# The Stove & Its Flowering Anubias.



## zozo (12 Nov 2015)

This is a project still in development  The tank will be a DIY 90x35x35 cm x 6mm rimless open top. Glass and kit is ordered and hope to get it somewhere this week..

Low Tech
Filter - 40x25x25cm sump, 600 liter p/h powerhead.
Hardware - mainly Savanna Wood and to cover the panties a few black ardenne rocks of which not much will be seen when grown in.
Substrate - Base layer black Lava Fuji Sand 20 - 2 mm and 0,2 - 3mm, topped with a small rounded black gravel.
Heating - ? maybe non
Lights - diy LED.
Flora - Mainly ephiphytes and mosses, Java Ferns (Needle large, Needle mini, XL Orange and regular), Anubias (Nana, ducky, golden, ?), bucephalandras (?), do not know yet what excactly only whats called by name i have already. Few substrate feeders in the pockets between and behind the wood. Probably some, crypts, grasses, milfoils, elodea, shore weed, potamogeton (floater) maybe a lily as well. We'll see.
Fauna - Hara Jerdoni and ?? (Temporary 5 goldfish for the coldest winter months.)

Start with the stand..  And because the brick  floor is so darn crocked and dips in almost an inch in 3 feet, I couldn't find an easier and more simple construction than. 1" gass pipe and 1" scaffolding fittings. Because if i move it half an inch it stands wobbly again. This way i could move around and adjust it on the fly and it still stands like a house. I like the steampunk look, it stays black steel pipe, let there be rust. This will take a life time before falling apart. 







Table top and inlay is from simple free palletwood i got from the neighbour.  Actualy it's still nice 4 cm thick Douglas Pine and gave it a nice teak and blank varnish finish.





Still playing with the layout.




Changed a bit added some rock and have to watch again after a few days but i think this is fairly about it. Few more stones..





This is what i got so far.. I'll post updates as they come.. 

Suggestions and ideas are very welcome.


----------



## Greenfinger2 (12 Nov 2015)

Hi Marcel, I like it has a good flow to the wood over the stones.
Great DIY on the stand Hope all go's well with the tank build.

Looking forward to seeing this all come together now mate


----------



## zozo (12 Nov 2015)

Thanks Darrel and Roy..  The stand couldn't be simpler, even simpler than Ikea can provide..  And realy cheap, pipe and fitting about € 60, the rest was fr free. 
Indeed the tankbuild is going to be exciting, never did kit a tank before, but it's not the largest tank to kit, so i guess it will do ok.

Oh it's this technique i'm going to use, so no need for a tut about that.


----------



## Nelson (12 Nov 2015)

Liking it already .


----------



## zozo (12 Nov 2015)

Thank you Nelson and Manu.. 

This is a view from above..


----------



## alto (12 Nov 2015)

Brilliant stand build - your design & stain choices on the wood pull it all together (I want doors just so I can see more of the wood   )

I'm not a fan of that Savanna Wood but have no doubt you'll make it look outstanding too 

... hoping you update with each step 

Are you doing a dirt or enriched substrate layer beneath the sand too?


----------



## zozo (12 Nov 2015)

Thanks Alto, you're thinking the same as i do..  Already was thinking about doors and 1 side panel as well. If i find the time and material to pull it off, who knows.
Don't know yet, also like the open look and also thinking of a little extra nano tank next to the sump for shrimp breed and plants and such. Got a lot to think about and still brain storming.

Me also i never was a fan of Savanna wood, didn't like the multicolor light and dark and the odd shapes it has.. Actualy was more like looking for mangrove. Which is not so easy to find around my place. But! I couldn't retain myself when i saw this NIKE Sneaker at the LFS.




And this shape gave me the idea to create a mangrove style root structure with savanna. The plants will do the rest..  They have to.. Huh?! I have too. Working on it.. Hardware is anyway just plant support to me. The way  i see it, it's all about plants, they are the mascara of the tank, they make it or break it... 



alto said:


> no doubt you'll make it look outstanding too



I hope you are right..  Thanks for the support..

Nono dirt for me.. To much organics..  The goldfish will poop that enough.. The panties are filled with Akadama and Lava pumice and did put what i had left of my Velda clay balls with it. For the rest it will be the Fuji sand, thats crushed lava rock as well, in the pockets between te wood, fine rounded gravel on top and front layer. Main planting will be ephiphytes, they don't need substrate.. What needs substrate will be in the pockets between the wood and get HS aqua clay fert cones if needed. Since it needs to be suitable for my 5 freshwater piggy goldfish, there will be no carpetting, only playground (gravel) for them to happily dig around. That's what they love, and that's what i like to give them.


----------



## alto (12 Nov 2015)

I forgot about the goldfish winter residents 

Thanks for the "panty" details


----------



## Martin in Holland (13 Nov 2015)

I am following this with interest.


----------



## parotet (13 Nov 2015)

Subscribed Marcel! I know more or less the plants you like and I think they will fit very well in this setup. However, I'm not sure if goldfish will be the best neighbors in that neighborhood 

I once used this video to mount my mini vivarium. It looks so easy, isn't it? Luckily for me, the nano vivarium did not have to hold to much water because it leaked in some places and the silicone work was terrible. These guys have applied silicone in thousand of tanks I guess... But of course that's me, I'm very bad for DIY stuff. Actually my skills are restricted to modify IKEA cabinets 

Give me a shout if you need plants H. pinnatifida would look great covering that wood), I will be trimming this weekend

Jordi


----------



## zozo (13 Nov 2015)

Thanks Jordi.. Goldfish have a terrible reputation, but i already have them for some years, back and fort from tank to pond. I kinda know their behavoir by now. The are not so terrible, they are only playfull and love to dig around. They only need some robust invironment, of course can't give them a delicate tidy carpeted scape with a light clay powder type, that would be asking for a disaster. You mainly see those traditioal goldfish scapes with round riverpeblles, but these scapes are imho not aimed toward the fish, more towards the convinience of the keeper. But in nature they wont stay long in such invironments, they would travel on till they find diggin ground. That's why i'm planning to keep the front and right side carpet free with a thick layer of heavy 1-2mm rounded gravel they can shift and sift through without making a mess. In my experience this works best and they love it. And tie most vegitation to the hardware. But for me it's also a trail and error periode, never made them a scape like this.They only will be in there for 4 months at the most, maybe less depends when the freezing winter kicks in. Then i got at least 8 months left to figger something out, with maybe some carpeting to grow in they can't distroy. Like secure it on a mesh under the substrate.

With the kitting i'm going to use masking tape inside the tank of course, so i can happily smear away an abundancy of kit to prevent air pockets. These guys make it indeed look to easy, i'm not going to fall for that. The best advantage in this way of constructing is the bottom panel. Its internal, so if the glass is cut perfectly, you can't go wrong, glew it together secure the corners and the tank always will be perfectly straight. And it's the strongest construction compared to an outside bottom panel which is much more difficult to put together. And of course you need a good gun, not such a cheapo pring driven gun, i'm lucky to have one driven with a hydraulic piston pump.

I would love to put H. Pinnatifide in there..  still got your cuttings in the propagator tank. Doing slow but well. I definetily could use some more.. Thanks for the offer!! Realy great..  They would do good in the red marked areas. The circle is that upright stump, it's hollow like a flower pot, i will put substrate in there, HP would love that, since it's not a true epiphyte.  The green is all area where substrate will be and could be planted.



The rest will be on the wood and rocks.. The free space at the front and right i'll figger some out next year after the winter.


----------



## PARAGUAY (13 Nov 2015)

Ilike the wood


----------



## zozo (18 Nov 2015)

What can i say!?....  Wish me luck, next weekend will be it's maiden voyage above the bath tub and the moment of truth.. I'll keep it there for a week flooded i think if it doesn't leak straight away..
Never thougt it would be so exciting, kitting my first tank.. I think i have bad dreams tonight..


----------



## aaron.c (18 Nov 2015)

Good luck


----------



## zozo (20 Nov 2015)

Since the tank is curing it's kit and i already got the motherload of the plants i couldn't resist to play some with the layout.
The idea is that this is becoming a major Java tank, with some anubias and some other species. All that i have now i placed on the hardware to have a look. And i like to share.

This is about the idea so far.










Dear Roy (greenfinger) sended me the already established Emersed Java he had left from an earlier W-K, That's th eregular one on top of the wood. Behind the wood about till the base of the stump. And RH next to that Java will come a also from dear Roy emersed established Hygrophila lancea. There also will be a Anubias Ducky i got from Roy and the golden is his as well..The H. Pinatiffida i got from dear Jordy as some of the mosses which will be in there..  So these 2 members are going to represented in and above this tank.. Thanks a million guys!! I hope you like it, what i'm planning to do with your babies.. 




There probably will be some milfoils behind the Orange Java Aquatica and Brasiliensis mixed hoping they will pop emersed as wel some day. Back LH hand corner i still do not know. There also will be the sump overflow. So i need a large plant to hide that away.  Broad leaf would be a good addition. Back RH Corner will probably be a bush of Pogestemon Erectus. That plant i found in the pond, i have no idea what it is, it might be a grow form of Potamogeton Natans, i will plant it and see what it becomes.
Few other plants here an there will be added as well. More anubias nana and some shoreweed, some grasses. And mosses, definitely Fontanillis.. Later on i want to plant some Buce on the rocks.. But i have to make choices, for now i'm getting slightly over my budget, still a lot to do and Buce is still very expensive. So this one goes on a hold for now.


----------



## Sarpijk (21 Nov 2015)

That looks really well done, until the goldfish are in! Well Zozo what type of goldfish are you putting in there? In my experience plants and goldfish are incompatible. Of course I used to keep common goldfish.


----------



## zozo (21 Nov 2015)

Thanks Sarpijk..  You think so? There will be 5 normal common goldfish in there, but only temporarely, as long as the weather temps are soft they stay outside and doesn't drop to long under 5 c water temp. So they never will be much longer in there than 3 to 4 months or less..

Here they are in a previous simple winter habitat.. 




Well i thought it over a lot, how to make something different in such way they can't distroy to much, what i can not overcome again when they are out again. I always kept them with plants they like to nibble on, as above Elodea and Cabomba, actualy they did  very well and survived the whole periode. When it comes to digging, i give them a heavy type of small rounded gravel. This doesn't cloud, Where substrate will be in the scpae is in pockets, where they are unlikely to dig. These pockets will be filled with a rough grained Fuji Sand as base and finer graind fuji sand top. I'm not realy see them eat JAva ferns and anubias, also the blyxa is a bambo like grass. And i already keep them for years in a very shallow terrace pond fully planted without many issues. This actualy more is a shallow aquarium without glass in the garden than a pond.

Well we will see, how it works out..  I like to experiment .. Actualy, i'm becoming to like this scape so much i think the goldfish probably only will be in there for one season. And build them another tank for the next winter.. And also go tropical with this one.. Dunno yet..


----------



## Sarpijk (21 Nov 2015)

Τhis is a DIY goldfish tank from a very good Greek fellow-hobbyist. Can you guess the tank size?


----------



## zozo (21 Nov 2015)

Way to small...


----------



## Sarpijk (21 Nov 2015)

zozo said:


> Well we will see, how it works out..  I like to experiment .. Actualy, i'm becoming to like this scape so much i think the goldfish probably only will be in there for one season. And build them another tank for the next winter.. And also go tropical with this one.. Dunno yet..



This exactly what I did. I soon realised that goldfish do not really belong to a tank and turned the tank into a tropical one. I can picture some a Peacock goby poking its head outside the little cave in the middle!


----------



## zozo (21 Nov 2015)

Sarpijk said:


> I can picture some a Peacock goby poking its head outside the little cave in the middle!



Yes something like that, would be very nice looking.. A also was thinking maybe dwarf puffers. These i realy like a lot. And indeed you are right, goldfish do not belong permanently in a tank, they are pond fish. In my case that pond is above ground and i have to take care for them in the winter.. And building this i got i bit caried away and all went a bit out of hand and turned into this. Well they will certainly help to jump start this tanks cycle for the first few months. Can't go back they have to go in there this winter season.


----------



## Sarpijk (21 Nov 2015)

zozo said:


> Way to small...


It is 280 litres dimensions 118x 50 x 50 cm. It's the fish that make it look small.


----------



## zozo (21 Nov 2015)

Wow, indeed, large goldfish.. How old are they?? Mine are 5 to 6 years now and only doubled in size, the largest maybe is 4 to 5 inches..


----------



## Tim Harrison (21 Nov 2015)

Nice scape Marcel. 
It'd be interesting to see if the wood to the left, sticking up with the H. pinnatifida attached, looks any better repositioned to appear like it's a root of the main trunk, like the wood on the other side.


----------



## zozo (21 Nov 2015)

Interesting thought Troi.. .. I'm curious how you see it.. That piece is rather short and wide, has not a tipycal root structure.. The trunk sticking out is hollow, like a plant pot, i want to fill it with substrate for the H. Pinnatifida, and put some Hydrocotyle tripartita at it's base hanging down on it left side. On the right side at the green dots maybe a wisps of hair grass or other small carpet plants

If you see it from above you'll see what i mean.



That corner is now assambled from 4 pieces 4-5-6 and 7.. What is green will all be substrate what could be plant with root feeders.. The big stump is also hollow with a big pocket at the back. That big rock at tthe front is only support for now, not in the game.. Still have to break some rock to finnish that part..

I which place would you see it? 

I just took it apart all, need th shelf to test the tank for leaks above the bath tub. So have to wait for that and rebuild it in the tank.


----------



## zozo (21 Nov 2015)

Well  what do you know.... It's tight!!  At least it is for the first 2 hours. For now i leave it like that for 24 hours with a heater in it and let it work some temperatures.
All seams look ok, no airbubbles, so no reason why it will start to leak other than a truck driving by annd shacking the house.. For that we can only wait to happen.

I kept the seams pretty small, the glass is 6 mm and the seams 4 mm.. The tricky part is, working fast and get the thing done within 10 to 12 minuttes when it comes to applying kit. But for the rest it's straight forward with the procedure as shown in the video. Only thing i added was masking tape inside to smoothen the seams out and not make a mess. 

I can recomend everybody playing with the thought building a tank, and confident enough to work fast to use this construction plan (inside bottom panel) if the glass i cut in perfect size it cant go wrong. You even do not need a carpenters square.


----------



## Tim Harrison (21 Nov 2015)

It's difficult to say, I guess I'd need to actually get hands on and have a go myself...but either way I see what you mean
H. pinnatifida will also grow epiphytically and eventually attach itself to wood...though you probably know this anyway


----------



## zozo (21 Nov 2015)

Well i've looked at it already some time and added it here and there. It's shape doesn't realy fit the form of the big stump other than in that corner. Or i might not have seen it yet..  I got an other piece of intresting DW that might fit in somehowe, somewhere. I'll have to play with it, when the tank is setup with substrate and all, so i can see more of what it does in proper over all dimensions. H.p. i never grew it before, but what i read about it what you and others say here at ukaps, it indeed can grow like you say. But since the stump is hollow i might as well add some substrate to it. I found out many plants can grow kinda epiphytical or with the help of some moss. Till now i have about everything thats in the substrate in my small tank with hairy roots grow like that as well. Only the rotalas aren't fond of it.. And seeing the rootstructure of the Enchi and crypts, i doubt they like it. Didn't try..

Here is that other piece.. It's like i found at a KFC restaurant.. 
Maybe something for the RH corner.  (Or other plans in other tank??? the KFC scape)


----------



## Tim Harrison (21 Nov 2015)

They look like very interesting pieces. At the end of the day the scape looks great as it is, and anyway, the only person you need to please is yourself
Glad your tank is water tight.


----------



## zozo (21 Nov 2015)

Troi said:


> the only person you need to please is yourself



Thanks Troi..  That i also say always.. But any input from experienced scapers like you are or any other is more than welcome. After all many eyes see more than just a pair. Since i need a pair of glasses lately, i guess even more.. .. As i look at my current scape, i thought it was perfect at the beginning, now 6 months later i see things i definitely should have done different..  That's where early experienced feedback comes in handy. So please do not hesitate, i don't do in critics only in feedback..


----------



## zozo (26 Nov 2015)

Troi said:


> It'd be interesting to see if the wood to the left, sticking up with the H. pinnatifida attached, looks any better repositioned to appear like it's a root of the main trunk, like the wood on the other side.



Tank is ready for use.. Did move the tank to an other place in the house.. And did put all dw in the tank again, leaving some out, some shifting and adding..  I tried several spots but that piece you mention @Troi, kinda have to keep it at the left. But did repositioned it more to the front to connect it to the main trunk and added some pieces of dw at the left back, to create some more height, dept and dimension in that corner.. Also there is far less and smaller rocks..



Right side a new piece added to create a bigger and deeper plant pocket.. Didn't know what to do with the back panel.. At first i did cover it with a black foil, but that didn't look nice. Now thinking about it.. I thought leeve it open.. And i did paint the wall behinf the tank black. Maybe when the scape is planted i hang a sheet of frosted acrylic sheet behind it to use back lighting. Do not know yet.. All options are still open this way.


----------



## Tim Harrison (26 Nov 2015)

I like both...the new version still has tension but IMO it's more harmonious, but with your planting skills either will look fantastic


----------



## zozo (26 Nov 2015)

Hi Troi,thanks you..  i also like the last one better..  Still went to the LFS for more dw pieces, but i sold them out. There are no more useable smaller pieces left.. But can you elaborrate on the term 'Still has "Tension" '..? When it comes to critters and aquatic plants i have by far over 15 years experience with aquariums and even more with ponds and or aquatic gardening. I know plants can make or brake and highlight and mask.. But when it comes to scaping  aquariums with hardware i'm about as new as a baby, just do what i feel.. Actualy i have no idea how to interpret the term tension..


----------



## banthaman.jm (27 Nov 2015)

The tank layout looks great Marcel, looking forward to the addition of the plants.
Jim


----------



## Tim Harrison (27 Nov 2015)

OK...that's a very difficult one to explain damn it

It's something that is intuitive to many artists, and therefore unless you've had a formal art education it's not something most give much tangible thought to, let alone try to describe.

But a quick trawl of the interweb and I came up with the definition below...
*
Tension,* a balance maintained in an artistic work between opposing forces or elements; a controlled dramatic or dynamic quality.

Tension is very important for an object to be beautiful. Tension is created in architecture when hard, vertical stretches of columns are placed against delicately curving columns. Tension is created in music when harsh, loud sounds compete with gentle, soft ones. And tension is created in dance when hard, jerky movements that take effort are combined with, or opposed to, gentle, flowing movements that seem effortless.

I guess the tension in your scape is created by the juxtaposition of the gnarly root in the left third of the scape and the flowing line of the less gnarly root stretching out through the other two thirds of the scape. Opposing forces which together create visual interest and energy without unbalancing the overall design.
In the fist version, for me the bit of root sticking up very proud on the left gave the scape a little too much tension and unbalanced the whole. In other words it was too dominant and my eye was continually drawn to it at the expense of rest of the scape, or the less dominant focal points.

Hope that makes sense


----------



## zozo (27 Nov 2015)

Thanks Jim..  

And Thank you Troi!! Yes that makes perfect sense, didn't know it was called tension... Actualy never did dive into the theoretics of art all tho visited about  every museum from art to history on my path during my live.. Reading your very intresting explaination i see what you mean..  Looking at my first try i also wasn't satisfied with the left corner, the left stump alone was indeed to distracting, so i changed it's angle and added some smaller stumps in the back, those 3 horns to create some depth and play, something to wonder and think about. 


 

Now yesterday i still was strugling with the right 2/3 part of the tank, once filled up with substrate i thought it's to flat and never could get the planting to make up for that.
So i thought i need something there as well to contrast the background planting.. I added another old tree like stump of DW 1/3 from the right. Still it didn't appeal to me and also added another kind of root structure in another kind of wood and color to give the right corner more play.. I'm still not happy with that horizontal new piece in the RH back between the upright stem and finger wood. I might take that away...


----------



## Greenfinger2 (27 Nov 2015)

Hi Marcel,That's cheating getting Mother nature to scape your tank 

Superb design and execution


----------



## zozo (27 Nov 2015)

Thanks Roy.. Nice that you like it.... 
Well cheating.. Sometimes.. How would you say this in english..
"A good cheat is always better than a bad invention"..


----------



## zozo (27 Nov 2015)

So the sump also finished today.. Still waiting on the powerhead to test run.. It was a fun project to build..


----------



## Tim Harrison (27 Nov 2015)

Where did you get the furry ginger media from and how effective is it...and is it biological, chemical or mechanical?


----------



## zozo (27 Nov 2015)

It's sintered glass and ceramic pipes from the LFS..    At the heating elements is the inlet.. Folowed by 3 stages of filter sponsh, rough, medium and fine, i guess thats the mechanical part.. Under there is the bio media, than a thik fine sponsh again with a bag of carbon on top since it is open top tank i like to use that. The compartment with the airstones will be filled with K1 beats as moving bed media withs is Bio too of course, so it has anaerobe ad aerobe media installed..  This is only 40x25x25cm tank.. Actualy i could have made it a size smaller.. I'll try that next.. A nano sump..


----------



## zozo (29 Nov 2015)

Changed it again, this is about final i think.. tossed a few pieces of wood and added some rocks.. Alteady started some planting what i already had emersed growing.. 
If i change things, it will only be minor things, but the overall layout is as good as finished.. Now is it matter of carefully placing the plants and watch that for some days before glewing them on..  Every day placing an other and see.. where it ends up..


----------



## zozo (1 Dec 2015)

The stove is slowly warming up.. .. It's drystarting at the moment.. Not all is in there yet still waiting to receive some star moss and some more small java ferns sp.
The pogostemon stellatus is still in its pot in the LH corner where it will be.. But i'm still working on my overflow pipes which also will be in ths corner.

But this is fairly it, nothing much will change... The open spot next to the RH corner is kept open for the *Eichornia azurea.. *

*

 *


----------



## zozo (2 Dec 2015)

Finished the overflow system.. 

Again fun to make and realy simple device running on the laws of gravity. I pimped it a bit to make it from transparent PVC tube and added a acrylic tob box to prevent cloging and actualy the real main purpose for this box is  room for emersed plant growth..

 i should have gone a bit easier on the glewing part, some ugly clumps in there, but being water thight is most important when it comes to overflowes. 


 

First i thought of bending all in one piece, but actualy wasn't sure if this will sufficiently work.. The test run was OK but still have to see it work in this setup for a while.
I do not expect any problems with it, but still just made a prototype quicky. Still can pimp it in the future.


----------



## zozo (6 Dec 2015)

This is where i a'm so far..  Tank is up and running, now let there be growth.. Have some melt kicking in on the crypts and blyxa.. But that probably will turn by itself, i hope.. 

Plantlist, so far.. I do not think i'll be adding something soon (Except a few small Java Philipina on the base of the wood stump under the needle mini, not yet arrived)).. 
For th erest i'll sit back and see how it develops. Rather take some out later than add.. 

From left to right:

Pogostemon Tenellus
Blyxa J.
Hygrofilia Pinnatifida
Hair grass ( very few little wisps betweem the driftwood rootstructure at the forground)
Anubias nana bonsai and nana petite. (Inconclusive if the are identical, should be according to some but depending on the supplier i see clear differnces in leaf shape)
2 unknown anubias sp. (forgot)
Anubias Golden
Utricularia G.
Anubias Ducky (On top emerse)
Java Needle (sp. Taiwan)
Java Needle Mini
Java Regular (On top emerse)
Hygrofilia Lancea (On top Emerse)
Myrophyllum Aquaticum (Hidden in the Hygrofilia L.)
Java Orange XL
Shoreweed
Cryptocoryne Indonesii
Gratiola viscidula
Cryptocoryne Wendtii
Cryptocoryne Albida Brown
Cryptocoryne Parva
Eichornia Azurea
Cryptocoryne Willissii
And Salvinia Natans

Mosses
Peackock
fissidens F.
Fontanillis a.
Flame







I'm not happy with the overflow performance, probably miscalculated its capicity.. It slurps louder than i do, so that has to  change.. 
Still working on the light setup and only installed something temporarely.. also this is going to be something completely different, something i've never tried before. But something i think will work pretty well for a low tech setup like this. I'l come back to that later when it's up and running. 

Cheers


----------



## zozo (6 Dec 2015)

Oh and how could i forget to mention..  Sorry guys.
The:
Peackock
Fontanillis a.
Flame
and Hygrofilia Pinnatifida

I got from Jordi.. 

And the 4 bigger sp. of anubias, the Hygrofilia Lancea and the regular Java are emersed grown forms i got from greenfinger2 grown in his former W-K's  As well as the shoreweed and gratiola..

So these plants are probably old acquaintances to you and probably seen before somewhere on this forum.

Thanks a million guys..  i'm mighty happy with them and hope they will make my scape shine..


----------



## Greenfinger2 (6 Dec 2015)

zozo said:


> Oh and how could i forget to mention..  Sorry guys.
> The:
> Peackock
> Fontanillis a.
> ...




Hi Marcel, Your welcome my friend.And the plants you sent me are growing well  Thank you for them They will be in my upcoming Scapes 

Your Scape is really coming along  Cannot wait to see the plants grow in 

Congratulations on the tank build and all the DIY you have done to make this all happen


----------



## zozo (6 Dec 2015)

You're welcom Roy, the plessure is all mine..  I hope to see them soon those upcoming scapes.. 

Thansk for the congrats.. It's fun to build.. 

 Builder Bob..

Up next, opti white cube..


----------



## Sarpijk (6 Dec 2015)

Looks nice Zozo. Hopefully your goldfish will not rampage the place.   Are you confident that your fish are not jumpers?​


----------



## zozo (6 Dec 2015)

Thanks Sarpijk, i'm yet not sure if i realy put them in to this. This scape carried me away a bit and got out of hand. Initially i wasn't planning it like this and it all went on autopolit, liking the hardware so much. I'm rather thinking about a large plastic 200 liter tub in the seller for the goldfish to house them the winter months. If this scape was grown in all the way, i would be confident they could go in there. But as is now the first months, i'm not, nothing is yet rooted enough.

Anyway they are not jumpers, they are in a bath tub in the garden for years,, never jumped.. Oh? Once a pregnant female jumped by accident during the mating periode. After that i secured the shallow spawning area with a net. But for the rest never jump.  Thanks for your consern.. 

Also not sure what fauna will go in. I can't get Dwarf puffers out of my mind, realy like to have them again..  But dunno yet..


----------



## Sarpijk (6 Dec 2015)

I suggest you consider Peacock gobies  as well!


----------



## zozo (6 Dec 2015)

Nice fish Sarpijk..  I might.. Never had them before..


----------



## zozo (7 Dec 2015)

Little update on my sump..  It's about ready now and slowly maturing, already darn slimey in there.. 



Still waiting on the floater switches to prevent flood and drain..  Added a light, think i'm goint to grow some plants in there as well..

Fixed my overflows, took 'm apart and moved one left one right.. The slurping was over capicity and i thought 2 x 16 mm would never be enough.. Had to reduce the suction and all is running fine now. No more syphon brakes.. Also did toss the checkvalves, unnecessary with small diameters..  That's the advantage of clear tube, you see what's happening in there.. 






 

Cheers..


----------



## Greenfinger2 (7 Dec 2015)

Hi Marcel, Your the man


----------



## zozo (18 Dec 2015)

Slowly my slow burner project is comming to completion.. It's flooded now for over 14 days and tank and sump are running great. No sign of algea yet, not even diatoms.

A little update on the lights, this is also set up now and running. Technicaly not totaly finished yet, but this are changes pictures won't show anyway. Like the automatic dimmer unit, to create a slow uping and downing when lights ar switched on/off. 

The light fixture i made out off spotlights containing GU10 dimmable led spotlights. I came to this idea because i wanted to try something different. Usualy aquarium lights are aimed to devide all light in equal intensity all over the tank. Because i have mostly low light demanding plants like anubias, crypts and Java, i also have a few in the mid range which could also do with a bit more. Now these spots have a rather narrow beam angle and i can aim towards the plants which love the most light and what scatters off is for the lower light lovers.

The spost are actualy walI mounted spots i found at a sale, with a 30% off and took the wall mounting plates off.  They are in stainles steel with a industrial design. I used a stainles steel cabinet door grip 700mm x 12mm as mounting rod. The little braces (clamps) where the spots are mounted to which again can slide over the rod, i made out of oak wood. Looks nice compliments the wooden top everything is screwed to. But still this isn't contstruction whise of the strenght i would like it to have. I'm going to change that and also will be made out of stainles steel (or nickle), but for now it works. 


 

On the oppisite corners i installed Full Spectrum grow lights. One aimed to the Pogestemon and the other to the Eichornia..This is something i just would like to test and see what it'll do to the plants i aim them to. It gives a somewhat red glare around them, but in the tank this is not realy seen. The other 3 are 2 x Cool withe and a Warm white spotlight and they push the red color away. Because of the emersed growth on the wood i did put a 40 watt halogene spot in the middle, this because they are pretty warm and hangs somewhat above the emersed growth evaporating water. I hope this will create more evaporation in benefit for the emersed growth. Main point of thought in this setup is i can decide and play with the light intensity in certain areas of the tank i can change it as i whish or as what plants tell me.. 

In the tank it gives a rather nice effect, it creates a kind of light play which throws shaddows around. Natural effects which are out of reach with any regular lighfixture with tube and led lights illuminating in a static and fixed angle. 


 
For now i have no idea how this realy will work out.. This is something i think will do fine and i'm about to find out. And now it's time to close the stand and make that look as a cabinet.


----------



## Greenfinger2 (18 Dec 2015)

Hi Marcel, Fantastic system and a self build tank  Scape looks great healthy plants to


----------



## zozo (18 Dec 2015)

Tanks james and  Roy.. Btw, Roy your Ducky seems to like it up there.. It's already bussy growing a second leaf. I realy hope it establishes strong enough to keep it up there. The first leaf started still submersed a month ago and bit in trouble. The second one is showing since 2 weeks emersed i hope that one takes it a bit better. Anubias are difficult, but who knows what time will tell.


----------



## Greenfinger2 (18 Dec 2015)

Hi Marcel, I am sure Ducky will do well mate


----------



## zozo (10 Mar 2016)

After 2 agonizing months of a dreadful motherload of diatoms, nasty hairalgae and plant melt it's finaly retreating. To wood is about to stop leaching it's tanins, plants are slowly recovering and looking vibrant again. I thought it would never stop and this tank would becomme an utter failure. It looked awfull for months... That mopani wood is a horrible wood when used in this large amounts (4,5 kg) it leaches and leaches like crazy, never seen such dark water before in my life. I bought purigen enough for 500 liter and 6 months before cleaning says the decription.. I already cleaned it 2 x in 2 months it was coffee brown each time. Beware of Mopani.. 

Probably the extra 15 amano shrimps i added out of frustration, was a good jumpstart to the right direction.. Now i have them as well as a huge number of sherries too, but they are all still babies and the majority is under that big piece of wood i see more and more surfacing. I guess when they grow up, the little algae left will be gone soon..


 

I took out the eichornia azuria  this plant didn't work for this tank unfortunately.. But since it's in majority an asian tank i replaced it with a Nelumbo Nucifera. Grown from a seed, you see it's long stems RH side reaching the surface already, not yet opened the floating leaves but it's steadily growing. Also not a real common plant to find in aquariums, since it tends to grow much to big. But this one should be a small bowl cultivar, so i just give it a try.  It doesn't grow submersed leaves, only few floaters and leaves emersing and hopefully the purple fire flower it prommises. Depends on the light it gets. 

Now let it grow, finaly..  pfew..


----------



## parotet (10 Mar 2016)

Hi Marcel

It will look wonderful once grown... It looks like you're building a strong foundation for this tank. I'll stay tuned to see the evolution!

Jordi


----------



## zozo (10 Mar 2016)

Thanks Jordy  I hope so.. Till now i didn't see it come together and only going down hill. This tank baffled me a bit and turned totaly upside down. The usual fast grwoers went totaly dorment and covered with diatoms and the slow growers and mosses grew the best covered in hair. Like Utricularia Graminifolia is doing realy great in this tank and growing longer leaves then i've seen before also the Lomariopsis lineata grows stunningly fast while all anubias went brown from diatoms, java's melting, both pogestemons went hybernating, crypts doing nothing but growing hair algea except the albida brown and wendtii grew like letuce. At one point i went water changing every day 30% and syphoning the filamentous diatoms of the hardware and substrate. and it was like 3 hours and all was back again.. Frustrating..  Never had this before in this amounts.. Now finaly after 4 weeks daily water changes and syphoning in a week time it suddenly starts to clear up. Looks like i bfinaly broke the chain and spiraling up again instead of down. And see the fast growers finaly recover and come to life..


----------



## Manu (10 Mar 2016)

Well done Marcel, it looks great  Worth the effort you've put in to it!!! Looking forward to seeing evolve 

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk


----------



## zozo (10 Mar 2016)

Thank you Manu..


----------



## Greenfinger2 (11 Mar 2016)

Hi Marcel, Glad things are getting back to normal  Scape looks great looking forward to seeing the plants grow in


----------



## zozo (14 Mar 2016)

Little sneekpeek update on what's going on above the waterline i yet did not show.. I extended the driftwood with a branched structure like it's sticking out as a small tree.
At first i wasn't sure if i would keep it like that, but after planting it a bit, i'm sure it'll do.





There are several kinds of mosses, a bog pimpernell and a small tropical Bulbophyllum taiwanense Orchid tied to the wood on some spahagnum and other mosses.








If all goes according to plan, there wont be much wood to see anywore in a few months.. The moss is slowly creeping up and soaking the wood from the bottem up with it.
The orchid i already nursing for the seccond season now and couldn't get it to flower yet.. So i decided to place it above the tank, more light, more most air and steady temperatur.. I'll hope i can show you it's flowers this summer..

There still is a branche semi emersed at the water surface in the filter outlets splashzone, yet only covered with moss.. I still thinking about an epiphyte to put on there, maybe some fern or an anubias nana petite. Don't know yet.


----------



## Greenfinger2 (14 Mar 2016)

Hi Marcel, Looking really cool


----------



## zozo (14 Mar 2016)

Hi Roy, thanks..  And thanks to you mate, you know who picked that piece!? And if it wasn't for you finding this i never would have got it in the first place.


----------



## Greenfinger2 (14 Mar 2016)

zozo said:


> Hi Roy, thanks..  And thanks to you mate, you know who picked that piece!? And if it wasn't for you finding this i never would have got it in the first place.



I Marcel, I forgot I sent you the DW  The DW does take a time to become damp and stay that way Its taken one of my pieces in A Wabi-Kusa several months before the moss would grow well on it, Looks great when it happens


----------



## zozo (14 Mar 2016)

It first soaked for a few weeks, then binded it to bend some branches in shape let it dry, then soaked it again.. Now it's 1/3 is submersed all covered in moss and the moss and moist is slowly creeping upwards. But it takes time indeed and help with the spray bottle...   There is still some room i think for a little Hydrocotyle to climb into..


----------



## Martin in Holland (15 Mar 2016)

Nice done Marcel, I always like a bit of wood and plants above the waterline.


----------



## Berlioz (15 Mar 2016)

Excellent job, I love the emergent wood.


----------



## zozo (15 Mar 2016)

Thanks you Martin and Berlioz.. 

Berlioz?? Don't you for a chance have an aquascape titled "Symphony Fantastique" ?


----------



## Berlioz (15 Mar 2016)

zozo said:


> Thanks you Martin and Berlioz..
> 
> Berlioz?? Don't you for a chance have an aquascape titled "Symphony Fantastique" ?



Haha, one of my favourite pieces of music. It's probably not a bad title for an aquascape either. I'll have to keep that one tucked away for my next tank.


----------



## zozo (4 Aug 2016)

Little update on the cabinet..  It is finaly done, took me some time watching it an brainsorming what to make so it fits and stays in the same overall style.
Since i used 1" gass pipe and scaffolding fittings construction as base material to hold the weight of the tank and chrome nikle in the light fixture.. I came up with the title "The Stove". Anyway i found some old vintage style oven/freezer door hinges and the whole idea came together..



 

Sorry for not having a complete overview how it's build. Because it went a bit on the fly with adding this and that and watching in for a while to find ideas and materials how to procede. The initial plan was to keep it open so all technics wouyld stay in view. But that i didn't like as much as i thought, looked kinda to messy. So initialy it wasn't made to be a cabinet and still managed to make it one.




So the cabinet part is done, not unsatisfied with the results. Only thing is, when i have mates over for visit and i say grab a beer.. They yell back you have non, they are looking under the tank.. 

The whole corner is far from finished, i'm still watching it and brainsorming to find inspiration and ideas to plant up the back wall behind the tank under the light fixture.. I thinking of something in the line of a hydroponic plantholder with ferns and such to hang to the wall, integrated with the tank as additional biofilter. There also still will come emersed growth at the top back in the tank like i have in my 3 of life scape. Not yet found a suitable piece of driftwood to pull it off. That;s something you have to stumble up on, only made by mother nature. But since this stove is a slow burner, it will ba a long term project and i have tons of time. Since this tank stand under a roof window and is naturaly lit all summer long, i only need some lights during the winter season. So the natural light comming from above will do good to put plants above the tank as well.



So far the cabinet, back to the tank itself later..  It's doing alright, but very slow..


----------



## Tim Harrison (4 Aug 2016)

Nice, liking the industrial look


----------



## zozo (4 Aug 2016)

Thanks Tim..  My too, that was the plan.. Only took me over a half a year to find the stuff.. It's not something you find in a regular cabinet makers chest. Actualy it was a truck store i found the idea and ended up with oven door hinges.  (Well that way you certainly see something of the world.) Then when i found them they where high gloss chrome.. Had to sand them down a bit in a cross patern to suite with the rest of the chrome nickle finish stuff. This project is a slow burner in all aspects. With waiting till i find what i can use.


----------



## Martin in Holland (5 Aug 2016)

Nice work mate


----------



## AnhBui (5 Aug 2016)

Nice setup Robot captain star


----------



## Alexander Belchenko (5 Aug 2016)

Don't you think the shelf above the tank is bloking some light. Or that was the plan?


----------



## zozo (5 Aug 2016)

Thanks guys.. 



Alexander Belchenko said:


> Don't you think the shelf above the tank is bloking some light. Or that was the plan?



The shelff is not realy blocking light, because the roof window above the tank is about 150x150 cm.. I also do not see the shelf cast a shadow.. On very clear blue sky sunny days the tank gets bombarded with light from above and looking unexpectedly bright. But i can not regulate this, cloudy and rany days i have less bright light, the pic above is taken on a somewhat cloudy day. And then it looks very dark but to plants tell me other wise they are steadily growing and i'm finaly getting clear of the beard algae. I was forced to turn those spot lights off and take the light as it comes, it is like an indoor pond.

The plan was to put this tank in that corner but i didn't know what to expect from that ceiling window.  http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/roof-ceiling-window.38937/#post-444881 This thread has some pics taken at sunny days. It was november with very dark days definitively in need of light when i builded the tank.. So i made that shelf aboved it to fix some lights to.

I still do not have a plan for the shelf, but it is not attached to the wall.. That Robots poster hangs to an old Philips XRayPhoto Lightbox.. It looks like the box stands on the shelf, but the box hangs to the wall and the shelf is screwed to the box. Can take it all off the wall in one part, box. shelf and lights and hang it back again.. Robot was already hanging there for years and made use of it like that for now. 

I think i maybe need lights above the tank in winter season, but yet do not know the tank is still on it maiden voyage towards it.. I will see this winter if i need the plants need those lights, maybe to keep up the 10/12 hour periode.. As for now i just go with what i get still around 16 hours.. Dunno, still experimental and just let it roll throught the winter like that. I might change things next year when i know more..


----------



## zozo (5 Aug 2016)

Here an example pic for comparance this was taken May 9th



 
And this is today 3 months later and no extra light at all, only day light. Like the pogo at the RH side.. Some stem plant didn't make it, swapt them wit crypts.
The only plant still in trouble is the Blyxa, but 'm yet not ready to give up on it.. The plant i have to trim the most is the Utricularia G.


----------



## Alexander Belchenko (5 Aug 2016)

Cool! Daylight FTW! El Natural et al ))


----------



## zozo (5 Aug 2016)

And a little glimps behind the doors.. 

The trickle sump, pils and powders and other beauty products..




My little sand filter running the last stage (Water level is still a bit high, just did a WC)




And the power station.. DC 12 volt - 30 watt PSU, it runs the cabinet led lights, the DC 12 volt pumps speed controler, the extra thermostat which monitors the tank temp and switches the AC 220 power sockets for the 2 heaters in the sump and the PH controller. That last one is not realy a must, but i have it why not use it..  That's all to it and drives this tank..


----------



## Alexander Belchenko (5 Aug 2016)

Wait, where is your beer? 

Seriously - cool, like the sumps systems. Haven't got my hands on sumps yet. Maybe one day.


----------



## zozo (5 Aug 2016)

Alexander Belchenko said:


> Wait, where is your beer?
> 
> Seriously - cool, like the sumps systems. Haven't got my hands on sumps yet. Maybe one day.



The cabinet indeed looks more like a hotel mini bar fridge..  But that was the plan, give it a playfull touch different from the everyday straight foreward aquarium stand.. But then keep it sober enough that it doesn't distract your eyes away to much  from the tank..  Next to that with the scaffolding material and gass pipe, it is all over customizable, all is bolted and clamped together like LEGO.  Taken apart in 5 minutes and build back together, if i would like to make it taller i need few longer pieces of pipe. bolt it in and done. 

This is my first sump and i don't think i ever go back... I'm still planning another shallow tank 40x40x20 cm and also thinking of building a very small nano sump for it.. Very curious how that will work out.  A 12 liter  fluval hagen tank is €16, but still might be to big.. I'm yet not sure, but it's very tempting. Sumps rock.. Super cheap, highly efficient and easy to maintain and or changed if needed.


----------



## Alexander Belchenko (5 Aug 2016)

Can you provide a picture how your water going in to sump? I mean input line. Do you have any holes in back side or just regular external canister style inlet?

I guess with your DYI talents you can just glue together small sump tank by yourself. No need to spend money on something you don't like?
I think usual recommendation for sump is about 10% of display volume. But who might prevent you to use something bigger for small display? Maybe I'm wrong.


----------



## zozo (5 Aug 2016)

I make use of syphons, have 2 of them 1 left 1 right side corner.. I started with everyting at one side, but took 'm apart and placed them left and right, this gives a better circulation, each corner has it's drain.

Left side




right side in tank view




Right side outside tank view. You see it end up in a PVC pipe at the back left and right, this is one pipe.




Bellow the tank there is a T going to the sumps resceptacle with the heaters where it flows over to the trickle/bio part




At that little piece of hose between syphon and pipe i made an acrylic clamp with a wing nut to fine tune the flow speed from the syphon.




Ready made valves from the LFS are not tunable enough, with using a clamp it can be tightened by a fraction of a mm.. Because this is only a 110 litre tank and small sump containing 12 liter water volume it is very touchy and needs to be tweaked rather precise..
Or calculated rather precise regarding flow capacity of pump and drain.. Which is a not every day mathematical formula

That's a bit the disadvantage (well not realy) from small tanks with small sumps. The whole concept is a force of mother nature, with large volumes to displace it aint so touchy, with smaller volumes everything becomes smaller and goes easier out of sync. So there for i came up with a pump speed controler and those clamps. Without it, it's a massive slurp and burb party driving you nuts..

Also that pvc pipe behind the tank, the 2 open ends where the hoses go in, need to be plugged with a sponge and in the sump it needs to be submersed so all ends are pluged outside the tank with sponge inside the sump with water.. If not a jetstream of running water in a hollow pipe sounds like a concert of 20 dwarfs constantly peeing all over the place. Plugging it makes it silent.

And indeed glewing a lets say 5 liter nano sump together aint such a big deal.. I have a glass shop virtualy as neighbour can pickup the material on the fly.. But i not sure if a sump can be made that small and still run smoothly.. As said, the smaller it is the more touchy it becomes, i even not sure if i can find the right pump for it, it not only needs to be tiny, but it needs to be able to run 24/7 without breaking down twice a month.. So i'm a bit bound to that, yet not able to make a DIY mini pump. Need to do some testing first, before i build something doomed to fail.


----------



## Alexander Belchenko (5 Aug 2016)

Many thanks, quite interesting and all that new for me.


----------



## zozo (5 Aug 2016)

You're welcome..  Thanks for showing the interest..


----------



## zozo (5 Aug 2016)

Oh i might add..  Why do i use a pipe instead of hose to the sump.. Well i tried but long piece of hose gets dirty inside and changes the flow speed, when clean it runs faster and slower when dirty, then it needs constant adjusting. So keeping the hose from overflow to sump as short as possible and use an oversized pipe as drain gutter.. This being oversized will not clog and thus not influense the overflows drain capacity. And it's easier on the cleaning part, only have to clean the syphon and 20cm hose..


----------



## Manisha (5 Aug 2016)

You made your own tank! Epic hardscape and tank, I love the unique style of the stove & great emmersed growth as always ☺ Deserving of a very cool aquascape track to accompany!


----------



## zozo (6 Aug 2016)

Thank you Manisha..  Yes this is my first home made tank, it reflex a bit in the kit work, i could have done that a bit beter.. Now algae comes looking it setlles in the little nooks and crannies in the kit. It takes some extra attention cleaning with a toothbrush. It's a bit nit picking but still for the next one i know where to pay more attention to. It's a learning curve.. But i definitely will keep building my own tanks for the future.


----------



## zozo (6 Aug 2016)

Tim Harrison said:


> Where did you get the furry ginger media from and how effective is it.


 OMG skipping back in my own journal, now the penny dropped.. Now i see what you actualy meant by that..


----------



## Tim Harrison (6 Aug 2016)

I did wonder...thought it might have been lost in translation


----------



## zozo (9 Aug 2016)

Because of a water damage i had to clear the room and do some floor repairs.. It was a nice upportunity to take a picture to show how this tank actualy get's it light.




Had to wait for a sunny moment, to take this..  And it still aint full sun pottential because we have a cloudy day.




In the summer time this is the cheapest tank around, no lights, no heating, only a silly 10 watt 12 volt pump is running.. 
@Tim Harrison  find the rasboras... Where are yours at the time??


----------



## Tim Harrison (9 Aug 2016)

Nice Walstad type tank...must be a joy to create and succeed.

My Rasboras? After I introduced them to their new home they spent a few hours swarming around the tank hugging the carpet, eventually they started to use the whole water column. However, as soon I enter the room they dart in to the dense veg behind the stump. But that's OK I still get to see them, occasionally, but on their own terms


----------



## zozo (9 Aug 2016)

Tim Harrison said:


> Nice Walstad type tank...must be a joy to create and succeed.



Is it a Walstad type? I actualy never red the book, tho i have it, only skipped a bit throught he pages and thougth read it some time later. In a nutshell i know what's it about. 

I guess this tank still needs some time to realy take off, it was setup completely inert with akadama, pumice, fujisand, gravel and a little bit of peat pellets and laterite in the substrate. But indeed it's a joy, realy didn't know what to expect from an aquarium getting so much natural light.. But in a way a pond is the same story, so why not a tropical aquarium. Must say i'm surpriced myself that it does so well, it only went up hill since i switched off the lights. Only thing is i realy need to wait for the sun, to realy enjoy it, if the sky is cloudy i'm looking at a pretty dark looking tank.. Yet no idea how i have to anticipate to that after the summer and how it will work out. Need to find the game play of using both light sources.

I guess your rasboras in time will do the same as mine, they come when it's feeding time, they know me by now..


----------



## Tim Harrison (9 Aug 2016)

Another natural light tank...one of my favourites http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-banyan-forests-of-stickleback-island.12557/


----------



## zozo (9 Aug 2016)

Intresting, that's an oldy..  I wonder if it's still running.. Thanks for sharing Tim.. There most be another one around, i forget if it was here or somewhere else i saw it.. It was a long shallow tank on a window sil.. This week i was watching the south side window and played with the idea of putting a small shallow near it.. But only planted and dirted also with a rather large emersed, it probably will get to warm at times for livestock..  But dunno yet, it might become a mosquito breeding machine in the house or just to smelly..


----------



## Tim Harrison (9 Aug 2016)

This scape? http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/windowsill-nature.36568/


----------



## zozo (9 Aug 2016)

Yes, that's the one.  Thanks for finding it back.. So it was here, where else?? I've seen so much on the internet i lost track of some things. Awsome little tank isn't it??


----------



## Tim Harrison (9 Aug 2016)

Yep it is
I think it's sometimes easy to loose sight of the fact, or not to realise in the first palce, that you can have an amazing planted tank with very little financial outlay or energy input


zozo said:


> I've seen so much on the internet i lost track of some things.


That's because you're a valued member of many forums to do with planted tanks or Wabi-kusa


----------



## zozo (9 Aug 2016)

Tim Harrison said:


> I think it's sometimes easy to loose sight of the fact, or not to realise in the first palce, that you can have an amazing planted tank with very little financial outlay or energy input


I guess this is also something which comes allong with internet, people see things and think it has to be the way they see it.. Little or even large old fashion setups like this are becoming rare and an oddity. But 40 years ago, it was common to see those whatever you can find tanks, high tech tanks with high tech stuff was not something for the common and an oddity only for the jet set. When i started, rimless tanks where a rarety and very costly, my first tank was also made in the shed by our neighbour and when he no longer used it he give it to me.. It had a steel rim and was sealed with putty.. Kind of that old putty that id the tank stood empty for a few months it would certainly leak and neaded a reseal.

What i see today in the lfs after over 20 years out, is nothing much different than the old days, it's only over designed and over priced, it is fashionized. And it is all very beautiful indeed... But in the end it all comes down to the same as it ever was, its not the material making your tank.. And i guess nowadays a lot of beginners are taken for a ride in the lfs, to much choises and to much wisslels and bells, they just are made to forget what it actualy is about. And made to remember you have to buy silly things you don't need. But that's also evolution, of beautines and trend and probably never turn back in time, only keep going forward.



Tim Harrison said:


> That's because you're a valued member of many forums to do with planted tanks or Wabi-kusa


Thanks for the compliment. .  I never looked at it it like this.. Always kinda thought i'm an old fashion nagging old fart..

But never the less i'm also still learning new things too with the things that did change over the years, on all those valued forums, like UKAPS.


----------



## Nelson (9 Aug 2016)

zozo said:


> Always kinda thought i'm an old fashion nagging old fart..


That's how I think of you .


----------



## Tim Harrison (9 Aug 2016)

zozo said:


> Always kinda thought i'm an old fashion nagging old fart..


Haha...ignore Neil...I never thought of you like that


zozo said:


> It had a steel rim and was sealed with putty..


My first tank was plastic with a bowed front and very scratched...and then I graduated to an angle iron framed glass tank, the frame became rusty and disintegrated


zozo said:


> And i guess nowadays a lot of beginners are taken for a ride in the lfs


Definitely, it seems to be a common theme on many forums, that and bogus advice


zozo said:


> But that's also evolution, of beautines and trend and probably never turn back in time, only keep going forward.


That's very philosophical, but in a positive way; sometimes regression is the only way forwards


----------



## zozo (9 Aug 2016)

Tim Harrison said:


> That's very philosophical, but in a positive way; sometimes regression is the only way forwards



Well indeed for oldtimers like us it may feel like regresion.. But it could well be, we may never know, it is what it is.. But the hobby probably never had survived or never gained so much popularity like this and could have died a slow death.. 

It's like Windows, they also only became markted leader because of smart marketing.. Create a software product with 85 doors to the same room.. Does't matter how goofy you think you always end up where you need to be. I love apple and it beeing so straight foreward, but in that software it's my way or the highway, if you don't get it and not nerdy enough you're stuck. And that's why apple had to bite the dust and make way for windows becomming much bigger one day.. If apple didn't went for the high class top designing it never would have made it so far. If you have some to spend, like beuatifull stuff and somewhat nerdy you buy an apple.

85 doors to the same room is the way to make everybody feel good and sell.. You want something different because you think different but want same results here you have it. Marketing wise it was a smart move from the aquarium industry.


----------



## zozo (15 Sep 2016)

Today i witnessed my first kill..  The Oreichtys cosuatis ore not so peacefull as generaly described.. I saw the biggest male took on a rather large adult cherry shrimp.
Is the first time i see him do that, tho it was till now not on their main menu, since my cherries are breeding in abundancy, the shrimp population about tripled in the 10 months this tank is old.



It might be the numbers of shrimps triggering it, there are realy a lot.. But remarkable he desided to grab an addult, the tank is teeming with small shrimps in all sizes.. And the shrimp is eaten completely, nothing left of it.. Those fish are realy pack hunters, if one starts it triggers all others to join the party and all want a piece of it.

Well it is what it is, natures cruelty, what can i say, what can i do other than keep observing.. If this keeps all in ballance, it's an occasional free food supply.. But rather would see them devoure baby shrimps than tearing appart an adult.. Maybe it showed already signes off weakness in it's old days and this triggered the attack. If that's the case it was a pretty good cleanup.. Dunno.. See young shrimps cruising around which they do not care for..


----------



## Greenfinger2 (15 Sep 2016)

Hi Marcel, Just catching up mate  Wonderful journal full of hints and tips of how to make and maintain a wonderful scape and critters.

Sorry about the shrimp.Hope they do not get a taste for them. It is a stunning looking fish though. I just love the colour and scale pattern and a superb colour to the dorsal fin.

Ho nearly forgot-- The stand and cupboard.Fab look love it 10 /10 for build and style


----------



## zozo (15 Sep 2016)

Hey Roy, then you have some work ahead with catching up..  especialy in the journal section, goes like a steam train.. Have fun.. 
Thanks for liking it so much, the 10/10 means a lot to me, haha funny is it also took me about 10 months to find the ideas and stuff to finish the cabinet as is. 

Regarding the shrimp it's the first time i see him attack and shred it, no idea if it happened before and not at the tank at that time.. If so, the shrimp need to be breeding faster than they can eat.. What i find odd is that there are nummerous baby shrimp crawling and cruising around they do not look at and then shred an adult shrimp to pieces?.. I suspected them from the beginning to hunt shrimplets but not adults and leave the shrimplets be. But they are indeed very gorgeous playful fish with a very interesting behaivor and pecking order. The big male shreding the shrimp is definitely the boss of the pack. The girl with him in the video is his girlfriend, they hangout constantly together. 

I'll see if i find the time some evening this week for update pictures of the tank.. Made some alterations and finaly got my first very tiny lily (Burgundy prinsses) floater i'm very happy with..


----------



## PARAGUAY (17 Sep 2016)

That it,obviously showing off in front of his girlfriend.I like the way the other shrimp has a face off with the fish but wisely goes into reverse,just shows us though if you had not observed this not to have known?Fish l think are sometimes opportunist rather than deliberate,inbuilt survival strategy maybe


----------



## zozo (18 Sep 2016)

What i witnessed before was hunting small shrimp, not searching shrimps to hunt but indeed only a shrimp passing by, as you say opportunist. One of them spots it and inspects the shrimp out of curiousity if the shrimp flees then it triggers an attack then they form a pac and it's preyed up on by all of them. It triggers a food agression. If one of them gets the shrimp all join in and the schrimp gets shreded.

It that typical fleeing behaiver that seems to trigger it.. As said in so many wildlife situations with humans. If you get confronted with a predator don't start running. If you run you are a prey..


----------



## zozo (25 Sep 2016)

Days are getting darker (sooner), less natural light, so it's time for tank lights again and more opportunity to take some pics.. Actualy the long daylight hours in the summer do not contribute to learning aquarium photography, that obvious.. .. But here are some update pics of the slow burner.. Seeing it everyday makes it 10 x slower ofcourse, but seeing pics from almost a year ago (10 months now), it kinda grew in well dispite all the trimming i had to do during the algae issues..




That right side Crypt parva carpet, is doing realy slow i even do not see it grow it just lives that's about it. Well that's asking for it i guess, parva seems to be one off the slowest low tech crypts around, i knew it still did it....




Also that crypt spiralis var. caudigera (Shola) in the back left is a rather a very slow plant, but it finaly after months of waiting it seems to getting somewhere.




Totaly forgoten how slow low tech can be...  My fingers are burning to put co2 in it.. But till now i could resist the urge... But it's a challange not to when you know what co2 can do.


----------



## Manisha (25 Sep 2016)

Tim Harrison said:


> Yep it is
> I think it's sometimes easy to loose sight of the fact, or not to realise in the first palce, that you can have an amazing planted tank with very little financial outlay or energy input
> 
> That's because you're a valued member of many forums to do with planted tanks or Wabi-kusa



Bargain fishtanking & zozo rocks... agree 100% 

Your low tech is lovely - I see why you recommend shola  

Co2 has its advantages... but showcasing a beautiful low tech like your attracts people to the hobby which is half the battle  Thanks again for the inspiring update


----------



## Nelson (25 Sep 2016)

Nice and slow.No rush .


----------



## Greenfinger2 (26 Sep 2016)

Hi Marcel, Looking great As Neil said no rush


----------



## zozo (26 Sep 2016)

`Thanks people..  Here some pics of the emersed part.. Which i find the most difficult to find the fertilization balance with above a low tech. Since it has no real substrate it needs to feed solely from the water column.. In low tech with a 50% fert regime from a high tech it doesn't grow that fast. 

Have some H. Tripartita up there clearly strugling to stay alive..




This is also someting i just have to wait patiently for, till the submersed plantmass is enough to up the ferts.. Already slowly increasing it with home mixed NPK's and added some nitrate lovers to it which might ballance it out. Such as the small Carex panicea (flat leaf grass at the left, and the Eriophorum angustifolium (round leaf grass at the right. No idea if i can get them going like this, because they are real dirt substrate lovers to realy thrive.. But they are nitrate suckers, so who knows, i see if i get to grow. But have my doubts. 

This is the Carex


 

What is interesting, is the branche just a few milimeters bellow the water surface, i drapped some Flame moss and some Fontinalis antipyretica over it, directed the filter outflow towards it, you can see the edy the branch creates in the flow.. Those mosses realy seem to love the high flow and grow like crazy.. Little bits of the flame moss and fontinalis are sticking out emersed


----------



## zozo (22 Dec 2016)

This slow burner is a year old now and man it was slow  this tank realy challenged my patience.. But finaly it starts to get somewhere, still slow but regarding plant growth it's starting to excellerate a bit. Seems that inert lava and gravel substrate takes a long time to mature and probably was my plant choice a bit too bold and difficult for a slow burner like this. But the waiting and trying was worth while. 





And now i also see, looking from a photographic view point, where i made a little scaping mistake regarding plant placement with the crypt indonessii next to the DW and the willisii in the far right corner. In it's shape the indonesii grows as expected and gives me the desired forrest like look i wanted with it's longer stems when placed in groups. But its color is actualy way to dark to put next to a large dark piece of DW. I should have planted something with a much lighter green color to get more contrast.

Up close it looks ok, but seeing the above picture it's just a dark blob in the centre. I should have switched it, and should have placed the C. Willisii next to the wood instead. But ok it is what it is.. Lesson learned.. 




Had some trouble to get the left side going in this tank here the substrate is banked up the highest. The blyxa, limnophila and pogestemon i tried here was a total failure. Still have some pogestemon erectus standing there but also this only is in pain. So i decided to stay with crypts. And after a long time suffering the C. Spiralis shola finaly addapted to this spot in the tank. And slowly is filling up the left back corner, but definitely not a typical low tech but rather difficult crypt sp... The hairgrass also finaly is going.. The Lomariopsis cf. L. liked it from the start and actualy is the fastest growing plant in this tank. I just glued two little pieces of it to the DW and it grew into an almost tennisball size and had to trim it twice already.




The lily is slowly maturing, i planted a tuber not bigger than a fingernail and it also needed that past year to slowly addapt, grow some body and take a hold. The crypt parva slowly is carpeting around it.




Did add a Hygrophila to the emersed part and also this is slowly getting more shape and body.




It all still needs some more time.. But seeing how it progressed the last few months it will be going a lot faster next year.. The difficult times are definitely over and defeated.


----------



## Greenfinger2 (22 Dec 2016)

Hi Marcel. The plants maybe taking there time to fill out. But its worth the wait the scape is looking great  Love the fish and shrimp photo Stunning looking fish


----------



## zozo (22 Dec 2016)

Hi Roy, thanks you..  Yes it's definitely worth the wait.. But having a high tech tank standing next to it, a slow tech is frustrating sometimes.. Co2 spoils someones patience..  But till now i could withstand the urge of making this tank high tech. 

The Oreichtys cosuatis i completely fell in love with, they have a very playfull interesting heirarchy and are constantly chasing eachother and constantly spawning. But yet not seen any fry and also never realy see any eggs.. I realy would like them to breed, but have no idea if it is possible without separating them. And unfortunately they seem to have a rather short livespan (in captivity), still little information about it, they are rare fish to find. But i lost already 4 of them (and all where girls) without any sign of disease and what i can find about it what others experienced it seems between 1 and 2 years is the average. Seeing their distribution origine it might be temperatur related and age faster in warmer tropical temps as many fish do, so i went a bit down with this. Gona order me a few more next year to get the group numbers up again.


----------



## Greenfinger2 (22 Dec 2016)

Hi Marcel, Sorry to hear some died  Do Oreichtys eat the shrimp in the tank.


----------



## zozo (22 Dec 2016)

Greenfinger2 said:


> Hi Marcel, Sorry to hear some died  Do Oreichtys eat the shrimp in the tank.



Well ok it never is what we like but some fish live longer then others.. I have the same with the hara jerdoni, these also like colder temps and rather die soon if kept at for example 25°c also lost 3 Hara's over the past 12 months.. That was also a reason to go down to 22°C.. I have no idea about the Oreicthys and temp, i thought the best description i could find was seriously fish. But the way the describe this fish is 80% contrary of what i experience. This species is still to rare and not well documented enough to be conclusive. And next to this i still don't know if it is wild catch or captive bred. It might be wild catch and than never can know their age of course. 

But they occasionaly catch a cherry shrimp, but this is not their main diet over all they do not look at the shrimps.. And the cherries breed way to fast they just can't keep up with that. I started with 30 cherries and definitively have over a 100 now and only witnessed it twice them eating a shrimp.


----------



## zozo (2 Apr 2017)

Second summer is comming for this naturaly lit indoor tank under the roof window.. BBA on the rise again  and time to switch off the artificial lights.. 
It actualy doesn't make taking pictures easier, light enough but it reflects as mad of course.. For now i only have little 2 x 7 watt cob led spots at 20% capacity concentrated towards the emersed growth. And the rest is daylight from above.. It'll only increase while the sun set higher in the sky towards the summer..



Still the left hand corner with the Crypt spiralis shola is growing but, stays a bit behing, not the best low tech crypt around, very picky plant.. Few weeks ago i added a Aponogeton robinsonii to the same corner, to get thta corner a bit denser in plantmass.. It still has no floaters but happily growing, but still young..

The emersed H. tripartita is growing like mad and i gave a upportunity to go wild without trimming it at all.



Note those tiny light colored specs on the water surface.  The boraras go bonkers over it and they pic 'm off one by one.

It are these buggers in the Tripartita..




But i take a wet brush and brush them off the plant, they stick in the wet brush hairs and than dip the brush into the water.. Free food for the boraras, pumila's and darios.. I notice them all picking them off the surface. Can't actualy be more natural.. Only have to keep brushing every few days to keep the lise population in check..


----------



## CooKieS (2 Apr 2017)

Awesome natural food supply!


----------



## Robbie X (2 Apr 2017)

Vey cool


----------



## zozo (29 Jun 2017)

My little baby sump needed a rub.. So i thought i might share its development..



 

It actualy runs like a charme and the emersed plants are rocking the boat.. It turned into a real little Wabi Kusump.. 



 

The first sponge pad is bursting with plantgrowth, planted several sp. Bacopa caroliniana, Hydrocotyl tripartita, Mc and Hc. All small creeping plants, due to the lak of height. The later 2 didn't realy got a fair fight and got pushed away a bit.. Didn't realy bother to dig to find them back..




It also contains a little piece of DW with mosses, couldn't get it out, it is firmly stuck to the sponge.. There are more mosses to find all over it but it's all deep bellow the plantmass.




Underside of the sponge pad.. 


 
And even the second one is penetrated and it grew into the bioballs.


 
If you happen to have a sump, helophyte filtering rocks! And is fun too..


----------



## Tim Harrison (29 Jun 2017)

That's great to see...I reckon you're a permaculturalist at heart


----------



## zozo (29 Jun 2017)

Tim Harrison said:


> That's great to see...I reckon you're a permaculturalist at heart



I guess so, never used that word myself.. But now you say so, yes, i also have a green roof above my shed..


----------



## Tim Harrison (29 Jun 2017)

zozo said:


> also have a green roof above my shed..


Exactly...I think it's a great philosophy to have, working with nature as much as possible. I think your Mission Bathtub has strong elements of permaculture too


----------



## zozo (29 Jun 2017)

I always had it.. As a kid i was always in the woods.. While the others played socker..  A lifetime dream, if i could i would build a house and live in the forrest.

It kinda reflects in my current house, the only green one in the street..



 Looks like my sump..


----------



## Tim Harrison (29 Jun 2017)

Wow...that's amazing I thought it was in the woods until I scrolled down and saw your cat.
He doesn't look too impressed tho'...


----------



## zozo (29 Jun 2017)

He's used to it, it's his hide out, he sleeps on/in that shed roof all night long.


----------



## zozo (16 Aug 2017)

New little experiment above my Asian theme tank. The Hydrocotyl that was up there before got sick from the green flies and had to remove it.. And the first orchid i treid, Bulbophyllum taiwanense unfortunately failed.. I like to believe it was my own fault it did. Unfortunately the taiwanense is temporary not available at the time, it still is my favorite.. So this time i gave the *Bulophyllum sikkimense* a try.. Tho a tad bigger and hopefully easier than the taiwanense. It also has a different flower and seems to require a bit more fertilization. On the RH side there are still 2 old bulbs from the previous orchid and even some roots sticking out the moss. Sometimens i think to see the taiwanense still wants to come back. It didn't yet rot away and it looks more dormant than dead and think to see some new root growth. But this could only be wishfull thinking.. Time will tell. 


 

Since i found i had way to much naked emersed wood above this tank and doing a lot of thinking searching and reading i also desided to try a *Pyrrosia nummularifolia* a little epiphytic Asian tree climbing fern, it seems to require not to much moist and aledgedly needs to completely dry after watering.. So regarding this descryption i thought it maybe does very good at this spot.




I planted it today and since i have no clue if this will work out i only planted little portions of both as a try out.. If it holds on for the comming weeks i put some more on it.




Got enough left..




And also the Anubias plantd up there finaly after almost 2 years seems to have acclimatized a bit better.. For the first time a new leaf staying healthy already for a few weeks and growing bigger without damage. Previously all leaves dried out rather soon at a much smaller size, actualy gave up on this plant long ago, but now seems to finaly got around the lower humidity. 


 

Exiting all


----------



## Tim Harrison (16 Aug 2017)

zozo said:


> the Anubias plantd up there finaly after almost 2 years seems to have acclimatized a bit better


Crikey, that's what I call persistence and patience, reminds me of Amano and that emergent _B. heudelotii _of his


----------



## zozo (16 Aug 2017)

Tim Harrison said:


> Crikey, that's what I call persistence and patience, reminds me of Amano and that emergent _B. heudelotii _of his


Yes i remember you mentioning this Amano scape before..  When i was trying a java fern in a wabi kusa, didn't got old.. But still am trying actualy. It is a few very tiny ones, one is to be seen in the last picture, if you know what to look for.. But that Amano scape with the emergent Bolbitis was a reassuring inspiration to be even more patient..  That's what this hobby is all about, time and patience, trying and keep trying.


----------



## alto (17 Aug 2017)

Great to see updates on this one 

I especially like the orchids!


----------



## zozo (18 Aug 2017)

Still got some bare wood left and still searching around for more valid candidates, if all goes well now i plan some more asian mini Bulbophylums up there. Not yet fully sure but likely going to be Bulbophyllum tingabarinum, in the back Bulbophyllum moniliforme more up front. 

Bellow the water surface could use an update as well, but for now since this tank receives a vast amount of daylight surrounded by white walls. I have to much light pollution during the day and to much reflection to get any decent pics. The tank reflects so much it is even hard to see through with the naked eye. So i have to wait a few more weeks so it gets darker earlier in the day. 

It's a extreme slow burner and still after nearly 2 years needs time. Got some rather difficult plants in there for the condition they are in. Still strugling to find the balance between day light and additional artificial light. Got a Crypt spiralis var. caudigera and a Aponogeton robinsonii at the back left i yet not figured to get them to go propperly without co2.  In wintertime it grew beter with the artificial light only, it's in the dark corner without artifical lght and it suffered a set back when i switched it off. So still playing with that, to get them to grow back again with both light sources, day and artificial without running into an algae problem..

As you can see that balloon sized Lomariopsis cf. lineata front left is going mental, it receives the most amount of daylight and surprisingly is the fasted growing plant in this tank. I need to trim it again.


----------



## rebel (12 Aug 2018)

zozo said:


> I always had it.. As a kid i was always in the woods.. While the others played socker..  A lifetime dream, if i could i would build a house and live in the forrest.
> 
> It kinda reflects in my current house, the only green one in the street..
> View attachment 106199
> Looks like my sump..


Amazing green wall!! Does it die down in Winter? Could it damage the structure underneath? This would be a great idea for west facing walls in the Southern hemisphere. The western sun here is unrelenting.


----------



## zozo (12 Aug 2018)

rebel said:


> Amazing green wall!! Does it die down in Winter? Could it damage the structure underneath? This would be a great idea for west facing walls in the Southern hemisphere. The western sun here is unrelenting.



Its a Parthenocissus quinquefolia and not an evergreen in the fall it turns into a charming bright red, orange and yellow scenery like this.


 
and than sheds all it's leaves. It attaches to everything with little tentacles with feet looking like suction cups.. Attaches with remarkable strong hair roots even to relative smooth surfaces. For example also to plastic window frame. But it doesnt dammage the structure. The only thing that should be checked when it reaches the roof tiles, that young branches do not creep under it, grow thicker over the years and lift up and maybe crack the roof tile. That's not typical for this plant, this should be checked regularly with any climber against a wall having a roof with tiles.. Than actualy the leaf shedding comes in handy, cutting the plant back during this periode makes working with it easier than if it were an evergreen. With an evergreen you need to plough through a green jungle.. 

Such a plant is indeed a very good isolator and keeps a wall cool and protected against the sun.. But has it's price of course, they loose also quite some debri. Not only leaves, but also blue berries and before that it will shed a lot of pollen and it's a bee highway. During the summer it sometimes sounds like it can lift off and fly away any time. With thousands of bees in it collecting pollen. I kinda like it and don't mind the extra work, but difinitively something to take in account before planting one.


----------



## mort (12 Aug 2018)

I love the covered house look. We have a climbing hydrangea covering most of the front of our house and it's bee and bird heaven in the summer as well. My brother just moved house and I'm allowed to do what I want with the garden so planted a virginia creeper to cover the front and wisteria to cover the sunnier side. He liked the idea luckily and it should look good in 5-10 years.


----------



## Tim Harrison (15 Aug 2018)

Just been flicking through this again...almost forgotten what a great journal it is


----------



## zozo (15 Aug 2018)

Tim Harrison said:


> Just been flicking through this again...almost forgotten what a great journal it is



Thank you Tim!!  This tank is still running strong.. Actualy the longer it takes the stronger it runs. And i'm trying to pimp it with emersed growth in planters. But i haven't updated on it for a while..  I'll give it a shot..

It isn't easy to take proper pictures with house hold materials from a tank that doesn't use artificial light in its best periode. I gets so many light distorsion from the skylight above and the white walls surounding it, it has so many reflection in the glass i would need to build me a custom studio setup around it to do something about it.. Without it its near impossible to take desent pictures.





Top right is still a very young Alocasia Zebrina.. I'm still waiting to recieve some more glass planters i ordered. For another Alocasia poly next to it..
The water lily is realy building some body this year.. But it's summer time, i yet have no idea how far she will draw back during the winter periode under artificial lights..




imho the most intruiging Alocasia out there.




The Poly also a stunner is still waiting for its planter. The Begonia maculata at its right is south american origine. Not for this tank because it is mainly asian exept the anubias.. So begonia is for a later project still in the penn..




Added a piece of DW to the back panel top rim close to the surface. It as some liver and other mosses and a young Bog Fern rhizome (Thelypteris palustris) still in transitiion. It will take some time to grow and show. And i'm trying to get Utricularia to grow there already for years, but i keep failing on this plant. .. Darn..




And some emersed Anubias barteri petite in the moss of the tree top.. I discovered the younger the plantlets are the beter they take transition to emersed. Acctualy obvious, the small leaves are very close to the moist moss and stay in the bubble.




So already running for a few years, but still need a few more..


----------



## Tim Harrison (15 Aug 2018)

Nice update


----------



## zozo (3 Sep 2018)

All planters are in for the emersed plants.... 




Did place the glas pots a bit higher, so only about 10mm of the planter is in the water. Since these Alocasia's are not realy bog plants i didn't trust them to deep. The Alocasia zebrina didn't realy like to have it's roots submersed all the way.. I hope this will do..


 

Now it's wait and see how it'll work out..


----------



## zozo (15 Dec 2018)

This month 3 years running..  And currently in winter mode..

The top Adiantum having a hard time glued as epyphite to the wood in the dry livingroom climate. But it'll survive. As does the Emersed moss on the wood, bright green in the summer, but kinda going dormant in the winter..




Since a slow burner having much less light now, i popped some fert caps in the substrate and stopped fertilizing the water column. And for the 5th time i'm trying to get  UG growing emersed. I hope with a non fertilized water column what i yet didn't try, it might be succesfull.

It's in the livermoss that grows on a piece of DW hanging to the glass.. The liverwort i got from a friends terrarium and i have no clue what sp. it is but grows rather well in both conditions.. I think its an ideal UG substrate.. We shall see.. Funny to see the different grow forms together, more compact and round emersed and elongated forked like a fat ricia submersed.




This is Lily Vanilli in her winter dress  Actualy quite a beauty, submersed grow form in light green with pink.. She getting more and more matured i hope she flowers on me one day...




Also gave her a baby niece next to her from another thank.. That is a significantly smaller sp. I hava yet no idea what size it will grow in this rather dynamic lit tank. In the other tank it grew penny size floaters.


----------



## zozo (24 Jun 2020)

Once upon a time, a long time ago there was a lot of wood, now we only see a lot of Anubias...




And a surprise, it took her 5  years to mature 4 years to grow her first runner baby plant and this summer a year after that she presents me with her virgin flower bud... All i can see for now is that it's going to be a white one... A burgundy princess Lily should be Dark Red instead... But i guess it's the +8.5 pH making it white?




Never mind, i still like it, i'll update on the flower after opening...


----------



## zozo (28 Jun 2020)

There she is!...


----------



## LondonDragon (28 Jun 2020)

that is awesome


----------



## zozo (29 Jun 2020)

Every day, closing from dusk till dawn and then opening a tad wider again... 




It's fun to observe, how it actually really goes to sleep and wakes up again. Closing up not only the leaves but also retracts down till the flower base touches the water surface, then at dawn erect again an inch above it before slowly opening up.




Unfortunately, it lives about 5 days, that is if she decides to keep it at making only 1 flower.


----------



## zozo (29 Jun 2020)

This is the night-time resting position... With guardian watching over...


----------



## Witcher (29 Jun 2020)

zozo said:


> With guardian watching over...


Oh... so this is how the Duckweed really looks like.


----------



## zozo (1 Jul 2020)

Each day spreading and opening a tad wider than the day before... As if she's trying to get attention and calling out to the bees "Hello!? C'mon girls I'm here!!  Occasionally I have some fat bumblebees flying into the house, but yet none found here interesting enough. Would be a nice picture if one will before she's gone... Won't be long and she is, I guess this might be the last pic...   Pitty that it is such a long term and uncertain process for waterlilies to flower in an indoor aquarium.

Who wouldn't want to have this all the time all year round to gaze at!?.. 😍 My girlfriend said it's too beautiful, it looks almost fake!...





What's also an interesting detail, the flower bracts (or is it the Spathe?) are green at the outside and white on the inside.


----------



## zozo (3 Jul 2020)

It's done... 😕




But here last (Yester)day definitively was the best... 









And by the looks of it, it doesn't seem to plan a new one this year... But it's a matter of about 14 days to make one from scratch.. We'll never know, still have some summertime left...


----------



## zozo (29 May 2021)

Today I needed to do some long-overdue maintenance and to my surprise, I find this... 

A Cryptoryne usteriana flower... I haven't noticed it before and its stem is already partially melting.




Don't know why I didn't notice it sooner, obviously, i wasn't watching close enough and only looking at the dirty parts lately.




Also, a first-timer for me having a (submerged) growing crypt shoot out a flower in the 6 years this tank is up and running.
Maybe there are more to come in the near future and then I hope to be there sooner.  And i have actually no idea how long the lifespan is for a crypt flower... Does anybody know?


----------



## zozo (11 Jun 2021)

Ten O Clock in the morning, summertime, natural light... 




And again in the far right corner a new Crypt usteriana flower...  There also is another one far in the background also still submerged.




They seem to grow pretty fast, last week I didn't see it... But they are not that obvious and rather sober flowers.


----------



## zozo (12 Jun 2021)

And here we have 2 more Crypt flowers. 





The left one colored slightly reddish is a crypt growing epiphytic on the DW... I never planted it there myself, all i planted i did put in the substrate. Could it be that's why the flower has a different color? You can also see some  Java ferns at its base.




Its neighbor in the substrate is white similar to the first flower discovered above, also growing in the substrate. But all 3 are C. Usteriana.




What the hell is making my crypts all of a sudden flower simultaneously after 6 years? Maybe it was neglect because I did zip to this tank for over 6 months... Not even fertilizing it and it needed some vigorous cleaning, moving out BBA and Hair algae..

Another thing that might be the trigger, my heating thermostat broke down, and don't know when and I never repaired it. To my knowledge, it's unheated for at least a year or longer. Seasonal temp changes and light intensity increase since it's a rather naturally lit tank?


----------



## dw1305 (15 Jun 2021)

Hi all, 


zozo said:


> Seasonal temp changes and light intensity increase since it's a rather naturally lit tank?


Would be my guess. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## zozo (18 Jun 2021)

The flower at the far right didn't make it and melted away before it could reach the surface. But the one in the middle that grows on the wood a tad more shallow did...

Yesterday








And today ½ " taller, seems to speed up once it sniffs the atmosphere.




But not yet opened up




There is still one more still submerged not showing much more growth... 



dw1305 said:


> Would be my guess.



In the years the tank was heated it didn't drop below 20°C. Last year it did during the winter because meself still feels rather comfortable in a 15°C house.  Then it seems the crypts might like this temp drop to start flowering. It never flowered before. And this year for the first time 4 flowers total.


----------



## zozo (20 Jul 2021)

I have no idea what's going on, but this year this tank keeps making Crypt flowers... 
















Even the Anubias decided to join the party 




Why the heck are the Aroids deciding to flower all of a sudden? As said previously the only thing I changed is to stop heating this tank... But no idea if this was the trigger.


----------



## ScareCrow (20 Jul 2021)

Hi @zozo great looking tank. Did the Alocasia not take to partially submersed growing? I bought an Alocasia 'stingray' and was intending to get a polly as I'd read they like damp conditions.


----------



## zozo (20 Jul 2021)

ScareCrow said:


> Did the Alocasia not take to partially submersed growing?


Thank you... 

The Alocasia didn't during the winter period... That's the issue with this tank it is for the biggest part naturally lit, it stands directly under a sky light. I can grow anything during the summer, but when the light and temps decrease during the winter they suffer too much and don't make it through. My artificial lights aren't strong enough.

The only plant I managed to grow all year long emerged was Hydrocotyl sp. and this plant got infested and totally destroyed by apids infestation.


----------



## ScareCrow (20 Jul 2021)

zozo said:


> Thank you...
> 
> The Alocasia didn't during the winter period... That's the issue with this tank it is for the biggest part naturally lit, it stands directly under a sky light. I can grow anything during the summer, but when the light and temps decrease during the winter they suffer too much and don't make it through. My artificial lights aren't strong enough.
> 
> The only plant I managed to grow all year long emerged was Hydrocotyl sp. and this plant got infested and totally destroyed by apids infestation.


Thanks for your reply. 
I had a similar issue with Bacopa monneri. The aphids managed destroyed it within days.


----------



## zozo (26 Jul 2021)




----------

