# A Great British Biotope



## George Farmer

This is one of my favourite aquascapes of all time.

The whole process was thoroughly enjoyable, from getting wet and researching the biotope, to executing it in my aquarium.

All the decor, plants and fish you see here are very similar to what I experienced in the lake, that's about 10 miles from my house.  The branches were collected from the lake.  Elodea and hairgrass were growing in the lake, amongst sand, leaves, stones and rocks, just like you see.

I remember phoning Dan Crawford on the day I did this.  Apparently he was literally just chatting to fellow UKAPS members and they were saying how a UK biotope needs to be done...

Here you go!


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## Stu Worrall

nice one george, looks really cool.  Couple of questions.  Whats the fish? looks really knarly    Did you get any nasties from the collected plants or did you clean them somehow before you put them in the tank?

and wheres the tesco trolley?


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## NeilW

Really really nice  .  Curious as to how much light/CO2/ferts you are running in comparison with 'normal', more exotic, tropical plants?


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## rawr

I absoloute love this! I was so surprised when I saw it the other day flicking through PFK. You neve cease to amaze me how you can get any aquascape to look good with ease.


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## ceg4048

Job well done mate. Nice execution and cool photos!  8) 

Cheers,


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## rawr

The fish are 'Sticklebacks' if I remember correctly from PFK.  And I don't think George actually collected the plants from nature, just bought them.


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## chump54

thats great George, haven't bought pfk for ages. which issue is/was it in? how much detail have you gone into in the mag?

Cheers

Chris


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## Stu Worrall

Cheers Rawr, I misread this quote that george had got the plants out of the lake





			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> The branches were collected from the lake.  Elodea and hairgrass were growing in the lake,



Thanks for the stickleback name. He looks hard as nails!


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## hydrophyte

That's wonderful George. I always wonder why aquascapers don't put together local biotopes like this more often. Do you know the species for that stickleback? We have a couple of different ones here in the north central US.


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## Dave Spencer

Superb stuff, George! My gob is smacked. You certainly aren`t one to let the hobby stand still.

Dave.


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## YzemaN

Really inspirational as always, George!
What are the water parameters? Did you do anything special to the tank or has it just been run with EI? I know in the winter a lot of the lakes and ponds in Northern Europe go through a temperature drop, would it be necessary to emulate that in our tanks or would the fish be fine in room temperature all year round?


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## George Farmer

Thanks for all the kind words, everyone!  



			
				stuworrall said:
			
		

> nice one george, looks really cool. Couple of questions. Whats the fish? looks really knarly  Did you get any nasties from the collected plants or did you clean them somehow before you put them in the tank?
> 
> and wheres the tesco trolley?


Cheers, Stu!

The fish are three-spined sticklebacks - _Gasterosteus aculeatus aculeatus_.  I bought five for a tenner from a local garden centre.  Great little fish and they bring back memories from my childhood, collecting them in nets in local streams.

The plants were purchased from an LFS.  Again, I paid a tenner for all of these you see.



			
				NeilW said:
			
		

> Really really nice  . Curious as to how much light/CO2/ferts you are running in comparison with 'normal', more exotic, tropical plants?


Thanks, Neil!

This is relatively low-tech.  1 x 24w T5, non-CO2, no ferts.  I relied on ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia and my hard NP-rich tap water to supply all of the nutrients.



			
				rawr said:
			
		

> I absoloute love this! I was so surprised when I saw it the other day flicking through PFK. You neve cease to amaze me how you can get any aquascape to look good with ease.


Thanks, Thomas!

I hope my work shows how aquascaping doesn't have to be difficult.  I really enjoy producing the step-by-step features for PFK for this reason.



			
				ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Job well done mate. Nice execution and cool photos! 8)
> 
> Cheers,


Thanks, Clive!



			
				chump54 said:
			
		

> thats great George, haven't bought pfk for ages. which issue is/was it in? how much detail have you gone into in the mag?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Chris


Thanks, Chris!

It's in the November issue which has just come out.  I go into detail about how I set the tank up and the photos are better than on here (the full-tank shot is a double page spread (DPS)).



			
				hydrophyte said:
			
		

> That's wonderful George. I always wonder why aquascapers don't put together local biotopes like this more often. Do you know the species for that stickleback? We have a couple of different ones here in the north central US.


Thanks, hydrophyte!

I think local biotopes are vastly underrated and are something that can be easily replicated at minimal cost.  It's a no-brainer really and I can't believe I've waited until now to do this!



			
				Dave Spencer said:
			
		

> Superb stuff, George! My gob is smacked. You certainly aren`t one to let the hobby stand still.
> 
> Dave.


Cheers, Dave.

I try my best.  PFK has 'neglected' plants in recent months but that's changing now...  Look out for a very exciting announcement in the future regarding aquascaping.



			
				YzemaN said:
			
		

> Really inspirational as always, George!
> What are the water parameters? Did you do anything special to the tank or has it just been run with EI? I know in the winter a lot of the lakes and ponds in Northern Europe go through a temperature drop, would it be necessary to emulate that in our tanks or would the fish be fine in room temperature all year round?


Thanks, Yzeman!

The lake parameters were pH 6.8, GH 16, KH 6, I think.  Lake temp. was 19C on the day I researched it.  I talk about it in more detail in the PFK feature.

My water is pH 7.8, GH 15, KH 7, which is very similar to the stickleback supplier.

I didn't run EI in this.  I haven't run 'traditional' EI for years now, relying more on daily dosing of off-the-shelf, usually Tropica, ADA or Easy Life.  In this set-up I didn't dose the water at all and relied on good old Aqua Soil. 

Long-term sticklebacks should be ok at room temperature as long as it doesn't go much above 20C.

Thanks again, all!


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## andyh

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Cheers, Dave.
> 
> I try my best. PFK has 'neglected' plants in recent months but that's changing now... Look out for a very exciting announcement in the future regarding aquascaping.



Oooo come on tell us whats the gossip!! ( i love a bit of gossip!)

Is PFK going to finally acknowledge us Aquascapers?  and give us a section in PFK? That would be cool! Look i am resorting to making stuff up now! :silent:


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## Graeme Edwards

Nice one G,

How is the tank in these pictures? The hair grass doesnt look like tis moved much. 

How long are you going to give this one? 

I love the red bellied stickleback, i think it has three spines. I wonder how many of us caught them as kids, and know me and Dan probably did when we where growing up. Dan had a stream 3 houses down. Ahhh the good old days,lol.


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## Iliveinazoo

I have been thinking recently about what I want to do with my 40l tank that currently houses my fiddler crab when he goes to crab heaven.  I know that I will breed snails for my puffer, and now after reading PFK I will be attempting to create my own British Biotype for them  

If I had to play devils advocate my only criticism  :silent:  is that you have used a couple of invasive species.  Mind you, top marks for pointing out that they were invasive species and it is almost impossible to find someone who stocks a decent selection of native british plants.


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## Mark Evans

nice scape george.

I'm also in the makings of a a native scape featuring roach and chub! Already sourced my supplier for the fish. so river scape here i come.


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## George Farmer

andyh said:
			
		

> George Farmer said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers, Dave.
> 
> I try my best. PFK has 'neglected' plants in recent months but that's changing now... Look out for a very exciting announcement in the future regarding aquascaping.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oooo come on tell us whats the gossip!! ( i love a bit of gossip!)
> 
> Is PFK going to finally acknowledge us Aquascapers?  and give us a section in PFK? That would be cool! Look i am resorting to making stuff up now! :silent:
Click to expand...

lol.  Thanks, Andy.  All I can say is that aquascapers should be very well catered for with this news.  I can't say anymore than that, sorry.

But if you want some other serious gossip, following some news I received last night; then I am potentially going to be aquascaping a fully planted 10 foot by 10 foot by 4 foot.... (about 10,000 litres)      



			
				Graeme Edwards said:
			
		

> Nice one G,
> 
> How old is the tank in these pictures? The hair grass doesnt look like tis moved much.
> 
> How long are you going to give this one?
> 
> I love the red bellied stickleback, i think it has three spines. I wonder how many of us caught them as kids, and know me and Dan probably did when we where growing up. Dan had a stream 3 houses down. Ahhh the good old days,lol.


Thanks mate!

The tank is only about 3 weeks old.  This is the tank I turnaround a new aquascape every 4 weeks for my PFK biotope features.  Like you mate, I have the planted nano for the longer-term stuff.

Good ol' days indeed.  We'll re-live them again sometime... 



			
				Iliveinazoo said:
			
		

> I have been thinking recently about what I want to do with my 40l tank that currently houses my fiddler crab when he goes to crab heaven. I know that I will breed snails for my puffer, and now after reading PFK I will be attempting to create my own British Biotype for them
> 
> If I had to play devils advocate my only criticism :silent: is that you have used a couple of invasive species. Mind you, top marks for pointing out that they were invasive species and it is almost impossible to find someone who stocks a decent selection of native british plants.


That's really great news!

And thanks for the constructive critisism.  



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> nice scape george.
> 
> I'm also in the makings of a a native scape featuring roach and chub! Already sourced my supplier for the fish. so river scape here i come.


Thanks, Mark!

All the best with your native 'scape.  I presume that you'll be stocking juveniles short-term, unless you've a huge tank!


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## paul.in.kendal

Lovely tank, George, and great pictures - I've just bought my copy of PFK, and I'm looking forward to a proper read of your article.  I'm interested in your woodwork - obviously constrained by what came out of your local lake, it's not at all what we're used to seeing in a GF aquascape, but it works really well.  I wonder if the limited choice of material stretched you, and whether it has suggested any new ideas using straighter lines like these? The sticklebacks are wonderfully prehistoric, too.  

Good to hear PFK is ramping up planted tank coverage again, and that monster tank sounds like a blast!


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## andyh

George Farmer said:
			
		

> andyh said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> George Farmer said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers, Dave.
> 
> I try my best. PFK has 'neglected' plants in recent months but that's changing now... Look out for a very exciting announcement in the future regarding aquascaping.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oooo come on tell us whats the gossip!! ( i love a bit of gossip!)
> 
> Is PFK going to finally acknowledge us Aquascapers?  and give us a section in PFK? That would be cool! Look i am resorting to making stuff up now! :silent:
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> lol.  Thanks, Andy.  All I can say is that aquascapers should be very well catered for with this news.  I can't say anymore than that, sorry.
> 
> But if you want some other serious gossip, following some news I received last night; then I am potentially going to be aquascaping a fully planted 10 foot by 10 foot by 4 foot.... (about 10,000 litres)
Click to expand...


Your so making it worse now! Well catered for! What a new magazine called Practical Aquascaper? See i am doing it again, ooooo i am a terrible gossip!     

I am v jealous about the big tank, although being totally honest, i wouldn't know were to begin! I hope your going to be keeping a journal. After seeing Big G's 1800l at at the TGM machine a 10,000l is going to be very impressive!   

A


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## Mortis

Great scape ! Really nice to layout and a great example of a natural aquascape.

Also, 10000 litres !!! Wow !! I dont know whether to envy you or pity you. Thats going to be a lot of work, physically and mentaly planning the scape. Though Im sure you will find it really rewarding experience once you finish it. 
What are you planning for the substrate and where are you going to get the boulders and driftTREES for this scape ?  

Please put up pics of the whole setting up and stuff. Im sure everyone will want to have a look.
Tom Barr made sad when he put up a few pics of the large tank he was scaping and then didnt update the thread.


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## keymaker

George, can you tell me a bit about the photography of the tank? Did you use any other lighting besides the 24W T5? What lens (aperture and zoom) did you use?


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## George Farmer

paul.in.kendal said:
			
		

> Lovely tank, George, and great pictures - I've just bought my copy of PFK, and I'm looking forward to a proper read of your article.  I'm interested in your woodwork - obviously constrained by what came out of your local lake, it's not at all what we're used to seeing in a GF aquascape, but it works really well.  I wonder if the limited choice of material stretched you, and whether it has suggested any new ideas using straighter lines like these? The sticklebacks are wonderfully prehistoric, too.
> 
> Good to hear PFK is ramping up planted tank coverage again, and that monster tank sounds like a blast!


Thanks, Paul!

Of course, we are always limited by our available materials, but in a way I think this can work to our advantage.  I think it can avoid confusion.  I am really enjoying all of my biotopes actually.  With each one I am learning so much.  Not only about the fish and their habitats, but new ideas for designs that I may incorporate in the future.  It's all good fun!  The next biotope is interesting, as it's the complete opposite of this in every way possible, but it's also one of my best layouts ever, I think.



			
				Mortis said:
			
		

> Great scape ! Really nice to layout and a great example of a natural aquascape.
> 
> Also, 10000 litres !!! Wow !!


Thanks, Mortis!

All I can say is watch this space regarding the massive tank...



			
				keymaker said:
			
		

> George, can you tell me a bit about the photography of the tank? Did you use any other lighting besides the 24W T5? What lens (aperture and zoom) did you use?


Certainly.  I enjoy the photography almost as much as the aquascaping.

For these shots I used 4 x 24w T5.  

Canon 50D, 50mm f/1.8 II, f/5.6, I/50th sec, ISO 400 for the full tank shot.  

Not sure on the others - you can probably see the EXIF data if you import in the images into some editing software.

I have studio lighting now, so will typically use the same camera and lens, but smaller aperture, faster shutter speed and lower ISO.

I tend to use my Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro for close-ups, and Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8 to 4.5 for wider angle stuff.

Cheers.


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## keymaker

George Farmer said:
			
		

> I enjoy the photography almost as much as the aquascaping.


Same here. 



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> For these shots I used 4 x 24w T5. Canon 50D, 50mm f/1.8 II (...) I tend to use (...) Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8 to 4.5 for wider angle stuff.


Thanks for the info. I just bought a Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS lens - I am more than happy with the image it produces on my 450D.  8)


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## TDI-line

Looks lovely George, spot on as usual.   

Btw, is there an Ikea near that lake?


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## George Farmer

keymaker said:
			
		

> Thanks for the info. I just bought a Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS lens - I am more than happy with the image it produces on my 450D. 8)


You're welcome!  Nice lens...    



			
				TDI-line said:
			
		

> Looks lovely George, spot on as usual.
> 
> Btw, is there an Ikea near that lake?


Cheers mate!  That's the one.  There's some awesome wood in there if you fancy getting cold and wet!


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## Tunafish

Maybe the next biotope from the UK perspective can have a toothy old 30lb plus pike!, then I'll come and catch him!


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## myboyshay

Awesome stuff George,

Very original and inspirational.  Top notch photography aswell    

Mark

My Journal (60cm Iwagumi)
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7750#p85503


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## Tony Swinney

GReat set up George, nice to see something different and 'local'.  Cant wait to see the BIG one now   

Tony


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## andyh

Hey George,

Just a quick photography question, You have detailed your settings for you full tank and i have been using those settings, however no matter what i do, i really struggle to take pics of the fish!  
Your fish pic is great, but I cant get them as sharp and detailed. I always get some sort of motion blur. I realise that "speed and light" has a lot to do with this but i cant seem to get it right. 

Can you give me any pointers? Sorry if i have gone a little off topic!

Regards
A


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## James Marshall

Wow, this has got to be my faxorite biotope aquarium. The extreme research you did with the freshwater diving is well reflected in the authenticity of the scape.
As others have said it takes me right back to my childhood when i used to catch sticklebacks in local streams and ponds, a real nostalgia trip.
Did you take any under water photos whilst diving? would love to see them if you did.

Cheers
James


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## George Farmer

myboyshay said:
			
		

> Awesome stuff George,
> 
> Very original and inspirational.  Top notch photography aswell


Thanks, Mark!



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> Hey George,
> 
> Just a quick photography question, You have detailed your settings for you full tank and i have been using those settings, however no matter what i do, i really struggle to take pics of the fish!
> Your fish pic is great, but I cant get them as sharp and detailed. I always get some sort of motion blur. I realise that "speed and light" has a lot to do with this but i cant seem to get it right.
> 
> Can you give me any pointers? Sorry if i have gone a little off topic!
> 
> Regards
> A


Hi Andy

For capturing sharp fish in full-tank shots should consider the shutter speed in accordance with the fish swimming pattern/speed.  These weren't too active so 1/50th sec. was fine.  

Faster fish require faster shutter speeds.  

Study the fish swimming patterns too and try to time it right.  Take loads of shots and choose the best - burst shoot can be helpful.  

You can speed up the shutter speed by going wider aperture or increasing ISO but bear in mind reduced DoF and increased noise.  Reduced DoF isn't ideal in full-tank shots, as some of the tank may be out of focus.   Most DSLRs are fine with ISO up to 800 or even higher in later models.

For capturing close-ups of fish I usually go wider and/or crank up the ISO to get an ever faster shutter speed.  A tripod is helpful too, but I use it as a monopod.  You can even pan with practice which results in cool bokeh.

I hope that helps and I'm not sure of your photography experiece so apologise if I've gone over your head or dumbed-down too much....

Cheers!


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## George Farmer

James Marshall said:
			
		

> Wow, this has got to be my faxorite biotope aquarium. The extreme research you did with the freshwater diving is well reflected in the authenticity of the scape.
> As others have said it takes me right back to my childhood when i used to catch sticklebacks in local streams and ponds, a real nostalgia trip.
> Did you take any under water photos whilst diving? would love to see them if you did.
> 
> Cheers
> James


Thanks, James!  And congrats on your great Your Tanks feature in the same issue!

I didn't take any underwater shots.  I may well invest in a waterproof housing for future expeds!


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## andyh

George Farmer said:
			
		

> James Marshall said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, this has got to be my faxorite biotope aquarium. The extreme research you did with the freshwater diving is well reflected in the authenticity of the scape.
> As others have said it takes me right back to my childhood when i used to catch sticklebacks in local streams and ponds, a real nostalgia trip.
> Did you take any under water photos whilst diving? would love to see them if you did.
> 
> Cheers
> James
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, James!  And congrats on your great Your Tanks feature in the same issue!
> 
> I didn't take any underwater shots.  I may well invest in a waterproof housing for future expeds!
Click to expand...


George,

Get a canon underwater housing they are excellent! (unless you wanna spend mega bucks on a pro one!)

Here is a couple of pics i took with mine:
Butterfly angel





A small group of Dog Face puffers




The camera *in its case in a tank* doing a video.


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## George Farmer

Wow!  That's really cool, Andy.  Thanks for sharing.

Looks like one of my Christmas presents is sorted!  The other has to be a new lens I reckon.


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## Themuleous

Iâ€™ve got an underwater housing for my fuji and its brilliant taking pics underwater.  Vids of tropical marine fish are quality too.  Got one of a pair of clowns in an anemone.

Sam


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## LondonDragon

Great looking tank George, great read on the article too, those fish look stunning  
Congrats once again on a great series


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## Themuleous

Personally, its a real shame you didn't stick to UK native species.  Would you put HC in an east Asian biotope?  Providing you get the landowners permission you can collect native species from waterbodies.

I have been thinking of doing something similar for a while, really should get around to it.  There are loads of aquatic plants in my local brook.  Next year perhaps.

Sam


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## George Farmer

You're right, Sam.  Thanks for the feedback.  

I did consider going 'proper' native but I'm working to really tight schedules, so went for the 'laziest' option!

I hope you do get to set up your own native tank.  I think these types of set-ups have the potential to be the most rewarding.


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## Themuleous

I heard that George, I've wanted the plants in my local brook grow and grow but just not had the time to get wet and collect some.

Sam


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## George Farmer

Hi Sam

I also wanted to replicate what I actually saw in my local lake, which in this case was full of invasive species!


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## Themuleous

Fair play, no parrots feather then? 

Sam


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## mr. luke

Oh my, thats nice 
Whats that about a 10,000l scape 
HOw many pots of hc would that beast take to carpet? think of the planting, its gonna take you forever (not assuming that your using hc, its just an example )


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## Lisa_Perry75

It does explain about the use of species if you read the magazine article


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## ziperzip

Great jop George it is amazing ! I also wondering what kind Camera and  lens you used for this  shot?


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## LondonDragon

ziperzip said:
			
		

> Great jop George it is amazing ! I also wondering what kind Camera and  lens you used for this  shot?



Judging by the exif info:

Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 50D
Image Date: 2009:07:09 17:29:52
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 100.0mm
CCD Width: 3.34mm
Exposure Time: 0.0080 s (1/125)
Aperture: f/4.0
ISO equiv: 800
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual

I would say the Canon 100mm macro lens


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## Richard Dowling

Great tank George, Love it!!

Ive wanted to use plant species found in my local streams but A) I dont have any wellies to go in and get them and B) They never look in great shape (not for a tank anyway).

The sticklebacks make a change! Well done


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