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259L bookcase rebirth

Re: 259L bookcase tank - nature photography / new video

Made some custom inlets today to try and get lots of surface agitation without any splashing noise.

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Seems to work ok

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Also this little gadget. Pop it over the side of the tank, attach a garden hose to outside, and 60% of the water drained with no fuss. Super.

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And stems are getting nice and bushy behind the big rock

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Re: 259L bookcase tank - nature photography / new video

Quick update. Trimmed quite a lot of stems out to put in the little tank. Carpet is nearly there though!

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Feels like this tank is pretty much on autopilot now.... needs almost no attention, everything's just growing and healthy :jawdrop
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - nature photography / new video

BigTom said:
Looking lovely there Mike. I like the low stem in front of the monolith - maybe literally one or two more creeping around the side of the stone might blend it in a touch?
Click to expand...

Yup, the whole left side needs to be a jungle of stems, with that rock only just pocking through. Just trying to grow on enough - the Limnophila aromatica (the stem you like) and the Pogostemon stellata are now looking happy, so am optimistic that in a while I'll have lots!
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - nature photography / new video

Hi Mike,
Have followed your journal from start to finish and it real looks like your getting great results.... well done
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - nature photography / new video

B7fec said:
Hi Mike,
Have followed your journal from start to finish and it real looks like your getting great results.... well done
Click to expand...

Thanks - this kind of encouragement is really helpful! Am trying to lay all my mistakes and thinking bare throughout - so please do let me know if there's anything I'm not explaining or describing clearly. I found ukaps SO helpful at the start. It would have taken me 15 years to get to this point without advice and constructive criticism from people here.

Have slightly ruined the hardscape now. Making the big stone smaller was the right thing to do, but has unbalanced the rest of the scape... Why can I not resist endless tinkering?
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - nature photography / new video

B7fec said:
Hi Mike,
Have followed your journal from start to finish and it real looks like your getting great results.... well done
Click to expand...

Thanks - this kind of encouragement is really helpful! Am trying to lay all my mistakes and thinking bare throughout - so please do let me know if there's anything I'm not explaining or describing clearly. I found ukaps SO helpful at the start. It would have taken me 15 years to get to this point without advice and constructive criticism from people here.

Have slightly ruined the hardscape now. Making the big stone smaller was the right thing to do, but has unbalanced the rest of the scape... Why can I not resist endless tinkering?
 
Re: 259L bookcase tank - nature photography / new video

pariahrob said:
Best get some photos up soon
Click to expand...

Quite a big, low trim just before this shot, to get the stems to bush out properly from the base, so looks a bit bare.

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Want to put a big hill in the right corner too, but need to shorten the intake first!
 
Some shots from the weekend, just to give a sense of growth. None with a tripod so excuse the quality, though fish placement is pretty good in the FTS! As usual, they're loaded up at 1680px wide, so clicking to zoom will give you a much better quality photo.

Full tank shot

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And then some details

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Feels like I'm getting there - not tweaking anything at all any more.
 
pariahrob said:
That really is something to be proud of. Looks so nice. That's the kind of tank I could lose hours to, just sitting and watching.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Feels like I'm slowly getting there. Taking the big rock down a peg or two, and getting the rotala to dominate that space more is working well. Half way there to plant mass now, but should be downhill from here. The central 'forward pointing rock' looks much better in real life - might borrow a fisheye lens rather than the 50mm I've got. Still not happy with the right side, but have plans once I get some time to fiddle properly.

Here's a quick week by week comparison shot. Best viewed in actual size - so click on it once, then on the little thing in the bottom right corner, to 'expand to actual size':

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Am pretty amazed - you really don't see it on a day to day basis. So worth keeping a journal...! :clap:
 

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Since you took the big rock down this tank is now much more to my personal taste and you have softened it very nicely with the stems and moss. Can't wait to see what you do with the right hand side, I am waiting with anticipation.

Andy
 
FANTASTIC growth there. Im stunned at this one. It grows like Mint. And that pic of the two rummies is great too. I like the one of the Gourami... what type is it ? Funny how blue fish seem to look so damned good in a fish tank. I always liked the ones in Marks tank too.
 
Antipofish said:
FANTASTIC growth there.
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Cheers - is quite surprising when you look at it. Seems to do a big run up and then take off.

Antipofish said:
I like the one of the Gourami... what type is it ?
Click to expand...

Standard Dwarf Gourami. It's the fish everyone who comes round picks out as their favourite... But then I don't have any 'star charisma' fish really. Do apistos munch shrimp? Have a lot in there and would be reluctant to lose them.

Am so tempted to pop a couple of Amazon Puffers in this tank too... must resist, must resist....
 
Well the cacatuoides i had ate 10 medium sized cherries in under 24 hours !!
 
Great stuff Mike.... Photography looks good too, the tanks turning into a real gem. The week by week shots are a brilliant idea to see just how far the scapes moved on.
 
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