My first attempt - A Better Home

[Dead Bonsai]

Hi, here's my first attempt at creating a more natural home for my fish, and something that i find a hundred times more pleasing to look at from what I previously had. I've been keeping fish for about 3 years now, but it's only in the last 6 months since stumbling across UKAPS that I've discovered what beauty can be achieved with a naturally planted tank, even though I'm a long way off recreating anything like that myself yet, I do feel I'm heading in the right direction and really enjoying the journey so far, plus the change I've noticed in my fish and their behaviour has been really nice to see.

Here's the basics of my setup -

Tank - Fluval Roma 240L (120 x 40 x 55 cm)

Lighting - Beamswork V4 Hi-Lumen 48-52" Planted Aquarium LED Light Unit 6500k

Photoperoid - 7 Hours

Filter - 1 x Fluval 306 & 1 x Fluval 406 (Total 2600 LPH)

Co2 - Aquatlantis 1 Litre Refillable Aluminium Cylinder, Co2 Supermarket Advanced Aquarium System with Bazooka Atomizer

Substrate - Tropica Aquarium Soil

Hardscape - Seiryu Stone & Redmoor? (unsure, sourced from LFS)

Fert. - Ei Dosing
Macro Solution 4tsp Potassium Nitrate
1tsp Potassium Phosphate
6tsp Magnesium Sulphate
500ml Water

Micro Solution 1tsp Chelated Trace Elements
500ml Water

Macro 3x a week. (50ml per dose)
Micro 3x a week. (50ml per dose)
50% weekly water change.

Flora:
Hemianthus Callitrichoides
Cryptocoryne Lucens
Bacopa Amplexicaulis
Bolbitis Heteroclita Difformis
Alternanthera Lilacina
Anubias sp. Mini Mini
Eleocharis Acicularis
Alternanthera Rosanervig
Rotala Indica
Taxiphyllum 'Flame' Moss
Java Moss
Vallisneria?
(Some plants sourced from LFS, not sure of names)

Fauna:
10 x Harlequins
8 x Corydoras sterbai
6 x Black Widow Tetras
5 x Boesemani rainbows
3 x Ottos
1 x Dwarf Gourami
Assassin snails

Here's a few pics of how it's looking at the moment....

I know the more experienced guys will probably look at it and see a whole lot that I've done or am doing wrong, it's not until you have a go at it yourself that you get a real appreciation of just good some of the people on here are.....kudos to you .
At the moment I feel there's probably too many different types of plants, I kind of got carried away and wanted to try everything I liked the look of. I was thinking I can always take out what I don't like once it's a little more established. I would like to have some form of carpet in the middle at the from of the tank, it looks kind of bare in the last image.
I would love an feedback, comments or advice anyone could give me, particularly if you can see anything I'm doing wrong of any problems I'm likely to run into. I'm just kind of learning as I go & really enjoying it.

Thanks for taking the time,

Scott.

 

[john dory]

Nice rainbows.
Do they have a touch of mouth rot?

 

[Dead Bonsai]

Thanks John, one of them has a fungal infection causing it to of lost some scales which it's being treated for at the moment, but no mouth rot on any of them. I think it's the fact the pics are pretty poor, I had to use my phone, it looks like its the light making them appear white round the mouth.

 

[john dory]

Ah ok

 

[Dead Bonsai]

On closer inspection today John, you may be right. I've noticed two of them do look slightly white around the mouth. Well spotted & thanks

 

[Dead Bonsai]

Just a mini update, quite literally. Whilst doing a bit of tidying up in the tank today I noticed this new addition, I might still have a hell of a long way to go regarding getting my plants spot on but at least the cory's must be happy with their new home so far if they are breeding? Which was the one of the goals of this setup, a more natural home for the fish. One small victory in what has been a bit of an uphill battle so far, still loving it though