New studio tank

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

I don't test anything! London tap water with the chlorine removed so just a tad softer than concrete. Last time I checked PH more than a year ago It came out at 7.8 on a test strip but no idea how reliable that was.

I used to test all sorts of things but no longer bother. I used to try and soften the water and lower it's PH with a buffer for my apisto's, but slowly weened them from it and they still bred. I pump CO2 in to this so it probably drops in PH through the day (I have no idea how much by) Silver tips do fine in it (they are tank bred from eastern europe). I've even given up using a drop checker for the CO2, just never touch the dial and check the bubble count every day I'm in. The plants soon tell you if there's not enough, and the fish even sooner if there's too much.

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Quick update,

Doesn't look much different in the photo but a week of dosing EI and the stem plants look tons better. I've cut them back yesterday to try and encourage them to bush out a bit so a lot aren't visible but the stems in the centre you can see have improved.

I'm thinking of a change of fauna too, may try some wild looking endlers guppies, should be fine with shrimp, anyone used them in an aquascape to any effect?

 

[faizal]

Hi Monk,.... The tanks is absolutely lovely mate. The new scape looks so much better with the riccia carpet. The tank's having that matured feel now. Looking forward to more pictures.

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Thank you, hopefully I have some CRS arriving this week and one lunchtime plan a drive up to Enfield to peruse the tanks and dream, I may invest in a few more ottos and some endlers.

I have a colleague coming back in this week after a month away who is a dab hand with a camera. Hopefully we'll get some proper shots.

The EI dosing has made such a difference I may try some nicer looking stem plants too.

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Nothing much has changed in the tank, except for much more growth on the stem plants which is down to the amount of nutrients I can afford to throw in using the EI starter kit.

Only thing bugging me now is the riccia. It grows so vigorously that if I'm not trimming every few days it starts to float skywards. Once this happens, the lower portions become weakened where they attach to the mesh and the only thing to do is re-tie it all. It's a pain in the bum.

So, I've been on the aquaessentials website and ordered some mini hair grass and HC and will try a carpet of that instead. I plan to have hairgrass at the back of the 'clearing' and the rest as HC, no path. HC never did well for me before but I think that was a mixture of bad substrate and not enough dosing.

I've also ordered some nice stems to plant at the rear, and would like to trim and replant a lot of the Blyxa too as it is starting to take over.

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Oh, and tentative talks with the good lady wife have started to soften her to the idea of a home tank. She was keen on all kinds of bow fronted, triangular style tanks, which I'm not, but have persuaded her to think about a nice optiwhite. I just need to find the right cabinet. Needs to be able to support the weight of a 3ft tank and look like her nice shabby chiq style living room. (don't ask).

I've used some of Viktor's and Alastair's pics to persuade her what could be achieved (well, if they were to do them). But the one that swung it was Ady's island layout, NAtural Jurassic.

 

[aliclarke86]

Great news until you ignored her for maintenance. That's why I'm only aloud 3 tanks at any one time poor me I have 5 unused in the garage and sometimes I think about trying to sneak them into the spare room hehe

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

Well, the HC started to do my head in. I tried a pot of it, but was not around much to keep an eye on it and it kept floating away. Every few days I'd come in to find it all floating again. Half hour of replanting then the same next day. Scooped it all out and chucked it. I have some Staurogyne repens on order and see if I do better with it. Mini hair grass is doing fine in the same spot.

I think it is probably the flow not being strong enough. I'd love a stronger filter to help with this. (And new lights, new tank etc etc etc)

Also added some Ludwigia glandulosa, Ludwigia palustris green, and Alternanthera rosaefolia which all seem to be doing really well.

Here's a phone snap from today....

 

[Edvet]

Looks healthy enough!

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

New critters:

A piar of Apistogramma cacatuoides and some Endler's guppies.

also planted some Staurogyne and it seems to stay anchored, hopefully will grow away happily and make a carpet requiring less maintenance.

Also been playing with a white background but it makes everything look a bit insipid. Probably go back to black.

Warning: tank needs a trim.

 

[James D]

Those Apistogramma cacatuoides look beautiful, I wish my tank was big enough for them. As you mentioned it, I think your layout really suits the black background, I think it's the contrasting horizontal bars of black and green.

Anyway, very nice mate, I'm jealous.

 

[Monk d'Wally de Honk]

I used to keep a breeding pair in an 18inch tank, they were very happy. I think in the wild they live very close by their spawning site (a small cave type thing) so they are quite well suited to small tanks, they are my favourite fish. These two are quite small at the moment, I'm hoping that being that small means that they will grow up with the shrimps and not get a taste for them. I'm sure if the guppies/shrimps breed they'll snap up the littleuns but I think the tetras have been doing that anyway. If they start on the adults I'll have to try and trap them and put them in a small tank of their own. Hopefully there is enough space and hiding places for it not to happen.

 

[Janf]

Nice tank you have mate
Keep posting!

Cheers