# First effort - a rod for my back!



## Simmo (11 Dec 2020)

Hi Folks,
After a lot of years fishkeeping I wanted to try something different and stumbled on the world of aquascaping. Wow! I have been amazed at the beautiful creations, particularly from Japan and the pioneering work of Takashi Amano; some wonderful tanks and I love the way George Farmer has made it really accessible to normal folk like me. Anyway, cutting a long story short I was inspired to make a tank but wanted to try and use local materials for the hardscape, more because I enjoy being out in the countryside of which there is a lot here and enjoy the foraging as part of the creative process.  
I bought a Juwel lido as it fit the space I had a nd looked good quality, it is generally fine but I do have a bug bear with the filter not being easily moved and in hindsight might have gone for the Oase equivalent and an external filter, ah well I might remove it yet and go the external route.
I didn't appreciate that getting local materials and having a square tank woild make life difficult but for me at least it seemed to. The excellent dead oak I found was from a single limb and once cleaned up is rock solid but long and thin and I wanted to make a trunk from the bits which meant making long tall heavy bits of wood stable. As the Juwel has a light and lid getting the pieces above the water line and below the light was a challenge too. 
I messed up in a couple of areas due to my own impatience, the backing vinyl has bubbles as I put it n after scaping - doh! and my plan of using only Tropica soil for the main substrate went awry when I couldn't source any locally and had only one 9 litre bag of fine soil so have added this to an inert gravel base giving 1-3 inches oof soil cover. SO my rather long winded question is - is this enough depth? I am waiting for plants to arrive  all 'easy' ones as my skills are lacking and I am not using CO2.
Thanks for the advice,
Cheers


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## dw1305 (11 Dec 2020)

Hi all, 
I know nothing about aquascaping, but the wood looks good to me.  Just a thought could you find some more little rounded black pebbles, for the transition between sand and soil?  They could be really small where they spill onto the sand.

cheers Darrel


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## SRP3006 (11 Dec 2020)

I like the wood, will look nice planted. Second what @dw1305 says about the pebbles, I think prodibio do some small rounded ones.
I might be inclined to remove a little sand in the foreground, to make cleaning easier and stop algae/dirt build up against the glass.. That way you can siphon out a small amount of sand and replace with new.


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## Paul27 (11 Dec 2020)

Looks really good. That wood you have collected is great. Agree with @dw1305 about some more little pebbles being added.


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## Simmo (11 Dec 2020)

Thank you very much for the replies guys,  I take your point about the small pebbles and will fish some out, good idea! I'm  happy with the wood, it has a lot of character, really interesting that the oak is very resistant to rot, whereas the beech I saw seemed to be riddled with fungi all through. I would like to remove the piece in front of the filter, it's not part of the design in my minds eye, it's only there to obscure the filter!
Cheers


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## Simmo (30 Dec 2020)

Had a wood floating disaster on the first attempt that nixed all the substrate, was away for 2 weeks and left it during which time yhe Java fern went bananas and the moss died back. Now cleaned out and replanted with same plants plus mini sword and with the big oak screwed to a chopping board 😀 less wood this time to allow more swimming space for fish.  Just 12 hours old.


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## Paulthewitt (30 Dec 2020)

That hardscape looks really nice.
I think a square and lidded aquarium is tough from looking around to scape. Y to get looks really natural- you can imagine some pond or steam in a Forrest somewhere looking that way


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## Simmo (30 Dec 2020)

Hi Paul, thanks for the kind words, yeah trying to find and then get vertical wood to fit was a challenge, but the space dictated the tank shape and I thought it needed vertical elements to achieve the look in my minds eye. Overall I’m really pleased, just need to get it settled and start stocking👍😀


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## Simmo (9 Jan 2021)

So this is how I held down the big oak - might be useful for anyone else who wants to put in bits of vertical wood.  The chopping board is from Ebay, it's 10mm thick so that it's thick enough to countersink the three screws that hold the wood to it so there's no chance of scratching the glass or putting pressure on the glass via the screwheads. I put it on a thin layer of gravel and then put gravel on the board to weight it down and used Tropica soil as a cap and for the rest of the substrate.


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## Simmo (9 Jan 2021)

An update on how it's going, any constructive thoughts appreciated, I'm pretty happy at the moment

A reminder this is a foraged hardscape tank, local fallen oak, stones from local waters and the 'roots' are heather stems from the moors.

Water quality
A month in, the tank has been fed with fish food every day (fishless), the filter is standard Juwel internal Bioflow M. I introduced some filter wool from an established tank to the filter plus a bioboost sachet that came with it and also changed the lower sponges out for sintered glass media, I'm testing daily and I have the following

Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0.  Not 100% convinced it's cycled as no nitrate but I have proceeded to stocking anyway.
GH was about 1, so I've brought it up to about 6 using Seachem Equilibrium, after reading that plants and fish would benefit.
Tapwater pH is about 7.5 (and obviously v. soft) and the tank now is I think about 6.5 but hard to tell as the test kit only goes that low; I'm assuming this is the Tropica soil bringing it down?
The oak is releasing tannins and the water colours up after a day, no problem as far as I'm concered, water changes are 20% every 2 days. 
I've thrown in a couple of beech leaves as I like the look, be interesting to see how they mature/degrade

Fish
First in were the sad refugees from my kids tank, most of the fish in the tank had died over time and not been replaced and all that was left was

1 Sterbai cory
1 Peppered cory
1 Neon tetra
1 glow tetra

These guys were fine for a week or so in the new tank but all of them deserve some company. Originally I was going to have a shoal of harlequin rasboras but took pity on my lone neon (that schools with the lone glow) and bought 20 juv neons to keep them company (hoping the glow will school with them). I may try and give away the corys as I don't want 10+ corys, the plan is to have a pair of apistogramma at the bottom and a pair of honey gouramis at the top.

20 juv neons (Riverpark was the Scottish Ebay seller closest to me - very good packaging, 19 survived transport, some duck weed in the bags but hey ho) 

Plants

Plants wise things are OK, a bit of long wispy (hair?) algae on some of the wood and the Java fern but it cleaned off OK
Lights are standard Juwel LED I have them on 9-11 in the morning and 5-9 at night

x5 Mixed Cryps have melted and are regrowing
Short sword at the front is OK, I think it might need more light than my setup has to thrive but we'll see
Java fern have grown a lot! I guess the nutrients from the Tropica soil have leached into the water and they're soaking them up!
Vallis is not doing much, it was shaded by wood so I've helped it to get more light, I was concerned it was not getting flow but on reflection see it's waving gently so should be OK
Java moss has gone dark (t was very bright green at first) and  thought it was dying but I think it's probably just adapting? I can see what looks like fresh green tips (I think!)
Eleocharis Vivipara has gone crazy and was a unruly mess but now I like the feature it's made wrapped around the vertical wood and with the wisteria below
x5 water wisteria to provide some gourami cover (when they go in)
I've ordered x2 Amazon sword but not sure I need them now, there are a couple of bare areas in the back corners I thought they'd go 

Think that's about it, take care everyone 
Cheers
Dave


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## GHNelson (9 Jan 2021)

Simmo said:


> Had a wood floating disaster on the first attempt that nixed all the substrate, was away for 2 weeks and left it during which time yhe Java fern went bananas and the moss died back. Now cleaned out and replanted with same plants plus mini sword and with the big oak screwed to a chopping board 😀 less wood this time to allow more swimming space for fish.  Just 12 hours old.


You could also use slate tiles!


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## Simmo (9 Jan 2021)

Yes absolutely I think almost anything flat would do 👍


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## Simmo (11 Jan 2021)

I was frustrated that the photos I was taking with my compact camera or phone were pretty crumby and found the video in the Photography thread by Nigel95 a big help. I don't have all the equipment he has or the skill and patience but at least I can get photo that looks more like the tank actually looks. Still far from perfect but it's a start. Have increased water changes to 40% every 2 days. The water sprite is flying in circles around the tank, not sure if it'll damage it so am thinking of anchoring it.


View attachment DSC_0001.JPG


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## Simmo (14 Jan 2021)

I was unhappy with the large piece of wood covering the filter as it did not tie in well with my centrepiece trunk on the left and also seemed to be quite friable, releasing debris whenever I touched it and harbouring whispy algae.
I had a bit of foraged oak trunk left but did not want to install the whole piece as it would take up too much fish swimming space and because it was still not waterlogged could cause a big mess to install so i decided to cut it down the centre using one of the flat backed pieces to obscure the filter. This would mean less wood so less buoyancy and less aquarium space.
The sawing took over a hour and at times like this I really did wonder why I made life difficult for myself when I could buy characterful wood at my local aquarium shops! I got there eventually and again was impressed by how solid the heartwood is despite the external appearance and evidence of old activity by wood boring inverts.
Using another bit of my Ebay chopping board to help anchor it, stones and sand were used to on it to keep it down.
The top is cut flat so I am trying to obscure with Java fern and, maybe moss later, unfortunately it has to end short of the surface so the blummin Juwel filter inlet isn't blocked. 
I left a bit of space between the wood and the filter housing so hopefully it won't trap any inquisitive fish but will need to keep an eye on it.
I hate messing with hardscape once the aquarium is set up, stuff floating everywhere, plants, detritus, you name it. Hopefully it'll be worth it.
Tank photo to follow at lights on this evening! (I'm excited even if no-one else is )


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## Simmo (14 Jan 2021)

Lights, action! Still pretty murky after the disturbance today and you can see the fresh tannins too. It'll take me a while to adjust to the look but with a bit more plant obscuring of the new wood/filter I think it'll work OK. Next steps are to fill that lovey crack with some moss of some description and pin on some epiphytes - any low tech easy plant suggestions?

I'm pleased with the Amazon swords, they add a lot of volume to the planting, next stage will be to add some red plants to highlight the vertical wood focal point on the left - hence my query about red epiphytes and moss.

My water sprite is just hanging in there after a battering from the surface current; I've added a floating heather stick and that's anchored it for now but need a better solution.

Neons are in for a treat tonight, woke up some brine shrimp for tea!  

Cheers
Dave


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## Karmicnull (14 Jan 2021)

Love the way this is going.  The Oak-pebbles combination makes it refreshingly different from a lot of Redmoor / Azalea tanks.


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## Simmo (14 Jan 2021)

Karmicnull said:


> Love the way this is going.  The Oak-pebbles combination makes it refreshingly different from a lot of Redmoor / Azalea tanks.


Thanks, it feels a bit chaotic just now but I’m having fun..some of the time 😂


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## Simmo (14 Jan 2021)

So I had a quick look at your posts @Karmicnull and you suggested a good idea for holding floaters, a bit of air tube and suckers so I've done that and the new wood now has a halo of water sprite that also hides the cut end - result, thanks!

Now I'd like some floaters around the top of the bigger wood, it breaks the surface so no problem there but it looks naked without something.... not water sprite though a different species ...


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## mort (15 Jan 2021)

Try some amazon frogbit around the wood. It's a larger species, so easy to control, and it has an impressive root structure that fish love. Due to the size of the leaves it also stays on the waters surface unlike some smaller floaters (at least in my brothers lido).


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## Simmo (15 Jan 2021)

mort said:


> Try some amazon frogbit around the wood. It's a larger species, so easy to control, and it has an impressive root structure that fish love. Due to the size of the leaves it also stays on the waters surface unlike some smaller floaters (at least in my brothers lido).


Thanks, I nearly bought some last night but bottled! Ebay seems full of the stuff. I’ll give it a whirl thanks for the suggestion 👍😀


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## Simmo (15 Jan 2021)

Hi Folks,
I’m not getting much growth from these short sword I planted 3 weeks ago and a lot of bare Tropica soil between. I have heard you can make a carpet of Java moss? Could the moss go directly on the substrate or would it need to be anchored to an object? Any other suggestios for filling the gaps?


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## Veridius (15 Jan 2021)

the oak is fantastic. you'd pay a lot of money buying hardscape that looks like that! Are you planning on keeping the natural tint to the water? I think it helps accentuate the tetras


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## Simmo (15 Jan 2021)

Veridius said:


> the oak is fantastic. you'd pay a lot of money buying hardscape that looks like that! Are you planning on keeping the natural tint to the water? I think it helps accentuate the tetras


Thanks, I’ll be truthful, I crave a crystal clear tank as I’ve never had one so although the tannins are interesting just now In the longer term I’ll be happy to see the back of them. Or maybe not,.. 😀


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## mort (15 Jan 2021)

You can just leave the moss on the substrate if flow allows or tie some to rocks which makes it easy to control. I would however give the short sword (which looks like Lilaeopsis brasiliensis - Tropica Aquarium Plants ) some time to settle. It tends to be slow to settle down and then begins to creep faster when it's put down roots. You could move it closer together creating a tighter carpet and use moss in the darker areas. This would allow the lilaeopsis time to grow into the lighter area and you can move some of the moss easily enough, if it spreads into the space.


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## PARAGUAY (15 Jan 2021)

You can tie moss to flat pebbles and spread them out in desired area


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## Paul Kettless (16 Jan 2021)

Very refreshing to see this tank, I love the look and that oak is lovely.


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## Simmo (16 Jan 2021)

mort said:


> You can just leave the moss on the substrate if flow allows or tie some to rocks which makes it easy to control. I would however give the short sword (which looks like Lilaeopsis brasiliensis - Tropica Aquarium Plants ) some time to settle. It tends to be slow to settle down and then begins to creep faster when it's put down roots. You could move it closer together creating a tighter carpet and use moss in the darker areas. This would allow the lilaeopsis time to grow into the lighter area and you can move some of the moss easily enough, if it spreads into the space.


Hi, thanks for the suggestions, Tge micro sword was sold as Lileopsis mauritius, honestly I would not know the difference! I’m a bit loathe to disturb it in case it sets it back and also as it was right fiddle to plant...I like the idea of filling the gaps with moss..I’m maybe being impatient, when I look back they were pretty runty little seedlings so they have grown and I just need to be patient...cheers 👍


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## Simmo (16 Jan 2021)

PARAGUAY said:


> You can tie moss to flat pebbles and spread them out in desired area


Thanks yes I’ve seen this done and it looks good and easy to move/remove, good suggestion, thanks! 👍


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## Simmo (16 Jan 2021)

Paul Kettless said:


> Very refreshing to see this tank, I love the look and that oak is lovely.


Thanks for the compliment, much appreciated. 👍


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## Simmo (16 Jan 2021)

Developing the idea of holding the floaters in position this sucker that came with a brine shrimp kit holds a heather twig that keeps the water sprite where I want it and keeps a natural look


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## Simmo (17 Jan 2021)

This is what we see slumping on the sofa watching Star Trek Discovery (or Married at First Sight Australia depending on who's choosing ). I like it a lot from this angle it all seems to fit; the plants, the sand, rocks, oak and heather shoots and leaves (except it needs moss on the top of the sawn oak...) and the tannins make for a groovy depth effect


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## Simmo (3 Feb 2021)

Working away from home for weeks at a time has disadvantages, being away from home 2 weeks out of 5 means the tank gets neglected, Mrs Simmo will do a couple of small water changes, feed the fish and dose TNC once a week but she works hard and has little time so I knew I was coming back to an algal when she sent me this photo of algae on the frogbit roots and by the time I got home it had spread about the tank that was choked and almost stagnant with very little flow. Next time I'm away think I'll leave off the fine filter wool from the filter.





So I cut off the frogbit roots, and did a 50% water change, cleaned the filter sponges and media in tank water and had a general tidy up. More work to do, some of the java ferns are covered in BBA-like tufts and there is hair algae on many surfaces including the Amazon swords. I'm changing TNC dosing from 20ml/week to 5ml per day after reading something about it in George Farmers book and coincidentally I've ordered and fitted the 1000lph powerhead in place of the 600.




The area of short sword has not thrived since I planted it nd it is now coated in algae so after asking for advice I'm removing it and will add some Crypts to this area, I think with another stone with some moss glued on. Speaking of which while I was away I'd ordered some more plants, so additional vallis went in more Java moss, a rectangle of Christmas moss and some red Buce - below, Fresh Java fern on order...

View attachment Mesh moss.JPG

I wanted to enhance the focal point of the two vertical pieces of wood so ordered some Bucephalandra red with the idea this would make impact. I tried super glue gel for the first time, gluing the plants to pebbles before adding them to the tank; this has worked well although I can see the white of the glue here and there but a bit of time and growth should obscure it.
View attachment Red on wood.JPG

View attachment Red on rock.JPG
Decided to relocate where the frogbit is gathered by gluing two heather sticks to the top of the oak log; this works really well and I only stuck my fingers together twice   The frogbit is now where I want it.

View attachment Frobit dam 2.JPG

View attachment Frogbit dam.JPG
So hoping that more tidying up and water changes, adding some more plants and encouraging the ones that are already there will give the plants the edge over the algae. Wish me luck!


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## Simmo (3 Feb 2021)

Hope the photos are visible....only the first two display on the post - maybe an upload size limit?


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## Karmicnull (3 Feb 2021)

Simmo said:


> maybe an upload size limit?


Yep - you can still click on them but above a certain limit (somewhere around 10M I think) they don't display.  You can see by seeing if the thumbnail shows when you upload them.


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## Simmo (4 Feb 2021)

Bit of repetition but repeating bits of the last post to show the photos
I wanted to enhance the focal point of the two vertical pieces of wood so ordered some Bucephalandra red with the idea this would make impact. I tried super glue gel for the first time, gluing the plants to pebbles before adding them to the tank; this has worked well although I can see the white of the glue here and there but a bit of time and growth should obscure it. They are very small, the unpredictable nature of Ebay purchases but with stocks from the usual suppliers very low there's no alternative (and some of the plants have been excellent). Fine hair algae on the wood and moss, a combo of snails and a toothbrush plus more water changes needed
View attachment Red on wood.JPG


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## Simmo (5 Feb 2021)

More plants, time and money. I seem to be shoving more and more greenery in to replace the dead or dying stuff. I put in plant, they go stratospheric for a week or two then start decline. Is 6 hours enough light with the standard Juwel set-up? 
Short sword came out and Crypts wendtii went in, while I was there I used some Ebay 'Java' moss that looks like sphagnum to me, to make a rock fall feature with pebbles.
Took out some Java fern that was heavily algaed. Frogbit looks unwell, pale and bruised and browning leaves, maybe the root chopping was too severe.
Got some nice Bucephala, stupidly broke it in to pieces, wish I'd kept it whole but still, a nice splash of vibrant green.
Another 50% water change yesterday, that's 2 in 3 days.
Pleased with how the tank looks in general, hoping for a little bit of stability and plant growth.

General view




Short sword removed, wendtii planted


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## Raws69 (5 Feb 2021)

Hi

im giving some of this (frogbite) away after a weekend trim, if you‘re interested DM me.  Can’t guarantee it’ll be snail free though.


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## not called Bob (5 Feb 2021)

@dw1305 is a advocate among with others of the 12 hour day. I'm only running shorter as the death of flash has seemingly made it hard to reprogram my lights 

Is it the standard rio lights your running?


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## Simmo (5 Feb 2021)

not called Bob said:


> @dw1305 is a advocate among with others of the 12 hour day. I'm only running shorter as the death of flash has seemingly made it hard to reprogram my lights
> 
> Is it the standard rio lights your running?


Everything seemed to say 6 hours max when starting up, I'm 2 months in so maybe time to lengthen the light period? Having just had major algae not sure that's a great plan though!? They're the Juwel Multilux LED, it is a LIDO 200 so 65cm deep, maybe the plants need more as the water is a bit deeper than average? gets a little daylight but not much. Who knows, so many variables....


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## mort (5 Feb 2021)

2 months is still a young tank really. My brother has the same tank and I had to tint the water with alder cones to reduce the light a little because he doesn't have co2 and the light caused the usual problems with algae in the beginning. His tank has been up and running for a couple of years now and it only gets 6 hours a day. I also only run a 6 hour photoperiod on my tanks because I want to balance plant growth vs my dislike of having to prune plants to often. If you have a simple low energy tank without co2 then I don't think you need a long photoperiod but I guess like everything else that's open to debate.


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## dw1305 (5 Feb 2021)

Hi all, 


not called Bob said:


> @dw1305 is a advocate among with others of the 12 hour day


I am, but I've never added carbon or aimed for optimal growth rate. 

I have some experience of running <"the lights continuously as well">.  

cheers Darrel


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## not called Bob (5 Feb 2021)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am, but I've never added carbon or aimed for optimal growth rate.
> 
> ...


Oh sorry, did not see anything about carbon dosing


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## Simmo (6 Feb 2021)

mort said:


> 2 months is still a young tank really. My brother has the same tank and I had to tint the water with alder cones to reduce the light a little because he doesn't have co2 and the light caused the usual problems with algae in the beginning. His tank has been up and running for a couple of years now and it only gets 6 hours a day. I also only run a 6 hour photoperiod on my tanks because I want to balance plant growth vs my dislike of having to prune plants to often. If you have a simple low energy tank without co2 then I don't think you need a long photoperiod but I guess like everything else that's open to debate.


Thanks Mort, yeah for sure 2 months is not long, I’m just after healthy plants and Growth seems the best indicator of that, and by growing the plants are outcompeting algae? As it stands some of them are struggling, even easy plants like Java fern. This is partly because I work away from home 40% of my life and the tank gets neglected and partly because I’ve made mistakes, damaged plants, shaded them hardscape etc.


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## Simmo (6 Feb 2021)

not called Bob said:


> Oh sorry, did not see anything about carbon dosing


Not sure I follow, I don’t add carbon (but maybe this wasn’t meant for me 😀


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## mort (6 Feb 2021)

I think if you are working away then it's probably easier to keep it as simple as possible tbh. Low tech tanks can take a while to mature simply because they don't have the input that a high tech tank does, where you can reach a high plant mass faster, so unless we really pack the plants in a low tech you just have to wait longer. In the long run you should reach a point where it all begins to settle down but we have to go through a initially, highly frustrating, phase first. It sometimes doesn't help when we see other setups and see how successful they have been in a short time, our journeys are different lengths but we get there eventually.

If the frogbit is suffering then it points to an in balance somewhere, which is where the duck weed index can probably help you out.


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## Simmo (6 Feb 2021)

Thanks, great comments Mort, yes the algae was so thick on the very long frogbit roots I had to cut them off so one or both might have affected their health? Fert dosing is now TNC 5 ml daily rather than 20ml once a week. Water is very soft, zero-1GH, pH around 6.0. Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite zero. I’ll check out the duckweed index, sounds like it might be useful, thanks


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## not called Bob (6 Feb 2021)

mort said:


> I think if you are working away then it's probably easier to keep it as simple as possible tbh. Low tech tanks can take a while to mature simply because they don't have the input that a high tech tank does, where you can reach a high plant mass faster, so unless we really pack the plants in a low tech you just have to wait longer. In the long run you should reach a point where it all begins to settle down but we have to go through a initially, highly frustrating, phase first. It sometimes doesn't help when we see other setups and see how successful they have been in a short time, our journeys are different lengths but we get there eventually.
> 
> If the frogbit is suffering then it points to an in balance somewhere, which is where the duck weed index can probably help you out.


also need to remember not all are so honest to show warts and all, some only show the happy days and commit to mention the hair pulling events


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## Simmo (7 Feb 2021)

If yesterday was glass half empty day, today it's half full. Thanks for the encouragement Guys   Last night I was just immersed in looking at the tank, enjoying the antics of the neons that look as happy as I've ever seen fish in my care... now looking forward to 3pm and lights on!
Speaking of warts and all (not called Bob) today was water change, I'm using an old kettle to decant water from an old homebrew bucket (real ale dosing? ) that I fill up in the utility room.  The kettle we've had for decades, since we had a solid fuel Rayburn, all the hefting of water is a half decent work out - at least for my right arm and it holds a decent amount, the spout means you can control the pouring.
Mixing the water still has room for improvement, the taps are an awkward design to get adaptors for and the Hozelock fittings I've bodged together, have a habit of spraying water everywhere. Waddling through the house with 25 litres of water in a bucket is not great for the lower back either and I'm sure the handle will go one of these days. Thinking a tank on wheels would be a good thing...
What works really well is my siphon tube that now runs from the tank straight out of the opened window; not great for any unlucky fish that will end up out in the snowy waste but so far they're all accounted for and no buckets!
Cheers
Dave


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## Karmicnull (7 Feb 2021)

I don't have the courage to empty the water straight out.  My syphon diligence is too poor. It goes into a bucket first and a shrimp search happens before the water is thrown out.  So far three shrimp have been spotted and rescued at that point!


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## Simmo (7 Feb 2021)

Karmicnull said:


> I don't have the courage to empty the water straight out.  My syphon diligence is too poor. It goes into a bucket first and a shrimp search happens before the water is thrown out.  So far three shrimp have been spotted and rescued at that point!


Yeah it’s always a risk although I’ve no shrimp. My siphon has a gravel cleaning tube so there is some residence time for me to react before they'd disappear up the tube!


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## Simmo (9 Feb 2021)

On the one hand 14 inches of snow outside, and a forecast -10, on the other an artificial cube of tropical South American plants and fish survives on the knife edge of 21st century tech. It’s bonkers isn’t it?


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## Simmo (16 Feb 2021)

A wee update, all going fairly well really. Some whispy algae but manageable and I like it on the Java ferns. I think the weathered wood might be releasing a lot of organic stuff into the water; when I brush algae off with a toothbrush plumes of fine 'sawdust' billow off. Might be an algae risk.

Can't get frogbit to thrive, it disintegrates within a day or two and if I confine it, it starts to pile up in the flow and rot. I got some fab frogbit from Raws69 in return for a donation but it has not thrived. I am left with a few larger plants that seem able to survive so that's fine for now.

Got some Anubias nana by post, one plant was great and I'm trying it as semi-submerged, the other two were frozen in the post and although I tried to resuscitate them I fear they are past saving.

The alleged Java moss, front centre continues to brown, maybe it'll do something or maybe it really is sphagnum and I've been diddled!

Fish are thriving, the very young neons are growing well and they are all coloured up beautifully and get very excited at the prospect of food. I am thinking I'll now have only neons, having owned loads of species I’ve come full circle and really appreciate their behaviours and colour, seeing their confidence in a shoal of 15, I reckon  a bigger group would be even better and I fancy trying to breed them down the line too.

Cheers
Dave





Sad Anubias nana


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## Simmo (19 Feb 2021)

Bit chuffed today, as an experiment and to add to the surface interest I’d glued Anubias  to this heather stem. The water level usually covers the roots. The shape of the plant meant tge leaves were pointing down and I was hoping for new growth upward and today I got it! 3 or 4 new leaves emerging. Two do have holes, some sort of nutrient deficit?


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## Simmo (20 Feb 2021)

Simmo said:


> Bit chuffed today, as an experiment and to add to the surface interest I’d glued Anubias  to this heather stem. The water level usually covers the roots. The shape of the plant meant tge leaves were pointing down and I was hoping for new growth upward and today I got it! 3 or 4 new leaves emerging. Two do have holes, some sort of nutrient deficit?


Gutted it was just frogbit 😂


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## Simmo (23 Feb 2021)

The plan is to get a pair of Apistos once things have settled down and I've read of their love of caves. There 's one already made of stones but I wanted to try and use an offcut from the oak that I've been marinating in a bucket outside to make a wooden one.  I drilled lots of holes in the wood to about 2/3 of it's length and then removed the sharp bits inside with a chisel. The other end is sawn and I sort of hacked at that a bit to disguise the clean cut end but want to attach some moss in time to obscure it. Not ideal for the tank composition but fish first and better with a couple of java fern obscuring the entrance! Of course the apistos will almost certainly ignore it....

Threw in some more beech leaves from the hedge yesterday, these are really interesting, the ones that have been in for a month or so are as fresh looking as the day they went in. No algae seems to form on them and they are really slow to rot. I quite like the look although the neons seem unimpressed


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## Simmo (24 Feb 2021)

A decently large clean-up of some algae of which there was a lot  (wispy beardy stuff I have been spoiling the fish with too much food) and some fresh water gave me the opportunity to re-site the Apisto's log/cave, a bit less conspicuously out of place now although it looks like something artificial you'd buy in a pet shop!  The current also herds all my beech leaves into a corner, defeating my best attempts at a 'natural' arrangement!

Plants seem generally OK, the Amazon frogbit is finally thriving or at least surviving, perhaps due to a change in TNC complete dosing from weekly to daily? Interesting that the Frogbit does not survive as small plants of 3 or 4 leaves but does OK as larger plants. Discuss....maybe the small ones just get battered in the current? My efforts to restrain it were successful but it seemed to attract stagnation and algae so the big ones swirl around the merry-go-round which I really enjoy watching! They look like weird space entities with their dangling roots. 

The Anubias nana that I received in a frozen state died and the rhizome rotted so I asked the vendor for replacements which they sent - points to them. This is looking OK on the oak upright on the right.

The' Java Moss' that wasn't Java moss I was mis-sold on Ebay has all died or was on the way out so I've removed the remains. The only moss I now have is the Java on gauze growing on the oak top right so would really like some more but none available from reputable suppliers.


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## Simmo (5 Mar 2021)

More plants for the foreground yesterday courtesy of a generous forum member and a lovely load of moss too. Thank you. I'm really pleased with the way the foreground is now fleshed out.
My mind is turning to fish. A top up of neon to bring them up to 20, a pair of Apistogramma borelli opal and something up top. Still not sure about marbled hatchetfish....would complete the picture but erring towards honey gourami


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## Simmo (9 Mar 2021)

Week 9ish I think and time seemed right to add some more animal life. I fancied trying shrimp and settled on Amanos for their algae eating credentials and their size. The 5 amigos come from a hard water area so I acclimatised them for about 3 hours with a drip siphon and then lobbed them in with a net. They are big, I expected 1 inch  but these guys must be nearly full size, about 2” and I was a little tempted to make them into an omelette. Lights out today in the hope they’ll chill out and survive the coming days and weeks. I’ve calcium blocks and cuttle bone ordered to add to the tank that’ll hopefully help meet exoskeletal calcium requirements. 
Exciting times...


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## Simmo (10 Mar 2021)

The Amanos have wasted no time, 24 hours in and one has moulted, maybe two, two are feeding and being generally nonchalant and one is missing in action.
I am a bit concerned theres not much substrate as they clearly love the sand but then again the algae is on my wood and plants


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## Paul27 (10 Mar 2021)

You keep making progress and keeps getting better and better. Really like what you have done with it. How tall is the tank?


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## Courtneybst (10 Mar 2021)

Simmo said:


> The Amanos have wasted no time, 24 hours in and one has moulted, maybe two, two are feeding and being generally nonchalant and one is missing in action.
> I am a bit concerned theres not much substrate as they clearly love the sand but then again the algae is on my wood and plants
> View attachment 164579View attachment 164580



Just so you know, those aren't Amano shrimp. They're bamboo shrimp. Very different species.


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## Simmo (10 Mar 2021)

Thanks I did wonder about their stripes, am I in for a nasty surprise?


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## Courtneybst (10 Mar 2021)

Simmo said:


> Thanks I did wonder, am I in for a nasty surprise?



No, they're just as peaceful but they won't eat algae. They filter food particulates from the water column.


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## Simmo (10 Mar 2021)

Thanks, a bit peeved but that's Ebay for you, looking fwd to when we can go back to a shop and say ‘I want that one’!. Still, they are pretty cool and have captured the family's attention more than any fish I’ve had! Cheers


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## Simmo (20 Apr 2021)

Paul27 said:


> You keep making progress and keeps getting better and better. Really like what you have done with it. How tall is the tank?


Hi Paul, 
Thanks, sorry I missed this, the tank is 71 wide and 65 tall (including frame).Need long arms - which mine aren't, I need to stand on the sofa above and reach down....


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## Simmo (20 Apr 2021)

Blimey, been a while since I updated this. It's actually all been really good! The tank seems to me to have settled and reached some kind of ecological balance with algae at an acceptable level and continuing good water quality, healthy livestock and plants that are growing pretty well by my standards (I have killed all plants pretty quickly in the past...). The oak has settled too, aided perhaps by more grazers it seems to stay clean and it's surface is less friable and algae-prone. The leaf litter is great, I just throw in a handful of pre-soaked oak or beech leaves and let them rot in the tank, they look natural and provide cover and feeding surfaces.

Plant wise the only addition is a bulb for a lily, _Nymphaea stellata_ that despite appearances has finally sprouted. I intend to grow the leaves to the surface just to see what it's like and if it'll flower. The other plants are all fine, 5ml of TNC complete daily has made a big difference IMO.  I'm really chuffed with the Java moss on the oak (Pic below somewhere), this is the sort of natural look I wanted when I started off and it's remarkable that the moss you see here has grown from a couple of tiny 5mm strands, all that was left after the initial melt back when I set the tank up. Lesson for me is be patient! The Vallis has finally got a chance to grow after I fitted a spraybar.  Juwel in their wisdom do not offer one so the Vallis was being battered to a pulp by the powerhead so I bought a Fluval bar and plumbed it in, then drilled the holes out to reduce the flow. The Frogbit is rampant and unfortunately I have lost the battle with duckweed imported with fish. In the hoto I have just scooped out some Frogbit and cut the roots on the rest to get the flow going again, a tricky balance, next time I might just remove ore and leave the roots on the remainder alone.

Livestock is complete as of today. On the Invert front the 5 free bamboo shrimps that I received when I ordered Amanos seem to be thriving, they forage on the bottom and fan in equal measure and I turkey baste some baby shrimp food at them from time to time. I'd rather have two than five but hey. I added a couple of tiny cuttle bones and my GH is about 3, hopefully with dietary calcium all will continue OK, they are moulting OK just now.  After complaining to the bamboo vendor I eventually got 6 Amanos for free, and these guys are a hoot - they are really cheeky food thieves and great to watch although I have no idea how many I have now, at least 3, probably more. Oh and I added some really cool red ramshorn snails.

As of today after much deliberation I bought the last fish at my LFS consisting of a pair of Apistos - maybe borelli, maybe not and four honey gourami, that might be 1 male and 3 females. I did want hatchet fish on one level but the jumping put me off and the Gourami are attractive, characterful wee souls with good colour (just from the wrong continent)! Add that to the 16 neons and the 2 geriatric corys on retirement leave and the stocking is done. 

Cheers
Dave


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## Simmo (26 May 2021)

A bit of a rescape. I liked my layout but reading about design I realised there was no clear water front to back and introducing this would add depth. In theory! 
in area 1 i removed the swords providing open water, adding a low wooden arch with Microsorum windelov attached. On the exposed substrate i planted two tubs of H tenellum, deciding to not tease them out as this never works for me, but planting whole pots and hoping it’ll spread in time.  In Area 2 I cut down the oak by two thirds to open up the corner and planted Myrophyllum mattogrossense and Schismatoglottis prietoi. In Area 3 the upright wood was removed entirel and swords from the middle replanted with more Scismatoglottis and my Stellata bulb. I’m pleased overall, some detail yet to do but the worst of the turbid mess has gone and I’ve achieved the depth I was looking for. 
its kind of a reverse to the norm, there is a ridge of crypts and rocks at the front dipping to a ‘lawn’ at tge back! Fish and shrimp seem happy so that's a bonus...


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## Simmo (26 May 2021)

a couple more pics, I like the left hand mossy wood and new plants and the arch/stick in the open water/middle


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## Simmo (8 Jun 2021)

Male Apistogramma borellii in full colour posing for food! What a cracker! 😀


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## James53 (7 Sep 2021)

Thanks for your time doing all this. Love your tank, inspirational.


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## Garuf (7 Sep 2021)

Simmo said:


> Male Apistogramma borellii in full colour posing for food! What a cracker! 😀


I just ordered a pair, I'm hoping mine turn out to be as pretty.


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## Simmo (8 Sep 2021)

Garuf said:


> I just ordered a pair, I'm hoping mine turn out to be as pretty.



The male is still as lovely, tge female has vanished while I was away and I fear the worst 😪


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## Simmo (17 Nov 2021)

Some evolution. The oak’d had its day, it was rotting in the substrate and a magnet for my BBA outbreak. I was dreading removing it because it has a chopping board screwed to the base buried in Tropica soil so the mushroom cloud was gonna be big. It went OK, and I found a nice bit of wood in my store to replace it with. Lots of vegetation has gone too either with BBA or to make some space for new ones. So far so OK, the wood is not floating, I like the shape and the inmates have survived. Lots of water changes to keep the particulates down, or at least reduce them a bit. 

Old




New


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## Simmo (17 Nov 2021)

Well at least theres one happy punter. Unlike the old stuff the new wood is not tall enough to be in the flow from the spraybar so I’ve set up an Aquael circulator to point at the top of it 😀 You can see the water diffuser top left


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## Simmo (21 Nov 2021)

Starting to settle, doing bits and bobs each day to rescape the detail, still removing small amounts of BBA, the epiphytes have taken a real hammering, some were too far gone to keep, all my Buce were consumed and much of the Anubis, quite a downer, but on the bright side the newly planted Altanathera has started growing. 
Water is still full of particulates, hoping it will clear soon. Someone on here gave me good advice when I was just starting this tank a year ago to keep it simple given I work away half the time; should’ve taken it! 😂


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## Simmo (10 Oct 2022)

Coming up to 2 years since I set this low tech up, had a few setbacks and learnings aplenty but basically  it’s still going and I still have (some) plants which is definitely an improvement on past form! Had many of the usual blights, BBA was a notable plant disaster (although I now deliberately keep some on rocks) and a bacterial infection that killed most of my neons and prized Apisto. It could do with a few more plants now I think, the robust ones have survived like Echinodorous and crypts and I remain the biggest fan of Java ferns - fabulous all rounder! Hope you’re all well. Cheers!


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## Simmo (Yesterday at 4:17 PM)

The BBA I had about a year ago really trashed the original design as so many plants were wiped out and much of the original wood was beyond saving or had simply become rotten with time.  I also lost a lot of neons to NT disease and my Apistos succumbed too.
It’s been a slow road back and for months I was pretty despondent about the tank and considered starting afresh. In the end following some good advice on plants here and the introduction of some new fish I’ve found my aquarium mojo again! Still a way to go but I’m enjoying it again.
 I think there’s a lot to be said for trying to salvage and improve a mature set up. A fresh start is tempting because it all looks so new and clean but then the inevitable setbacks of a maturing tank are largely absent from a stable, mature one and there is no doubt it is more akin to nature with its plethora of bugs and algae, which must benefit the fish and shrimp? That’s my theory anyway!


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## dw1305 (Yesterday at 8:17 PM)

Hi all,


Simmo said:


> I think there’s a lot to be said for trying to salvage and improve a mature set up. A fresh start is tempting because it all looks so new and clean but then the inevitable setbacks of a maturing tank are largely absent from a stable, mature one and there is no doubt it is more akin to nature with its plethora of bugs and algae, which must benefit the fish and shrimp?


I think that, basically <"_good things come to those who wait_">. Have a look at <"Seasoned Tank Time"> and Stephan Tanner also talks about stability in <"Aquarium biofiltration">.

cheers Darrel


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## MichaelJ (Today at 4:42 AM)

dw1305 said:


> I think that, basically <"_good things come to those who wait_">.


By that I take it you mean waiting for our tanks to mature... There is a lot wisdom in that. And the more right you get it from the get go, the shorter that wait will take!

Cheers,
Michael


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