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Kinabalu (60 x 40 x 40)

Appreciate the detailed response, makes much more sense now, I assumed that the inlet was low to the bottom like the conventional approach. seems to def work for you, the tank is looking very good indeed.

Thanks mate, yeah it seems to work. It might not be optimum and there may be a better placement (I know a full width spray bar is largely considered the optimum distribution pattern) but not one where the filter inlet/outlet aren't visible.
 
This has been a great read, thanks for pointing it out earlier. I love the hardscape placement and how well the plants had established, even taking over the tank! How is it looking at the moment?

I've been thinking of going co2 but I'm not 100% sure yet, I understand that it leads to a load more maintenance trimming plants back on more frequent basis. I'm still undecided.

I think after purchasing the AI Prime HD lights, I'm invested in the ecosystem and if I do have issues with flow in my tank, I'll be purchasing a Nero based on this thread.

Great work on this. A really impressive effort.
 
This has been a great read, thanks for pointing it out earlier. I love the hardscape placement and how well the plants had established, even taking over the tank! How is it looking at the moment?

I've been thinking of going co2 but I'm not 100% sure yet, I understand that it leads to a load more maintenance trimming plants back on more frequent basis. I'm still undecided.

I think after purchasing the AI Prime HD lights, I'm invested in the ecosystem and if I do have issues with flow in my tank, I'll be purchasing a Nero based on this thread.

Great work on this. A really impressive effort.

Thanks very much mate, very kind of you to say.

The tank is looking much the same now, as it’s really fully grown in. The difficulty is now stopping various parts from becoming overgrown, and trying to get it to
shape.

Using CO2 is a double edged sword - its great for plant growth, but it brings plenty of issues along with it.

I keeping meaning to take some updated photos of my low tech. That tank has needed absolutely nothing doing to it since I set it up, beyond a brief treatment for some Planaria. I’ve not trimmed a single plant, not even cleaned the glass - and it’s perfect, there’s not a hint of algae anywhere - so CO2 isn’t a requirement for a great tank or healthy growing plants.

Interestingly the Frogbit I got from @dw1305 grows much better in the low tech than the high tech - the leaves are massive:

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The AI/Exotech kit and system is great, really well put together and thought out, I think you’ll get on great with those Primes, just watch the intensity, they are very bright!
 
Hi all,

Amazing, I've never had any that healthy.

cheers Darrel

It is a bit odd Darrel, I’m doing nothing special to it, I just autodose about 1/4 EI levels in that tank (micros have some DTPA iron added for the hard water), and it gets daily (automated) 25% tap water changes. I probably ought to thin the floaters out a bit.

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Hi all,
I just autodose about 1/4 EI levels in that tank (micros have some DTPA iron added for the hard water), and it gets daily (automated) 25% tap water changes.
My guess is that it is just a nutrient effect, and that yours are getting plenty (possibly partially from the water changes) of everything.

cheers Darrel
 
Hi all,

My guess is that it is just a nutrient effect, and that yours are getting plenty (possibly partially from the water changes) of everything.

cheers Darrel

It’s in contrast to the high tech tank though - the growth habit is very different. In the high tech (which receives full EI dosing) the leaves stay small but the plants produce lots of daughter plants all the time.

In the low tech, they don’t produce many daughter plants, but the leaves get much bigger.

Is the the result of the competition from all the other floaters, or just the difference in light levels?
 
Hi all,
Is the the result of the competition from all the other floaters
It may be, if you have a lot of tightly packed rosettes and high humidity they will often <"produce aerial leaves and flower">.
In the high tech (which receives full EI dosing) the leaves stay small but the plants produce lots of daughter plants all the time.
It would make sense for the plant to make a "land grab" while the going was good.

cheers Darrel
 
It is a bit odd Darrel, I’m doing nothing special to it, I just autodose about 1/4 EI levels in that tank (micros have some DTPA iron added for the hard water), and it gets daily (automated) 25% tap water changes. I probably ought to thin the floaters out a bit.

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These are some of the most beautiful floating plant I've seen, they're sooo lush and green! I would love to see a few photos of the whole tank.
 
These are some of the most beautiful floating plant I've seen, they're sooo lush and green! I would love to see a few photos of the whole tank.

Thanks Rosie, I’ll try and take some tonight. The tank is a PITA to photograph as it’s a 20 year old tank with very reflective glass so along with the fish I usually manage to capture my own ulgly mug and the occasional Star Wars character (the tank is in one of my sons rooms)!
 
So I managed to get some shots of the low tech tank last night balancing a polarising filter in one hand and the phone in the other to cut some of the reflections.

This is what the tank looked like after planting:
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And as of last night:

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There were no snails in this tank on planting, other than some microscopic Ramshorns about 2-3mm big. Now there all 20mm monsters:

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It’s almost impossible to photograph the Endlers, with the tank being dimly lit, and them being so damn fast. The constantly display to one another - they never seem to tire of it, and they are afraid of nothing, their colours have come on a lot since my son picked them in the shop, and they do look beautiful:

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Just wow... The difference between the then and now shots is pretty dramatic. How many months between the two again?

Stunning tank, I love the use of moss (is it moss?) on the wood and how dense and vibrant everything looks.
 
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Just wow... The difference between the then and now shots is pretty dramatic. How many months between the two again?

Stunning tank, I love the use of moss (is it moss?) on the wood and how dense and vibrant everything looks.

That’s over a period of 5 months. I’m quite surprised by how much it’s grown - in a high tech with stems, the growth is obvious because you have to trim stems every couple of weeks, but in a low tech like with with predominantly epiphytes and crypts, they just kind of ‘full in’ with compact leaf growth without obvious extension of stems.

Between the initial and current photo, every single crypt leaf melted. We pulled some out, but the majority got consumed by the shrimp and snails. The Becketti grew back straight away, and you can see that in the images, but the Wendtii Green - which were massive when they went it - died back without a trace. Only recently I’ve spied new green leaves at the back where they were sited.

Yes, that’s Mini Christmas moss on the wood, originally given to me by @Siege. It’s growth habit is completely different in the low light, it grows much more open and feathery, where as in high tech and high light it’s very dense and compact. The shrimp seem to love it, and the lighter weight growth looks very attractive and natural to me.
 
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Ramshorns with their orange bodies look really elegant as they glide around
Yeah love snails in all my tanks, my fav were the blue ramshorn shame they all died off couple years back.
 
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