# 25 Liters - Low Tech



## stefano-bonalume (25 Jan 2016)

Hi, everybody. I just wanted to show you my low-tech \ nano tank.
The tank is Wave Box 40 Cosmos (25 liters), with a small internal corner filter, heater and the light originally included was a 20W Cosmos Freshwater, but I recently changed it to a 25W light (1400 lumen, 6500K).

Currently I have:
10 x _Paracheirodon simulans_
2 x _Paracheirodon innesi _and 1 _Paracheirodon innesi 'Gold'_
3 x _Caridina multidentata _(syn. _C japonica_)
3 x _Guppies_
1 x _Neritina pulligera_
Some _Theodoxus fluviatilis_
Some baby _Neocaridina davidi shrimp_ (probably a cross between _'Red Sakura'_ and _'Red Cherry'_.

Plants:
_Bolbitis heudelotii
Microsorum 'Narrow Leaf'
Anubias 'Nangi'
Cryptocoryne petchii 'Pink'
Cryptocoryne parva
Aegagropila linnaei_
Creeping Moss - _Vesicularia sp._
Round Pellia - _Lomariopsis lineata_

I added Cryptocoryne petchii 'Pink' some days ago, so it still has to adapt and start to grow.


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## faizal (25 Jan 2016)

Hi stefano,...that's a lovely looking tank. What kind of substrate are you using in your tank


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## stefano-bonalume (25 Jan 2016)

Just white-amber fine sand. The only plants that are root feeders are Cryptocoryne parva and C. petchii 'Pink'. I have had C. parva for about a year now growing in that sand using fert tabs only a few times. It just grows very slowly, and I think C. petchii will do the same. I don't need them to grow fast, so it's ok.


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## Ryan Thang To (25 Jan 2016)

that really nice. look nice with the black background

cheers
ryan


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## Tim Harrison (25 Jan 2016)

Hi and welcome to UKaps...that's a lovely looking tank.


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## Nelson (25 Jan 2016)

Very nice .


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## Greenfinger2 (25 Jan 2016)

Hi Stefano, Welcome to Ukaps Nice to see you here  

Scape is looking fab


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## stefano-bonalume (25 Jan 2016)

Thank you all, really! 
Hope I will be able to let it grow a bit because after some time I always want to change it. It happens all the times. Wish I had more than one tank to play with. Ahah.


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## rebel (26 Jan 2016)

Very natural looking scape! Well done!


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## Martin in Holland (26 Jan 2016)

Here is a good example that low tech is just a beautiful as high tech tanks.


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## Alexander Belchenko (26 Jan 2016)

Very nice tank.


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## Joe Turner (26 Jan 2016)

Beautiful, very healthy low tech. Hopefully I can simulate something like this in a tiny tank I might be setting up this year!


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## stefano-bonalume (26 Jan 2016)

Thank you again!
I wanted a low tech because I want to enjoy a tank without constantly dosing fertilisers and trimming plants. All my plants are slow growers, so results are not immediate. 
For example in the left corner I'm still waiting for Microsorum 'Narrow Leaf' to grow new leaves. It's rhizomes are starting to send new ones. Hope its leaves wont grow too long. Maybe Microsorum 'Trident' fronds would have stayed shorter. In case it grows too big, I'll replace it with something else.


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## Alexander Belchenko (26 Jan 2016)

I'm very interesting how's your petchii pink will grow in low tech. Any close-up pictures? Maybe in few weeks after it settles properly?


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## Joe Turner (26 Jan 2016)

stefano-bonalume said:


> Thank you again!
> I wanted a low tech because I want to enjoy a tank without constantly dosing fertilisers and trimming plants. All my plants are slow growers, so results are not immediate.
> For example in the left corner I'm still waiting for Microsorum 'Narrow Leaf' to grow new leaves. It's rhizomes are starting to send new ones. Hope its leaves wont grow too long. Maybe Microsorum 'Trident' fronds would have stayed shorter. In case it grows too big, I'll replace it with something else.


In my experience, I'd say Trident's leaves would grow bigger, as they are bulkier than the narrow leaf. Looking forward to seeing it grow in!


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## Protopigeon (26 Jan 2016)

A really great looking tank you have there! Love it.


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## stefano-bonalume (27 Jan 2016)

Yes, I'll take some pics of C. petchii when it starts to send out new leaves.
I think that its leaves won't be pink because it has not lot of light and nutrients, but I was searching a brown-bronze Cryptocoryne that doesn't grow too big, and when I saw C. petchii 'Pink' I bought it because it doesn't get very tall and with not perfect growing conditions its leaves are brown-dark green, just the color I was looking for.

And I am talking about Microsorum 'Narrov Leaf', which is said to have fronds about 2cm wide and 20 - 30 cm long. But maybe only adult and old plants reach that size, I don’t know.
Microsorum 'Needle Leaf' is a different cultivar. It's fronds are less than 1cm wide and 10cm long. But I read that it grows extremely slow.
I saw Microsorum 'Trident' with very thin fronds and a lenght of about 15cm, so I thought that it's size was more similar to 'Needle Leaf'.


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## stefano-bonalume (16 Feb 2016)

16/02/2015 Update

Round Pellia Grows really slow, almost not at all, and has many brown spots and holes. I don't know if that's handling damage or Theodoxus fluviatilis snails eating it.
Cryptocoryne petchii 'Pink' started to grow a bit with nice little brown\olive green leaves. 
I don't like how Creeping Moss looks in the back and I want to replace it with Anubias 'Petite' or 'Bonsai', or some Cryptocoryne that doesn't grow too tall.


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## woodster (17 Feb 2016)

Very nice, really natural


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## stefano-bonalume (17 Feb 2016)

Thanks. I'm thinking about take out those rocks and put black ones. Maybe the darker color could give more contrast with the sand which in a little tank is good.


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## stefano-bonalume (20 Feb 2016)

20/02/2016

I wasn't completely satisfied and couldn't resist to move some plants and rocks.


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## stefano-bonalume (26 Feb 2016)

Bought 4 Carnegiella strigata - Marbled Hatchetfish. I know they are not the best choice with hard water but I read that Paracheirodon simulans can't live in hard water, but mine are very active and healthy.

Originally I had 1 male guppy, then I added other two males and they probably carried some hidden disease because after some days the first male and one of the 2 last added ones clamped their tails and died the same day. So I have only one male now, so I bought Marbled Hatchetfish which live near the surface. But the guppy continues to chase them, in particular he tries to bite their pectoral fins. I didn't know a guppy would have this behaviour. I hope it's only a temporary thing because he is bothering Hatchetfish since I put them in the tank some hours ago. Now I turned off the light hoping that guppy calms down a bit.


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## dw1305 (26 Feb 2016)

Hi all,





stefano-bonalume said:


> 4 Carnegiella strigata - Marbled Hatchetfish.


They are quite tricky to keep long term, one problem is that they jump at feeding time, and if they have territorial disputes, you need a really good lid to keep them in the tank. Even though they aren't very big fish I wouldn't keep them in a tank smaller than 60cm long, as they can be quite nasty to one another.  The other is feeding, they won't live long term just on dry foods, and they won't always chase_ Daphnia_ etc which are lower down in the water column. If you can get a "vestigial winged Drosophila" culture (they well them to feed Dart Frogs etc) it makes long term care easier.  





stefano-bonalume said:


> So I have only one male now, so I bought Marbled Hatchetfish which live near the surface. But the guppy continues to chase them, in particular he tries to bite their pectoral fins.


I think its their shape, he thinks they are really ripe female Guppies and that  they should mate with him. 

cheers Darrel


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## stefano-bonalume (26 Feb 2016)

I bought only 4 of them because even if they like to live in groups, I read that in an aquarium they sometimes could be aggressive with each other.
I know that my tank is not the best for them in fact of space, but I think that is not too bad, compared to most of the community tanks in which will end all the other Hatchetfish that there were at the fish store.
I hope to find some Drosophila flying around in my house so I can start a culture.

You are right about the guppy! While initially the guppy was constantly chasing them, after some hours he changed his behaviour. He is now calmer and less aggressive than before; he swims under one Hatchetfish and moves his anal fin\gonopodium like he would do during mating with a female guppy. He also has more vibrant colors. 
I think that soon he'll stop mistaking them for female guppies.


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## stefano-bonalume (28 Feb 2016)

The Guppy now ignores them.

Sadly this morning I found two of them dead. They were fine last night, I don't know what happened so quickly.
Last pic of all 4 together yesterday.


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## stefano-bonalume (3 Mar 2016)

Cleaned and repositioned Bolbitis heudelotii rhizomes. Many  fronds were green but not attached anymore to the rhizomes, so I cut all to help water circulation and light to reach the rhizomes to encourage new growth. I cut some rhizomes that were growing where I didn't want and pushed them between the others, so they should stay in place while new roots grow. 
I also found many little broken pieces of Lomariopsis lineata. I didn't want to throw them away so I tied them together on a mesh.
Not the best look for now but I am happy that I removed all those dead fronds.


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## stefano-bonalume (26 Mar 2016)

26/03/2016
Update


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## mlgt (27 Mar 2016)

I like the simplicity of it. Very natural looking. Any shrimps in there?


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## stefano-bonalume (27 Mar 2016)

Thanks. I'm still trying to reach a satisfying scape but the problem is that I have not a definite project.
Yes there are 3 Caridina japonica and few Neocaridina davidi (probably Red Cherry x Red Sakura).


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## stefano-bonalume (14 Apr 2016)

14/04/2016
Finally found some rocks, most of them of the same type.


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## Alexander Belchenko (14 Apr 2016)

Your crypt is developing very good color. Nice match, or better to say - contrast with darker plants and rocks.


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## stefano-bonalume (14 Apr 2016)

I'd like to find some thin but long rock of the same type of the one I have to put through the Cryptocoryne patch to give continuity with the right rocks side.


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## J Art (16 Apr 2016)

Great shape and composition. Lovely. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## weeman (17 Apr 2016)

Really nice tank. Looking at doing a scape on my 30l tank. Love how you guys can make such a little tank look so deep.


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## stefano-bonalume (27 Apr 2016)

27\04\2016

Put the rocks closer together because I missed seeing some sand. Ahah
And I bought a male Guppy. It has been hiding for a week but now it's not scared anymore.


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## CooKieS (27 Apr 2016)

Hi, very Nice triangular shape composition in such an low volume tank!

I really like the color of these crypts, great contrast.

I would add some ada aqua Gravel S size between the rocks and the sand.

Any problem with the 'algae moss ball'?


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## stefano-bonalume (28 Apr 2016)

Thank you!
If I find smaller rocks of the same type I'll try to add them. I Don't want to add too much small rocks because I have the impression that it all gets too messy.
And no, I didn't have any problem with Aegagropila linnaei \ Marimo algae. What "problem" are you talking about? The only thing I could say is that I expected a much slower growth. 
The bigger pillow more than a year ago was about 5 mm wide; now is about 4 cm wide. And the smaller pillow in the front originated from few hairs that came off from the bigger one and got stuck in Cryptocoryne parva. Maybe I'll reduce the size of the bigger one, tying it again to a little rock so hairs comes off less easily.

Here you can see how the biggest one I currently have looked when I first started the tank. I kept only one of them because I didn't know where to put them in my actual scape.


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## Nick16 (28 Apr 2016)

Not a fan of bettas myself, but the scape is great !


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## stefano-bonalume (29 Apr 2016)

I had it when I first started the tank, not now. Then I changed the gravel, added plants etc. The tank changed a lot since then.
I like bettas a lot, but they have a bad temperament and in such a small tank like mine, I would have to keep it alone. It would eat all my Neocaridina shrimps and chase Green Neon Tetras all the time, and it would be even more angry with the Guppy. Bettas limitate too much on tank mates you can keep with them. If I would have more than one tank, I would have at least one Betta.They observe and look interested in what happens outside of the tank and look more intelligent than most of the fish of their size. Definitely my favourite fish.


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## CooKieS (29 Apr 2016)

About marimo algae; some french aquascapers has got an invasion of this algae on their rocks, plants everything...always scared me to use it in my scape, I do love the look of this algae thought.


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## stefano-bonalume (30 Apr 2016)

I read somewhere that sometimes "fake" Marimo algae are sold labelled as true Marimo. Those are just a ball of algae really similar to Marimo algae (Scientific name: Aegagropila linnaei \ Cladophora aegagropila). So the fake Marimos probably still belong to Cladophora genus, like the true Marimo, but they are a different and more invasive species.
I don't know if that's true. Another option could be that those people bought Marimo that carried some other algae on them. Then they didn't keep the Marimo ball in proper conditions, causing it to fall apart and disgregate, and at the same time the other "bad" algae took over the tank. Since both have similar structure, those people thought that that invasion was due to marimo ball hairs that came off. I think that only an algae expert could tell if those invasion of algae hairs belongs to Aegagropila linnaei or to another species.


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## Greenfinger2 (30 Apr 2016)

Hi Stefano, Scape looks great congrats


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## stefano-bonalume (20 May 2016)

20\05\2016

Tied the excess of Marimo algae to some wires. I'm not sure it it will work, but I didn't want to throw it away.

Microsorum 'Narrow Leaves ' isn't doing well. Fronds gets brown spots when they are still young. They don't die, but the look of leaves with brown areas isn't the best. What do you think about adding some Anubias with tiny leaves to fill that vertical part and hide the filter better?


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## Alexander Belchenko (20 May 2016)

Why not adding more bolbitis sp compact?


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## CooKieS (20 May 2016)

Hi,

You could try some 
*Hygrophila pinnatifida *


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## zozo (20 May 2016)

I have about 5 different java sp. in my low tech. They all kinda develop thos brown leave tips on new grown leaves at a certain age, but goes away again while maturing. Once the plant gets older and denser the young leaves doing that will be over shadowed and camouflaged. Me too at first i thought it was a definiency of some kind, but after searching for this it seems to be a grow characteristic of java.. A lot of people report this..  So your ferns are probably still young, doing well without looking so for now.. Takes time and patience in low tech..


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## stefano-bonalume (21 May 2016)

I don't really like stem plants, so I'm trying to avoid them. H.pinnatifida has a nice fern-like look, but I don't like to constantly cut stems and prune plants because they reach the surface.

Ok, I'll wait and see if Microsorum grows. I was thinking about adding some Bolbitis to java ferns, but Bolbitis makes big leaves compared to my little tank. I prefer to grow it near the bottom so it appears smaller.


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## stefano-bonalume (9 Jun 2016)

09/06/2016

Microsorum fronds have many brown areas and some are falling off. Even new little fronds get brown before maturing. I hope it's just because they need time to adapt because new rhizomes are young.


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## stefano-bonalume (26 Jul 2016)

26/07/2016

Narrow Leaf Java Fern has some little new fronds. 
Lomariopsis lineata is growing really slow. Amano Shrimps pull it off from the little woods and Theodoxus fluviatilis eat it. 
But in general plants are handling well the summer heat.


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## Alexander Belchenko (26 Jul 2016)

Your cryptocoryne looks really good. It seems it likes summer heat


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## Manisha (26 Jul 2016)

Really nice tank ☺


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## stefano-bonalume (2 Sep 2016)

01/09/2016
Moved everithing a bit .. as I have always been doing since I started this tank. Cryptocoryne melted a bit because I cut most of the roots to move them without messing all the sand and rocks. 
No more Bolbitis on the bottom, but all tied now. I'll wait some months to judge if keep it or replace with something else. Since autumn is coming, cooler temperatures could help it grow better.
I got rid of almost all the Creeping Moss pieces. Maybe I'll add some Christmass Moss as transition from Crypts to rocks.


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## Manisha (3 Sep 2016)

It's hard to resist adjusting plants & changing layout  Your crypt is a nice contrast to the anubias & finer leaf plants behind gives a nice sense of scale...


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## Greenfinger2 (13 Sep 2016)

Hi Stefano, Looking fantastic mate


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## stefano-bonalume (13 Oct 2016)

13/10/2016
Nothing much changed except for Lomariopsis lineata that is breaking into small pieces that get stuck between rocks and rot/die/get eaten from Theodoxus fluviatilis.
A big news: changed my ugly lamp light to a Chihiros A401 Led Lamp. It has 6 light levels and I setted it on level 3.
Now all the thank gets light in an uniform way and not only the left side.
I still didn't got rid from all the Creeping Moss I put in the tank about a year ago, but now that I have more light I want to try Weeping Moss or Christmas Moss, in the central part to create a transition from Cryptocoryne/Anubias and the rocks area.
Hope that Bolbitis and Microsorum will boost their growth thanks to the better lighting.


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## stefano-bonalume (17 Nov 2016)

17/11/2016

I saw one _Aplocheilichthys normani _egg on the sand and tried to put it in a floating cup with very little holes for water flow. After a week a fry hatched from the egg but after a couple of days I found the cup on the bottom of the tank, sinked. No trace of the fry obviously.

Bought a cup of Spiky Moss (_Taxiphyllum sp._). It has been in my tank for some weeks only, but I like it's growing habit for the moment.


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## Aqua360 (17 Nov 2016)

What are the tank dimensions?


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## stefano-bonalume (18 Nov 2016)

40x25x28cm


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## stefano-bonalume (24 Dec 2016)

24/12/2016

Moss mesh are one with Spiky Moss and one with Creeping Moss (maybe this time with more light its growing habit will be better).
I had to tie Spiky Moss again saving only the green tips because the old parts of the stems were dead, probably because they grew in the cup with gel and not submersed.
There are some algae, especially on Anubias and Cryptocoryne leaves . I just don't add fertilise and they seem to stay under control.
I cut Bolbitis and Microsorum rhizome dead parts. I'm tired to see them doing nothing, but just slowly browning. Maybe if I tie them on rocks instead of cable ties they will start to grow from real, but I don't know how to put rocks on a high position to cover the filter and attach plants on them. 
I'll wait 2 months and then replace Bolbitis and Microsorum with Anubias 'Bonsai' or 'Petite', but they're hard to find. Anubias barteri 'Nana' is the only Anubias I can find here but it's too big for my tank. Or of Spiky Moss will grow well, I can use it to hide the filter.


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## stefano-bonalume (13 Jan 2017)

13/01/2017
Not really an update. Just a pic of my Betta.


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## stefano-bonalume (6 Mar 2017)

06/03/2017
Changed the scape a bit.
Added 2 woods I found a while ago and got finally waterlogged. They were probably roots. Wood was hard and heavy. They should last underwater. I think that price for aquarium woods it's too high, so I am trying this cheap (free) alternative. I really like their shape and hope they don't break down too fast.
 I tied to the woods what remains of _Microsorum 'Narrow Leaf' _and _Bolbitis heudelotii_.
At the base of the wood a new addition: _Anubias 'Petite'_.
And on the left on the thin wood there's _Spiky Moss_. It was dying on the mesh, but thriving now, and I really like the look. It apparently likes vertical surfaces where every piece has enough light and water flow, and doesn't grow over the others like would happen on a flat surface . On the right_ Creeping Moss_. Just there temporary and I'm being careful to not make pieces of it go everywhere, now that I have almost eradicated it from the tank. But I still want to have a little bush of it for now.
Floating _Ceratophyllum demersum_ to remove excess of whatever it's in the water after moving all the sand.


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## stefano-bonalume (11 May 2017)

11/05/2017
Added more twigs with spiky moss tied to them. 3 long ones in front of the filter, and 2 shorter ones, one for each of the 2 bigger woods I already had in the central part. I put them in front of the woods so when moss starts to grow, it looks like it grows from the bigger wood, but I just have to take out the twig to prune.
I bought 2 aquarium woods that are really similar in shape to the ones I have now in the tank (found in the woods, and Black Helmet Snails are eating them). I don't know when I'll add them.


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## stefano-bonalume (12 Sep 2017)

12\092017
Changed the woods, moved plants and rocks around. Spiky Moss is growing well and I really like the shape.
Few days ago I brought back to the fish store my 2 Black\Military Helmet Nerite snails (_Neritina pulligera_). 
They were eating my new driftwoods and consequently expelling fine wood particles over the sand, and it doesn't break down fast. I'm sad because I know that they'll probably die from starvation because their actual and\or future costumer tank will be algae free because everyone here have aquariums with a single led just to light their fake plants and will put a snail in it because it's cool but without thinking that there's no food for it. 
Oh and I decided to bring them back also because they were covering everything with white eggs. They never did that until recently so I assumed they were 2 males, since they are not hermaphrodites.

Actual population:
12 Paracheirodon simulans
1 Betta splendens
2 Aplocheilichthys normanni
3 Caridina multidentata (I have them since I started this tank, in 2014!)
Some Theodoxus fluviatilis
And I just added Melanoides tuberculata to stir the sand and clean it.
I know that no one wants Malaysian Trumper Snails, but I'll keep their population checked and add Anentome helena to control them.

Actual plants in my tank:

Spiky Moss
Anubias 'Nangi'
Anubias 'Petite'
Ceratophyllum demersum
Cryptocoryne petchii 'Pink'
Cryptocoryne parva


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## stefano-bonalume (8 Nov 2017)

Update.
Sand is much more clean now, and Malaysian Trumpet Snails reproduced a lot, but they always come out from the sand at night. Theodoxus fluviatilis population is declining. Many of them have white fragile shells because I have been using ro water for a while. Melanoides have strong shells instead.
Moss is a bit too much, but I want to let it grow for now.





And a pic of my Betta.


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## Rodgie (10 Nov 2017)

Hi Stefano! 

Congratulations with this scape of yours. I scrolled everything from page 1 and I feel like I was watching a movie with the different scenes everytime you change the arrangement of your plants and rocks and faunas! Haha well done though! 

If you don't mind sir, I would like to know the earlier process of this tank. 
How often and how much was your water change after you set it up? And did you dose this tank with ferts once a week? And lastly, when did you add a swimming buddy in there for the first time? 

I'm asking these questions, because I'll set up a low tech heavy planted myself. But this will be my first time to do it without ammonia getting added and water changes constantly. I wanna do it naturally and just be patient. 

Thank you,
Rodgie


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## stefano-bonalume (28 Nov 2017)

Update.
I couldn't resist to change the scape a bit. Attached some Anubias 'Petite' to the woods, with the remains of Bolbitis heudelotii and Microsorum 'Narrow Leaf' rhizomes. I can't get them to really settle and grow.





@Rodgie 
Thank you
Here you can read about and see my tank from when I started it back in December 2015.

http://www.aquascapingworld.com/threads/25-liters-low-tech.9283/

But I just want to tell how I keep the tank now.

I change water whenever I think is necessary. I try to observe algae growth. If algae start to expand too much on the glass or on hard leaf plants like Anubias or Cryptocoryne parva, I think there could be too much wastes (and consequently nutrients in the water to feed algae instead of plants). My idea is to create a balanced system keeping nutrients low, along with giving enough light but not too much.
Algae is a really primitive way to know if water parameters are not good enough, and I never tested the water. I am not encouraging to do this, but I just don't want to spend money testing water and try to observe how things develop. 

So I never fertilize or use CO2. I throw a _really_ small amount of epsom salt every 2-3 water changes. And use a part of tap water to bring new minerals mixed with ro water when I do water changes. I am using ro-water, so salts in water are really low. Many of my snails have troubles with their shells because of that.
But since I switched from tap water to ro water mixed with tap water, everything is doing better, probably because I have more control over introduced nutrients.


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## Kitalexander (2 Dec 2017)

The crypts look really nice growing out from under that branch


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## stefano-bonalume (31 Mar 2018)

Update. 
Sorry for the ugly phone pic.
I'm not doing anything special to my tank since my last post. Just constantly changing water, trimming spiky moss, clean water. 
I added Bucephalandra 'Biblis' and tied it to a rock so I can move it around if I want to. I really love it's bluish leaves. Hope it grows well and leaves stay algae free.
And I added an African dwarf frog about 2-3 months ago, you can see it right behind the front glass.


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## stefano-bonalume (9 Aug 2018)

Update. Low quality phone pic.
I didn't touch plant much, just let them grow for a while. 
I just change water with reverse osmosis water when I see that algae on the glass grow too much. I never used fertilisers in the last months. Lights are on for 7 hours, but even less time would still be enough.

I'm tired of tying moss to rocks so I just push it in between other plants to keep it in place. I think it's growing habit and shape show better if "planted" this way.
Added some more Paracheirodon simulans and a new "opal" Betta, I really like its iridescent fins and black eyes contrast against the light body. Hope the damaged tail will grow back.


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## alto (10 Aug 2018)

Wonderful journal 
I missed this until now, so fun to follow the tank from beginning  

Do you still have the frog?

The ‘opal’ (or cellophane) Bettas have more delicate fin structure, fins should regrow in a few weeks if enough protein in diet (frozen bloodworms are great but be careful not to overfed, though the green neons should make sure that doesn’t happen )


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## DutchMuch (10 Aug 2018)

Scape looks fantastic. Good choice in stocking as well. Only advice I have is to add some crushed stone (matching the stone you have already) in between the other crushed stones you already have. That and maybe crypt. balansae in the background (back left is a bit bare) Which is a personal opinion obviously but it looks fantastic as is tbh pretty much. Good job


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## stefano-bonalume (10 Aug 2018)

The frog died few weeks ago.

Yes @alto  , green neon tetras eat really fast and there's not much left for the Betta. The previous one ate faster, maybe it was used to other fish competition and this one will learn to eat faster hopefully.

@DutchMuch I found those stones in a woodland creek near where I live. It's hard to find big rocks of that dark type. Most of them are quite small. I don't want to add even smaller pieces because they wouldn't stay in place (Malaysian trumpet snails move around small rocks a lot) and I'd have to constantly search for them in the sand to put them again where I want them to stay.
I know that back left side is a bit bare but the tank is really small and filter takes too much space to plant something in front of it. I put some Anubias 'Nangi' there to try cover the filter, and hanged some moss in the upper part, so it's weeping growing habit will make that area less bare.


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## Iwagumi_Scaper (10 Aug 2018)

Hi Stefano,

How big are the fish in this tank? I've read that a tank this size can only hold like 1 single betta and nothing else. What size are the _Paracheirodon simulans? I have a 25L tank myself that I want to add some fish to. Possibly some Endlers Guppy's. Do you think these would be OK?

Thanks_


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## stefano-bonalume (11 Aug 2018)

@Iwagumi_Scaper I've seen tanks with more guppies than water running for a long time without any apparent issue. But that doesn't mean that fish are "happy".
I think guppy are hardy fish, but don't know about endlers.
Surely my tank has too many fish, but green neon tetras have many places to hide. If they are afraid they can hide in the left side between the leaves and they disappear completely. The tank looks empty when this happens. Ahah
And betta stays in the upper part of the tank almost all the time, so it doesn't steal swimming space to neons. When it wants to rest for a while, it goes over the filter. That's also it's night sleeping spot.
Melanoides tuberculata snails eat all uneaten food, dead leaves, fish wastes, and stir the sand. Sand is much more clean since when I added them. They go on the glass at night, so even if they are a lot, the tank is not covered in snails when lights are on. Just a few crawling on the sand.
Caridina japonica are always hungry so they help cleaning everything, too. I have just 3 of them and I think that they are enough.

So from what I observed from my tank is that creating a stable environment is the most important thing if you want to keep more fish than what is recommended. I am trying to do that with plants(that provide hiding places also), water changes with just reverse osmosis water and without using fertilizer. I chose slow growing plants so they are fine in this environment.
My Paracheirodon simulans size is 2 cm. I have about 15 of them now.
Hope this helps.


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## stefano-bonalume (25 Nov 2018)

Just an update of how the tank looks like now.


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## mooncake (26 Nov 2018)

That betta looks to be in a very bad way  have you treated for anything? I know some bettas just don't do well in community tanks... maybe he's stressed and that's why his tail never healed? Sorry, not meaning to criticise, just concerned he looks like he may not last much longer.


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## stefano-bonalume (26 Nov 2018)

Betta is active, but fins are constantly damaged. I saw Paracheirodon simulans biting them. They didn't do that to my other bettas. It could be because of how cellophane betta fins look like, I don't know.


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## Hades (26 Nov 2018)

stefano-bonalume said:


> Betta is active, but fins are constantly damaged. I saw Paracheirodon simulans biting them. They didn't do that to my other bettas. It could be because of how cellophane betta fins look like, I don't know.



Take him out then, no?
If i compare with the first picture that fish is just slowly disappearing... He has to be active to avoid the biting i reckon... 

I mean, i can't/wont comment on a scape when a tank is clearly overstocked and a betta is being eaten alive...
Sorry for that.


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## stefano-bonalume (29 Nov 2018)

I don't have another tank. I know it's sad, but I can't do anything. I didn't think this would happen, since I hadn't this problem with previous bettas.
I saw neons nipping his fins, but I'm paying more attention these days and even if I don't see neons bothering the betta, his fins are always damaged. Maybe water parameters are not good enough for cellophane betta fins to grow healthy, since they are more fragile. It's strange that green neons don't show discomfort, since they ideally need more specific water conditions, rather than bettas.


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## tam (29 Nov 2018)

Speak to your LFS they may rehome him or the other fish. If not then look for someone locally, try facebook local groups or fish specific ones. Otherwise pick up a check tank second hand. Part of the responsibility of having animals is caring for them - there are solutions you just need to find one.


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## stefano-bonalume (9 May 2019)

Update.
Plants are always the same. I just let Spiky Moss grow and put it on the right side to make a green mass. It's a big clump and stays there even if there's quite strong water flow. This helps to keep it clean.


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## obsessed (9 May 2019)

Love the pace of this tank, true patience my friend and grown in well


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## stefano-bonalume (9 May 2019)

Thank you. Except for light I don't add any fertilizer to help plants grow. I just do water changes with reverse osmosis water and clean the glass. It's all about choosing the right plants. Mine are slow growing but I feel they are more helpful to create a stable and "mature" environment without constant trimmings to remove plant mass that's too much for the tank. Fast growing plants perish in my tank because they have verew nutrients to grow. I removed the last piece of floating Ceratophyllum some months ago because it stopped growing and started to disintegrate. I tried to add some duckweed but it grow really slow even under the lights and slowly disappear. I think there are enough nutrients for current slow growing plants to thrive but not and excess of nutrients to advantage fast growing plants.


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