# lil' 'ol Dutch-style Scape



## lljdma06 (30 Jun 2009)

This was my favorite scape.  One day, I'll try something similar on a larger scale, but I'll have to wait until I retire!     The pruning regimen is not for the faint of heart!  It took time to get the shapes I wanted.  It's mostly stems.  I'm surprised I got them to last that long.  

*Tank*- 8g, 16.5"x 11.5"x 10", Finnex brand seamless front aquarium
*Filtration*- Aquaclear 20 (3 sponges), Finnex brand HOB filtration (Aquaclear brand sponge media).  Both set to maximum flow capacity.
*Lighting*- PC, 24W, 7100K Finnex brand fixture (came with the aquarium)
*CO2*- No CO2 injection
*Substrate*- 1-3mm natural gravel, 1-2" depth, supplemented with 16oz of laterite and mixed
*Fertilisation*- Seachem rootabs, dosed every 3-4 months.
*Water chemistry*-  pH 7.2, temperature 73-76 farenheit.
*Maintenance*- 2.5g water change 2x a week, gravel vac once a week.  Media cleaning once a week.  Filter cleaning once a month.  
*Fish *- 9 Xiphophorus maculatus "dwarf" and fry, sunburst variety.
*Plants *- Cryptocoryne lutea and lucens, Hemianthus micranthemoides, Rotala rotundifolia, Alternantera reineckii, Heternantera zosterfolia, lemna minor, Echinodorus tenellus
*Decor*- None

*Additional comments*- This tank ran as a low-tech tank from late October 2006 to about mid 2008, when I finally dismantled it. By November/December of 2006, I liked the form of the plants so much that I started cultivating a Dutch-style scape and removed all the hardscape.  I was able to maintain that style for about 6-7 months and then opted for a simpler layout before the tank was dismantled.  It's hard to do that kind of maintenance, the plants grew faster than I anticipated.  I was doing some roles for a local opera company and I just couldn't keep up anymore. I had very minor thread algae on my Hemianthus micranthemoides, which was manually removed during water changes.  I wasn't crying over it and I didn't think it was worth adding CO2.  










Thank you for looking.  Feel free to ask questions.  It's a wierd little tank.  

llj


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## TDI-line (30 Jun 2009)

Wow, that looks amazing.


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## EllieRosea (30 Jun 2009)

Stunning.

Im rather jealous! Im AMAZED its low tech!


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## Themuleous (30 Jun 2009)

Always loved this tank 

Sam


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## Steve Smith (30 Jun 2009)

Beautiful tank LL   Love the textures and colours!


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## George Farmer (30 Jun 2009)

Who says low-tech cannot be high-impact?  

I loved this when I first saw it.  I have an even higher regard for it now.

Thanks for sharing, llj.


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## aaronnorth (30 Jun 2009)

Themuleous said:
			
		

> Always loved this tank
> 
> Sam



me too


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## rawr (30 Jun 2009)

I love it! I'm a massive fan of low-tech too - it's amazing what results you can get. I would hav ethough this tank was high-tech if you hadn't have said.


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## Mark Evans (30 Jun 2009)

an inspiring low tech scape LL.

i now know whos journals to read when i try a low tech tank.   

in the mean time i'll carry on with my 10.7WPG


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## lljdma06 (30 Jun 2009)

You are all too kind, but there are much better low-tech journals to read than mine.  Mine would be full of broken rules and lack any technique or finess.  I think I just get lucky or have a lot of patience.  Or for once, there is something actually good about Miami water.  



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> in the mean time i'll carry on with my 10.7WPG



I look forward to that journal with interest.  I did have a 5.2WPG once, but that was a 2.5g nano and it was still low-tech, but I did get above 2WPG.  

The next tank will be a renovation of my 36g, either a .77WPG T5 setup, or a .8WPG T8 stock lighting setup.


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## johnny70 (30 Jun 2009)

Stunning!

Just to clarify you don't dose the water column with anything? the only ferts are in the substrate?

JOHNNY


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## LondonDragon (30 Jun 2009)

Amazing tank and more suprising how low tech it actually is!! I need to convert my tank to something like this and just let it watch it grow slowly month after month with no prunning  

Excelent work, thanks for sharing it


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## Mark Evans (30 Jun 2009)

lljdma06 said:
			
		

> You are all too kind, but there are much better low-tech journals to read than mine.



not quit true. i like the way that your informative on everything..... and i also like the questions you dish out too   

in fact it's great to see you here on UKAPS!


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## George Farmer (30 Jun 2009)

saintly said:
			
		

> in fact it's great to see you here on UKAPS!


Here, here.


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## JamesM (30 Jun 2009)

Wow! Very inspirational for anyone wanting a low tech but drop dead gorgeous tank! Well done that woman!  

Welcome to ukaps too


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## lljdma06 (1 Jul 2009)

You are all so sweet and thank you for the warm welcome to UKAPS.     I've been a member for a while ( since 2007), but with my other obligations, I could not post.   I will make a concerted effort to post more, though I will admit, I am grossly out-of-date with most aspects of the hobby, cannot address very technical questions well, and the two university jobs will _eventually_ catch-up with me.   



			
				johnny70 said:
			
		

> Stunning!
> Just to clarify you don't dose the water column with anything? the only ferts are in the substrate?
> JOHNNY



Johnny, I'm going to seem silly now.  With about 10 platies and their fry constantly being fed BBS and pooping in the tank, I don't think you would really need to dose the water column with anything.     They are little nitrogen factories!

Seriously now, no, I do not dose the water column in _any_of my low-tech tanks, nor have I added CO2 in a long time.  I did do this when I did high-tech stuff, when I first started, but you're supposed to do that because the plants are growing faster in the higher light, your adding CO2, so you've got to add nutrients.  I know, it's wierd that I don't add, especially since many here do and produce awesome low-tech tanks, but like I said, I don't follow the rules.  My guess is that I probably have a good nitrate count in my tapwater to begin with.  The high-mineral content due to living on coral rock probably takes care of the trace, and the Xanax, Lipitor, and Viagra that probably exists in Miami tapwater takes care of the rest.    The tapwater, plus the lower light levels, and the high fish load, probably makes a nice recipe for a alright low-tech tank without much effort.  

I'm glad you asked.  

llj


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## Dan Crawford (1 Jul 2009)

Well thats just one of the nicest tanks ive seen over here. Bright red stem tastickness in a low tech tank? MADNESS, and i love it! You clearly have a great deal of talent and you must have some serious patients, fair play!


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## James Marshall (1 Jul 2009)

What a gorgeous tank, you obviously have a very good eye for colour, also the form of the scape is very definite considering there is no hardscape. 
I'm particulary impressed as this is a low tech tank, I couldn't grow plants at less than 10 WPG in a tank that size.

Cheers James


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## lljdma06 (1 Jul 2009)

Again, thankyou for the compliments.  I appreciate it.  Hope a full-time job comes sooner rather than later, I'd love to work with this kind of scape again.  Maybe a 55g or a 40g breeder.  That would be sweet.  



			
				Dan Crawford said:
			
		

> Well thats just one of the nicest tanks ive seen over here. Bright red stem tastickness in a low tech tank? MADNESS, and i love it! You clearly have a great deal of talent and you must have some serious patients, fair play!



Wanna see some red MADNESS.  Check this out.  





That image was from my 1.4WPG 20g tank, in a previous scape to what I posted earlier, about October 2006.  Again, no CO2, no water column ferts.  I was keeping tetras in the tank at that time before they were moved to another tank.  Granted, they are T5 lights, so I'm getting some better penetration.  Alternantera reineckii is an awesome plant, pretty hardy, especially for a "red" plant.  Coincidently, here is the _same_ plant in a high-tech setup I had in IL back in 2005.  This had EI and DIY CO2 injection at 30-35ppm, thank you George Farmer!  I don't think it's as red and the image was taken with the same camera.  This was also my first planted tank.  





It is the same plant.  So yeah, the stemplant lasted about 3 years.  

llj


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## Rainbow Tank (21 Nov 2009)

Healthy looking tank like the mix of colours and rounded front tank 8)


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