# Lianko



## rawr (19 Apr 2009)

I've got a new account, and that means a new journal is in order! 

*Tank:* 35l (50x25x30cm)
*Lighting:* 14w T8
*Heater:* 50w (set to 22Â°C)
*Filtration:* Fluval 105










You can see the substrate consisting of ADA Aqua Soil Malaya and a Bright Sand/Graded Gravel/Seiryu Stone foreground. The hardscape is a peice of bogwood from eBay.

This aquascape was planted a few days ago. I'll post some photos of it tomorrow along with the planned regime.


----------



## samc (19 Apr 2009)

ahh is this the one with some of them crypts i sent you   
look foward to seeing it 
oh any why the new account?


----------



## Garuf (19 Apr 2009)

Nice, similar to what I'm planning with the wood I collected in the peak district. Keep up the good work.


----------



## TDI-line (20 Apr 2009)

Nice layout.


----------



## rawr (20 Apr 2009)

A massive thanks for your comments! 


			
				samc said:
			
		

> ahh is this the one with some of them crypts i sent you


 It is indeed. 





			
				samc said:
			
		

> oh any why the new account?


 The old one was a bit of a mess and registered on an old email. I thought a fresh start would be nice.


----------



## Steve Smith (20 Apr 2009)

You can change stuff you realise, like email address etc.  Under "User Control Panel" go to Profile, then edit your account settings (on the left).


----------



## rawr (20 Apr 2009)

SteveUK said:
			
		

> You can change stuff you realise, like email address etc.  Under "User Control Panel" go to Profile, then edit your account settings (on the left).


 Yeah, as I said the old account was a mess and I just fancied a change.  

The plants I have used are: 


_Cryptocoryne Parva_
_Cryptocoryne Petchii_
_Cryptocoryne Nevelli_
_Cryptocoryne Wendtii_
_Cryptocoryne Undulata_

This is how I came up with the name Lianko; these plants come from Sri Lanka. You never know, this aquascape might turn out to be a biotope.





There has been no dosing for the first week, just a 50% water change every other day. The light are on for six hours to reduce â€˜_Crypt_ meltâ€™ (which I have noticed a bit of) and allow the plants to settle. It's going to need a long time to fill out.

As usual, all comments are appreciated!


----------



## George Farmer (20 Apr 2009)

Hi Thomas

I like the idea of the open substrate, leading to the wood and planting.  I can see this layout has a lot of potential.  I love the idea of a biotope too, and the aquascape's name.

I do have a couple of observations for you regarding the layout and composition.

I feel that the relatively angular and jagged small pieces Seiryu stone are at odds with the smooth round gravel grains.  I think it may look better without the Seiryu at all, and maybe use larger pebbles to compliment the gravel and sand, that looks great BTW.

I like the bogwood but feel it doesn't add much to the composition. I understand it's useful as a barrier/transition to the planting, but as it stands I think the aquascape may mature into something that lacks real depth.  The crypts will mature into a wall of plants and look great, but anticipate the midground may lack real interest.

I hope that helps in some way and look forward to seeing this develop.


----------



## rawr (20 Apr 2009)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> I feel that the relatively angular and jagged small pieces Seiryu stone are at odds with the smooth round gravel grains.  I think it may look better without the Seiryu at all, and maybe use larger pebbles to compliment the gravel and sand, that looks great BTW.


 Hi George, first of all thanks for the advice.  I understand what you mean about the stone, don't think their colour does too much for the aquascape either. I might remove them and get some pebbles as you said.

The idea of the foreground is to replicate the peat substrate found in Sri Lanka. 





			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> I like the bogwood but feel it doesn't add much to the composition. I understand it's useful as a barrier/transition to the planting, but as it stands I think the aquascape may mature into something that lacks real depth. The crypts will mature into a wall of plants and look great, but anticipate the midground may lack real interest.


 The bogwood doesn't have much significance to be honest, it was just something to add a bit more texture. I'll wait until the aquascape matures a little and then start moving plants around to create a more pleasant composition, the bogwood might come out then too.


----------



## rawr (23 Apr 2009)

The Seiryu Stone has been removed. I did purchase some pebbles, although they didn't look right (too light in colour).

I'm cutting back on water changes to just three times a week. I also started dosing 0.5ml of TPN+ and 0.5ml of liquid carbon this afternoon.


----------



## rawr (20 May 2009)

I haven't been as regular on here lately due to exams and this journal has suffered because of that. 

However, in saying that nothing much as happened. I added some more plants from Clark and have kept the conditions the same to prevent melt (still 0.5ml of each TPN+ and Easy Carbo, six hours of light and regular water changes). 

There hasn't been much growth that I've noticed, the plants are probably establishing their root system. I'm pretty sure that some of the plants have increased in size though.

Next week will be the seventh week since set up. I will be upping the dosing to 1ml of each and eight hours of light. See how that goes. 

There will be photos tomorrow!


----------



## George Farmer (20 May 2009)

Looking forward to it, Thomas.


----------



## rawr (20 May 2009)

I'm still not the pest photographer, but this was the best out of the bunch. I also added a black background, not attached to the aquarium but tacked to the wall, hopefully to give more depth. I will be removing the stems within the next couple of weeks, hopefully the other plants should have taken hold by then and algae won't have a chance.

As always, comments and such welcome, I'd be interested to hear what you think.


----------



## aaronnorth (20 May 2009)

I like this tank, but the wood is very distracting for me, i would prefer just to see the graded substrate, 

i find using aperture priority @ f/3.5 with ISO400 helps me to take the best pictures. It chooses a shutter speed which will get you (hopefully) the correctly exposed pictures. Tripod is essential, and i used to use a table with extendable legs befor i got a tripod  

Anything will help though, pile up some books if need be


----------



## rawr (20 May 2009)

Thanks for the feedback Aaron, see what you mean about the wood. I'm reluctant to remove it at the moment though, it might not be as visible once the plants take over and I dont' want to remove it in case I muck up the whole tank. I'll see how ti goes for now, I dont' find it as prominent in the flesh.

I don't have a clue what any of that means!  I just use a standard digital camera that has some pre-set settings and I find that the underwater setting looks best. Believe it or not, I was using a tripod for that shot aswell.  I still need to get to grips with that...


----------



## aaronnorth (20 May 2009)

rawr said:
			
		

> Thanks for the feedback Aaron, see what you mean about the wood. I'm reluctant to remove it at the moment though, it might not be as visible once the plants take over and I dont' want to remove it in case I muck up the whole tank. I'll see how ti goes for now, I dont' find it as prominent in the flesh.
> 
> I don't have a clue what any of that means!  I just use a standard digital camera that has some pre-set settings and I find that the underwater setting looks best. Believe it or not, I was using a tripod for that shot aswell.  I still need to get to grips with that...



i saw it was a finepix so assumed it was a bridge camera, but i have just looked and found out they do stretch to compacts too  so maybe you cant change it? Not sure but i know on some of the modern compacts they have a lot more settings now, 

if it was using a tripod, when you clicked the shutter button you may of moved it slightly, see if there is a timer delay, i am pretty sure there will be one, even my Mum's does and it is 6yrs old


----------



## rawr (20 May 2009)

Ah I see, I'll have a look to see if I can fiddle with those settings. It does have a timer, I'll definately use that next time. Thanks for the tips.


----------



## rawr (20 May 2009)

Ok, I've found the settings!

I've set the ISO (whatever that is ) to 400 and high speed shooting = on.

There isn't a setting for apature...

What's the best white balance setting out of these? 

Incandescent
Fluorescent Light -3
Fluorescent Light -2
Fluorescent Light -1
Shade
Fine
Auto

Also, what does exp. compensation mean? It goes up on a scale from -2 to +2, what's the best number to have that on?


----------



## aaronnorth (20 May 2009)

rawr said:
			
		

> Ok, I've found the settings!
> 
> I've set the ISO (whatever that is ) to 400 and high speed shooting = on.
> 
> ...



good old WB, i had no end of trouble getting the correct WB for my tank, as you know, they all come out illuminous green  

i would set your camera up with your tripod so all pics are in the same place, then use every WB setting to compare them. Post them on here or in photography section and i am sure everyone will help out choosing the best setting.
I used to use flourescent setting i think, but having 3 different options may give you better results, however, the auto setting which is probably what you used on the last pic looks pretty accurate in colour representation to me 

-2 = underexposed (darker shots, quicker shutter speed)
+2 = overexposed shots (brighter, slower shutter speed)

how light or dark they are will depend on the amount of light available in the room, somtimes i have to use -2 on mine when it is a bright, sunny day


----------



## rawr (20 May 2009)

Cool, thanks!  I just tried it out, and they come out a bit better, macros in particular come out great.


----------



## rawr (1 Jun 2009)

So it's what, week nine or someting like that? No change really, just aded some more Undulata from our very own Steve but that's it. I'd appreciate some advice on the following.

I still have the Bacopa in there and it's helped to keep back algae - so far not a speck in sight. I'm thinking of upping the TPN+ and Easy Carbo dosing next week from 0.5ml each to 1ml each, do you think this is a good move? I won't be removing the Bacopa for another couple of weeks or so just to be on the safe side.

I have my inlet on the left and outlet on the right. There is a lot of flow on the right, but not very much/low flow to the left of the tank. I have noticed that the right side of the tank looks more filled in/taller than the left. I'm not sure if the plants have grown (although they probably have a little) but this can't just be coincidence can it? Would it be a good idea to swap the inlet/outlet around for a while to equal it out?

As said, I would really appreciate any advice on this so thanks in advance.


----------



## Themuleous (2 Jun 2009)

Adding a bit more ferts cant really hurt, the easy carbo might affect the plants if to much is added, but 1ml in 35lt doesn't sound very much to me really.

Sam


----------



## rawr (2 Jun 2009)

Thanks for the advice mate.  I've had a think and come to the conclusion that 1ml seems a bit too much for this stage of the aquascape, especially considering there's only Crypts. I'll probably increase it to 7.5ml or so though. 

I've also decided to change the inlet/outlet rond the next time I get a chance, it can't just be coincidence that the right side is taller and fuller than the left. 

I'll get some photos up when I get a chance too, not much has changed in the flesh, but when comparing with older photos it probably has!


----------



## sari (7 Jun 2009)

What is the reddy browny crypt at the back? I think the wood isn't going to be a problem once the plants have taken off properly, it could just meld into the scene.


----------



## Superman (7 Jun 2009)

sari said:
			
		

> What is the reddy browny crypt at the back? I think the wood isn't going to be a problem once the plants have taken off properly, it could just meld into the scene.


It's Cryptocoryne Undulata


----------



## rawr (8 Jun 2009)

sari said:
			
		

> What is the reddy browny crypt at the back? I think the wood isn't going to be a problem once the plants have taken off properly, it could just meld into the scene.



It certainly is, from Clark himself.  

I think you're right about the wood, there is already some nice Crypt leaves hanging over it so it's becoming less visible as the scape progresses.


----------



## rawr (24 Jun 2009)

I think it's about time for an update!

On looking at the last photo, I think it's grown quite a bit, which is great! It's starting to evolve into something nice, a bit unruly and maybe taking the 'jungle' side of things a bit too literal but nice nontheless (in my opinion anyways).  

I haven't noticed much root growth or runners but that will probably come in time. The majority of growth has come from above the substrate. There's some tall plants at the front, and not so tall at the back etc but I'll sort that out in time. 

I did slack a little on the dosing side of things for a while but luckily the tank didn't seem to suffer at all! I'm pretty sure some of the plants melted away but that's no big deal. I want to up the dosing to around 7ml of each (TPN+ and Easy Carbo) as well as the lighting to seven hours a day. 

I'll get some photos up later.


----------



## Mark Evans (24 Jun 2009)

rawr said:
			
		

> I'll get some photos up later.



make sure you do   we wana see!


----------



## rawr (25 Jun 2009)




----------



## Mark Evans (25 Jun 2009)

your crypys seem to like it in there!

may i ask what the potted plant is for?....looks like HM? or something?....it was in the last pic too


----------



## aaronnorth (25 Jun 2009)

very nice!


----------



## rawr (25 Jun 2009)

Thanks for the comments, it means a lot! 

It's Bacopa Australis - I put it in there at the beginning to help with excess nutrients but I think it's safe to take it out within the next week or so.


----------



## rawr (22 Jul 2009)

I'm goin through that stage that I usually go through at the moment - hating my aquascape. I always go through this phase and want to rip it down, change it, do whatever. It's just a bit later with this one!    I don't really know why I get this to be honest - anyone else get 'hating aquascape syndrome'?

Anyway, I'm thinking of adding a few plants just to occupy me and give it a bit of a change. Here's what I'm thinking:

Eleocharis
Saggittaria
E. Tennelus
Hygrophila Polysperma

I think they'll be fine with the conditions in my tank, and it will occupy me a bit more, fill up a bit of space and help me to learn by growing and caring for a few more plant species. 

Anyway, I can always remove them at a later date, eh!

I added two Dwarf Yellow Honey Gourami a few weeks ago, just as something to look at. I went to Aquatic Design Centre today and some small Rasboras and Danios really caught my eye - I might go back on Friday to get some (and some Cherry Shrimp).

 I'll post an update in the next week or so. Let me know what you guys think in the meantime!


----------



## aaronnorth (23 Jul 2009)

please stick at it, it is turning out to be a very good aquascape. 
I dont necassarily hate my aquascape, i just dont like a few things, and i will make adjustments until it pleases me.


----------



## rawr (27 Jul 2009)

aaronnorth said:
			
		

> please stick at it, it is turning out to be a very good aquascape.
> I dont necassarily hate my aquascape, i just dont like a few things, and i will make adjustments until it pleases me.



No need to worry, I'm forcing myself to stick with it this time! I don't necessarily hate it either, just get really frustrated with it.

The two Gourami have been removed and five Cherry Barbs in! I went around the local fish shops at the weekend and they all seemed to have Cherry Barbs in so I decided to go for it. They're quite small at the moment but great fish.

I'm gonna start adding a few different plants like I said in the last post. If you have anything spare, please let me know (check out the list above or my post in for sale/buy/swap/etc)!


----------



## George Farmer (27 Jul 2009)

It's an interesting point about not being happy with your aquascape and I had an in-depth discussion with a friend about this recently.

I think to develop as an aquascaper it is almost necessary to never be _entirely_ happy with your work.  If you are then you may run the risk of becoming complacent and stop trying.  

I've dealt with some very experienced people in the hobby who think they know everything there is to know, and are somewhat close-minded to new/different ideas and techniques.  This is a quite sad.  One of the best things about this hobby is that its scope is infinite.  Learn from your (and others') mistakes, and grow as an aquatic gardener and aquascaper.

Personally I admire your patience, Thomas, and it would be a shame to strip it all down after seeing it develop for so long.  

Sometimes all you need are little tweaks here and there to turn a mediocre layout into a brilliant one.  This is particularly appropriate for longer-term layouts.  To some degree as much can be learnt, all be it through different aspects, through seeing a long-term layour mature vs. churning out lots of short-term 'scapes.  

Both 'scaping styles have their benefits and are suited for different individual circumstances.  Not everyone can afford or have the resources and spare time to strip there tank down regularly, of course.

Blimey, I went off on one there!  I hope it makes sense, anyway.    

BTW Cherry barbs are a great choice!


----------



## aaronnorth (27 Jul 2009)

> Blimey, I went off on one there! I hope it makes sense, anyway.



made snese to me  

Interesting, and true point about becoming complacent too.


----------



## rawr (27 Jul 2009)

I agree with what you're saying, George. Hell, I'm surprised at my own patience with this one! At the moment, I'm loving the Crypts, Anbuias, Ferns etc - just because I like them as a plant. I would like to try something a bit more challenging in the future with different plants, techniques etc. Trying and learning new things is definately one of great aspects to this hobby.

It's an interesting subject for sure! 

I haven't actually looked at the tank properly for a few days and bits of it are starting to take shape and grow in nicely. I'm still not sure there's much going on above the substrate (apart from existing leaves etc growing) but I'm sure it'll take off soon. 

I find that's the best cure for 'aquascape frustration'  just dont' look at it for a few days! Then when you do, you can appreciate it.


----------



## TDI-line (27 Jul 2009)

Very nice TM.


----------



## rawr (30 Jul 2009)

This has to be the worst photo ever taken, but a photo nonetheless.





I'm really liking the Cherry Barbs. They are so tame - always getting excited when I'm by the tank and pecking away at my arm when it's in the tank. The males are really persistent in chasing the females too, it's really interesting to watch them interact. So hopefully  we'll have a bit of breeding soon.

I've also added some H.Polysperma, Hydrocotyle Versintacularia (or whatever it's called) floating, and E.Accicularis. Let's see how that goes. I'm also goin to add some Sagittaria and E.Tenellus at some point.

There's still a lot of growing to do but it's getting there, eh? Anyway, comments and critiques very welcome!


----------



## aaronnorth (31 Jul 2009)

Excellent mate


----------



## chump54 (31 Jul 2009)

looking good, whats your plan for the Sagittaria and E.Tenellus?

have you thought about more hardscape? maybe some thin pieces coming up from the crypts? maybe??

Chris


----------



## rawr (31 Jul 2009)

I don't really know to be honest - my plan of action is to just dump it in and see what it does!  The E Tenellus will go towards the front, around the wood and stuff. The Sagittaria will go towards the back and fill in any gaps that are still there. 

I have thought about that in the past  and may experiment in the near future with more hardscape, but at the moment I'm just enjoying the aquascape how it is and letting things mature to see how it goes. 

Thenks for the comments guys!


----------



## Gill (1 Aug 2009)

That is Really Nice Scaping


----------



## rawr (10 Aug 2009)

Thanks Gill 

I've decided this is going to turn into a sort of 'learning aquascape'. I'm just going to put plants in, see what they do etc and this will ultimately create a jungle style scape which is what I want anyway. 

I'm also going to add CO2 injection in the near future. There hasn't been much growth from the Crypts and I want to speed that up. I also think it's about time I took the plunge! This will help with the whole learning thing too. 

Just an update on the Cherry Barbs - they are great fish! They're always chasing each other around, but yesterday I kept the lights on for an extra hour because I was bored and just sat there watching them. I was feeding them freeze dried bloodworms which they go crazy for. I noticed the females were really fat and the males as red as a tomato so I'm hoping there will be some breeding going on. I saw the males properly sparring with each other for the first time and it was great to watch. 

I'll update when I get the CO2 sorted - already bought the drop checker and diffuser so it should be up and running soon. Just a few questions regarding that: 

- I currently dose 5ml of Easycarbo and TPN+ a day. I don't really know what affect it has because I've got nothing to compare it to if you know what I mean. What should I dose (if anything) when I get CO2 injection going? Is it possible not to use EI ferts?


----------



## aaronnorth (10 Aug 2009)

I used TPN+ on my 60litre   3ml per day. I cant believe how much you are dosing on a low tech compared to my 2.7wpg T5 setup  

easycarbo is your choice, not necassary, but it does ensure there is no carbon defficiencies, might be useful while you get the hang of injection rates & distribution.

The crypts may melt back due to a change in CO2 levels, they dont like change just as much as being moved


----------



## rawr (10 Aug 2009)

Ah right, thanks Aaron! I know it's shocking - that's part of the reason why I really want to start injecting CO2, because I'm so jealous of the amazing growth rates that everyone is getting lately.

Good point about the Crypts - I forgot about that. At least with CO2 injection they'll grow back faster though!


----------



## fish.com1 (10 Aug 2009)

The tank is looking nice Tom  

When I had my cherrys, I noticed the males "fighting", and my females were also pretty plump, but it never came to anything  . I didn't have them for a long time though so you never know


----------



## rawr (17 Sep 2009)

This is need of some serious attention! (The journal and tank!)

I've been so preoccupied lately, and haven't dosed the tank in about a month. Everything seems to be alright though! It might be because of high stocking, there's now seven Ember Tetras, five Cherry Barbs and two Peppered Cories dumped in there. I also haven't done a water change for a few weeks, but will do one this weekend and take some photos.

From lookin at the last photo it's a lot more full in there! Since then, I've added some Sagittaria, more H. Polysperma, E Accicularis (although this seems to have dissapeared), Hydrocotyle somethingorother, Java/Weeping moss, more Crypts and Java Fern with loads of floating plantlets!

I'm thinking of having some sort of rescape, but not sure whethere I should just stick with things for the moment.  :? I'll see how things go, but like I said, I'll get a few photos within the next few days.


----------



## rawr (14 Oct 2009)

I just looked over this whole journal and can't believe how much it has changed! Even from the last photo, it looks empty compared to the jungle mess it is now. 

I have seriously been neglecting this - to the point where sometimes I forget I even have an aquarium!   

Here's what's happened since the last major update: 
- Moved the heater to the back
- Added a lot more plants (ages ago) sagittaria, hygrophila cuttings, java ferns - one normal attached to the wood that you can't notice at the back and some narrow floating at the moment, more crypts)

So yeah, I haven't dosed the tank, done a water change - anything apart from feed the fish for at least two months now. Everything seems to be alright, a few dead leaves but the tank is a mess anyway. I don't think there's been any runners but that might just be me not searchign hard enough, although you can see things have grown/filled out a lot. 

I have some free time on Saturday, so I'm going to do the first major prune, attach the floating ferns to wood, remove some plants (possibly) like the Hygrophila, Sagittaria. and just generally have a tidy up. Then it's water change time and I'm going to start dosing again to see what happens. I'm thinking of rehoming some or all of the fish too, just so I can get somethin that'll intrest me more. I might also remove the central peice of wood to allow things to really jungleise, take off and get a bit more room in there. Oh yeah, and get a new light  the current one looks a bit dim to me. 

So yeah, I'll take some before and after photos on Saturday!  That's all for now.


----------



## rawr (17 Oct 2009)

So, here's what I did earlier today:
- Had a trim of the Sag, a couple of dying Crypt leaves, Java Moss (removed the stones because it had attached to the wood) and removed the H. Polysperma (most of it anyway)
- Did a massive water change
- Had a general tidy up
- Started dosing again (0.5ml of each for a week, then increase lighting for the first time to 7 hours and dosing to just below 1ml of each daily)

I still gotta attach a couple of ferns that are currently in a bucket to wood at some point and possibly get a new bulb but that's it. I've also got some Manzi wood brances floating to get them soaked. I think the scape needs them. It's not that apparent in the photo, but there's a U-shaped composition evolving here, I think I'm going to stick with that but see what happens anyway.

It's nothing award winning but I quite like and enjoy it anyway! As usual, not the best photos because I couldn't really be bothered or have time to faff but you get the idea. 

Before...





After!





Comments and critiques more than welcome as always.


----------



## Mark Evans (17 Oct 2009)

I quite like the over hanging wood, and it's rather brave of you to try it.


----------



## rawr (17 Oct 2009)

Thanks Mark, but the wood isn't staying like that. Sorry I didn't make it clear. I'm going to have it poking through the plants and stuff towards the surface supportin the U-shaped composition. 

It's an interesting idea though... The Cherry Barbs seem to like it anyway, swimming in and out of the roots. I remember readin that they live amongst diverse root structures.


----------



## rawr (10 Nov 2009)

Just in case anyone is even a little bit interested, just thought I'd update everyone on the situation with this tank. I seem to be so busy lately, so as ou can guess after my promise of keeping up dosing after the last post it stopped after less than a week. 

Butbutbut.

Last night I spotted a completely new plantlet right at the front of the tank! It's quite bit too so must have popped up quite fast but I don't know how long it's been there - I don't tend to look at the tank too often nowadays. It took long enough eh?  So anyway this has inspired me to keep on top of things, I'll get a photo up soon enough.


----------



## rawr (8 Dec 2009)

I'm astonished at the rate at which the plantlets are growing! I only look at the tank a few times a week, and each time I look the growth is visibly noticable. There's two plantlets - one with three leaves and another with two. I feel like a proud father. 

I'm really enjoying this tank at the moment (well, when I actually get a chance to anyway) and will keep it going for at least another three or four months. I'm going to re-decorate my room in summer of next year though, and I think a nice 60x30x36 opti-white will be on the cards.  8) I'm thinking swords, crypts, anubias, ferns, maybe some moss, low-light/tech. You know the drill.  

Anyway, as I said this will be going for at least another few months. It's great to see things evolve. I'll definately get a photo up by the end of the week, so keep your eyes peeled.


----------



## rawr (20 May 2010)

So this has been going for what? 13 months now. I haven't updated the journal in months so thought it's about time for an update. 

This tank has suffered a log of neglect over the last few months, what with me trying to juggle a full time job, going to college full time and all the rest of life!  (As you've probably noticed from not being as active.) Literally the only thing I have been doin is feeding the fish every once in a while. They obviously suffered because unfortunately they seem to have died  I'm not sure why, but am not suprised. The MTS have grown in numbers and there's still quite a few Cherry Shrimp doing their thing.

Anyway, the tank is looking fantastic. There's quite a bit of algae on the glass, wood ans substrate etc but it all adds to the natural look. I'm really pleased with how it's progressed, having not even had a chance to actually look inside the tank for weeks. 

So I'm going to clean the glass up, give some of the plants a bit of a trim, clean the filter (which I'm not looking forward to at all but it really needs it - hasn't been done since I started up the tank) and just have a general tidy up.  I'll get some photos up some time during next week anyway.  I'm also going to get a few Ottos so help with the algae and restock the tank with (probably) Hengli Rasboras. Having left college now it's time to make a real effort again now that I have the time. Just thought I'd let everyone know how things are going and that the tank is still going strong.

So yeah, hope everything is okay with you guys and keep an eye out for said photos!


----------



## sanj (20 May 2010)

Hmm well over the years ive gone through periods of loosing some interest in the hobby, seemed to be a summer neglect thing. But when i say neglect i mean less interested, not looking at it every day, not trimming as often. Although water changes would only slip to every two weeks and i didnt really lose many fish. Automatic feeders are a great help thats for sure.


----------



## rawr (2 Jan 2011)

Okay so this has been running for what...nearly two years now?! That's a long time. I literally haven't touched the tank for months now, but all seems well apart from the glass being somewhat algae-ridden but it's nicely grown in and everything. I'm planning to give it a tidy up and re-stock it with livestock to give it a kickstart again. I'll upload a few photos when that's done.


----------



## MurphyC (29 Mar 2013)

Not usually one to drag up an old thread, but I would really like to see any updates you may have in this space, I too have a similar setup. I have planted heavily with various crypts, java fern / moss and recently added some dwarf hair grass and amazon sword.


----------

