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Transparent Tank - the end

Factory update...

Quick update. Everything seems to be growing better now the hardscape is out. Makes me wonder if my flow was actually ok :crazy:.

The stauro is starting to carpet properly

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The ranunculus is flowing nicely

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The hydrocotyle in particular is growing a lot - and getting much bigger leaves

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My experiment with the breeding tank failed utterly - think was too high up and plantlets just got fried by T5s... so have put a layer of molar clay on the tank bed and replanted...

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...seems to be holding plants in ok - no worries about coming loose.
 
Aquamedic

Seems I can actually grow stuff now. Shame I'm just using this as an incubator to grow stuff up for the big tank... Here's a few quick shots.

Stauro carpet going properly

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Myriophyllum matogrossense which the tropica website totally underplays in terms of how nice it is - saw in the LFS and just had to have

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So here's the full tank

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Even have lots of glosso growing horizontal.

So what's different?

1. More light: one t5 with reflector, one grobeam 500
2. Less hardscape
3. Bigger filter: Eheim Pro 3, not Ecco Pro
4. Less feeding of fish - just one frozen cube every few days
5. Regular small easycarbo dosing - 1ml per L every day
6. Changing my EI mix - less Mg, now doing exactly the ukaps starter-for-10 dosing

7. And the big one - way more CO2.... Have switched from an UP atomiser inline CO2 to an aquamedic 1000. Two quick observations: my bubble count now has to be a lot higher to get a lime green drop checker (but the fish are showing no stress), and the water is a lot clearer. Can't help wondering if this whole time the UP Atomiser has been thrown off accuracy by the mist 'getting into' the air space too easily and throwing it off, and that I've been too low on CO2 the whole time...
 
Re: The Transparent Tank Challenge - getting near the end

Mike thats looking great ! Most people would be happy to have that as a main tank, let alone a 'nursery' for their main tank. Nice work 🙂
 
Re: The Transparent Tank Challenge - getting near the end

spyder said:
Looks like you got the balance in the end. Everything looking clean and healthy. Now you just have to duplicate this in the big tank which should be easier.
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Cheers - the people on ukaps have been amazingly helpful. Just shows how much you can learn by asking way too many questions!

Most of the plants are now transferred over to the new tank.
 
Rebirth as puffer tank?

Right, this tank has now been completely stripped down and rescaped as an iwagumi hardscape - no plants in yet. Photos coming later when the water's cleared properly.

Really want a freshwater (not dwarf) puffer tank. Is this possible with a planted tank? Thinking just a carpet of staurogyne and that's it as the purple schist stone I have is really nice. Has anyone kept puffers in a planted tank? Do they eat staurogyne?

Am assuming that shrimp are a no-no, so wondering how people have kept algae down...

Any comments or thoughts really welcomed.
 
Re: The Transparent Tank Challenge - getting near the end

mikeappleby said:
Quick (probably final) update.

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I really LOVE this pic Mike. Ive enjoyed following this tank a lot. What is the crypt in the middle ? Is it Wendtii brown ?
 
Re: Thinking of a planted puffer tank next...

mikeappleby said:
Antipofish said:
. What is the crypt in the middle ? Is it Wendtii brown ?
Click to expand...

Yup. Funny that you like, was literally just everything bunged in...
Click to expand...

Often creates the most natural look 🙂
 
Re: Thinking of a planted puffer tank next...

mikeappleby said:
Am veering towards getting 3 South American Puffers, which can apparently live ok with Ottos... Anyone got experience of them in a planted tank?
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there was an article on pfk website a while back, might help. i should imagine the puffers will invite the otos around for lunch. And supper. And dinner. good luck though. Puffers are very interesting.
 
Re: Thinking of a planted puffer tank next...

Got no experience with south american puffers, I've always avoided them because of the teeth issues. As far as I know, they're supposed to have the fastest growing teeth, which can be difficult to keep trimmed. Although they are supposed to be the "friendly puffers", so they might leave ottos alone. Would be a bit of a gamble though.
What about a group of dwarf puffers? I've found they do leave ottos alone. And they're easier to feed! Can just give them bloodworm, although mine did appriciate the odd snail too.
 
Rescape

So here's the rescape. Taking the tank out of the wall was a bit of a nightmare:

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Then cleaning it up properly

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Refilling

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And here's the hardscape from each side

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A few seedlings of staurogyne from the big tank have gone in but is woefully understocked. Want this one to be really simple.

No South American Puffers to be found in London, so might just supercharge the CO2 for a bit and grow the tank in without fish, or maybe just some shrimp in there.

Lighting and heating as it was - 2 T5s the length of the tank, plus one Grobeam 500 which gives a nice shimmer, and a separate loop on a pump with a hydor to give extra flow - dosing EI and Easycarbo.

Changes are:
- filter is now an all pond solutions cheap one
- have put the UP atomiser CO2 on the intake to the filter (following George F's advice), so hope this will mean crystal clear water
- substrate is molar clay (didn't rinse it even slightly and got a lot of clouding)

All set... anyone want to send me lots of staurogyne?
 
Re: Transparent Tank - reborn

Aquadream is dismantling his tank and has posted his plants for sale in the for sale section and he has lots of staurogyne... he lives abroad though so postage may be a little more, but his plant health looks exceptional, maybe worth pm ing him.
 
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