# 90cm Low Tech Wood, Cobbles & Emersed (Probably)



## tam (13 Jul 2018)

Just paid the deposit on a new tank  - 90cm opti-white from Aquariums4Life. About 6 weeks wait now so time to order everything else.

The rough plan is a low tech river/streamish look (not high flow) with cobbles and wood and emersed growth to one corner.

Aquarium: Opti-White 90cmx45x45 
Filtration: Planted Aquaclear 70 HOB (maybe an external too or a circulation pump?)
Lighting: 3' Fluval Plant 3.0 (hung or on arms)
Co2: Just the free stuff in the air
Hardscape: Mixed size cobbles/pebbles & redmoor
Substrate: Something (Aquabasis/Tropica?) capped with fine gravel graduating to bigger pebbles
Fauna: Otos, Ember tetra, Sundadanio axelrodi, C.Habrosus, Scarlet Badis
Flora: Big lilly on the left, mixed anubias/buce/ferns/moss on the wood/rocks, some crypts, and rotala at the back
Emersed: HOB+Breeder Box to create emersed planters in the right corner

What I have (like my cardboard mockup?):




 

What I plan:


 

I'd love any feedback you have, still at the deciding what to order stage so better to tell me it's crazy and won't work now


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## FJK_12 (13 Jul 2018)

tam said:


> The rough plan is a low tech river/streamish look (not high flow) with cobbles and wood and emersed growth to one corner.
> 
> Substrate: Something (Aquabasis/Tropica?) capped with fine gravel graduating to bigger pebbles



Tropica aqua soil is perfect for low tech


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## alto (13 Jul 2018)

Alper Kurt did an interesting slope construction in his 
*Paludomus Loricatus *tank

- awesome scape  just wish he had update photos

I think I mentioned before that you might use Tropica Growth Substrate under the fine gravel/sand & only use Aquarium Soil in confined areas
I'd just use the Powder Soil (if Tropica - re I've used it a lot )

One downside of the Growth Substrate is that you can't really recover & reuse as it pretty much "muds" ... though if determined you can vacuum away top substrate without much disturbance to the majority of the GS layer 

Definitely use a coarse open "substrate" such as Dennerle Volcano Mineral or ADA Power Sand (texture/composition  promotes good aeration & flow) for that steep slope

Your plant list sounds good for a non-CO2 tank - R rotundifolia would likely remain green & does better longterm than 
R 'Green' (which prefers moderate CO2)
OTOH I had very nice Rotala macrandra in a low tech tank - except it remained green! 
(note tap water is very soft & pH ~ 6.0 - 6.4 )
Hemianthus micranthemoides also does very well - crazy dense (& relatively compact) with CO2, more open structure in non-CO2 tanks


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## CooKieS (13 Jul 2018)

lovely sketchup


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## tam (13 Jul 2018)

Thank you, that's really helpful! Generally, I tend to run an aquarium a long time without pulling substrate out. The substrate (aquabasis capped with gravel) in the larger of my two must be five years old ish, so I'm not too worried about the ability to reuse as I wouldn't change it out for a while (touch wood). 

I think that could be a plan, Tropica soil powder in the main planted sections (uncapped), then Tropica substrate directly in front of the rocks where I will probably only plant lightly and that capped plus the rest of the area forward of it plain fine gravel. It should also mean I'm not spending extra to cap substrate I won't see the top of or areas I won't plant.

The slope is going to be fun, I need to get some hardscape to get my head around laying it out, I'm not sure how much will be rock/soil and how much wood, or how big my rocks will be. Nice to see the construction phase.

I was considering R. Green, so I'm glad you said that - I will stick with rotundifolia. At least stems are quick growing and not to hard to swap out, might even be interesting to try a mix see what looks good/grows best.


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## alto (14 Jul 2018)

Yeah I though the R 'Green' might be just a local observation re the very soft tap water, but George Farmer noticed much the same in his non-CO2 low budget tank, initially plant does well (re energy stores in the nursery emerse grown plant), then begins to lag, then just smaller & smaller leafs

Note that if you have a high fish load, this has a noticeable (+CO2) affect on plant growth 
(I've seen this done in smaller tanks with small fish that "like" the crowding - apparently re behaviour,activity, appearance is that of "happy" fish)


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## zozo (14 Jul 2018)

tam said:


> What I plan:
> View attachment 116441



Nice drawing skills Tam..  Looks like a very nice idea, can't see any reasons why it wouldn't work. It atualy resambles my current setup very much. But mine mirrors yours and is a tad smaller 90x35x35.


 

What i don't realy like in mine is a few crypts i planted behind the lily as background plants grew bigger and more robust than expected.. It takes the focus point away from the lily.. I yet do not have an alternative housing for these crypts and i dislike to trash healthy plants. But actualy they have to be moved from this tank.

That's the only point of consern and feedback i can give.. Choose the plants in the lily background carefully if you plan to make a focal point from this plant. The long slender floater stems easily fade away in the background.


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## tam (14 Jul 2018)

zozo said:


> That's the only point of consern and feedback i can give.. Choose the plants in the lily background carefully if you plan to make a focal point from this plant. The long slender floater stems easily fade away in the background.



Yes, that's very similar to what I'd like to end up with - I hope mine goes as well! 

I see what you mean about the lilly stems. I don't like to see too much of a tank background so I want something planted behind it but I don't want them to disappear. I was looking at the dwarf lillies in our pond and wondering if they might have thicker stems than the usual aquarium tiger lotus, but I don't know if it would grow in a tank - I presume there is a reason you don't see people with them. What lilly do you have growing there?


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## zozo (14 Jul 2018)

tam said:


> What lilly do you have growing there?



This one is a Burgundy Princess and the very same lily as this one.. Everybody seeing this would say that lily is to big for an aquarium. Ok like this it indeed is, but it doesn't have to be.. 



There are a lot of misconceptions about lilies in the aqaurium hobby. You can choose from an enormous variety of lilies and still grow then small in an indoor tank.
But than you have to know a bit about the plant and how it grows and what it likes, for what it likes most are extremely addaptable and easy to grow.

What you need to read into is the type of rootstock varieties lilies come with and how they propagate.
https://www.iamshaman.com/lotus/cultivation.htm

The maturity and size of this rootstock defines how much energy it has stored and how big in can grow the plant. A fist size tuber, grows the plant if fertilized enough to full potential.. But if the tuber is small, it grows the plant according to the energy it can supply, can never sustain leaves that are 10 or 20 times bigger than the tuber it simple doesn't store enough energy for that. A tiny tuber grows a tiny water lily and it takes years for a tiny tuber to grow to full potential. Thus if you start with a tiny tuber cutting from a a lily with rather large potential you will grow a dwarf version of this lily for quite some years. Than if you take a winter hardy pond lily with a chunky horizontal running tuber and examin it, you can compare it with a Potato.. We all know the eyes of a popato out of these eyes the roots grow out if you keep it to long. If you cut a potato in several parts and put a part with a shoot from an eye in the soil it's grow into a plant.  A lily tuber also has these eyes, and if you examin a fully matured tuber from a lily you take out of your pond.. You might notice a pimple with a small tiny new plant developing on that mature tuber like in the drawing bellow.



Cut that tiny young plantlet growing on that pimple from the tuber. Than you have some tiny foliage with a piece of tuber as large as a fingernail.. Plant that in the substrate on top of a clay ball and you have a little mini version of your pond lily for many years to come in your aqaurium slowly but steadily growing bigger. By the point it grows to big you probably wont have the same aqaurium anymore..The bigger you cut this tuber piece the sooner it'll grow bigger. All about size and stored energy. So actualy you can play a little and have some say into the size you like to start with. And you do not need to run around the country to find dwarf varieties that are small in mature size. Like 99% of all lilies to find are eroneously labeled as not aqaurium suitable. Far from the truth..



The one in my tank started like that and is 3 years old now.. A tad bigger but still a dwarf with floaters not bigger than 4cm in diameter.


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## zozo (14 Jul 2018)

Another thing you might consider growing a lily with floaters in a tank is flow. Keep this at an absolut minimun in favor of the lily.. These plants are very flow sensitive and actualy there is some logic to it see them grow in flow. The want their leaves at the surface, once a leaf reaches this it stops growing it's stem in lenght. It doesn't need to it arrived it's destination. In stagnant water it grows straight up verticaly the shortest distance. In flow it has to grow diagonaly because the flow is pushing or pulling it. Than it needs a longer stem to reach the surface. If the flow is to strong and the leaf is pulled under it keeps on growing a stem till it simply breakes off or till the leaf is ripped apart by the flow.

Thus do you want thick stems  than reduce the flow, than it doesn't need to put much energy in growing a long stem to reach the surface and it grows a shorter but thicker stem.

There is a video posted recently here from an African stream submersed. Rather fast flowing stream. it has lilies growing in it and you'll see what i mean, how it grows floaters never reaching the surface. Many are ripped to pieces by the flow.. I see if i can find it back..

here it is..


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## tam (14 Jul 2018)

Wow, I'm surprised those lillies survive at all! That end of the tank should be lower flow as it's furthest from the filter etc. I was wondering whether I'd need a circulation pump of some kind the opposite end, but maybe leaving the lilly in calmer water would actually work best all around. 

I didn't realise there was such variety in the way lillies grew and propagated. I've a lot of potential source material in the pond, but the lillies have been growing, swapped, repotted over the years so I've no idea on varieties. The red leaved one in the centre here is one I had my eye on:





It's got smaller, much pointier leaves than the others, as well as having very red new leaves that seem to fade to green. The stems are fairly thick - from what you've said that could well be partly down to the fact it's in very shallow water - probably only 8" to the basket surface. 

I wonder if it would be best to pot the lilly so it's easy to remove and swap out for a new baby one if it gets carried away?


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## zozo (14 Jul 2018)

tam said:


> I wonder if it would be best to pot the lilly so it's easy to remove and swap out for a new baby one if it gets carried away?


The answer is in your pond..  Lift a basket and look where all the roots are, likely far out beyond it... So it wont make much difference, they root outside the pot.. I didn't pot i just put them in the aquarium substrate, but wasn't planning moving it anyway. But you got some nice potential in the pond already you can cut babies off..


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## gltjc (15 Jul 2018)

I’ve found the growth of lillies in my tank to be quite unpredictable. They are all ‘standard aquarium’ N lotus/zenkeri and some kick out 6 inch pads on thick stalks once a week or so and others stay much smaller. The ones in the flow actually kick out the longest and thickest stalks. After leaving them to grow for a few months I’m now taking out 10-20 floating pads every two weeks. They are rather too easy to grow for me in my open topped tank but need a lot of work to keep any light below - if I neglect things for any amount of time my fish all disappear into a black hole


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## zozo (15 Jul 2018)

gltjc said:


> They are all ‘standard aquarium’ N lotus/zenkeri



I'm not sure, myself i never grown this lily... But seeing this picture i believe it has a Mexicana rootstock. And grows smaller (clustering) bulbs and is more depended on roots than the bulb. The plant takes more energy from its roots.. Most tropical lily spieces have this. The few that are popular in the aqaurium trade are all tropicals. I've tried the N. glandulifera that also grows like this, but it is too difficult i failed.




In this pic you see it also grows runners on a stolon and this little plant will eventualy grow a new bulb..




The ones with the chuncky horizontal growing odorata tubers, i experienced easy to control, these lilies depend a lot on that tuber. And if you cut out an eye that has young growth to it. Than it grows according to the tuber part size you cut off.




For the Tuberoza type this works simmular.




But for these experiments you need a pond or something else.. You buy a lily take it out the basket, clean all soil off examin the rootstock and go from there. Cut the correct piece off and grow it on.. But than you still have to house the mother plant. And that's also a bit my issue, i do not have the space to experiment with a batalion of different nymphaeas spp.. If i had i would.. 

But all hardy pond lilies grow from these chuncky tubers. Worth a try to start cutting..


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## mort (15 Jul 2018)

Hijacking a little but do these winter dormant lillies just grow normally all year round in the stable conditions of a tank?


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## zozo (15 Jul 2018)

mort said:


> Hijacking a little but do these winter dormant lillies just grow normally all year round in the stable conditions of a tank?


Yes indoor or in tropical conditions they are evergreen..  Nobody actualy knows where they originated since already  cultivated for millennials. Oldest scriptures found where asian and most likely from tropical origine. But that will stay a myth forever i guess.


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## zozo (15 Jul 2018)

This is how small you can start, cut from a fist sized tuber about 4 months before this pic...





more than 1 year later





And about 2 years later again see earlier tank picure above and the barrel picture for it originating mother.


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## tam (20 Jul 2018)

zozo said:


> This is how small you can start, cut from a fist sized tuber about 4 months before this pic...



Can you try again, the images didn't load 

Thought I posted this, but it's disappeared. Started playing with some rocks...



 

And then this morning, the bits of wood I ordered turned up! Obviously going to need a bit more in the middle but I like how these line up....



 





I think the right hand side of my big rock pile needs to come higher to make it more triangular? Need to get some more rocks.

What's the best for supporting them? At the moment the back row are sat on a brick. I'm not sure about egg crate as the otos/corys I want are going to be the perfect size to get stuck in a grid if any of it gets exposed. I'm wondering if a pillow of something in a stocking would be safer? 

Should I sit the whole pile on something too, or on a bed of gravel or straight on the glass?

Would it be worth running a tunnel through on the right to help with circulation - something like the clay pleco tubes?


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## zozo (20 Jul 2018)

tam said:


> Can you try again, the images didn't load


Dunno what going on, that pic is already on the UKAPS server somewhere last year.. I can see it.. Try the link bellow..
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/attachments/dscf8265-jpg.103759/


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## zozo (20 Jul 2018)

tam said:


> What's the best for supporting them?



You could try pantyhose filled with sand or gravel under the cobbles..


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## tam (31 Jul 2018)

Still four weeks to wait, so I thought I'd get a head start on the plants.




 

There is:

Echinodorus Tenellus
Lilaeopsis Mauritiana
Hydrocotyle sp. Japan
Micranthemum sp. 'Monte Carlo'
Hydrocotyle Verticillata
S. Repens
Utricularia graminifolia

Some will be under water, some emersed and some both (or half way between). I much prefer the look of E. Tenellus emersed with the spear shape leaves and little ball flowers, and I want to see if I can get UG to flower emersed too. 

For the emersed containers - maybe thin sponge or matting on the top of the HOB filter so it's easy to lift to maintain the filter? Then I'm using this for the back edge: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200796902614 not sure if it's best to fill with ceramic/clay media or foam and then the same something thinner on top that can lift off? I'm thinking of just using a bit of pipe and siphoning for filling rather than powering it - so it won't have a lot of flow but I don't think the plants will care.


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## tam (21 Aug 2018)

Tanks coming Saturday!


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## TBRO (21 Aug 2018)

Good luck! UG is a tricky one underwater but grows well semi emergant 


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## tam (22 Aug 2018)

Moved my existing tanks out the way yesterday, just drained them down to about 1cm of water leaving everything in place, shifted them and refilled. My ember tetras have been expanding ready for the new pad. Found this bonus little guy:



 

Substrates arrived today. Hope it's enough! I got egg crate and a spare filter bag to experiment with rock supports.


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## tam (25 Aug 2018)

Isn't it pretty?! Got carpet coming tomorrow so got to wait a few days to start setting it up.


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## Nubias (26 Aug 2018)

Looking forward to seeing it tam.


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## PARAGUAY (26 Aug 2018)

l have just caught up on this, like the idea of the cobbles,pebbles should look really good


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## tam (27 Aug 2018)

Tanks in position. Tropica substrate under the gravel and soil in the back. The rocks will sit over the join and then I'll top the soil up a bit more. 


 

Next step is building rock support on the right, as my mock up rocks are sat on bricks at the back. I think I'm going to go for egg crate and leave it hollow for the fish to enjoy as a cave. Then I'm not losing water volume to 6" of soil. I got some pond filter grid that's got 18mm holes so they should be able to move through freely if they find any bare grid.


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## alto (28 Aug 2018)

Be careful of “cave” structures as flow can be an issue ie stagnant water with very low oxygen levels, also debris collecting ... fish can also be also quite ingenious at getting caught up in grid work/netting 

I’m conservative so would just fill in the space with lava type stone
or ..... nothing wrong with a brick 

Nice cobbles


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## tam (28 Aug 2018)

This is where it would fit, the back would open right next to the filter inlet (blue circle) so I think it would be ok? By 'cave', I was thinking two pillars with a flat piece on top like a table so more like a table, there would be rocks in front but the back would be open. I was thinking of leaving a gap though along the side of the glass too so I don't end up with a dead spot in the front corner. I like the idea of having the pillars sit on the base of the tank in case the substrate moves, but I could in fill that with lava rock if you think I should? Everything on my stocking plan should fit through 18mm. I've got filter bags/tights too but I was worried they'd stretch/settle on their own.


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (28 Aug 2018)

I would worry about it collapsing... not saying don't do it... just silicone it like crazy or something to be sure! Last thing you would want...


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## tam (28 Aug 2018)

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> I would worry about it collapsing... not saying don't do it... just silicone it like crazy or something to be sure! Last thing you would want...



I know, that's my worry. I've constructed a box that stands by itself (with a little wobble) without glue and just super glued it. I'm going to put it in and then backfill the substrate and see how it feels. Then probably end up stuffing tights under it anyway


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## tam (29 Aug 2018)

I don't think it's quite right but I'm not sure which rocks to change?


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## Tim Harrison (29 Aug 2018)

Looks good...I think it may benefit from more wood and it might help if you banked the substrate up in to the back righthand corner. Perhaps add some more intermediate sized stones, pebbles, and gravel to give a more natural graduated look...https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/high-energy-soil-substrate-layout-updated.22651/page-2


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## tam (29 Aug 2018)

Thanks, very nice tank! Maybe my slope needs to lean back more? And do something along the right hand side of the glass to make it slope up and back. I've got some more gravel for graduating it - I've added it around the front and I can add more between the big rocks once I'm sure I'm not going to shuffle them again.

I think 8" deep substrate with rocks on top would worry me, I'm trying to bank it without making it completely solid.


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## Tim Harrison (29 Aug 2018)

tam said:


> I think 8" deep substrate with rocks on top would worry me, I'm trying to bank it without making it completely solid.


I wouldn't let it worry you...you'd be amongst good company; Amano often banked his substrate much deeper.


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## zozo (29 Aug 2018)

Wasn't it you Tam, that asked about Bonsai and aqaurium?.. Anyway, you might like this vid, i guess it doesn't realy need translation.
The scaping technique he uses might be inspirational to you. In a way it also resambles your idea in this scape a bit.. Stacking wise.


If you have questions about translation, just add the time line and ask.. I can translate if you wish.


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## tam (29 Aug 2018)

Thanks Marcel, it wasn't me that mentioned bonsai but that's a great video for stacking rocks. His cover up of the joints was really clever. I take that was the plastic that's moldable in hot water and then superglue? I did wonder about a few blobs of silicone, it's pretty stable - they aren't going to spontaneously fall but stacking round rocks is tricky and a few will rock a bit where the surfaces don't meet completely flat.


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## zozo (30 Aug 2018)

Ah!? Ok i thought to remember a fenale member asking about bonsai and scaping i thought it was you.. And seeing this i thought this would be a handy 2 in 1 video.. 



tam said:


> that was the plastic that's moldable in hot water and then superglue?



Yup you are correct. he uses Polydoo Bastelplastik and superglue.. That plastick has the advantage it cures (hardens) faster it just needs to cool.
I did simular things with using kit, effects are simmular but it takes many hours to cure..


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## rebel (30 Aug 2018)

Superb planning and execution! Following.

@zozo , your info is absolutely priceless!!!


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (30 Aug 2018)

Wondering how it would look with an additional rock on the far top right of the stack so you visually have a 'slope' (tallest pat on the glass) rather than a 'pile' (near the glass). 

Hope that makes sense. Give it a go and see if you like it. I've just done a similar thing on my tank and it looked good, hope it works for yours too.


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## tam (30 Aug 2018)

Matt @ ScapeEasy said:


> Wondering how it would look with an additional rock on the far top right of the stack so you visually have a 'slope' (tallest pat on the glass) rather than a 'pile' (near the glass).



I see what you mean - I think your right it's that edge that looks wrong. I need to pick up a bigger rock for the top, the ones I have all look too small there. The local selection was a bit rubbish, but maybe they've restocked. And maybe wedge something down the side of the glass so I can lean/add rocks against the glass there like they are tumbling down from the right instead of a 'pile'.


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## tam (31 Aug 2018)

More slope, less pile?


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## Matt @ ScapeEasy (1 Sep 2018)

Yes!! I like it!


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## tam (4 Sep 2018)

Getting wet!



 

Just waiting for more RO to run through.

Broke off two small pieces of lilly. It's starting to die back in the pond but there are lots of new baby leaves so hopefully it will spring back to life. I did two small bits so it fills in, but hopefully is easier to take half out if it goes crazy.



 

Thinking about planting Lagenandra meeboldii Red under/in front of it - anyone tried it? Some of the descriptions day 30cm long leaves, but all the in tank examples I've seen it's got more like 5-10cm short round ones.

Also are crypt. nevelli and x willisii the same thing?


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## tam (20 Sep 2018)

Forgot to setup the lights % so got a smidge of algae, clearing up already though (honest). 



 

I'm not worried, gives the shrimp and soon to be added Otos something to make them feel at home. Plus it pearls 



 

Moved across seven ember tetras and 15 juvenile cherries. Seem to be doing great so I'll catch some more up. I added established media from my other tanks and been doing 25-30% water changes every few days. I'll move the otos in when I pick up something to replace them in the old tank, which will be temporary quarantine for the rest of the stocking. Trying to find habrosus corys locally seem impossible so I think I might have to order online.


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## tam (6 Oct 2018)

Need to take a fts algaes cleared up and plants are growing (slowly). 

Just got some dinky (finger for scale) Scarlet Badis, asked for a couple of males and then the dullest in the tank of 100 so I'm hoping for some females. Very cute. They are in a separate tank quarantining atm Corys are on order but will have to see if they actually come in.


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## dw1305 (6 Oct 2018)

Hi all,





tam said:


> asked for a couple of males and then the dullest in the tank of 100 so I'm hoping for some females


I think they all look like males. I've never seen a live female, but a couple of times I've bought colourless fish, but once they were in the tank they coloured up.

Apparently the female <"shouldn't have any red on her">. It really annoys me that you can't get any females.  I've been looking at these, and _Dario hysginon, _for about ten years, but I've never seen a female for sale.

cheers Darrel


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## tam (6 Oct 2018)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,I think they all look like males. I've never seen a live female, but a couple of times I've bought colourless fish, but once they were in the tank they coloured up.
> 
> Apparently the female <"shouldn't have any red on her">. It really annoys me that you can't get any females.  I've been looking at these, and _Dario hysginon, _for about ten years, but I've never seen a female for sale.



It's odd, you'd have thought sorting such tiny fish to remove all the females would be more work that it's worth, particularly as there are plenty of other fish with 'dull' coloured females that are sold in combination.

Ah well, if they all turn out to be boys I won't hold it against them, and I can scatter them between tanks if they get too territorial. I picked up 10 as I had to order them in but that might be too many if they are all boys.


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## TBRO (6 Oct 2018)

Love the Badis, please post some photos when they settle in. Think of some for my AS900. Hope they are active and don’t hide too much. Will they need live food? T


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## tam (6 Oct 2018)

TBRO said:


> Love the Badis, please post some photos when they settle in. Think of some for my AS900. Hope they are active and don’t hide too much. Will they need live food? T



They didn't even hide when I let them out the bag! They seem pretty tough little guys. The LFS was feeding them cyclops and frozen daphnia, I've some live daphnia which they already had a munch of. Will let you know how they get on


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## alto (6 Oct 2018)

I’ve see the odd female arrive in (male) shipments - they’ve always been the fish “least in sight” under the decor/jumped over to the filter etc  - not unexpected I suppose if you’re the only girl surrounded by a hundred boys 

(female) shipments rarely seem to arrive, though they appear on some fish lists


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## tam (20 Oct 2018)

Really loving the scarlet badis. They have settled in great, are very bold and outgoing - not phased by water changes, they aren't nervous about movement in front of the tank and gather as soon as they think there is food on offer! Feed wise, they have cichlid style mouths - can fit surprising big food in for their size! Readily take daphnia, cyclops and brineshrimp. They will suck in and spit out the pellets I have so I would guess they might take flake etc. just need to find a brand they like the flavour of. Waiting to hear my LFS has the next fish on my list and then I can move them over out of quarantine. 

I wish I could take better photos!





And a FTS, still got a fair bit of hair algae.


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## tam (15 Nov 2018)

Moved the scarlet badis into the main tank, settled in fine. I was a bit worried that 10 males could be an issue, but they don't seem to bug each other - I guess no girls to fight over means no need to be territorial. Not seen any baby shrimp since though.

Also managed to finally find some cory habrosus! Nine teeny little things settled in great and shoal beautifully with the otos. Gambled a bit and put them straight in the main tank as I'd picked up 10 more otos elsewhere the day before for quarantine. They are doing less well down to five - although those are eating well.




String/thread algae is still a pain, I've dropped the lights down more and spread out the floaters to better cover the worst area.


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## TBRO (15 Nov 2018)

Nice, wish I could find some Badis locally they seem Ideal nano but characterful fish. I’ve had similar Oto experience, they seem to be solid if they survive past a month. Seems to be a lot of theories about their collection that leads to a high mortality rate  


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## tam (16 Nov 2018)

TBRO said:


> Nice, wish I could find some Badis locally they seem Ideal nano but characterful fish.



Definitely, they are little characters. I was lucky my LFS ordered them in and they were fairly reasonably priced too 3 for £10. They were easier to get hold of than the corys. Be worth asking your LFS if they can order you some.


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## tam (10 Dec 2018)

My stocking is now 9 otos, 9 habrosus corys, 7 ember tetras, 10 scarlet badis and some cherry shrimp. Not sure what (if anything) else I want to add.





 


 




Plants are doing fairly well, although I get the impression my water column is missing something. I think I'm gong to try going back to Tropica Ferts, the TNC doesn't seem to work as well and I'm a bit suspicious of how separated it is in the bottle. Anything growing in the substrate is fine, but others not quite right.


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## mort (11 Dec 2018)

That badis is stunning and they have to be the brightest ember tetras I've seen.


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## alto (11 Dec 2018)

I’d just increase the shoal sizes  
- 15 habrosus
- 17 embers


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## tam (11 Dec 2018)

alto said:


> I’d just increase the shoal sizes
> - 15 habrosus
> - 17 embers



Tried to go back and get more habrosus this week, but they'd sold out and are closing down at the weekend  Took me a year to find some - should have got more. 

I'd like to try breeding extra Embers - 2 of the 7 Embers are babies that appeared which seems like a good sign, but I don't think I'll get more in the tank with the scarlet badis hunting. Tried once before but no luck. I've a little 12x8" daphnia tank that I could drop a pair into for a week and see if they leave eggs ... if I can catch them. I need to pick up a heater though as I would guess the window sill is a bit chilly this time of year.


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## tam (15 Jan 2019)

Here is a full tank shot. It's slow growing but I can see new leaves on most plants. I wish the lily would stick some leaves up and the bright green crypt on the far right is growing new leaves but they are only an inch tall. I'm contemplating something tall for the back behind the right rock pile - maybe a sword - at the moment you can see the back glass through the anubias stems (the leaves are escaping out the water) and I'd like it solid green.


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## Steve Buce (15 Jan 2019)

Looks great, very natural looking


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## TBRO (15 Jan 2019)

Looking deep and mysterious, love the embers. Any pictures of the emergant growth? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Andrew Butler (4 Aug 2019)

Any update @tam


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## tam (4 Aug 2019)

This is it this evening:


Can't get the pond lilly to grow floating pads - I'm guessing not enough light as I keep it low for algae. I've added in a red lotus instead. The Potamogeton gayi that Marcel sent me melted right back to teeny shoots after it's long trip, but has suddenly taken off so I'm letting it do it's thing at the front and then I will move it to the back.



Livestock are doing well, habrosus corys are getting so fat! I'm thinking of trying out a couple of horned netrites to see if they'll take a bit of the algae off the rocks the otos don't seem to touch. I don't mind a little patina but some I need to take a tooth brush too. I'm thinking of adding another dozen embers to make the shoal bigger (only 7 at the moment).


Only thing that really bugs me is I'm still plagued by string algae. It grows worst in the floating pennywort... which if I crop back lets more light to the bottom and it swaps to growing there instead. Lights are only on 20% and ramp up/down to that.


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## tam (9 Aug 2019)

My habrosus corys spent about 4 hours spawning today! Changed around 40L with slightly cooler water yesterday evening and they were spawning just before lights on this morning. Interesting to watch the female carefully selecting the spot for each egg. I had albino bronze corys spawn years ago and I remember them putting pretty much all the eggs in one or two patches on the glass. The habrosus females where spreading the eggs all over, never two in the same place, mainly under leaves. I managed to find about twenty that I've moved into a HOB breeding box and I'm sure there are a lot more in the tank.


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## Majsa (10 Aug 2019)

Just jumping in. A beautiful tank, and nice fat  cories!


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## Bon MotMot (10 Aug 2019)

Agreed! Thanks for the update; love this tank!


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