# My Private Island - 240l tank



## viktorlantos (27 Sep 2009)

This week i rescaped my 240l tank. I did not posted the earlier version of the scape here, but to have an idea you can check my gallery:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/viktorlant ... 084697919/

This was one of the best moment of the earlier version i guess.






I had this tank for 8-10 months approx, but as this had stem plants mainly after a little time i lost control over on it. So i decided to rescape...

Here is the specs:
Tank size: 240 liter (120cm width)
Filters: Eheim Prof 2 2028, Eheim Prof 1 2226 total of 2000lph
Light: Arcadia OT2 4*54Watts
CO2: Pressurized CO2 with glass diffuser
Substrate: ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia 27kg existing + 9 kg added now
Fertilizers: ADA Multi Bottom added to the substrate, ADA Brighty K, ADA Brighty Step 1
Plants: Eleocharis Parvula, Microsorum P. Narrow, Bolbitis H., Ulticularia G., Hemanthius C. Cuba, Echinodorus Tenellus, Vallisneria Nana, Cypherus Heliferi, Taxiphyllum barbieri, Vesicularia Dubyana (Christmas), Blyxa Japonica, Blyxa Auberti
Fish: Cardinia Japonica, Harlequin Rasbora, Standhal Fish, Torocatum, Pleco, Siamese Algae eater

Some of the fish coming from my old tank and i know they are not right for a planted tank but too hard to say good bye for them and give it to somebody. I may will keep them til they live. Like the pleco or the toro and the standhal fish.

Anyway this thursday i started to rescape the tank. This was not an easy run even that i gave most of the plants to my friends before. The full rescape taken 8 hours.

A i got the plants from tropica i started to do the work.

As the aquarium run at that time i had to move out the remaining plants along with the woods, stones and all fishes, shrimps.





I had a 50 liter plastic barell i put the larger filter in it. I was affraid that it till be too much for this much water but it turned out ok.

As i was not sure how long i will keep the fishes in i added in some anubias a wood and a stone. A really nice temporary flat for them with the best filtration which was possible.





For those who had siamese and shrimps in a large tank like this knows that this kind of fishing is not easy   
So i removed all the plants etc. But tried to not disturb too much the aquasoil. This went well unless i removed the huge crypt which had roots nearly under half of my tank   

I think this was the last point when i've seen anything. 





After that removed most part of the water. But approx 5-10cm left in the tank. Did not had a luck to remove that so later i added in the foreground plants just based on my senses   





Showered the Dark Iron woods with hot water as the new Seiryus too. And in the meantime added in all the plants to a bucket with full of water.





this is how the tank looked like after the removal...





cloud everywhere. viewing distance zero   

I had an earlier concept in mind how the scape will look like, but i realized that after cleaning all the woods and stones i was unable to rebuild this in the tank anymore   





Added mosses to the woods and til i worked on the other stuffs i throwed them into the tank.
From the laptop screen tried to rebuild the scape in the tank, but at the end this was just similar not the same. And still not seen the bottom part of it...  





This is how the tank looked like with its own lighting at that time





I did not had to much time so i felt this is ok now. i may will tweak here and there later on, but now i had to move forward. Still lot to do...

The next step i added in 9 liters new Aqua Soil Amazonia to the back of the tank. And pushed ADA Multi Bottom in every 15cm to the substrate as my old Sera Substrate is a year old under the old soil so that is not functioning anymore i guess.

With the extra 9 liter amazonia i get some depth on te tank.

Throwed in all the foreground plants parvula, HC, Ulticularia, Tennellus without seeing anything as the cloud was still there.

Bolbitis added to the woods with Microsorum P. Narrow.
Cyhpherus, Blyxa added in and to the background all vallisneria nana

After 7 hours i started to fill up the tank with the old method 
This was the first time when i've seen how i did on the foreground





filling up slowly but not so slowly...





Finally after 8 hours the tank filled up:









The water was a bit unclear at that time but not as bad as befre with the soil cloud.
The smaller filter started the work. Added in 3 balls of ADA Bacter Ball to the substrate. And ADA Green Bacter to the water. CO2 started. Project completed  

Was funny to see how different it become than i wanted, but i see that already how nice it will be after 2-3 months, so i am not worried. Also i still can tweak later on.

Woods stayed down, new soil not disturbed the water. I am worried the most about is the ammonia level because of the new 9 liter Aqua Soil and that i disturbed too much the substrate with the removals. I also killed the small filter as i stopped this for 8 hours til i worked on the new scape. But my plan was to put back any shrimp and fishes after 2-3 weeks. As usually the plan was to not add any fertilizers just Brighty K in the first 2 weeks....

Well this was a surprise, but turned out, no extra ammonia was in the water level. How? I do not have a clue.   
Tests showed ok on ammonia, nitrite, nitrate after the fill up. only PH was high, but CO2 started only later so this was ok.

Next day i've checked once again the parameters





everything seems ok... hmm. so the extra bacterial stuff? or the working substrate immediatelly removed the ammonia? the filtration bacteria stay alive to do the work? do not know but this is worked!

Oh after the setup i've seen that one amano shrimp stayed in the aquarium under the full rescape. he is a real survivor! 

since every parameter was normal i changed the plan and throwed in half of the amanos to prepare for the early algae battle.





next day checked the water, still no changes, except that PH is ok too for this time. Since i did not had ammonia, not dangerous nitrite or nitrate levels did not changed water yet. Added in 20 Harlequin a little more amano in the last 2 days. The water become clearer even with the smaller filter. Plants survived still need to wait til they change their leaves. No melting yet.

And as everything is changed, i changed my mind on the ferilization too. From this weekend i add Step 1 to the Brighty K. So normal ferilization started. No algae etc. everything is great, just need to wait til the plants settle in and start to grow...

This pic i shot yesterday....





I never thought that i will have an easy job in the first week i have now. Also that i will have a clear tank like this after 2 days the way i did.

Will post more photos as it is shaping in the meantime you can check the high res photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/viktorlant ... 447886108/

Sorry for the long post, i hope this was not too boring   
I think without my fiance the full task would have taken much more time. She was my savior when the fishes and shrimp had to remove, as i was not so good in that.   





ps: initially i wanted a similar scape than Luis Moniz did before (which is amazing my all time fav), but this is just become a different thing. Let's see how this will look like later on.


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## samc (27 Sep 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

great layout viktor  

needs a while to grow in then it will be awsome. 

i quite liked the old tank too. looked really mature


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## Mark Evans (27 Sep 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Another great layout Viktor. if ends up like the previous scape, your onto a wonderful looking scape indeed.

I'm interested to see how the UG, looks in the final images.

I always find the difference from planting to filling with water to be huge, once filled with water, a scape can look completely different to the same tank with no water.

look forward to the updates


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## aaronnorth (27 Sep 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

looking forward to the next scape, your last one looked awesome


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## andyh (27 Sep 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Viktor

Dont say sorry for a long post! Its great to get all the details, and understand how you put your tank together. It looks great and i cant wait to see what it looks like in a few more weeks!


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## viktorlantos (28 Sep 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Thanks guys for the nice words. Will post new shots timely to see how this forms.

Tested this morning too. The water quality is great. So the fishes not changed anything. Looking forward to see how the jungle will shape up.

There are many things that i may would do differently if i would not have the large fishes. For example had a pack of nile sand which would look amazing on the front giving some contrast, but  i know how pleco and toro would kill that in 2 seconds 

worried about the ammonia level and not trimmed parvula and others to avoid algae on plants...   

my previous scapes looked worst at the begining so i bet it will be better this time.

the bushy previous 240 scape looked like this on the start:



of course i added in some borneo wood later to the left, but if you compare this to the scape what is on the top of this page you would not tell the 2 tank is the same 

another nice change:



3 and a half months later:



not just the lamp changed...


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## NeilW (28 Sep 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Awesome, this has been really helpful to me too as I'm planning a major re 'scape so seeing the procedure in pictures was great.


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## baron von bubba (28 Sep 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				viktorlantos said:
			
		

> I think without my fiance the full task would have taken much more time. She was my savior when the fishes and shrimp had to remove, as i was not so good in that.



very nice, the tank looks ok too!   
had it been in my hands, with help like that, the rescape would have taken much much longer!


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## viktorlantos (5 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

11 days after the setup. mosses started to grow with many other plants. water is fine, no heavy algae attack yet. half of the fishes and shrimps are in the rest of the team is coming a little later once the plants will settle.

i had a few really nice small anubias and caffefolia which i thought i could use, but i was not sure. not works that well with the mosses, bolbitis and the grass and the scape i planned.

anyway i had dropped them today. not sure i will keep them, as at some point they looks good where they are, but they also looks a bit off. they hide the stone edges and gives a smoother feeling.

what do you think? should i keep them where they are and just cut them to keep it small forever? 
or would you remove them?





for large version: http://www.flickr.com/photos/viktorlant ... 3/sizes/o/

the water is a bit greenish as i still run with one of my filter yet.


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## Jur4ik (6 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

I liked it more without anubias  looks somehow overloaded


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## George Farmer (6 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Great journal so far, Viktor!

The nano looks superb too...


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## LondonDragon (6 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Nice one Viktor, the tank is coming along nicely, like George love that nano. Nice to get the missus involved too.

Congrats and keep us posted, thanks for sharing


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## viktorlantos (6 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				Jur4ik said:
			
		

> I liked it more without anubias  looks somehow overloaded



yeah i feel the same thing. will wait a bit to see when the plants starts to grow and may will remove them. they are not in the soil so easy to remove.

George, LondonDragon, thanks for the nice words


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## flygja (7 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

I'm a sucker for Anubias, I really love them poking out of rocks and crevices, so I vote to keep them!


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## viktorlantos (7 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				flygja said:
			
		

> I'm a sucker for Anubias, I really love them poking out of rocks and crevices, so I vote to keep them!



1:1

deuce 

who will be the person who say the final word?


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## baron von bubba (7 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

personally i like the anubias, they give a nice contrast to all the thinner formed plants.


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## nico (8 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

your nano looks great , i like a lot this kind of natural look , all in green , the use of may different plants in the foreground and a lot of moss , the use of the wood also seems quite perfect to me , all together this has a very "simple" feeling ...must be quite refreshing to look at  

also seems that you have a nice start with the 240L tank , i liked the previous version , the new one looks like it is even going to be better


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## JamesM (8 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Oooh, I missed the recent pics... I love it Viktor, keep the anubias mate


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## Mark Evans (8 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

I think the anubias is a good addition.


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## viktorlantos (9 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

thanks guys for the nice words. will keep anubias then and will see how that goes.

yesterday i throwed in 3 utricularia g. to the front part (front center). hope they will stay alive and form a carpet.

got them in a gel form. this is 100 times better than any other form. 
i do not know why HC or other small foreground plants are not cultivated in this form. much easier to handle.

will post a new photo over the weekend


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## TBRO (9 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Really inspiring Viktor, It's nice to see that it is possible to get that ADA look with enough hard work, I like your use of wood in all your scapes. 

I get the problem when scaping my big tank that I just get tired and loose my enthusiasm half way through, especially when you have to rush (fish in buckets, plants drying out) - Large tank scaping is an indurance sport but great if your partner helps out  :!: 

Regards, Tom


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## ashpitt (10 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				viktorlantos said:
			
		

> thanks guys for the nice words. will keep anubias then and will see how that goes.
> 
> yesterday i throwed in 3 utricularia g. to the front part (front center). hope they will stay alive and form a carpet.
> 
> ...


Hi Viktor,

I hope this is what you mean..http://www.flickr.com/photos/fitjab/3997705695/  

Cheers


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## viktorlantos (10 Oct 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

yup this is it ashpitt, thanks for sharing. hope this will be available by some plant distributor shortly.

Tom, thanks for your nice comment   

A few minutes before i shot another round on this tank. Today the scape is 16 days old. 
So there are progress on parvula, mosses, valisneria nana and other grass like plants.
Added in 3 pot utricularia a few days ago they still need time to settle in.

Moss cotton released to early some of the mosses   realized later we not used enough on the wood from this thing.


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## viktorlantos (1 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

cheers guys.    today i shoot some new photos on this tank.

5 weeks after the setup things looks much better now. parvula made a great dense carpet. bolbitis and narrow just grow nicely. mosses are in good condition. could be great too but 2 siamese manging this part so there's nothing to do about it   

removed utricularia g. from the front as is has a very bright green color, which did not really matched with the rest of the scape. i had hope this will darken a bit just like all other plants but not. 

anyway enjoy   





and one with the light:


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## Mark Evans (1 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Hey Viktor, your doing ADA proud my friend. true NA style.


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## R9naldo (3 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

nice tank   nice wood  ..  .  you can put a black sheet at the back of the tank .. to have more contrast whit the plants .. maybe it whill look nice


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## LondonDragon (4 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Another great tank Viktor  love the moss work, coming out tops  congrats


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## viktorlantos (4 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Thanks guys will work to make you all proud   You guys motivated me to build nice scapes.   
I keep coming back for inspiration daily


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## JamesM (4 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Mmmm, yes, beautiful  Could look even better with a black background too


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## samc (4 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

very nice viktor

its changed alot in a short space of time. very green


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## rawr (5 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

I really like this! The 'messy' look is definately my thing (and that's messy in a good way ).


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## viktorlantos (5 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				samc said:
			
		

> very nice viktor
> 
> its changed alot in a short space of time. very green



thanks sam,
yup this is green, but additionally to the green plants i've changed my lamps too. from arcadia plant pro (which you cn see on the earlier pictures) to OSRAM 865 HO. So this is why the tank looks more natural on the last photos. and also plants looks a little greener then earlier.

otherwise green looks pretty cool after my stem forest   
Go Green guys!


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## viktorlantos (16 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

yesterday i had a WC. after the tank cleaned up i shot today some photos from the current status.

the setup is 7 weeks old. and i feel that my plants nicely merged with the wood and stones. so the full shot feels like a whole image now.

i know the ugly techs are there like the koralia, the heater and the green eheim pipes, but whenever i see this tank gives a great feeling really. maybe the natural look of the moss, ferns, grasses, but really relaxing to look at it.   

my photo skills are not the best as some of you can do (saintly, tonser for example), but the pics are ok however this not shows the tank in its real shine.

can not believe how much progress are there in 7 weeks. if you check the begining of this journal.









i do not have any algae except the brown on the stones and at the end of the week some diatom on the glass.

fertilization is ADA on this tank.


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## AdAndrews (16 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Its awesome mate, i love everthing about it, well done


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## Mark Evans (16 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

this looks great viktor. i bet your glad you kept the anubias?


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## viktorlantos (16 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> this looks great viktor. i bet your glad you kept the anubias?



Thanks Mark. Yup i think would miss them. they settled and gives a good balance between the fine mosses and grass type of plants. 



			
				AdAndrews said:
			
		

> Its awesome mate, i love everthing about it, well done



Thanks mate.


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## Nick16 (16 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

wow amazing growth. 

plants look very healthy, well done.   

how are you finding the red tail black shark?  (RTBS)

it is nippy?


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## rawr (16 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

This just getting better and better isn't it! I really like the fact that you hae an RTBS too - as Nick asked, how do you find it?


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## viktorlantos (16 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

thanks guys   

that fish is a boss in my tank currently. keep control of the 2 siamese and just with its present rasboras not feels that they own the tank  so they not breed etc. 

otherwise pretty friendly. no rival fight.


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## andyh (16 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Hey Viktor

This is one of my most favourite scapes on here, congratulations on such an excellent aqua scape. I really like your style, and the natural look created in your tanks.

I will be copying your selection of T5 tubes on my next setup, as the colour rendition seems to be perfect.

Keep up the work and show us more pics!


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## R9naldo (17 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Realy nice aquarium you have there   ! you really take good care of it ! good job ! what is the foreground plant ? is it eleocharis parvula ?


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## viktorlantos (17 Nov 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				R9naldo said:
			
		

> Realy nice aquarium you have there   ! you really take good care of it ! good job ! what is the foreground plant ? is it eleocharis parvula ?



thanks R9naldo   yup that's parvula on the front and on the sides. had 6 pots sliced to tini bits at planting and after 7 weeks this become a super dense green carpet.



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> Hey Viktor
> 
> This is one of my most favourite scapes on here, congratulations on such an excellent aqua scape. I really like your style, and the natural look created in your tanks.
> 
> ...



thanks andy. this is very kindly from you. cheers


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## viktorlantos (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

cheers guys, a bit of an update here.

the tank is 11 weeks old now. this time i played with my new 17-40 lens. so all the photos created at 17.
some trimming would be good, but i did not had energy for this today.   
so just a quick water change before i shot these   






















for large res please check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/viktorlantos/


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## Gill (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

How did i miss this scape. Words are lost for its beauty


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## samc (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

looking really good viktor  looks better every time i see it


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## viktorlantos (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				Gill said:
			
		

> How did i miss this scape. Words are lost for its beauty



thanks for your nice words. actually this looks prettier in live, but i try my best to capture some of its moments   



			
				samc said:
			
		

> looking really good viktor  looks better every time i see it



thanks samc


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## Nelson (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

wow   .thats amazing.


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## TBRO (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Fantastic Viktor, looks like it's been set up much longer than it has! Nice to see a good carpet of plants, I'm not such a fan of the sand foreground effect, it's difficult to maintain in the long run. Great work - Tom


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## Vito (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

fantastic scape viktor, one of the best around at the moment.


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## JamesM (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Awesome!


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## andyh (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Hey Viktor,

Already told you i love this scape, but thought i would say it again!   

Can you confirm on the lights are you using 4 x OSRAM 865 HO i really like the natural look?

Andy


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## Mark Evans (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

one word. stunning!


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## CeeJay (13 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Hi viktor

What a stunning tank. I love it   

Chris


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## hydrophyte (14 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Your tank looks great Viktor. The groundcover turf is really nice. What kind of light fixture is that?


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## viktorlantos (14 Dec 2009)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Thanks guys, actually i really like this tank. Except the background plant (vallisneria nana) the tank is not a fast growing one. So really easy to maintain. I had a stem forest earlier, but this thing require much less trimming etc and the plants looks great much longer. I remove some Nana bi-weekly, but others not really require too much maintenance. Pruned parvula 2 weeks ago the first time. And still have weeks for the next one. Mosses not grows too much because of the siamese algae eaters, bolbitis and microsorum narrow also kind of slow ones. 



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> Hey Viktor,
> 
> Already told you i love this scape, but thought i would say it again!
> 
> ...



Hi Andy, thanks mate   
The lights are correct 4*54Watt Osram 865 HO.
First it seemed too green but after the green water cleared up the natural look stayed. I have 880 too so i thought earlier i mix it up a little, but that is not happened yet   



			
				hydrophyte said:
			
		

> Your tank looks great Viktor. The groundcover turf is really nice. What kind of light fixture is that?



thanks hydrophyte, well the plants are not as great as in your tanks but i try to keep up   
the light is the Arcadia OT2 which i ordered from Aquaessentials earlier


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## viktorlantos (2 Jan 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

14 weeks past since i did this setup. Not spent too much time with it in the holiday season, but today i had a water change, removed a lot of Vallisneria Nana, cleaned the microsorum leaves from the new plants, removed the died off cypherys leaves and made these photos.

with the light:





close up on the center part:





with the shader:





i kind of like this tank.    as it is slow enough to give great time for weeks.. well not weeks but months. only vallisneria need to be removed timely. really a low maintenance tank.

unfortunatelly siamese algae eaters killed many of my christmass moss. so i will replace that shortly.


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## TBRO (2 Jan 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

This is also looking great Viktor, having minimal stem plants is a good way to a easy to maintain scape. I might try Vallis instead of C.helferi next time it's a really under-rated plant. Does the vallis get much black brush algae on the old leaves ?

I had the same problem with my SAE eating my mosses, I think they do such a good job on the algae that they get hungry. Love the red-tailed shark, not seen one for ages in the shops. 

On a side note, have you ever visited any good planted tank stores in Austria ? I visit Vienna regularly and would like to check out the planted scene there  :!:


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## viktorlantos (12 Jan 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				TBRO said:
			
		

> This is also looking great Viktor, having minimal stem plants is a good way to a easy to maintain scape. I might try Vallis instead of C.helferi next time it's a really under-rated plant. Does the vallis get much black brush algae on the old leaves ?
> 
> I had the same problem with my SAE eating my mosses, I think they do such a good job on the algae that they get hungry. Love the red-tailed shark, not seen one for ages in the shops.
> 
> On a side note, have you ever visited any good planted tank stores in Austria ? I visit Vienna regularly and would like to check out the planted scene there  :!:



ops i missed your comment. sorry about that. Vallisneria Nana is a really nice plant. However this is a runner. Once this settle in gives a same ammount of work like a stem. But i would use cypherus h. instead of this. I have 2 of them in this tank and that is just looks really nice. not running etc 

Planted tank shop in austria... hmm not really. But there's a good fish shop in the center of the city. Called Zierfisch.at. I think planted tanks are not that common in austria. Not like Germany.

An update from the weekend. 15 wks old. Added an NA Carbon to one of my filter. water is clean, grass is nice i think i just need to lay down for a few minutes there


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## flygja (12 Jan 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Stunning tank truly! I see you have 2 spraybars facing each other. I tried this setup once and ended up with loads of BGA due to dead spots in the tank. How do you make sure this doesn't happen? Thanks!


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## viktorlantos (12 Jan 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				flygja said:
			
		

> Stunning tank truly! I see you have 2 spraybars facing each other. I tried this setup once and ended up with loads of BGA due to dead spots in the tank. How do you make sure this doesn't happen? Thanks!



Thanks mate   Running 2 filters. One is stronger a bit then the other. But i do not see dead spots in the tank. However when i started this tank for a few weeks i only used one of my filter, and i had a minor BGA problem on the front glass.
Then i added a Koralia to the other side to have the right flow and the BGA disappeared.

With the 2 filters and 2 spraybars i never had BGA problem, but the Phyton Git i use at water changes prevent that in some way too.


----------



## afroturf (12 Jan 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Wow I can't believe I've missed this thread, just my type of tank the sharks impressive too.


----------



## LondonDragon (12 Jan 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Just keeps getting better Viktor, stunning tank one of the best in the forum for sure, great work


----------



## viktorlantos (2 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Cheers guys   

A bit of an update. Replaced the green eheim pipes to glasses. Pimped up my tank cabined with an ADA stamp   

So here it is as it looks now

before the maintenance.... vallis looks crazy here   






after the maintenance





got a pair of new resident too


----------



## JamesM (2 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

You are my hero  I love this tank bud, please come do mine


----------



## George Farmer (2 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*





How can anyone get tired of Nature Aquariums?!?!

Beautiful.  One of the best I've seen in a while.

Thanks for sharing, Viktor!


----------



## andyh (2 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Viktor

This tank is truely world class, the latest pictures are fantastic!

I really like your plant selection they really compliment each other well.

The glassware looks good, really gives it clean feel. The equipment is far less visible and your eye is naturally draw to the scape! 

That RTBS is a fair size !?

Keep up the good work!


----------



## LondonDragon (2 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

A truly nature aquarium, my fav tank of all time, love it  Congrats


----------



## viktorlantos (2 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Thank you for all of your nice words. This is very kindly from all of you.   



			
				JamesM said:
			
		

> You are my hero  I love this tank bud, please come do mine



 Sounds very good. Would be fun with a beer or two with you guys   
But i also come here for inspiration a while ago. You guys do better then i, and many of your tanks inspired me. Maybe this week i am the lucky guy with a good capture   



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> How can anyone get tired of Nature Aquariums?!?!
> Beautiful. One of the best I've seen in a while.
> Thanks for sharing, Viktor!



Thank you George   UKAPS rulez! It is a pleasure to me to be here and can share these.
Your words means a lot to me. Thank you.   



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> This tank is truely world class, the latest pictures are fantastic!
> I really like your plant selection they really compliment each other well.



Thank you Andy   



			
				andyh said:
			
		

> That RTBS is a fair size !?



Yup he is an old guy in my tank. Actualy saved from my old one. Could be around 7yr old or so   



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> A truly nature aquarium, my fav tank of all time, love it  Congrats



Cheers mate   Thanks for your nice words.


----------



## Steve Smith (2 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Beautiful Viktor.  I would love to see it in the flesh.  An inspirational scape for the rest of us


----------



## Jase (2 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Really a stunning tank Viktor, a credit too you


----------



## russchilds (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Looks amazing!!!


----------



## zig (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Its a beauty Viktor, I love the crazy vallis


----------



## Vito (3 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

WHat an amazing setup Viktor, I think you have really suceeded on this tank and I have to agree the glass wear makes a hell of a difference, I was curious about the original top of the tank did you remove it and have you had any problems with the loss of the support as I am considering removing the top bracing and plastic from my tank


----------



## mzm (6 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

this is an amazing tank!!!! i just rushed through the pages to see the pictures of how the tank developed...

How many hours of light to give this tank each day?


----------



## viktorlantos (6 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				Vito said:
			
		

> WHat an amazing setup Viktor, I think you have really suceeded on this tank and I have to agree the glass wear makes a hell of a difference, I was curious about the original top of the tank did you remove it and have you had any problems with the loss of the support as I am considering removing the top bracing and plastic from my tank



Thanks Vito   
I really not liked my hood at the very begining. So was refreshing when i got the Arcadia unit and do the open tank since then. Did not had any problem. But i lose around 10-15 liters/week which i need to refill.



			
				mzm said:
			
		

> this is an amazing tank!!!! i just rushed through the pages to see the pictures of how the tank developed...
> 
> How many hours of light to give this tank each day?



Thank you   Light period currently from 10am to 8pm. CO2 from 7am til 9pm. Doing really well in this condition.


----------



## Mark Evans (7 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

viktor! this is stunning my friend!

so when can i come to take photos?


----------



## viktorlantos (7 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> viktor! this is stunning my friend!
> 
> so when can i come to take photos?



Anytime Mark   
But with your photo skills and top gear equipment don't you think this will be too super cool?  
Do not want to rob the chances from others   Nah just kidding


----------



## Paulus (7 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

a great looking tank. love it  

question about the foreground planting. is this an easy fast growing plant? cause i am looking for a same type of plant for my tank. but i can't get any jap. hairgrass here so i need to find an replacement.


----------



## viktorlantos (7 Feb 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				Paulus said:
			
		

> a great looking tank. love it
> 
> question about the foreground planting. is this an easy fast growing plant? cause i am looking for a same type of plant for my tank. but i can't get any jap. hairgrass here so i need to find an replacement.



Thanks mate   
Yeah parvula is running very fast in a good soil. Not sure there was any effect, but because my old substrate stayed in the tank (not replaced it), i put an ADA Multi Bottom (fert stick) in every 10 cm before the planting. So maybe this helped or not but within 2 months this become a very dense carpet. Only trimmed once since the setup, which was a few months after the start.


----------



## viktorlantos (7 Mar 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

cheers guys. a bit of an update on the tank in a different way 
i plan to throw the tank into the ADA IAPLC this year, so currently just making the final touches and will start to shoot the clean photos in the next month or so.

anyway i bought a new toy (Canon EOS550D) and yesterday i shoot my second short video with it. the video is more of a test this was captured at 10am and all the glasses reflect everything etc. will do a prof shot later at night time. but i thought i do a capture on the feeding and the fertilizing routine right after the light goes on.

no audio, no prof editing etc. just how i captured it and transcoded into a usable format.

enjoy


----------



## Mark Evans (7 Mar 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

stunning my friend. 

what programme are you using for video? try the 30 day sample version of edius 5   

drag canon files in the 'bin' and convert to the canopus HQ fine codec for brilliant real time editing. The effects suck, but everything else is amazing!


----------



## viktorlantos (7 Mar 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> stunning my friend.
> 
> what programme are you using for video? try the 30 day sample version of edius 5
> 
> drag canon files in the 'bin' and convert to the canopus HQ fine codec for brilliant real time editing. The effects suck, but everything else is amazing!



Thanks Mark   Well i guess this is very far from those stuff you do. I just play with these now.
But as you mentioned this is not an easy way to transcode these vids to the best shape.

The above video just throwed into Premier Pro CS4 and tweaked a bit there. The problem is this way you loose the real time editing. Which is not a problem at transcoding, but when more work needed this is a real pain.
Currently just collecting infos on the tools and processes.

Spent time mostly on conversion, but not real time editing. However i used Avid codec (which is free), used streamclip for pre conversion etc.

Tried Vegas too on my 64bit Win 7 i7 machine. But Adobe was closer to me because of my daily work with Adobe stuffs.
Seen Avid is great too, but its pricing.... Edius looks superb too, but also too expensive for these tasks. Will check the trial anyway. Thanks for the tip Mark


----------



## andyh (7 Mar 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Excellent video ! Its great to see fert and feeding regime, i think this may be the start of something new! Video is definitely an excellent way of showcasing all our work and especially helpful in the how to sections!
Keep up the good work viktor!


----------



## mfcphil (8 Mar 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

This is a thing of beauty!


----------



## Steve Smith (8 Mar 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

Great video Viktor   What is the fert routine?  Was that Step 3 x 12pumps, or two different steps x 6?  And was the clear Brighty K?  I'm guessing the last one was Green Gain or something like that?

Crystal clear water.  Love it!


----------



## viktorlantos (10 Mar 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

How about one from an angle?   






also from the front before the maintenance:





There was no seriuos preparation. Just took the camera a few days before and made this shot to test my new cam.
Glasses are dirty, plants are overgrown, but this is the average form of the tank. i am quite happy with it.   

Will be silent in the upcoming months as i also plan to throw this tank to the IAPLC. Just making the final touches in the upcoming weeks.


----------



## Mark Evans (10 Mar 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

now this is a beauty scape viktor.


----------



## JamesM (10 Mar 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

I've just drooled all over my keyboard.. Such a stunning tank...


----------



## LondonDragon (10 Mar 2010)

*Re: 240l tank rescape (name coming later)*

One of the best I have seen Viktor  congrats and good luck in the competition


----------



## viktorlantos (22 May 2010)

cheers guys,
not posted a while ago. the tank matured well, some plants i am not happy with, but this will not look better at all   
bolbitis looks good then after weeks the leaf become dark and nothing save it from the scissors... probably the tap water is not the best for them. mosses not doing good as the 2 siamese eat 24 hours a day, no chance for them.

otherwise i had a photo session today to prep the tank to the IAPLC. built a frame, cleaned up the tank, added in a backlight. no full shot this time but you can see the part of it. the quality is not like some of the prof here as i only have a camera no spec lights etc, but try to keep up with the UKAPS masters   

maybe a new scape is coming later this summer?...   
enjoy


----------



## sanj (22 May 2010)

Excellent Victor, this is one of my favourites.


----------



## LondonDragon (24 May 2010)

sanj said:
			
		

> Excellent Victor, this is one of my favourites.


 :text-+1:  congrats and good luck in the competition


----------



## beeky (24 May 2010)

Excellent. You have to be congratulated for keeping the vallis under control! My tank got overtaken and it swamped everything.

Love the RTBS as well, don't see those in planted tanks often. They're one of my fave fish (as you can see from my avatar). That one died though due to my small son feeding the fish a whole tub of fish food. I found the carnage the morning after.....

Does it still get on OK with the siamese algae eaters and apisto?


----------



## viktorlantos (24 May 2010)

Thanks guys for all of your nice words   



			
				beeky said:
			
		

> Excellent. You have to be congratulated for keeping the vallis under control! My tank got overtaken and it swamped everything.



Pretty challenging. Had to remove a bunch of vallis weekly to keep it under control. Will think twice on my future layout to use this plant. However this is very nice with its long leaf. 



			
				beeky said:
			
		

> Does it still get on OK with the siamese algae eaters and apisto?



he is the chief in the tank. apisto and siamese both just come after that. so he has a respect for sure.  
but everyone is happy apistos are breeding etc.

siamese  could be very happy that i keep throwing them new mosses to keep the tank in shape


----------



## Garuf (24 May 2010)

Very nice indeed, any chance you know the species of the anubias? Is it just normal barterii?


----------



## viktorlantos (24 May 2010)

Garuf said:
			
		

> Very nice indeed, any chance you know the species of the anubias? Is it just normal barterii?



yup as far as i know Anubias barteri var. nana and Anubias barteri ''coffeefolia'' species i used from the old tank.


----------



## Garuf (24 May 2010)

Thanks viktor, again, really beautiful. It's made me certain that I want Acciularius in my new tank. It looks so good in your tank.


----------



## George Farmer (24 May 2010)

Congratulations on a wonderful aquascape, Viktor!

All the best for the IAPLC.  It's very tough to predict ranking but I would like to see this in the Top 150.


----------



## viktorlantos (24 May 2010)

Thanks guys   



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> All the best for the IAPLC. It's very tough to predict ranking but I would like to see this in the Top 150.



Thanks George, if you're right, then i pay the round of beers on our next meeting   
I would be happy to be in the top 200. After i submitted today i got number 1490 or so. Which means this year will be busy again. 

1 week left guys, come on submit your tanks


----------



## George Farmer (24 May 2010)

I submitted an entry today...   

I bet you a round of beers that your's beats my entry, Viktor!


----------



## flygja (25 May 2010)

Very nice Viktor!


----------



## LondonDragon (25 May 2010)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> I submitted an entry today...
> 
> I bet you a round of beers that your's beats my entry, Viktor!



Was it the Tropica stand tank??


----------



## viktorlantos (30 May 2010)

cheers guys, i thought i share 2 photos with you.

first one is my HC island over my large tank. This has grown on the top of the moss and the dark iron wood. Easily overtaken the moss and now this is above the water and started to grow back to the water from there. Pretty amazing and healthy and not burning not dry out because of the extreme heat from the lamp. Live there for months. Today at the water change i captured it.






Second shot is the one from last week when i did the IAPLC shots. This is a werk shot how the tank looked like with the frame mounted and the added in backlight.





you still have 1 day to submit yours   
Good luck to all UKAPS entrants on the contest from the Hungarian scapers


----------



## Mark Evans (30 May 2010)

stunning viktor! 

I cant wait to give mine the same treatment for next years IAPLC.


----------



## viktorlantos (30 May 2010)

saintly said:
			
		

> stunning viktor!
> 
> I cant wait to give mine the same treatment for next years IAPLC.



Thanks Mark   
I am glad that i do not have an 180cm tank. Frame that would be a nightmare


----------



## ceg4048 (31 May 2010)

Gorgeous shot of the HC Viktor. Absolutely love it mate.

Cheers,


----------



## Mark Evans (31 May 2010)

viktorlantos said:
			
		

> am glad that i do not have an 180cm tank. Frame that would be a nightmare



what did you use viktor? black cardboard? 

The tank does look truly amazing mate.The back lighting looks sweet.


----------



## hydrophyte (31 May 2010)

viktorlantos said:
			
		

>



That is really interesting to see that dense covering of HC. I have wondered about using that plant with riparium planters and rafts, but I imagined that it would be too thin and small to cover very well. Now I think that I should give it a try. What is the root system like for that emersed clump? Are the roots right in the water or are they growing into a substrate.





Great full tank shot too Viktor!


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## Tony Swinney (31 May 2010)

Looks awesome Viktor - the healthies HC you've got there 

Nice setup for the pics too, even from that angle the tank looks stunning   

Cheers

Tony


----------



## viktorlantos (31 May 2010)

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Gorgeous shot of the HC Viktor. Absolutely love it mate.



Thanks mate   



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> what did you use viktor? black cardboard?



yup black cardboard, but i selected the heaviest piece in the shop. had to use 4 large size piece and crop that to have this frame. i guess this was a 300gr piece paper. since the full frame mounted together on the floor this had a good weight at the end. luckily some tape on both side was enough to keep it on the tank. 



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> The tank does look truly amazing mate.The back lighting looks sweet.



Thanks Mark. I can tell you that UKAPS has some great photographer including you who inspire us a lot. so we just try to keep up, but definately put more attention to the photos since i see those amazing captures from you, tonser, George and many more. UKAPS rulez!   



			
				hydrophyte said:
			
		

> That is really interesting to see that dense covering of HC. I have wondered about using that plant with riparium planters and rafts, but I imagined that it would be too thin and small to cover very well. Now I think that I should give it a try. What is the root system like for that emersed clump? Are the roots right in the water or are they growing into a substrate.



HC looks amazing emersed. The only problem is the root is not that big around 2-3cm. Not sure how this would work on the riparium pot. But i would give it a try. Looks amazing how this grows back to the water. They are happy in a substrate, moss, lava stone. just need plenty light i guess.



			
				Tonser said:
			
		

> Looks awesome Viktor - the healthies HC you've got there
> 
> Nice setup for the pics too, even from that angle the tank looks stunning



Thanks buddy   try to keep up with you too


----------



## George Farmer (31 May 2010)

Love the black cut-out idea.  Must remember that when I next do a contest tank!

'Scape looks superb too.  

Hungary vs. UK in the ADA contest.  I wonder which country with have the highest average ranking????  Loser gets to buy a round of beers at the next European gathering!


----------



## Mark Evans (31 May 2010)

here viktor, for the 180cm   

http://naacademy.pl/Galerie/JAPAN-2009- ... ?photo=241


----------



## viktorlantos (31 May 2010)

saintly said:
			
		

> here viktor, for the 180cm
> 
> http://naacademy.pl/Galerie/JAPAN-2009- ... ?photo=241



yup that's the one. as  see they used a much lighter paper and smaller chunks there.


----------



## viktorlantos (13 Jun 2010)

2 shots from this week....

the giant plecs checking the temperature these days, as getting warmer...   





he looks good by the way in larger size: http://www.flickr.com/photos/viktorlant ... 1/sizes/o/ his side wings looks like a carbon stuff. got pimped!   

Another shot before the lights goes down...





David and Goliath


----------



## andyh (13 Jun 2010)

Viktor, great pictures as always my friend! 

I still think that this tank "My Private Island" is one of the best tanks on here for so many different levels!

Keep up the good work!

Andyh


----------



## viktorlantos (13 Jun 2010)

andyh said:
			
		

> Viktor, great pictures as always my friend!
> I still think that this tank "My Private Island" is one of the best tanks on here for so many different levels!



Thanks Andy   
I am glad you like the beast and that you match with the nicest here. I do not think this is a top level tank, but i am glad i achieved this, with the inspiration of the member tanks here. Still a lot to learn.. However one thing i like about the current tank, because of the plant selection i can keep the current form for many months. Its not like a stem forest, where you have a few good days then you cut back and had to wait weeks to reach the same form.
Really surprising to me that i can keep in nearly the same form since the begining. If a few plants would be nicer, like the moss or the bolbitis it could be much better.


----------



## hydrophyte (14 Jun 2010)

These are looking great Viktor!


----------



## chilled84 (14 Jun 2010)

viktorlantos said:
			
		

> 2 shots from this week....
> 
> the giant plecs checking the temperature these days, as getting warmer...
> 
> ...



Is he not causeing you scape problems? Mines causeing havoc.


----------



## viktorlantos (14 Jun 2010)

hydrophyte said:
			
		

> These are looking great Viktor!



Thank you   



			
				chilled84 said:
			
		

> Is he not causeing you scape problems? Mines causeing havoc.



He is a chilled guy. Moving slowly, mostly hide. No prob at all. He is alone now, when he had a mate, they had much more fun together.


----------



## viktorlantos (13 Jul 2010)

had less time nowadays to maintain correctly this larger tank. so a bit overgrown here and there. need some trimming around these days. the scape looks a bit different than i had on the ADA IAPLC shot this is why i feel ok to publish this image.

anyway here it is. probably i will redo this tank in the following months to something different. maybe some lava scape in this size  so this is one of the latest photos on this one. worked out great from the beginning to me.


----------



## Anonymous (13 Jul 2010)

Stunning aquascape Viktor. I love all your 'scapes so keep up the good work!   
Good luck at IAPLC


----------



## sanj (13 Jul 2010)

I dont like it...


                       when great scapes like this are taken apart.


----------



## Paulus (13 Jul 2010)

awesome tank  i am also thinking of rescaping my tank  its always the finest part: aquascaping and trying some new ideas  and also high temperatures there? or what do you try to keep the water cool?


----------



## Mrmikey (13 Jul 2010)

your tank looks sick!! very nice. I wanna do a jungle tank next after seeing this. only just mine up haha


----------



## LondonDragon (13 Jul 2010)

This is one of my favourite tanks of all time, came out amazing  congrats Viktor


----------



## viktorlantos (13 Jul 2010)

cheers guys  thanks for all your nice words about the scape.  
the photo is not the nicest one. also because of the up! atomizer there are bubbles everywhere  no backlight etc.
once i can share the contest photos i will. those look really nice with the backlight and the framing.  

however i had a great learning curve with this tank. with the grass, bolbitis, keep control on vallis nana etc. i like this part. but because of the plant selection this kept a good form on a long term. the next tank will be a similar one maintenance wise. will keep slower plant which i can enjoy for months without falling apart. but moving more to a stone/hill direction. i got some really nice inspiration here in the past months.


----------



## Vito (13 Jul 2010)

viktorlantos said:
			
		

> the up! atomizer there are bubbles everywhere



I can relate to that mate, I just have to wait untill co2 goes off and then take some snaps. I love you scape and im definetly going to replicate something simular when I get a larger tank.


----------



## andyh (14 Jul 2010)

Inspiring Journal dude!


----------



## LondonDragon (14 Jul 2010)

Vito said:
			
		

> viktorlantos said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



What I did was install the UP Atomizer before my Aquamedic 1000 reactor, now I get the CO2 to dissolve before it reaches the tank, I do get some bubbles in the tank but not as much as I did when I didn't have the Aquamedic 1000


----------



## viktorlantos (14 Jul 2010)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> What I did was install the UP Atomizer before my Aquamedic 1000 reactor, now I get the CO2 to dissolve before it reaches the tank, I do get some bubbles in the tank but not as much as I did when I didn't have the Aquamedic 1000



Great tip! never thought about it before.   
That's why i love UKAPS. Great feedbacks, ideas, inspirations, science.


----------



## cookie3985 (16 Jul 2010)

This is great journal. I love looking through journals like this one. They give me ideas for my next scapes and maybe I might start a journal of my own.

Good work


----------



## viktorlantos (27 Jul 2010)

I had a water change today and meanwhile i filled up the tank there was a moment when this looked good with the filters turned on and pipes running.

so i captured a few minutes. not the best moments this is more of an ad-hoc video, but i hope you will like it.


----------



## andyh (16 Oct 2010)

update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## viktorlantos (18 Oct 2010)

andyh said:
			
		

> update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



cheers andy  
well i think the best moment was the IAPLC shooting.





shortly after that my ballast went off and i had to use 2 tubes only 108Watts above the 240 liter tank.
the short story is that the ballast replacement took 8 weeks! Arcadia sent me a wrong one the first time. Then i asked for the one i need and they never sent it....  

So i tried to order from a local company which not worked out. Then i ordered from a UK supplier (Lightbulbs2u) which finally worked however was expensive.

In the meantime it was interesting to watch each plant in this tank. How they change because of the new lighting condition. I can tell you that i lost half of my parvula which was very dense carpet before. This was the most shocking part. Tennelus grew 3 times higher than earlier. Had much slower growth on all of my plant, but bolbitis and some other plants was kind of ok with it. vallisneria nana also damaged and was ready to die off, lost most of them.

Again i not changed anything. Filtration was the same, i used EI for ferts in this period, water changes the same. CO2 is the same. Only 108 Watt light, not the 4 tubes with 216Watt. Strange thing was that i got a massive GDA algae on the back of the tank. -- this tank was mainly algae free before.

currently i am thinking to rescape fully this tank and do a new one for the next year IAPLC contest. I do not have too much time, so i need to do that in october november if i want a full growth til the end of may.


----------



## Themuleous (18 Oct 2010)

Interesting result of the lower lighting. How many times does something going wrong tell us something about how our tanks work!?  The best thing for my tank was my work load going through the roof as it means I didn't have time to do anything other than add fertiliser and feed the fish...the tanks never looked better!

Sam


----------



## flygja (19 Oct 2010)

It'd be interesting if you could post some comparisons between high light and low light


----------



## viktorlantos (19 Oct 2010)

flygja said:
			
		

> It'd be interesting if you could post some comparisons between high light and low light



yeah the problem is that the contest photos shooted back in may. nearly 5 months ago. since that time the tank overgrown a bit. also i do run the full tubes 2 weeks ago the plants start to grow back. 
i do not have real comparsion when the ballast damaged and the end of that 2 months period.

but the most significant thing is the parvula. as i had that very dense all around the island in super green. and i got empty patches on the amazonia ground many brown leaf after a few weeks with less light. vallisneria nana leaf released and floated on the water surface. the rest of the thing is ok i would say. 

i would go mad if this happens before the competition shooting. now this not matter that much.

for me the fact that even an european manufacturer not send replacement ballast for 2 months that's clearly not acceptable. this is something they should have on stock all the time.


----------

