Dennerle 50L Scaper's Tank

[Ray_Norwich]

Hello all,

I'm starting this a little late (five weeks after planting) but thought I'd share progress to date and start giving updates as things develop. Its one of the 50L Dennerle tanks with:

Equipment:
Twinstar 450E lights (with inline dimmer)
Columbo CO2 Profi Set
Neo diffuser
Aquael 300 internal filter (not ideal, I know, but smaller than the 500 I started with)
Dennerle nano thermo heater 50W
Twinstar M5

Dosing:
- EA The Aquascaper Complete Plant food (5 mls per day from day one)
- Seachem Flourish Excel (2mls per day)
- Seachem Flourish Advance (2 mls per day)

Flaura
- Java trident (centre mid / background)
- Rotala H'Ra (left and right mid/ background)
- Hygrophila Pinnatifida (several locations mid / background)
- Bacopa compact (mid ground)
- Marsilea Hirsuta (foreground carpet)
- Dwarf Hairgrass (foreground carpet)

Fauna
- Six horned nerites
- A few red cherry shrimp (more to follow)
- Fish (TBD)

Have to say the tank was a bit of an ugly little spud to start with (thanks to all of the internal equipment), but as the plants have grown it has started to look a bit better. No major issues to date, no algae, just one dead shrimp that got into the filter and didn't get back out. Anyway, pics below showing how its developed over the past five weeks and will update more in future posts.

Day 1

1 week

2 weeks

3 weeks

4 weeks

5 weeks

 

[Ray_Norwich]

oh and a question BTW, for anyone that knows about these things; any idea why the H'Ra is lacking in colour? Is it just too young to show the oranges / pinks etc or is it lacking in something? All insightful answers appreciated! thank you

 

[Kalum]

Good even growth on the h'ra, mine has taken a while to settle in. You're already getting some orange colouring and it's mainly down to light intensity

 

[Ray_Norwich]

Cool, thanks Kalum, it is getting a tinge of colour just wasn't sure if I was getting its full potential. It was a couple of weeks before I got to full beam on the lights so will see what happens

 

[JackH]

Looking lovely!

 

[Ray_Norwich]

Week 6, no real problems so far, but marsilea carpet getting very thick and probably due a trim. H'ra could do with a haircut too, but really don't want to lose the height. Added more shrimp, they're doing well.keeping the wood clean.

 

[enviroman]

Looks great! Really interesting to see how much better the whole scape looks after a few weeks. Your patience has really paid off!

 

[Ray_Norwich]

Just got back from a two week holiday and was a little worried about the state I would find this in; relieved to find it came through fine. Had dialled down the photoperiod to 4hrs and 50 intensity and worked really well despite co2 running out. if anything the low tech holiday actually seemed to help in clearing up some brown algae coating the marsilea. Now for a good clean...

 

[Ray_Norwich]

Clean up done and removed all of the pinta from the front as it felt out of place and made the space feel crowded. Excitingly I have ordered fish to arrive next week; Chilli Rasbora

 

[FJK_12]

Plants look so healthy, the Rotala looks like a bamboo forest! I quite like the wild look from when you came back from holiday as well aha

 

[Ray_Norwich]

Plants look so healthy, the Rotala looks like a bamboo forest! I quite like the wild look from when you came back from holiday as well aha

Thank you! Really pondered on wether to go wild or try to keep it a little neater, think it was the right decision for now, can always let it get a little wilder later

 

[FJK_12]

Both look good. I like how the pinnatifida is more prominent in the wilder shot thought.

 

[Ray_Norwich]

I've replanted some up back so can always move some cuttings down again later

 

[Ray_Norwich]

Week 15: A dozen Chilli Rasbora added this week and seem to be settling in well, they're active throughout the tank and seem to be enjoying dinning on the Ostracods. Shrimp have been in the tank for about eight weeks and are breeding away. I reckon even the smallest Shrimplets are fairly safe from the Chillis given how small the little guys are, they even struggle with the nano granules and have to nibble them down rather than swallow whole. Pics might look a little hazy but best my phone can manage on zoom!

 

[Ray_Norwich]

Have let the rotala run wild for the last few weeks and then took a few pics as the tank caught some evening sun yesterday. I don't usually let it get exposed to the sun but it did produce some lovely colours and visual effects.

 

[J@mes]

Tank looked awesome, love those fish. What is the wood you used?

 

[Ray_Norwich]

Thanks James, glad you like it. It's Manzanita wood.

 

[mort]

Hi Ray, beautiful tank. I notice your in Norwich, did you get the chilli's locally?

 

[Ray_Norwich]

Thanks Mort, yes they have chilli's at Madenhead Aquatics in Notcutts. It's where I usually pick my fish up from. They also got some scarlet badis in last week which I'm thinking of adding to the tank as they get along well together.