low tech

Much as you acclimatize new fish into your tank, do you have to do the same for plants? Specifically here I am referring to hardy plants for a low tech - non CO2 tank. The shop has the plants immersed in their water - allegedly pH7. My tank is more acidic, bordering pH6 or even less at times...

Hi Everyone! This is my 90L 60x40x40 Cryptocoryne dominated aquascape. The tank is roughly 2-3 months old right now, things are progressing slowly but recently I have noticed lots of new growth! I'll get this journal started with this photo and post some updates in the near future. Any plant...

I've replaced my two t8 fluorescent tubes to two t8 LEDs . The LEDs say the par is 167 at 20cm. If the LEDs are around 50cm above the substrate level would the par drop off alot? There is two of them so they should be ok for a low tech?

Hi guys, Recently, I've been watching a lot of MD Fish Tanks videos, I think his videos are super entertaining to watch, and I'm incredibly impressed by how he maintains low-tech tank and red plants without many issues or failure that most low tech people have. However, I'm also very skeptical...

Here you can see, on the upper shelf, a series of four tanks which I named "Portugals". Their names from left to right are Branco, Azul, Vermelho & Preto (meaning White, Blue, Red, Black). Each of them is 70 liters net, and faithful to my standard, sandy substrate (0.6-1.2 mm), lighting 10 to 25...

Thought it was a fitting journal title since this is me getting back into setting up a couple of small tanks since moving home and more importantly welcoming our new son into the world (who is now 3 months old). This will just be a bit of a fun Caridina (possibly taiwan bee) breeding project...

I haven't run a tank for around 8 or 9 years as I just didn't have time for the care and maintenance but I missed my planted tanks. Hopefully, with an ultra low tech paludarium, I can get the pleasure without the work! The right hand tank has no filter (bar a small pump that feeds the waterfall...

I don't have a concrete plan yet, but step one: check tank fits is complete (it does just, down to the mm) Tank is 30Wx76Lx31H My very rough plan is currently sticks and crypts on the bottom and emersed out the top Next on the agenda: Attempt removal of black plastic trim Work out how to...

Hi all, For my new tank I'm using 50/50 rain water and tap water with a view to happier plants and stocking some softer water fish. It drops me nicely down from ~330 TDS to ~200 TDS, and most plants appear to be happy (frogbit v. happy). I popped some RCS (20 or so) in, and noticed a few...

I was looking to get back into the hobby but I may be moving soon so didn’t want to set up anything big. I was kind of drawn to the spherical design of the Biorb but realised that it’d be very difficult to grow plants in one due to the filter design. Growing plants successfully was my...

Newbie sharing my second scape progress and welcoming any tips or advice! Tank: 5G Marineland Portrait with false back and internal filter ripped out and an Oase filtosmart 60 added. (mech. sponge, biomedia, filter floss and purigen). Mini 25W heater (non adjustable). ONF flat nano on a time...

Good evening all, first post here! Inspired by YouTube videos, I’m having a crack at a low tech planted bowl. I’m I think the soil in my area should be quite suitable and I fancy the idea of it so I’m approaching it as a bit of an experiment (but one which I hope will have a reasonable chance...

Hi Folks, I'm putting together a 40cm Cube (60L total) which will house a Betta. I'm intending to keep filtration slow and gentle to keep the Betta happy, so will be using a sponge filter. I've not used a sponge filter before so this is an exciting new venture. My question is: will one be...

"Look at me; I design coastlines. I got an award for Norway. Where’s the sense in that? None that I’ve been able to make out. I’ve been doing fiords all my life, for a fleeting moment they become fashionable and I get a major award. In this replacement Earth we’re building they’ve given me...

Was browsing the interwebs and came across a fascinating setup from 'GreyWorm' who looks to be a Korean aquascaper. He (she?) has a planted tank setup with a hole in the "floor" that opens to a deep partially lit cavern. The effect is striking. Anyone given it a try - or brave enough to give...

It's the day off important in the EI schedule? I'm not very consistent with water changes and usually i skip a day of fertiliser with the intention of doing a water changes the next but something comes up and i don't actually do a change until a few days later. That means i end up not dosing for...

Hi, just joined yesterday. I've had tanks for close to 35 years now and have pretty much settled on what methods work for us and our lifestyle; that's low(ish) tech. Not as extreme as the Walstead method, but variations from it, still using it as the base against which alternatives are...

What deficiency might I be looking at for brown holes in old leaves? I bought some Siamensis B potted to add some simple stems to fill a corner and cover a heater but left the plant just sitting in the pot in the aquarium for a couple of months to let it adjust a bit before planting in the...

A brief history to-date. Won a goldfish in a fair as a child. Put it in one of those round goldfish bowls that every house had back in the eighties. Got a second goldfish at another fair and my stepfather managed to source a sensible sized tank (about 90L). We slapped it on top of the...

After planning a large 4x2x2 planted tank with sump system I have now had a change of mind. I’m going to have multiple smaller planted tanks instead! :D This has also meant that I can setup the first one straight away. I have already started ordering everything with a couple of things arriving...

Hi everyone, just a quick message to introduce myself and our tanks. The top tank is my personal tank which is stocked with Crypts, Swords, Java fern and aponogetons. Its got a sand/gravel/pebble substrate and is fertilised using homemade ei salts and clayball substrate ferts. The filter is a...

Sorry if this has already been discussed - I did search for "passive CO2" but couldn't find anything, so here goes: I recently stumbled across a video showing an aquatics shop in San Francisco, "Ocean Aquariums" (misnamed as all freshwater!) where the owner does things a little differently...

Evening all, I run a 125l tank with a variety of low light plants (java fern, jungle val, some limnophilia sessiliflora (stems but currently floating, variety of crypts, water wysteria, Helanthium Quadricostatus and recently some java moss). I dose TNC complete 2ml daily and 10ml immediately...

Hello; I want to present my aquarium which was arranged by the way of buying of some new plants. I had to put them to the aquarium without any idea concerning scape and I had collect another plants in the next days and put them also there randomly. In the next days I saw this all together in...

Hello everyone. Just mulling over a Fluval Spec V, 19 litre tank for my desk at the office. Problem being that I am in the office Wednesday, Friday, odd Mon or Tuesday. Does anyone think managing this is doable? Thinking perhaps, no CO2, just the Fluval setup without a heater as the office will...

So my learning curve continues a year in and i'm re-scaping my main tank. I'm starting to find out what i do and don't like and learned a lot about composition from my smaller 45P tank which i love and looking back at how this tank started out. Made a lot of mistakes along the way but it's all...

Hi, I have 10 neons tetras, one black neon tetra and 5 black widow tetras, with some of the neons I have noticed that in the morning they are without color, almost sick looking, super pale, sometimes it's 1 of 10, sometimes it's 3 of 10, but always in just minutes of turning on the lights they...

Hi all, this is my first post on the forum, I'm looking for help with my planted tank, I live in Cuba and I don't know the name of most of the plants, but all seem to be doing ok, the thing is I recently bought a little ludwigia plant and want to know what parameters do I need for it to grow...

I have a 5 gallon tank which will be low tech. No CO2 and a clip on led light. I’m not sure how bright it will be but probably low to keep algae away. I have a dimmer that so I can adjust the brightness. I’ve been reading about low tech plants a lot and I think I’ve finally settled on the three...

I've started a journal to cover this but figured as I'm looking for advice and critique about my proposed hardscape I thought I'd put a thread here. Happy to remove if mods want to. Here are some pictures of the current mock up

Hi all, Hoping someone can give me some advice on what plants will tolerate/thrive in a low tech and low flow tank that currently houses a betta? It would be great if anyone has had experiences with this kind of setup :) Cheers

Dimensions: 60cm (L), 30cm (W) 30cm (H) CO2: Seachem flourish dosed daily Filtration: Oase Bio Plus Thermo 50 Lights: 8w Aquael Leddy Sunny Photo Period: 8 hr photo period Fertilisation: Aquascaper complete liquid plant food (2-3 ml perday ) Substrate: Gravel Hardscape: Mopani drift...

I've had a spare 60l tank sat in the back garden slowly turning quite mingin. Today i gave it a clean and started experimenting with some rock and a big root I've had lying around outside. My idea is to have it about a third filled with water. The back left corner behind the rock will be...

I've been alluding to this a few times. Originally this was temporary holding for ???, set up very quickly and thrown on a small stand in our bathroom; back in august last year... Finally got a few days of to muck about with fish stuff, and had planned to move this, and make a permanent home...

Even though my tank won’t be anywhere near the scaped level of most of you I thought it would be good to keep a timeline of mine anyway to show what I’m planning and what I learn along the way as i'm new to all this (hopefully get a few pointers and ideas from any of you as well, be as brutal as...

Hello, just introducing myself and my tank - it was set up in September 2017. There is no CO2, just 30% EI ferts and excel. I have been using an LED for 6hours a day, but swapped to an Aquasky so I can dim LEDs because I’m battling with, what I presume is, low CO2 or too much light because I...

Hi All, more questions from a confused newbie. (i'll try to give useful background detail) I have a lowish tech panted tank (juwel int pump) (2*18w t8), not super heavy planted, but a fair amount there (will get a recent photo later) well, I got some trident microsorum / java fern a few...

Hello, My tank was going in the right direction but over the last 5 months it's spiralling out of control. I've been battling for months to try and rectify it back to its former glory. I'm not running CO2 and has been a low tank from day one. Cyano is a cruel beast and I just can't get rid of...

Hi all, :) Not sure if anyone here will remember me, I've been out of the hobby for a good few years now. I would like to get back into having a tank, and feel the need for discussion as I believe there may have been some developments in certain areas whilst I've been away. Please bare with...

Here is my diy shallow tank, it has the same dimensions as the ADA 60-F except it's made from acrylic and only cost just over £20 to make. Initial thoughts are that this is going to be low tech with a carpet of lilaeopsis brasiliensis covering most of the tank. Not sure what's going to go up...

This will be my first ever attempt at an aquarium (planted or otherwise) and therefore any help/criticism would be extremely welcome. I am looking to create a tank that I can enjoy for the long term. I don’t want or plan to be rescaping it very often. I am still in the final planning stages...

Hi everyone, this is just a big info dump at the moment but I'm hoping to keep it up as more of a journal from now on. I started this tank back in August 16, my third attempt (the previous two will not be besmirching the good image of UKAPS). What I took from those attempts was, when it comes to...

Decided to do a new journal for my betta tank. So the guys needed a home that wasn't an open top high-tech, high flow, CO2 injected tanning bed. Yours truly, testing the ironclad patience of Mrs. Fiske, moved with the grace and purpose of a drunken elephant, and converted most of the house...

Hi there, I had to dismantle my other low-tech tank (40cm cube) when I moved house and decided to setup something new with bits collected from the Lakes in this Scapers tank instead. I found the dimensions so, so much easier to work with! The old tank was my first planted tank and a very steep...

Hi all, I am getting very close to having everything ready to go on my long overdue re scape from a tank I stripped out back in the summer. I am trying to do things quite cheap as I know I will change the tank layout over and over so dont want to spend a lot on hardscape and substrate...

Have made a couple of posts on this under other topics, but thought I’d tidy it up and start a journal (please forgive the repetition). The tank is a TMC 900 Signature (90x45x45) with sump. I’ve bought it second hand, it having previously been a reef tank. Total water volume will be around...

Thoughts on a postcard please. 90*45*45.

Hi, I have a new project in the pipeline and I’d welcome some feedback on what I’m planning before I get started. There’s no particular reason for the project, other than I caught newtankitis. My aim is to get somewhere close to the self-sustaining minimal input type thing (plus water...

Had a read of http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/riccia-and-java-moss-carpets-step-by-step-guide.297/ and has me tempted... I am planning a 30cm cube cherry shrimp tank and like the thought of having some are of moss carpeting the substrate but every picture I can find of a moss carpet is...

Hi folks, I've been running a low tech tank for a few months now. The lighting was never meant to be permenant as it is intended for a high tech setup I'm working towards. Time escaped me and as a result algae is becoming a real pain. Its time to change for something more suitable. The tank is...

Tank: 30cm Cube lighting: 30cm Up Aqua LED light Filter: Ehiem Aquacompact 40 Hardscape: Driftwood and seiryu stone Substrate: ADA La Plata Big Plants: Narrow leaf java fern, Java Fern Mini, Bolbitis, Anubias Nana, Anubias Nana Petite and maybe some Buce. I recently pulled down my Marimo Hills...

In an attempt to make life easier i'me going to convert my nano tank from hi-tech to low tech. I'm keen to dispense with the heater as it's quite obtrusive. The only livetstck is likely to be a few cherry shrimp, maybe a couple of otos. Ambient house temperature is around 18c. Will most of the...

Hi all, I thought I'd start a journal of my new 200l AquaOak tank. I've had my eye on an AquaOak tank for years as they match my living room furniture :) When I moved house I decided it was finally time to get one. I essentially went "Ooo pretty" and though it would make moving my existing...

Hi All Just wanted some advice regarding Marsilea hirsuta vs Hydrocotyle tripartita for a low tech carpeting plant. Looking to create a low tech tank with aqua gro nutrasoil substrate, 1.6 w/gal light and daily dosing of liquid carbon. Are either of these a realistic choice for this type of...

Hi - recently planted SS in my low tech tank (http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/lazy-moody-asian-autumn-ish.40599/). After 3 weeks everything else has stopped melting and is starting to grow. But the SS has now started melting, and had shown very little growth anyway. Reading previous threads...

This is my first rescape of a tank I set up in March 2015. It was my first tank for about 25 years! It was fairly successful, semi-low tech (daily liquid Co2, weekly complete ferts). This is what it looked like before I dismantled it. Onto the new scape, which is intended to be low tech...

My girlfriend asked that I set up a scape for the lounge. Because I'm pretty busy and don't have much time for maintenance right now I decided to set up something low tech and easy to care for, this is what I came up with. Having only previously had high tech planted tanks I couldn't believe how...

Hello all, I’m a new comer to the planted aquarium – I used to work in the lfs when I was a teenager and had a 200L tank with a pair of Oscars and a few choice catfish, very few plants (and they were yellow and covered in algae) but that was 15 years ago in South Africa and the hobby has...

Hello everyone, Currently planning a low tech tank - not looking to play around with ferts or anything and I believe I have standard T5 lighting on the 60X45X30 tank. The hardscape will mostly be made of a 'stone wall' and I am looking to achieve the sense of moss covered rocks. My question...

Hi, everybody. I just wanted to show you my low-tech \ nano tank. The tank is Wave Box 40 Cosmos (25 liters), with a small internal corner filter, heater and the light originally included was a 20W Cosmos Freshwater, but I recently changed it to a 25W light (1400 lumen, 6500K). Currently I...

Plants and substrate arrive tomorrow:happy:

Hi! It has been a while since my last tank was scaped... now I'm in the process of RIPping apart my current tank, and woke up last Sunday with a tiny inspirational mood. I'm taking it as a little warm up before I re-escape my current project.. A little about this nano project: Tank: Fluval...

After we moved to a small apartment I got a subtle hint that the large aquarium was not suitable to our current interior design. I had to admit that I wasn't happy with the outcome of the previous tank, so I didn't mind at all to start this new one. LFS was selling a nice 84 litres Opti-White...

Hi there, I recently finished setting up my big tank! It still needs a few more discus but it's looking pretty good (I think). It was originally filled 4 months ago with established filter media and stocking has gradually increased from tetras and corys to a fully fledged discus tank...

I recently got the load of Anubias and Microsorum from John S (thanks John!) At the moment, I've just got them floating in the tank on the landing (a-south-american-on-the-landing), but they need a bit of work. Is it just a case of snipping off any obviously dead, diseased or dying bits and...

guys Some help needed, can't get my floaters to grow on. I'm running low tech (low tech ish - weekly dose of easycarbo 2ml in 100l tank) Tropica specialised at quarter dose per week Lights are (imho) medium, I have an Arcadia stretch 60cm light over a 60cm tank. They are raised 15 cm off the...

Hi guys, I am planning on buying a 29g tank(75cm x 30cm x 45cm) and wanted to know about a good substrate for a low tech tank. No EI or CO2. I am thinking between laterite or indian river sand or ADA Amazonia. I feel I should go with amazonia because the former gave me a lot of trouble while...

Hi all. A few years ago George Farmer posted a guide on setting up an underwater jungle aquarium (which can be seen here). His setup was a high tech setup that I absolutely loved. I liked the layout, the textures and the colours, and I plan on replicating his effort to a bigger scale in a...

Hey all! Here's my future project. Still in the thinking though so be kind. I'm about to get my hands on a small tank about 20*50*35 cm (need to check dimensions) The idea is to create a small world for the missus, she wishes to have Corydoras in there, probably shrimps as well. Thing...

Right! So... I've decided to ditch the co2 and start a low tech tank, mainly inspired by Alastair's Little Box of Chocolates, and Big Tom's Bucket O' Mud, who's journals have been exceptional in there concept and achievements, and a real source of inspiration whilst setting up this tank. The...

This is my second post here. I have introduced myself. This thread is about my 3ft hillstream tank. Specs to follow: Size: 3ft - 100l Filtration: 1200lph powehead with internal manifold and sponge filter, 3000lph wavemaker and a Aquaclear 300 HOB. Light: 2X T5's Substrate: Pool Filter Sand...

I thought id get under way with starting my newest journal as its only a few weeks away until its here. I cant think of a name as yet but im sure it will be something with 'chocolate' in :D.. :rolleyes::rolleyes: I was originally going to have it acrylic and bigger in size but I would...

So for a while now I have wanted a small tank on my desk, I already have a high tech setup shrimp tank and a 70L tank that is EI dosed and tended to. I have been reading a lot about Walstad bowls and was really interested in how they work so decided to setup one myself. Although I strayed from...

Hi all, I thought I would start my first journal on here as I have never got round to doing one before. The tank is a juwel rio 125 which I've had set up as a high tech co2 tank for the last few years. I have recently moved house, so I decided to completely rescape and go low tech as I will have...

I'm currently in the planning stages of a new project I've called Stickleback Shallows. Tank This is going to be based on an old custom made 59 x 30 x 30 cm (o.d.) tank, just about 50 litres, that fits snugly on a shelf in an unheated but enclosed north-facing porch. There's no electricity...

Journal for my little zen-jungle aka my bowl of shrimp. For all of you who geek out about high-tech tanks this will be completely boring as my tank contains absolutely no addition of technology (yet). (If you'd be so kind to ignore the reflection in the glass, as obviously I am no...

Following on from my soon to be dismantled chocolate puddle A Chocolate Puddle - picture update | UK Aquatic Plant Society I thought id get my follow on journal started in the lead up to my tank arriving. This like my other journal won't have any specific planning as to scape etc but will try...

Right, thought it was about time I finally start my journal especially after a few people pushing me to start it up. Brownie points to the first person to guess why I chose the name for the journal ( those who know are excluded). Having had so much fun running high tech, there was one tank...

***WARNING*** This journal is likely to contain any, some or all of the following: mud, dirty glass, terrible typing, horrible crawly things, really boring fish, algae, piles of rotting crap, bad photography, drunken ramblings, non-existent aquascaping, total disaster and complete disregard for...