• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Your personal aquascaping/aquarium highlights from 2013

George Farmer

George Farmer

Founder
Joined
21 Jun 2007
Messages
6,741
Hi all,

With the end of 2013 fast approaching I thought it would be interesting to share our personal planted tank and aquascaping highlights from the year.

They can be anything from your own successful 'scapes, breeding fish, beating algae, new kit, new plants etc.

Mine was setting up my first 'scape in January after a 8 month break, and creating a moss-heavy layout using a blender and yoghurt. It was great to get back into the game and share the journey on here too. 🙂

So what's your planted tank and/or aquascaping highlight of 2013 and why?

Cheers,
George
 
For me it has been taking my first tentative steps into CO2 etc and basically trying to get to grips with all the information on this site.

So far it has been a success. I have a nano which is slowing getting a carpet of HC, plants are all nice and green and there is no algae. For me this is a result!
 
A great idea George. I think mine was being featured in PFK with my old corner tank, I felt like a star and really proud (a tiny bit of fame lol) - it was great to meet Nathan & Neil from PFK too. I still enjoy getting that issue out and having a read 🙂

Another highlight is making some more great friends on here 🙂
 
After a guest spraying perfume next to me shrimp tank and wiping out pretty much all of my stock a part from around 5 cherries while I was away, I managed to artificially hatch 3 shrimps by removing them from the mother's corpse and placing them in a container next to the tank. I conducted daily water changes from the same tank and used a turkey baster to give a good old blast to ensure oxygen/flow is present. To my surprise 3 of 10 hatched. I currently have around 10 noticeable cherries now, there are shrimplets around. Still I probably had around 60 or so before the tragic event.
 
Gary Nelson said:
A great idea George. I think mine was being featured in PFK with my old corner tank, I felt like a star and really proud (a tiny bit of fame lol) - it was great to meet Nathan & Neil from PFK too. I still enjoy getting that issue out and having a read 🙂

Another highlight is making some more great friends on here 🙂
Click to expand...

I remember that. Was it a Juwel Trigon? Really nice tank and set-up! It feels nice being in PFK. I am in the Feb issue but nothing so extravagant as a whole feature. Still feels good though. Maybe that should have been my highlight.... 🙂
 
It's been quite a year for me tbh...I got to visit Tropica in Denmark and start doing a few scapes for them. This is an aquascapers dream! I also got to meet some great friends in the aquascaping world. It's really strange as were all from different backgrounds,but we all share the same hobby and passion. We all get on so well also...and have a great laugh, we also love beer.

Again, it's been some year for me. I would never have thought I would be this deep in this hobby 5 years ago, but I still love it and thank you to everyone on ukaps for keeping it fresh and keeping it real.
 
Ian Holdich said:
It's been quite a year for me tbh...I got to visit Tropica in Denmark and start doing a few scapes for them. This is an aquascapers dream! I also got to meet some great friends in the aquascaping world. It's really strange as were all from different backgrounds,but we all share the same hobby and passion. We all get on so well also...and have a great laugh.

Again, it's been some year for me. I would never have thought I would be this deep in this hobby 5 years ago, but I still love it and thank you to everyone on ukaps for keeping it fresh and keeping it real.
Click to expand...
And I thought you said you'd lost your mojo :lol:
 
For me its been getting back in to planted tanks and getting back on this forum 🙂 its turning out to be very expensive in areas I never thought of such as needing to buy a proper camera because of some of the superb pictures of fish, shrimp and tanks on here and I blame that on George and tom 😉
 
There have been so many highlights from the year its hard to pick but it wasnt meeting up at Aquatics live!!! (low light of the year)

Personally its been nice to finally feel like i have an vague understanding of whats going on in my tanks, placing quite well in IAPLC for a first time, turning 12 Taiwan bees into 200+, getting an NA tank (then a second:crazy:) and to end the year with a futura is awesome.

However i would say that of all the tanks ive enjoyed following the most and it will likely continue to be in 2014 it has to be 'The Bucket'!!

it blows my mind everytime i see an update and guess its what i really want.... a true slice of nature at home without being precious... (itchy fingers prohibit me even attempting it)

UKAPS tank of the year 2013
Tom's Bucket O' Mud - new vid page 28 | UK Aquatic Plant Society

theres and idea... a ukaps yearly awards as voted by members would be awesome... 😀
 
My highlight was picking up my tank full of cherry shrimp from the LFS which was closing down for a bargain £40. Kept it low tech and its slowly evolved into something that i'm proud of


Cheers
Martin

also like to 2nd the idea of UKAPS yearly awards voted for by the members
 
I returned to the hobby after around 15 years or so. I used to have planted aquariums and Bio Plast / Dennerle equipment then. In fact I was using this over 20 years ago and people at that time were aghast at the rates plants grew. Few in the hobby in my area were aware of CO2 systems then.

The real highlight for me has been finding UKAPS site and reading all the help and advice. To get replies and help from Ian and George when I wanted to know about the water in Lincolnshire having come here from the Pennines where the water table is lovely and soft peat based stuff and reading the fantastic posts from Clive who explains in such an easy to understand way.

The hobby is obviously leaping ahead with new techniques great new aquarium products and LED lighting. The future looks bright indeed.
 
I started the year as a returning fish keeper from 20 years ago (a teenager!) and unbeknown to me doing a fish in cycle completely naive. I'm seeing the year out running hi tech, co2, LED lighting, EI dosing etc etc. It's been one helluva journey, particularly the last 3 months. I've learned SO much.

Got an optiwhite tank sat in the garage waiting to be set up next year for a proper go at it 🙂

Can't thank enough the people on here for advice and information, been truly inspirational. Have to mention Clive, what a hero, like the Brian Cox of planted tanks yet totally understandable 😀

And so many other utterly talented people that it's possible to 'mingle' with. A joy.

Thanks!
Rob 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top