# low tech 40x40x30 scape



## tim (25 Oct 2015)

morning folks, i was planning to wait a while before starting a new scape in this tank but i wanted to keep my pygmy corries in the tank and when stripping the wood down i found a fair few buce plants i had nowhere else to rehome so thought i would crack on now as i have a week off so plenty of setup water changes can be done .
specs 40x40x30 optiwhite tank
cristal profi 700 with gush lilly pipes
aquael leddy smart 6w 
substrate old mix of colombo and generic shrimp soil
unipac senegal sand 
dragonstone hardscape
tank quickly cleaned and yoga mat base to protect the glass
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Abauyu]Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr[/URL]
added in some pumice with a squeeze of filter mulm to kickstart the substrate
[url=https://flic.kr/p/AeqS8Z]Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr[/URL]
started the rockwork and substrate building 
[url=https://flic.kr/p/AbavAu]Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr[/URL]
senegal sand in, gaps have been plugged with small lava rocks and slate pieces to stop aquasoil spill as much as possible
[url=https://flic.kr/p/zVRka3]Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr[/URL]
buces and mini java fern added all tied to moss covered lava stone or slate, filled up and run with ehiem skim for a while then mature filter went back on and fish went back in.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Achuhd]Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr[/URL]
order placed with aquarium gardens for the rest of the plants, will update once planted, not 100% happy with it but like most of my scapes will be a work in progress 
cheers for looking.


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## Tim Harrison (25 Oct 2015)

Looks very promising tho', I like the rock work, and the senegal sand is a great contrast.


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## tim (25 Oct 2015)

Thanks Troi, I may well add some more moss in amongst the rock work to soften up the look a bit, planning ludwigia arcuata at the back, accicularis here and there, lilaeopsis novae zelandiae to the right with some hygro araguaia dotted amongst that and some Monte Carlo here and there just because it's been a bit of a fail safe plant for me low or high tech


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## parotet (25 Oct 2015)

Nice rocks arrangement Tim.. Looking forward to seeing it completely planted.
This sand is great, love it, it looks very natural. Not sure why but it is impossible to find Unipac sands in Spain. They look awesome and I think they are fairly cheap, isn't it? Is there any other name for that brand?

Jordi


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## tim (25 Oct 2015)

parotet said:


> Nice rocks arrangement Tim.. Looking forward to seeing it completely planted.
> This sand is great, love it, it looks very natural. Not sure why but it is impossible to find Unipac sands in Spain. They look awesome and I think they are fairly cheap, isn't it? Is there any other name for that brand?
> 
> Jordi


Thanks jordi, I'm looking forward to getting the rest of the plants in, unipac is a company based in Northampton I'm not sure if they export their products, shame if they don't their sands and gravel ranges are exceptionally good for the money, though I have heard they are discontinuing some of the range Senegal sand seems to be unavailable most places at the moment, shame if its discontinued.


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## Sk3lly (26 Oct 2015)

Looking like a great start to me!


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## Smells Fishy (26 Oct 2015)

I like it and it can only get better with time If you keep on top of it.


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## tim (28 Oct 2015)

Sk3lly said:


> Looking like a great start to me!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





Smells Fishy said:


> I like it and it can only get better with time If you keep on top of it.


Thanks a lot guys, returned home late yesterday evening and plants had arrived from aquarium gardens, super quality again 
I decided to crack on and get them planted so here's a quick iphone pic edited with snapseed
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
plant list
eleocharis acicularis, ludwigia arcuata, lilaeopsis novae zelandiae, micrantehmum umbrosum, hygrophilia araguia, and i have a portion of monte carlo to find a space for or i may try and fashion some mini wabi kusa type balls to plant the MC in so i can dot it in and around the rockwork,
cheers for the likes and comments so far


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## Tim Harrison (28 Oct 2015)

Very nice...good sense of space and depth.


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## Imorpher (28 Oct 2015)

Looks great so far. I'm new to buce plants, what have you got in there currently? Thinking of picking some up myself as they look fantastic in pretty much any tank I see them in.


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## tim (15 Nov 2015)

Quick update on this one, so far so good lilaeopsis is having a little melt of its emersed leaves but seems to be putting out new leaves very slowly, ludwigia arcuata is adapting well, selectively trimming the longer stems as they hit the surface, couple of pics from today,
ludwigia corner
  by timyapp, on Flickr
right hand side
  by timyapp, on Flickr
full tank shot, need a lampshade to stop the glare for photos
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
Cheers for looking.


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## tim (22 Nov 2015)

Had a good cut back of the stems yesterday, will wait for them to reach the surface again before the next cut,
Low tech trimmed by timyapp, on Flickr
being low tech that could take a while  starting to think the sand area is too large and could do with some greenery to break up the area maybe some riccia or moss, cheers for looking.


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## Tim Harrison (22 Nov 2015)

I don't know I kinda like it...it's like a drop off to a deeper zone, I think that's what gives it a great sense of perspective. But I suppose a few low lying plants here and there will add to a sense of naturalness...vegetative interdigitation.


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## banthaman.jm (23 Nov 2015)

Looking great Tim, like it as is.
Jim


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## faizal (24 Nov 2015)

Loving the look of the tank Tim. Looking forward to keeping up with this.


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## tim (1 Dec 2015)

Troi said:


> I don't know I kinda like it...it's like a drop off to a deeper zone, I think that's what gives it a great sense of perspective. But I suppose a few low lying plants here and there will add to a sense of naturalness...vegetative interdigitation.





banthaman.jm said:


> Looking great Tim, like it as is.
> Jim


Thanks guys, your right the negative space of the sand does suit the scape especially when viewed from the side, it may just need some more moss added to the rock work, or it may well be that i am never happy 


faizal said:


> Loving the look of the tank Tim. Looking forward to keeping up with this.


Hey Faizal, good to see you back around, do you still have your low tech running ?
quick pic of the tank as its mostly viewed as its at the top of the stairs
Taken with Cortex by timyapp, on Flickr
and the ludwigia showing a little colour something im yet to achieve in my high tech 
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
as always cheers for looking


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## faizal (2 Dec 2015)

tim said:


> Hey Faizal, good to see you back around, do you still have your low tech running ?



Hey Tim..☺You have always been too kind mate. Unfortunately i have been neglecting the tank again. I am so sorry for being absent for such a long time again.....its just that i keep losing steam now and then...thank God its a non co2... I am so sorry for not posting any pics of it. Never meant to be so rude. Pls give me some time to clean it up...Trust me with the new pics...its not going to be the most viewed anymore

Your tank is looking absolutely lovely mate.  I love the way the ludwigias are taking over the background. Any chance of getting a PAR reading on it please?


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## tim (27 Dec 2015)

Morning folks, couple of update pics with the phone
pre trim and waterchange
image by timyapp, on Flickr
post trim and waterchange
image by timyapp, on Flickr
ticking along nicely little staghorn here and there through lack of filter cleaning, been a little slack with dosing too with the busy holiday period, time to get it back on track in the new year,
cheers for looking.


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## Joe Turner (1 Feb 2016)

Fantastic results for a low-tech, really nice work!

How's it growing in now?


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## tim (5 Feb 2016)

Joe Turner said:


> Fantastic results for a low-tech, really nice work!
> 
> How's it growing in now?


Thanks joe, it's doing ok despite my very slack approach to dosing and maintenance, ludwigia growth has slowed right down probably due to over trimming by me for a low tech  I'll try and get a few pics up over the weekend.


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## tim (6 Feb 2016)

Hi folks, few quick pic's of this one after a quick water change and filter clean this morning,
moss needs a good trim,
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
this has grown well just from a rhizhome
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
ludwigia over trimmed and i think i should be replanting the tops rather than waiting for the new growth being slow tech 
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
some nice algae on the dragon stone now since its lost its ludwigia cover 
view from the top
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
araguia doing well for low tech
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
and my favourite view of the tank
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
cheers for looking


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## Greenfinger2 (12 Feb 2016)

Hi Tim, Miss this one  Stunning scape Love the rock work and planting


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## Tim Harrison (12 Feb 2016)

That's pretty darn awesome Tim...I see you decided to keep the sandy bit free of veg - the negative sandy space works well to highlight the rest of the planting and scape in general.


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## tim (28 Feb 2016)

got round to some much needed trimming today, moss was covering a lot of the smaller buces and anubias, have had to add in some ricardia covered lava rocks from an emersed setup which wasnt thriving, umbrosum trimmed and tops replanted should grow back in around 3 months, got some small buces arriving this week to be added in here and there, ticks along nicely and doesnt sulk if i forget a wc for a week or three 
few iphone pics side on
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
my favourite angle
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
and front
Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr


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## Nelson (28 Feb 2016)

Great scape .


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## tim (28 Feb 2016)

Nelson said:


> Great scape .


Thanks mate


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## Alexander Belchenko (28 Feb 2016)

Top job! Do you clean your rocks from time to time? They seem very clean already. I wonder whether you clean them or the rocks just stay algae free.


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## tim (28 Feb 2016)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Top job! Do you clean your rocks from time to time? They seem very clean already. I wonder whether you clean them or the rocks just stay algae free.


Hi Alex, only rock that has been cleaned is the main or large rock once, gave it a quick brush with easycarb to kill off some thread algae, there is a little gsa on the rocks but I like it tbh, the thread algae hasn't returned since I moved the outflow from above the rock.


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## xandro007 (29 Feb 2016)

What are you dosing to this tank


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## tim (29 Feb 2016)

Using recipie number 3 for DIY tpn+ http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm it's worked very well for my low tech tanks.


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## Rob Dahl (4 Mar 2016)

Wonderful composition Tim. I too like the open spaces. A few red shrimp or crystals could add visual interest to the foreground. The only other suggestion I would make is adding a black back, one that hides the back wall as well as the sucker discs and tubing. All in all very nice work.


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## tim (4 Mar 2016)

Rob Dahl said:


> Wonderful composition Tim. I too like the open spaces. A few red shrimp or crystals could add visual interest to the foreground. The only other suggestion I would make is adding a black back, one that hides the back wall as well as the sucker discs and tubing. All in all very nice work.


Thank you Rob, I will probably get round to adding some cherry or rilli shrimp to this one, as for the background I do tend to be quite lazy with the aesthetics of my tanks  but a black background would set it off nicely, at the moment I seem to be addicted to adding more buces to this tank another 9 plants small varieties went in yesterday so the shrimp may have to wait.


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## BexHaystack (13 Mar 2016)

Lovely tank Tim, a real low tech inspiration. Looking forward to seeing the new Buces


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## Aqua360 (14 Mar 2016)

tim said:


> Thanks a lot guys, returned home late yesterday evening and plants had arrived from aquarium gardens, super quality again
> I decided to crack on and get them planted so here's a quick iphone pic edited with snapseed
> View attachment 1413Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
> plant list
> ...



this looks superb. I'm looking for low tech ideas for my corner tank, and hadn't considered the senegal sand and that type of stone...I wonder how cardinal tetra's would look in this colour scheme, or if they'd look amiss


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## tim (14 Mar 2016)

BexHaystack said:


> Lovely tank Tim, a real low tech inspiration. Looking forward to seeing the new Buces


Thanks Bex, I'll try and get some pics if I get round to a water change this week, added another 6 buces from aquarium gardens, superb little plants.


Aqua360 said:


> this looks superb. I'm looking for low tech ideas for my corner tank, and hadn't considered the senegal sand and that type of stone...I wonder how cardinal tetra's would look in this colour scheme, or if they'd look amiss


Thank you Aqua, unipac have stopped producing the Senegal sand unfortunately but if you can find some it complements the dragonstone really well.


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## tim (25 Mar 2016)

Morning folks, a few pics from this one after a much needed water change this morning, i've added maybe another 12-15 small buces over the last month, a few of them have sulked and shed most of their leaves though the rhizhomes still feel firm so I'm hopeful they will recover.
love the colour of the new leaves on this one

Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
few more buce pics apologies the photography isn't great

Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr

Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
the araguia and lilaeopsis growing very slowly together but i do like the mix

Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr
and my favourite view to finish

Untitled by timyapp, on Flickr


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## Greenfinger2 (25 Mar 2016)

Hi Tim, This Scape just gets more stunning by the day


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## BexHaystack (25 Mar 2016)

Looking great! 
Out of interest, why are you pumping extra air in? (I assume its oxygen?)


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## tim (25 Mar 2016)

BexHaystack said:


> Looking great!
> Out of interest, why are you pumping extra air in? (I assume its oxygen?)


Thanks Bex, I run the air pump otherwise I tend to get a thin surface film on top of the water.


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## Lindy (25 Mar 2016)

Hi Tim, this is a gorgeous wee set up! I did prefer it before you added the lava rock. I would have tied some fissidens to very small wedges of steel mesh and tucked those in around the edges of the dragon rock.

Cheers, Lindy


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## tim (11 May 2016)

Couple of I phone pics of this one, still going ok, still slack with maintenance so couple of algae issues  ludwigia needs swapping out for something else not sure what yet 
Couple of buces with flower spikes 






And full tank excuse the quality, tanks really difficult to photograph full on



Cheers for looking 


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## Lindy (11 May 2016)

The buces are beautiful 

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## tim (11 May 2016)

Thanks lindy, some of the newer ones lost a lot of leaves but are showing some lovely colours on the new growth, shame they grow so slowly 


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## Rob Dahl (12 May 2016)

Looking very nice Tim.


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## Nelson (12 May 2016)

Great tank Tim .


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## tim (8 Jun 2016)

I phone snap of my favourite buce starting to flower 







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## Deano3 (10 Jun 2016)

Stunning low tech Tim very well done and love the hard scape


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## Lindy (11 Jun 2016)

Beautiful buce. What is it? 

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## Joe Turner (4 Jul 2016)

Looking great Tim, revisiting this scape for some inspiration when re-scaping my 40cm cube. I too will be using dragon stone, just considering different layouts. Love what you've achieved here, that Aruguaia has definitely tickled my fancy too! 

Any tips in this sort of layout? Flow issues etc? Would you do it the same or change something?

Cheer, Joe


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## tim (4 Jul 2016)

Hi joe, thanks for the kind comments, unfortunately due to life getting in the way this scape has been very neglected, no ferts or waterchange for over a month, the lilaeopsis and araguaia has all but melted away, I really need to get it back on track, I've found flow to be spot on from the right corner back around the hardscape, on the whole I've found it a pleasure to run this tank and I think I could easily keep it going for another year or two with only a little more care and a few tweaks to the plant list.
Cheers, Tim.


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## Greenfinger2 (5 Jul 2016)

Hi Tim, Fab scape and a buce in flower


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## RossMartin (19 Jul 2016)

Hi Tim,

This is awesome! What ferts are you using and what lighting period?

Thanks

Ross


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## tim (20 Jul 2016)

RossMartin said:


> Hi Tim,
> 
> This is awesome! What ferts are you using and what lighting period?
> 
> ...


Hi Ross, thanks for the kind words, lights are on for 9 hours a day, I started at 6 hours and extended by an hour each month after setup, for ferts I'm using the DIY tpn+ recipie from here http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm recipie number 3 without urea, dosed at 1 ml a day 7 days a week.


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