# Long-Term Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 6)



## fandango (8 Aug 2008)

Hi everyone,

This is my first post on this forum.

I've have learned so much from people here and on The Planted Tank Forum and Aquatic Plant Central. After all that reading and learning I thought I needed to share my experience with the community  8)


I had my tank now for about 8 years. Around 2 years ago when I first started reading planted aquarium forums it looked like this:
http://[URL=http://s526.photobucket.com/user/quadriglia/media/270806008_zps3e52dc34.jpg.html][ATTACH=full]96995[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]96995[/ATTACH]

This is how it looks today:
[ATTACH=full]96996[/ATTACH]


And this is how it looks in the evenings with three 20w halogen spotlights on (silicone-glued inside the lid):
[ATTACH=full]96997[/ATTACH]


The changes were achieved by:

1) Adding two additional T5 lights- GE Starcoat T5 54w/865 [URL]http://www.lampspecs.co.uk/Light-Bulbs-Tubes/860-and-865-Daylight_14[/URL] to my existing three 40W T8 Power-Glo lamps, all together giving up to about 2.8 WPG. The photoperiod is 9 hours, before and after which I have the 3 halogen spotlights on (see the 3rd photo) which creates a really nice look for the evening.

2) By adding pressurised CO2 system (CO2 fire extinguisher, solenoid valve and pollen glass diffuser- all on ebay)- 3 b/s, comes on and off together with the big lights.

When it comes to fertilization it gets a bit approximate... the reason for that- I work a lot abroad- one month to up to three months at a time. The thing is- the tank looks as good if not better after I come back.. So, when I'm here I add
15ml Seachem Flourish on fairly irregular basis :oops: . No other fertilizers are added.

I use RO water. I used to add a mineral formula to it, but since about three years ago when I decided to add an additional bag of a black gravel (GEOsystem extra fine black river gravel) to my almost white one to improve the look, I noticed that the GH and KH climbed up to about 3dH and 2dH in between my weekly 50% water changes. So I now use the RO water only. When Iâ€™m away, I DON'T change the water and all the measurements (NO3, KH, GH, PH) stay more or less the same  :rolleyes:  .

I have two filters- Fluval 304 (8 years old!- only replaced the impeller once) and Eheim Professional II 2026. The Eheim is proving to be an excellent incubator for my cherry shrimps as the female ram is very successful at hunting their babies  :twisted: . Each time I clean the Eheim (once about every 3 months), there are a lot of (around 30) shrimps of various sizes, in a good condition living under the bottom container of the filter media. They do not surivive in the Fluval.

The plants are: ferns, anubias, tenellus, crypts and moss. The moss, togehter with some crypt. parva, grows between the tenellus, which creates the effect of a real grass lawn with some weeds in it  :) .
[URL=http://s526.photobucket.com/user/quadriglia/media/mytank070808025_zps78621d12.jpg.html][ATTACH=full]96998[/ATTACH][/URL]



The fish are narrow-wedge harlequins [I]Trigonostigma hengeli[/I]  (60+), cardinals (20?), pair of rams, bristle nose and 6 corydora sterbai. I used to have a large number of cardinals but then decided to change to harlequins. The surviving few cardinals must be at least 3 years old. I also have a large number of cherry shrimps and about 20 Amano shrimps.

The tank gives me a lot of pleasure and I really like the fact that it is a living organism and I try and not interfere too much. The fish and shrimp seem to be very happy and healthy. The rams and sterbai breed often (one of them survived being eaten and grew up :D ) Oh, yes, I forgot to mention, they do get fed Tetra Prima by Eheim auto-feeder when I'm away ;).

Please do ask questions. I will try and answer them as well as I can :D  and I would really appreciate for you to suggest things  :idea:


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## aaronnorth (8 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

welcome to the forum, loving the tank, the anubias is awesome. How many is there?


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## Mark Evans (8 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

is it me or does that first image look strange?...the left hand side of plants looks photoshoped.

apart from that looks good


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## fandango (8 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				aaronnorth said:
			
		

> welcome to the forum, loving the tank, the anubias is awesome. How many is there?



Thanks Aaron,

There are two varieties- nana and barteri. Nana grows on a peace of wood at the bottom of the lot and barteri- there must be at least 30 rhizomes (started from one)- are simply pushed together and down. Their roots, which are vell developed, keep them all together. Once in a while (once a year) I take it all out and throw a lot away, then I put it all together  and back in again. It looks a mess for a short time after but soon the old leaves straighten out towards the light and the new ones find their way out.

This is the view of anubias from the front


And this is a view of their root system from the side of the tank- next to the wall- hidden from the eye 


There is bb algae growing on the leaves. I suppose it's there because of the lack of the fertilizing. I just cut the few bad ones off every now and then. It doesn't bother me a lot but it would be nice to get rid of it  .


Thanks for asking,
fandango


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## fandango (8 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				saintly said:
			
		

> is it me or does that first image look strange?...the left hand side of plants looks photoshoped.
> 
> apart from that looks good


Hi saintly,
I know, it's not a very good shot.. In the first image there is a reflection of the light coming through the curtains from the opposite wall. I simply didn't have any other image from that period (two years ago) to illustrate how the tank looked back then, before all the changes were made.

Best,
fandango


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## aaronnorth (8 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

has that been from the 8yrs of growing?

I havent seen one as nice as that before, its beautiful


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## fandango (8 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Thank you Aaron for the compliment, you're too kind,

Most of the growth is from the last two years after I introduced more light and CO2. The problem with barteri is that it wants to grow up and out of the water. Because I have a covered tank with the lights creating heat under the cover glass, the new leaves which grow above the water get burned and you can't see them anyway  . Therefore I have to prune heavily the rhizomes at their tops to encourage the side growth. I then push those cut-off-tops in the side of the 'ball'- that's how I end up with so many rhyzomes.

Best,
fandango


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## fandango (10 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Cherries grazing in the field


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## John Starkey (10 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Hi Fandango,welcome to UKAPS,i must say this a very nice low maintenance setup,have you concidered trying a arcadia luminaire it would solve the problem with the anubias,regards john


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## Themuleous (10 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Thats some lovely Anubias, I never do very well with Anubias.

Sam


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## fandango (10 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				john starkey said:
			
		

> Hi Fandango,welcome to UKAPS,i must say this a very nice low maintenance setup,have you concidered trying a arcadia luminaire it would solve the problem with the anubias,regards john


Thank you John,

Yes, that would be my next dream tank- open top 150cmx60x60 with Arcadia luminaire. That would solve the anubia problem.

Best,
fandango


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## fandango (10 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				Themuleous said:
			
		

> Thats some lovely Anubias, I never do very well with Anubias.
> 
> Sam



Thanks Sam,

I didn't do well at all with barteri at the beginning. In fact I didn't do well with anubias for years. I had one rhizome and I kept it in my tank for a long time before it decided to give it a go.

There are a few points I could point out though:

They did start to grow much faster after I introduced more light and CO2 two years ago (compare the first 'before' and second 'after' photos in my first post).

There is almost zero NO3 and PO4 in the water. Perhaps that is one aspect which is different from most planted tanks?  I used to keep discus in this tank and the heavy feeding was driving N and P levels up. Then barteri and ferns were only surviving but Echinodorus Bleheri and Tiger lotus were thriving (I no longer have those). 

Also I suspect barteri filter the water with their enormous root system (there are much more roots than leaves inside the 'ball'). The Eheim intake and outlet (vertically positioned spray bar sending the water forwards along the side of the right wall of the tank) are situated behind barteri creating constant water movement trough the roots.

Best,
fandango


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## fandango (10 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Here is my female ram hunting daphnia (cherry babies are safe for few hours...)


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## beeky (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Very nice. I used to have a mass of anubias (though not as big as yours) but I never trimmed it, so the old manky leaves would be at the bottom or fall off in amongst a mass of root with all the new growth at the top. I find it surprising just how fragile the rhizomes are with anubias. They look like they should be really tough but snap very easily.


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## beeky (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Oh, forgot to ask - how big is the tank?


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## LondonDragon (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				beeky said:
			
		

> Oh, forgot to ask - how big is the tank?


Read the title of the topic


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## aaronnorth (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> beeky said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## fandango (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*


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## Spider Pig (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Looks really impressive. Really like the combination of the harlequins and the cardinals. The shape looks nicely balanced too.


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## fandango (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				beeky said:
			
		

> Very nice. I used to have a mass of anubias (though not as big as yours) but I never trimmed it, so the old manky leaves would be at the bottom or fall off in amongst a mass of root with all the new growth at the top. I find it surprising just how fragile the rhizomes are with anubias. They look like they should be really tough but snap very easily.



Thank you beeky,

Yes, you're right- they are fragile. I guess it is because that's one of the ways they propagate - when the rhizome brakes you have two plants instead of the one   

Best,
fandango


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## fandango (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				Spider Pig said:
			
		

> Looks really impressive. Really like the combination of the harlequins and the cardinals. The shape looks nicely balanced too.



Thank you Spider Pig,

The combination of cardinals and harlequins is certainly unusual. To be honest I am in a process of changing from cardinals to harlequins (the cardinals are all very old and I'm not getting any new ones...). It is interesting to note that the school of the cardinals inhabit the bottom part and harlequins- the middle part of the tank. Perhaps you are right and without the cardinals the tank would loose a certain colour accent it now has..

The plants are encouraged to grow creating an off-centre 'V' shape (golden ratio?). I like this shape because it hides the equipment on both sides of the tank so well - I'm all for the natural look and hate seeing any of the equipment in my tank. 
The ferns are growing on two big peaces of bogwood- a diagonally positioned one rested on a vertical stump-like one on the far left- the two creating a cave, which corries and bristle nose love. 

Best,
fandango


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## LondonDragon (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Like those Rams too  I have tried to keep them twice and twice they died after a couple of week, so no more rams for me!!


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## fandango (12 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> Like those Rams too  I have tried to keep them twice and twice they died after a couple of week, so no more rams for me!!



Thanks London Dragon,

Yes they certainly do have a lot of personality for such a small fish but, unfortunately, they do have only a couple of years life span..

Best,
fandango


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## jay (13 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Great tank there fella, love the carpet mix... structured mess   Don't get better than tenellus and moss in my opinion.
Your rams look mighty impressive (like mine  ) Dutch?

To LondonDragon: Shame about the rams you've lost, probably nothing to do with you as a fish keeper though. Got to be very careful with a lot of rams nowadays, unless they are Dutch or Czech. Would steer well clear of Asian bred ones.
Would always recommend a pair of rams for a tank, brilliant fish.


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## Spider Pig (13 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

This reminds me of one of the prizewinning aquascapes where the guy made an expanding path of sand between the two mounds to create the illusion of depth.


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## fandango (14 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				jay said:
			
		

> Great tank there fella, love the carpet mix... structured mess   Don't get better than tenellus and moss in my opinion.
> Your rams look mighty impressive (like mine  ) Dutch?



Thank you jay,

I seem to remember they were Czeck-bred when I bought them in my LFS about a year ago- the Shepperton MA.

Best,
fandango


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## fandango (14 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				Spider Pig said:
			
		

> This reminds me of one of the prizewinning aquascapes where the guy made an expanding path of sand between the two mounds to create the illusion of depth.



Thank you Spider Pig,

Yes, it does create a feeling of depth. Also the two batches of crypts at the front on both sides of the tank enhance this effect too.

Best,
fandango


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## fandango (14 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



This is my male ram. He is almost read (I haven't photoshoped him). He is at least twice as big as the female for one simple reason (well- two reasons, first being- he is a male ) - he eats Tetra Prima and the female doesn't. Nothing is going to convince her that Tetra Prima is a food... Often you read- 'starve the fish and it will start eating certain foods after a while'. Well, I can tell you, even if she didn't eat for weeks she still spits out the stuff like it was a peace of gravel with an _accusing expression in her face to make me feel guilty_...


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## Joecoral (15 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

that's a nice looking ram! odd that the female wont eat prima, all my fish used to eat it
typical fussy female eh


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## fandango (15 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				Joecoral said:
			
		

> that's a nice looking ram! odd that the female wont eat prima, all my fish used to eat it
> typical fussy female eh



Thanks Joecoral,

Well, I don't want to get in trouble of being accused 'sexist' here  . Let's just say- she prefers the real thing to the cheep stuff  . You could say that she's got more class!

Best,
fandango


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## beeky (18 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				LondonDragon said:
			
		

> beeky said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 Doh! I never did do well in the observation rounds......


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## Ray (18 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Lovely looking tank, the well established ferns and anubia on impressively large wood reminds me of the earlier Amano work in Nature Aquarium 1...  Tell me, do your Rasbora Hengli school well and if so is that just because of the Rams or part of thier nature?  They are nice fish, on my shopping list at the moment...
Also do the cherries actually manage to breed and replenish thier numbers with all those Rasbora and Rams hunting them?


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## fandango (18 Aug 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Thank you Ray,



			
				Ray said:
			
		

> Tell me, do your Rasbora Hengli school well and if so is that just because of the Rams or part of thier nature?  They are nice fish, on my shopping list at the moment...



I really like Rasbora Hengeli. They do school well at all times even if they are not threatened by larger fish. There are two similar fish Trigonostigma hengeli and Trigonostigma espei. With age Trignostigma espei acquire a really deep copper-like glow. They look stunning. If I had a better camera I would post a picture of a single one to show this incredible deep colour- they are simply too fast-moving for the camera I have...



			
				Ray said:
			
		

> do the cherries actually manage to breed and replenish thier numbers with all those Rasbora and Rams hunting them?



The babies of cherries do manage to survive in the thick lawn of Tenellus and moss but the ones who have the best chance are the ones, which end up inside the Eheim filter under the bottom media basket. Every three months or so, when I clean the filter, I collect a large number of cherries of different generations and release them back in the tank. They do not survive inside the Fluval.

Best,
fandango


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## sari (25 Sep 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

I think this set up is bsolutely gorgeous! I have hengelis in my 60 litre tank and I highly recommend them too. The neon "sswish" looks beautiful amongst plants and they shoal better than many other small tetras or rasboras.


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## joyous214 (26 Sep 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

thats a stunning ram.


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## fandango (27 Sep 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				sari said:
			
		

> I think this set up is bsolutely gorgeous! I have hengelis in my 60 litre tank and I highly recommend them too. The neon "sswish" looks beautiful amongst plants and they shoal better than many other small tetras or rasboras.


Thank you sari,
What I like about this tank it is its consistency. As I've stated here before- I can either trim and shape every week or leave it for up to three months untouched and the basic look and health of the set-up stays more less the same. 
Hengelis, I think I have mixture of Trigonostigma hengeli and Trigonostigma espei, are stunning fish. The more mature espei become the more copper hue they acquire. 
I'm going to get some more cardinals fairly soon as their numbers in the tank have dropped to about 20. I guess I've changed my mind of not getting any new ones for this tank.



			
				joyous214 said:
			
		

> thats a stunning ram.


He's now on his own. The female past away.. I don't know if it was because she refused to eat Tetra Prima and only survived on baby cherries or snails and my irregular feeds with artemia or the fact that she was a already about 2 years old. I miss her. She had more personality then all the other fish put together.


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## Ray (27 Sep 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				fandango said:
			
		

> ...but the ones who have the best chance are the ones, which end up inside the Eheim filter under the bottom media basket. Every three months or so, when I clean the filter, I collect a large number of cherries of different generations and release them back in the tank.



Ah yes, there is about an inch of headroom at the bottom of the Eheim, amazing they can live there in the dark on a diet of flotsum!  Your face must have been a picture the first time you found them there!


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## joyous214 (28 Sep 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

oh im so sorry to hear that, i love fish with personality. I have a plec like that he just wonderful, i recently lost his pal a silver shark who was a few screws loss, needless to say i almost gave up after lossing him. But he is under a plant in the back garden. (RIP)


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## fandango (2 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				Ray said:
			
		

> (...) there is about an inch of headroom at the bottom of the Eheim, amazing they can live there in the dark on a diet of flotsum!  Your face must have been a picture the first time you found them there!


Hi Ray,
Yes- my face must have looked something like this     . They really do very well in there. For the tanks with fish hunting the baby shrimps it's a good way of protecting them until they have grown to a safe size. The darkness doesn't seem to affect them in any way- even the colouring is strong.



			
				joyous214 said:
			
		

> oh im so sorry to hear that, i love fish with personality. I have a plec like that he just wonderful, i recently lost his pal a silver shark who was a few screws loss, needless to say i almost gave up after lossing him. But he is under a plant in the back garden. (RIP)


Hi joyous214,
Sorry to hear about your silver shark.

Best,
fandango


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## keymaker (3 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				fandango said:
			
		

> Ray said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well, my dwarf rasboras did the same and survived at the bottom of my Eheim filter...


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## fandango (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				keymaker said:
			
		

> fandango said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi keymaker,
That's amazing. I was just thinking today incidentally- what about the eyesight of the shrimp or as in your case- the fish babies who end up living in a total darkness for a couple of months. Surely it must affect it in some way.

Here is an update of the tank after some re-shaping of the crypotcorines. Time to time I cut down the ones at the front -they re-grow so quickly. The one at the back (the one on the left- the reddish looking leave in front of the fern) must be almost 50cm long. I think they are Crypt Wendtii. I didn't know they could grow so big. Otherwise as you can see there is almost no change since the photos from August.

Best,
fandango[/quote]


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## jay (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

NO pic.


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## fandango (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				jay said:
			
		

> NO pic.


Perhaps I was editing the post at the time you looked at it


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## sari (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Gorgeous tank!


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## jay (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Got it now!!

Lovely! Can't get over how much anubias is there.


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## fandango (6 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Thank you sari, thank you jay.

Regards,
fandango


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## deMastro (7 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

I like your _Apistogramma viejita_!


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## joyous214 (7 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

nice tank! thats lovely


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## zed (8 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Lovely set up! Nice choice of plants and fish. What substrate are you using?


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## fandango (9 Oct 2008)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				deMastro said:
			
		

> I like your _Apistogramma viejita_!


Thank you deMastro. I actually do think it is mikrogeophagus ramirezi but I may be wrong- I'm no specialist  


			
				joyous214 said:
			
		

> nice tank! thats lovely


Thank you joyous214!


			
				zed said:
			
		

> Lovely set up! Nice choice of plants and fish. What substrate are you using?


Thank you zed. The substrate is the most basic gravel, which I bought from LFS 9 years ago. When I used to keep discus  (had to give them away due to my travelling) I cleaned the gravel every week. There were no carpeting plants then. Now with echinodorus tenelus growing I haven't done anything to it for more than two years- so the debris and fish waste end up at the plant roots (the gravel size is perhaps 1-4 mm approximately- the debris eventually travels deep down).

Best,
fandango


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## fandango (26 Apr 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

This is my first post in a while  . In the meantime I have been reading up, learning from people here.

Here is an update



As you can see the principal look of the tank hasn't changed. Changes since the last post are:

Full EI fertilizing, dosing every day (I guess I really ought to change the title of this tread  ),
Flourish Excel added to combat black beard algae,
New Fluval 305 linked with the existing 304 (Eheim on the other side) to increase water flow
4 Puntius denisonii (wouldn't recommend to Cherry keepers...)
Replaced the CO2 diffuser for a DIY reactor (an old Nitragone body). CO2 turned on 2 hours before lights on and 3 hours before lights off. I can still hear the gas bubbling inside the reactor till the lights off.
GH booster added to the RO water + some coral gravel in the RO storage tank
I've learned a lot from UKAPS forum' people in these couple years. I would gladly rewrite some of the things I wrote at the beginning of this tread. But then- this is after all an ongoing journal.


Thank you,
fandango


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## LondonDragon (26 Apr 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Looking great as always  due to the choice of plants the tank actually looks smaller than it is and therefore looks overstocked! Weird as usually we try to create the reverse effect hehe


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## fandango (26 Apr 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Thanks LondonDragon,

Yes, I can see your point, it's because of the size of the leaves of Java Fern and Anubias and the Puntius Denisonii. The tank obviously would look different if there were more delicate plants and only small fish. The leaves are growing much bigger now with a proper fertilizing regime in place. Some of the Java Fern leaves are probably 30cm+ and the Crypt wendtii on the left side is reaching the surface of the tank so they are about 50 cm. I like the big leaves though   

Regards,
fandango


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## fandango (1 May 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Every two months or so I trim tenellus and crypts (notice the difference in size of the ones on the left. They are the same species; only the front ones get a regular number 1 hair cut 8) ). You can cut crypts right down- all leaves off- and they will grow back nice and strong mini versions of themselves.

As you can see it looks very much the same as the picture on the first page from 2008, only now the plants are much healthier looking. I do like the consistency of this tank and only tweak things little at a time.






There is a moss wall crawling up the glass between the fern and anubias, holding on to the tiny specks of algae. I probably ought to cut it out to deepen the 'V' shape, but somehow I like the fact that plants are trying to evolve despite my control. And the cherries love it too. Now with the torpedoes in the tank they need lots of hiding places... Tenellus is good for them too. I still have hundreds of them in the tank though.

One thing I'm adamant about is I hate seeing any kind of equipment. That is why I've chosen a V shape so I can hide the heaters and filter inlets and outlets in the corners behind them. I can only just tolerate the drop chequer.

Thanks for looking.

regards,
fandango


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## Ray (25 Jul 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Lovely to see this tank still going - I always loved this tank.  I do miss your Rams - not sure the torpedoes are suitable replacements...  How are you keeping your moss and _E Tenellus_ carpet maintained - do you rip it up and replant, or just trim?


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## Themuleous (25 Jul 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

That is a glorious tank, just stunning.

I'd be over the moon if it were mine.

Sam


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## sanj (26 Jul 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



> One thing I'm adamant about is I hate seeing any kind of equipment... I can only just tolerate the drop chequer.



You need need to chill out more...   

No, but seriously i love your tank, I have denisonis aswell, 10 in total great fish. It is also great to see a long established evolving tank, that is what i prefer to do aswell, but life sometimes gets in the way. Oh and the desire for upgrades


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## fandango (4 Aug 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Thank you Ray, Sam, thank you sanj,

I miss my rams too. They do not have a long lifespan- that's the only drawback when keeping them. I trim the grass and moss every now and then. I once uprooted the whole thing. That created a huge mess and biological imbalance and regrowth was much slower than after the trimming. 

I'm away from my tank now for a month. I expect, as always (I hope  ), that the tank will be in a good state when I return. There is no fertilizing or water changes while I'm away. Fish get fed via Eheim auto-feeder. I will certainly post an update of my tank at the end of the month when I arrive back. 
Have a nice rest of the summer everyone!

Best,
fandango


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## glenn (4 Aug 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

wow nice tank and good journal, the plants do look alot more healthy since 2008.
and your photography has improved to, nice photos of the anubias!


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## lil-lynx (4 Aug 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Your pair of gold ? rams are amazing  Such lucky fish to live in a tank like that. well done keep it up !


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## fandango (17 Nov 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (New pictures on page 7*

Hi everybody,
Here comes my earlier promise to share with you some pictures of the tank after I came back from my trip. I was away for about a month and a half. This is more or less a full circle in my tank's plant maintenance.

First, picture taken before my trip, middle of July.



This one is right after my return at the end of August. As you can see the tank is in a good condition considering that there has been no fertilizing at all and no water changes. There is some bba on anubias but that's what I was expecting to see. The lights and CO2 are on timers and there was still some gas in the CO2 tank upon my arrival. Phew 



[/URL]

Two weeks after cutting off the affected anubia leaves, resuming with ferts and daily excel. 7th of September.


Picture taken after the trim, 10th of September. As you can see I trim both the crypts and tenellus right down, about 3 cm from the gravel.


the cuttings


Growth after one month, 9th of October


And finally, end of October

Thanks for looking,
fandango


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## Luketendo (17 Nov 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Absolutely fantastic, love all those crypts.


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## Piece-of-fish (17 Nov 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Brilliant. So lush and healthy. Cant believe that in 1,5 months away you found it in such a good state.


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## flygja (17 Nov 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Can crypts grow that much in one month?! Fantastic!


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## Arana (17 Nov 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Stunning   one of the best LM setups that i have seen


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## fandango (17 Nov 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				Luketendo said:
			
		

> Absolutely fantastic, love all those crypts.


Thank you Luketendo.



			
				Piece-of-fish said:
			
		

> Brilliant. So lush and healthy. Cant believe that in 1,5 months away you found it in such a good state.


Thank you. I have been away for even for up to 3 months and, apart from the fact that fish have relatively little space to swim in, the tank's health always stays good. It is a very mature set-up and a very stable environment. I haven't disturbed the gravel for probably 4 years now. All the plants too have been there for years. The fish get their food from Eheim auto-feeder filled up with Tetra Prima. There are 3 largish filters, one filled with mechanical media and two mostly biological ones.



			
				flygja said:
			
		

> Can crypts grow that much in one month?! Fantastic!


Thank you. I guess the crypts grow back strong and fast because there must be a fantastic root system there by now. The only other plants competing with crypts in the gravel are tenellus and their root system is very shallow.



			
				Arana said:
			
		

> Stunning   one of the best LM setups that i have seen


Thank you Mark

I forgot to mention that there are four generations of Sterbai Cories living in the tank now. I'll have to get some new ones to stop inbreeding.

Regards,
fandango


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## Gill (17 Nov 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Stunning before and after the trim.


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## TDI-line (17 Nov 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Nice tank, really refreshing.


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## LondonDragon (17 Nov 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Amazing tank and really nice growth after the trim  congrats


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## fandango (20 Nov 2010)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

Thank you Gill, TDI-line and LondonDragon


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## faizal (20 Apr 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*

I hope I am not too late in asking this question ,...but what kind of substrate do you use?


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## fandango (20 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank*



			
				faizal said:
			
		

> I hope I am not too late in asking this question ,...but what kind of substrate do you use?


Hi faizal, sorry for the late reply. I have a simple inert aquarium gravel. The crypts like it, the tenellus has in fact mostly having their roots suspended in the moss layer, which is about 3cm thick and grows between gravel and tenellus.

I'm having cory sterbai infestation in my tank   . I guess they have finally reached their full maturity and now they breed on a regular basis. There are lot's of babies in the tank. I'll have to start taking them to my LFS soon. Here is a video. Apologies for my shaky hand- I've no tripod and I'm no cameraman :? . I've cut out a little patch in the lawn at the front to create a feeding place for the baby cories which they have to share with a grumpy ancistrus. Please note that this is the evening lighting set up- three 20w halogen spotlights.

thanks,
fandango


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## John Starkey (20 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*

Hi There,very nice looking tank,i like low maintenance setup's,it proves how healthy a planted tank keeps the water sweet with the sterbai breeding so well,

john.


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## sanj (20 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*



> I'm having cory sterbai infestation in my tank  . I guess they have finally reached their full maturity and now they breed on a regular basis. There are lot's of babies in the tank.



That is brilliant, I am hoping my chain loaches will eventually do the same, but there have only been a few reports of successful breeding.


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## Gill (20 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*

Amazing, really Like how you have Light and Dark Areas within the tank. And not Superbright.


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## Joecoral (20 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*

Very nice, love it   
One of my favourite tanks!


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## fandango (20 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*

Thank you John. Thank you sanj, hope you succeed with your loaches soon. Thank you Joecoral.


			
				Gill said:
			
		

> Amazing, really Like how you have Light and Dark Areas within the tank. And not Superbright.


Thanks Gill. In fact in the video you see evening lighting set-up - 3 halogen 20W MR16 spotlights. They serve a decorative purpose only. During the day I have 2x54W T5's and 3x36W T8's + AquaRay GroBeam 500. The full light photos are at the top of this page.
regards,
fandango


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## tam (21 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*

Your tank is very cool! I like the evening lighting too, I do think tanks look more interesting with a few shadows to peer into. It's very helpful to see the before/after pruning too, it can be a bit daunting to cut back hard when you've final got everything to grow! 

Can I ask what sort of moss is mixed in your carpet? I have a 'blob' of javamoss that my shrimps like but it's sort of sitting in the corner at the moment. Your carpet looks awesome!


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## fandango (21 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*

thank you tam,


			
				tam said:
			
		

> Can I ask what sort of moss is mixed in your carpet? I have a 'blob' of javamoss that my shrimps like but it's sort of sitting in the corner at the moment. Your carpet looks awesome!


It is java moss. I didn't plan for it to end up where it is now; it kind of happened by itself- the moss first somehow found its way into my tank, and then ended up establishing itself just above the gravel. At first I was trying to pull it out but I soon lost the battle and gave up. I’m kind of glad I did loose that battle.The tenellus thrives growing in it.


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## George Farmer (21 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*

What a great set-up!  And breeding sterbei too - kudos.

Congratulations.


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## foxfish (21 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*

Very nice set up - full credit to you my friend


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## fandango (22 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> What a great set-up!  And breeding sterbei too - kudos.
> Congratulations.


Thank you George for your kind words. I guess I follow the rule, which I learned when I was keeping discus- look after the quality of the water and the fish will look after themselves. Seeing them breed and the offspring doing so well is both nice and humbling.





			
				foxfish said:
			
		

> Very nice set up - full credit to you my friend


Thank you foxfish


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## GHNelson (23 May 2011)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*

Hi Fandango
I love those corys when they are juveniles.
The tank is immaculate and natural looking a lovely piece of work.  
hoggie


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## fandango (16 Apr 2012)

*Re: Low Maintenance 120cmx60x60 Tank (new video on page 8)*

Thank you hoggie !
Just wanted to share these images of anubias' flowers. They have flowered before but never so abundantly as right now (photo taken during the water change with the water level down)






regards,
fandango


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## Tim Harrison (16 Apr 2012)

Outstanding tank.


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## fandango (16 Apr 2012)

Troi said:
			
		

> Outstanding tank.


Thank you Troi!


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## Sentral (17 Apr 2012)

I've only just come across this. Wow! It's the type of community aquarium most people wish to have. Lots of interest and very healthy fish and plants. Must be happy with it!


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## Calzone (17 Apr 2012)

And barely any visible flow!  (Unless you turned it down for the vid?).

On the face of it the combination of lighting, flow, co2 , planting etc is really complex - one man's beautiful tank (like this one!) is another man's algae factory!


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## fandango (17 Apr 2012)

Sentral said:
			
		

> I've only just come across this. Wow! It's the type of community aquarium most people wish to have. Lots of interest and very healthy fish and plants. Must be happy with it!





			
				Calzone said:
			
		

> And barely any visible flow!  (Unless you turned it down for the vid?).
> On the face of it the combination of lighting, flow, co2 , planting etc is really complex - one man's beautiful tank (like this one!) is another man's algae factory!


Thank you so much Sentral and Calzone!
For me the important things in this long term project perhaps are:
• reading and learning from people in forums like this, but keeping an independent, open-minded and critical mind;
• keeping everything stable and consistent;
• getting right balance between light, ferts and CO2;
• large filtration- a combination of mechanical and bio. There is not an obvious fast flow in the tank, how Calzone has rightly pointed out from the video on page 8, but the water does move and in large quantities;
• using remineralised RO water. I change half of the tank volume every 3,4 days, if I can;
• Making the water changes simple. I operate it by opening and closing two taps. There are in and out pipes running from and to the aquarium. The RO water is gathered in a 250 litre storage tank, which sits in a cupboard in the next room, placed higher than the aquarium. Thus it takes only about 40 minutes and I don't have to monitor it all the time.
• Plain gravel. It doesn't disintegrate and doesn't run out of nutrients. The crypts are doing well in it. They have strong root systems. The gravel has been there undisturbed for more than 10 years now.
regards,
fandango


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## faizal (21 Apr 2012)

Fandango,....I am so sorry for the endless questions,...I know that you have e.tenellus, crypt parva & moss for that wonderful foreground cover. What kind of moss did you use & how did you initailly manage to keep the moss tied down before it became a part of the foreground carpet? Did you tie down to stones or flat rocks,..etc?


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## fandango (21 Apr 2012)

faizal said:
			
		

> Fandango,....I am so sorry for the endless questions,...I know that you have e.tenellus, crypt parva & moss for that wonderful foreground cover. What kind of moss did you use & how did you initailly manage to keep the moss tied down before it became a part of the foreground carpet? Did you tie down to stones or flat rocks,..etc?


I think it is Java moss. I don't know for sure as I didn't buy it. It found its way in my tank probably as a single strand with some other plants years ago. As for it growing above the gravel and tenellus growing so nicely on top of it- the moss found its way there by itself. At the beginning I tried to pull it all out but soon gave up and I'm glad I did! Crypt parva has been outcompeted by the tenellus and crypt wendtii by the way. Probably some of it is still there but I can’t see it any more.
regards,
fandango


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## geraltas (24 Jun 2014)

Amazing tank and really nice growth.
Just found FB link.
Thanks for sharing.


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## Robert H. Tavera (2 Aug 2014)

realy nice setup. stuning! so natural!  IMO you can improve it by replacing the anubias with more crypts and microsorum....... and.... it looks much better in the wild stage, let it grow !! lovely fish selection too


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## fandango (17 Aug 2014)

Wow. Two years have pased since my last update. So here's a new pic from today






Robert H. Tavera said:


> really nice setup. stuning! so natural!  IMO you can improve it by replacing the anubias with more crypts and microsorum....... and.... it looks much better in the wild stage, let it grow !! lovely fish selection too


Thanks so much Robert.
As you can see I've made some changes. The anubias, as lovely and healthy as they were, were getting too big for the composition. I replaced them with microsorum windelov about 6 months ago.
The denisonii are gone too - they were also too big for the setup and they were eating red cherry shrimps and getting really good at catching them.
I now have perhaps 40 Trigonostigma hengeli, about 60 (!) what must be 4 or 5 generations of corydoras sterbai and hundreds of cherry shrimps.
The tank is gone to being a low maintenance set up yet again - I even have a DIY yeast bottle producing the CO2. It lasts for up to about a month (ideally I re-charge it every two weeks) and I find it completely sufficient for my tank. I fertilize once a week together with the 50%  re-mineralized  R/O water change.


geraltas said:


> Amazing tank and really nice growth.
> Just found FB link.
> Thanks for sharing.


Thanks so much Geraltas.

Cheers for looking everyone.
This tank has been giving me a great pleasure over the years. I have always made only a very few and small changes at a time. I respect it as a living organism and I'm learning all the time.


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## fandango (29 May 2016)

Today I got a surprise - found this little baby red phantom tetra in my tank. The parents are only about 7 months old so I hope I will keep finding more of the same in the future. Really chuffed


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## rebel (30 May 2016)

Congrats! any FTS? Epic tank and setup!!


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## fandango (30 May 2016)

rebel said:


> Congrats! any FTS? Epic tank and setup!!


Thank you very much. The tank is virtually the same as it was 2 years ago. I only moved some anubias var. nana in front of the Java ferns on the left side of the tank. Also, as the numbers of trigonostigma hengeli have dwindled down over the years I got 40 red phantom tetras and 10 black phantom tetras. The very kind people at the Aquatic Design Centre (a fantastic shop right in the heart of London) exchanged them for a largish proportion of my ever growing corydoras sterbai population.

And here is the full tank video


all sterbai are of course hiding


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## rebel (31 May 2016)

Wow thanks for taking the time to upload a video. That side lighting is superb and gives it a really natural feel. Is it just window light?


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## fandango (31 May 2016)

rebel said:


> Wow thanks for taking the time to upload a video. That side lighting is superb and gives it a really natural feel. Is it just window light?


Thanks again. That light is produced by three R16 warm light led spotlights. They are evening lights and come on after the main lights go out.


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## Robert H. Tavera (1 Jun 2016)

I really like the "Long term manteinance" topic, I´m planning my next tank and I´m considering to mantain it at least a few years.
Wonderful job !


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## fandango (5 Jun 2016)

Robert H. Tavera said:


> I really like the "Long term manteinance" topic, I´m planning my next tank and I´m considering to mantain it at least a few years.
> Wonderful job !


Thank you so much Robert. One good thing about a long term and low maintenance project is that it will look presentable even if you sometimes don't have the possibility to do your weekly maintenance. I've been away a few times for up to 3 months at a time and the tank is ok when I return. I guess for that to work it needs to be a fairly big set up with large filtration and well established.

I've just realized I never posted a video with the full lights on, so here's one short one I did today just with my iPhone.
ALL sterbai hiding (I've been doing too much trimming for their liking...)



Thanks for watching. Questions and suggestions are always welcome.


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## rebel (5 Jun 2016)

Wow looks superb! Those red tetras pop against the green that's for sure. Do you have many shrimp?


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## Robert H. Tavera (6 Jun 2016)

I´m going to keep an eye on this thread. I  suscribed to your youtube channel too.


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## fandango (10 Jun 2016)

rebel said:


> Wow looks superb! Those red tetras pop against the green that's for sure. Do you have many shrimp?


Thank you again. There are many, many shrimp - hundreds. Red phantoms occasionally hunt down one or two. I would say on average they perhaps catch two a day. I also have about 5 or 6 Amano shrimp. They are the senior citizens of my tank - all at least 8 years old (I haven't bought any for the last 8 years)


Robert H. Tavera said:


> I´m going to keep an eye on this thread. I  suscribed to your youtube channel too.


Thank you!


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## BBogdan (10 Jun 2016)

Really nice! ..i love the combine carpet with cryptocorynes


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## Lindy (11 Jun 2016)

Hi, stunning tank. Did you shoot the video with filters off? I'm still fiddling with my outlets to try and reduce turbulance in plants but not reduce flow.


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## fandango (11 Jun 2016)

BBogdan said:


> Really nice! ..i love the combine carpet with cryptocorynes


Thank you. They are perfect carpeting plant for a bigger tank as you can trim them right back.


ldcgroomer said:


> Hi, stunning tank. Did you shoot the video with filters off? I'm still fiddling with my outlets to try and reduce turbulance in plants but not reduce flow.


Thank you. All filters are on in the video. I have arranged the two filter outlets in a way that they create a gentle but powerful clockwise circular water movement in the tank. The left back side outlet (behind the flame moss) is directed so that the flow goes along the top of  the back wall of the tank, direction left-right. There are no plants to abstract the flow there. The right back side outlet (behind and above the windelov java fern) is pointing towards the front of the tank, just slightly to the left to aid the circular water flow in the tank, direction right-left. Both inlets are positioned right at the bottom of the tank (both back corners), just above the gravel to make sure there are no stagnant areas in the tank


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## Lindy (11 Jun 2016)

Thanks for that. I'm hindered by having a built in sump weir that I couldn't take out so I can't direct flow across the back of the glass. Using an o bubble outlet along with a jet outlet but think I'll make both o bubble. 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk


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## Robert H. Tavera (15 Jun 2016)

Fandango, what happened with your denisonii barbs? Did you had toubles with them anh cherry shrimps?


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## fandango (16 Jun 2016)

Robert H. Tavera said:


> Fandango, what happened with your denisonii barbs? Did you had toubles with them anh cherry shrimps?


they got really big and were out of proportion with the rest of the tank. I would only recommend them for super big tanks. Also they ate a lot of shrimp. I exchanged them along with some 25 sterbas corydoras (all born and raised in my tank) for 40 red phantom tetras and 10 black phantom tetras - a common combination in many of Amano setups (youtube ADAview)


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## Robert H. Tavera (20 Jun 2016)

Not really common combination but really efective in my opinion, I like Amano´s Hyphessobrycon mix.. not only phantoms.. ember, elachys, ornate.. seen in allot of his tanks.


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## Wisey (22 Jun 2016)

It's fantastic to read a journal started in 2008, when the tank was already set up for many years, and see it still going now in 2016. You have a lovely aquarium, I really enjoyed seeing it develop and change over the years.


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