air powered sponge filter (or just an air-stone) you get plenty of linear flow. These are the ones they sell to go with <"Poret foam in the USA">. 

cheers Darrel


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## Jose

The thing with this tank/s is the plant selection as jsiegmund has mentioned. I can see mostly "easy" plants that can uptake carbonates from the water. Im not criticizing at all. I love the tank. Some people might see this tank and think that a high tech with a carpet of HC and some red plants can be kept in the same way..... There are plenty of "easy plants" out there to make a lovely tank with very low maintainance but still so many of us go with co2.
I think when we say high flow, its really intended for a high co2 distribution. If plants adapt to consume carbonates then flow doesnt become as important.


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## Akwaskape

It's a valid point Jose and having run high tech myself know exactly where you are coming from, but my intention is to not really differentiate between low and high. It is to create beautiful looking tanks that are available and attainable to the big majority of hobbyists in the middle between the Walstad's and the Amano's .

I really appreciate some of the talent and effort that goes into the ADA style but on the flip side I guess it could also be viewed that all high tech thread's should come with a caveat that most of the equipment used is not needed to run "easy" plants.

I've also found ludwigia repens to be beautiful and grows purple red in my tanks. I've also got an Apono Crispus that is showing promise as well.

Really glad you like it, that's what I'm in it for to give people something to enjoy. And for the less experienced amongst us doing it without all the pressure and stress that demanding plants can sometime cause.

Imho the hobby needs this.

Good chat
thanks


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## dw1305

Hi all,





Akwaskape said:


> It is to create beautiful looking tanks that are available and attainable to the big majority of hobbyists in the middle between the Walstad's and the Amano's .


 That is definitely where I'm coming from as well. I'd be absolutely delighted if it was my tank. 

I spend a lot of time on other more fish orientated forums trying to persuade people that plants are the key to maintaining water quality, and that they don't need to spend a lot of money, or a lot of time, in maintaining a planted tank.

cheers Darrel


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## Akwaskape

Darrel
are you grey yet, im getting there lol
I spent a lot of time on MAC for that very reason.
It's basic, simple, cost effective and rewarding. And most of all great for the fish. When I post a video of my tanks on Instagram people are amazed / stunned in fact at just how relaxed and natural my fish behave.

But wow trying to convey that is difficult when there is so much conflicting information available. And for some reason everyone wants to take that and then add something to it or take something away to make it "better"

It's tried and tested, use the principles and stay within box. And most of all have fun and enjoy it.

And thanks I'll take that compliment.


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## Michael W

I'm loving this! I'm a great believer in encouraging my friends who are interested in aquariums to have setups which can suit their needs rather than their 'wants,' which will make their life easier while being able to enjoy the success of a planted aquarium. Quite often, they try their hands on plants which are very difficult and eventually get put off the planted side of the hobby due to things like high lights and not using CO2. If only they try the less demanding plants like Anubias and Java Ferns,with some creativity, they can make some great displays.


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## Akwaskape

Couldn't agree more. When I started this hobby 3 yrs ago, by chance I bought a java fern on a piece of bogwood  (still got it today) and my interest grew. I began to scour the Internet for all sorts of information. And ended up with an injected co2 system, quad tube T5HO suspended unit, EI ferts and plant substrate basically the lot. But it was the EI that turned it for me. Not that I couldn't understand it's just that I had no interest or motivation to get into it. I then ended up with an algae bloom and wow I turned to the Internet again and I must have had several conflicting pieces of advice. It baffled me, to the point where it was not enjoyable anymore. I had a choice at that point jack it in or find an alternative. So i kinda slacked on it for a bit. Low and behold eventually the bloom sorted 'itself' out. So it got me thinking! Glad I chose the 2nd option and began to explore the more natural methods and have never looked back since. 

Sustainable Aquaria


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## Akwaskape

Pic from above


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## Akwaskape

And the diy stand from reclaimed hardwood bed slats.


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## dw1305

Hi all, 





Akwaskape said:


> are you grey yet, im getting there lol.
> 
> It's basic, simple, cost effective and rewarding. And most of all great for the fish. When I post a video of my tanks on Instagram people are amazed / stunned in fact at just how relaxed and natural my fish behave.
> 
> But wow trying to convey that is difficult when there is so much conflicting information available. And for some reason everyone wants to take that and then add something to it or take something away to make it "better"


 I'm pretty grey anyway.

It is difficult at times, but you've got keep on going. I've been called an idiot and a  "_fish killer_", mainly when posting on "cycling" threads.

The thing that really gets me going is when the companies that sell water conditioning products, filter media, non-aquatic plants etc produce advertising that is designed to obscure the truth and deliberately mislead the people who buy their products.

cheers Darrel


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## Tim Harrison

Akwaskape said:


> ...but my intention is to not really differentiate between low and high. It is to create beautiful looking tanks that are available and attainable to the big majority of hobbyists in the middle between the Walstad's and the Amano's


Amen to that...I've tried to coin the phrase Hybrid-energy in my tutorial...but it doesn't seem to be catching on


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## BigTom

Lovely, lovely setup there Akwaskape. Just my cup of tea


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## Akwaskape

Big thanks @BigTom 

Sustainable Aquaria


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## JohnC

yup, loving it. my journey into planted tanks went (after extensive reading) straight to higher tech. always refreshing to be reminded of alternatives. 

I look after a couple of non CO2 planted tanks nowadays and am constantly amazed by how good i can keep them going and looking. 

just shows how heavily my mindset has been engrained in high energy aquascaping that more "normal" aquatic plant keeping comes as a surprise.


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## EnderUK

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,  I'm pretty grey anyway..
> 
> The thing that really gets me going is when the companies that sell water conditioning products, filter media, non-aquatic plants etc produce advertising that is designed to obscure the truth and deliberately mislead the people who buy their products.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Trouble is that a lot of aquarium shops would probably go under if they didn't have these money making magic beans.

Lovely tank btw


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## Akwaskape

I don't know I think many independents can't compete with the Internet on dry goods these days anyway. That's for the manufacturers to sort though. Personally I pay top dollar for livestock stock because I know it's the real deal. Ie not far east mass produced. I think locals should be pushing quality livestock stock and good quality plants. But it's just an opinion. 90% of the shops I've visited in Essex have shocking livestock yet they all moan about Internet prices for dry. And even worse plant stock tanks.

Sustainable Aquaria


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## EnderUK

Yeah I was at another LFS asking about apisto and they said people really aren't keen on paying 6 quid for a tiny fish.Though you probably don't really want those people as customers they are probably the bread and butter customers who also spend stupid money on filter media.

I hold my hand up I was one of them.


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## Akwaskape

Sorry @EnderUK thanks btw

Sustainable Aquaria


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## Akwaskape

Yeah agreed, I spend a couple of hours a week with my trusted LFS kinda learning and helping out a bit. And the amount of people usually more on the elderly side who come in regularly to buy their filter sponges is amazing. But worryingly for the LFS that wont be around for too much longer b'cos the younger gen are Internet shoppers! I feel we have a responsibility to educate new hobbyists about locally tank bred stock and the vast difference in quality and the benefits fir keeping this hobby going. It's a really tough one because I've watched it over the last few years and we could be in danger of losing them. The only reason my guy can survive now is because he owns the property and overheads are low. Funnily enough another shop went down (garden centre rent jobby) just this week in Essex.

Sustainable Aquaria


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## Sarpijk

I keep coming to this thread for inspiration! Hope you are well!


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## mort

Thanks for the bump Sarpijk, I'd not come across this journal and it's my kind of tank. I have a setup that gets plenty of direct sun but not up to this level. I just love the sun filtering through the water in the summer.


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## Karmicnull

+1!  Thanks for the pointer Sarpijk; what a fabulous tank!


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## dw1305

Hi all,
Unfortunately @Akwascape hasn't been on the forum for a couple of years, it is a real shame. I've referenced <"these posts"> in a couple of threads <"more recently">.

cheers Darrel


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## tiger15

I read this journal with inspiration, as I also have four zero tech planted shrimp bowl set up by the  window that receive afternoon sunlight.  Do you have any algae issue?  I am still learning and evolving to make mine do better.  

I have zero algae in the guppy grass bowls  due to fast growth or allelopathy? 

Dwarf Sag bowl has mild but persistent spirogyra invasion which I removed from time to time, but easy as they don't stick and come out in strands. 

There is stubborn cladophora in the DHG bowl which I had hard time removing without sticking to and uprooting some grass.   Neither shrimp nor snails eat clado, so I am experimenting with excel treatment and introducing molly fry to see if they help.


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