# Low Tech Tank Show-and-Tell (low tech can be lush, too! =)



## lauraleellbp

I'll start.

This is my 90gal. I've had the tank set up for about 2 years now.



















Setup:
filters- Rena XP3, Rena XP4
light- Catalina 4x54 T5HO (only run 2 bulbs for 6 hrs/day)
substrate- mix of Flourite black, Flourite black sand, black T grade Colorquartz, peat 
heater- inline Hydor ETH 300 watt

Plants:
tons of chain swords; all 4 varieties of Echinodorus tenellus, E. angustifolius, E. angustifolius 'vesuvius,' E. quadricostatus
Vallisneria spiralis
Bacopa caroliniana
Lobelia cardinalis
Marselia minuta
Echinodorus 'kleiner bar'
E. 'Indian red'
E. africanus

Livestock:
17x Pristella tetras
15x P. weitzmani (Black Morpho Tetras)
6x assorted BN plecos (albino LF and Calico)
1x Clown pleco
5x Corydoras schwartzi
24x Amano shrimp
1x German Blue Ram
2x Cardinal tetras (soon to be 50x)
5x(??) Otocinclus viattus

NOTES- I am right on the edge of too much light. This tank did much better when I had floating plants for light control. I let those get out of control and block too much light last year and removed them all... ever since then I've been having to fight algae so I need to add some again.

The BN plecos are also eating my Vals... not sure what I'm going to do about that just yet.


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## lauraleellbp

This is/was my 10gal (I'm having to break it down b/c of a leak). It's been one of my favorite tanks over the past year or so I've had it going:











Light- 18w T8 on for 8hrs/day
Filter- Rena XP1
Substrate- Onyx Sand mixed with a little black T grade Colorquartz

Plants-
Assorted crypts (Wendtii, Undulata, 'Mi Oya', Ciliata, +??)
Christmas moss
Sunset Hygro

Livestock-
Red cherry shrimp
10x Boraras brigittae (Chili rasboras)

This tank has been just about no maintenance at all. Feed the fish and shrimp daily, water change about 1x a month, clean the filter every few months, and thin out the plants every now and again. Was the perfect little work tank and I'm quite going to miss it!


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## AkCrimson

Gorgeous tanks! I really, really like the way the 10 looks! And the driftwood in the 90 is wonderful. I'm not ready to show all mine off yet, the 55 is getting a rescape this weekend, and I need new pics of the 10. 

I did just start a 29 Sunday though, and this is what I have so far;

Light- 65w 10k compact flourescent
Filter- Currently 2 established HOBs to help cycle, considering two Rena XP1
Substrate- Onyx Sand and eco-complete
Plants- Crypts (wendtii, spiral etc), Hygro, bacopa, ludwigia, swords and just bought some lilaeopsis
Livestock- None yet. Considering doing just a tetra tank with some tiger shrimp. 

Sorry about the pic quality, it was taken with my phone.


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## kvntran

Very nice tanks Laura.
If your plecos eat the vals, I think they might be too hungry or the vals already melted or about to melt. vals melt away in acidic water. What's your tank parmeters?


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## lauraleellbp

My water is liquid rock, so that's not it. And I've always got fresh veggies in there, too... so IDK lol

ACK- Nice start! Are you going to put something in the foreground, too?


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## AkCrimson

lauraleellbp said:


> ACK- Nice start! Are you going to put something in the foreground, too?


Yeah, I got 3 pots of lilaeopsis yesterday.....sooooo not looking forward to planting it!


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## lauraleellbp

LOL Yeah, it will take a while... hope you've got some good tweezers! :tongue:


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## AkCrimson

You bet! Nice expensive salon ones =D


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## Firestarter

My low tech tank I want to replicate kinda a mix between a pond and stream bottom. I am open to ideas for other plants and anything else. Also thinking about fish that look like minnows that will go with ghost shrimp.


Plants:
Narrow Leaf Chain Sword
Java Moss
Dwarf Hair Grass
Riccia
Duck Weed

Inhabitans:
Ghost Shrimp
Snails (Ghost Shrimp love to eat these.)

Substrate:
Some pea gravel mixture.
With some summit granite chunks.

Equipment:
10g aquarium
10g hood modified with two 26watt compact flourecent lights
Whisper 1 filter
20lb Aluminum CO2 tank with Western Enterprises regulator and cheap needle valve
Some sort of strange idea I had to get CO2 in the water it works and I get pearling and increased growth.


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## CL

None of these had co2 or regular water changes or ferts.

A little cloudy in this pic because I just cleaned the glass. ADA 30C Aquasoil, 27W light 12 inches above tank. No water changes or ferts, only top-offs. Snowball shrimp








ADA mini m. River sand. No ferts or water changes. 27W 16 inches above tank








55 gallon. no water changes, a few misc. fish. inert gravel at first, later eco complete mixed in.
























2.5 gallons. 20 watss of light. AS powder. HC. No co2, only occasional excel








ADA 30C 27 watts, inert black sand substrate
























One of my first real low tech tanks, diy rimless 10 gallon, inert black sand, 20 watts cfl. Had a bunch of cherries in it.


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## kvntran

CL,

wow, great tanks. This makes me thinking about rimless now 

Here's my 50g tank, only top off, and do water change only around 2 times a year. No ferts, no co2.
plants: anubias, vals, chain sword, baby tears, red tiger lotus, sunset hygro, flame moss, java moss, fissidens, crypt
residents: 4 long fin brown bn, 5 guppies, 15 cardinals, 10+ amanos, some cherries, some blue shrimps, 40+ crs










side view


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## Karackle

Just found this thread! I'll add mine!  

First is my 30g, 17w T8 lighting, top offs when necessary, water changes every couple months (full specs after pics)










Right Side: 









Center:









Left Side (back focus): 









Left side (front focus):









Equipment etc.:
30g Tank (36"L x 16"H x 12"W)
30" Strip Light
25" T8 17w bulb
50/50 Eco-complete + Black aquarium gravel substrate

Flora:
Cryptocoryne wendtii 'bronze / red'
Cryptocoryne undulata
Hydrocotyle leucocephala (pennywort)
Limnophila sessiliflora (asian ambulia)
Cabomba furcata
Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig' (sunset hygro)
Hygrophila difformis (wisteria)
Microsorum pteropus regular, "needle leaf" and "windelov"
Fissidens moss
red ocelot sword
Some form of "grass-like" plant that i forget the name of
And some others

Fauna:
15 Ember Tetras
7 Celestial Pearl Danios (CPD)
3 Boraras brigittae
6 pygmy cories (corydoras pygmaeus)
1 male betta
1 Oto (the largest creature in the tank )
Many RCS
snails

Notes: I have this tank on a 13 hour photoperiod which I think is the reason I get as much growth as I do with such low lights. I also have found in my low light tanks that the bubble walls tend to be very helpful because they help maintain the CO2 levels at atmospheric levels. I also tend to slightly overstock my tanks which I think is helpful because it adds fertilizer to the tank for me so I don't have to remember to do it  I also use roots tabs under the heavy root feeders (crypts, sword and a few others)


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## Karackle

And my 10g, just set this guy up a few weeks ago, gravel is inert newly stuffed with root tabs. Weekly+ water changes to remove tannins for now. 12 hour photoperiod.

Full tank specs after pics:










_Equipment_
10g AGA tank
Perfect-A-Lite fluorescent Hood w/ Marineland "Natural Daylight" 18" 15w T8 bulb
$11 Wally World Aquatech Filter (with my own media, not the cartridge)
Bubble wall 

_Flora_
Flame Moss
Fissidens Moss
Crypt undulata
Crypt wendtii
Limno sessiflora (Asian ambulia)
Hygrophila polysperma 'rosanervig' (sunset hygro)
Lindernia rotundifolia sp 'variegated'

_Fauna_
3 White Cloud Mountain Minnows
3 Endler's livebearers (all male)
1 Guppy (male)
Red Cherry Shrimp 

Notes: I'm getting a little more algae in this tank than in the 30g so I've been giving this one an occasional dose of Flourish Excel and Comprehensive. I'm hoping the recent addition of the roots tabs will help the plants grow faster and outcompete the algae. 

As with the 30g I think the bubble wall is very helpful, but because there is more light over this tank I think I will reduce the photoperiod to see if that helps with algae. At least until I get some more fish in here to help fertilize the stems as well.


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## legomaniac89

Here's mine. 










20 high, no ferts, 2 water changes per year, soil substrate. It's a Diana Walstad-inspired tank :icon_smil


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## oldpunk78

great low techs everyone!

here's mine. 

my 50g









just gravel and mts. i add nitrogen and phosphorous once a week along with some flourish now and then. haven't been changing the water at all lately. lighting is 2x21w t5no for 8hrs.

the 29g









i might get flamed for adding this photo here, but up until one week ago this tank was non-co2/non-excel. lighting is 2x24w t5ho suspended way up above the tank. substrate is play sand and mts. i was dosing fallowing the tom barr non-co2 method. nothing has changed in the tank yet except the bubbles.) 

all i did to take myself out of the low tech category was add co2, more ferts, and lower my lighting a little.


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## honeythorn

29 gals, set up for 7 years now. Had various changes over time, this is it's current setup:

One single 25 watt light, 

Cheap basic pond soil capped with 2 inches of plain aquarium sand,

Planted with various Echinodorus, Aponogentons, some small crypts, and a few stem plants like Cabomba and Elodia, plus a massive moss ball. 

Mixed community of a few odds and ends my horrible brother didn't want in his tank anymore and was going to flush down the toilet!!! , so I had them where they can live out their lives. Gold barbs, a gourami, couple of loaches and a few shrimp. 


50 % water changes once a week every week.















12 gals

One single 15 watt light

Gravel and sand mix from the old tank plus mulm that was in there, topped with black gravel. 

Planted with some small swords, a few baby echinodorus from the plants in the main tank, some Riccia ,moss balls cabomba, hairgrass, crypts and a big pile of java moss on bogwood that I grew in the main tank before moving to this one. 

Inhabitant is a single male Plakat betta. 

50% water changes once a week every week.


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## Karackle

Wow, awesome low light / low tech setups everyone! They look so great!!


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## archer772

My 120 thats been running about 7-8 weeks. 
4 T-5 HO's 2 for 9 hrs and all 4 for 5 hrs about 8-9 inches above the water
Filtration is 1 Fluval 304 and 1 SunSun 302
2 PH's at 170 GPH each
Substrate is a mix of Eco, Flourite and Oil Dry
Dosing Flourish once a week

Plants
Amazon Sword
Dwarf Sags
Jungle Val
Hornwort
Pennywort
Java Moss
Anacharis
Micro sword as I bought it as (L. brasilensis)
and some Duck Weed floating around in there

Fish, I will be thinning them out
8 Julii Cories
8 Otos
8 LF Albino Bristlenose Plecos
Mated Pair Double Red Apistos
24 Cardinals
19 Pearl Scale Blue Platinum Angels


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## fishyjoe24

*my 80 gallon*

my 80, more or likely going to move the plants in to the 15 gallon cube.


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## MarieB

It's a 2 week old 10 gallon tank with 2 13 watt CFLs, dosed with flourish 1x a week. Soon to have DIY CO2 

Side View:








Front View:


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## dj2005

10 gallon:
Two spiral CFL bulbs (one 15w one 20w); AC20 filter; RCS, Nerite, Red Ramshorns, four Sterbai









New scape:









Mini M:
18w CFL; Zoomed 501 filter; RCS, Nerite, Red Ramshorns









Grown in:









2.5 gallon:
13w spiral CFL; Red Sea Nano filter; Betta, Nerite, Red Ramshorns









More grown in:









Dose Excel and EI
Water change once a week
Eco-Complete except the Mini M which has Aquasoil

I've tried to do without water changes in my 10 gallon in its early stages, but just didn't work out for some reason.

Very nice looking tanks, everyone.


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## Firestarter

Very nice aquariums you all have some great aquascaping skills.


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## nikkers

White cloud minnows should do good. They are minnows, but colorful and they do well in unheated tanks


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## posit

50watt heater, Satellite 20" 40 Watt CF, DIY CO2, ADA soil, and a few drops of Flourish a week. Ottos, cherries, and 3 Pseudomugil furcatus


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## lauraleellbp

Looking awesome guys, keep em coming!! roud:


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## madtundra

*My 55 low tech*

55 gal with a 10gal sump, home made stand, fluorite substrate.I've had it running for a few years now. Pretty much low maintenance, water changes around once a month, i dose one or two cap fulls of flourish a week. Plants: java fern and anubas, i just tossed a huge clump of java moss.Occupants are 8 bronze corys a huge clown angel, and 2 red marble plecs. 
how bout that $ 5.00 clump of java moss i just picked up from the lfs. it didn't have a price on it so i asked the girl "how much for that"? she says i dunno lemme check she come back and says $5.00 i said OK hehehehhe ! SCORE ! now what do you think i should do with it ?

thanks for looking. Real nice tanks everyone !


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## f1ea

This is my 200 Gal outdoor low tech tank:

- 1 WPG + Sunlight
- Excell only (no co2)
- Simple gravel substrate


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## Karackle

Wow, some really amazing tanks here everyone!!! 

Keep them coming!!! :biggrin:


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## TimsViv

My 72 gallon paludarium:

Initial set up:









The water section, 7 years later:









The land area 7 years later:









Tim


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## webgirl74

Amazing set-up Tim! You have any critters living on the "land" part?

Here's my 20 gallon. Sort of my first attempt at plants. Set up for about 2 months now and the ferns and moss are growing like crazy. The moss have about tripled in size from when I bought it and the ferns are throwing off tons of shoots/roots. 15 watt Coralife bulb and pool filter sand substrate. 6 dwarf neon rainbows, 1 SAE (will be moving him to my bigger tank in the future) and 6 celestial pearl danios.


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## J.B.

I'll play along here. Here is my 75g low-tech tank. I do 30% bi-weekly WCs. No CO2, and no additives other than Prime™ during WCs

• 75g All-Glass tank

• *Filtration* - 1 x Fluval 104, 1 x Fluval 204, 1 x AquaClear 201 PH w/quick filter

• *Lighting* - 2 x 24" CoraLife F/W T5 Aqualights 1 x Odyssea 48" T5

• *Substrate / Structure* - Eco-Complete, Pool Filter Sand, Flourite, Tahitian Moon Sand (mixed) / driftwood and lace rock

• *Flora* - Echinodorus bleheri, Echinodorus barthi, Microsorum pteropus, Microsorum pteropus 'narrow leaf', Anubias barteri, Lobelia cardinalis, Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Cryptocoryne wendtii 'green', Cryptocoryne wendtii 'brown' and Sagitarria subulata

• *Fauna* - 12 x Puntius tetrazona, 15 x Hyphessobrycon eques, 4 x Hemigrammus ocellifer, 1 x Otocinclus affinis, 2 x Panaque maccus, 1 x Sphaerichthys osphromenoides, 1 x Crossocheilus siamensis and 1 x Hypostomus plecostomus

*Left*









*Middle*









*Right*









*FTS*


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## VadimShevchuk

Nice low techs. Make sme wanna get chain swords for my 29 gallon. Now only if i could find them now! Great job every1


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## tyler79durdan

Well here's mine with my new pebble substrate laid over established river stones. Water's still a little cloudy but a few water changes should take care of this. 75 G custom, 2x48" T8 daylight ecolux / 1x36" T8 plant grow bulb, a few swords, and crypt, a little grass and some other stuff. DIY co2 with canister 20 oz diffuser. 12.5 ppm co2. I think I need more light  T5 here we come.


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## Frenchie

-29g
-Lighting - 36w Coralife T5
-Filtration - Penguin 330 and a korilia pump
-Substrate - Eco Complete
-Flora - Brazil sword, Bacopa, Anubius nana, Anubius Barti, Tiger tiger lotus, crypt wendtii green and red, Java, fern, Wisteria, and a little bit of Java Moss
-Fauna - 2 blue dwarf gouramis, 6 glowlight tetras, 2 zebra danios, bristlenose pleco, unknown goby, 5 amino shrimp, tiger shrimp and cherry shrimp
-No c02 and I've starting cutting back on water changes. I've read none are necessary but am still keeping an eye on the water.

before the rescape:
















after, should look better once it fills in:


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## DeeDeeK

Hi, new to the Planted Tank!

9 gallon, 2wpg 12000k PC lighting, customized low-flow internal filter

3 inches pool filter sand amended with about 2%-5% by volume compost-based potting soil, and several small, dead, buried fish (great fertilizer!)

pennywort, eurasian milfoil, parrotfeather milfoil, variable leaf water hyacinth, dwarf hairgrass, cabomba caroliniana, java moss, duckweed

ottos, dwarf corydoras, kuhli loaches, flame rasboras, one german blue ram

glass shrimp, malaysian trumpet snails, california blackworms, true planaria, gutless planaria

I purposefully introduced planaria, shrimp, and snails to help break down the mulm so it could sift down into the sand and decay there. Cali blackworms help aerate(?) the sand, as do the mts. I haven't vacuumed this tank in two years! And the even the water hyacinth (eichornia diversifolia), which is rated very difficult and needing rich fertile substrate and high light, grows like mad.


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## itrack4u

*My 1st try with plants*

My first aquarium was at age 10, which was a loooong time ago. I had mollies and guppies and no plants. 
I started my 2nd tank in Oct of 2009. My goal is to grow plants and raise some platy's. I did pretty much everything wrong, again. 
Upon joining this forum (which I did after starting my tank,) I have learned so much from it's members. I've been too embarrassed to start "my journal," due to my wee tank size of 5g. Now I am asking for some help as I'm losing all my plants. 
My plants are going downhill rapidly and I need some immediate advice please. 

Original specs:
5.5g aqua tech kit from Walmart.
tap water using stress coat
cheap gravel, a few glass rocks and fake driftwood
Upgraded light twice to finally a mini cfl 50/50 (10k/actinic 03 blue) 20 watt Coralife
Seachem starter kit (Excel, Flourish, Iron)
Tetra test Laborett water test set (pH, KH, GH, NO2, NH3&4 with carbon chart
3 pregnant, berried, heavy, whatever it's called these days, platy's

hyrophila difformis & compact corymbosa stricta
java fern
banana plants
anubias (unk type)



Honestly my nutrients and ammonia levels were all decent. I never used the carbon chart though. My plants were all losing their lower leaves, with holes and dark spots at first.Then I changed to the cfl above, the plants started coming around, esp. my corymbosa stricta. I had a huge algae problem which my lfs owner helped me with. I was over feeding. I limited my lighting by just a few hours each day, stopped feeding to much and had great success. 
**Last week my pH jumped to 8.25. I was dosing more excel and flourish as the plants started to go downhill again a bit. Nothing else changed. 

Then I decided to upgrade everything on 1/20/10 to this:

same 5g tank
aqua clear 20 filter
12" 18w 1 lamp (10k/67k) satellite with a lunar light
flourite black
African rootwood
purple slate

green wentii
red wentii
crypt pecktii
African fern
java fern
banana plants
anubias

3 grown platy's
8 tiny adoreable babies ranging from 1 wk to 2 months)

pH 8.25
Nitrite 0.3
KH 6 
GH 7
Ammonia 0
Carbon 1.0 (per chart)

I did a 40% water change this morning (5 days) mainly to try to eliminate the slight tan tinge and cloudiness. 

I did rinse the flourite, and soaked the wood for 4 days. I followed lauraleellbp (thanks) post on changing the tank over without the need for cycling.

The only things doing well are my fish and banana plants. The fish love their new home:icon_lol:. The other plants are melting away (some leaves overnight) and the others are browning. I had such high expectations with the new changes. I am so disheartened..

I leave the light sitting on the glass cover on for 10 hours. The lunar is on the remainder of each day. I am not using co2 and don't want to. I choose to use Seachem instead. I understand there will be changes with the addition of wood and the slate and substrate...I am in need of some advice please. 
My real concern is the rise in pH from a steady 7.0 to 8.25 (even at the end of the old setup.) My lfs was stumped and suggested I use Seachem's neutral regulator. I did two days ago and the pH did not change. Then I read on another site that changing your pH chemically, is not a good choice. It should occur naturally. I am more confused than ever, folks. 

The pictures of my NEW tank and it's problems will be uploaded later today.


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## lauraleellbp

Here's my 29gal. I started it up last Novemeber and now I'm almost done, just need to add a school of 15x Green Neon Tetras (when I find some again...).










Equipment:
Light- Coralife 2x18 watt T5NO
Filter- Eheim Ecco 2236
Heater- Hydor ETH 200 watt
Substrate- Flourite black

Plants:
Assorted Crypts (C. balansae, retrospiralis, mixed Wendtiis, ciliata)
Narrow leaf Java fern
Hygro kompakt
Anubias nana 'petite'
Lilaeopsis mauritiana
Nymphea lotus

Fauna:
Tiger shrimp
Assorted snails (Nerites, Pond, Ramshorn)
15x Axelrodia riesei (Ruby Tetras)
10x Corydoras pygmaeus
(soon to add 15x Green Neon Tetras)


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## tyler79durdan

itrack4u, I might try cycling half of my water into a 5 gallon bucket, then starting a distilled water drip overnight to slowly lower your pH. You can creat a drip by tying a knot in an air hose and starting a siphon. Place the gallon jug or bucket of distilled water(equal to the amount you removed) above the tanks water level and let gravity work overnight. Slow means 1-2 drops per second. Do this so the fish can acclimate to the new water conditions. If your tap water is 8.25ish, distilled water should be 7, realistically you could get it down to 7.65 with 50/50 mix. When are you testing your pH. The time of day or night will effect the pH slightly but certainly not 1.25 degrees. You should get a water report from your water company. They may be semi-annually cleaning the system with chemicals. If your tap water is 8.25 out of the faucet, you might consider 50/50 tap/distilled mixes when topping off. Also IMHO, I would never change 40% of my established water in a 5 gallon tank unless something bad happened like over fertilizing, or something like that. Just remember that if you can get the pH down with distilled water, you can get it down further by doing the same process again after you get it down to 7.65. doing another 50% change would bring it down to 7.325. Be careful though, distilled water is pure and does not contain the trace minerals and elements we see in tap water. These elements are vital to support life! Get yourself some easy fert, and take the guesswork out of the equation. Just remember that we chose this hobby because its relaxing and fun. Just go with the flow, and don't expect to see results instantly. Overnight or 24 usually works for results. Also i only use 'aqua-safe' tetra brand tap water conditioner, stress-coat is worthless.


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## wantsome

lauraleellbp,

what kind of intake and return plumbing are you using for your filter? The intake and return don't look like my Ehiem. I'd like to find a spray bar like that that would work with my filter.


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## itrack4u

Thanks for your info, tyler79durdan


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## gryffin

I'm looking at this thread with interest as I have a couple of tanks in which I am reviewing my lighting/planting, in particular, my 120G, my 75G and my 29G.

archer772: Is your tank 5ft or 4ft long? What's the total wattage of your 4 t5HO's?

J.B.: What's the total wattage of the lights over your 75G?

Thanks!


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## archer772

My tank is 4x2x2 and I have reduced the wattage for now, I had 216 watts but am down to 108 for now but hope to go back to 216. I have the lights about 9 inches above the water and they are spaced evenly accross the canopy so I hope I can get back to all 4.


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## Byron

Here's my 115g Amazonian Riverscape, my 90g Amazon flooded forest, and the 70g SE Asian stream/pond aquascape. All three were set up last July, when I moved the 70 and 90 from another room, although the 115g and 90g plants and fish came from the former 90g and 70g setups that moved into the larger tanks, and the 70g was from scratch as I wanted a SE Asian setup.


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## lauraleellbp

wantsome- I bought the "after market" Eheim "installation kits," since I personally can't stand the green ones that come standard with the Eheims.

archer- even 108 watts of T5HO is pushing the light over your tank, you won't be able to run 216 unless you upgrade to a high tech setup with pressurized CO2 (I know b/c I run 108 over my own 90gal, and have to really closely watch my photoperiod even just running 2 bulbs...)


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## archer772

I know Laura but I do want to play around with some different bulbs and see if I can push it a little. I dont know if it will work but I want to put some low par bulbs in without reflectors and see what happens because rite now I am running HIGH par bulbs and I know everybody talks Lumens but hey cant blame a guy for trying :icon_smil and I have several old bulbs that were on my reef and some cheap bulbs that I might try.


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## naturelady

I am very excited that I finally have a picture of my tank to post to this thread! Sorry that it is low quality... I am just learning to take pics of my tank, and my camera doesn't take very good pics anyways. 

This is my first tank ever, so its been a pretty steep learning curve. Any suggestions for improvements (especially since it doesn't currently seem to be very well balanced) are greatly appreciated!










Tank: 15g tall
Light: 20W of compact fluorescent (1 7W, 1 13W) 6500K on for 10hrs/day
CO2: DIY CO2 with a Hagan ladder that is really slow... ~16-18 bpm. (probably not worth the bother)
Filtering: ~150 gph HOB filter.

Plants:
Anacharis currently growing back from melting
Myriophyllum currently growing back from melting/being killed by hornwort
Java moss
Java fern
Bolbitis that finally decided to live
HC that is growing and hopefully eventually will carpet. I'm willing to give it some time.
Lots and lots of anubias (~15 plants of varying sizes)
A few floating plants (not sure species??)

Other living things:
2 guppies + 4 guplets
5 cory cats (was 6 but one got stuck and died yesterday :icon_cry: )
6 red cherry shrimp + 5 shrimplets
Whole bunch of hitchhiker snails


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## Matthew Gabrielse

I think it looks great. Just give it a background.


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## Matthew Gabrielse

I just finished planting my 55 the other day, only a couple cory cats in it for now. It's sort of a room divider so it's visible from both sides.


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## paludarium freak

Here is my paludrium
Tank: .25g
Heating: None
Filteration: None
Flora: Cactus on land.
Fake plants in water
Fauna: Brine Shrimp
Triops


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## aquagrl

Hi...great tanks!! I know you listed most of your plants, but I see a plant that I really like and can't seem to identify in your 30 gal.

It's on the left side, towards the back...and if you go back up to the 4th pic posted of your 30 gal tank...there's a fish swimming exactly, right above it (looks like a betta, maybe)?? Anyway do you know what the name of this plant is??? It's kind of a trailing vine type of plant that is growing upwards with small roundish leaves!!??? I LOVE IT!!! Thanks-

This is for Karackle by the way!! Sorry...newbie here!!!


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## Karackle

Oh I see you already found this thread! :hihi: Well you got your answer in the PM, but for anyone else interested, it's Lindernia rotundafolia 'variegated' roud:


----------



## frogmanjared

Great tanks everybody... makes me jealous!

Here's my most favorite tank I've ever had.
These were the specs when it was at it's best:

5 gal hex eclipse system, Standard hood (10w 6500k daylight compact, 11hr photoperiod w/1 hr siesta) & filter

Dosing: Flourish 2x week, , Excel every day

Flora:
Cryptocoryne parva
Cryptocoryne spiralis
Hydrocotyle leucocephala
Microsorum pteropus
Spiral vallisneria (scientific name?)
Süßwassertang

Fauna:
RCS... lots
limpets

Just starting out









In it's prime:








Now it's mostly subwassertang, and the C. parva have sent out 2 runners, but that's about it... it's not a glass tank, so some of the algae will never come off... so I've been neglecting it because it's not easy veiwing and I can't afford a new tank :icon_sad:


My 10 gal...

10 hr photoperiod w/1 hr siesta 2x15w 6500k daylight bulbs
Dosing: Flourish 2x week, Iron & Excel after WC, DIY CO2 

Flora:
Anubias barteri 'Nana'
Cryptocoryne spiralis
Echinodorus ozelot
Echinodorus tenellus
Hygrophila difformis
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
Microsorum pteropus
Süßwassertang

Fauna:
RCS 









This tank has also seen it's better days, never been able to get that microsword to carpet.

You can check out the tank threads in my sig to see their evolutionary track!


----------



## limeslide

Hey Everyone!!

*Unfinished 10galPlanted Tank*

*Flora*
Anubias Nana
Java Fern
Compacta
*Fauna*
None, yet.
*Dosing*
None. The future fish's poop will take care of that.
*Filtration*
Aqua-tech 10-15 gal
*Lighting*
Two 25 watt bulbs
* Substrate*
Playsand
*Photoperiod*
Mon.-Fri. 15 hr
Sat.-Sun. 8 hr (lol, gotta get some rest!)

*Video*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpELc0eik-Y


----------



## CL

an update


----------



## 89Rome

i love that piece of wood, looks really good


----------



## fastfreddie

So many awesome tanks. This thread is very inspiring LL!


----------



## tyler79durdan

LOW TECH​


----------



## Takedakai

I'm really glad this thread was started. I started lurking on the forums here about 4 months ago then joined in January. Due to budget and maintenance time constraints I was immediately interested in Low-Tech tanks and I found no shortage of inspiration and great information here on this wonderful site and APC. :icon_smil :icon_smil :icon_smil

I intended to start a tank journal after I decided to rescape my tank but I still haven't gotten around to it. One of the things that really got me excited about learning more about the plants in my tank were all the excellent journals I found here with tons of pictures. Hopefully my scaping and camera skills have improved to the point that someone else will enjoy these the way I did when I started on this planted journey. :hihi:


This is a before and after shot of my 38 gallon tank. Full specs and stocking list can be found in my sig link. Its amazing how different this tank is now... Thanks again TPT members for all your help and advice! 










This is the before shot... taken sometime in late December or early January. The DW with Java Fern was relocated to the 10g and the Hornwart was tossed.










And this was a photo taken today after a water change. My front glass is a bit dirty and could use some cleaning but I think this still gives a good indication of how far the tank has come!










Just one more :icon_wink


----------



## lauraleellbp

Yeah I'm really enjoying this thread! I get tired sometimes of people thinking that going high tech is the ONLY way to have a full, lush, and gorgeous planted tank! There's always more than one way to skin a cat. And I'm glad you unlurked yourself, Takedakai- the tank is looking great. :icon_mrgr

Keep 'em coming, guys!


----------



## lauraleellbp

I just put together a new one (it's cleared up some, still a bit cloudy):









10gal tank
Lighting - 15 watt T8
Filter - AquaClear 70 HOB
Substrate - Flourite black sand
Heater - 50watt Marineland StealthPro

Stocking- none yet
This tank will house a fancy male Betta spendens, 10x Boraras brigittae, and 7x dwarf Cories (hopefully C. hastatus)


----------



## Darth Toro

Thats a 10g tank? The aquaclear 70 isn't to strong for it?


----------



## lauraleellbp

Darth Toro said:


> Thats a 10g tank? The aquaclear 70 isn't to strong for it?


Definitely not too strong for the tank (it's much less flow than the XP1 I did have on there), but IDK yet about for a betta...


----------



## Darth Toro

I just bought a aquaclear 70, big Als was selling it for 19.99!! I could use it for my 10g that Im working on. I'm not sure what kind of fauna I will have in there...What wouldn't I be able to keep with that filter if I decided to use it? ex. Neons, I have baby lyretail swords that I was thinking of putting in there once they got bigger and the tank was cycled, cories, shrimp maybe?


----------



## greenknight

*my low tech*

My tank is still only a month old, and i'm still in process of collecting
plants, so it doent look great right now as I'm using the tank to
collect right now.

But it is 0.75 wpg 20 G tank. Whisper 20 filter and a hanging heater.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Darth Toro said:


> I just bought a aquaclear 70, big Als was selling it for 19.99!! I could use it for my 10g that Im working on. I'm not sure what kind of fauna I will have in there...What wouldn't I be able to keep with that filter if I decided to use it? ex. Neons, I have baby lyretail swords that I was thinking of putting in there once they got bigger and the tank was cycled, cories, shrimp maybe?


Any of the fish you're considering would be just fine with an AC70.

The only reason a Betta is iffy is that I'm considering a long-finned fancy one, and these have such long fins that it impedes their ability to swim, so strong currents can make things difficult as well as the fins tend to get torn. A short-finned Plakat or female betta would be fine, but that's just not what I want LOL

The vast majority of other fish and critters wouldn't have any issues at all. The filter actually is quite small, not much bigger than the old Whisper I used to run on this tank years ago...


----------



## Church

Here's mine:











It still needs to fill in, but the important thing to note here is this is practically a no-tech tank. I do nothing other than keep top off the water every day, and feed the betta. I rinse the filter pad about once every month or so. That's about it. I could make the marsilea grow faster by bringing the light a little closer, and dosing Excel every day. But then I would have to _do_ stuff, man.


----------



## Darth Toro

That marsilea will grow to the top of the tank right? Is that when it will have the four leafs? The reason I ask is because that is a nice looking plant and if it did stay small and requires low maintance I wanted to know where I could find it. And exactly what species it is so I may track it down? When I googled it I was lead to believe it is not a fully submerged plant and that there are 65 different species of it. Sorry for all the ques.


----------



## lauraleellbp

That's Marselia minuta, which looks exactly like it does now it won't get any taller. M. quadrifolia will grow leaves divided like 4 leaf clovers, that might be what you're thinking of?

Church- what are the specs on your tank? (size, light, filter, etc)


----------



## Church

It's a standard 2.5g, with a 27w Lights of America desk lamp, and a Red Sea nano filter. That is it. And the flow is cranked down as slow as it can go.

Yes, this is M. minuta, and it stays looking like this. It's a lot like glosso.


----------



## Darth Toro

Thank you! I see read that it would work even in a low light tank. I will be keeping my eye out for this. If anybody knows a seller please pm me with the info. I guess I should post a WTB in the SnS too, even though its probably better just to wait till someone offers it.


----------



## Simmo2302

absolutely amazing to see soo many tanks, where at first glance you think to yourself "that has to be a high-tech tank" only to find out the clever choice of plants and aquascaping makes all the difference.

it just goes to show that you can have an awe inspiring tank on the low-tech / budget side of things.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Low tech tanks just take patience to let them grow in. But the flip side of that coin is it's sooooo much less work to keep them looking nice! roud: Here's some updates on 3 of my tanks:

46gal









10gal









90gal


----------



## archer772

I like your 10 gallon tank lauraleellbp those stones look sweet.


----------



## Darth Toro

The tanks look great lauraleellbp!! Do you use any ferts??


----------



## lauraleellbp

Thanks guys!

I use root tabs under larger plants but don't dose the water column on any of my tanks.


----------



## Darth Toro

I'm trying to figure out what I am lacking. The only plants that show growth are my sprialis, one of my crypt parva (of 3), and java moss. My marsilea minuta that I just got hasn't shown much but the frog bit that I got with it is doing well. I just reduced my photo period again to 9hr down from 10hr becasue of algae on the glass and staghorn on my middle java ferns. My substrate is a mix of flourite and gravel which has me thinking I am lacking macros and micros perhaps? I just put in 5 flourish tabs around the tank that I had for a while opened but in a package. Do they go bad?


----------



## lauraleellbp

Darth Toro said:


> I'm trying to figure out what I am lacking. The only plants that show growth are my sprialis, one of my crypt parva (of 3), and java moss. My marsilea minuta that I just got hasn't shown much but the frog bit that I got with it is doing well. I just reduced my photo period again to 9hr down from 10hr becasue of algae on the glass and staghorn on my middle java ferns. My substrate is a mix of flourite and gravel which has me thinking I am lacking macros and micros perhaps? I just put in 5 flourish tabs around the tank that I had for a while opened but in a package. Do they go bad?


Need for additional nutrients is directly related to lighting and nutrient supply already in the tank (ie substrate and bioload). You have to be very patient with low tech tanks- growth is always very slow. 

Do you already have a thread going for this so this one doesn't get hijacked?


----------



## Darth Toro

I'm sorry. Not a specific thread, but I should stop hijacking and start my own. I am getting overwhelmed and confused by all the info on here. I have been doing much reading but it's not helping yet. I'll stop now, sorry again.


----------



## lauraleellbp

No need to apologize! :fish:
I just realized that I never posted my 46gal in this thread before now. These photos might help you see how slowly it's grown in (the pics are dated):









































Lighting- Coralife 2x21 watt T5NO
Filter- Eheim 2217
Heater- Hydor ETH 300 watt
Substrate- Mineralized Topsoil capped with mix of Flourite black and Colorquartz

Plants:
Assorted Crypts (lots of wendtii varieties, lucens, parva, cordata 'rosanervig', willisi, etc)
Hygrophila angustifolia
Hygro kompkt
Echinodorus tenellus 'red'
HC
Ranunculus inudatus
Val nana

Current livestock (not done stocking yet):
5x Betta simplex
5x Amano shrimp
10x Assassin snails
Assorted other pond, ramshorn, and MTS snails


----------



## knm<><

Happy to be posting here, finally have a low-tech 10gal.

I started this 10g low tech about 3 weeks ago. I am REALLY enjoying the low tech workload, or lack thereof. Don't mind my lack of background and my way too huge heater, working on those issues soon. Will take RAOK of a 50w heater...just saying, lol

Lighting: 1x15w plantgro T8
Filtration: Aquaclear 20 w/sponge prefilter to save my rcs (need more filtration???)
Substrate: Mostly Eco with some Flourite mixed in
Dosing: 2ml Excel every other day
Plants: Anubias Nana, Crypt undulata, Crypt Parva, Java fern, Needle Leaf Java, Java moss, marimo balls , tiny bit of re root floater and not sure what the little plant is that's next to the undulata on the left
Fauna: 22 RCS babies

No water changes, only top offs. Background looks bare right now but, there are a bunch of small needle leaf javas back there waiting to fill it in.


----------



## April Lynn

Hi all-
This is my first planted tank. It's a 65g. It's been set-up about a month. I really need to learn to take better tank pics. I think it looks a bit randomly planted but the plants are growing and that makes me happy. :smile:I'm hoping the vals get long and fill up the top of the tank. Plus, I can always re-scape as needed.










Substrate-Flourite
Lighting-84w T5
Filtration-Eheim 2215
Ferts-Excel (first time ever yesterday)
Flourish(First time ever yesterday)
Plants-anubias, crypotcoryne, java fern, vals, sagittaria
Fish-2 praecox, 2 bosemani, 2 mcculloch's, 1 unknown rainbow, 4 otos, 10 gold pristella tetras (a weird combo of fish but I changed directions and already had the pristellas. I love them anyway.)

Still working out a water change schedule. Top off less than 5g weekly.


----------



## Chaos_Being

Great looking tanks everyone  Lauraleellbp, I love how your 46 gallon filled in. I eye that same model of tank every time I stop by the LFS. I definitely want to start another tank of approximately that size in the near(ish) future, and am also planning on low-tech for $$ reasons.


----------



## Stemwinder

This thread is empowering to noobs like me. It's so easy to get sucked into the hype of high-tech setups. I'm just getting started and it's good to know that I can create a great-looking tank without blowing my bank account. Bravo to everyone who has posted in this thread!


----------



## Noahma

I think I will post my humble tanks.
Size: 36 gal. bowfront.
Lighting: Coralife 30" dual T-5NO fixture. w/ Coralife plant bulb and Coralife Colormax bulb
DIY cold cathode ray tube moon light.
Filtration: Fluval 205 canister filter (bottom, mid trays ceramic bio rings, top rack polish cloth)
Substrate: Activ-flora black sand, and Activ-flora red gravel 
Plants: Little bit of this, little bit of that. Java moss, Val. Americana, Creeping jenny, Red Ludwiga, dwarf four leaf clover, Crypt. Parva, Wisteria, Amazon Sword, Crypt. Wendtii, Radican Sword, some huge A%$ sword lol, Penny Wort, a lotus of some sort, moss balls, and my jem, a Madagascar Lace plant.
Fauna: ohh here we go ;p 6-Dwarf neon Rainbows, 6-Zebra Danio, 6-Threadfin Rainbows, 6-Neon Tetras, 6-Glowlight tetras, 1-Dwarf Gourami, 3-Nerite snails, thousands of cherry shrimp lol. 

I watch my params like a hawk due to my stock levels. I have very stable param's, and nitrates rarely go over 5. I also do 1/3 tank volume water changes weekly.



























5.5 gal.
Lighting: flourescent of some sort purchased at home depot lol
Filtration: Hagen Elite Mini filter, Red sea nano HOB filter.
Dosing: flourish comp. kent iron and manganese weekly, excel when I have algae I need to rid. 
Plants: Red Ludwiga, Creeping Jenny, Anubias nana, Marselia Quadrifolia, Crypt. Parva, dwarf hair grass, and a few other swords, and a Tiger lotus.
Fauna: one curious betta.


----------



## aquascaper93

here is my 37 gallon low tech cube







im actually goin to change out the wood with some ada rootwood
I don't dose ferts, only sometimes. It does have co2 but only use it every other day. understocked
lighting
96w cfl coralife 10000k 
substrate 
seachem flourite
fora
wendtii "green" crypt,wendtii "red" crypt, java fern, x-mas moss, java moss
fauna 
2 pearl gouramis (male and female), mystery platy, clown loach, khuli loach, sae, ghost shrimp and soon cherry shrimp, bamboo shrimp, and 6 glowlight tetras or harliquin rasboras
oh and it has been running for a year and 2 months


----------



## mcbride_rex

25 gal. T-5 lighting (24" color max and 6700 k), bio substrate, fine bubbles for aeration (no CO2), Aqueon 30 gal filter FISH: 15 tetras, 1 amano shrimp, 2 otto cats, 1 siamensis PLANTS: melon sword, anubias, java fern, java moss, merimo moss ball, chain valis., a couple others I cant think of, fert only when i think about it, no water changes since i set it up (3.5 months), just top off. 

My first attempt, any opinions? suggestions for the front left? it looks a little thin since the drift sits off center on the right. I had a pennywort that didnt do very well. the others are all good. melon sword is probably my fav. 

Bonus: Im working @ a Petco with a pretty good selection and probably could order some other stuff if I want it!


----------



## mcbride_rex

Another shot of the same tank


----------



## Kolkri

My 29 gallon el natural tank.
cheep soil with gravel layer on top.
50 watts of lights broke up to 6 hours in the morning and 6 in the afternoon/evening.
Just kept adding plants till I found some that did well. Crypts, some sort of rotala, sword. Some micro sword that is still not doing right but doing better. 
Fish One angelfish, 1 male betta, 2 glass fish, 1 platy, three rainbow fish of some sort and lots of trumpet snails.
Water change about once a month sometimes longer.
Does with excel 3 times a week.
Up since Feb 1, 2010








10 gallon full of guppies to many to count.
15 watt that came with the top.
gravel
plants that didn't make it or were dying off in the 29 gallon. Little of this and that.
Set up August 4, 2009 but been a lot of changes over time. Even took all the Eco complete out it was smelling bad and changed it to the gravel.
12 hours of light. Once a month or so water changes.








And my 6 gallon nano cube. Freshwater light that is designed for that tank. If I remember right it is 15 watts.
Good soil with gravel on top. Used more then I did in my 29 gallon.
Trimmings from my other two tanks and a moss boll. Want to get some baby tears for ground cover soon as it cools off so I can have them shipped.
One betta and one cory cat. Some trumpet snails from my 29 gallon.
Set up four days ago. I see how it goes before I dose with any excel.








My pictures skills are terrible so just think how nice you think they look and picture them in your head at least 20 percent nicer. lol Cause they really do look better in person.
I am pleased.
Everyones tanks looks so great but most look like a lot of work. lol Love this thread.


----------



## DarkCobra

I'm loving these tanks!

Here's my 10g. It just got DIY CO2, EI ferts, and lighting upgrades two days ago. Since almost nothing has changed yet (you can just see the new growth coming in on the hornwort tips), it's still a good example of a low-tech.










All specs are pre-upgrade.

Lighting: Stock, came with the 10g
Substrate: Soilmaster Select (charcoal color)
Ferts: Flourish, once a week
Filtration: 2x Aquaclear 20
CO2: None
Fauna: Guppies
Decor: Driftwood, quartz crystal, glow-in-the dark moon

Wisteria and hornwort grow great in this tank. They're set as back/mid-ground and make up the bulk of the plants.

A few bits of bacopa, cabomba, glosso, and another plant (can't remember the name) are scattered in the mid/fore-ground for variety of texture and color. They add a lot to the tank despite the small amount and slow growth.

"JJ" the Marimo ball provides a central focal point in an otherwise unsymmetrical display. It's named from the egg in Penguins of Madagascar. Anyone else name their plants? 

The 3x pygmy chains just came in yesterday and are showing shipping stress. The tiny bit of Christmas moss tied to the driftwood is also new.


----------



## luisgo

Nice to see these low tech tank that are really nice looking. Thanks for posting.


----------



## luisgo

This is my low tech 55 gallon planted aquarium. Tank is two years old. No Co2.

Filtration: Fluval 305 canister filter
Lighting: 4 40watts Daylight 6,500k T12 fluorescent bulbs with two shop lights from Home Depot on timers
Fertilization: Seachem Flourish
Water: Reverse osmosis with RO Right. PH 6.5
Gravel: River gravel
Plants: Just a jungle
Fish: 3 Discus, 12 Harlequin rasboras, 1 coridora


----------



## Capsaicin_MFK




----------



## MixtecoBlue

(Hi Laura Lee!)

This is my 55 Gallon tank.

Electrical bits:
Eheim Ecco 2234
Fluval 204
2x Stealth heaters
GLO T5HO 1x54w

Substrate:
Flourite, PFS, black aquarium gravel mixed in roughly equal portions

Fauna:
1 pair Apisto viejita
3x Ancistrus sp.
4x Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma (wild Rio *****)
5x Corydoras pygmaeus
24x (approx) Paracheirodon axelrodi (wild Rio *****)
asst. MTS and pond snails

Flora:
3x E. 'ozelot green'
1x E. 'ozelot red'
1x C. wendtii
Hygro. difformis
Hygro. 'angustifolia'
E. tenellus
Sagittaria subulata
Rotala indica
Vallisneria sp. (got them by accident, no idea what species)
Eleocharis acicularis
Nymphaea zenkeri 'red'
Microsorum pteropus 'Windelov'

Light is on 8hrs per day. Once weekly I dose NPK liquid solution made from dry chemicals. Once weekly I dose either Flourish (very small portion) or 1/4 tsp GLA GH Booster.

Initial planting 3/16/2010:









Last pic taken 6/01/2010:


----------



## waterfaller1

15 gallon tank
single T-5 Coralife-14 wts
Eheim 2215 Classic canister filter
50 wt stealth heater

Aquasoil Amazonia


Dario dario
Sumatran neon goby
Hara Jerdoni
Indostomus Paradoxus & Crocodilus
CRS
Horned Nerites

plants~I have no idea:tongue:...it's been too long since I was researching plants. There are crypts, anubias, moss, ferns, a red sword, didiplis diandra, HC, and some mini pellia,tiny lilies...

RO water mixed with a little tap
ferts-willy nilly & excel



















*what did not work~too much light! switched from 24" Current Nova Extreme to Coralife single bulb 14 wt fixture. No more algae problems..


----------



## lauraleellbp

MixtecoBlue said:


> (Hi Laura Lee!)


I was looking at your name going, "Huh?" till I saw the pics of your tank! 

Welcome to TPT, Jeff! How go the ich wars?


----------



## MixtecoBlue

cured...92f for 10 days did the trick. the male apisto wasnt liking it at the end, but a few good solid water changes and lower temps are helping. Im also wondering though if the nitrates creeping up to 40ppm had anything to do with it. It almost seems that plant growth came to a halt during the tank-baking. I even got a tiny batch of BBA on the piece of java moss i had been growing! I just took it out and excelled the tank.

I really need to get pics up of my 10g NPT I started, but I haven't had time to take any. My boraras ended up in there with a honey gourami. the 7 gallon was given to a cousin fully planted with some fancy guppies.

I am excited that I'll be getting a bunch of Tiger strain Endlers, an assortment of local raised Pomacaea bridgesii (55 gallon?), and some cherry shrimp (10 gallon)! 

Boston Aquarium Society here I come!

And that's not even including if I find anything I like at the auction!

Im unsure which tank to put the endlers in, but it's too good an offer to pass up!

They look like this:









-Jeff


----------



## MixtecoBlue

waterfaller1 said:


> 15 gallon tank
> single T-5 Coralife-14 wts
> Eheim 2215 Classic canister filter
> 50 wt stealth heater


This is a wonderful looking tank! It looks like it just happened that way!


----------



## NicoleRM

These tanks are major inspiration for me!


----------



## waterfaller1

MixtecoBlue said:


> This is a wonderful looking tank! It looks like it just happened that way!


That's one way of describing it..lol:hihi: Thank you so much for the compliment. It looked terrible for awhile, it was just a bunch of leftovers from other tanks I took down. It suffered with too much light , and plants out of place. It is finally starting to take shape with less light, growing slow, which is perfect for me.:smile:


----------



## Karackle

Wow some truly beautiful and inspiring low tech tanks here! Both of my tanks are in sad states right now, the stems that thrived at my 2 previous abodes are not thriving here in my new place, must be something in the water. Therefore, I am switching over to completely (or nearly so) non-stem tanks and I will use these as inspirations! And then I will post pictures


----------



## slowfoot

Very nice tanks!

First post here (hi!), but I've been lurking for a long time - mostly to get advice on dealing with BG algae.

Here's my very low tech newt tank (sorry for the terrible pictures):

































It's basically a half-full 20g tall, no filter in the summer because it heats up the water too much. The tank houses 4 eastern newts and some snails and assorted pond creatures. Not sure what plants are actually in there - it's very messy right now because the newts are laying eggs and I don't want to disturb them.


----------



## waterfaller1

That is awesome! Welcome to TPT Slowfoot. Glad you decided to post and share your great & different tank. I thought the first pic was an outdoor shot.


----------



## Byron

That's a very nice aquascape for the newts. Very.


----------



## Karackle

Wow that's a great tank Slowfoot!!! Thanks for sharing and welcome to TPT!


----------



## slowfoot

Thanks for the welcome and the nice comments! 

I'm glad the natural pond look I was going for actually works - my husband just thinks it looks messy.


----------



## Karackle

No I think it definitely looks like a natural pond which means the "messiness" works....though admittedly I am a fan of the sightly messy more natural look myself so I might be a bit biased! :hihi: But I definitely think it works really well in this tank, and I'm sure the newts love it!!!! And for me, the animals in the tank being happy is really the important part, if the tank also happens to look nice, then all the better! That's actually a large reason I got into planted tank, the live plants make the tank healthier which makes the fish happier, and the absolutely huge bonus is that real plants look better than fake! :biggrin: And they add another ever-changing dynamic to the tank which I also enjoy. 

But I digress! :icon_redf :hihi:


----------



## choptop

all tanks look great now i just need to learn how to post pics


----------



## choptop

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=268517&id=100000533700089
its a little cloudy just moved the plants around


----------



## Bree7

Great thread! Love everyone's tanks!


----------



## sp33drhno

Here's a horrible picture of my 20 long. It's packed with vals and various crpyts. There's also a honey gourami and twelve threadfin rainbows. Oh, there's some java moss as well. It's filtered by an Aquaclear 50, and has a Coralife Aqualight. The substrate is Flourite black mixed with EC and aquariumplants own.


----------



## SearunSimpson

If you've got Threadfins in there, I can almost guarantee there's eggs in the clump of moss! 
Nice looking 'natural' tank!


----------



## sp33drhno

Thanks, I wish there were threadfin eggs. I'm pretty sure the dozen threadfins are all males. I lost the three females from the first group, and the second group are all males.


----------



## enlender

ok soo after lauralee's post below mine..
55g
substrate: Eco complete
Filtration: ehiem ecco 2334
Lighting: 52Watts of t8
Plants: Vals, Anubias petite nana, xmas moss, a lily, Cryptocoryne parva ,Wendtii green and red and bronze
live stock:2 Angels,4 Kribensis, 5 Neon Tetras, 5 harliquin rasboras, 2 Silver Hatchets, 4 ottos, 2 nerite snails.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Hey ya'll also need to post up your tank stats (size, lighting, filtration, substrate, plants, livestock, etc)- part of the goal of this thread is to let others see how simple it is to achieve a lovely tank like these! :biggrin:


----------



## StarrD

DeeDeeK said:


> Hi, new to the Planted Tank!
> 
> 9 gallon, 2wpg 12000k PC lighting, customized low-flow internal filter
> 
> 3 inches pool filter sand amended with about 2%-5% by volume compost-based potting soil, and several small, dead, buried fish (great fertilizer!)
> 
> pennywort, eurasian milfoil, parrotfeather milfoil, variable leaf water hyacinth, dwarf hairgrass, cabomba caroliniana, java moss, duckweed
> 
> ottos, dwarf corydoras, kuhli loaches, flame rasboras, one german blue ram
> 
> glass shrimp, malaysian trumpet snails, california blackworms, true planaria, gutless planaria
> 
> I purposefully introduced planaria, shrimp, and snails to help break down the mulm so it could sift down into the sand and decay there. Cali blackworms help aerate(?) the sand, as do the mts. I haven't vacuumed this tank in two years! And the even the water hyacinth (eichornia diversifolia), which is rated very difficult and needing rich fertile substrate and high light, grows like mad.


I love this tank!


----------



## naturelady

Here is an updated pic of my tank!! I am happy that it is actually starting to look good!

Sorry that the pic isn't super clear... I have finally figured out how to make the pics come out okay, but my camera just isn't up to the challenge of photographing tanks. Or maybe its just me...











And, because I am so stinking proud of it...

Here is a pic of my anubias blossoming!! I actually have had several blossoms now, but I think this pic of the flower just turned out so pretty... (and yes. It is pearling. Sort of.)










substrate: Eco complete
Filtration: ehiem 2215 (I think...)
Lighting: 65 watts of power compact fluorescents (yes, its a little high, so I only have lights on for 6 hrs/day)
Plants: Anubias- nana, petite nana, barteri, congensis. Bolbitis heudeloti, crypts (not sure what kinds), java ferns, HC, anacharis, myriphyllum.
Live stock: 6 guppies, 9 bloodfin tetras, 6 corydoras habrosus, 5 amano shrimp, bunch of cherry shrimp, 4 olive nerites


----------



## Kolkri

That looks very nice. Great job.


----------



## Kamivy

Tank size : 5 foot/100 gallon
Filtration: AquaOne 2200lph Canister
Lighting: 2 x 54 w T5HO @ 8hrs per day with afternoon siesta
Substrate: MTS topped with 3mm black gravel
Plants: Heaps! Crypts, swords, anubias, giant val, wisteria, rotala, hygrophila, HM, lileaopsis, HG, E. Tenellus, Telanthera, banana lillies, mosses, water ferns and more.
Ferts: none
Fauna: A gazillion red cherry shrimp and 2 golden mystery snails, rummynose tetras and sterbai corys coming soon.


----------



## waterfaller1

Beautiful! No ferts? How long has this tank been set up?


----------



## Kamivy

waterfaller1 said:


> Beautiful! No ferts? How long has this tank been set up?


lol, only 3 months.  Going strong though, am hoping the mineralised topsoil underneath the gravel will delay the need for any ferts for at least a year, possibly 2, but we'll see.


----------



## Chaos_Being

Here is my tank that I just set up a couple of days ago:


----------



## D.C._United_Caps_Fan

Ok, just a few questions for you. First one: The first photo below, what is the small plant on the substrate in the front and left side with the small round leaves, and what are it's light requirements? 

Second, in the last 4 photos below, Is that Java Moss or Christmas Moss? Also, how do you get it to look so good and to "Carpet"?????? Totally jealous of that! What is your secret???? :biggrin:

Thanks look great btw! roud:



CL said:


> One of my first real low tech tanks, diy rimless 10 gallon, inert black sand, 20 watts cfl. Had a bunch of cherries in it.


----------



## monkeyfish

Subscribed. Inspire me oh great Low Tech Tank Show-and-Tell thread!


----------



## CL

D.C. The small plant in the first picture is hc. Yes, hc in a low tech tank 
The moss in the other pictures is mostly singapore moss with some flame moss on the wood. I tied it to little pieces of slate and spread those out on the substrate to get the carpet look.


----------



## waterfaller1

CL said:


> The moss in the other pictures is mostly singapore moss with some flame moss on the wood. I tied it to little pieces of slate and spread those out on the substrate to get the carpet look.


It does look awesome!roud:


----------



## D.C._United_Caps_Fan

CL said:


> D.C. The small plant in the first picture is hc. Yes, hc in a low tech tank
> The moss in the other pictures is mostly singapore moss with some flame moss on the wood. I tied it to little pieces of slate and spread those out on the substrate to get the carpet look.



Thank you! Hmmm I may have to try that. I have tried in the past to get Java moss to attach to a lava rock and even some drift wood, but it would never really grow "on it" if you know what I mean.

I think I am going to give some singapore moss a try, and I'm also going to do a moss "wall" with christmas moss.

Yours looks awesome! :icon_smil


----------



## dj2005

D.C._United_Caps_Fan said:


> Thank you! Hmmm I may have to try that. I have tried in the past to get Java moss to attach to a lava rock and even some drift wood, but it would never really grow "on it" if you know what I mean.
> 
> I think I am going to give some singapore moss a try, and I'm also going to do a moss "wall" with christmas moss.
> 
> Yours looks awesome! :icon_smil


Try aggressively trimming the moss each time it grows for a while. This should promote more compact growth. Java moss is a bit stringy so Singapore will work better.


----------



## tina vollmer

*Low Tech 135 in progress*

Hi,

When I first came to this forum I had all fake plants with plans to switch to live plants as I learned more about what I needed to do.

I received some good advice here and so far and I believe my skills and my results are improving.

Here are some pics of where I'm at at the moment.
Thanks


----------



## Algaegator

Wow -- beautiful tanks guys -- inspiring.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Just an update on my 10gal and 90gal


----------



## lauraleellbp

Keep 'em coming, folks! :fish:


----------



## waterfaller1

Looks great Tina & Laura.:smile:


----------



## sp33drhno

Tank: Marineland 5.5 gallon
Filter: ZooMed 501
Light: Hampton bay 27 watt cfl desk lamp
Heater: Hydor 25 watt
Substrate: Aquariumplants own
Fauna: Betta splendens
Flora: Various crypts, rotala rotundifolia, java moss, floating water sprite, few nodes m. minuta which were recently added.

I feed the betta 6x a week, dose excel every other day, top off the water once or twice a week, and do a small water change every 8 weeks or so. A small bundle of moss was stuffed between the glass and spray bar upon initial set up. Since then it has grown over most of the spray bar and reduced flow to "happy betta" level.


----------



## enlender

Updated my 55 yea i know its not great with all the extra equipment on there but wanted to keep filters cycled for my 29g im DSM right now

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/t...ders-1st-journal-55g-kribcrypt-criticism.html


----------



## mike2lane

These are such beautiful setups. Kind of intimidating to a noob, but still an inspiration!


----------



## unissuh

Long time lurker but never posted...some nice tanks in this thread.

Heres mine:

1) Home desktop/experimental tank (~5 years old)
Tank: Modified AquaOne AR380, ~9g
Lighting: 11w compact flourescent
Filter: AquaOne internal 300LV (150 L/h)
Heater: AquaOne 55w
Substrate: Seachem Onyx Sand with peat moss underneath
Ferts: Osmocote "Native" into the substrate every few months










2) Work desktop tank (~1 year old, rescaped a few months ago)
Tank: AquaOne 30 cube, ~7 g
Lighting: 11w compact flourescent
Filter: AquaOne internal 300LV
Heater: some dodgy brand 25w
Substrate: Seachem Flourite Black Sand
Ferts: Morning dose of 1x Seachem Excel on working days, Osmocote "Native" into the substrate every month or so










3) Bookshelf display tank (just set up)
Tank: AquaOne Horizon 50, ~11 g
Lighting: 2x7w compact flourescent
Filter: AquaClear 70 with a AC30 impellor
Heater: AquaOne 55w
Substrate: CaribSea Moonlight Sand
Ferts: Substrate Osmocote, will play it by feel as tank matures


----------



## NicotineRush

Just starting. Long time fish keeper, new to plants. Hopefully, plants will be ordered this week.

75g tank
Coralife T5NO 2x54w 65k
2 Eheim 2217's
Substrate - MTS w/pool sand (Thanks Ken!)










MTS - Looks just like cake frosting!










Some nice Manzanita. One on the right has been soaking.










Tom


----------



## Dan the Man

Hey Tom, that's some beautiful wood. I'm in North Charleston too. I've met another guy on here from Ladson. So maybe there are some planted tankers here? Anyway best of luck to your scape!

-Dan


----------



## Digsy

My 10" cube:

Tank: 25.4cm x 25.4cm x 25.4cm 

Lighting: 13w Ott-Lite 

Filtration: Eheim 2211

Substrate: Horticultural sand


----------



## NicotineRush

Dan the Man said:


> Hey Tom, that's some beautiful wood. I'm in North Charleston too. I've met another guy on here from Ladson. So maybe there are some planted tankers here? Anyway best of luck to your scape!
> 
> -Dan


Actually, I purchased 4 pcs from Manzanita Burlworks. The last 2 I got worked the best. The pics of them in the tank do not really show how good they actually look in the tank.

I'm in Wando Woods. Walking distance to Low Country Harley! Just moved here from FL about 12 weeks ago.

Tom


----------



## Hilde

unissuh said:


> Home desktop/9g
> Lighting: 11w compact flourescent


I love this one. What plants are in this one? Any fish in it?


----------



## unissuh

Carpet: Elatine gratioloides
Midground: Staurogyne sp, Cryptocoryne parva, Cryptocoryne nevilli
Moss: Vesicularia ferriei (weeping moss)
Background: Sagittaria subulata
Floating: Lemna sp (duckweed)

Just has a single Otocinclus in there aside from the RCS - prefer to stay away from fish in this one to keep it less maintainence.


----------



## VadimShevchuk

Great inspiration from this thread. To bad this thread seems to be dieing =/


----------



## lauraleellbp

Dying? No way! 

Keep 'em comin' peeps! :biggrin:


----------



## PinoyBoy

unissuh said:


> 1) Home desktop/experimental tank (~5 years old)
> Tank: Modified AquaOne AR380, ~9g
> Lighting: 11w compact flourescent
> Filter: AquaOne internal 300LV (150 L/h)
> Heater: AquaOne 55w
> Substrate: Seachem Onyx Sand with peat moss underneath
> Ferts: Osmocote "Native" into the substrate every few months


WOW roud:
I've never seen something scaped in this style before. Looks very nice.


----------



## chrisnif

Guess I'll share. This is what my 56 gallon tank looked like 2 days ago. So far just african water fern, I have some tiny bits of java fern. Substrate is from lowes, its called "paver base" like $2.50 for a bag, a mix of sand, dirt, a tiny shards of slate, I mixed in some sand I had in my reef tank mainly because this is going to be a lake Tanganyika (mainly) tank. So far I've got 15 cherry barbs, which I'm slowly but surely acclimating to higher pHs. I've gone up about 0.1 pH daily and they are happy at 7.6, I think i'm going to slow down to 0.05 or so daily when I hit 8.0 as I carry up to 8.8 (Lake Tang has some of the most alkaline water on the planet, more so than the ocean). Shells arrive tomorrow, will be filling in the front area with LOTS of shells (getting shell dwellers and calvus in the long term).








So what do ya think?


----------



## waterfaller1

Some tanks I had, but are no more...
10 gal









4 gal






















































20 gal


----------



## Hilde

waterfaller1 said:


> 10 gal


The colors are amazing. Tell, tell, lights, ferts, Co2, please.


waterfaller1 said:


> 4 gal
> http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...sh/0061908.jpg


I would love to try to replicate this in a 10 gallon tank. What are the plants, lights, ferts, Co2?


----------



## lauraleellbp

Carole's little cube tanks have always been some of my favorites.


----------



## waterfaller1

Hilde said:


> The colors are amazing. Tell, tell, lights, ferts, Co2, please.
> 
> I would love to try to replicate this in a 10 gallon tank. What are the plants, lights, ferts, Co2?


I have no idea..hehe. The ferts would have been to the Seachem chart. No CO2, just Excel. I believe the lighting was a T-5 desk lamp at some point, then it may have been switched to a Current T-5 fixture.


lauraleellbp said:


> Carole's little cube tanks have always been some of my favorites.


Thanks Laura. I miss them.:icon_frow


----------



## TetraJeff

This post is somewhere else, but I will share it here anyways 
The tank is a 29gal
Filter is what came with the tank, a quietflow.
I got a 170gph powerhead for additional Co2 injection, besides the Co2 ladder.
Lighting is 2 24" T5 at 48 watts total, life-glo and colormax.
I got 5 cardinal tetras, 5 glowlights and 8 neons, 2 otto's, 3 ghost shrimp.
Plants are
1) Ricca Fluitans on the dw.
2) Rotala SP. Nanjenshan
3) Cyprus Helfer
4) Nesaea pedicellata golden
5) Rotala Rotundifolia
6) Cryptocoryne parva
7) Echinodorus "Red Flame" sword
8) Alternanthera reineckii var 'roseafolia'
9) Wisteria
10) Dwarf Hairgrass
11) Anubias Barteri Var. NANA
12) Java Fern
13) Bacopa monnieri
14) Rotala Magenta


----------



## Kamivy

My low tech shrimp cube:

Substrate: ADA Amazonia
Lighting: 1 x 9w power compact fluoro
Filtration: cheapie HOB
Ferts: None, only additive is daily Excel
Plants: Unidentified moss on mesh for carpet in foreground, subwassertang midground, blyxa japonica background. Anubias nana petite and weeping moss on driftwood.

Please excuse the blob of shrimp food in the front of the photo:icon_redf


----------



## PinoyBoy

Kamivy, do you have any closer shots of the tank? Looking good.


----------



## Hilde

TetraJeff said:


> The tank is a 29gal
> I got a 170gph powerhead for additional Co2 injection, besides the Co2 ladder.


I thought being low tech this meant tanks without Co2 injected.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Hilde said:


> I thought being low tech this meant tanks without Co2 injected.


People define "low tech" differently. Many people consider the use of DIY CO2 still to be "low tech."


----------



## Rainwater

Hi all, newbie here, well I use to have a tank of oscars but i got out of that years ago and now just getting back into the hobby. Picked up this 75 gal and stand fairly cheap and just got the 3 d background finished and installed. Its not running and I am monitoring it for leaching. Been running for a couple of days now and seems to be non so far, I think its due to not using concrete as an overlay, I used basically sand and portland, a mix called ultra tex, a friend of mine gave me a bag and I thought I would try it. Anyhow my next step is to build a canopy and try and figure out lighting on a budget. Any ideas? i have some natural sand I am going to use as a substrate.


----------



## dj2005

PinoyBoy said:


> Kamivy, do you have any closer shots of the tank? Looking good.


Yes, please give us more pictures of your cube. Looks very pretty.


Since I rescaped two of my tanks since my last post, here are updated pictures of them:

Mini M:
18w PC lighting @ 9 hours daily
2x dosage of Excel once per day
Ferts when I feel like it (~twice a week)
Fauna: RCS and Red Ramshorns
Flora: Mini micro sword, MM, E. tenellus, HM, Weeping moss, Subwassertang, Fissidens fontanus, Anubias petite









2.5G (added DIY CO2 ~2 days ago):
9w PC lighting
Ferts added when I dose my Mini M
Fauna: RCS and a Betta
Flora: Blyxa japonica, mini micro sword, Fissidens fontanus, Subwassertang, Mini Pellia, Anubias petite, Weeping moss growing emersed


----------



## lauraleellbp

Rainwater said:


> Hi all, newbie here, well I use to have a tank of oscars but i got out of that years ago and now just getting back into the hobby. Picked up this 75 gal and stand fairly cheap and just got the 3 d background finished and installed. Its not running and I am monitoring it for leaching. Been running for a couple of days now and seems to be non so far, I think its due to not using concrete as an overlay, I used basically sand and portland, a mix called ultra tex, a friend of mine gave me a bag and I thought I would try it. Anyhow my next step is to build a canopy and try and figure out lighting on a budget. Any ideas? i have some natural sand I am going to use as a substrate.


Welcome to TPT!

This isn't quite the thread to discuss your tank setup options, but if you'll start your own thread for that I'm sure you'll get all kinds of feedback.


----------



## Kamivy

PinoyBoy said:


> Kamivy, do you have any closer shots of the tank? Looking good.


Thanks. I havn't taken any recent ones, I'll have to do that, but heres a couple more taken at the same time as the first one. It still needs more growing in yet and a tidy up. Please excuse the dirty glass.

Shrimp on the "lawn"










Close up (ugh freshwater limpet infestation!)










And an updated photo of my 5 footer posted earlier on page 8 of this thread:


----------



## Rhaethe

CL said:


> ADA mini m. River sand. No ferts or water changes. 27W 16 inches above tank



I absolutely LOVE this tank.

Can you tell me more details? Type of plants used, etc?


----------



## lauraleellbp

Rhaethe said:


> I absolutely LOVE this tank.
> 
> Can you tell me more details? Type of plants used, etc?


The plants I see are Bolbitus in the background, Java fern 'trident' in the midground, and Anubias nana 'petite' at the bottom.


----------



## Rhaethe

Excellent. I'd suspected the bolbitis and the nana, but wasn't sure of any others.


----------



## naturelady

TetraJeff said:


> This post is somewhere else, but I will share it here anyways
> The tank is a 29gal
> Filter is what came with the tank, a quietflow.
> I got a 170gph powerhead for additional Co2 injection, besides the Co2 ladder.
> Lighting is 2 24" T5 at 48 watts total, life-glo and colormax.
> I got 5 cardinal tetras, 5 glowlights and 8 neons, 2 otto's, 3 ghost shrimp.
> Plants are
> 1) Ricca Fluitans on the dw.
> 2) Rotala SP. Nanjenshan
> 3) Cyprus Helfer
> 4) Nesaea pedicellata golden
> 5) Rotala Rotundifolia
> 6) Cryptocoryne parva
> 7) Echinodorus "Red Flame" sword
> 8) Alternanthera reineckii var 'roseafolia'
> 9) Wisteria
> 10) Dwarf Hairgrass
> 11) Anubias Barteri Var. NANA
> 12) Java Fern
> 13) Bacopa monnieri
> 14) Rotala Magenta


TetraJeff, I just saw your post about your tank. I love it!! I like the colors, the setup, the variety of plants, the... well, everything.  It looks very nice!


----------



## davinci27

Here's mine.

*Size*: 1.5 Gallon
*Substrate*: Black Sand
*Filter*: Red Sea Nano
*Light*: 13W Compact Florescent - on from 9:30 - 5 each day

I don't use any CO2 or Excel. I don't do water changes I just top it off. I've got a water bottle that I fill and dechlorinate once a week. I put about 1mL of plant food in the bottle when I fill it up, then I use that bottle of water to top of the tank throughout the week.


----------



## PinoyBoy

Great tank to start a new page. What plant is that at the very right? The one that is very skinny and has a red tip to it?

The one that is in front of Alternanthera reineckii v. 'roseafolia'


----------



## GitMoe

That tank is great. Any trouble with your Zebra Nerite climbing out of the tank? I'd be afraid of that. I have to in my 36 tank with a lid and I often find them out of water...


----------



## lauraleellbp

davinci27 said:


>


What a lovely tank!

I strongly encourage you to put a cover of some sort over the top, though, as Bettas are notorious jumpers. I've lost 2 to jumping just this year, actually... forgot to close the lid back after feeding. :icon_frow


----------



## Pikachu

Everyone here have such nice tanks.


----------



## Clint

My 29, set up yesterday, wrong color lights, needs a tall piece of decoration yet, and I want to add some moss to the driftwood. I have a new filter coming for it in the mail and i need to flip the wallpaper around to the black side when i swap out filters.

I also need to move things around once the plants get use to my water/substrate.

20 pounds of eco complete, 15 pounds of flora max, another 20ish pounds of deep river rock medium grain.

6 black neon tetras, 6 glowlight tetras, 2 neon blue dwarf gourami. 
I have 3 cardinals and a baby koi angelfish in a 10 gallon tank I'll add as well once this tank stabilizes (yea, thats a lot of fish to add at once, but i am using two established filters on it for now, a pf150 with two used filter pads and some used biomax, and a powerhead spongefilter.

I have some red wendth (cryptocoryne wendtii), some cryptocoryne crispatula, and two other types of plants i didn't get little name cards for. lol

I was in a hurry to get the plants in because i had to get the tetras in there so i could put the new fish into the quarantine tank they were in. I didn't have time to be creative. I'll fix it in a month or so if my plants look like they are going to live.

I added my t8 hood to the tank along with the t5's after this pic, it seems to keep the t5's from washing out the colors as much. (they were out of freshwater hoods, so this one has a 10000k bulb and a actinic bulb)

edit: My hood is a Aqualight t-5 by coralife 36 watt (2x18) sitting on my glass lid. (should look better once i correct the types of bulbs I have)


----------



## zoragen

6 gal eclipse
8W light:icon_eek:
Florite substrate
Crowntail betta
2 zebra nerite snails
Spiralis crypt
Lutea crypt
Anubias Short & Sharp
Petite Anubias

I dose excel & seachem comprehensive after my weekly water change









Wish I could get a good picture of this guy!!


----------



## LICfish

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and I'm inspired by all the beautiful tanks that everyone has  Here's my 50 which has been set up for about 6 months now. I'm planning on reworking it soon though.

Lighting: 17 W T8 and indirect sunlight. planning to upgrade the light soon.
Substrate: Flourite
Flora:Honwort, Stargrass, Wisteria, Hygrophila corymbosa "stricta", Ruffled Amazon Sword, Amazon Sword, Anubias Nana, Myrio, Cabomba, Aponogetons Ulvaceus
Fauna: congo tetras, threadfin rainbows, balloon red eye tetras, rosy tetras, apistogramma, dwarf chain loaches, abn, SAEs
weekly water changes


----------



## Gadfly

Hello everyone....new to the forums here so this is a first post as well. Just wanted to show my 10 gallon tank started a month ago. The plants were added 3 weeks ago.










Lighting : 2 flourescent bulbs from Walmart's fish section
Substrate : Can't remember the name but it's plant substrate from PetSmart
Flora : Anachris, Anaubias, Wisteria, Baby's Tear..( That I think is dying, it came attached to a lava rock), also a plant I can't identify. It's the one in front of the Anachris and behind the HC.
Fauna : Betta, 2 Otocinclus, 2 Black Mystery Snails ( which are anhiliating the anachris.) and ghost shrimp. 

I don't dose Ferts or Co2, weekly water changes of about 10% 

While I have the attention of the low tech guys wanted to find a good carpet plant, if my HC dies I'd like to start a decent carpet.


----------



## crash cbmnz

Here's my low-tech 29.
Top Soil from my yard capped with Eco-Complete


----------



## waterfaller1

Great looking new tanks on this thread!roud:


----------



## lauraleellbp

Lookin great, keep em coming!

29gal update


----------



## jokoz

Here's my overgrown 55 gal. Excel and EI dosing. Worm castings under coarse sand. 80w of shop light.


----------



## problemman

40 gallon breeder with topsoil caped with turface 
50% water changes weekly no dosing other then iron and potassium when I remember.


----------



## waterfaller1

lauraleellbp said:


> Lookin great, keep em coming!
> 
> 29gal update


Oh wow, when did you do this? It's awesome:icon_excl No CO2? Please give some details.


----------



## Madfish

Here is mine that I just started not to long ago.


----------



## lauraleellbp

waterfaller1 said:


> Oh wow, when did you do this? It's awesome:icon_excl No CO2? Please give some details.


Thanks, Carole!

This tank is set up at my hubby's office, and has been set up almost a year now.

29gal, Coralife T5NO light fixture, Eheim Ecco 2236 filter, Hydor ETH 200 watt heater, Flourite black substrate. No CO2, no ferts at all (not even root tabs to date). Water changes about 20-30% once a month and nitrates still run < 5ppm despite a relatively high bioload.


----------



## RAWR

*My planted tank*

I started my first planted tank 10 days ago after reading up on here and learning some info. Its aproximately 150 gallon, substrate is mineralised top soil and akadama on top. The pump is an Eheim 2260 bucket and the lights are T5 80w x2 (one white and one blue). It's early days in terms of seeing how the tank progresses, but i'm hoping even though the growth will be slow, that the plants will stay healthy and root well.


----------



## Liquid_Pyro

Madfish, thats a great looking tank! I want to do something similar in the future, lots of neons with a nice pair of rams...


----------



## agoins

MTS capped with eco complete.
light EI dosing once a week
128watts of t8 shop light (ordered 2x 80w t5HO today!! )
I started injecting CO2 two days ago.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Nice tank, but it's not low tech any more! :hihi:


----------



## agoins

lauraleellbp said:


> Nice tank, but it's not low tech any more! :hihi:



yeah true, but it was in that picture haha.


----------



## goot776

agoins said:


> yeah true, but it was in that picture haha.


Do you have any overheating issues with that wooden canopy over your light fixture? I don't like a "naked" aquarium top -- I think it looks unfinished -- but comments I've read provoke concerns about ventilation problems.


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS

Here's some of my low-tech setups, the last 3 were newly set up when the pics were taken, so lots of growing in to do. First picture is a 75 gallon mixed pygo tank with 4x 32 watt T8 Home Depot shop light fixture and pea gravel substrate. Second picture is a 30 long community tank with 1x 30 watt T8 fixture with Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil substrate. Third picture is a 40 breeder solo S. compressus tank with 2x 96 watt power compact fixture with only one bulb running, top is filled with Salvinia minima to keep pretty low light with a play sand substrate. The fourth picture is a 75 gallon solo S. rhombeus tank with DIY 4x 32 watt T8 fixture and play sand substrate.


----------



## agoins

goot776 said:


> Do you have any overheating issues with that wooden canopy over your light fixture? I don't like a "naked" aquarium top -- I think it looks unfinished -- but comments I've read provoke concerns about ventilation problems.


yeah with those lights I do, I have to leave the top of it cracked or else it gets to like 82 degrees. I also have a custom sea life pump which are known to raise the water temp a couple of degrees. Once I get my new lights (the shop lights put out a lot of heat) I should have no problem. Plus my tank is pretty well insulated. 3/4" acrylic and with a black 3/4" foam background taped to it.


----------



## Hilde

agoins said:


> yeah with those lights I do, I have to leave the top of it cracked or else it gets to like 82 degrees. Once I get my new lights (the shop lights put out a lot of heat) I should have no problem.


Seems you have room for fans. Fans can be bought cheaply on Ebay.


----------



## Britney Spears

no one mentioned the water temperature . . . !!!


----------



## barbarossa4122

This is my wife's two weeks old 10g. 
5 neons, 6 harlequins and 20 rcs.
20lbs Eco Black
AC30 and Whisper EX45 (Rena xp2 as of tomorrow)
Catalina 1 24w 6500k t5ho bulb 8" above tank
Koralia Nano 240gph.

This tank will have pressurized co2 in about one week and it will look different in about one month.


----------



## waterfaller1

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> Here's some of my low-tech setups,.


I love the third one. Would like to see it with some tall plants across the back, like vals or something..


----------



## waterfaller1

lauraleellbp said:


> Thanks, Carole!
> 
> This tank is set up at my hubby's office, and has been set up almost a year now.
> 
> 29gal, Coralife T5NO light fixture, Eheim Ecco 2236 filter, Hydor ETH 200 watt heater, Flourite black substrate. No CO2, no ferts at all (not even root tabs to date). Water changes about 20-30% once a month and nitrates still run < 5ppm despite a relatively high bioload.


That is awesome...no ferts, go figure. All this hullabaloo trying to get all these ferts and yours looks great without. I rarely use any either like I used to. I still think it's what ruined several of my tanks...


----------



## agoins

Hilde said:


> Seems you have room for fans. Fans can be bought cheaply on Ebay.


yea I do. Im just waiting until I get my new lights. That should take care of my problem. :icon_smil


----------



## lauraleellbp

I really like your tanks alot, JoeDizzle.

You must be a piranha fan!


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS

waterfaller1 said:


> I love the third one. Would like to see it with some tall plants across the back, like vals or something..


I would actually love to see some vals in there too, because I did put some in there... the fish that's in there apparently didn't like them and decided to mow them down with his teeth. Over the course of a week they went from about 12" tall to nothing. It's a pretty stubborn fish, anything that is tall or broad-leafed doesn't last long, so I'm hoping the dwarf sag can slowly creep up to cover more of the back without him noticing.


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS

lauraleellbp said:


> I really like your tanks alot, JoeDizzle.
> 
> You must be a piranha fan!


Thank you, I am definitely a piranha fan, I used to have quite a collection before I downsized last year before my son was born, but some of them I could never get rid of. The community tank in the pictures is actually my first non-piranha tank that I have set up in many years, it's really nice to be able to get some of the fish that I've always wanted but would have been food in my other tanks. My friends, family, and some of the members on a piranha forum that I moderate still can't believe I have a tank with tetras and discus in my house :icon_lol:


----------



## goldier

Hi all,

I read this forum sometimes and I enjoy reading this thread. Just want to share with you my low tech, experimental tank with turface and clay mix substrate. The 10g aquarium setup is approximately 5 months old, with 2x10w CF bulbs. I named it Tropicalia. The faunas include 1 betta, 4 guppies, 2 otos and 4 amano shrimp. Floras: lily, various species of lugwigia, val, star grass, Klein Bar swords, rotala, microswords, golden Llyoydiella. I recently trimmed down the lily stalks to give more light to other plants.


----------



## PinoyBoy

Looks good Goldier. How did you get the betta to flair like that in the middle of the tank?
Also any ferts or carbon source?


----------



## goldier

Thank you Pinoboy. The betta usually flares at the guppies but in this case I pointed a stick to him and he was aggressive enough to flare. I then quickly removed the stick and snapped a shot. Not a full 100% flaring though.

As for fert/carbon sources: osmocot in the substrate, light feed of NPK solution in the water column, sodium bicarbonate (a carbon source), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from fish meal extract liquid, and dry carbon source from alfalfa pellets are added in small quantities. At this point, water change is done approximately once a month.


----------



## WeedCali

I might as well post pics of my tank.

36G Bowfront, 17w T8....

In its prime









comin back


----------



## Tsartetra

WeedCali said:


> I might as well post pics of my tank.
> 
> 36G Bowfront, 17w T8....
> 
> In its prime
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> comin back


I don't see any pics...


----------



## WeedCali

yeah what the heck. they were there when i first posted it. im at school so ill post when i get home.


----------



## Hilde

WeedCali said:


> yeah what the heck. they were there when i first posted it. im at school so ill post when i get home.


Did you copy the photo location from the website it is in?


----------



## Prostock442

Just found this thread, Interesting. Bump


----------



## WeedCali

theyre showing up for me now. i dont get it.


----------



## OoglyBoogly

I'm currently suffering from "collector-itis" ... on that note:










Fauna: 
40ish Red Cherry Shrimps
10x Cardinal Tetras
like 100s of Endler Guppies originating from 1 breeding pair
2x Otocinclus Dwarf Catfish
20+ Malysian Trumpet Snails
100s of Tadpole Snails
1x Red Wiggler Worm (for the lols)
12x Celestial Pearl Danios
10x (5 are temporary until my friend claims them)Siamese Algae Eaters
dozens of Blackworms

hopeful:
Golden Clam to filter the water column

Flora:
brazillian pennywort
Ceratophyllum demersum - coontail
Hemianthus callitrichoides - Dwarf Baby Tears
Micranthemum umbrosum - Baby Tears
Brazilian Elodea - Anachris
Anubias minima
Hydrocotyle leucocephala - Brazilian Pennywort
Bacopa monnieri - Water Hyssop
Ceratopteris thalictroides - Water Sprite, Indian Fern
Hygrophila difformis - Water Wisteria
[Strike]Lemna minor - Lesser Duckweed[/strike] kept getting stuck to my arm hairs...
Vesicularia dubyana - Java Moss
Dwarf Hairgrass

(new bulk addition of plants added yesterday from sewingalot)

Clinopodium cf. brownei (a ton of this)
Bacopa salzmannii
Bacopa carolina (I am not sure of the id)
Lindernia sp. varigated
Lindernia sp india
Heteranthera zosterifolia 
Lysimachia nummularia (aka creeping jenny - my friend michelle and I decided that this would be the WORST stripper name ever!)
Hygrophilia sp. bold (or tiger, I am not sure which)
Rotala rotundfolia (ratty looking stems due to lean micronutrients)
Blyxa Japonica
Ludwigia repens x arcuata
Ludwigia brevipes
Pellia
Flame moss
Unknown moss (not java)
Emersed crypt lutea (still has dirt on it, so rinse it well and expect a total melt down.)
Various crypt babies (submersed)
Limnophilia sp. wavy

Equipment:
Eheim 2217 Canister Filter
55g Aquarium Glass Tank
2x 40w T12 - 4 foot fluorescent bulbs in modified hood/ballast from Home Depot... by modified I mean I epoxied a piece of sheet aluminum so that I can sit the hood on the tank... ghetto tech is probably a more appropriate term
submersible Heater (not sure how many watts bc it's old)
Thinking about making a homemade CO2 generator using yeast and sugar combined with a makeshift reactor... not sure yet

Food:
Tetra red chunky dried food that i crush for the bc the brine shrimp haven't yet hatched
Hikari Tropical fish micro pellets
Hikari wheat germ - medium pellet crushed with fingers

Chemicals:
Seachem Fluorish 

30 pounds of river rock underneath 25 pounds of cheap painted (quality wise estees  ) black gravel... lol sometimes I can see white under the black coating on the gravel


----------



## lauraleellbp

Very nice, OoglyBoogly! I'd skip the clam, though- it will disappear down into your substrate and starve to death and possibly pollute your tank.

WeedCali- your pics have never shown up for me.


----------



## Hilde

OoglyBoogly said:


> 1x Red Wiggler Worm (for the lols)
> dozens of Blackworms


Worms are thriving and producing in the tank?


OoglyBoogly said:


> Chemicals:
> Seachem Fluorish


No Seachem Excell?

So amazed at the growth especially since you are using T12 bulbs.


----------



## OoglyBoogly

Hilde said:


> Worms are thriving and producing in the tank?
> 
> No Seachem Excell?
> 
> So amazed at the growth especially since you are using T12 bulbs.


More detailed info on my tank here:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/low-tech-forum/118814-my-freecycle-tank-55g.html

I added worms around Nov 1st:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/low-tech-forum/118814-my-freecycle-tank-55g-2.html#post1193011

I took this pic on Nov 8th:









I also added some to my 30g and I noticed a tiny blackworm corkscrewing through the water. There is nice blackworm thread on aquariacentral iirc. They are more than able to survive in the substrate of a tank. I always see my CPD females and some endler females lurking and staring at the substrate and I caught one snagging a worm from the substrate. The worms will automatically severe a section of their body if it is caught and thrashed around.


----------



## Algaegator

Goodness OoglyBoogly -- that's quite a tank. I'm partial to the jungle look.


----------



## OoglyBoogly

Algaegator said:


> Goodness OoglyBoogly -- that's quite a tank. I'm partial to the jungle look.


 Thanks :icon_smil I too am partial to the jungle look. My friends call my backyard "Little Vietnam"... heh my mother is FOB from there... well fresh being 35 years ago!

It must be in my blood hah


----------



## MCHRKiller

150G 72*20*24 
160lbs Caribsea Torpedo Beach Sand
Manzanita Branches and Riverstones for Hardscape
260watts PC(4ft fixture)
3 XP3 Canisters, 1 Emp 400, 2 Powerheads with "quickfilter" sponges
Weekly Flourish dosing if I remember

Needle Leaf Fern
Regular Leaf Java Fern
Amazon Swords
Anubias Barteri
Anubias Nana 
Anubias gigantea 
Anubias minima 
C. Lucens 

5 Geophagus abalios 
5 Geophagus pindare(moving them out soon) 
4 Rainbow Cichlids 
4 Albino Bristlenose 
2 Rotkeil Severums 
1 Female Green Terror 
1 L330 Royal Pleco
25-30(who can remember or count them?) Buenos Aires Tetras


----------



## OoglyBoogly

lauraleellbp said:


> Very nice OoglyBoogly! I'd skip the clam though- it will disappear down into your substrate and starve to death and possibly pollute your tank. WeedCali- your pics have never shown up for me.


 If I ever got a clam I'd use this method that I read about which is to basically put a bunch of holes in a mott's apple sauce container and fill it with sand and put the clam in that... I'm not sure if the clam would get out of it if it were deep enough so I'd probably put a hair net or loofah net over it too


----------



## lauraleellbp

That won't keep it from starving to death...


----------



## OoglyBoogly

lauraleellbp said:


> That won't keep it from starving to death...


Heh I can't handle any more mass deaths in my tank after my shrimp fiasco. If something crazy like that happens again I will be getting rid of my tank sooner than planned.


----------



## Karackle

Since I'm posting today for the first time in a looooonnnng time anyway I figured I'd post a quick FTS of my 30g and one of my 10g  

Enjoy!

30g:









10g:


----------



## iliketogolf

Here is my 120 gallon aquarium built into a wall
Lighting: two single T5 HO suspended 28 inches above substrate
filtration: two eheim 2217; airstone at night
CO2: none
Ferts: Root Medic root tabs and water column macro/micro once per week
Fauna: Roseline sharks, various tetras (rummy nose, cardinal, lemon), platys, pineapple swords, cherry barbs, betta, dwarf neon rainbows and a cleaning crew
Flora: mostly anubias and crypts, amazon swords, kleiner sword, tiger lotus, banana plant


----------



## LICfish

You have a beautiful tank iliketogolf.


----------



## Aquariumnoob1

Bump


----------



## Betta Maniac

I now have serious big tank envy! There are some really amazing tanks on this thread. I'm new to the whole planted tank thing, and haven't had an aquarium of any kind except a betta bowl back in college. I'm not ready for the time or $$$ it takes to run a CO2 set-up, so I went low-tech. 

I've got two 6 gal "Bookshelf" tanks set up for my bettas. Both tanks are blackwater tanks, and have one betta, three pepper cats, five ramshorn snails (that I know of) and a large load of plants (somewhere I've got a list, but I can't find it at the moment). And yes, apparently I'm a terrible tank photographer. I can't seem to find the right setting on my camera. *sigh* 

*Nigel the Crowntail*



















*Bertie the Halfmoon*


----------



## monty67

my 20 tall....http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25575&stc=1&d=1291652937


----------



## Herbicidal

I'll add mine to the mix. Started the 'build' in July of 2010. 3D AquaTerra background first and all the hardware. Fish and plants added in August. Starting to learn about dry ferts and dosing, but I'm actually enjoying the slower growth rate of the plants. Here's the basics:

155g with overhead canopy.
No CO2.
2 sets of Catalina retrofit light kits, each contains 2-39watt T5-HO bulbs (6,500K), on for 10 hours/day.
3 sets of blue, LED moonlights.
Eco-Complete substrate.
Rena XP3 and an XP4 for filtration.
2 Koralia circulation pumps behind the background to keep the water moving!
Starting it all:









Water, some driftwood, a couple of plants and some fish you can't really see:









Some progression. Now a couple of blurry Discus, new driftwood and a few more plants:









Current pics, left side close up:









Mostly center:









Right hand side:









And one of _most_ of the 'gang', OK everyone, face left! :tongue:









To see more pictures and my build journal, click the link below in my signature line. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

:fish:


----------



## redchigh

Those are the most current pics I have. 

Both are set up with about 20W of CFL lighting, and a variety of plants. Let me see if I can remember..

Top tank-
ph- 7.3 (with limestone)
no filters at all.
flora:
dwarf sag
echinodorus blehiri var compacta
alternanthera (since has died down to one stem)
prospernicta palistrus (mysteriously disappeared)
cabomba green
cabomba furcata
echinodorus var vesuvius
Potamogeton Gayi (since died)

fauna-
unknown hordes of guppies.

Bottom tank:
same equipment, but a 23W cool white spotlight instead of 2 10W cfls.

Flora:
Bacopa monnerei
java moss
java fern
small potted echinodorus blehiri
pygmy chain sword

Fauna-
guppies that have since been returned to main tank. Currently 1 hardcore ghost shrimp.

I also have a 1 gallon tank here:
http://www.fishtanks.net/fishtank.php?fishtank=2430









Lighting: none
Substrate: soil, like all my others.
Filtration- none
heating- none (I know, I'm trying to find a little one. Ambient room temps are usually about 74.)
Flora:
Hygro difformis
dwarf sag
banana plant
java moss

fauna-
1 crowntail betta, named Jackie.


----------



## Hilde

redchigh said:


> Top tank 20W of CFL lighting.
> ph- 7.3 (with limestone)


So you water is very soft? Dosing ferts, excell?


----------



## Kratos

29 Gallon
Penguin Bio-Wheel 350
Coralife Aqualight 1x65 Compact Flourescent
200w Heater
AquariumPlants.com substrate
Malaysian driftwood & rocks
Minimal ferts & Excel 
6-7 hour photo period

Plants:

Java fern
Anubias Lanceolota
Crypt Wendtii red
Onion plants
Wisteria
Coming Soon - Crypt Balansae, more anubias, something floating like hornwort or frogbit

Livestock:

3x male Guppies 
4x Black Mollies
4x Ottos
2x Cories
3x remaining neon tetras
2x remaining rasboras
Coming soon - more male guppies, 1 peaceful gourami, possibly ghost shrimp, possibly more neons

Notes - I realise I'm pushing it with the lights. Had a recent BBA outbreak, I think I did a nice job of trimming it, removing most of it and now with the addition of ferts and Excel, and a way shorter photoperiod (was on for 10 hours), I think tank will recover and be fine.


----------



## Rhaethe

I have three --- To note, I'm not terribly positive on the ID of some of these plants.

First, we have the five gallon. It recently got stripped. I am hoping that the plants which started sprouting after I stripped it will grow in quickly.



*5 gallon hex*
AquaClear 20
Flourite Black Sand
one 10w compact fluorescent

*Plants*
Crypt becketti or petchii

*Fauna*
Betta
1 nerite snail


Next we have my 10g. The "groundcover" is just moss bits that have fallen from the clump, or were leftover from trimming. I kinda like it. The clump is in need of trimming again. It is also the tank where "leftover fish" from schools somehow ended up ... for various reasons.



*10 gallon*
AquaClear 30
two 10w compact fluorescent
Flourite black sand

*Plants*
Christmas moss
Needleleaf java fern

*Fauna*
1 dwarf gourami
1 sparkling gourami
9 pygmy cories
18 red cherry shrimp
2 ember tetra
1 danio erythromicron
1 nerite snail


And lastly, the 20g. This was initially set up to be plantless and house shellies. Over time it became a cherry barb haven. Upcoming additions will probably be some nerites.




*20 gallon*
AquaClear 30
CaribSea River Sand
two 24w T5

*Plants*
Crypt crispatula or spiralis
Crypt wendtii 
Sagittaria platyphylla
Subwassertang

*Fauna*
9 Cherry barb
20+ red cherry shrimp
1 nerite snail


----------



## moonshinetheslacker

These are really bad pics with my phone, but this is my little puffer tank.


----------



## Prostock442

What's a Puffer Tank? & what are all those roots hanging down?


----------



## LICfish

Prostock442 said:


> What's a Puffer Tank? & what are all those roots hanging down?


I see the little dwarf puffer.


----------



## pjdutche

*6 foot, shallow*










This tank has been running for about five years now. Most of the lifeforms were brought over from previous tanks from another house and consolidated into this 100 gallon tank. This forum has always been very helpful for me; I usually just search the archives when I need a question answered. So, thank you!

Anyway, interesting things about this tank: I dabbled in pressurized CO2 for a couple of years but gave it up and am happier without it. Also, this tank is completely without heaters and still runs 75-77 F, between the lights and the big Eheim pump that drives the Ocean Clear. 

I dose a little N, P, K as needed (dry) and traces (CSM+b) every week or two. 

This tank flares with BGA if the nitrates bottom out and I let the flow decrease, but it's been easy to eradicate by correcting those conditions.

*Equipment*
* 6 foot long 100 gallon acrylic (72 x 18 x 17).
* Mix of tahitian moon sand and eco-complete.
* No heater.
* Coralife T5NO, 36" x 4
* Ocean Clear 354 Bead Filter
* Eheim Universal Pump (one of the big ones) drives the OC
* Rena XP2
* No CO2 (used to have pressurized but gave it up)

*Plants*
* Vallisneria spiralis
* Anubias barteri
* Anubias barteri nana
* Echinodorus osiris
* Echinodorus rubin
* Cryptocoryne wendtii
* Cryptocoryne wendtii red
* Microsorum pteropus

*Fish etc*
* Golden dojo loaches (4)
* White cloud mountain minnows (lots)
* Cardinals (12, over 7 years old!)
* Red tail black shark (1, cranky)
* Panaque maccus (1)
* Pond snails (one metric ton)


----------



## Hilde

pjdutche said:


>


I don't see the picture. You need to save it in photo bucket or flicker. Copy the location > click on box with yellow> paste it. Don't even see the picture in the tread of it.


----------



## pjdutche

Hilde said:


> I don't see the picture. You need to save it in photo bucket or flicker. Copy the location > click on box with yellow> paste it. Don't even see the picture in the tread of it.


Fascinating! Worked for me; I even saw it in your quoted post. I had uploaded it as publicly-viewable in Google Docs.

At any rate, I just tried to fix the original post and have it uploaded to Flickr. Hopefully that's got it. :icon_cool

And I'll attach it here, just in case... 

Thanks!


----------



## Hilde

Wow pjdutche!! What fantastic growth without Co2. Now I am thinking of putting problem plants in a 10 gallon with Co2 to jump start them. And then put them back in tank without Co2. Thanks for the picture adjustment.


----------



## pjdutche

Hilde said:


> Now I am thinking of putting problem plants in a 10 gallon with Co2 to jump start them. And then put them back in tank without Co2.


That's a really interesting idea! Like a little plant hospital with advanced life support.

I started this tank without CO2. It was OK, but I had some issues with my java ferns not thriving and couldn't do much with any sword plants, which would either sit and not grow or slowly die back. And honestly, reviewing the gorgeous tanks from people on this forum was very inspiring.

So, after a year or two, I added pressurized CO2 and bubbled in a tiny bit, like one or two bubbles per second. It perked my java ferns right up and the swords loved it too. It also put some pearl gouramis I had at the time into a huge breeding fit, which actually wasn't so good since the male became so territorial. The java ferns were *amazing* with that little bit of CO2.

But then, after another year or two, I grew tired of keeping up with the ferts required by the little bit of CO2; those huge java ferns chewed through ferts like wildfire. I'd get in trouble fairly regularly and had trouble keeping things balanced, so I pulled the CO2. The java ferns suffered and sulked. They've rebounded a lot but are definitely not as happy without it. Everything else carried on without missing a beat. The swords actually seem better without it now. 

Somewhere in there, I also did a great lighting upgrade, from a diy setup with plywood and screw-in spiral compact fluorescents. That may be what made the swords happy, really, so that they've carried on just fine w/o the CO2. Dunno for sure.


----------



## Prostock442

I sell Osmocote Fertilizer Capsules if you're interested in trying them to get your plants going. It's 25 capsules for $5 

50 capsules for $9 and so on. PM me if you are interested. You can search my link out in S&S.


----------



## F.B.T

Paludarium 

Lighting - 13 watt cfl 
substrate - turtle pebbles, fish rock 
Plants - (aquatic) green cabomba, some kind of anubias I believe. (Terrestrial) lucky bamboo, peacock fern, some kind of local weed.
Inhabitants - 3 fire bellied toads
Heating - Insulated hood with cfl during day, 25 watt incandescent at night
Size - 40 gallon long.
Filtration - 55 gallon rock waterfall filter


----------



## seadreamer

> Now I am thinking of putting problem plants in a 10 gallon with Co2 to jump start them. And then put them back in tank without Co2.


I used to start all my tanks this way. I used DIY Co2 until everything reached the lushness I liked then I'd scrap the Co2 out of laziness, both in mixing it up and plant trimming. I found it especially helped fend off a lot of algae outbreaks because the plants were growing so quickly. I highly recommend it as a good starter technique to really get things going well from day one. At least it always worked well for me.


----------



## lauraleellbp

I'm totally redoing my 90gal. It's not done yet, but here's the gist:


----------



## oldpunk78

that's looking great, lauralee.


----------



## Karackle

Woah! that's gonna look great when it's done, I love it already!


----------



## MKNL

Beautiful!! Would you share the particulars?


----------



## lauraleellbp

MKNL said:


> Beautiful!! Would you share the particulars?


Thanks!

Let's see:

Lighting is 2x54 watts from a Solar T5HO (it's too much, really...)
Filters are a Rena XP3 and XP4
Heater is an Hydor ETH 300 watt
Substrate is 1-2" of Miracle Gro Organic capped with 1-2" mix of Flourite black, black sand, and T grade Colorquartz

Flora so far:
Needle leaf Java Fern
Echinodorus tenellus (assorted varieties)
Dwarf Sagittaria
Lilaeopsis mauritiana carpet

Fauna so far:
54x Cardinal tetras
13x Otocinclus (mix of O. affinis and viattus)
3x BN plecos (one female albino and one male and one female Calico)
1x Corydoras schwartzi (the one that managed to disappear when I was catching the rest to take to my LFS)
8x P. weitzmani
8x Amano shrimp
5x Zebra nerites
Assorted Malaysian, Ramshorn, Pond snails


----------



## MKNL

thank you for sharing!


----------



## Prostock442

Looking good Lauralee. You have a nice setup there & allot of everything else. Can't wait to see the finished product. Hey, if you should get some extra Lilaeopsis mauritiana carpet, I'd love to try some in my tank. I have some kind of swag stuff that is growing but it's taking forever,. Also, If your Zebra nerites should choose to multiply, give me a shout as I'd like to try a few of those..... Thanks & keep us updated.


----------



## phorty

lauraleellbp said:


> I'm totally redoing my 90gal. It's not done yet, but here's the gist:


 I love that wood in your tank!


----------



## lauraleellbp

Prostock442 said:


> Looking good Lauralee. You have a nice setup there & allot of everything else. Can't wait to see the finished product. Hey, if you should get some extra Lilaeopsis mauritiana carpet, I'd love to try some in my tank. I have some kind of swag stuff that is growing but it's taking forever,. Also, If your Zebra nerites should choose to multiply, give me a shout as I'd like to try a few of those..... Thanks & keep us updated.


Thanks!

I won't be removing any Lilaeopsis from this tank unless I ever decide to redo it again... perhaps years down the road. LOL I get mine from www.sweetaquatics.com.

Also, Nerite snails cannot successfully reproduce in freshwater, so you won't ever have more in your tank than you buy. Keep an eye on the Swap n shop as sometimes they come available there.

Need some more tanks posted up!


----------



## Herbicidal

I like the new look Lauralee. :icon_smil Looking forward to 'progression' pics in the coming months.

My tank is coming along, slowly but surely! Just the way I like it. I'm using liquid ferts and dosing twice a week. Lights are on for 10 hours/day. I finally have a couple of plants that have just about reached the surface! In the upper left hand corner is a new Amazon Sword I picked up over the weekend, just haven't planted it yet. I also bought 4 new Discus that are currently in my 20 gal QT. Can't wait to add them to the main tank! That will bring my Discus count up to 13.


----------



## seadreamer

Here's mine from several years ago. This was uber low-tech. Plants, gravel, fish, sunlight, plain fluorescent (not full spectrum). Water changes occasionally but mostly just top-ups. It was a 29-gallon. It's messy in terms of aquascaping.


















This is my 40b that's been up for about a year. I dose with Excel, have an Eheim, and medium-low wattage. I'm about to add a bunch of plants to it to try resolve this nagging hair algae problem. I hate the bronze crypts and am trying to green up the look with the new plants too. Inhabitants are pygmy cories, glowlight tetras, and a sparkling gourami who swims around giving everyone the stink eye and misses out on some good snacks that way.


----------



## Karackle

really loving both of those tanks *seadreamer*! I'm a big fan of the "messy" look because I think it looks nice and natural, so I'm totally digging your old 29! The new 40 is very nice though too! roud:


----------



## seadreamer

Mucho thanks, Karackle.  I love the natural look too.


----------



## LICfish

Beautiful tanks by everyone! Here's mine re-scaped and upgraded to a T5NO.

50 gallon, no CO2, weekly water change, T5NO, flourite.


----------



## orchidman

lauraleellbp said:


> I'm totally redoing my 90gal. It's not done yet, but here's the gist:


totally what i had in mind for my 20 long! your tank is uber inspiring! thanks for sharing


----------



## seadreamer

I really admire the way everyone landscapes...aquascapes. 


Herbicidal, that is one BIG tank! I had questions but see your journal link so will visit that.


----------



## Herbicidal

seadreamer said:


> Herbicidal, that is one BIG tank! I had questions but see your journal link so will visit that.


Thanks! It keeps me busy and entertained!  All the 'build' stuff is at the beginning of that thread with periodic updated pictures stuck in there along the way. If you don't find your answers in there or don't want to read through all the posts, feel free to ask!


----------



## Betta Maniac

orchidman said:


> totally what i had in mind for my 20 long! your tank is uber inspiring! thanks for sharing


Agree that LauraLee's tank is amazing and it's totally what I want to do with my "spare" 20L . . .


----------



## Polyhead

Just check my profile for my tank.

Been thinking about co2 injection. See, I make beer. Making beer makes co2. Lots of it...


----------



## seadreamer

Herbicidal said:


> Thanks! It keeps me busy and entertained!  All the 'build' stuff is at the beginning of that thread with periodic updated pictures stuck in there along the way. If you don't find your answers in there or don't want to read through all the posts, feel free to ask!


I'm sure it does.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading the journal, and my questions (involving the wood and background) were answered.


----------



## tukmol

*Here's mine... "Plants vs Zombies"*











Plants:
various crypt trimmings (i don't know their names)
anubias nana
cobra grass
Inverts:
amano shrimps
bee shrimps
ghost shrimps
this is a reset after the same theme had been devastated with beard algae. it used to have a Glossostigma carpet. lessons learned: easy on the C02 and fertilizers.


----------



## kered

here is my 75g...i initially stuck a few plants in just half heartily and not really expecting them to survive. the tank has 4 silver dollars (lawn mowers theyve been called) and an oscar...surprisingly the silver dollars didnt touch a thing the first few nights. ive slowly been putting more and more plants in over the past few weeks and surprisingly they only slightly nibble on various things...the oscar likes the left side of the tank and wont allow anything to be planted over there so ive given up...so far almost everything is growing great and has plenty of growth...needless to say im pleasantly surprised

lighting
2 t8 fixtures
6700k bulb
coral life 50/50

filtration
eheim 2236
rena filstar xp2

daily dose of excel
weekly dose of flourish complete
flourish root tabs and several api root tabs

flora 
Egeria densa (anacharis) (not touched by silver dollars)
Anubias nana (I think) (slightly nibbled on)
Crinum calamistratum (slighly nibbled on)
Crinum natans (not touched)
Hydrocotyle leucocephala (not touched yet but just put it in this morning)
Hygrophila difformis (water wisteria) (not touched)
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis (micro sword) (slightly nibbled on)
Microsorum pteropus (java fern (slightly nibbled on)
can someone tell me the name of the big leaved plant behind the driftwood in the center?
and the name of the clump of grass next to the crinum in the middle

fauna (i know its overstocked)
one 7-8 inch oscar
four 3-4 inch silver dollars
one 3 inch firemouth

i had some cabomba in there but the silver dollars didnt allow it...the micro swords are only a few days old so well see how it pans out...i keep expecting one day to wake up to a decimated tank...if it happens o well i have a few 10 gallons ill turn into planted communities...o yea i stuck some corkscrew val in today and the sd's have hit them pretty good so i dont know if theyll last


----------



## lauraleellbp

Your plant in the middle is a sword. Looks like emersed grown Echinodorus argentinensis, maybe*?*


----------



## kered

thanks! i did a search for that and some of the pics it looks like it and some it doesnt...it also has a stalk that comes out the center and goes all the way to the surface with little nodes of leaves and looks like buds every 6 inches or so...the shop i got it from told me a name but ive forgotten it

this is my first attempt at a planted tank so i think im doing fairly decent...ive seen some of your tanks laura and all i can say is wow!!! one day i can only hope to do something like that!


----------



## lauraleellbp

One day? You're not that far off now- especially managing to keep live plants with Oscars and SDs! :icon_bigg


----------



## kered

eh im calling it beginners luck!


----------



## lauraleellbp

I know there's more out there! roud:


----------



## Cohazard

60g aquarium

1x 48" double T5NO (1x colormax, 1x actinic)

No ferts, bi monthly 70% water changes (heavy bio load)


I have wanted to change the lights to 1000k to see if the moss will do better, since it struggles in this setup.


Plants:

Crypt. lutea?
J. fern lace
J. fern
Crypt. wendtii green
Crypt. wendtii brown
Myriophyllum mattogrossense
Dwarf lily
two species aponogeton
anubias nana


----------



## phorty

Holy smokes, those two stripes angels are ridiculously beautiful!!!


----------



## Aidan77

I just read the whole thread to get current. LOTS of beautiful tanks on this thread.

Livestock are a betta, a netrite snail, and a few extra stow away pond snails.

Plants are Crypt Lutea, Crypt parva, Crypt Wendtti, and petite nana. Nothing crazy.

When I first set it up










The CFL bulb didn't sit right in that fixture (it had the very small threads like a chandeler I can't spell at 1:30am) so the fixture ended up getting fried from moisture. Wasn't worth the repair so I upgraded to a glass 2.5g. The dots on the intake are food particles that I used when I first cycled the tank. 










This is after the plants were salvaged and experienced a some melt. New substrate is eco complete. Its got a T8 or T12 not 100% sure but its a single bulb that does the job. I hated that yellow on the old tank but with the socket being so small I didn't have any choices. This tank is roughly a month old. Everything that was salvagable was transfered to the 2.5g with the new upgraded substrate.

This tank sits on my nightstand. Since we moved its the only tank I have currently. The betta recently passed from old age tuesday. He was a least 2 years old. I had him around 6 months and the gal I got him from had him over 1.5 years as a pet store betta. She was a friend of the family who was going to school out of state and I had the tank open so I offered to take him.

Ive since replaced him, and added more parva to the tank and letting the other Crypts grow back. Updated pics to follow. The 2nd pic was taken in the maybe a month ago.


----------



## DJRansome

CL said:


> ADA 30C 27 watts, inert black sand substrate


Wow! What are the plants?


----------



## cableguy69846

Hey all, love this thread. Lots of good tanks and good ideas. Here is what I have so far.

My first tank is a 20 high with a 15 watt light. AC 30 filter and some plant substrate I can't remember the name of and a cheapo 50 watt heater.

Plants: Crypto undulata and lutea, and some java fern.
Livestock: 4 swordtails, 10 or so guppies, 2 dwarf frogs, 1 ghost shrimp, 3 bulldog plecos, and a clam. Also countless snails.










WC's once a week, 10 to 20%, ferts when I remember.


My second tank is a 10 gallon fry tank. 15 watt light, 50 watt heater, Tetra internal filter, and a Penn Plax sponge filter. No substrate, and some fake plants.

Plants: Anacharis, and some fake
Livestock: 15 or so guppies, 3 Ghost shrimp, and a few snails.










WC's once a week, 10 to 20%, ferts when I remember.

My actual project tank. 2.5 gallon, 10 watt mini CFL bulb, black marine sand substrate. Hagen Elite Mini internal filter.

Plants: Blyxa Japonica, Flame Moss (?), and HC
Livestock: 4 zebra dannios, and a few snails.










WC's once a week 10 to 50%, Flourish, Flourish Excel, once a week.

I am pretty much waiting for everything to die in the 20 gallon, I want to start over. Add CO2, upgrade to T5 lighting, and do a better substrate. Everything in the 2.5 gallon looks like it is browning out. I may redo this one as well, and dry start it. Not sure yet though. You can see my build thread on that one in my signature.


----------



## PinoyBoy

DJRansome said:


> Wow! What are the plants?


I agree!! WOW indeed. It was his tank that made me fall inlove with lowtech.

Christmas/peacock moss, anubias nana or petite, and javafern of somekind.


----------



## Alasse

Low tech 90gal 5ft










Lighting: 4ft single Dalbarb T8 & 2x 2ft Hagan Glo T5 (one each side)
Filtration: Fluval 405 & Internal Otto
Substrate: Gravel/Laterite mix, Dinosaur dung in heavily planted areas, topped with plain gravel
CO2: None added
Fertz: None added
Hardscape: Various wood pieces
Plants: Java fern, Anubias, Crypts, Swords, Hygro & Elodea.
Fish: 2 Angels, 1 Redtail shark, 2 Clown loaches, 4 Albino BN, 1 Common LF BN & 4 female Platys


----------



## seadreamer

Really beautiful tanks everyone! Us low-techies are impressive, huh? 

Here's my newly set up 2.5g. We bought an uplight from The Depot and hung it from the cabinet. I'm thinking I need myself a nice little custom sized acrylic instead under it.

No filtration, 13w spiral daylight, soil/gravel substrate. Snails are the only inhabitants so far.


----------



## mxrider32

I thought I should contribute since I have used this forum for information...

This is my 20 gallon tank. I am new to planted tanks and fish keeping in general. I planted this tank a few weeks ago. Setup is:

20 Gallons
15w florescent bulb
Emperor 280 filter
no fertilizer 
no c02

vallisneria
anubias 
hygrophila
cryptocoryne
and java fern

9x cardinal tetras



Uploaded with ImageShack.us


----------



## lauraleellbp

Some really lovely tanks.


----------



## Karackle

wow some really gorgeous low tech tanks! And some really nice small low tech tanks.....good inspiration!

Here is my 5.5g (it's almost exclusively a moss-scape, but it still has a LOT of growing in to do) 



















And my 10g (that desperately needs a background and maybe some taller plants)


----------



## waterfaller1

I agree..beautiful!


----------



## waterfaller1

lauraleellbp said:


> I'm totally redoing my 90gal. It's not done yet, but here's the gist:


Gorgeous Lauralee!


----------



## Darth Toro

I'll apologize now for the poor pics but I figured it was about time i share my tanks. I couldn't have done it without the help of this forum. Thank you!

50g breeder
36" dual corallife 6700k and colormax photo period 8hrs
flourite mixed with gravel
aquaclear 70 and aqueon 30 both no carbon

Fauna
3 lyretail swords 2 born and raised in tank
2 congo tetra's
2 clown loachs
4 neons
2 long fin albino BN plecos..from swap and shop!
3 corydoras adolfi
4 corydoras red stripe
1 black lyretail mollie (i think...or platty)
1 orange molly

Flora
Ill name what I know for sure

Crypts
anubias barteri "petite" nana
java fern
java moss
water sprite
bolbitis heudelotii small form
crypt parva some left in pot to see if it would grow better...which it didn't
hornwort











I didn't want to get timed out while posting this so I left out my 20g and 10g. I will posr those too soon


----------



## Darth Toro

Here is my 20g

Zoomax 24" dual HO I got it for 75% off at petco and could pass it up. I have it raised 7" over ther tank and a glass top. photo period 7hrs
Aquaclear 70 no carbon
eco-complete substrate
dose small amount of ferts once a week and excell daily

Fauna

Betta
8 cardinals
4 panda corys

Flora

Water Sprite
small crypt in the front which im not sure of. Was sent as a bonus from the swap n shop 
hornwort
hygrophila difformis
hygrophila augustifolia











10g

10w cfl in one of those clamb lights from home depot 6" over tank w/o glass
aqueon 10 no carbon filter floss only
red gravel
dose ferts weekly and excell daily
I just let this one do its own thing to see what happens and hopefully learn from it. thats why it is so messy.

Fauna

Crowntail betta

Flora

java fern
java moss 
crypts
anubias barteri "petite" nana
water sprite
duckweed


----------



## johnnygstacks

seadreamer said:


> Really beautiful tanks everyone! Us low-techies are impressive, huh?
> 
> Here's my newly set up 2.5g. We bought an uplight from The Depot and hung it from the cabinet. I'm thinking I need myself a nice little custom sized acrylic instead under it.
> 
> No filtration, 13w spiral daylight, soil/gravel substrate. Snails are the only inhabitants so far.


you should think about tossing out those bananas :icon_wink


----------



## tamsin

kered said:


> here is my 75g...i initially stuck a few plants in just half heartily and not really expecting them to survive. the tank has 4 silver dollars (lawn mowers theyve been called) and an oscar...surprisingly the silver dollars didnt touch a thing the first few nights. ive slowly been putting more and more plants in over the past few weeks and surprisingly they only slightly nibble on various things...the oscar likes the left side of the tank and wont allow anything to be planted over there so ive given up...so far almost everything is growing great and has plenty of growth...needless to say im pleasantly surprised


Wow, I was just browsing through and saw silver dollars and plants! We have two in with a few catfish, they are great characters but they just eat everything. They do make for a perfectly trimmed moss scape though. How are your plants doing? It would be great to find something they don't eat. We put any plant spares - mostly java fern - in with them and sometimes they'll be untouched for a day or two and then vanish.


----------



## waterfaller1

johnnygstacks said:


> you should think about tossing out those bananas :icon_wink


No, that kind makes the best banana bread!!:icon_wink


----------



## waterfaller1

Darth Toro said:


> Fauna
> 
> Crowntail betta


I love this guy. From the pic he looks like a halfmoon.


----------



## Aidan77

I agree he does look like a 1/2 moon and I love the quality of him too. Great looking fish


----------



## kered

tamsin said:


> Wow, I was just browsing through and saw silver dollars and plants! We have two in with a few catfish, they are great characters but they just eat everything. They do make for a perfectly trimmed moss scape though. How are your plants doing? It would be great to find something they don't eat. We put any plant spares - mostly java fern - in with them and sometimes they'll be untouched for a day or two and then vanish.


well as expected they now only allow a few plants...the big sword in the back is growing fast and sending out new growth like crazy..the SDs mow em down quick but it is still managing to stay ahead...the anacharis havent been touched at all...and the crinum calamistatum hasnt been touched...the grass clump in the front im not sure what is is barely nibbled on but its going strong and the java fern gets slighly nibbled on...the rest of the plants have been wiped out...i think the main reason is i used to feed them so much so they wouldnt eat the plants...i got a small hydra problem and wanted to knock it out quick so i cut down on the feeding...thats when they took it out on the plants


----------



## lauraleellbp

Just bumping this thread with an updated pic of my 90gal. Keep posting your tanks!


----------



## tamsin

Here is mine  I broke it down 5 weeks ago cos I had some problems and took the opportunity to add aquabasis under the gravel and some more plants. It's got some growing to do. There are a couple of tiger lotus that have gorgeous red leaves but are too short to see yet.

Ferts: profito/easycarbo (like excel) but they've only had a few part doses so far.

Lights: two 11w PL tubes (I don't know where they fall on low-high scale).

Occupants: 3 white clouds, 3 kulhi, 4 cherry shrimp

Plants: java moss, java fern, windelov, pygmy chain sword, vallis, crypt parva, anubis nana golden, fine leaf indian fern, tiger lotus red
I'm not sure what the big crypt on the right is :icon_redf


----------



## lauraleellbp

Looks good! What type of planter is that over on the left?

And I'm pretty sure your crypt on the right is a Wendtii, though IDK if it's a 'green' or a 'bronze'?


----------



## tamsin

Thanks  It's a terracotta planter, it was in our garden but shattered in the frost last winter, leaving a neat L shape (no back or bottom just the bit you see there). I know it's not normal aquascape 'decor' but I kinda like it 

The big crypt is my favourite, it does have a bronze sort of colouring, though some of the runners are bright green. The underside/stems are a pinky bronze colour.


----------



## orchidman

here is my measly little ten gallon. i must admit though, its looking better than originally. 

10 gallon









1 betta
2 otos
3 spotted cory


----------



## seadreamer

Darth, I normally do not like colored gravel but gotta say it looks excellent in your tank. Is it red? 

I'm having ideas here for an ultra Jetson-style nano with red gravel and matching guppies. 




waterfaller1 said:


> No, that kind makes the best banana bread!!:icon_wink


That's exactly what they were used for too. Ha!


----------



## kevgsp

75 Gallon Malawi Cichlid Tank. 
Java Fern and anubias.
0.5 wpg


----------



## jsuereth

lauraleellbp said:


> Just bumping this thread with an updated pic of my 90gal. Keep posting your tanks!


Wow, this is such a great tank. I just picked up a 125g that i wanted to aquascape somewhat similarly (but with a competing rock mound).

How long did it take the carpets to fill in? I have two low tech tanks and Im still waiting on my dhg and Marsilea 10 months later.


----------



## lauraleellbp

jsuereth said:


> How long did it take the carpets to fill in? I have two low tech tanks and Im still waiting on my dhg and Marsilea 10 months later.


The journal for this tank is in my signature. I've never had luck with DHG in non-CO2 tanks, and Marselia is a VERY slow grower... so you'd probably have better luck with a different carpet. Helanthium tenellum (formerly E. tenellus) and dwarf sag are MUCH faster growers. That's what I have growing in the midground in this tank, and I have to pull runners out of the Lilaeopsis on a weekly basis.


----------



## jsuereth

So I'd really like to post a good picture of my tank to the forum, but my camera skills are horrible. Hopefully you can see past the poor focus on my crappy camera:










Tank: 10G
Light: ~ 22W of light on for 8 hours a day.
Ferts: RootMedic root tabs. Used Excell for a bit, nothing now. Occasional LeafZone if the leaves look bad.
Substrate: Play Sand over Flourite.


----------



## seadreamer

My husband has said I'd better stop looking at this thread as it's going to end up costing him some money.


----------



## lauraleellbp

seadreamer said:


> My husband has said I'd better stop looking at this thread as it's going to end up costing him some money.


LOL

Tell him, "But it would be so much LESS money than if I were looking at a high tech thread!" And then go show him this thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/47667-son-kahuna-56k.html

:icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol:


----------



## AUAV8R

*Chris' 55 gallon*

This is my first experience with a planted tank. I have Flourite under gravel with a single T5HO light. I also have two T8 bulbs that I don't run because it creates algea problems (my guess is too much light W/O CO2). I use Metricide daily and Flourish once a week.


----------



## aussie

Here is my low tech 55 gallon planted tank first experience. And its with goldfish and white cloud mountain minnows. So I'll see how long it lasts.

Its not that great, but it works. I dose Excel and flourish and just feed the fish. Have a canister, but the tank has only been running 2.5 weeks so we'll see how it goes in the next few months.


----------



## wpgtank

Finn, a half moon betta, in his low tech 5 gallon. No ferts, other than those supplied by fin and his food, no added co2. Light is a little on the high side at 3 wpg.


----------



## seadreamer

Yowsa! Beautiful tank but my eyes bugged out when I saw the plumbing. Hubs doesn't know how good he has it. 



lauraleellbp said:


> LOL
> 
> Tell him, "But it would be so much LESS money than if I were looking at a high tech thread!" And then go show him this thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/47667-son-kahuna-56k.html
> 
> :icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol:


----------



## seadreamer

Here's an update on mine. I took some pics and was surprised at how lush it's gotten in just the 6 weeks from the original pic. I am LOVING the Willow Leaf Hygro in the middle. I'd also trimmed back the wisteria to use the trimmings in my nano.

January 24:










Six weeks later:


----------



## lauraleellbp

That's filled in REALLY nice!

I see you've got some banana plants in there, and it looks like they're even sending out runners? I don't see banana plants too often- yours are looking very nice!


----------



## vai1296

posit said:


> 50watt heater, Satellite 20" 40 Watt CF, DIY CO2, ADA soil, and a few drops of Flourish a week. Ottos, cherries, and 3 Pseudomugil furcatus


What plants do you have in that tank?


----------



## Rhaethe

Figured I'd update the 20g low tech. These photos are from 2 weeks ago I believe.


----------



## Hilde

AUAV8R love your tank! Especially love the wood. What size is the tank?


----------



## Hilde

seadreamer love your tank! What size is it?


Rhaethe the pictures are too small to appreciate your tank.


----------



## Rhaethe

Hilde -- sorry ... I posted the originals and they were way too large, so just did thumbnails. You can click on the thumbnails though, and see the larger versions I think.


----------



## nikonD70s

first:

















to this:

















then:

















now: sorry crappy pic

















gobie tank:


----------



## lauraleellbp

You've got some gorgeous fish, Nikon. I LOVE those gobies!

[oh- the tanks are quite nice too! :biggrin:]


----------



## Chucklett

Love the thread and great to see its been going so long with so much input from members roud: 

Heres my 11-month old 200 litre with 2 x 30w T8 lights, EFX300 external filter (1100 lph) with a cheap UV steriliser that comes on 1hr per day because I always had a very slight "milky" hue to the water. JBL AquaBasis Plus plant substrate under the gravel which is hoovered once-a-week changing 25% of the water. No added ferts, no CO2, but I do a mid-week 12% water change (by syphoning off from the tap on the external filter) just to keep the nutrients topped up. 

Plants: Vallisneria Tortifolia, Anubias Nana, some kind of Cryptocoryne, Crinum Calamistratum, Pennywort, some kind of Sword and something I dont know the name of!

Fish: 5 Crossocheilus Siamensis, 4 Otocinclus, 9 Japonica Shrimp, 4 adult Mollies, one jeuvenile, few babies and lots of fry!












And here's my nearly 3-week old (!) 240 litre with 2 x 40w T8 lights (later to be upgraded to 4 x TMC GroBeam LEDs), EFX400 external filter (1400 lph) with a cheap UV steriliser that is currently on all the time to try to avoid that horrible "new tank algae war" though I will also put this one on a timer once the tank is established a bit. JBL AquaBasis Plus plant substrate under Pettex Roman Gravel in the raised bed, CaribSea Tahitian Moon Black Sand mixed with Unipac Silica Sand in the front. So far, I have Vallisneria Tortifolia and Nomaphila Stricta Thai. Im waiting for the Weeping Moss to come in to make the "Bridge" and am still trying to decide on another contrasting moss to use on the mangrove root (I want something petite to avoid the holes, nooks & crannies getting too plugged up!...... suggestions welcome at the link below) Also still trying to find a carpeting plant to finish the terraced planted bed. Im not going to use CO2, but might try some ferts in this tank (mainly because I dont think a carpeting plant will do too well if I dont try to make up for the lack of lighting!) Im looking at the likes of Marselia Quadrifolia (or other Marselia?), Glosso, HC or something like that.... again, suggestions welcome at the link below :icon_wink 

Fish stock planned for this tank so far are shoals of 12 - 15 of each: Threadfin Rainbowfish, Rasboras, Cardinal Tetras, possibly Glowlight Danios and 8 or 10 Dwarf Chain Loaches










Carpeting Plant suggestions, please post here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/plants/130593-marselia-quadrifolia.html
Moss suggestions, please post here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/plants/130594-moss-suggestions-please.html


----------



## Liquid_Pyro

wow nikon those are some crazy looking rocks, 

great job everyone!


----------



## PaulG

aussie said:


> Pics


Just to let you know, the plant on the right with the white splashes on it's leaves is an Aluminium plant and is terrestrial.


----------



## Chaos_Being

Here's an updated photo of my low-tech tank, taken a couple of days ago. It looked a little better a month or two ago before I got a little lazy on ferts and water changes, but it's still pretty nice  Click the link in my sig to see my log (including a FTS timeline from setup to current in the first post, it's really neat to see how the tank has evolved in the past 8 months.)


----------



## Chaos_Being

kevgsp said:


> 75 Gallon Malawi Cichlid Tank.
> Java Fern and anubias.
> 0.5 wpg


 
That's what I want to do with my next tank....NICE!


----------



## ikuzo

let me jump in with my old tank 




























just a sump filter with pump and sunlight
how's that for low tech


----------



## Karackle

just thought i'd post some updated pics of my tanks now that they're starting to look lush again  

the 5g









the 10g









the 30g









they all have a bit of growing in to do, so I'll post again when they have


----------



## Hilde

ikuzo said:


> let me jump in with my old tank
> just a sump filter with pump and sunlight how's that for low tech


What size tank is it? What are the plants?


----------



## WeedCali

Got my tank looking a little better nowadays. Upgraded to a 2-bulb T5NO fixture (still low/medium light range)










and a little video of my new stock 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnjNFGqJqGE


----------



## ikuzo

Hilde said:


> What size tank is it? What are the plants?


it was a 100 gallon outdoor
plant list :
anubias
crypts
crinum natans
sagitaria subulata
vallisneria nana
flame moss


----------



## brianyu

65 G low tech i think, no fert but water every 3 days .


----------



## davemonkey

Here's a pic of my brothers old Walstad-style 125 gallon tank (Soil substrate capped with gravel, lots of different plants, moderate light and modest filtration, heavy stocking/feeding). 










And here's a picotope at my office, Walstad-style, filterless, low-light when I'm not there, moderate light when I'm there. Shrimp only. Dwarf Hairgrass, Lilaeopsis, _Lindernia grandiflora_,_ Nessaea triflora_, _Fissidens fontanus_, and one of the _Marsilea spp_.


----------



## Magpie1

*Newly Planted Tank*

I converted my run of the mill 55g freshwater tropical tank to a low tech (low light, no CO2) planted tank. I'm pumped and really happy with the outcome.

Updates included:
HOB ---> Ehiem Canister 2217
Marineland Heater ---> Hydor in-line heater
Generic stock lights---> Coralife NO T5s
Rock substrate ---> Flourite/Rock 50/50 mix
Crumby plastic plants ---> awesome real plants

These pics were taken the day after planting (March 19).

Full Tank Shot









Left Side









Right Side









What I've learned so far - Buenos Aires Tetras LOVE micro swords :icon_conf


----------



## kamikazi

10 gallon tank (not pretty I know) - to be redone in the near future, I'm going to ditch the blue gravel and get pea gravel and/or something dark like eco-complete.

6 Harlequin Rasboras
1 Dwarf Gourami
2 Otos

drop in walmart bulbs and some moss (not sure which type)


29 gallon tank - considering possible ground cover plants and maybe one or two plants that grow taller with wider leaves, also considering possible upper level new world fish

The substrate is inert pea gravel with Fluoromax underneath. The light is just the single fluorescent bulb in the standard hood. I would like to get a Coralife T5 NO fixture for this tank.

5 x-ray pristella tetras
5 golden pristella tetras
1 peppered cory
2 Bolivian Rams
1 missing oto (likely dead and has been eaten or is stuck behind the stump)

I don't know the names of some of the plants but there is some of the same moss that is in the 10 gallon and water sprite. I love the look of the plant with the rounded leaves. The really tall plants that have single stems going all the way up began as short sections given to me by a co-worker. There is two Anubis? in there as well.

You might be able to tell I have something (algae?) growing on the stump. The stump is coated completely in drylok the only place whatever it is grows is on the stump under the output from the HOB filter. I have scrubbed it off before but it came back. It doesn't grow on the stump on the lower areas away from the main water flow. Otos I had in there didn't eat it, but it seems like the BR maybe munching on it, either that or they are grabbing tiny flakes that have gotten stuck on it.


----------



## tharsis

20 gallon long De-rimmed, with lots of filtration (big HOB), modified hood to fit two 20 watt 6500K spiral CFL bulbs, sandblasting silica sand with osmocote gelcap fertilizer. No fishies yet, tank has only been set-up for 1 week... Not sure what to stock it with yet. 

Plants: anubias, java fern, java moss, dwarf sag, sunset hygro, cabomba furcata, marimo balls, glosso 

The wood is a bunch of pieces zip tied together (mini frankenstump), and then covered up with java moss/anubias/java fern


----------



## orchidman

nice! i really like the rimless look. i derimmed the top of my 20 long, but im unsure if i should do the bottom or not. what light do you have there?


----------



## Pooky125

Equip:
5.5 Gallon tank
13 watt Ott Light CFL
Eco complete mixed with pea gravel
Hagen Elite Mini Internal filter
15 watt Heater

Fauna:
Currently unoccupied, I think. I threw in 5 wild bee shrimp about 2 months ago, but haven't seen any in a few weeks. I assume they've disappeared on me, though they might just be skilled at hiding.

Flora:
Bolbitus heudelotii
Java fern
C. wendtii
C. balansae "retrospiralis" (I think?)
C. becketii (maybe?)
C. willissii (or is it lucens? Or lutea? I don't remember)
A. barteri


----------



## EntoCraig

29G 
2x 20W FloraGlo
Flourite Substrate.
Typical Micro/Macro ferts (Nothing Special)


----------



## Hilde

EntoCraig Your tank is Beautiful!! How about some info on it, size, lights, and ferts?


----------



## EntoCraig

Hilde said:


> Beautiful!! How about some info on it, size, lights, and ferts?


Updated.


----------



## Hilde

EntoCraig said:


> 29G
> 2x 20W FloraGlo
> Flourite Substrate.
> Typical Micro/Macro ferts (Nothing Special)


Are those T8 bulbs? I have a 29G too and 2 T8 bulbs was not enough for the plants I have. What plants do you have?


----------



## EntoCraig

Yes dual T8's

Plants:
Rotala Indica
Crytp Walkeri Lutea
Crypt Wendtii
Anubias Nana
and a few others.


----------



## Hilde

Found more info on your tank here. Read that you are injecting Co2. Still doing so?


----------



## EntoCraig

Added the Co2 when I added the HC the same day. All of the previous growth was 100% non co2.

The tank now looks like this:









Still working out some of the kinks.


----------



## tharsis

orchidman said:


> nice! i really like the rimless look. i derimmed the top of my 20 long, but im unsure if i should do the bottom or not. what light do you have there?


thanks  yeah I love the derimmed 20 long, it looks super slick. If I were to do it again though, i think I would leave the bottom rim on. 

The lights are spiral 20 Watt cfl bulbs. I popped out the flourescent ballast and put in a 2 bulb fixture instead.


----------



## orchidman

nice. that seems like a good lightin alternative too.

do you use any co2


----------



## ktownhero

EntoCraig said:


> Added the Co2 when I added the HC the same day. All of the previous growth was 100% non co2.
> 
> The tank now looks like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Still working out some of the kinks.


How did that beautiful 29g turn into this!?


----------



## tharsis

orchidman said:


> nice. that seems like a good lightin alternative too.
> 
> do you use any co2


no, but I have been adding metricide every couple days and it seems to be working well.

as for the light, I have had great success with the spiral bulbs on 10 and 20 gallon tanks, big fan of these for the smaller low light tanks.


----------



## EntoCraig

ktownhero said:


> How did that beautiful 29g turn into this!?


Wow. RUDE.

Lastime I checked when you redo a tank it takes some time and patience to get it lush again.


----------



## ktownhero

EntoCraig said:


> Wow. RUDE.
> 
> Lastime I checked when you redo a tank it takes some time and patience to get it lush again.


Geez, you didn't have to take the question so personally. I didn't realize you redid the tank, I thought you had some sort of epidemic that made the tank crash because you said "still working out some of the kinks".


----------



## EntoCraig

Geez, you could have thought about your comment before assuming it would be taken lightly. 

I would never make a comment like that towards anyone's tank, even in joking.

Im sure your intentions were harmless though. :thumbsup:

Yes, the tank is not were I want it to be yet, but now that I have the Algae at bay, it should start to flourish.


----------



## lauraleellbp

It's easy to take things the wrong way on the interwebz... hard to see when someone is smiling/joking as they type something.

I'm sure your tank will be back to its lush beautiful self in no time, craig!


----------



## ktownhero

Yeah, I didn't mean it in any sort of rude way. Your tank is one of the nicest 29 gallons I've ever seen (along with lauralee's) and I was just shocked when I thought you were saying the tank somehow got nuked and everything died. I'm glad to know that's not the case and you simply redid the tank though. 

I'm currently in the process of setting up a 29 gallon tank myself, so I've used both your tank and lauralee's as inspiration.


----------



## redmary51

tharsis - You said "I have had great success with the spiral bulbs on 10 and 20 gallon tanks, big fan of these for the smaller low light tanks." (don't know how you guys do the quotes)

I have been thinking/planning to put cfl lighting on my 20 gal (24 x 12 x 16) NPT when I get emergent growth, but haven't been able to decide how many or what wattage. What would you recommend for a low light tank that sits in a southern exposure window?

Mary


----------



## bonaparte

EntoCraig said:


> 29G
> 2x 20W FloraGlo
> Flourite Substrate.
> Typical Micro/Macro ferts (Nothing Special)


That's a gorgeous tank!

What's that stem plant in the background? Is that the Rotala indica? I have a very similar setup to yours (less the flourite substrate) and I'm looking for something tall and graceful to replace my water sprite with.


----------



## EntoCraig

Yes its Rotala indica. I dont know if I would call it graceful but it does get tall :hihi:


----------



## tharsis

redmary51 said:


> tharsis - You said "I have had great success with the spiral bulbs on 10 and 20 gallon tanks, big fan of these for the smaller low light tanks." (don't know how you guys do the quotes)
> 
> I have been thinking/planning to put cfl lighting on my 20 gal (24 x 12 x 16) NPT when I get emergent growth, but haven't been able to decide how many or what wattage. What would you recommend for a low light tank that sits in a southern exposure window?
> 
> Mary


Hi Mary, my experience with these bulbs has been limited to submersed growth in shallow tanks. The 10 and 20 long are only 12" deep and I have had no issue with the bulbs. So I am unsure how these would fair in your situation. I would say start with two 20 watt bulbs and post your results!

As for quoting, there is a button on the bottom right of everyones post that says quote. Click on that


----------



## redmary51

Thanks for the info. When people talk about cfl bulbs, I get confused. Do you mean uses 20 watts or has the brightness of 20 watts?

Mary


----------



## Fuzzyfoenix

redmary51 said:


> Thanks for the info. When people talk about cfl bulbs, I get confused. Do you mean uses 20 watts or has the brightness of 20 watts?
> 
> Mary


It means they use 20 watts. If you look at the packaging, it will give you a comparable wattage... ie. A 13 watt bulb is comparable to a 60 watt incandescent bulb...


----------



## redmary51

Ok, thanks. So if I get two 20 watt bulbs and put them in clamp lights with reflectors on the 20 gal tank, that should be sufficient.


----------



## macclellan

Here's an old, fairly lush lowtech tank I had setup:



















Specs: 
20L Topfin Tank w/Black Silicone
Marineland-knockoff HOB Filter
200w Stealth Heater
Lighting: 15w T-8 Florescent
Background: Blue Plastic w/Vaseline
Substrate: Oolitic Aragonite
Hardscape: 40x Escargot Shells, 5x Sandstone Rocks

Inhabitants:
6x 'Lamprologus' stappersii
1x Panaque maccus (Clown Pleco)
?x Ramshorn Snails

Plants:
Hygrophila difformis
Anubias coffeefolia
Egeria najas
Vallisneria spiralis

Fertilization Regime:
Nada


----------



## Hilde

redmary51 said:


> Ok, thanks. So if I get two 20 watt bulbs and put them in clamp lights with reflectors on the 20 gal tank, that should be sufficient.


That is what mizu-chan did. Just get the CFL (twisted bulbs) rated daylight.
*
*


----------



## AesopRocks247

plants plants


----------



## Hilde

AesopRocks247 said:


> plants plants


Love it. What plants, lights, ferts, size of tank?


----------



## ktownhero

This is a new tank, still cycling, but it's already seen some good growth.


----------



## Hilde

ktownhero said:


> This is a new tank, still cycling, but it's already seen some good growth.


How about more info on the tank, size, lights, ferts?


----------



## gene4christ

hmmm well very nice indeed . this is mine but I do not have a good camera sorry about the picture quality 
It is a 29gal. 











Latest picture
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/m...ommunity-tank-picture6988-29-gal-low-tech.jpg


----------



## ktownhero

Hilde said:


> How about more info on the tank, size, lights, ferts?


29 gallon
Single T5HO 6500k 24w
100% Eco Complete with RootMedic tabs
Casual use of RootMedic Micro/Macro liquid ferts

Sent via Android


----------



## Aquaticz

see 
http://photos.rbkkinspects.com/for updated on 40 gal - low light - some ferts_4-12-11


----------



## lauraleellbp

Just a bump... I want to see some more! :icon_mrgr


----------



## ktownhero

Update to mine. I took this about 10 days ago, all of the plants since hit the surface and got a nice big trim. I'm still not 100% happy with the layout of the background plants, but I haven't figured out what to do yet! I have decided that I don't like the look of the moneywort for this tank, so I've slowly started weeding it out. I think I am going to start putting the wysteria and cabomba in bunches rather than keeping them mixed together. I just haven't figured out what other plants I want to add, I feel like I need a nice heavy root feeder for the rear left corner. There is some magenta rotala behind the driftwood that hasn't grown significantly yet, but it should be nice when it comes in. There's also a dwarf lily in there right in front of one of the pieces of drift wood that has grown considerably since this picture was taken.


----------



## orchidman

looks good. i like it!
i just rescaped my ten gallon. i need to take pics. i need to get more stems though. most melted


----------



## redmary51

ktownhero said:


> Update to mine. I took this about 10 days ago, all of the plants since hit the surface and got a nice big trim. I'm still not 100% happy with the layout of the background plants, but I haven't figured out what to do yet! I have decided that I don't like the look of the moneywort for this tank, so I've slowly started weeding it out. I think I am going to start putting the wysteria and cabomba in bunches rather than keeping them mixed together. I just haven't figured out what other plants I want to add, I feel like I need a nice heavy root feeder for the rear left corner. There is some magenta rotala behind the driftwood that hasn't grown significantly yet, but it should be nice when it comes in. There's also a dwarf lily in there right in front of one of the pieces of drift wood that has grown considerably since this picture was taken.


I really like the looks of this. I am a beginning and have my plants in bunches. To me, this looks much better.

How hard is it to move things around once they get established?


----------



## ktownhero

redmary51 said:


> I really like the looks of this. I am a beginning and have my plants in bunches. To me, this looks much better.
> 
> How hard is it to move things around once they get established?


Thanks for the kind words. I actually did end up doing a rescape last night but nothing that significantly changes the look of the tank. I moved all of my cabomba over to the real left corner, kept the rear wall painted with wysteria, and gave my vals some more breathing room over on the right side. Overall it doesn't look significantly different, but I think it will help all of the plants grow in much better. 

As for moving plants around, a lot of that has to do with the substrate that you use. I'm using Eco-Complete, which is relatively clean and doesn't cause any major issues when it gets stirred up. If you have a dirt-based tank or something else that is fine and/or cloudy, you might get more significant clouding issues. That's typically perfectly safe for the fish though, just unsightly. It never hurts to do a water change after a big rescape just to be safe.


----------



## Ichthyologuest

*First Post!*

I just joined this forum, I have been keeping planted aquariums for a few years and this place always comes up when i google answers to my fishy problems! I decided to make an account after reading this great thread. Some people talk about food and car porn, well this is definitely aquarium-porn. I have had 2 planted tanks, a little 10 gallon, and my current 20 tall. I have a 65 watt Power compact florescent fixture i built on my 20, but its way too much light and i've been battling green spot and staghorn algae for months. Anyone have any brand suggestions for a cheap light? I was thinking something like a single bulb 24 watt T5HO, or do you think that would still be too much? Looking at all your great tanks i managed to convince myself to spend a little on weaker light than get pressurized co2 and starting a fert regimen. At the moment my 20 is filtered by an aquaclear 30, I was thinking about upgrading to the lowest strength eheim. Sorry about all the questions!

Here is that first 10 gallon, it was one of those aqueon standard kits.









My current setup is the 20 tall that is currently overlit. This picture is about a month old, from when i had it hooked up to a DIY sump setup.










And here is a shot of the 20 by itself


----------



## boon

this is my low-tech 60F. No ferts, just root tabs for the crypts. Plants are java fern, dwarf sags, and unknown crypts. Light for the tank is a 18inch marineland LED hanging about 14in above the tank. Waiting on an inline heater so I can remove that ugly heater.


----------



## kamikazi

ich, I like that bright green algae growing on that rock in the last pic.



boon, nice tank! do you have fish in it?


----------



## eser21

*my first ever tank? opinions...*

First time with a lot of help from this forum, started 6 weeks ago after cycling.
Really want a 90g rimless now, fallen out of love with the bow front and the backing:icon_cry: still nice to look at though










eco complete
pea shingle

eheim 2025
fluval 205

flourish excel and iron

sunset hygro, Madagascan lace, stargrass, mixed grasses, crystalwort, java moss, frogbit, dwarf hairgrass and HC

2 angels, 2 dwarf gouramis, 2 pearl gouramis, 7 rummynose tetras, 5 norman lampeyes (butterfly ate 2), gold nugget plec,6 khuli loaches (probably 2 in the filter  ), awesome butterfly fish  and bamboo shrimp


----------



## AesopRocks247

growin and growin

heres a vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VMDyQOKL28&feature=channel_video_title


----------



## orchidman

here is the most recent pic i have of my 10 gallon. i recently tore everything out except for the wood and the anubias. i put a "hedge" of lobelia cardinalis about halfway back, to be a midground between a carpet and stems. i plan on having rotala rotundifolia, bacopa monnieri, and another easily available stem ( suggestions? ) for the stem plants. as a carpet, im hoping to try HC 'cuba'

THE PICS ARE DARK, SORRY!


----------



## seadreamer

Here's my 40 breeder. It's less than two years old. While you can't see them it has glolight tetras (regular and albino) and pygmy cories along with some Amano shrimps. Heated, filtered, and occasional Excel when I think of it. 










Here it was two months ago.


----------



## knm<><

Nice job, I love the 40 breeder


----------



## Hilde

seadreamer said:


> Here's my 40 breeder.


Lovely!! More info, please!! Lights, ferts?


----------



## anubiasnick

that is one cute setup ,nice one matie


----------



## seadreamer

Hilde said:


> Lovely!! More info, please!! Lights, ferts?


Thanks everyone. 

Ferts - The fish are in charge of that. :icon_bigg. Fish fed once a day.
Lights - Two 30w Sun-Glo bulbs and two 25w All-Glass aquarium lights. Both were cheapo types although I don't remember how much. On about 12 hours, give or take.
Water changes - About once a month. 
Filter - Eheim 2213.


----------



## bpb

*Super low tech 75 gallon*

Just moved into a new house and after the fish and plants spent two weeks in a plastic storage bin under a window, I finally got around to setting back up the tank. It's a rimless 75 gallon, with 54 watts of T5NO lighting, play sand substrate, locally collected granite and driftwood. Plants are Java fern (broad leaf, narrow leaf, and trident all mixed together and wedged in between rocks) and thats it for now. My BA Tetras enjoyed eating anubias, amazon sword, and wisteria. I'll probably try some more easy to grow plants at some point this summer.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Couldn't get much more simple or beautiful. roud:


----------



## Aquaticz

looks great
let us know how that play sand goes


----------



## bpb

Thanks for the positive comments. I've actually had the play sand in this tank for almost a year now. It was up and running long before the move. I did; however, notice that when I broke down the tank during the move-out, the sand had some foul sections. No fish deaths occurred during the entire move, but my wife did vocalize quite frequently how unpleasant the smell was. Truth be told I hadnt been stirring up the sand at all, nor do I have any snails. Since I rinsed it and mixed it with some fresh sand I had left over, I havent had any algae for a couple weeks because everything is so clean. This month at some point I will be adding some Malaysian Trumpet Snails so I can avoid the sand getting foul again. I hear they are basically a requirement if you have play sand. 

I know there are inexpensive alternatives, but for now this tank lacks any plants with buried root systems, nor do I intend to have any for a while. As much as I would love to change my fish stocking, and do a large fully high-tech operation, it's just not in the cards financially. Plus I just like the way the sand looks.


----------



## WonderKeeper

Wow, very cool planted tanks everyone. Thanks all for sharing.


----------



## extrame

hello everyone! i'm new to planted tanks so i'm still in the process of learning how to setup a natural planted tank.
love all the tanks in this thread! gives me lots of inspiration 
here's my 50g low tech. this pic is taken a few weeks ago, sadly some of the crypts are melting. i hope its only because it is still acclimating to the tank.









outdoor Filter/low-tech tank


----------



## RWaters

Very nice low-tech tanks everyone!

Extrame - I love your angelfish. It also looks like you have a geophagus in there as well. Which species is it? Too bad about the plants dying. Are there any fish in the outdoor tank?


----------



## extrame

@Rwaters - sorry, i forgot what kind of species it is. just got it for free from my LFS. they thought it was just a tilapia so they gave it to me for free 

the outdoor tank is a swordtail production machine hahaha


----------



## bpb

Your crypts will undoubtedly bounce back. I planted some myself two weeks ago, and it seems like for every leaf that melts, two new ones take its place. Your tanks look awesome. I'm thinking about adding some red and black sword tails to my tank in the future. I could use some more color in my livestock. Not worried about offspring. Fry don't last more than a few minutes in my tank. I normally don't even see them before they get eaten.


----------



## [email protected]

*My 55g low-tech*

Here's my low-tech 55g bowfront. This is, I think, what is considered a Tennessee biotope as I found the wood piece and the rocks on my property, made the compost myself, and most of the plants I have gotten out of my local river. Light comes from the stock hood and filtered by a Fluval 304 cf. I add seltzer water every week but do plan on getting some Flourish Excell at some point so I can add light doses every other week or so.

I do plan on getting some other plants at some point, actually have some coming in the mail now, but I think it looks pretty good as it is and get LOTS of compliments on it whenever someone comes into my house. I have a 10g sump/refugium tank that is just a grow tank and is hooked to my maintank using diy overflow setup I found on here. What do you think?

*7-22, updated pics; new plants, configuration, minus some golds!!*


----------



## PinoyBoy

extrame said:


>


Ganda nito. Do you have a close up picture of this tank?


----------



## extrame

PinoyBoy said:


> Ganda nito. Do you have a close up picture of this tank?


sorry don't have any recent close up pics of the tank.. will be replanting the of the tank soon cause the wisteria is taking over it.
will try to take pics after the replant. that's our best planted tank ever.. 0 maintenance 0 ferts, just planted the tank and left it to grow on its own


----------



## stonedaquarium

beautiful tanks


----------



## Hilde

seadreamer said:


> Lights - Two 30w Sun-Glo bulbs and two 25w All-Glass


So you have 2 dual T8 light systems over your tank? Do you have to move 1 to open the lid?


----------



## HouseofZoo

EntoCraig said:


> 29G
> 2x 20W FloraGlo
> Flourite Substrate.
> Typical Micro/Macro ferts (Nothing Special)


Wow I love this and the dimension is awesome! Looks so much larger than a 29g.


----------



## sockfish

Looked through this entire thread last night and I'm soooo inspired! I'm setting up a 30 gal and ran into the sticker shock of a high tech tank. Now I see this will be a better way to do it affordably. 

Thank you for all the inspiration--I'll be around asking all the obvious low-tech questions, thanks in advance for your help!

sox


----------



## Liquid_Pyro

I'll second the above post, just looked through all 27 pages of this thread, Great work everyone, I cant wait to get pics of my tank once its completed!!!

Keep the awesome tanks coming!


----------



## machinehead26

Here's my 20g low tech.


----------



## Hilde

machinehead26 said:


> Here's my 20g low tech.


Why not journal on it?


----------



## bpb

*10 gallon low tech*

Thread detailing the tank http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/t...-10-gallon-low-tech-eye-sore.html#post1457204


----------



## kamikazi

Here is an updated shot of my 29 gallon








And this is my 40 gallon


----------



## Hilde

I liked this for it for it drew the eye in a circle.








Just needs some sags.


----------



## PinoyBoy

machinehead26 said:


>


This is how I want my 20L to look like when I get done with it in a couple of years roud:





kamikazi said:


>


I like the layout, a bit hard to see the details since the water is tanned.


----------



## bpb

Hilde said:


> I liked this for it for it drew the eye in a circle.
> 
> Just needs some sags.



Thanks! It's certainly still a work in progress. I would like to trim the Wisteria monstrosity back a bit and fill in the blank space in the middle with something low growing and easy. That Wisteria was just a few scrawny twigs with a couple leaves a few months ago.


----------



## kamikazi

PinoyBoy said:


> I like the layout, a bit hard to see the details since the water is tanned.



yeh, its slowly getting better, its much better in person. I do like the tea color though.


----------



## demonr6

Darkwater tanks look amazing in the right lighting conditions.. we all know how pictures frequently do not do the actual justice.


----------



## Firescaper

*33g excel tank*

Great tanks, everyone!

33g
39W T5HO
excel + ferts


----------



## Hilde

Firescaper said:


> 33g
> 39W T5HO
> excel + ferts


Love it! What are the plants? What ferts do you dose?


----------



## tulip55555

Firescaper said:


> Great tanks, everyone!
> 
> 33g
> 39W T5HO
> excel + ferts


What is your dosing schedule? I am trying to find a healthy balance in my tank and I'm a complete newb when it comes to that.


----------



## Juicy19

I'm not hating, but this is supposed to be a low tech thread. Let's try and keep this thread low tech. CO2 use isn't the only way you go high tech. Most of these tanks don't dose any ferts either.


----------



## AesopRocks247

55G ,48" glo 2xT5HO, magnum HOT cannister filter. Miracle grow organic dirt capped with gravel. Rotila rundafolia, jungle val, various crypts;bronze and spiralis, swords, green tigerlotus, java ferns, madagascar lace, hornwort. I set this up a couple days ago so the tannins are still leeching.


----------



## dj2005

Update on one of my tanks:
Tank: Mini M 5.5G
Lighting: 18w PC
Filtration: Zoo Med 501
Flora: Anubias nana, Anubias nana petite, Java Fern Trident, Pennywort, Marsilea minuta, Fissidens fontanus, Weeping moss.
Fauna: CRS, Yellow shrimp, Corydoras habrosus, Albino/Pink Ramshorns
No ferts/Excel/CO2. 33% WC every one or two weeks.


----------



## tulip55555

dj2005 said:


> Update on one of my tanks:
> Tank: Mini M 5.5G
> Lighting: 18w PC
> Filtration: Zoo Med 501
> Flora: Anubias nana, Anubias nana petite, Java Fern Trident, Pennywort, Marsilea minuta, Fissidens fontanus, Weeping moss.
> Fauna: CRS, Yellow shrimp, Corydoras habrosus, Albino/Pink Ramshorns
> No ferts/Excel/CO2. 33% WC every one or two weeks.


That is so nice!! How long has it been set up?


----------



## Rhaethe

dj2005 said:


> Update on one of my tanks:
> Tank: Mini M 5.5G
> Lighting: 18w PC
> Filtration: Zoo Med 501
> Flora: Anubias nana, Anubias nana petite, Java Fern Trident, Pennywort, Marsilea minuta, Fissidens fontanus, Weeping moss.
> Fauna: CRS, Yellow shrimp, Corydoras habrosus, Albino/Pink Ramshorns
> No ferts/Excel/CO2. 33% WC every one or two weeks.


Very nice! I am looking to do something similar (plant and wood wise) for a 33 long I have plotting in my head. Thank you for posting!


----------



## dj2005

tulip55555 said:


> That is so nice!! How long has it been set up?


Thanks. The scape has been going since 3-27-11 but I switched some plants in and out since then.


----------



## tulip55555

dj2005 said:


> Thanks. The scape has been going since 3-27-11 but I switched some plants in and out since then.


WOW! All the plants look so big.


----------



## Firescaper

Juicy19 said:


> I'm not hating, but this is supposed to be a low tech thread. Let's try and keep this thread low tech. CO2 use isn't the only way you go high tech. Most of these tanks don't dose any ferts either.


It's all a matter of opinion. As has been discussed in threads on this forum, people consider low tech to be:
a. walstad style
b. with ferts
c. with ferts + excel
and, according to the cool kids on the pressurized block, even
d. diy CO2

Quite a number of people add ferts on this thread and more than just a few who add excel. They still have beautiful low tech tanks in my opinion. You might have a different one. There is plenty of thread space to share.

Cheers.


----------



## Firescaper

Hilde and Tulip, thanks!

I started with EI dosing and slowly modified for the needs of my tank. I used (and still do but much more infrequently) nitrate and phosphate testing kits to help me figure out the fert dosing.

My baseline dosing schedule was based on 1/4 regular EI dosing (to account for excel) twice a week. For a no-excel tank I would go once a week or so.

These are recommendations for a CO2 tank -----> ¼ dosing for an excel tank

Nitrates 10-30ppm ------------------------- 5ppm
Phosphates 1.0-2.0 ppm -------------------------- 0.5ppm
Potassium 10-30 ppm --------------------------- 5ppm
Iron 0.5-1 ppm ----------------------------------- 0.25ppm
Mg -------------------------------------------------- 1ppm (for soft NYC water)

So, I started the tank with this dosing regimen. Then I built up my fish load, stopped ferts and measured N and P in the tank/tap water over 2 weeks. I found out that that my tank was providing more than plenty N and P so that I wouldn't have to dose them at all. I could just add K and micros to match their amounts in approximate correct ratios to create a balanced nutrient- non-limiting environment. AND I wouldn't have to change as much water since I wasn't overdosing.

N:K:Fe --- 10 : 1 : 10 : 0.5

So my current dosing schedule is:

N – runs 10-15ppm from the fish load and food, don't dose
P – mostly runs 0.7ppm or so, water here has high phosphates, dose every 1-2 weeks depending on the look of plants. 
K – dose 15ppm 2x/wk to match/slightly overdose N; a have a lot of hygrophila in the tank that loves K and develops characteristic small holes in leaves if K drops a bit low
Micros – dose to 0.25ppm Fe 2x/wk
Iron – dose another 0.25ppm/ 2x/wk (I have flourish iron which has gluconate as chelate and doesn't hang around long)
Seachem Equilibrium – dose to 1ppm Mg with a water change (and omit dosing K early next week since it has a lot of K in it) . NYC water is very soft.

I change about 20-25% water once every 2-3wks. 

Hope this helps.


----------



## tulip55555

Firescaper said:


> Hope this helps.


Helps a ton!! thanks!

ooh, one more thing. what's the tall grassy plant in the back??


----------



## plantbrain

ADA 60p
No CO2, no water changes, dosed about 1/10th EI dosing once a week.........

Clean filter once every 3-4 months.



















Had 9 Zebra plecos, 4 Gold nuggets, 7 Red farowellas(bred them 30X in this tank), Fire shrimp.

Now Betta macrostoma.

Weeds: pennywort, Xmas moss, Anbuias, some bolbitus perhaps and a little HC keeps popping up.

This is also not a photo shoot, this is the way to tank looks anytime folks stop by and there are few on this forum that have seen the tank many times.

It's well scaped, but still EXTREMELY easy to care for.



Firescaper said:


> It's all a matter of opinion. As has been discussed in threads on this forum, people consider low tech to be:
> a. walstad style
> b. with ferts
> c. with ferts + excel
> and, according to the cool kids on the pressurized block, even
> d. diy CO2
> 
> Quite a number of people add ferts on this thread and more than just a few who add excel. They still have beautiful low tech tanks in my opinion. You might have a different one. There is plenty of thread space to share.
> 
> Cheers.


Walstad style certainly has a LOT of ferts, they are in the soil, but the total fert level is quite high for the first year or so, then N declines mostly.

Non CO2/No excel methods add ferts to the water column, I was curious if this would work a no # of years ago using plain sand.......... turns out it does. See above.

I think overall, adding ferts to both locations regardless of high, mid or low tech philosophy is the best management approach to ferts.........

Most old school folks considered CO2 gas...........the defining difference...........and I consider Excel enrichment as well.........(mid tech I suppose), no Carbon enrichment: low tech.

I think using Carbon as the defining metric seems best, since light can be all over with each method and same for ferts.

So seems that would be the better choice to make groups, but there's a lack of consistency with the terms.

The plant police would need to patrol and enforce it:icon_mrgr


----------



## PinoyBoy

dj2005 said:


> Update on one of my tanks:
> Tank: Mini M 5.5G
> Lighting: 18w PC
> Filtration: Zoo Med 501
> Flora: Anubias nana, Anubias nana petite, Java Fern Trident, Pennywort, Marsilea minuta, Fissidens fontanus, Weeping moss.
> Fauna: CRS, Yellow shrimp, Corydoras habrosus, Albino/Pink Ramshorns
> No ferts/Excel/CO2. 33% WC every one or two weeks.


*right click and save*

In about a year or two when I find this picture in my hard drive, I'm gonna search for the build thread of this tank. Hands down my favoritest (yes, this word exist for this tank) 5.5gal tank. Simple, low maintenance, yet beautiful.

You love pink snails don't you?


----------



## demonr6

PinoyBoy said:


> *right click and save*
> 
> In about a year or two when I find this picture in my hard drive, I'm gonna search for the build thread of this tank. Hands down my favoritest (yes, this word exist for this tank) 5.5gal tank. Simple, low maintenance, yet beautiful.
> 
> You love pink snails don't you?


I refer to this tank as Anubias Wonderland..


----------



## Firescaper

tulip55555 said:


> Helps a ton!! thanks!
> 
> ooh, one more thing. what's the tall grassy plant in the back??


It's Hygrophila Angustifolia, grows like a weed, pm me if you want some.
Cheers.


----------



## baldy1970

55 gallons 2 32 watt coralife nutra grow t8 bulbs no ferts dose with api leafzone once a week other then that pretty simple.


----------



## driftwoodhunter

Tom Barr, that tank of yours really does something for me - I don't usually go for anything minimalistic or modern, but the crisp architectural look to that tank is fantastic! very clean & refreshing.


----------



## feh

No excel, no CO2. 
1 T5H0 bulb @ 8hrs
Full EI dosing in water column only with dry ferts
No Excel or CO2
Pool filter sand with no ferts

Still work in progress...


----------



## tulip55555

feh said:


> No excel, no CO2.
> 1 T5H0 bulb @ 8hrs
> Full EI dosing in water column only with dry ferts
> No Excel or CO2
> Pool filter sand with no ferts
> 
> Still work in progress...



Great looking tank! One of my favorites in this thread.


----------



## Stradivarius

Greetings from Buenos Aires, gotta post mine too! EDIT: Plus is my first post!

Tank: 20 gal
Lighting: 18w tube
Filtration: Eheim Liberty 150
Flora: Bolbitis Heudelotii, Blyxa japonica, cryptocorynes, java fern.
Fauna: Panda corys and ottos
Ocassional NPK, no co2, no water changes only top on.


----------



## driftwoodhunter

Beautiful! How long have you had this tank set up?


----------



## nkambae

*72 and 38 gal dirt tanks...*

72 gal, 108 w T5 HO, Ferts: EI light, worm castings capped with black Estes Quartz.

38 gal, 78 w T5 HO, Ferts: EI light, Black dirt capped with Red Flint sand.


----------



## lauraleellbp

There really are some beautiful tanks in this thread- great work, everyone!!! And keep 'em coming! :icon_smil


----------



## demonr6

Stradivarius said:


> Greetings from Buenos Aires, gotta post mine too! EDIT: Plus is my first post!
> 
> Tank: 20 gal
> Lighting: 18w tube
> Filtration: Eheim Liberty 150
> Flora: Bolbitis Heudelotii, Blyxa japonica, cryptocorynes, java fern.
> Fauna: Panda corys and ottos
> Ocassional NPK, no co2, no water changes only top on.


Magnifico!


----------



## Aquaticz

[email protected]@kin Good Demonr6
I did not know that Blyxa japonica can do that well in low light.
I have had great luck with my panda corys, may I ask what is your substrate? It looks like it is cappedbut with what?
Thanks


----------



## Stormphyre

Such pretty aquariums! I hope I can add to the show and tell here in the next week or so


----------



## Stradivarius

driftwoodhunter said:


> Beautiful! How long have you had this tank set up?


For about a year or so... It was quite a relaxing tank!


----------



## sweet chariot

55 gallon, 2x32watt T8's, plain gravel, no ferts, 4 goldfish. 
Set up since February (6 months) 
Water changes 20% Every week to three weeks, depending on what time I have.
Lights on for 12 hours per day.
Java fern, rotala rotundifolia, vallisneria, echinodorus 'rose', sagittaria subulata

For more info and progress pics see my journal. Unfortunately this pic looks kinda yellow for some reason... it is much greener in real life.


----------



## Hilde

Feh what size is the tank?


Nkambae what is EI light?


----------



## Stradivarius

Aquaticz said:


> [email protected]@kin Good Demonr6
> I did not know that Blyxa japonica can do that well in low light.
> I have had great luck with my panda corys, may I ask what is your substrate? It looks like it is cappedbut with what?
> Thanks


Blyxa can make it under low tech conditions but it is not really lush.... Substrate is just river sand. Cheers!


----------



## sevenyearnight

Beautiful tanks so far! Great idea for a thread.


















Here is my 75 low tech, after I just pruned the bajesus out of the watersprite.
It has sugar/yeast CO2 using the Natural Plant Systems.
4 T8's at 6500K, shop lights from Wal-mart, 8 hour photo period.
Playsand and Flourite substrate.
Seachem root tabs, Fluorish comprehensive, Leaf Zone, KNO3, baking soda and Epsom Salt supplemented.


----------



## feh

Hilde said:


> Feh what size is the tank?


Was a 55 gallon but I moved it all to a 75 gallon this weekend. The posted pic is after the move.


----------



## nkambae

EI = estimative index which is a method of fertilization. The light part merely refers to dosing a bit less than the recommended amount for the size tanks I have because I don't have high light or CO2. Sorry for not being more clear. Good luck.

stu


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS

3 Month Update...


----------



## Nbot

Joe...that tank looks great...I like the plants & design (except the plant in the back right doesn't seem to fit in maybe?) nice looking tank


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS

I just did a major trim and moved things around yesterday, the bolbitus in the back right and the balansae on the left need some time to fill in again -- I also slacked on ferts the last couple weeks and the plants are showing iron and nitrogen deficiencies.  I think the bolbitus will fit in a bit better when it fills in and gets its dark green coloration back.


----------



## Boredomb

Love all the tanks in this thread! They are so beautful! They all put my 55 gallon to shame.
Great idea for a thread btw!


----------



## tulip55555

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> 3 Month Update...


Is that aponotogen in the back?? Looks awesome! What is your substrate? I am getting ready to change mine and I'm looking for something black and good in a low tech setup.


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS

The plant in the back left is Crypt. balansae and the substrate is black Eco Complete


----------



## chiefroastbeef

feh said:


> No excel, no CO2.
> 1 T5H0 bulb @ 8hrs
> Full EI dosing in water column only with dry ferts
> No Excel or CO2
> Pool filter sand with no ferts
> 
> Still work in progress...


That is a super cool looking tank. The plant/driftwood/rock arranging looks great, and it reminds me of an island surround like clear waters.


----------



## Church

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> 3 Month Update...


OMG this is my new favorite low-tech tank! This aquascape is virtually perfect, in my opinion. It would make the best living room centerpiece. Great job!!


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS

Hey, thanks a lot -- the tank is sitting right next to my desk on the far side of the living room, so I get to sit and stare at it all day while I'm working, it is definitely the centerpiece of the entire room.

I started a journal about this tank back in late April when I first planted it, there's some more info about the tank and some pics from the beginning in there...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/t...bum/134387-75-gallon-new-house-new-scape.html


----------



## demonr6

Beautiful tank, I would not get much work done staring at that all day!

Love the S. Rhom too. Maybe that is how I can sneak one into the new tank w/o the wife getting on me for it!


----------



## chiefroastbeef

Here is my tank, I've been in the hobby for 1.5 years, learned everything on the Planted Tank!

I am fortunate to live in Hong Kong, within walking distance to the famous fish street. So I get my plants and fish at very cheap prices (compared to the US). Countless plants have died in the tank, and these are the ones that survived to tell the story. I basically plant, pray, and take out the dead plants.

I do not dose Excel or use CO2. Just some liquid ferts I bought at the fish street.

I recently switched to a LED light fixture built by a diyer here in HK, the lights are a bit brighter than my old florescent fixture, just I am dealing with a tiny bit of thread/fuzzy algae on the moss.


----------



## lauraleellbp




----------



## BradH

Looks good!


----------



## Karackle

GORGEOUS low tech tanks everyone!!!


----------



## sick lid

Viewing all of these makes me realize how much work I have to do to my own tank. *sigh* I think a complete re-scape is in order, with much more planning than in my original layout. Thanks for the inspiration, people


----------



## PaulG

The last 3/4 pages have been full of seriously cool tanks.


----------



## BradH

My 29 gallon low tech. Setup this tank in 2008 and it's gone through a lot of plants as I used to have collectoritus. lol It's been in it's current state for about a year now.

Lighting - 36 watt T5NO from Coralife.
Filtration - HOB filter.
Substrate - regular gravel.
Flora - Vallisneria nana, Anubias nana petite, Anubias barteri ''coffeefolia'', Amazon sword plant, java fern, frogbit, hornwort, and various crypts.
Fauna - 7 cardinal tetras, 3 amano shrimp, 6 hatchet fish, 1 bn pleco, 1 angel fish, 2 bolivian rams. 
Dosing - I put in some root tabs every now and then, also dose some npk and micros once a month if I remember to.
































































Here is a pic from along time ago when I had stem plants and what not.


----------



## gonzo.njexit9

WOW-very nice tanks
NEWBIE just starting out-picture on avatar
will update soon
manzanita driftwood arrived today
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE


----------



## PaulG

Mine after a major trim. Not looking as lush as others here.

200LPH internal, 11watt lamp, ADA Amazonia 2 with occasional excel and micro dosing.

Plan to add some dwarf sag or similar to the foreground.











Inhabitant: One blue ghost fish.


----------



## aretreesfree

lauraleellbp said:


>


Wowow info on this one please


----------



## plecostomouse

aretreesfree said:


> wowow info on this one please


+1


----------



## lauraleellbp

90gal AGA tank
Substrate - Miracle Gro Organic capped with Flourite black mix
Lighting- 2x54 Solar T5HO for 7 hrs/day
Filters - Rena XP3 and XP4
Heater- 300watt Hydor ETH inline

Plants:
Lilaeopsis mauritiana carpet
Nymphea lotus
Mix of Sagittaria, Echinodorus/Helanthium chain swords
Hygro compact
Sunset Hygro
Needle Leaf Java fern
Crypt spiralis

Fauna:
Amano shrimp
Nerite snails
Oto cats
Cardinal tetras
Ember tetras
Chili rasporas
BN plecos (albino and Calico)


----------



## mjbubbles

*Planted 3 gallon betta tank*

Hi there. I'm very new to this forum, and have spent many hours reading and learning. I thought I'd share my own planted tank with you all.

I have a 3 gal. betta tank with natural gravel and the light that came with the Eclipse 3 gal set-up. I've tried several plants - Amazon fern, Amazon Sword, and mermaid weed. None have done well. The best plants have been anubias, as you'll see. Any ideas about taller grass-like plants for the back that Mr. Blue can swim through?


----------



## lauraleellbp

Some crypts, chain swords, or Sagittaria would probably be good choices. All of those would do better in a substrate containing at least some nutrients, though.


----------



## mjbubbles

Thanks, Laurelee. Would root tabs provide the right kind of nutrients, or do you think I need to put soil capped with gravel in there? I do dose weekly with exel flourish and Iron/Magnesium fertilizer.

I ordered some small swords yesterday, so we'll see how they do.
mj


----------



## lauraleellbp

Root tabs would probably work. Swords especially tend to do well with them.


----------



## speedie408

lauraleellbp said:


>


This is low light??? Damn you're good Laura! Love it!


----------



## lauraleellbp

Thanks, Nick! That lotus you sent me I think really makes the tank. :biggrin:


----------



## JRMott

Laura - Do you have any tips on growing lilaeopsis mauritiana? I've read your 29 gal and 90 gal journals, and it seems like you've had great success with this plant in both tanks. I noticed that your 90 gal tank has higher light than the 29 gal and the lilaeopsis seemed to grow in significantly quicker in the higher light tank.

I've had this plant in my tank for about 10 weeks now without noticing any real change, other than getting BBA and being hacked down by me. I think I just need to be more patient with it, though i just brought a powerhead to help increase flow over the lilaeopsis.

Any advice or input on how you got yours looking so nice would be much appreciated!


----------



## zachary908

speedie408 said:


> This is low light??? Damn you're good Laura! Love it!


My thoughts exaclty...

Laura, your low tech blows my 75g high tech out of the water! hehe water....


----------



## JRMott

speedie408 said:


> This is low light??? Damn you're good Laura! Love it!


I believe a 90G tank with 2x T5HO is medium light per Hoppy's PAR charts over in the lighting forum sticky, so technically no it isn't low light.

It is low-tech, however, as i don't think Laura uses CO2 or ferts.

It is also amazing looking :icon_smil


----------



## fjord

*BA in Aqua Architecture*

Laura,

You are (un)officially awarded the degree of Aqua Architect, and that's no BS.

Looks GREAT!

Mike in Dixie


----------



## lauraleellbp

Thanks, guys! :redface:



JRMott said:


> I believe a 90G tank with 2x T5HO is medium light per Hoppy's PAR charts over in the lighting forum sticky, so technically no it isn't low light.
> 
> It is low-tech, however, as i don't think Laura uses CO2 or ferts.


I agree- this tank is pushing "low light" for sure. I have to limit my photoperiod to about 6-7 hours/day and still occasionally have to dose Excel (as in, once every 3-4 months) as the taller plants tend to slowly start building up the algae when they get up close to the lights.


----------



## GoldenTetra

Really nice tanks everyone, this is mega inspiration.


----------



## AesopRocks247

. 55G rainbow tank


----------



## SlammedDC2

wow some really nice tanks in here. I can't wait till I'm finished setting mine up so I can post some pics. 
Laura, awesome tanks.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Just a bump- I want to see some more tanks! :biggrin:


----------



## waterfaller1

Some awesome tanks added to this thread.
Here is my current tank.
90 gallon
29 gal sump
filtration is filter sock and 4X large media bags w/ eheim media
850 gph return external blueline pump
2X54 wt sunlight supply T5HO
Tahitian moonsand
Most plants are in Hydrophyte's planters-fert pellets inside
Amazon, rubin,marble queen and rose swords
jungle vallisneria
sm marble anubias
narrow, needle, and reg. java fern
Aponegeton crispus
crypt retrospiralis
7 goldfish-moor,oranda,ranchu,telescope



















I had to lower my photoperiod like you Laura, then algae subsided. Your tank is looking gorgeous, and some new awesome tanks added to this thread.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Looks awesome, Carole- I love it! :smile:


----------



## waterfaller1

Thank you Laura. It is not complete. I am still on a mission to find the stones I want for this tank. No luck yet, but I keep looking.


----------



## BigTom

Couple of shots of my low everything jungle shrimp 12" nano cube (dwarf hairgrass, lileaopsis brasiliensis, needle leave and trident leaf java fern and bolbitis)...


----------



## driftwoodhunter

ARGH! With my favorite photo of yours, Lost Kingdoms. Oh. I'm sorry, is there something else in the room? I was blinding by the print...lol
Seriously, nice tank. I like to see how well the Trident Java fern does, I've just planted my first batch of it.
which plant is the tall one to the left? Is that the needle leaf? I like it a lot...


----------



## Nubster

Laura...what's the lowdown on that lotus? It looks awesome.


----------



## BigTom

driftwoodhunter said:


> ARGH! With my favorite photo of yours, Lost Kingdoms. Oh. I'm sorry, is there something else in the room? I was blinding by the print...lol
> Seriously, nice tank. I like to see how well the Trident Java fern does, I've just planted my first batch of it.
> which plant is the tall one to the left? Is that the needle leaf? I like it a lot...


Yup, the tall one is the needle leaf. It and the trident are both really lovely plants and very easy to grow. The trident is such an awesomely lush shade of green, even under relatively low light.


----------



## driftwoodhunter

BigTom, I'm glad to hear that about the trident - I have no previous experience with it, I just happened to luck into an inexpensive bit of it on SnS. I can see I'll have to invest in more Java fern varieties.
I have to say, even though I've only been a member where for a while, I've been able to learn a great deal thanks to all the wonderful, helpful folks here!


----------



## BigTom

One thing I've noticed with the trident in particular (also happens a bit with other varieties) is that when I first get it and move it into low tech conditions, a proportion of the leaves tend to produce a large number of baby plantlets and then quickly die off. 

I guess its more efficient for the plant to produce clones adapted to the current conditions than to try and restructure it's existing leaves. So don't worry if so you see this happening, the new plantlets should grow well.

PS. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if the other fern I have is needle leaf of narrow leaf, I always get the two confused.


----------



## [email protected]

I traded my other tank I posted in here and now have a former saltwater 105 with sump setup and metal halide lighting. I stayed with the same setup as before using compost capped with black and brown aquarium gravel. I added my old wood and plants, and almost have this one done.








I want to get a carpeting plant and some Downoi to line my future "beach" area with. Then I am going down to the lake to see if I can find a nice piece of driftwood to add to it. I am getting my sand today, so that will be done. Journal in my sig, still adding updates right now so come check them out


----------



## lauraleellbp

Nubster said:


> Laura...what's the lowdown on that lotus? It looks awesome.


Thanks! Speedie sent it to me. It's currently doubled in size since that last picture and is trying to take over the tank! lol


----------



## im2smart4u

I figured I would post my tank here, too. It isn't any where near as good as a lot of the ones in this thread, but I am semi-satisfied with it. 
Specs:
Tank - 25 Gallon (24"x12"x20")
Light - 24" Odyssea T5HO
Substrate - Black Activ-Flora
Fish - 4 Xystichromis sp. 'Blue Fire Fin", 6 Odessa Barbs, 2 Calico Ancistrus, and a few otos.
Plants - No clue. I am not good with plant IDs and have switched it out too many times.

I don't dose the tank at all, other than the occasional dose of excel. I do approx 50% water changes every week or so.


----------



## bruinhd

BigTom said:


> Couple of shots of my low everything jungle shrimp 12" nano cube (dwarf hairgrass, lileaopsis brasiliensis, needle leave and trident leaf java fern and bolbitis)...


I'm trying to develop almost the exact same setup as you. Did you use any direct exposure to sunlight? Right now I am using a 60w LED for 7 hours/night plus flourish and CO2 injection. It's a modified Fluval Chi setup. I'm also doing 50% water changes once a week.

Was your plan similar to this or different? Your input would be much appreciated. Thank you.


----------



## BigTom

Mine is just the 11w light that came with the tank, ADA aquasoil II and just occaisional dosing and water change (about once a month). No CO2, no sunlight. Everything seems to be growing slowly but steadily. Trick was planting heavily at the start (I got five 9cm pots of hairgrass for £2 each from a garden centre, three pots of tropica lileapsis for £10 total and the rest was just trimmings from my main tank).


----------



## Hilde

BigTom said:


> Mine is just the 11w light that came with the tank, ADA aquasoil II and just occasional dosing and water change (about once a month). No CO2


The title of this thread is show and tell. You told us about your tank. Now how about showing it. Pic please.


----------



## BigTom

Hilde said:


> The title of this thread is show and tell. You told us about your tank. Now how about showing it. Pic please.


Hilde, that was in reply to bruinhd who was asking for more details on the tank I posted earlier in the thread, with not one but two pictures! Contextualise please.


----------



## Herbicidal

Hilde said:


> The title of this thread is show and tell. You told us about your tank. Now how about showing it. Pic please.


Post #480. :wink:


----------



## littlebittyfish

You all have such gorgeous tanks! :hihi:

This is my 10 gallon tank:









(nevermind the horrible gravel...I had a sand fail and had to swtich fast...but I am going to be redoing everything and switching to pool filter sand soon)
pretty low light...I only have 1 15 watt 6500k light bulb right now...


----------



## Seedreemer

Here's an update on my 40b. First pic was taken today, Oct 15, 2011. The second pic was taken about 10 months previously, in Jan 2011. I had a plan originally but have just let it go all jungly. Lights are about 2 years old. I occasionally dose with Excel. It's heated and filtered with an (annoyingly noisy) Eheim. Water changes are about 4 times a year, 50%. 

Inhabitants are glowlight tetras, pygmy cories, Amanos, snails, and a rescued angel that'll eventually be moved up to a 55g (shhh, don't tell my hubby!).


OCTOBER 2011









JANUARY 2011


----------



## Seedreemer

Little, I love the natural look you have going there.


----------



## TactusMortus

Figured I should post my tank in this show and tell as this thread is the reason i decided to go low tech on this tank. Seeing all the beautiful low tech tanks others had inspired me to get rid of my pressurized co2 system and go low tech.

It is a 120 gallon tank with a light sprinkling of peat under diamond blasting sand with oscomote plus root tabs added every 3 months. I am running a 60" T5HO quad light setup. However I only run one set of two bulbs at a time and alternate between the two sets each day.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Those are some really beautiful tanks! :thumbsup:


----------



## littlebittyfish

Seedreemer said:


> Little, I love the natural look you have going there.


 Thankyou. :icon_smil
I plan on moving the plants around a bit and trimming when I put the sand in next weekend.


----------



## orchidman

here is an update for y 10g. the pic is about a week old. i need to trim things again.

the water sprite is gone. but its still just a scatered mess. im going to fix it soon


----------



## driftwoodhunter

lol - everytime I see water sprite, I want a carrot. Is it just me, or does it look like a carrot top?


----------



## orchidman

lol! it does!!! everytime i see watersprite i want to get out the blender! i hate it so much! i had one tiny plantlet that grew into the monster you see above. i gave it away, and now i keep finding little plantlets all over!


----------



## driftwoodhunter

I think it's rather pretty! I have wisteria, but I think I may like the laciness of the sprite better. It's a good contrasting texture, I think.


----------



## orchidman

i like it buts its hard to get rid of sometimes. lol


----------



## Seedreemer

I'm envious. I've killed it off for years. Can't grow the stuff.


----------



## AesopRocks247

orchidman said:


> here is an update for y 10g. the pic is about a week old. i need to trim things again.
> 
> the water sprite is gone. but its still just a scatered mess. im going to fix it soon


This tank is awesome


----------



## Daximus

Here are mine. 

The first one is my 20g...it looks better in person, but I'm not real good at the photography aspect yet. It's also a little cloudy today because I added a couple new plants. Inside is "Spot" my Betta, a few of his Neon friends, and some Ghost Shrimp. I don't know what any of the plants are except the Madagascar Lace I just had to have (right side). The light is just a standard 15w GE Plant and Aquarium tube on a 12 hour timer. I run a Wal-Mart HOB for circulation and catching big stuff...that's about it. 

View attachment 36334


The second one is my first "dirt tank" experiment. It's been up for just over 24 hours. Still a little bit yellow, but getting there. Not much planted, basically I took all the small, beat up plants my local shop had in a tank they were cleaning up and a few bulbs from Wal-Mart that actually "hatched". No idea what any of them are. The light is a CF 6500k "daylight", only because it fits the incandescent hood. I know it's probably not ideal, but again, this is an experiment for me. Few Ghost Shrimp for now and a little Wal-Mart HOB for circulation. 

View attachment 36335


----------



## Seedreemer

Very pretty tanks everyone!


----------



## Kolkri

Thought I would share. Shut down my smaller planted tanks. Moved all plants to this tank. See sig for info on set up. I still consider it a low tech tank.









Been a few changes since I took that one. Moves some plants out, added some plants in ect....
This is all from the same tank.









































I don't post often my tanks are for me and are not manicured and have things in them people think I should take out like my vase I have in there for my BN's to live in. Anyways I am very proud of this tank.


----------



## Daximus

That looks awesome Kolkri! Very nice! That plant on the right side is massive (what is it?) and I like the open space for the fish. I think the vase is cool too. Everyone is obsessed with super nature scenes...I've been scuba diving, there is all kinds of stuff down there in the real world, lol.


----------



## driftwoodhunter

I love the vase! It was the first thing I noticed, in a good way : )
It made me think about how we decorate out tanks - some people like strict biotopes, some more relaxed bio "enviroments". I must be a hippie child - I like it all. (I admit I'm not keen about candy colored gravel)
There was a thread a little while ago about using geodes in tanks - I liked that idea, too. Seeing your vase, and remembering the geodes, is making me rethink what I might put in my tanks - after all, they are only for my own enjoyment! 
Lots of wonderful tanks being shown here...


----------



## Kolkri

Daximus said:


> That looks awesome Kolkri! Very nice! That plant on the right side is massive (what is it?) and I like the open space for the fish. I think the vase is cool too. Everyone is obsessed with super nature scenes...I've been scuba diving, there is all kinds of stuff down there in the real world, lol.


Plants on the right is rotala. May not be spelled right. It did ok in the 30 but never showed pink like it is doing in my 55 gallon. I just love it. If you look close further down the stems you can see some of the older smaller leafs still on it. I hope in time after a few cuttings it well all be pretty like the top part.

Thanks for the kind comments on my vase. My husband bought that and my BN's just love living in it. And I like it. lol

Thanks everyone.


----------



## littlebittyfish

rotala will take over. haha
I got 2 smaller bunches of it and it now takes over my 3 10 gallons. I just cut most of mine down in my 10 gallon in hopes of it "bushing" out a little. I had enough just from the trimmings to fill my 20 gallon nicely.:eek5:
It is one of my favorite stem plants. 
I like the vase! I have a coconut cave in my betta tank..It stands out quite a bit but I dont have the heart to remove it because he always hangs out in that coconut. haha


----------



## TactusMortus

This is my no tech nano. Substrate is pool filter sand with oscomote root tabs. I rarely ever do water changes. Running with only an ebay clamp on 3w led light still everything grows great.


----------



## Seedreemer

Beautiful cylinder! I enjoyed your thread about it too.


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## TactusMortus

Seedreemer said:


> Beautiful cylinder! I enjoyed your thread about it too.


Thanks, it is definitely my favorite tank as it requires near no time to maintain.


----------



## waterfaller1

Love it!


----------



## In2wishin

Here is my low tech 10g CPD work in progress:









Light: 2 - 25w Incandescent, diffused daylight
No CO2, occasional dosing with Flourish comprehensive and excel
Substrate: ecocomplete combined with a few pebbles 


Fauna: 

10 CPD
2 Cory nanus
10 RCS
3 Nerites
Flora: 

Java Fern (regular and windelov)
aponogeton crispus,
crypt wendtii Florida Sunset
crypt balansae
water sprite
pogostemon helferi
downoi
marimo ball
And one reflection of the photogrpher :redface:


----------



## bruinhd

TactusMortus said:


> This is my no tech nano. Substrate is pool filter sand with oscomote root tabs. I rarely ever do water changes. Running with only an ebay clamp on 3w led light still everything grows great.


This is so legit. I applaud your accomplishment, sir.


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## bpb

*Updated 10 gallon FTS*

Standard 10 gallon with mineralized topsoil and black gravel. Spiral CFL lights, HOB filter, no heater. Guppies, cardinals, ghost shrimp, and otos. Things have grown, been trimmed, grown back, and been trimmed again. I'm having the hardest time keeping my pennywort to stay put. It keeps coming up and floating around. Any pointers?


----------



## swissian

My 58 gallon:









The substrate is Flourite Original mixed with some Flourite Black. Lighting is 2 39w T5HO bulbs for however many hours a day I am awake (normally far too long). Water changes occur every week. I normally take out 5 or so gallons at a time.

Plants:
Java Moss
Willow Moss (I think)
Amazon Swords
C. Wendtii Bronze
Rotala Rotundifolia
Belem Hairgrass
Java Fern

Fauna:
1 Common Pleco
2 Adult Long Finned Albino Bristlenose Plecos
2 Baby LFABP
2 Kuhli Loaches
1 Otto
OEBT shrimp
Fire Red Shrimp


----------



## Hilde

bpb said:


> I'm having the hardest time keeping my pennywort to stay put. Any pointers?


I once saw someone put it around some wood. Perhaps that would work.


----------



## littlebittyfish

I redid my 10 gallon and trimmed my plants down. Finally switched back to sand.


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## Seedreemer

Very pretty tanks everyone!


----------



## frrok

Here is the most recent pic of my 10 gallon half moon.
Substrate: MiracleGrow Organic Choice Potting Mix capped with Eco-Complete
Filtration: Zoo Med 501 with Acrylic Lily Pipes
Lighting: Archaea 27w Power Compact 10,000K
Dose trace and NO3 once a week and skip every month.(although i've stopped dosing for now)
NO CO2
Heater

The only issue I am having is slow or stunted plant growth(rooted plants) which I believe is due to my substrate going anaerobic. I believe this is because Eco-Complete has a grain size 1-6mm. most literature about planted tanks recommends 2-3mm. the small grains settle undereath the larger ones causing it compact. I am trying to curb the issue by poking at the substrate every other day a little at a time. and trying to grow out my dwarf sag and vals. Next time, I will use a more uniform capping material.


----------



## Daximus

frrok said:


> The only issue I am having is slow or stunted plant growth(rooted plants) which I believe is due to my substrate going anaerobic.


Don't they make some sort of snail that roots around in the substrate? Maybe a couple of those could loosen things up?


Here is my little 5 gallon dirt since I refinished it. No ferts, no Co2, just Betta poop, a desklamp, and a wee bit of morning sun. :hihi:


View attachment 37121


----------



## frrok

Daximus said:


> Don't they make some sort of snail that roots around in the substrate? Maybe a couple of those could loosen things up?


yep, Malaysian trumpet snails...got those. still happened. sulfur smell when the bubbles get released.


----------



## Daximus

frrok said:


> yep, Malaysian trumpet snails...got those. still happened. sulfur smell when the bubbles get released.


Ewww...well, I guess look at it as a chance to "re-scape" :biggrin:


----------



## dundadundun

keep in mind, i am no aquascaper or photographer and i'm getting this tank back in shape slowly after 10+ months of serious neglect. it was a jungle in there. i have no idea how anything survived.














































ferts; almost a year of neglect
light; up to 15-16 hours a day
carbon; none - almost a year of neglect
substrate; leveling sand used by contractors from my neighbors pool
filtration; almost none... the top of the water is still like a pane of glass
water; toxic to babies, yet dgh and dkh <2 and void of anything useful testable by hobby kits


----------



## djscotty

This is my low tech tank that was just planted yesterday. I have some more plants coming early next week and will probably rescape then.

Still cant believe even with slate, driftwood is still pulling up. Will add another piece with new plants. Sorry for phone pics


----------



## littlebittyfish

not really "lush"..but...Here is my 3 gallon I have setup for my blind betta...tacky background and all...haha..I left a part of the bottom without sand because that is where my betta eats his food off the bottom.
I gave my moss a h2o2 dip and I think I will have to remove it now...it is looking pretty dead...I plan on adding some more moss from my other tank eventually.


----------



## Seedreemer

Awww, that's so sweet. And being blind he doesn't mind the tacky background.


----------



## Surgeon

Seedreemer said:


> Awww, that's so sweet. And being blind he doesn't mind the tacky background.


Perhaps he was jsut a normal Betta before the background went on:hihi:


----------



## PinoyBoy

dundadundun said:


> keep in mind, i am no aquascaper or photographer and i'm getting this tank back in shape slowly after 10+ months of serious neglect. it was a jungle in there. i have no idea how anything survived.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ferts; almost a year of neglect
> light; up to 15-16 hours a day
> carbon; none - almost a year of neglect
> substrate; leveling sand used by contractors from my neighbors pool
> filtration; almost none... the top of the water is still like a pane of glass
> water; toxic to babies, yet dgh and dkh <2 and void of anything useful testable by hobby kits


Cool shallow tank. Size? Brand? How much did it cost?
What house plant is that on the back?


----------



## driftwoodhunter

surgeon said:


> perhaps he was jsut a normal betta before the background went on:hihi:


lol!


----------



## Seedreemer

Surgeon said:


> Perhaps he was jsut a normal Betta before the background went on:hihi:


LOL! :hihi:


----------



## dundadundun

PinoyBoy said:


> Cool shallow tank. Size? Brand? How much did it cost?
> What house plant is that on the back?


it's a 30 gallon snake breeder i got locally almost a decade back as a temp home for my redtail boa. he didn't last but a year or so before he out grew that, so it was available when i needed it. as you can see, i converted the sliding screen top with a piece of glass i had cut and knurled at the local glass shop.

cost? well, for this project, about $30 for the glass. originally it was oh, i dunno $125 - $175, don't remember exactly.

foot print is 36" X 18" and it's the same height as a typical 10 gallon. the seems are nice and healthy and the glass is just as thick as it would be on a 10 gallon, but with the side panels about as long as a 10's front and the front almost double that, i knew that filling to the rim was a bad idea... so i threw a sponge block in the back to hide my heater, air stones and filter intake and shoved some pothos in there.

as for brand name, i'm not sure, but this would be a current version of the same thing... http://www.zilla-rules.com/download/?asset=/assets/003/9113.jpg&name=100009688.jpg
not sure how you'd go about converting that one to a glass top, though.


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## littlebittyfish

Surgeon said:


> Perhaps he was jsut a normal Betta before the background went on:hihi:


 hahaha! Oh no I have blinded my betta!:icon_lol:
I plan on painting the back of the tank one solid color once I get some paint.
He was blind when i got him though...He has the "dragon scale" deformity with his eyes..poor guy...haha...


----------



## Hilde

littlebittyfish said:


> I plan on painting the back of the tank one solid color once I get some paint.


Easier to just tape some fabric on the back with gorilla tape.


----------



## jeff721

here are two of my low tech tanks



















First is a 5.5 gallon, coldwater, a few random crypts, some wisteria, a bit of blyxa, a stem or two of tiger hygro, what I think is rotalia, and an anubius. There is a school of White Clouds in this tank. 

Second is a 10 gallon. School of Neon Tetras, two Celestial Pearl Danios, a Betta, and three Ottos (for now). Needle leaf java fern, anubias nana, anubias ??, java moss, and rotalia. All of the plants, except the rotalia, are tied to the "driftwood" in this tank.


Neither of these are lush yet, but they are on their way.


----------



## Darth Toro

here is an updated pic of my 20g long 











lighting: coralife dual 30" 6700k and colormax
filter: aquaclear 70
substrate 2" ecocomplete
heater: stealth pro (i know abt the recall on these)

Fauna:
15 cardnal tetras
3 red stripe cory
3 corydoras adolphi
20+ fire red cherries
2 amanos
ramashorn and MTS

Flora:
anubias nana
anubias nana petite
hornwort
pygmy chain sword
various crypts
hygrophila difformis
hygro angustifolia
fissidens fontanus
bolbitis heudelotii small form
water sprite
Rotala rotundifolia


----------



## Hilde

Darth Toro said:


> updated my 20g long
> 
> Flora:
> anubias nana
> anubias nana petite
> hornwort
> pygmy chain sword
> various crypts
> hygrophila difformis
> hygro angustifolia
> fissidens fontanus
> bolbitis heudelotii small form
> water sprite
> Rotala rotundifolia


Very nice 
Just wondering how it would look with the Wisteria on the left side


----------



## Darth Toro

Thank you.
There are transplanted crypts on the left side that grew higher in my 50g breeder. The Wisteria is buried behind the floating hornwort. I will take your suggestion and move the crypts in the rear up and move the wisteria to the left corner.


----------



## Als

Low tech low light low maintenance has been my favs. Here are a few my tanks:

*Telaga Tenteram Discus* (a discus planted tank)


145 x 50 x 50 cm (57.1 x 19.7 x 19.7")
5x T5 28W 6500K
pH: 6.8
TDS: 56
GH: 4
KH: 3
Temp: 27 - 29 C (81 - 84F)
NH4: 0
NH3: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: < 10 mg/l
Anubias, microsorum, moss, bolbitis, echinodorus vesuvius, crypto wendtii, staurogyne sp, rotala rotundifolia, crypto balansae
Discus, corydoras, cherry shrimps, Yamato shrimps, rummy nose tetra, cobalt blue goby, MTS, horned nerite snail









_It's a room divider, here's the front view._









_The rear view._

There are more pics here 


*Bukit Tenteram Caridina *(a very low maintenance CRS planted tank)


90 x 45 x 45 cm (35.4 x 17.7 x 17.7")
2x T8 18W 6500K
Temp: 25 - 27 C (77 - 81F)
pH: 6.8
NH4: < 0.5 mg/l
NH3: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 0
TDS: 62
GH: 4
KH: 3
Anubias, bucephalandra, microsorum, bolbitis, moss
CRS, MTS









_Unfortunately it's infected with Gammarus (scuds) so I must give a treatment_


*Laguna Tenteram Manvis* (converting fish tank to planted tank at my parents' home)


90 x 45 x 45 cm (35.4 x 17.7 x 17.7")
2x T8 18W 6500K
Temp: 27 - 29 C (81 - 84F)
pH: 7.6
NH4: 0.5 mg/l 
NH3: 0.009 - 0.03 mg/l
NO2: 0
NO3: 0
GH: 8
KH: 15
Cryptocoryne wendtii, cryptocoryne balansae, cryptocoryne beckettii, flame moss, vallisneria spiralis, echinodorus vesuvius, echinodorus tenellus, aponogeton crispus
Altum peruvian, angel fish, rummy nose, corydoras, MTS









_Before_









_After (3 days old)_


----------



## leeteekyung

*the thread's title isnt complete, it should be low tech can be lush and beauty too =)*

hi guys, this is my low tech tank 80x40x40cm, no CO2, 1x15 lighting, cheap liquid fertilizer, and here is the result. thanks for the sticky thread "excellent list of low light plants" up there.


----------



## Hilde

leeteekyung said:


> my low tech tank 80x40x40cm, no CO2, 1x15 lighting, cheap liquid fertilizer,


No thread on this tank, rats. More info please. What is the substrate and plants? Is the light a T8?


----------



## leeteekyung

the substrate is "pasir malang", it is just some kind of cheap common natural sand. my plants are E.Tenellus, hydrilla, hygro sunset, green hygro, bacopa australis, bacopa carolina, java fern, hornwort, amazon sword, and the red one i havent found the name yet, but its growing there, it is keep pumping new leafes at the top. i plant the red one right under my bulb. my lamp is 60cm TL5 with DIY lamp hood, and i am using over head filter. thanks.


----------



## Als

Fyi: "pasir malang" is black scoria.


----------



## leeteekyung

als : haha, thanks for your information bro, greetings, i also from dari jakarta, thanks for sharing your lovely discus tank :-bd


----------



## Seedreemer

Beautiful tanks everyone!

Als, your discus tank is AWESOME!


----------



## Pooky125

Here's an update of my 5.5 gallon. Starting to grow in nicely now.


----------



## Wingz

55 gallon:
Weekly Ferts
Soil under pool sand mixed with small gravel
3 bulb T5NO (84w total)
Fluval 305
water change 1x month












Update: 01/8/2012

Rescape to add a driftwood.


----------



## Hilde

Wingz said:


> 55 gallon:
> Weekly Ferts


What ferts do you dose with? What are the plants on the ground?


----------



## Wingz

Hilde said:


> What ferts do you dose with? What are the plants on the ground?


on sunday (Macro)
1/2 tsp kno3 
1/8 tsp kh2po4

on monday (Micro)
5 mL seachem flourish

Plants on the ground are Glosso.


----------



## leeteekyung

good job everyone, this only prove that low tech can also as good as high one. does everybody know that the #1 of one of the AGA 2011 categories is a low tech tank? no CO2, medium lighting but it defeats other high tech tanks


----------



## keilatan

lauraleellbp said:


> Lookin great, keep em coming!
> 
> 29gal update


N00B Question alert! What is the "grass" on the bottom of the tank?


----------



## lauraleellbp

keilatan said:


> N00B Question alert! What is the "grass" on the bottom of the tank?


Lilaeopsis mauritiana. roud:


----------



## bpb

keilatan said:


> N00B Question alert! What is the "grass" on the bottom of the tank?


It really does look spectacular. I get okay growth in my low tech dirt tanks, but nothing this clean, healthy and dense. Cannot get dwarf hairgrass to grow at all other plants grow, but old leaves melt and wilt by the time new growth looks strong.


----------



## leeteekyung

*enchinodorus tenellus*

another option is enchinodours tenellus, undemanding grass plant that could carpeting low tech planted tank


----------



## alex009

Low tech (MGO dirt capped with gravel) 5 gallon crypt jungle and some inhabitants:


----------



## Erica

My 40B


----------



## driftwoodhunter

Beautiful! Such elegant driftwood!


----------



## Hilde

Erica said:


> My 40B


More info please, please. Plants, lights, ferts?


----------



## Erica

driftwoodhunter said:


> Beautiful! Such elegant driftwood!


Thank you!




Hilde said:


> More info please, please. Plants, lights, ferts?



Tank: 40 breeder
Lighting: 2 dual Coralife t5no fixtures spaced far apart
Filter/powerhead: AquaClear 110 and 425gph Koralia Nano
Substrate: Pool filter sand
CO2: none
Ferts: root tabs

Plants:
Java Moss
Anubias Nana
Trident Java Fern
Crypt Wendtii Red and Brown
Italian Vals
Rotala Rotundifolia
Ludwigia Repens
Tiger Lotus (Bulbs sitting in the back of the tank for now...not sure what I'm going to do with them)


----------



## driftwoodhunter

Oooh, you just helped me out! I have a 40b with a strip light (one single bulb in a plastic housing). The light is dim, but the plant growth is solid & healthy. Trouble is, I have to move the light from front to back, the tank is so deep.
I have the Coralife T5NOs on other tanks, and I've been thinking about switching the 40 over to them. I was wondering if two units (like you have) would be too much without Co2 - which I don't add. As you know, the tank is so deep it really needs two units. Your tank is proof that it works, and now I know it will be a good decision!


----------



## Erica

Yeah, it should work well. I keep the fixtures pretty much as far apart as I can. One is just a couple inches from the back, and the other is about an inch from the front.


----------



## driftwoodhunter

The quality of light looks very nice. Mine really looks dim by comparison! lol
How long have you had it set up this way, and have you had any algae problems? (and how long are you lights on for?)
Thanks
~ Cindy ~


----------



## Erica

It's been set up for over 2 months. At first, I kept the light on a long time because I had moved my stock over from a fish only tank including my algae eaters and I was actually trying to make algae for them, lol. I started to get GSA on the front glass and a tiny bit of BBA on the java ferns, which of course nobody wanted to eat. So now what I do is turn the front fixture on for 1 hour. Then I turn the second on and have them both on for 8 hours. Then I turn the front one off and leave the back one on for an additional hour. So total viewing time is 10 hours, but each fixture is only on for 9.

My only really problematic algae is some that I get on the tops of my vals that are right under the light.


----------



## driftwoodhunter

Well that works great for me - I only have my lights on for 5 - 6 hrs a day...
thanks!


----------



## Erica

I like watching my fish too much to do much less. I'm a stay at home mom so I'm here all day and I like to see my fishies


----------



## LetThereBeFish

Here is my low-tech 29g. And yes the photo is a little blurry. My grandma camera cant focus on anything!









*Equipment:* Coralife Aqualight Power Compact, Hydor Theo Heater, Aqueon 20 Power Filter, Eheim 2213, and Hydor Koralia Nano
*Substrate:* Eco-Complete
*Fertilizer:* Florish, Florish Root Tabs and fish CO2
*Inhabitants:* 6x Harlequin Rasporas, 4x Cherry Barbs, 2x Gold Barbs, 2x Black Skirt Tetras, 2x Emperor Tetras, 1x Albino Bristlenose Pleco, 4x Amano Shrimp, 2x Nerites, and 100,000x MTS
*Plants:* Crypt Wendtii, Crypt Spiralis, Nesaea, Rotala Indica, Ludwigia Repens, Ludwigia Palustris, Hygrophila Compact, Dwarf Sag, Wisteria, Melon Swords, Bocopa, and a Tiger Lotus.


----------



## sp33drhno

Here's an updated photo of my 20 long I posted way back on page eight. Back in the spring I removed nearly all the vals as I intended on taking the tank down. Some how new driftwood and plants ended up in the tank along with an eheim 2213. No Co2 or ferts other than root tabs, and a pinch of plantex every two or three weeks when I do a small water change.


----------



## AnniePN

sp33drhno,
substrate you are using?


----------



## sp33drhno

the substrate is a bit of aquariumplants.com's own substrate mixed with a bag of flourite black and eco-complete.


----------



## Scars

Hello people

Im new to planted tanks but here's my first real try at it.

Its a 29gallon, dual t5, ac50, 5 neon tetra, 3 amano shrimp, diy co2 setup. I have some swords and the rest I forgot lol Its all just plants I bought from petsmart and petco. Im sure you guys will know what it is. I plan on getting more fish in there soon, just waiting for my lfs's to get some better stock.


----------



## Dragonfish

16 Gallon Bowfront setup 12/10/11
MGOPM capped with PFS
Malysian driftwood
slate tile 
Wysteria
Crypt Wendtii "Mi Oya"
Cropt Wendtii red I think. 
Pennywart floater
Planned fauna: breeding pair of Electric Blue Rams


----------



## rebus20

Here is my 60gallon. It has a single t5ho hagen light, a biowheel 350 and biowheel 200 hob filters. I dont know the names of all the plants but I plan to add a few more. Right now I have 1 angel fish and 4 corey cats but its going to be holding 6 discus when I get a little more size on them.


----------



## Chaos_Being

Here's the latest FTS of my 55 gallon low tech tank:


----------



## lauraleellbp

I keep looking for "like" buttons and forgetting we don't have them here :hihi:

Great tanks, all! :biggrin:


----------



## Aquaticz

referring to taping of selected fabric onto back of tank great idea - thx


----------



## Eocsorymmot

agoins said:


> MTS capped with eco complete.
> light EI dosing once a week
> 128watts of t8 shop light (ordered 2x 80w t5HO today!! )
> I started injecting CO2 two days ago.


This tank has me absolutely jealous... I want to have something similar.


----------



## Eocsorymmot

So, seems to me the "Low Tech" part uses fish to fert... nothing else really to go out and do/make special aside from proper lighting??? I have a 46BF That I want to breed German Blue Rams in, and want to plant. The prices of plant substrates, HO lighting, co2 pumps and everything else had me thinking I would skip live plants (I have been keeping fish for years just never kept plants) I have been reading this thread for hours from page 1... Seems like a lot of these tanks are basic "fish setups" that have had new bulbs installed... Is that a fair assumption?


----------



## RAZmonkey

Finally feel like I can add my tank to this thread. It's not quite filled in and lush, but it's on it's way. 

It depends on your definition of low tech bc I do have Eco complete for part of my substrate...but it's definitely low maintenance!

75 gal, dual bulb T8 shop light, sump filtration, RO water top offs, root tabs and Flourish Comprehensive and Excel when I think about it...about twice a month. It's been set up since August, but has gone through many changes as I've learned more about this hobby. It's been like this for a little over a month.


----------



## zergling

Tank is almost 2 months old now. 

MrAqua 12" cube
ADA Aqua Soil New Amazonia Multi-type
Archaea 30cm LED light (3W?)
Penn Plax HOB Filter
Archaea 50W heater, heating element is inside the HOB.

Tank gets 50+% water changes weekly....and that's about it. No CO2, no fert dosing. The aqua soil substrate so far seems to be enough, so I'll just keep it as low maintenance for as long as it allows me.

The tank has been doing well, at least plants-wise. This tank shows the Ludwigia sp. "Red" / "Hybrid" really stay red even in low-light and no CO2. 

The fish and the snails are recent additions, but this is more of a quarantine for them before I move them to my bigger tank next year.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Eocsorymmot said:


> Seems like a lot of these tanks are basic "fish setups" that have had new bulbs installed... Is that a fair assumption?


Well... sort of. Probably would be better to start a separate thread or search up some older ones that discuss the differences between "low," "medium," and "high" tech tanks, especially since there's really no "One Size Fits All" way to go about it. :hihi: Which is a big point of this thread, too- that people can achieve a nice looking planted tank even without spending a fortune.

Some people love all the gadgets, gizmos, cutting edge technology, and find it fun trying to meet the challenge of growing very demanding and delicate plants. Nothing wrong with that, either. Part of what I like about this hobby- you really can make of it what you want.


----------



## littlebittyfish

Chaos_Being said:


> Here's the latest FTS of my 55 gallon low tech tank:


I am in love with your tank..:hihi: 

It is very nice. I hope my tank will look as nice as this one day.


----------



## Chaos_Being

Thanks  I'll probably update my journal tomorrow or the day after, I need to do a water change and a trim. Since I put in some new root tabs and have been keeping up better with my fert dosing, my plants have been going nuts (well, for low tech anyways, lol.) The hygro is back up to the surface and the crypts have been filling in...it's looking pretty dense in there right now.


----------



## Koi Kameon

*What exactly is a low-tech tank?*

Everyone's tanks are gorgeous. I've just been getting back into the aq hobby after 15 years away and I don't know what that term is. What makes a tank a low-tech tank? They sound, by name, easy.


----------



## Hilde

Koi Kameon said:


> What makes a tank a low-tech tank? They sound, by name, easy.


There are many definitions. Some say low light with Co2 injected or low light without Co2 injected. 

It is not always easy. Living near a big city my water is bad (soft with high PH). As a result I use to have chronic problems with BBA (black brush algae). I over fed my fish and the nitrates rose. Since then no chronic BBA. Thus start with a lot of cheap plants and a few fish for 3 months. This the period that a tank may develop algae problems. HomeSimpson has found this true through many experiments.


----------



## FriendsNotFood

36 gallon corner tank

Hygro tiger, Hygro angustofolia, Hygro bold (in the left corner sitting there doing nothing ), Crypt balansae, Lindernia india, Needle leaf java fern, some sort of crypt, Willow moss, Lilaeopsis mauritiana, Marsilea Minuta, Amazon frogbit


This tank is about 5 months old in its current state. No CO2, just Excel. Still trying to figure out the balance of ferts or whether I even need them at all. 

Some of my hygro leaves have holes from lack of CO2. And the weeping moss doesn't like Excel very much so it's all a work in progress  But you can't see any of that stuff from far away (;


----------



## PaulG

29G. Soil. Two x 24W T5. No filter, pump only.


----------



## FriendsNotFood

Wow Paul, that's amazing. Does anything live in there?


----------



## AesopRocks247

FriendsNotFood said:


> 36 gallon corner tank



I love these tanks, such a cool shape and weird space to play with and get really creative.


----------



## zergling

Recent shots of my MrAqua 12" cube, after I moved all the fish and snails to the big tank, uprooted the stems and replanted the tops.


----------



## PaulG

FriendsNotFood said:


> Wow Paul, that's amazing. Does anything live in there?


Soon to be some Lemon Tetras, just waiting for the plant mass to increase as it's my main method of filtration.


----------



## FriendsNotFood

Zergling, I have almost the same exact plants in my 2.5 nano I've been struggling with for months now... do you have a hard time keeping the lower leaves on the ludwigia from dying off?


----------



## zergling

FriendsNotFood said:


> Zergling, I have almost the same exact plants in my 2.5 nano I've been struggling with for months now... do you have a hard time keeping the lower leaves on the ludwigia from dying off?


Not really, as you can see from the pic of the pulled-up plants, even the lower leaves are all healthy. The lower portions that get shaded do turn green, but the rest are all a nice dark red - not as crimson red as in my high-light tank, but still a dark red.

The ADA Aqua Soil is probably playing a major role in this tank. The 3W LED light I have on there is low light, so I think the nutrient demand induced by the low lighting is matched perfectly by the nutrients provided by the soil and the miniscule fish food I drop on there.


----------



## Titan17

zergling said:


> Not really, as you can see from the pic of the pulled-up plants, even the lower leaves are all healthy. The lower portions that get shaded do turn green, but the rest are all a nice dark red - not as crimson red as in my high-light tank, but still a dark red.
> 
> The ADA Aqua Soil is probably playing a major role in this tank. The 3W LED light I have on there is low light, so I think the nutrient demand induced by the low lighting is matched perfectly by the nutrients provided by the soil and the miniscule fish food I drop on there.


What brand of LED did you use on this tank?


----------



## zergling

Titan17 said:


> What brand of LED did you use on this tank?


Archaea 30cm LED. The one I have has all "white" bulbs. There may be better options out there (ask the led experts like iwannagofast), as I basically bought this specifically for the clean look


----------



## spifff

WOW! just read all 40 pages over the last few day low tech is exactly what i want i'll be setting either a 15 or 30 up in my wife's class room because some how they stuck the english teacher with ecology for the rest of the year! 
great group of folks great thread. I'll introduce my self in another thread most likely tomorrow.
Dave


----------



## wetbizquit

two of my buddies 



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

recent pic, before trim, 80 gal diy two 2ltr co2, ferts dosed every other day, root tabs, ect, running about 2 wpg right now for growth 7 hours daily....
picture is kind of from the side, that way i could fit the entire tank in one shot, hard to see all the plants, looks much heavier planted in person..



Uploaded with ImageShack.us


----------



## oldpunk78

I just recently converted this tank over to low tech. It started life out as a high tech tank with co2 and MH lighting. The daily dosing and high co2 levels got old. Now the fish can breath easier and I can just sit back and enjoy it. I ordered some Cryptocoryne Parva for the foreground. (I just ripped out the hairgrass I had in there before..)










Specs:

tank - 60P (roughly 17 gallons)
light - t5no
filtration - xp3
substrate - new multi-type amizonia
co2 - N/A
heater - N/A (filter keeps it @ ~ 74)

Plants:

Singapore moss
Narrow Java fern
Hygrophyla difformis
Anubias barteri 'Petite'
Cryptocoryne undulata

Dosing:

1/3 EI (when I remember)

Still doing 50% water changes weekly(with my liquid rock tap water) to keep the tannins down.


----------



## zergling

oldpunk78 - that's amazing, and very similar to what I'm trying to achieve with my 18" cube. How recently did you convert it to low-light?

.....and are you seriously using a XP*3* in that tank? The 350gph-rated XP3 is perfect for my 25gal cube tank, but that's seems to be a LOT of flow for 17g.


----------



## zergling

Update on my MrAqua 12" cube, which is now a CRS tank. It is quickly becoming my favorite - low-light-low-maintenance is a nice contrast to my high-light 120-P.


----------



## oldpunk78

zergling said:


> oldpunk78 - that's amazing, and very similar to what I'm trying to achieve with my 18" cube. How recently did you convert it to low-light?
> 
> .....and are you seriously using a XP*3* in that tank? The 350gph-rated XP3 is perfect for my 25gal cube tank, but that's seems to be a LOT of flow for 17g.


I think it was about 3 weeks ago. So far, so good. And yes, I am seriously using a xp3 on a 60P. The fish seem to enjoy the extra current. If not, there's plenty of places for them to take a break. It's really dense in the middle of the tank.


----------



## waterfaller1

Beautiful!


----------



## xjasminex

Hey Carole!
You should post an update of your tank on here!


----------



## waterfaller1

xjasminex said:


> Hey Carole!
> You should post an update of your tank on here!


I need some decent pics. I need a new camera!!!!!!!:icon_sad: LOL..I took pics this morning and they were awful:tongue: I will try again this weekend for better ones.:wink:
I did post two crummy videos.


----------



## xjasminex

Alright!
I'll go see them now!
By the way my tank is up and running, and everything is pretty good so far!


----------



## waterfaller1

Sounds good!:smile:


----------



## xjasminex

Wait, where are they posted?


----------



## xjasminex

Wait, i just found them! =]


----------



## Sakmeht

This tank is about a year and a half old and the picture really doesn't do it justice. I'm very proud of where it is right now. I've gone through plant deaths, deficiencies, cyanobacteria, BBA, and now just have some black spot-ish algae on the lower leaves of my anubias. The kind you can't wipe off, lol. 

Anyway, it's a coralife hood with 1 18 watt T5NO light as the other burned out. I didn't replace it right away and noticed that my crypts started growing taller, which I had been wanting to happen. So I have no plans to replace the bulb. My algae problems diminished significantly, too. I use SAS as the substrate mixed with some pea gravel and stick root tabs down under occasionally. Once in awhile (on no set schedule) I throw in some excel or comprehensive. Water changes/light gravel vac every 4 or 5 months, top-offs every couple of days. 

I have java moss, anubias, and the common red crypt. Fish consist of some neons, lemons, pristellas, and rainbow praecox.


----------



## benjaminmills

You can find my journal here http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals/163047-bens-90-gallon-low-tech-aquarium.html


----------



## tulip55555

PaulG said:


> 29G. Soil. Two x 24W T5. No filter, pump only.


Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are the plants growing out the top growing from the substrate or do you have them in those riparium containers on the back wall??

Thanks


----------



## HeathBar

Here is one of my low tech tanks. No ferts, no CO2, no excel. Specs for it are in my sig.


----------



## chiefroastbeef

Very cool tank heathbar.


----------



## Herbicidal

benjaminmills said:


> You can find my journal here http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals/163047-bens-90-gallon-low-tech-aquarium.html


Nicely done! Very clean too. roud: Of course I'm partial to Discus myself and I see you are just up the road from me.


----------



## PeterN1986

Here is my 20g High tank with two 13W CFL's ~18" above the substrate:

I dose Excel every other day, Flourish and dry ferts on alternating days or whenever I remember to do it. My HC keeps getting dug up from my silly cory, but the ones that have held in the substrate (Eco Complete) have been spreading slowly but surely!


----------



## boxhead1990

20 gal long

cheap 800 l/h powerhead
20w t8 about 5 inches of the water
average everyday gravel anubis java fern
and the other plants i have no idea as i pulled them out of my mums garden and dry started them and there doing well

ferts: seachem flourish every now and then and root tabs under the unknown plants every once in a while

just has random guppies i caught a while ago haha

has been up for about a month or so


Sent from my iPhone


----------



## benjaminmills

Herbicidal said:


> Nicely done! Very clean too. roud: Of course I'm partial to Discus myself and I see you are just up the road from me.


Hey thanks! I appreciate it. Yeah we're pretty close from one another, which fish stores are your favorite? I like aqua life aquarium in rockin but I haven't gone to any in the Roseville area.


----------



## Herbicidal

benjaminmills said:


> Hey thanks! I appreciate it. Yeah we're pretty close from one another, which fish stores are your favorite? I like aqua life aquarium in rockin but I haven't gone to any in the Roseville area.


So as not to clutter up this thread, I just sent you a pm, but in a nutshell, it would have to be *Jojo's* down in Sac. roud:


----------



## boxhead1990

herbacidal im partial to discus aswel haha









120g 4x2x2
diy sump
diy t5ho with twin 39w 10k bulbs 
2 300watt heaters 

over the next few weeks il be adding alot of low light plants and wouldnt mind trying to get some kind of carpet going

2x checkerboards
a reflection D
a turquoise

will be adding 2 yrllow sunrise next week


Sent from my iPhone


----------



## LetThereBeFish

Here's an update of my lowtech 29g. :biggrin:

*Equipment:* Aqualight Power Compact, Eheim 2213, Aqueon Power Filter, Hydro Theo heater, Hydor Koralia Nano.
*Substrate:* Eco-complete
*Ferts:* Flourish, Flourish K, Flourish Root Tabs, DIY Co2
*Plants:* Crypt Wendtii, Crypt Spiralis, Crypt Blassii, Bocopa Caroliniana, Ludwigia Repens, Hygro Compact, Mayaca, Nesaea, Water Wisteria, Aponogeton Crispus, Italian Val, Creeping Jenny, Ozelot Sword, Fissidens Fontanus, Java Fern, Dwarf Sag, Lotus
*Inhabitants:*Harlequin Raspora, Black Skirt Tetra, Gold Barb, Common Hatchet Fish, Bolivian Ram, Schwartz Cory, BNP, Amano Shrimp, Nerite Snail, MTS


----------



## jsuereth

Here's a shot of my experimental soil 55G. This is where I grow a bunch of different plants in terracotta pots so I can swap different ones in if I get bored.











This tank started when I first wanted to experiment with soil. At that point I had one E. Tennellus in there I had taken some cuttings from my 10G. The E. Tenellus propogated so fast, I quickly had the entire tank full of pots of it. Since then, I've added a bunch more plants, including regular Amazon Sword, Crypts and a Lotus. I'm trying to get the lotus to flower, just to see what it looks like and if I can hide all those stems with another plant. Unfortunately, the Java Fern is *not* doing its job, probably because all those soil-enriched plants are out-competing it for nutrients.

In any case, low-tech + soil = amazing. Will not go back.


----------



## xenxes

Guess I have enough growth now to show & tell. 

Single T5 bulb. Dirt + rocks + sand. Fish for CO2 and poo (fert).


----------



## lauraleellbp

Loving all of these!

Xenxes, that's a PERFECT use for bamboo, I really like that tank a lot. roud:


----------



## LetThereBeFish

WOW Xenxes! Your tank is beautiful. I love how the plants surrounding the tank are incorperated.


----------



## xenxes

TY  

I realized the light I got was too long for the tank (didn't really want to upgrade/replant to a 30g) so just filled in the empty spaces with what I could find. 

The whole thing's sort of a happy accident. Oh yeah, those are panda platies in a lucky bamboo forest, lol.

P.S. epiphytes grow great sitting on top of power filters cartridges.


----------



## doncityz

Here's mine. No CO2, Medium Light (2x11W CFL), Liquid ferts only.










Journal in my sig (12.5G)


----------



## bgallodoro24

Heres mine.. 90 gallon no co2

LIGHTING... 4-T5HO bulbs (2-54w lifeglo and powerglo, 2-24w lifeglo)
EQUIPMENT.... Fluval G6, Aqueon 700 Circ pump, JBJ 300w Heater
SUBSTRATE.... 90lbs black florite
FERTILIZATION... Aquariumplants.com total sub fert (once a month)


----------



## driftwoodhunter

It's so nice to see different uses of plants - I especially love the look of the bamboo stems as columns, and the plants potted in terra cotta pots. For some reason I really like the look of terra cotta pots in an aquarium, cableguy is doing the same thing. maybe it's the ease created for moving plants that outgrow (or undergrow) their placement, and if you get algae you could just pull the pot to treat the plant! 
I'm going to be setting up a 125g tank this summer and I have huge pieces of driftwood for it. Rather than tuck plants in-between in the nooks left by the wood, I am strongly leaning towards potting up my plants so I can move them about as needed.
All of these tanks look great - thanks for posting!


----------



## beetea

Got into this hobby just under a year ago and this forum has been a ton of help. Here's my tank 9-gallon which was started back in September.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loreleyheart/6930491005/in/set-72157626868508125/lightbox/










Plants:

rotala indica
myriophyllum mattogrosense
lilaeopsis brasiliensis
pogostemon helferi
bolbitis (african fern)
java fern
taiwan moss

Fauna:

cherry shrimp 50x+
crystal red shrimp ~15x
chili rasbora (boraras brigittae) 5x
snails. lots of them. heh

No CO2. Small dose of Excel during water changes (~20% roughly every two weeks). Occasionally dose nutrafin african cichlid water conditioner since the water here is pretty soft.


----------



## Algae Beater

here's my 5 gallon (35x22x24cm tall) 

ADA style stand 
aquasoil II 
river rocks 
cactus wood for the shrimp to hide in and plants to grow on. 

Plants:
various crypts, large ones in the middle are C. blassi
dwarf Sag
Hygro polysperma 'sunset'
anubias nana 'petite'
flame moss
echinodorus vesuvius
an un ID's aponogeton that stays VERY small with ovoid floating leaves that are always less than 4x1cm. 
a couple houseplants with wet feet. 


I am currently using a 12 watt (12 x 1 watt cool white emitters) par 38 bulb with 40 degree optics hence the height from the water which is around 16 inches. I'm not happy with the coverage and have ordered 2x flexible bulb sockets and two smaller bulbs with 3 x 3watt emitters and wider angle optics. i want more spread and light for the emergent plants. 

small internal filter set on low with a spraybar attached, and a 25 watt heater.
Fauna
50+ pearl blue shrimps
12 or so low grade CRS 
2 random CBS culls
2 small SAEs that are not doing their job 

a small water changes every 2 weeks or so, no fertilizing, no CO2 and about 9 hours of lighting per day


----------



## Kamivy

Rescaped 11 months ago. Tank is 5 foot, runs 144w of light, no Co2 or fertz, JBL aquabasis capped with gravel as substrate.


----------



## Erica

Kamivy said:


> Rescaped 11 months ago. Tank is 5 foot, runs 144w of light, no Co2 or fertz, JBL aquabasis capped with gravel as substrate.


Wow...that is gorgeous! Do you have a journal for it?


----------



## driftwoodhunter

You beat me to it - I was going to ask about a journal, too!


----------



## Eldachleich

I'm too afraid of high tech.
Here is my 1 gallon shrimp tank.
Substrate - MGOPS capped with CaribSea Tahitian Moon
Lighting - Single LED clip on booklight from Ikea.
Tank - 1 Gallon Marina Cubus
Equipment - DIY sponge filter and Marina 10 watt heater.
Fauna - 5 red cherry shrimp.
Flora - Water Wisteria, Marsilea (not sure what kind), Creeping Jenny, Fissidens, Anubias nana petite, salvinia, frogbit.
Hardscape - Found driftwood and lace rock.

I learned that you really don't need as much as is the norm. Light Co2, fertz. I learned I didnt need most of those with what I was going for.


----------



## Eldachleich

Ignore the little bits of food on the moss lol..


----------



## GMYukonon24s

Nice tanks everyone.


----------



## Kamivy

@ Erica and Driftwoodhunter: There is a partial journal on here but the full story can be found athttp://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showthread.php/22995-Kara-s-Low-Tech-Planted-5-footer-*UPDATED-26-2-2012*


----------



## driftwoodhunter

Thanks for the link - what a fascinating learning experience! I just skimmed it as I have to go out now, but I'll get into the details later.
Thanks again : )


----------



## Steve N

All four of my tanks are no CO2. The top pic is of the oldest and the bottom pic is of the newest. I bought water sprite and no matter where you put this plant it takes over better than hornwort or anything. Having a plant like that to fill in a tank quickly has been great. The last pic is of a 20L I just whipped up a month ago because I finally found locally sold American Flagfish and I've been wanting to watch them.

I've been in the hobby for about 2 1/2 years now. If you've got any advise, I would appreciate it - you could go to my tank profiles and comment there on any of these four tanks as well as learn more about there contents.


----------



## boxhead1990

120 discus tank hehe 

ludwigia
wysteria
unknown big plnts that are doing really well
peice of amazon sword and im not sure what knd of swords they are that are planted around the place
and a crypt of some kind thats doing okay 

lighting 2x39watt t5ho 10k

20% waterchange daily

7 discus of varying types
bristle nose cats and sucker cats( bristle nose keep houng down the overflow into the sump)












Sent from my iPhone


----------



## HypnoticAquatic

mine is a real crappy cell phone pic but this is it, its a 20L built in bookshelf red claw macro tank with a couple endlers/albn and a few different types of flora. it doesnt look like a show tank imo but looks alright , got a few plants in yesterday so the layout of them is off and will be changed but it does the job for now, has about 8 caves (lacerock) blackdiamond substrate with a single 2' t5ho with parabolic reflecter, its only about 2months old so still has a bit befor filled in to my standards lol.


----------



## Sukhoi

This is my 35 gallon hex.

No CO2. Stock light with GE aquarium bulb. HOB filter. 200watt heater. Plain old gravel. I put in root tabs every few months for the lotus. Weekly water changes (15-20%) with one large water change a month (25-35%). 

I have twaian/christmas moss everywhere. Java fern covers the piece of driftwood almost completely. Also have several red lotus plants.

I have 17 neon tetras. 4 diamond tetra fry. 4 otos. 2 bristlenose plecos. 2 bolivian rams. 1 betta in my tank. Maybe little too much, but never had a problem. 

Sorry for crappy pictures.


----------



## Mr.Desert_scape

Wow all these tanks look awesome! I'l probably post mine in a few weeks once it's had a chance to grow in a little. Got bored with the plain old aquarium and all these pictures got me excited about it again so i finially started planting last week. look forward to seeing more great tanks!:icon_smil


----------



## daisy7896

This is one of the coolest tanks I've ever seen!


----------



## thefisherman

Fluval Flora
1X 24W CFL 6500k
no waterchanges, just top offs
3 fish total
crypts, stargrass and a lily

sorry for the crappy pics but apparently i've reached my file size quota for the time being... 


























- thefisherman


----------



## chicken

OK, I'll be brave and post pics of a couple of my low tech tanks. Here's my 30 gallon and 20 long.

The 30 gallon is lighted by a twin tube fluorescent fixture, 2 X 17 watts. Filtered by two Aquaclear 50s. Substrate is 3M Colorquartz. I'm growing hornwort, needle leaf java fern, Anubias barteri var. nana, Anubias barteri var. nan 'eyes', Anubias 'coffeefolia', bolbitis, and Ludwigia repens. The fish are Xenotoca eiseni ("red tailed goodeids"). I do 30-50% water changes weekly, and dose with Flourish occasionally. 

The 20 gallon has the stock lighting and is filtered with an Aquaclear 20 and a sponge filter. 3M Colorquartz substrate, hornwort, Anubias barteri var. nana 'eyes', and needle leaf java fern. The fish are Xenoophorus captivus ("green goodeids"). I do 30-50% water changes weekly, and no dosing at all.


----------



## Aether.ed

90 Gallon Extreme low light/tech African tank.


















38w hagen aquaglo t8 flourescent tube
24w interpet blue moon t8 for night time viewing
700w heat to 24degC
2 x Filters fluval u4 internal and fluval 404 external.
Sand substrate
No ferts, just the occasional dose of blackwater extract to darken the water abit!

Plants: Java fern, Anubias, Vallis.
Any light loving plants just wont survive.

Inhabitants: All african riverine species.

6 x synodontis eupterus (featherfin Catfish)
19 x Congo tetra
2 x upsidedown catfish
1 x Elephant nose
1 x african brown knife 
2 x adult krib pair + many offspring 

Loads more pics in my profile albums if you want to see more!

Hope you like 

Ed


----------



## extrame

here's my low tech tank, hope you guys like it


----------



## chiefroastbeef

extrame said:


> here's my low tech tank, hope you guys like it


I love that background forest of Vals!


----------



## low_techy

*Juwel Rio 240L; non-carbon enriched stock lighting*

Juwel Rio 240L; non-carbon enriched; stock lighting (2x54w without reflectors). Occasional dosing of liquid fertilizer, only up and running for a couple of weeks thus far. The plants are generally low light tolerant and not obligate CO2 supplement species.

Link to my journal below:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals/167798-juwel-rio-240-non-carbon-enriched.html

Keep up the good work low techies :biggrin:


----------



## MitchD

My sig is a link to my tanks progress journal! I'm on my phone so it's the only way!


----------



## doncityz

extrame said:


> here's my low tech tank, hope you guys like it


Wow, your betta does not harass the neons?? 
And very nice tank!


----------



## RWaters

Aether.ed said:


> 90 Gallon Extreme low light/tech African tank.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 38w hagen aquaglo t8 flourescent tube
> 24w interpet blue moon t8 for night time viewing
> 700w heat to 24degC
> 2 x Filters fluval u4 internal and fluval 404 external.
> Sand substrate
> No ferts, just the occasional dose of blackwater extract to darken the water abit!
> 
> Plants: Java fern, Anubias, Vallis.
> Any light loving plants just wont survive.
> 
> Inhabitants: All african riverine species.
> 
> 6 x synodontis eupterus (featherfin Catfish)
> 19 x Congo tetra
> 2 x upsidedown catfish
> 1 x Elephant nose
> 1 x african brown knife
> 2 x adult krib pair + many offspring
> 
> Loads more pics in my profile albums if you want to see more!
> 
> Hope you like
> 
> Ed


I absolutely love this tank! I've always dreamed of doing something similar. Kribs and Congo Tetras are two are my favorite fish.


----------



## extrame

@Chiefroastbeef
Thanks for the comment! 
its super thick now, i don't like to trim it cause i might disturb the balance of the tank and breeding habits of the shrimps in my tank.

@doncityz
nope, it's the other way around haha they are the ones harassing the betta.


----------



## xCitol

doncityz said:


> Wow, your betta does not harass the neons??
> And very nice tank!


I house the two together in my tank and the tetras Harass the betta:hihi:


----------



## astrosag

Going on 1 year - a lot of browsing TPT for 1.5 years and thanks to everyone who helped.

Low tech, 20G half-moon, heavily stocked, little maintenance (dose 1x a week iron to get red wendtti to show red, comprehensive, root tabs once every few months).

Water changes used to be once per week @ 50%, now I've limited it to 50% once every two weeks and even once a month sometimes. Everything has been stable for a long time.


----------



## zoragen

Latest of my 20 gal L w/ threadfins, dwarf neon rainbows, oto & zebra snail. Crypts, anubis, java ferns, wisteria and a sword. 

Light is a single T8, I dose seachem ferts & fert tabs. Substrate is flourite + carib something & misc little rocks I've collected. Filter is Eheim 2232



















The oto when he was in quarantine


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## MitchD

This is my 85gallon Osaka, stock lights, fx5 for pollishing and circulation, no ferts, miracle grow substrate.


----------



## driftwoodhunter

I love those larger tumbled rocks you used - I like to see a variety of gravel/rock sizes, I think it looks more natural.


----------



## MitchD

Thanks! I like it too, I always mix a few different shades and sizes of gravel for just that reason. I like it to look natural not so artificial.


----------



## cromwelin

Laura very nice tank.
If Plecos eat waltz, I think it may be too hungry or waltz time has been or will melt. vals dissolved in acid water. What Parmeters your tank?
__________________
I currently have the Red Crystal, Black Crystal, Golden / White Bee, Blue Bee, Fire Red, Dark Green, Green Babaulti, Snowball, Red Fire Shrimp sales unknown. PM me for details. :bounce:


----------



## iRun

*My lates creation*

Hi!
Here is the result of a years worth of scrimping, saving, stock piling, researching, forum lurking, and general planning.

I got tons of great advice here and disregarded almost all of it...I kid, I kid.

Its a 36"x12"x12" from glass cages *gasp*
2x 45cm 4 watt Archaea LED's from Adana
Fluval 205 canister. Wanted an Eheim but the fluval was 50% off at Petco

My philosophy was a very easy, low maintenance tank. 
At the same time, I took some liberties to experiment to see what works and what doesn't. As such, she is a work in progress.

Enjoy and Cheers!


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## NanoPlanted101

xenxes said:


> Guess I have enough growth now to show & tell.
> 
> Single T5 bulb. Dirt + rocks + sand. Fish for CO2 and poo (fert).


:eek5: WOW! Amazing tank, how did you get the bamboo to grow? Mine just grows a couple of roots and turns yellow at the top.


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## NanoPlanted101

zergling said:


> Update on my MrAqua 12" cube, which is now a CRS tank. It is quickly becoming my favorite - low-light-low-maintenance is a nice contrast to my high-light 120-P.


 Very nice tank and scape! I really dig the foreground, may I ask a couple of questions on that lighting system?
What light is it?
How much money was it?
Do you have any specs on it? 
Thanks!


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## Marconis

Here's mine (55g), before my plants started yellowing. Just started dosing Cidex @ ~1.5% Glut and around 6ml of KNO3 every few days or so. MGOCPM underlayer with Quickrete sand cap. 1x54W T5-HO, no CO2, 9hr/d photoperiod.


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## Bl00dworm

Inspired by this forum and post in particular, here's a pic of my first dirted aquarium. A 90 gallon that's been up and running for just on 5 weeks. Please check out my blog for a tank journal and I'd appreciate any comments/advice.


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## rollinghills

My 15 gallon with 2x 9-10W CFL, HOB and nothing else. Substrate is pool filter sand. Looks kind of messy but it's for the fish's benefit. :tongue:


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## brianyu

hi all 
here is my 65 gal planted & single discus


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## AndreiR

*10 gal just planted*

Hello everybody!
So many Beautiful tanks!!!

Here is my modest contribution -- 10 gal. Just planted three hours ago. 

I don't really know all the plants' names except for: 
Amazon Swords, Telantheras and Bronze Wenditii.
Fish: 2 Neons, 1 White Cloud, 1 Gold Mystery Snail.
Aqueon 10 filter (charcoal removed),
19w fluorescent light.
New gravel on top of the old gravel with lots of sediment etc.
Two tablets plant food.


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## low_techy

*Juwel rio 240; non-carbon enriched*

Stock lights, occasional dose of plant fertilizer (micro's and macro's, no carbon source) ~9HR photoperiod. No water changes as of yet (~3 months in). Have had great success thus far


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## bloo

I guess I should add my tank to this thread too! This is my 265g low tech.


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## xenxes

Don't know if this counts, doesn't get anymore low tech than this, no electricity, mud+water+plants:


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## DerekFF

xenxes said:


> Don't know if this counts, doesn't get anymore low tech than this, no electricity, mud+water+plants:


This post needs to be disqualified. The cat makes it high tech!!!!! 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


----------



## lauraleellbp

Just a bump and reminder that it can be really helpful for others coming along if everyone also posts all their tank specs! Size, equipment (especially lighting), substrate, photoperiod, etc! :fish:


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## driftwoodhunter

Thanks, excellent point. It's easy to forget to add these details, but they are important!


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## Rhaethe

Figure my 40g is pretty low tech. No ferts except excel when I remember and the initial osmocote caps.

40 gallon - 36x16x18
Two AquaClear 70
24 inch Coralife HO T5 fixture (yes, 24 inch and not 36)
Caribsea VooDoo River substrate
zebra rocks
manzanita

Wisteria
Hygro siamensis
Giant anubias
Pygmy Chain Sword
Tiger lotus

Fauna within the tank are:

15 Rasbora axelrodi blue
12 African banded barb
5 Cherry barb
6 Rummynose tetra (bleheri version)
4 Ember tetra
2 Parotinculous jumbo (pitbull plec)
5 Cory hasbrosus
3-5 Amano shrimp (jumbo)
1 Nerite snail
1 Betta smargardina (male)
1 Honey Gourami (colisa chuna) (female)


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## Itwasntme

Thats really nice Rhaethe, good work and congrats! That piece of wood is also awsome. What tube(s) you are having? The light is very good I think, makes the tank a bit mysterious. 

Really good to see how nice low-ligts/techs people have. It gives me hope I will succeed with own ones. Thank you all for putting pics shown.


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## Bl00dworm

Inspiring thread. Here's an updated week 8 pic of my low-tech. Vitals as follows:

*Tank*: 48 x 18 x 24 (90 gallon)
*Lighting*: 2 x 54W T5HO, 7 hour photoperiod with a break
*Substrate*: Mineralised organic topsoil capped with pool filter sand
*CO2*: None
*Ferts*: None, but recently added some DIY osmocote root tabs
*Filtration*: Eheim 2215 x 2
*Livestock*: Pearl gouramis, platies, neons, peppered cory's, siamese algae eaters, otos
*Foreground*: Chain sword, micro sword, crypts
*Midground*: Java fern, amazon sword, bacopa, anubia,
*Background*: Corkscrew val, water sprite, hygro. polysperma, ambulia?
*Chemistry*: 7.4 (pH), 0 (NH3/NH4), 0 ppm (NO2), 5-10 ppm (NO3), 4 (KH), 4 (GH)


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## ilovelucy

Mine:

75 gal gravel-capped MGOPS. 2 HO T5s suspended about 5-6 inches above the top. Photo period is roughly 10 hrs/day. No ferts, no co2. Filtration is just a little powerhead with a sponge filter.

I have many plants in here... click on the tank in my signature if you want to see the development or other specifics.


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## Rhaethe

Itwasntme said:


> Thats really nice Rhaethe, good work and congrats! That piece of wood is also awsome. What tube(s) you are having? The light is very good I think, makes the tank a bit mysterious.
> 
> Really good to see how nice low-ligts/techs people have. It gives me hope I will succeed with own ones. Thank you all for putting pics shown.


Thank you  The wood is actually three different pieces assembled to look (hopefully) like roots from a fallen tree or somesuch.

By tubes I guess you mean what light bulbs? They are 2 T5 HO bulbs ... 14W each, one at 6700k the other one of those pinkish colormax. The default cheap Coralife fixture/bulbs.


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## bpb

*Updated 10 gal*

Here's an updated pic of my 10 gallon. Specs:

2x15 watt spiral cfl bulbs 6500k
locally dug mineralized topsoil capped with inert black gravel
Penguin 100 HOB
no heater

plants:
Hygrophila corymbosa 
Hygrophila difformis
Ludwigia repens
Blyxa japonica
Cryptocoryne wendtii 
Cabomba caroliniana

livestock:
cobra endlers
malaysian trumpet snails
ghost shrimp

No ferts, No CO2, weekly 25% water change
Photoperiod is 4 hrs on, 4 hrs off, 8 hrs on, 8 hrs off. Mainly for viewing purposes when I'm home, but it seems to have helped keep algae at bay.

Pretty easy tank all in all. I trim the stems once every few weeks.


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## hakishimiei

my 10 gallon crystal red shrimp tank


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## nicholz

*29 gallon Bolivian ram walstad tank*

Hi 

Here's my newest tank - Inspired by this thread- found full 29 gallon setup with tank heater lights and filter all for $25 on an inventory blowout sale at pet supplies plus! 

20 watt light (probably need more- thoughts?)
1-2" Organic potting soil 
1-2" black sand 
Magnum HOT canister filter
3 crypts 
Bacopa 
Java moss and fern
Hornwort 
Dwarf hairgrass 
Hygrophila kompact 
Cardinal plant
Telanthera cardinalis 

Bolivian rams
Neon tetras
Zebra danios
Flagfish 
Ghost cherry and bamboo shrimp
Mystery snail


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## nicholz

*...and while im at it here are my other planted tanks*

90 gallon african cichlid tank with holy bricks
55 gallon angelfish tank
55 riparium without heater or lighting


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## Greg Stephens

extrame said:


> here's my low tech tank, hope you guys like it


 

Love it, I am waiting for a plant order to do a similar scape.

I'll post some pics once I get it done.


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## oldpunk78

I guess I'll add my latest low tech.

Tank:
20g Long
Rena XP3
2x24w t5
New multi-type Aquasoil 
8Hrs light
Tropica Plant Nutrition+ once a week
generic excel daily (until I get some bba k knocked back)
4g a week water change

Plants:
Narrow Java Fern
Java Fern 'Red'
C. Wendti 'Red'
Nana 'Petite'
Singapore moss

Fish:
Rasboras
Couple Cherry Barbs










...needs a foreground


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## extrame

this is the tank i have in my office 


















having a hard time with stem plants.. how do i keep leaves from falling off?
thanks for viewing 









this is my pet monster and his best friend hehe just wanted to share


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## kross

This is my first ever planted tank. Please forgive my newbieness. 

Plants:
Micro sword (Lilaeopsis mauritiana)
Ludwigia repens
Sunset hygrophila
Red crypt
Amazon sword
Anubias
Wisteria
Marimo moss balls
Java moss
Java fern

Substrate: aquariumplants.com's substrate (rebranded Turface?)
Ferts: KH2PO4, Seachem Equilibrium, and some Osmocote under the substrate
Lighting: Dual T5HO, with PAR readings of 25-30 at the substrate
No CO2 or Excel.

-- Kevin


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## polypterus491

CL said:


> None of these had co2 or regular water changes or ferts.
> 
> A little cloudy in this pic because I just cleaned the glass. ADA 30C Aquasoil, 27W light 12 inches above tank. No water changes or ferts, only top-offs. Snowball shrimp
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ADA mini m. River sand. No ferts or water changes. 27W 16 inches above tank
> 
> 
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> 
> 55 gallon. no water changes, a few misc. fish. inert gravel at first, later eco complete mixed in.
> 
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> 
> 2.5 gallons. 20 watss of light. AS powder. HC. No co2, only occasional excel
> 
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> 
> ADA 30C 27 watts, inert black sand substrate
> 
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> 
> One of my first real low tech tanks, diy rimless 10 gallon, inert black sand, 20 watts cfl. Had a bunch of cherries in it.


incredible.

you have set the bar pretty high for low tech/low maintenance tanks. 

I'm amazed at the tanks I see on here


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## PaulG

extrame said:


> this is the tank i have in my office
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> having a hard time with stem plants.. how do i keep leaves from falling off?
> thanks for viewing


This is a great tank! Are you sure the rainbows aren't eating the stems?


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## extrame

PaulG, thanks for the comment. 
i don't think so.. i trimmed off a lot of the valis so that the light could reach deeper into the tank and i think the stems are getting better.


----------



## Itwasntme

Not sure if these are true low-techs, but...

First pic: 125g, lightning T8 2x36w+2x30w, ferz: K2SO4, Plantex and some ekstra iron, Excel, filtration HMF and 2xinner filter. This was mid-tec with T5s, pressurized Co2 and full EI just two months ago. Then I rescaped all plants away (just driftwood), but no, it didnt work, I cant live without plants! Some mid-ground plants are still missing, Im looking for something interesting. 

2nd pic: my 14-year sons 75g, lightning 2x36w+1x30w, ferz and filtration as above but 1xinnerfilter. The pic is a bit old, plants has grown since that. Im very happy with both tanks, they are really easy to care and no algea. Both tanks has a sand (pool sand? playground?) substrate, just swords and crypts has root tabs, this has worked well for years.


----------



## extrame

my latest npt tank


----------



## leeteekyung

extrame : wow!!!, your office tank is so lovely, i will make a setting like it sometime.
This is my low tech tank, i hope u guys give me suggestions about the scape to make it looks better.
Spec:
80x40x40cm, 1x14watt lighting, no co2, substrate black scoria, liquid fertilizer only.
Thanks.


----------



## DrGonzo

Itwasntme said:


> Not sure if these are true low-techs, but...
> 
> First pic: 125g, lightning T8 2x36w+2x30w, ferz: K2SO4, Plantex and some ekstra iron, Excel, filtration HMF and 2xinner filter. This was mid-tec with T5s, pressurized Co2 and full EI just two months ago. Then I rescaped all plants away (just driftwood), but no, it didnt work, I cant live without plants! Some mid-ground plants are still missing, Im looking for something interesting.
> 
> 2nd pic: my 14-year sons 75g, lightning 2x36w+1x30w, ferz and filtration as above but 1xinnerfilter. The pic is a bit old, plants has grown since that. Im very happy with both tanks, they are really easy to care and no algea. Both tanks has a sand (pool sand? playground?) substrate, just swords and crypts has root tabs, this has worked well for years.


Is that hydrocotyle on the left in the second pic?


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## kostur

Hi everyone. I saw many beautiful tanks here and although i am new to the hobby, i want to show you my 200 litres low tech aquarium and how i changed it in time.

11 October 2011.
My first steps in the hobby :icon_smil










Changed it to this :





























Here i made sometning like black water aquarium. 




















And this is how it looks like now :










Tank size: 100x40x50 200l
Lighting: 2x39W T5 (Sylvania Grolux, Philps Master 840)
Filtration: Sera fil Bioactive 400+UV + Internal filter Sera fil 120
Substrate: River sand


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## Chaos_Being

It's been a while since I've looked at this thread, amazing tanks all!

My low tech tank turned two today


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## chantellenolan1

Chaos_Being said:


> It's been a while since I've looked at this thread, amazing tanks all!
> 
> My low tech tank turned two today


Beautiful!


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## cecile1

Here's my little 2.5 experiment!

1 HM Betta
Jennywort
sword
anubias 
banana plant
water lettuce

Root Tabs, liquid fert when needed, water changes 2x weekly and 1 14 watt lightbulb! I guess I am eventually going for the overgrown riverbed look, if I can find some small driftwood!


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## nicholz

Update


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## nicholz

Here is my newest no-tech setup - crypts, glosso, anubias and a betta in a miraclegro organic potting mix capped with play sand and Flora Max mix. No heat, natural south light and plant filter.


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## Karackle

I haven't checked out this thread in a while, but there are some GORGEOUS low tech tanks happening here, well done everyone! 

My tanks all need some SERIOUS TLC, grad school has been keeping me busy, but I've got a little time now that it's summer, so I'll get some new pics up as soon as I whip the tanks back into shape roud:


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## polypterus491

Here's my low tech 40b
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## nicholz

So I dirted my 55 gallon window riparium and my 90 gallon African cichlid tank yesterday. Took a combined 10 hours or so but well worth it.


----------



## nicholz

more...


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## nicholz

A bit of video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BrS4KpBAG4&feature=youtube_gdata_player


----------



## green_valley

Here come my low tech 140 Gallon:

Specs:
W: 183 x D: 46 x H: 64 (cm)
Plants: Anubias Barteri (broad leaf), Anubias Congensis, 
Anubias Nana (petite),Anubias barteri var. 'coffeefolia', 
Crypt Wendtii
Fish:Rummy Noses, corydoras Panda, corydoras Albino, 
corydoras, Leopard, siamensis algae eaters, siamensis 
Flying Fox, Albino Pleco bristlenose
Substrate: ADA AquaSoil, Miracle Grow capped with 
EcoComplete
Light: Worklight T8 x2 (48 inches)










and a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVeJEGrt70c


----------



## THE V

Been a lurker here for a while. I used to have goldfish in my 125g tank but the seam busted and I lost my fish. I tried to reseal it but the glass was brittle and I called it quits. 

For Christmas this past year I picked up a new tank and put it on my old stand. I decided to go low tech planted this time as losing my 8-10 year old goldfish was hard.

Anyways here's the stats

125 gallon tank
Filters - C-360 and a chinese knockoff with a UV sterilizer in it that seems to be working.
Substrate: builders sand based capped with pea gravel.
Light: 10 23W CFL that I rigged up attached directly to the hood.
Ferts: Daily of a reduced N, high P, K and Fe mix that I mixed up. Also have to add in some CaSO4 for the snails. 

*Plants: *

Crypts - Several species I'm not all sure of. wendtii is the only one I'm pretty sure are in the front.
Echinoduras spp bleheri, amazonicus, parviflorus, & ocelot.
Vals - i.e. the weeds along the back. I bought 5 plants in February. I plan on filling in the entire back with them eventually.


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## dannylill1981

Hi guys my names Danny and I'm a mature student at hull university studying marine biology. I've kept fish for years and had many tanks but never a planted tank until now. Its a 40gal aqua one horizon 182. It has a aquamanta 200 filter and usual standard heater. The light bar has a standard aquarium daylight tube in it and is a t8. The substrate is tetra plant complete with pea gravel on top, in it at present is Valis (both normal and large variants), some mixed hygrophila, some Java Fern on some bogwood, a Nymphaea Tiger Lotus Red also some christmas moss.I'm not dosing with ferts yet but am using cheap and cheerful Co2. Im not sure what type of wood i have in there but it was from my local fish shop. 

The current stock in this tank is 20 Amano shrimp, 3 young yoyo loach to sort out the snail population. (im aware they like shrimp but at present the shrimp are much larger than the yoyos and im monitoring them any signs of them being eaten and i will remove the yoyos) 1 very small black neon, this is left from a group of 10 i had, which i sadly lost for no apparent reason, this little one appeared out of nowhere. i also have 2 Ottos and a Butterfly Plec in there

Am planning on putting a pair of angels in here and a shoal of cardinals (eventually)





































not a patch on some of the tanks here but my little piece of heaven....


----------



## malady

little to no maintenance 10g i set up for fun


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## auban

my tank i set up on a real budget. i paid for very little...
i got the tank and stand for some saltwater fish and shrimp i collected in florida, the magnum 350 filter was broken and bought cheap(fixed it), the lights are all shop lights that i picked up cheap from various places. bulbs came from walmart.
substrate is sand from Lowes. no water changes, only top offs. 
CO2 by yeast reactor, diffused untill it completely dissolves. the lights were ran 24/7.
ferts were adminstered through balls of clay that had been baked, soaked in fertilizer, then shoved beneath the substrate. it was also heavily stocked with fish.

typical maintainance for this tank was top offs and weekly filter rinses.

i cant even remember what all plants i have and fish i have since i trade them out so often. i especially love trading out the banana plants since my LFS cant seem to grow them. i bought one a while ago, and every time i bring one back, they trade me two smaller ones plus another plant of my choice. win win!


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## steven p

Show and tell? maybe just one....









65 gallons, lots of ludwigia repens, a momma amazon and radican sword, some wisteria and moss here and there.. also in the jungle is a random crypt, some aponogetons, marimo (lumps) balls, i've tossed in some dwarf sag recently, ripped up some liaeopsis for a dry start... i mean mud puddle... and hacked up that two foot tall behemoth of a water sprite...
fauna is... a dragon goby, striped rapael(best friends with the dragon, i swear) over 20 corys, probly more like 30, bronze, peppered, julii and aeneus i think... about 2 dozen cobra guppy males, a few black mollies, courtesy a friend, 1 calico bristlenose(medusa?) 4 albino dwarf bristlenose cats, random single gold barb, came with the julii cats, a white cloud mm, a golden white cloud mm, butterfly danio, betta splendens(male) about 10 neon tetras, an albino rainbow shark, cherry and ghost shrimps, and last but not least are the malaysian trumpet snails (overstocked?) 

lighting is two 4 ft tubes hanging from the ceiling, one 40w 6500k t12 ODNO, one 32w t8 5500k full spectrum ODNO and one 36 ??w inch full spectrum perfecto strip front and center. filtration is Aqua-Top CF-400UV, one 75 gph tetra pond pump back left facing forward for flow.


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## leeteekyung

hi all, i want to post my new low tech setting to get some oppinions, critics and suggestions. my equipments are 1x14watts TL5, hanging filter and liquid ferltz. any comments and inputs will be appreciated, thanks.


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## pejerrey

Rimless 6gal, maybe not a "low budget" but a "low tech" in my books.

No ferts besides a couple of pps pro drops once in a while, no water changes unless I clean a filter. No co2.

I bought it used.

Has a cheap planted HOB cascade 200 and an old eheim 2213 running a DIY UGF with akadama drl soil.

Mosses, Anubias, rotalas, some other stems and blyxa.

Yamaya rocks.

Acharea light, 24w I think.

Yellow neos.


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## caoder

Well here's the 2 low tech tanks of my own both backyard soil w/ cap 


Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

both with some flourish comprehensive once a week and cfls.


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## BuyAllTheBettas!

chiefroastbeef said:


> Here is my tank, I've been in the hobby for 1.5 years, learned everything on the Planted Tank!
> 
> I am fortunate to live in Hong Kong, within walking distance to the famous fish street. So I get my plants and fish at very cheap prices (compared to the US). Countless plants have died in the tank, and these are the ones that survived to tell the story. I basically plant, pray, and take out the dead plants.
> 
> I do not dose Excel or use CO2. Just some liquid ferts I bought at the fish street.
> 
> I recently switched to a LED light fixture built by a diyer here in HK, the lights are a bit brighter than my old florescent fixture, just I am dealing with a tiny bit of thread/fuzzy algae on the moss.


:drool: I covet your tank. It looks so...effortless!


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## microw

I like this thread. Lots of goodies in here. : )


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## Bl00dworm

Here's a day 122 update on my 90 gallon low tech.


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## BruceF

Retro
15g Metaframe
Cfl Clip Light
Eheim Aquabal l internal
Small rio pump
Sand and dirt
Driftwood.

Anubius barteri ‘coffeefolia”
Bacopa sp “Japan”
Cryptocoryne spiralis
Rotala sp H’ra 
Alternanthera Reineckii
Java moss
Dwarf Sag
Algae. 
Pair of Albino Guppies. 




Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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## driftwoodhunter

so many beautiful tanks! Every time I look in on this thread, it makes me want to tinker with my tanks - mine just don't measure up!


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## larcat

Your low tech tanks are simply beautiful, especially the cube, which IMHO is difficult to scape well.




CL said:


> None of these had co2 or regular water changes or ferts.
> 
> A little cloudy in this pic because I just cleaned the glass. ADA 30C Aquasoil, 27W light 12 inches above tank. No water changes or ferts, only top-offs. Snowball shrimp
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ADA mini m. River sand. No ferts or water changes. 27W 16 inches above tank
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 55 gallon. no water changes, a few misc. fish. inert gravel at first, later eco complete mixed in.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 2.5 gallons. 20 watss of light. AS powder. HC. No co2, only occasional excel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ADA 30C 27 watts, inert black sand substrate
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> One of my first real low tech tanks, diy rimless 10 gallon, inert black sand, 20 watts cfl. Had a bunch of cherries in it.


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## Hilde

extrame said:


> here's my low tech tank, hope you guys like it


Love it. Do you have a thread on it? What are the plants?


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## Drocnoc




----------



## bpb

Drocnoc said:


>


Tank looks amazing, but why not move the thermometer to the back corner instead of the front? It's very...loud, visually, in it's current residence up front. Plants and scape look awesome though.


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## leeteekyung

this the the update of my low tech tank
the mosses go wild, im happy with the growth


----------



## Hilde

leeteekyung said:


> this the the update of my low tech tank the mosses go wild


Lovely!! How about some more info - tanks size, light, plants.


----------



## The Big Buddha

Here is my first go at a 10G planted








A few months later... Welcome to the jungle Baby !









10G With stock hood 13W 6500k CFL and PC fan mod on a controller because temps were getting high.
Subtrate: Black sand
C02: DIY
Filter: DIY internal on right hand wall. Plus a small fluval which has since been removed on left wall.


----------



## leeteekyung

Hilde said:


> Lovely!! How about some more info - tanks size, light, plants.


hi hilde, its a pleasure for me to share info
tank size 80x40x40cm
light 1x14watt TL 5 about 6 hour/day
plants are java moss, peacock moss, a bit of flame moss, windelov, pelia, cryptocoryn wenditi, narrow leaf java fern.
no co2, temperature is about 25-28degree celcius, my tank is in air conditioned room.


----------



## gabysapha

First time posting pictures of my display tanks, uh oh! 

I just completed this one yesterday.
20g high
Aquaclear 30
Regular old stock light with the hood that came with the tank.

Longfin white clouds courtesy of msjinksd!
A few Heterandria formosa
One teacup platy juvenile
A few cherry shrimps.
5 julii cories
1 juvenile BNP

Rocks from the local stream
Play sand/gravel

Willow moss
Subwassertang
Giant duckweed courtesy of brainwavepc.com (user on this forum).





The chaotic 29g community
Whisper 50
Heater
Stock light that came with the tank/hood combo. VERY low light.

-Malaysian driftwood from Bobs Tropical Plants
-Various layers of whatever I had lying around: play sand/gravel/peat on the bottom, eco-complete on top with some mixed in gravel 
- fertilized very lightly and randomly with Seachem Flourish

- Jungle val
-various crypts (lots of wendtii in there)
- dwarf sag
- some baby java ferns
- some java moss
- various anubias

Livestock: leftovers from other tanks- pearl gourami, 10 harlequin rasboras, 2 neons (would like more!), 2 black neons, bolivian ram


----------



## driftwoodhunter

gabysapha said:


> First time posting pictures of my display tanks, uh oh!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I LOVE the rock work in this tank!


----------



## gabysapha

> I LOVE the rock work in this tank!


Thank you so much for the compliment, it made me blush.
I really lucked out with the beautiful rocks at my local stream. 

For the first time ever, the rocks almost put themselves together. It was the most exciting and also the most soothing hardscape I have ever done. It's my favorite tank.


----------



## wacky

Beautiful Tanks and Soft Scapes!!! I really enjoyed looking at all of them!!!


----------



## Islandx

Just a pile of plants - besides wood work, no real scape yet


----------



## moonshinetheslacker

My 75 gallon. Been set up for about a year now. I didn't like all the trimming of vines, especially since I built my stand way tall. I need a step ladder to do most tank work. Now, because I leave the lights on so my angels don't eat the other angels eggs, and have no vines, I'm getting some serious algae growth. 

Lighting is "waterproof" (not very) led flood lights ordered from china 80 watts total, but I have them set up on three light switches. Two ten watts, two tem watts, and two twenty watt floods. I usually have 40 watts on during the day, and ten at night. Keep in mind that due to the fact that these are LEDs the "wpg" suggestions mean absolutely nothing. These have been a lot of trial and error. If all lights were on, I would NEED more ferts, plenty of vines, and co2

Substrate is... A bit weird. I mineralized some topsoil through the baking method, some through boiling. Some of it didn't get to proper temps for mineralization, so some of it is just regular topsoil. It's capped with play sand. I also couldn't get proper clay, dolomite, or muriate of potash without ordering WAY too much online. I used steel wool for the iron. I used tums capsules for the calcium, and nosalt as well as banana peels for potassium. Keep in mind the organic matter is still decomposing (banana peels) and I should have removed the protective coating of the steel wool by soaking in vinegar over night. It was with the help of plantbrain, and my wife the biochemist who helped me find a way to make mineralized topsoil in a day, rather than over the period of weeks. It also made the oven, and rest of the house smell like swamp for about 12 - 24 hours. 

Filter is a magnaflow canister filter. I had some problems with algae for a little while, so I increased the flow with a power head. The top of the water got a bit scummy, so I also added a bubbler tube next to the magnaflow intake to improve surface agitation. Because of the LEDs it also made the tank shimmer. Which is awesome!

Plants... Some crypt parva which has gotten far bigger than I've ever seen parva, so I think it was mis-labeled. Two types of grass, one of which gets as tall as the tank, some of which stays at about 4 inches. A red tiger lotus which has split into 5 different plants, some jungle Val, some anubias petite, some java fern, and some crypt wendtii. 

Fauna, 3 angels who won't stop breeding, three bushy nose plecos, but I hardly ever see the males, 20 Kuhli loaches, 3 clown loaches, 10 bloodfin tetras, and an unknown number of ghost shrimp.

Without further ado;

















Let me know your thoughts!


----------



## Cobfreak

My first thought is that the stand is awesome. Are you a woodworker by trade? I really like the style of it.

2nd thought: do you keep the jungle val trimmed really low or something? My jungle val always gets very tall, I don't see anything that tall in your tank.

Looks very cool.


----------



## kuro

Before: 


After: two month later. 


Tank size: 5.5 gallon
Lighting: This tank is sitting on my window shelf to get 100% natural direct sunlight w/ 9w CPF 10-11 hrs a day
Substrate: 2 inch kitty litter and 0.5 inch aquasoil
Fertilizer: only Excel about 0.8ml twice a week 
livestock: 9 Chilli Rasboras and over 40 PFR adults and ton of baby everywhere. 
I feed the fish very heavy 2-3x a day of decapsulated bbs and grindal worm.
Water change: umm from 20%-50% of RO/DI water that get remineralize w/ Calcium sulfate and magnesium sulfate w/ alittle seachem equlibrium.


----------



## orchidman

Here is my most recent Low tech tank!


DSC_0009.jpg by orchidman10, on Flickr


----------



## PinoyBoy

BruceF said:


>


Not sure if I see a very long rhizome or it's because it's 4:30 in the morning. Either way, beautiful tank.


----------



## BruceF

Thanks. I did recently break it into two pieces. It is about 18 inches. 








By brucef at 2012-08-13


----------



## BBradbury

*Low Tech Planted Terraphyte Tank*

OK...

Here goes. Don't believe you can have a lower tech, lower maintenance tank and if you can, then good for you. This is a 45 G tall, using land plants to keep the tank water clean. Just emerse the plant rootball in the tank water and aerate the roots. The roots take in all forms of nitrogen from the fish waste and keep the water pure. Plants need only ambient light about 12 hours per day and a little water added to the tank a couple of times per week.

Water changes are small, about 3 to 4 gallons per week, so you can service the HOB filtration.

The fish maintain a steady flow of nutrients to the plants and the plants return pure water to the fish.

B


----------



## moonshinetheslacker

Cobfreak, the jungle Val goes to the top of the tank, but it's somewhat sparse, and in the rear. I do wood working as a hobby. The stand is certainly my best project so far. You can see the build thread in my signature. I'm pretty proud of it. The whole planted tank experience is pretty awesome. I never would have gotten into it if I hadn't found this forum.


----------



## xjasminex

Heres my fifty five gallon planted goldfish tank..
Substrate is miracle grow organic potting soil capped with lots of pool filter sand.

Lighting is a deep blue 48in NO fixture with two 10000k bulbs (one just died and replaced with a 6700k bulb)

Filtration is an aquatop cf-500uv, along with a tetra whisper ex 70 being used as an aquaponics type station.

Plants from left to right...jungle vals in the back, crypt balansae in the front, anubias attached to the drift wood, hornwort, many kinda of crypts and then there are amazon swords in the back right surrounded by the crypts.

Fauna in here are two large fancy goldfish, two albino cories and about three nerite snails, a huge ramshorn and lots of mts.


----------



## xjasminex

Forgot to mention , i try to do water changed every week, and i add ferts when i do a water change.... =]


----------



## PaulG

BBradbury said:


> OK...
> 
> Here goes. Don't believe you can have a lower tech, lower maintenance tank and if you can, then good for you. This is a 45 G tall, using land plants to keep the tank water clean. Just emerse the plant rootball in the tank water and aerate the roots. The roots take in all forms of nitrogen from the fish waste and keep the water pure. Plants need only ambient light about 12 hours per day and a little water added to the tank a couple of times per week.
> 
> Water changes are small, about 3 to 4 gallons per week, so you can service the HOB filtration.
> 
> The fish maintain a steady flow of nutrients to the plants and the plants return pure water to the fish.
> 
> B


Awesome. Now that's a REAL low tech!


----------



## PinoyBoy

BruceF said:


> Thanks. I did recently break it into two pieces. It is about 18 inches.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By brucef at 2012-08-13


Just wondering, how old is that plant?

It makes me wonder if anubias can live forever. Yes, the old growth will eventually die, but the new growth of the same plant lives on.


----------



## jerrybforl

TimsViv said:


> My 72 gallon paludarium:
> 
> Initial set up:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The water section, 7 years later:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The land area 7 years later:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tim


This is pretty cool!!!!


----------



## leeteekyung

i love mosses and anubias, easy to rescape


----------



## Alastair-T

leeteekyung said:


> i love mosses and anubias, easy to rescape


Nice 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Alastair-T

This is my very low tech almost zero maintenance set up. 
260 litres 
No water changes just top ups every other day 
Fluval 306 on half flow 
Occasional bit of ferts if ever see deficiencies in the rip plants. 
Dirt substrate with some Ada Amazonia and columbo florabase as a cap 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## jbrady33

I'll play! Both excel, some ferts, no Co2, eco-complete. If I had it to do over I would probably go dirt with black grit cap

36 Gallon









3 gallon









Details, more pics in Sig links!


----------



## ralitaco

CL said:


>


What is the plant you are using for the "carpet"


----------



## ralitaco

waterfaller1 said:


>


Ok, I am new to this so I don't know any plants.
What is that one in the lower left corner? Are the leaves jagged?


----------



## ralitaco

unissuh said:


>


What is that tall plant? 
Is it really low tech?


----------



## ralitaco

waterfaller1 said:


>


Sorry, but this is the easiest way for me to "shop"

I was told that there are very few "red" low tech plants...umm, it looks like there are lots. what are the red ones? in particular the ones on the far right and far left?

Also what is growing on the white rock on the bottom?

Thanks in advance


----------



## toksyn

Alastair-T said:


> View attachment 54017


Very nice!


----------



## hakishimiei

ralitaco said:


> Sorry, but this is the easiest way for me to "shop"
> 
> I was told that there are very few "red" low tech plants...umm, it looks like there are lots. what are the red ones? in particular the ones on the far right and far left?
> 
> Also what is growing on the white rock on the bottom?
> 
> Thanks in advance


thats riccia either glued or tied to the stone if im correct


----------



## Troi

Some really cool tanks (hey Alastair & Tom), these are FTS of mine; no ferts no nothing except a healthy portion of neglect...


----------



## driftwoodhunter

Beautiful! I'm good at neglect, it's nice to see it may pay off for me - lol


----------



## Troi

My motto has always been minimum effort maximum gain  Sometimes I think we kill with kindness.


----------



## boxhead1990

12 3w led's, cascade 1200 canister, 3 powerhead filters heater

Mts and fine black gravel

Few crypts some rotala, ludwigia, chain swords, java fern java moss and sone hc

Iv probably missed a few bits and pieces
Sent from my ST25a using Tapatalk 2


----------



## HostileGardens

My 75 gal low tech

Equipment: Marineland 350 power filter
100w Marineland heater
2 T8 fluorescent lights
Tetra Whisper air pump

Flora: Klein Bar sword (3)
Wisteria
Java moss
Christmas moss
Ricca (floating) :icon_sad:
other random plants that i dont remember/know the names of

Fauna: 1 Zebra Angel
1 Fire Belly Newt
1 Whiptail Pleco
1 common Pleco
1 Borneo Pleco
1 Male Guppy
1 Iridescent Shark
1 Black Kuhli Loach
2 Rams Horn Snails
3 Kuhli Loaches
3 Cherry Barbs
3 Serpaes Tetras 
3 Orange Von Rio Tetra
3 Painted Glass Tetra
3 Wood Shrimp
3 Female Guppies 
4 Neon Tetra
4 Rummy Nose Tetra
4 Long Fin Zebra Danios
6 Blood Fin Tetra
12 Ghost Shrimp


----------



## MCHRKiller

Currently my fav low tech


----------



## driftwoodhunter

MCHRKiller said:


> Currently my fav low tech


love the diagonal crossing of the wood and the larger rocks. I love to see smooth rock in tanks, makes me think of river beds.


----------



## Zap brannigan

1g bowl tons of different plants from swords and vals to hc and glosso. 










Crappy phone picture and quite a bit has changed

Wisteria
AmbuliaHs
Rotala indica
Hc
Glosso
Lugwigia repens
And unknown stem that resembles mini green rotala
Needle leaf java fern

15g 2 15w glo clfs and led lightstrip dosed with excell.


----------



## ophiophagus

Here's my Lush low tech









Top soil mixed with filter sand capped with Activflora

Aquatop 375gph canister filter

4x 18watt T5NO 2x10000k 2x8000k

no heat 
occasional florish complete ferts


----------



## Hilde

ophiophagus said:


> Here's my Lush low tech
> 4x 18watt T5NO 2x10000k 2x8000k
> occasional florish complete ferts


I am jealous!! What size tank is it? Injecting Co2?


----------



## ophiophagus

Hilde said:


> I am jealous!! What size tank is it? Injecting Co2?


Thanks! It's a 40 breeder and I wasn't originally injecting Co2 but just a few days ago I added an Ista 45g disposable Co2 kit. It only runs 1-2 bps. I'm pretty proud of this tank. I rearranged the plants 4 or 5 times before I came up with this layout. I think it's going to look even better soon when the S.repens on the left and right sides of the foreground fill in properly. I planted them about a week ago. The ones in the center have been there from the start around 3 or 4 months. You can tell that they are much more dense. I'll try to get a less blurry picture soon


----------



## MCHRKiller

driftwoodhunter said:


> love the diagonal crossing of the wood and the larger rocks. I love to see smooth rock in tanks, makes me think of river beds.



Thanks! 

Here is a photo of my 2nd 10G at work...Ive dubbed it the "red" tank as the stock is Rosy Loaches, Embers and soon to be a Super Red HMPK from Thailand


----------



## kross

ophiophagus said:


>


Love it, looks like autumn!


----------



## ophiophagus

kross said:


> Love it, looks like autumn!


Thanks here's a better picture


----------



## Big O

*12 gallon low tech*

here's mine, have two more will post later this week.


----------



## leeteekyung

i love rhizome plants, easy to rescape


----------



## [email protected]

Here's My Tank.

A few months ago









A few weeks a go


----------



## BruceF

I keep thinking I should do a co2 tank and then I look at this thread.


----------



## ramen lover

Here's a front view of my low-tech 55g tank. Up and running since July 2012.


----------



## Rokuzachi

So many truly inspiring tanks in this thread. I'm going to abandon my plans to make my 125 high tech!


----------



## mitchfish9

This is my first tank. It is awesome to see it evolve over the few months I have had it. I love low tech and how low maintenance it is. 

Check out my journal in the sig for all the details!


----------



## boxhead1990

Low tech's are good like that hey

Sent from my ST25a


----------



## Bubba_Shrimp

mitchfish9 said:


> This is my first tank. It is awesome to see it evolve over the few months I have had it. I love low tech and how low maintenance it is.
> 
> Check out my journal in the sig for all the details!


Very nice! Love it!!


----------



## mitchfish9

Bubba_Shrimp said:


> Very nice! Love it!!


Thanks I appreciate it!


----------



## slavecorps

Here are some pics of my 30c that has been running for a few months.


----------



## low_techy

*Low tech juwel rio 240*

Hi all, I posted in here previously, but the tank has filled in nicely since the last pics - hope you don't mind.


----------



## chelseab

Here's my 55g. Set up with a subcurrent filter (that works about half of the time), and sponge filter, and 2 HO T5 bulbs with individual reflectors built into the hood. I don't usually dose anything, but occasionally use the aquavitro products and no CO2. I think I'm removing the angels today so I can move back towards little fish. I have some hemirhamphodon tengah coming into tomorrow. Sorry for the bad phone pic


----------



## Matt1977

*I'll play too*

Here are my tanks.

The first one below is a 50L low tech....
The second one is a 17L DIY tank, low tech.


----------



## tomfromstlouis

My 220g has been up maybe three months now and is far from the anticipated scape. Until then,


----------



## GMYukonon24s

Everyone has such nice tanks


----------



## tinkerpuppet

I love seeing how lush low tech tanks can be!

Here's my little 10gal. I recently tore it down and then redid it, and I'm so happy I did. Much better then before (you can see the before/after and all the specs in my link in my sig). This is after three (?) weeks.


----------



## vanadium

Here is my 30 gallons:



No CO2, no ferts, no water change, small internal filter for water movement.


----------



## Knox_legend

Here is my tank. Just planted it yesterday so now I'm just waiting for it to fill out some.


----------



## Green_Flash

some very nice lush tanks above!


----------



## callisto9

Here's mine! What's the diff between hi and lo-tech? CO2?









20G, a little Flourish Comprehensive. Root tabs.


----------



## vanadium

low tech can be what ever you want. High tech usually designates a tank which uses CO2, high light and ferts.


----------



## Silmarwen

Indeed, but the point is that some people think that you can't grow plants well without those things, and this thread is meant to dispel the myth that you NEED CO2 and ferts and such.


----------



## vanadium

I completely agree with you, and it's the reason why i left a french aquarium forum. They were saying i was mistreating my fishes because i have no filtration and not doing water changes. I was also disturbing them with light afternoon siesta... Not open minded.


----------



## acitydweller

no filtration and only water top offs.

ive done the same in my shrimp bowl and they have lived for nearly a year now, and my plants are trimmed every few months... definitely each environment will be unique to the experience and care of the owner. No need to criticize but to learn from each other.


----------



## dbl_dbl17

Wait so you have no flow and don't do waterchanges?


----------



## boxhead1990

I beleive you dont need all the high tech gadgets and after going high tech i like the rapid growth and the extreme amount of pearling that being said thats the only advantages 

I have a low tech tank aswell 

Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## LyzzaRyzz

Short time lurker, this thread actually made me join! Im a member of TFK, and they say your site is awesome, and it is!
Im a newbie to planted tanks, starting out with water sprite, anacharis, then parrots feather, and now more..
Heres my 50 gallon partially planted, with some plastic plants, though i hated it being half and half, so i went out and bought more plants, and took out all the plastic..
View attachment 56573


And heres what it looks like now!
View attachment 56574

Heres the left side of the tank:
View attachment 56575

And the right side:
View attachment 56576


The plants are water sprite, floating, and [i planted some in the substrate to see what happens] caboma, onion plant, a small spiral val, parrots feather, java moss, anacharis, some small sword type plants, a medium one, and a medium large sword type plant. Im not sure what kinds they are.
The tank is 48 inches long, and i have two 36 inch t8 6500k lights on them, no CO2 and up until two weeks ago, no ferts, but now flourish comprehensive supplement.
The fish are 12 guppies, nine cherry barbs, 10 cories[albino, spotted and emerald] a rubbernose pleco, a bristlenose pleco, and a lone pristella tetra that escaped me when i caught the rest of them. Theres also two apple snails and a few pond snails, and i think six ghost shrimp.

This is my other planted tank, a 5.5 with a betta and some guppy fry, and an apple snail.
This was takenOctober 29th, and all it had was anacharis i was growing out and a few small cabomas, and watersprite.
View attachment 56577

This is the tank today, I added some water wisteria, [very sad looking] to the tank, and when i bought the wisteria, i got three stems of what looks to be a red wisteria? Im not sure, but thats in there as well.
View attachment 56578


This tank has a ten gallon hood [i know too big, but its working] with two 14 watt spiral bulbs, and ive use flourish comprehensive twice on it. before that, just the fish.

Im working on ideas for rescaping the both of them, and picked up a 14 inch tall amazon sword for the 50 gal, and two banana plants and another plant im not sure about for the 5.5..

I dont have much in the sort of hard scape, since driftwood is so expensive!

Im welcome to all advice or ideas, feel free to pm or reply here!


----------



## LyzzaRyzz

Did my rescapes...not exactly happy with either one, but the new plants are in and thats what i wanted. 
The big amazon sword is too big for my tank, it sticks out of the top! I also needed to anchor it in the hold in the middle of my fake log peice cause it wouldent stop floating. I dont have enough sand to plant it apparently...=/
Anyways here is the 50 gallon:
View attachment 56599

View attachment 56600

View attachment 56601

View attachment 56602

View attachment 56603


Heres the 5.5, after taking out the smaller fake log peice from the 50, and putting it in there..
View attachment 56604

Also heres that red stem plant i cant seem to identify..any ideas?
View attachment 56605


And heres another planted tank i have, its in my bathroom, not really impressive, but hoping itll take off..
View attachment 56606

I call it the deathfish tank, cause when i bought my pristella tetras there was one who didnt look so hot, so i separated him..he never died, just every other fish i put in the tank with him did. Of different things, sometimes just randomly died. I decided he wasnt gonna die, so i set up this tank for him, and added some guppy fry, to see what happened, and they didnt die! But they do all swim sideways. Not swim bladder sideways, just always at a tilt. And a few days ado, deathfish jumped out of the tank, so just the gup fry are left, all swimming funny, but showing no other signs of being sick..Anyways, thats the deathfishtank..


By the way, everyones tanks look amazing..I look at mine, and i get so discouraged...I hope it gets better, im kinda down cause i can never get the look i want..
But all of your tanks inspire me, and keep em coming..it gets my blood going to do better!


----------



## Silmarwen

LyzzaRyzz said:


> By the way, everyones tanks look amazing..I look at mine, and i get so discouraged...I hope it gets better, im kinda down cause i can never get the look i want..
> But all of your tanks inspire me, and keep em coming..it gets my blood going to do better!


I think yours look pretty good  I feel much the same way a lot of the time. But it takes time and patience, which I'm slowly learning  It'll come, just stick with it and drool over all the lush inspiration we have on the forum!


----------



## ony

Love seeing everyone's low tech set ups. I read so many forum posts that imply or sometimes say quite plainly that a planted tank *must* be pumped full of CO2 to be successful. Its nice to see other people who know different even if the gas addicts sneak in a picture every now and again 

Heres my main tank, no CO2, no glut and very low flow. Just ferts and low/medium light.


----------



## Hilde

ony said:


> My main tank, no CO2, no glut and very low flow. Just ferts and low/medium light.


Love it. What are the foreground plants? What is your light?


----------



## ony

Hilde said:


> Love it. What are the foreground plants? What is your light?


Thanks. The foreground is dwarf sag and mixed crypts and I'm using 2 plant grow T5's and one red T5. The lighting is just what came with my tank, I wouldn't have thought to try a red bulb but the colour mix does look good.

Theres a close up of my crypts, they came in a mixed crypt pack so I don't actually know their names.


----------



## GMYukonon24s

What is the plant that is in the all the way to the left is that guppy grass? Also what are the plants on the far right front and back of the driftwood?


----------



## ony

GMYukonon24s said:


> What is the plant that is in the all the way to the left is that guppy grass? Also what are the plants on the far right front and back of the driftwood?


The one on the left is star grass (Heteranthera zosterifolia) and behind the driftwood is H. polysperma. The star grass is probably my favourite plant in the aquarium, I love the leaf shape, it grows really fast and its easy to shape.


----------



## AirstoND

LyzzaRyzz

That sad looking plant with missing leaves looks like a ludwigia glandulosa in its submerged transition phase.


----------



## hhk12

all of these tanks look awesome i wish i had the money right now to build one.


----------



## Tetranerd

Here's the latest of my low tech, low light, minimal fertilizer tank. Will be adding more plants soon. Looking at changing filtration from 2 Aquaclear 50 to a canister, but haven't decided which. Have 12 black skirts, 18 cardinals, 6 emerald cories & am adding 3 bristle nose plecos. Plants are water wisteria, Java ferns, anubias nana, hastifolia & cogentis with micro swords attempting to grow across the front & flame & Christmas moss taking hold in various areas. 

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## driftwoodhunter

Hastifolia is one of the best plants around!

Here is a work in progress, the tank has only been set up a few months so I have a long way to go. But I like the slow, low tech process the best :hihi:

125g with a 4' shop light, a Home Depot diamond plate fixture with a 6500 and a 6700 - it has a great reflector. Marineland Emperor 400 HOB and a large 19" x 22" Hamburg Mattenfilter on the left side. Fish are 10 Buenos Aires Tetras, 18 Columbian Tetras, 5 Blue Tetras, 5 Harlequin Rasboras, 4 Black Neons, and 1 Green Cory.

It's a dirt tank, and the cap is natural tumbled rock & gravel from a big creek here in the Appalachians.

Plants are a constant experiment - to find some that my Buenos Aires and Columbians won't eat - they are notorious plant eaters, but they are also two of my most favorite fish, so they come first, the plant selection follows.
So far, safe plants in the tank are java fern and narrow leaf java fern, various crypts and anubias, Brazilian Pennywort, bolbitis, kleiner swords, hygro kompact, crinum and vals.


----------



## GMYukonon24s

ony said:


> The one on the left is star grass (Heteranthera zosterifolia) and behind the driftwood is H. polysperma. The star grass is probably my favourite plant in the aquarium, I love the leaf shape, it grows really fast and its easy to shape.




Thanks


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## m00se

Doesn't get much lower tech than this! 













15 gallon petco special with blasting grit.


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## GMYukonon24s

Tetranerd - Your tank looks like it has open areas but I can't wait to see it when the plants start to grow in more and get bigger.

driftwoodhunter - I'm a big fan of the low tech process the best as well. You have some beautiful plants and fish. 

mOOse - Is this a all in one package setup from Petco? Your plants look happy in there.


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## driftwoodhunter

Thanks!


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## LyzzaRyzz

AirstoND said:


> LyzzaRyzz
> 
> That sad looking plant with missing leaves looks like a ludwigia glandulosa in its submerged transition phase.


Thank you! It came in a bunch of water wisteria i bought two weeks ago. The wisteria looks almost the same way, most of its leaves on the bottoms are gone, though the tops of them are bunching up and growing taller.
I cant believe these little twigs are that plant! Do you think theyll make it? They dont want to stay in the substrate..its very frustrating.


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## m00se

GMYukonon24s: Yep, it was $39 with heater, top with fluorescent light, and the smallest Tetra power filter. I replaced that with a Deep Blue 40g foam filter and $10 Walmart air pump. Blasting grit is Black Diamond I had left over from my 40b. Plants are doing quite well actually. Surprisingly.


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## Tetranerd

GMYukonon24s said:


> Tetranerd - Your tank looks like it has open areas but I can't wait to see it when the plants start to grow in more and get bigger.
> 
> Thanks! It's starting to grow in nicely, but more plants will definitely help! More arriving thanks to this forum soon!
> Tetranerd
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2


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## Matt1977

*Fluval edge 46 litre low tech*

My low tech edge...


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## DaBears

m00se said:


> GMYukonon24s: Yep, it was $39 with heater, top with fluorescent light, and the smallest Tetra power filter. I replaced that with a Deep Blue 40g foam filter and $10 Walmart air pump. Blasting grit is Black Diamond I had left over from my 40b. Plants are doing quite well actually. Surprisingly.


How many gallons?


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## m00se

DaBears said:


> How many gallons?



It's a 15


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## DaBears

m00se said:


> It's a 15


And u got it for $39 with all that? In store or online? Was it on sale or something? Looks very nice. Know roughly what the dimensions are? Thanks.


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## Hilde

ony said:


> The one on the left is star grass (Heteranthera zosterifolia)


Surprised that you have it growing without glut. I was told it is rare to get it to grow with glut, for it need Co2 injected. Even your Rotala rotundifolia is growing nicely. I don't see any mention of what size tank this is. What is it?


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## m00se

DaBears said:


> And u got it for $39 with all that? In store or online? Was it on sale or something? Looks very nice. Know roughly what the dimensions are? Thanks.




Yes, it's a standard 15 gallon which is [FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]24 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 12 3/4". 

I went to Petco for their $1 per gallon sale thinking I would get a 20L, but knowing in the back of my head that it would be a little too long for the place I wanted to put it on my desk. They had a pallet of these kits along with other sizes there waiting for the bait and switcheroo...I bit...Only thing I swapped out was the filter, which is a joke. So, no...technically it isn't $39 if you consider that I added a Deep Blue 40 sponge filter and an air pump to the kit. Also there is driftwood and plants that I culled from other tanks in there, and Blasting Grit left over from another setup. Wanna know a secret? I get as much satisfaction out of this little thing as I do out of my high light high tech 40b!

Cheers
[/FONT]


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## Matt1977

*46 litre Edge. Swapped over my 50 litre cube*

Hi all,

Just an update pic of my Edge....
This was set up using everything from my old 50 litre tank that has been running for many years...


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## ony

Hilde said:


> Surprised that you have it growing without glut. I was told it is rare to get it to grow with glut, for it need Co2 injected. Even your Rotala rotundifolia is growing nicely. I don't see any mention of what size tank this is. What is it?


Plants rarely do what I expect them to, plants that are said to be unfussy or suitable for my water conditions have died on me and fussy/unsuitable ones thrived. I suspect there are too many variables for it to be simple to predict what will/won't grow. Its a 4ft tank btw.


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## ony

Matt1977 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Just an update pic of my Edge....
> This was set up using everything from my old 50 litre tank that has been running for many years...


Very lush, how long has it been set up?


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## Matt1977

ony said:


> Very lush, how long has it been set up?


This edge is fairly new... It was going through a mini cycle for the first 3 days... then it all settled in. It about 2 weeks now. I was lucky i guess that all my materials were from my old cube...

Thanks again.


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## Xavier10

10 gallon DIY co2 1 betta named Robert Neville. (I am legend)


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## driftwoodhunter

Xavier10 said:


> View attachment 57001
> 10 gallon DIY co2 1 betta named Robert Neville. (I am legend)


That's a beautiful tank - it just goes to show what can be accomplished with a small space. You've given me inspiration!


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## Xavier10

driftwoodhunter said:


> That's a beautiful tank - it just goes to show what can be accomplished with a small space. You've given me inspiration!


Thanks man. I got the Buddha on a piece of driftwood. You can see my tank journal on here in the journal section.


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## mitchfish9

ony said:


> Love seeing everyone's low tech set ups. I read so many forum posts that imply or sometimes say quite plainly that a planted tank *must* be pumped full of CO2 to be successful. Its nice to see other people who know different even if the gas addicts sneak in a picture every now and again
> 
> Heres my main tank, no CO2, no glut and very low flow. Just ferts and low/medium light.


One of my favorite tanks of all time. The green is so vibrant!! Great job


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## amphirion

aside from the very high lighting (15 wpg) and the occasional root tab --i really havent done much with this 2.5 gallon tank, in terms of maintenance of water chemistry and fertilization...
originally this was to be a high tech tank, then my CO2 tank broke it's valve...and i never got around to replacing it. stopped chem dosing too, and some 5 months later, it ended up like this:










not too shabby if i say so myself.


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## driftwoodhunter

amphirion said:


> aside from the very high lighting (15 wpg) and the occasional root tab --i really havent done much with this 2.5 gallon tank, in terms of maintenance of water chemistry and fertilization...
> originally this was to be a high tech tank, then my CO2 tank broke it's valve...and i never got around to replacing it. stopped chem dosing too, and some 5 months later, it ended up like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> not too shabby if i say so myself.


oooh, I love this tank! It looks so much larger than 2.5 gallons. The way you created a mysterious cave is fantastic! I love this style of scaping - heavy on the wood & rock - that's my kind of tank!


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## MABJ

My awesome low tech, low budget 2.5 gallon tank. 

Some Crays, shrimps, nerite snails and MTS. 









The DWL is blocking the way, but there are two Azoo palm filters and a cheap beamsworks light on there. The tech on this tank literally costed $34 for me. 

It isn't lush but the moss should grow in. 


MABJ's iDevice used for this message


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## LyzzaRyzz

Your keeping crays and shrimps together? I thought that was a big no-no?


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## ony

amphirion said:


> aside from the very high lighting (15 wpg) and the occasional root tab --i really havent done much with this 2.5 gallon tank, in terms of maintenance of water chemistry and fertilization...
> originally this was to be a high tech tank, then my CO2 tank broke it's valve...and i never got around to replacing it. stopped chem dosing too, and some 5 months later, it ended up like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> not too shabby if i say so myself.


Awesome hardscape, its just begging for its carpet back though! Maybe some moss or dwarf sag.


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## Hilde

amphirion said:


> 2.5 gallon tank with,lighting (15 wpg) and root tab


Lovely!! How did you make the slope? What rocks did you use?


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## MABJ

LyzzaRyzz said:


> Your keeping crays and shrimps together? I thought that was a big no-no?


Not always. My CPOs can't catch my shrimp lol. At feeding time they actually all eat next to one another. 


MABJ's iDevice used for this message


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## GMYukonon24s

MABJ nice setup!


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## alipper

Just looked through most of the pages of the thread, some sweet tanks on here.


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## MABJ

GMYukonon24s said:


> MABJ nice setup!


Thanks so much! I need to get a FTS with the DWL in its proper place!


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## Kolkri

I went from this Low light, low tech tank. Window light only. 30 gallons








To this tank a couple days ago. Didn't add any plants. Less then one inch soil with gravel on top.
Also low light, low teck tank 64 watts of light and indirect window light. 55 gallons.


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## james1542

Looking through this thread, I see amazing tank after amazing tank! Very inspirational to see time and time again, amazing low tech tanks. Makes me reflect on how great it is to have a lush planted tank to stare at.

So here is my main tank I think a fitting name for it would be "Pumpin sunshine", it's always changing, always trying a new plant. Here are 2 pictures taken months apart:

















Here are the specs:
14g Biocube
Light: 70W Sunpod (16.5") HQI metal halide
Sub: Fluval Shrimp Stratum
Ferts: Osmocoat +
CO2: No, I want my shrimp to succeed
Inhabitants: Shrimp...various
Happy Plants: Various moss, E. tennelus Chain sword, marb queen sword, limnophilia hippruoides(new not pictured), Pho Rotala indicata, Misc Crypts.
Fav plant: E. Tennellus, Spreads furiously, the LFS loves to buy it off me. Does great in my setup.
Plants that did not work: Ludwigia peruensis, HM, HC, These plants did not appreciate the lack of CO2, and/or were impossible to keep planted given my horrible substrate.
Low tech Lesson learned: Do not use the tap water in my area. Began to use it, in came the black brush, went back to RO, no more BBA.


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## LyzzaRyzz

Great setup! Love the second picture..I'm always changing my tank too!


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## Matt1977

james1542 said:


> Looking through this thread, I see amazing tank after amazing tank! Very inspirational to see time and time again, amazing low tech tanks. Makes me reflect on how great it is to have a lush planted tank to stare at.
> 
> So here is my main tank I think a fitting name for it would be "Pumpin sunshine", it's always changing, always trying a new plant. Here are 2 pictures taken months apart:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here are the specs:
> 14g Biocube
> Light: 70W Sunpod (16.5") HQI metal halide
> Sub: Fluval Shrimp Stratum
> Ferts: Osmocoat +
> CO2: No, I want my shrimp to succeed
> Inhabitants: Shrimp...various
> Happy Plants: Various moss, E. tennelus Chain sword, marb queen sword, limnophilia hippruoides(new not pictured), Pho Rotala indicata, Misc Crypts.
> Fav plant: E. Tennellus, Spreads furiously, the LFS loves to buy it off me. Does great in my setup.
> Plants that did not work: Ludwigia peruensis, HM, HC, These plants did not appreciate the lack of CO2, and/or were impossible to keep planted given my horrible substrate.
> Low tech Lesson learned: Do not use the tap water in my area. Began to use it, in came the black brush, went back to RO, no more BBA.


Awesome... Very cool.


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## mihnata

Here is my tank..
20g
Light: 28W T5NO
Substrate: blue gravel (with root tabs)
CO2: none
Ferts: Seachem Flourish, Excel
Fish: 7 white clouds, 5 h.rasboras
Plants: Java fern, Amazon sword, Frogbit, and something else 

I really love my tank, of course I would change the substrate and maybe redo the scape, but for now it's good like that


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## callisto9

I love your tank mihnata! It's really nice.


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## caoder

backyard dirt with local river gravel 10g with 19w cfl shrimp and ~7 fry. Flourish comprehensive. DIY co2 was added to help some cheap plant rescues from the lfs.


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## hfernelius19

I would upload pic of my new 20 gallon but I dont know how to


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## mitchfish9

hit go advanced, manage attachments, upload


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## hfernelius19

*My 20 gallon Tank*

This is my tank


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## hfernelius19

it is low-tech. I use a wide spectrum fluorescent light. My two filters are a penguin 150 biowheel and a aqueon 20 quiet-flow. I fert with florin multi planted supplement using 3 drops a day.
Stock:
1 Flame Gourami
2 serpae tetras
3 lemon tetras
3 cardinal tetras
2 bleeding heart tetras
1 BN pleco
2 cory cats
4 amano shrimp
Plants:
1 Cyprus plant
1 moneywort
2 anachris
2 pennywort
It is a work in progress and still have a lot to do aquascaping
this is my first tank hope you like it. Suggestions are welcome.


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## MABJ

hfernelius19 said:


> it is low-tech. I use a wide spectrum fluorescent light. My two filters are a penguin 150 biowheel and a aqueon 20 quiet-flow. I fert with florin multi planted supplement using 3 drops a day.
> Stock:
> 1 Flame Gourami
> 2 serpae tetras
> 3 lemon tetras
> 3 cardinal tetras
> 2 bleeding heart tetras
> 1 BN pleco
> 2 cory cats
> 4 amano shrimp
> Plants:
> 1 Cyprus plant
> 1 moneywort
> 2 anachris
> 2 pennywort
> It is a work in progress and still have a lot to do aquascaping
> this is my first tank hope you like it. Suggestions are welcome


Suggestions: 

1:Anacharis to the back.
2:return either the lemons or the serapes (I'd return the serpaes, they're kinda mean IMO)
2a:boost your Lemon school up to 6-8ish
3: I wouldn't keep both cardinals and bleeding hearts. Return the bleeding hearts and boost the cardinals to 6-8ish
4: figure out what type of Cory cats you have and boost their colony to 5-6. 

Every fish you have multiples of is a schooling / shoaling fish. If you keep them mismatched they'll never show you their true colors. 



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## hfernelius19

I thought about it but the tetras all school together it is a weird phenomenon.
The cory's stay together but look lonely so ill boost them and take out the bleeding heart's.


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## hfernelius19

I know the aqua-scaping sucks it is just my first time.


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## hfernelius19

There has never been any aggression in my tank though it even seems that the bleeding hearts like the cardinals


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## Hilde

hfernelius19 said:


> There has never been any aggression in my tank


So the serpae tetras. lemon tetras, and cardinals school together. That is unique. I too found that the serpae were a bit aggressive. Those Tetra aren't know to school tight, thus since you have tetras schooling I would keep them.

Wish you make a video of it.


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## MABJ

Anything can happen, man, but I'll tell you something I've learned. It may seem like something is a certain way in the short run, but in the long run, it typically isn't. 

I only say what I've seen myself. I was stubborn about having a betta, mollies tetras and cories together. I said it was fine, because for a few weeks everything was fine. Obviously it blew up a few weeks later. 


At least yours are all tetras, and you're probably not stubborn like I was lol. My only point is it is good to go with what works historically. If you do try something unorthodox, make sure you document it all! 

After all, a common phrase here is "Pics or it didn't happen!"

Best of luck and good choice on the cories 


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## MABJ

Lol case in point  



Hilde said:


> Wish you make a video of it.





MABJ's iDevice used for this message


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## meowschwitz




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## MABJ

meowschwitz said:


>


Just WOW on the first tank+scape


MABJ's iDevice used for this message


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## amphirion

Hilde said:


> Lovely!! How did you make the slope? What rocks did you use?


rocks i used were a combination of seiryu and some striated rocks i got from a local supplier. the slope was created by setting up the rocks to keep the aquatic soil from falling over. careful positioning of rocks will allow the creation of the cave/overhang.


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## Lukasem

That is my ex low tech project. 

The tank is 63L.


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## amphirion

cant go wrong with anubias. very nice composition!


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## Fizgig777

*Goldie Haven.... * _Click on photos for higher res. versions._

Dec. 2011



March 2012









October 2012





_Check out the tank's journal for additional photos, tank specs. & other info. Link to journal is in signature below._


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## driftwoodhunter

Beautiful! What type of anubias are the large ones?


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## Fizgig777

driftwoodhunter said:


> Beautiful! What type of anubias are the large ones?


Not sure which large ones you're looking at, but the big varieties are either Coffeefolia, Caladifolia, Nana or Barteri =)


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## driftwoodhunter

haha - sorry I wasn't more specific, it's late here ; )

I meant the large leafed ones, which I thought were Coffeefolia. I've never grown Barteri, but they could be that too - I was looking at the three with the large ribbed leaves in the first pic of Oct 2012...the whole tank is stunning, but to me those especially make a statement!


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## Fizgig777

driftwoodhunter said:


> haha - sorry I wasn't more specific, it's late here ; )
> 
> I meant the large leafed ones, which I thought were Coffeefolia. I've never grown Barteri, but they could be that too - I was looking at the three with the large ribbed leaves in the first pic of Oct 2012...the whole tank is stunning, but to me those especially make a statement!


Ah, that one... That's Caladifolia with 7 leaves in total. It's VERY similar to Barteri and Nana -- near indistinguishable with young specimens in fact -- but is much larger as a mature plant. Have an even bigger specimen in my tropical tank -- it's almost a foot tall. Will be selling some of those off, in fact (if anyone's interested let me know). The placement is actually temporary as I was giving it time to attach itself to a piece of lava rock (can still see the string used to hold it in place while it attached). It's ready to be moved now, though. Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Appreciate your feedback on this tank =) Thank you kindly!


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## driftwoodhunter

Caladifolia's a new one to me - I'll be looking that up - I like it's bold shape and size. I can't stop looking at it! lol


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## Fizgig777

driftwoodhunter said:


> Caladifolia's a new one to me - I'll be looking that up - I like it's bold shape and size. I can't stop looking at it! lol


I does make a statement that's for sure. IME, it's a pretty fast grower (for Anubias) and forms some really big, tough roots which makes it ideal for large low-medium light tanks with fish that are tough on plants. My large Goldies (Hershey is softball sized, Pepper is 8" long) can't budge these plants even with their digging and rooting around. They tend to grow very tall, too -- I have one specimen that's almost a foot tall and that's AFTER it has already been cut in half =) Caladifolia doesn't have quite the shape and interest of Coffeefolia, but it makes up for that with a faster growth rate, bigger size, and tougher roots =)


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## driftwoodhunter

They sound very interesting! I have a 125g low tech tank, and I've been thinking about buying A. Hastifolia for the same reason. I had it once in an old 55, and the size (height) was perfect. I bet you'd like that one too, with it's spade shaped leaves.


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## Fizgig777

driftwoodhunter said:


> They sound very interesting! I have a 125g low tech tank, and I've been thinking about buying A. Hastifolia for the same reason. I had it once in an old 55, and the size (height) was perfect. I bet you'd like that one too, with it's spade shaped leaves.


I had Hastifolia at one point before something went horribly sideways with my previous Goldie setup and every single Anubias melted. I have no idea what happened or why.... Some of the rhizomes survived and have since regrown leaves, etc., but many of my exotic Anubias specimens didn't survive the meltdown. That setup was all done with Anubias species -- a dozen diff't ones -- many of which were huge. Hastifolia is definitely a fun one to have =) Gets pretty big, too, and that's when it really stands out. Think you'd be very happy with it =)


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## halffrozen

My old 40gal.

Could have sworn I posted it here before.. but this was after the first trim.
It was torn down 2 weeks later. haha


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## Fizgig777

That 40G was nice =)


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## re_hashed

Here's my low tech effort.

*Tank *- Aqua One Eurostyle bow front 80
*Dims* - width 42cms, length 80cms, height 64cms
*Volume *- 185L
*Lighting* - 2 x 24w T5HO (new bulbs i put in yesterday).
*Filtration* - Advance 750

It's constantly changing, but this is what it was like as of last night:










Far from the spectacular i know. I think I'll get Christmas out of the way, then really get it how I really want it. I've got a few ideas that I'm in the process of thinking through.

If your interested I have a photo journal thread on the go showing how things are changing:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=72547&page=2

start on page 2 (I think the link points to it) as the first page is my old tank (BEFORE THE SIDES FELL OFF AND I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TANK ASAP)


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## callisto9

I like it re_hashed! I think it looks really nice.


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## Fizgig777

Looking good re-hashed! That new DW on the right has a nice shape to it. You can do all sorts of creative 'scaping with it =)


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## thefisherman

kool dw.. and of course i'm a sucker for crypts gj! 


- thefisherman


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## CAM6467

I know that I can't be the only person reading this thread that's ready for another update on lauraleellbp's 90 gallon! Common Laura, stop hiding your work!!


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## Itwasntme

The tank when I started it at the beginning of september and today. Maybe i should do some trimming but Im so happy with all those plants, maybe tomorrow..!??

A month ago T8s were changed to leds, think its still low tech with very little care and fertilization.


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## Razorworm

Heres my 40 b
Dirt w/ blasting sand, Finnex Ray 2. Boesmani Rainbows and Sterbai Cories. All lovin life!:smile:


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## ophiophagus

Here's my lush 30 breeder. Just did a major trim

FTS









Left side









Right side


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## 1aqumfish

Here is my 55gal dirt tank. It has a 3 bulb T5HO fixture and 4" of miricale grow organic choice dirt with a 3/8" cap. The filter is a Aqua top 404. You put 6 platys in a healthy tank and this is what you get 6 months later.

No co2 no fertz just water changes weekly "most of the time" can go with just top offs. Been up and running for 14 months.


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## STS_1OO

People like you (assuming you're not fibbing here ), encourage me to try red plants in a relatively low-light conditions! Thanks for sharing, awesome tank!


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## Ezfish

STS_1OO said:


> People like you (assuming you're not fibbing here ), encourage me to try red plants in a relatively low-light conditions! Thanks for sharing, awesome tank!


I guess "relatively low-light conditions" is debatable. They posted they are running high output lights.

Any case, beautiful tank! I also like the reds very much. Thanks for sharing.


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## STS_1OO

Ezfish said:


> I guess "relatively low-light conditions" is debatable. They posted they are running high output lights.
> 
> Any case, beautiful tank! I also like the reds very much. Thanks for sharing.


Well I would say that high output doesn't matter. The only thing that matters are PAR levels and assuming these started out close the substrate, only those at the substrate level. A lot more than light bulb/LED output goes into factoring that. 

Low tech is driven by low light - meaning they achieved slower, sustained growth without CO2.

I agree that low light tanks _*can*_ have high tech, but they can sustain growth without it. High light (again, PAR levels here) tanks _*must*_ have high tech.


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## 1aqumfish

I think a Catalina 3 bulb T5HO on it's legs is considered High light. I feel the tank is low tech, no co2 only root tabs when the swords start to get holes in the leafs. Very low maintenance, just feed and top-off. No algae problems with the heavy planting.


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## STS_1OO

1aqumfish said:


> I think a Catalina 3 bulb T5HO on it's legs is considered High light. I feel the tank is low tech, no co2 only root tabs when the swords start to get holes in the leafs. Very low maintenance, just feed and top-off. No algae problems with the heavy planting.


Although T5HO are bright, I doubt you're registering high light at the bottom of your tank (with those plants its probably even the entire bottom half). 

Even in your picture, its pretty clear that is fairly dark at the bottom. 

In any case, i don't mean to distract anyone from the gorgeous tanks, including yours 1aqumfish! 

Thanks for sharing.


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## oliver77

1aqumfish said:


> Here is my 55gal dirt tank. It has a 3 bulb T5HO fixture and 4" of miricale grow organic choice dirt with a 3/8" cap. The filter is a Aqua top 404. You put 6 platys in a healthy tank and this is what you get 6 months later.
> 
> No co2 no fertz just water changes weekly "most of the time" can go with just top offs. Been up and running for 14 months.


Wow I really like your tank! what are those red plants?


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## Hilde

1aqumfish said:


> I think a Catalina 3 bulb T5HO on it's legs is considered High light. I feel the tank is low tech, no co2 only root tabs. Very low maintenance, just feed and top-off. No algae problems.


Wow that is an amazing tank. I always thought high light meant Co2 needed to be injected. 

To me low tech meanslow to medium light which = low maintenance.


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## Fizgig777

*Goldie Haven Dec. 2012.* No Co2, 2 watts per gallon fluorescent lighting.
_Click on photos for higher res. versions._

Looking Up


Right & Left Sides
 

Broad Leaf Ludwigia (6+ feet long)


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## 1aqumfish

I think it is LUDWIGIA REPENS I am not the best at plant id. Also a cline bar on the right. Some crypt wenti in the fore ground center.


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## Hilde

1aqumfish said:


> I think it is LUDWIGIA REPENS


Ditto!!


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## Hilde

ophiophagus said:


> Here's my lush 30 breeder.


Very nice!! Is the air stone for injecting Co2?


----------



## the.koi.maiden

I was directed here by a friend who knows I'm not into high-tec stuff. I am blow away by the stuff you guys have done. If I can even do half of that I will be very proud. 

That being said I would like to show you guys my low-tec tanks and open them up for constructive criticism. 

29 gal softwater community 

Mechanics: single tube T8 24" 6500k daylight for 6 hours
PenguinBiowheel 150
Aqueon 150w set at 78F

Livestock: 1x _Farlowella acus_
Brown pangio loaches
RCS colony (new)
MTS
Adding tetra and gourami later

Plants: 
Water sprite,
Anubias (don't know the species)
Java Fern,
Dwarf sagittaria (recently moved)
Pygmy chain sword (recently moved)
Rotala indica
Green tiger lotus (newly added)
Undulated crypt (newly added)

Substrate: Estes marine sand

Params: 6.8 pH, KH 2, GH 7
Ferts: weekly flourish comprehensive after water changes; root tabs as needed

The tank has been in this current state since about a week ago as I recently moved the dwarf sag to a higher flow area. The crypt and the lotus arrived a few weeks before Christmas and had a rough trip. I'm really hoping the dwarf sag will grow tall and fill in the right side of the tank. But now I'm thinking I'll have to put another tall, straight-leafed plant in there. 











Divided 10 gal Plakat Betta Tank

Mechanics: single tube T8 18" 6500k daylight for 8 hours
Sponge filter
Aqueon 100w set at 80F

Livestock: 
Male betta 
MTS

Plants: 
Water sprite,
Anubias (don't know the species)
Java Fern,
anarcharis
duckweed

Substrate: gravel

Params: 7.8 pH, KH 2, GH 7
Ferts: once weekly seachem comprehensive and a lotta fish poop










Opps! Forgot my lowest tec tank of them all! My pond!

Mechanics: I honestly couldn't tell you what kind of pump is in there; I just know it has a bog and snorkle system. I'm not trying to grow champion monster koi, so it doesn't matter to me. 

Livestock: 
6x koi approx 8 years old

Plants: whatever nature put in there; there are some mosses and ivy that have roots in the water and some kind of iris. 

Substrate: gravel

Lights: the sun!! Although it's too shaded for lillies. 

Ferts: nothing but fish poop!


















Too lazy to upload this to photobucket right now.. it's from my fishkeeping forum.


----------



## jhays79

Love the pond! I want to do something like that, it looks sweet!


----------



## extrame

Hi Guys, 
here's an update of my NPT tank after about 16 months. 









some of the older fish have died off a few months ago so i decided to try to keep a few discus in this tank. hope they grow well hehe.


----------



## shift

My 2 low tech's


----------



## jpalimpsest

extrame: How huge is that tank? The discus look tiny! Or are they juveniles? The wall of vals is beautiful

shift: Very green! The fish are brilliantly colored. They must must be healthy and happy. I spend some time in the photography forums to learn how to take photos like that.


----------



## extrame

jpalimpsest : thanks for the comment, its a 55 gal tank. discus are about 2-3 inch diameter.


----------



## shift

jpalimpsest - thank you. - if your camera has a manual mode, try using a very low fstop and bump up the iso. you should be able to get some nice low light shots.


----------



## jpalimpsest

shift - I have a Nikon D3000 for years... but I always use it in automatic. I guess it's time to actually learn how to use it :icon_redf


----------



## shift

jpalimpsest said:


> shift - I have a Nikon D3000 for years... but I always use it in automatic. I guess it's time to actually learn how to use it :icon_redf


Its all about the manual mode  For a reference my pics were in manual mode, 50mm prime lens. aperture was from f1.8-3 and iso was from 100-1600 (just play with it and see how it looks.. you get an idea how to tweak it pretty quick.. gotta love digital!)


----------



## jpalimpsest

Here is a bad photo of my low tech tank. It's about a month old.


----------



## amajoh

jpalimpsest said:


> Here is a bad photo of my low tech tank. It's about a month old.


Lookin' good! I hope mine looks that good after only a month! I just dirted mine two days ago. Still trying to get ahold of the plants I want to put in it. It's a slow process as my LFS doesn't have a very good selection.


----------



## jpalimpsest

amajoh - Try posting in the WTB (Want To Buy) section. I got some of mine through other hobbyists here.


----------



## LyzzaRyzz

Here is my 15 gallon 'Bedside" tank. =]

Its standard size, though its my first 'dirted' planted tank, so im having a bit of problems, but im blundering though it with many water changes.
[My other planted tank has only sand!]

Its Miracle Grow Organic Potting Soil, sifted though a wide tank cover, and capped with half sand/half gravel. I had a hard time coming up with the final scape, so i moved plants around and some of the soil has come up in the back, but im not sure what i want to do about it. 

Lighting is a bit wonky, but i try to stay to a five to six hour night/day cycle. It works because i can have it on from the timei wake up til i go to work, then when i come home i can turn the light on for another six hours, til i go to bed. [Sometimes, it stays on for nine or ten, if i fall asleep. When that happens, i give the tank a longer night period, about three more hours, then turn the light on. The tanks never complained!

As for ferts, in another tank, [which is where i stole the seeded sand from] there were osmocote tabs, which are not in this tank. ive tried pushing them all down in the sand, but theres spots i cant quite get to, or see. Other than that, i dose Flourish Comprehensive. I plan on adding iron caps/ potash/dolomite tabs and osmocote tabs, once i am finally sure this is what i want. Not sure if i should continue to dose flourish after adding the tabs, though ill jump that hurdle when i get to it! =]

For Flora:
Banana Plants
Aponogeton Bolivianus
Aponogeton Ulvaceus
Aponogeton Undulatus
Crinum Calamastratum
Pennywort
Melon plant
Marsilea Quad.
dwarf red lily
sword plant
repens x arcuata
caboma 
anacharis
ambulia
rotala rundifolia
java fern
anubias
bacopa monnieri

Fauna: endler males
leasy killifish juvies
two ADF
five otos
apple snail
[soon to be adding more!]


----------



## boredincubicle

My low tech parva crypt forest with some other common low light plants. Just flourish excel and root tabs for ferts


----------



## LyzzaRyzz

Love your driftwood!



boredincubicle said:


> My low tech parva crypt forest with some other common low light plants. Just flourish excel and root tabs for ferts


----------



## Aquaticz

What kind of sand are you using?
How long has it been in use and does it get black anywhere below the surface. I ask because I love the look of white sand but apparently did not use the right kind when I tried. 

I have a crypt tank also and will post a pic or two as soon as a mini cycle is complete. 
Long story as to why


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## boredincubicle

Aquaticz said:


> What kind of sand are you using?
> How long has it been in use and does it get black anywhere below the surface. I ask because I love the look of white sand but apparently did not use the right kind when I tried.
> 
> I have a crypt tank also and will post a pic or two as soon as a mini cycle is complete.
> Long story as to why
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


I use play sand i bought at a local hardware store. It's hard for me to say if it will turn black or not. There is some sand mixed in with it that i had in a tank for years that is a bit of a darker and different color, but i don't think any of the new sand has changed its color. i try to stir up the sand a little bit every time i do a water change though too so the 2 are kind of blending together over time

Edit: Just realized i have a second, brackish tank ive used play sand in for years. for the most part all of that sand kept it's color, but some of it had turned ugly from where algae has died and been mixed in i think..


----------



## Aquaticz

Thanks for the reply.
Here is a pic from my low tech 40 gal breeder
Aqua soil and a single tube t5HO custom from Catalina 65 k.. This tank has an Eheim 2217 with an ebo jäger heater. Inhabitants bloom mollies and some long fined stripped cories










This one is in my construction trailer
Aqua soil, hob filter, no heater, Finnex fuge led, endless, platters and mollies

Gotta love the biz card....lol












Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## Pukki

Hey guys,

Just started my own low tech tank. I've got a Fluval Edge 12G and I love it.

The tank seems to be doing well.

It's still a work in progress as I'm still yet to lay down plenty more moss on the front in order to create a carpet.

Any suggestions would be more than welcome!

Ps, You can check out my journal for this tank. It's called 'My Rainforest Creek - Fluval 12g'. I've seen a few of you put a link in your signature. If someone could tell me how I can do that it'd be great!

Thanks.


----------



## MABJ

Sweet looking tank. I sent you a guidance PM


----------



## Pukki

Hey guys, just thought I'd add another photo from the front to give you guys a better idea of the tank. 

I'm going to get rid of the hairgrass at the front as it hasn't done anything at all, other than sit there and look like a really bad haircut. I'm probably going to just throw lots of moss down at the bottom and recreate a carpet, maybe Christmas moss. I have a patch of it currently on the left hand side. I am a little hesitant about doing that to be honest because I think the christmas looks so pretty that if I have loads of it, it'll take away from the beauty and you'll appreciate it less. I'd love to have HC, but that'll happen in my dreams!

Let me know what you think.


----------



## MABJ

Empty space is a great thing. You could put some on both sides in an uneven fashion, but don't make a carpet. I wouldn't at least.


----------



## Silmarwen

I love empty space  It saddens me when I see people who think they can't have a pretty tank without a full carpet. Show off that substrate, baby, ooh-la-la.


----------



## MABJ

Hahahaha! Very true. Now a moss wall ;D that's really nice.


----------



## PeterN1986

This is my second low-tech tank, an ADA Mini-M (5.5g) in progress. Just planted today and dry starting HC and glosso. I started a journal for it too.


----------



## MABJ

Looks good, Peter. I've always been too impatient to attest a dry start.


----------



## Pukki

MABJ said:


> Empty space is a great thing. You could put some on both sides in an uneven fashion, but don't make a carpet. I wouldn't at least.


I totally agree... As I said I do think too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. So my guy feeling was to use the moss sparingly and have a few open spaces and not covering the entire substrate.


----------



## Pukki

Silmarwen said:


> I love empty space  It saddens me when I see people who think they can't have a pretty tank without a full carpet. Show off that substrate, baby, ooh-la-la.


Appreciate your thoughts. I did think that too. I think some patchy growth here and there might look nice as opposed to a full carpet.


----------



## Pukki

MABJ said:


> Hahahaha! Very true. Now a moss wall ;D that's really nice.


Haha. A moss wall sounds like such a daunting prospect. Keeping up with these plants seems like hard work already, with all the melting, browning, and holes!

I sometimes wonder how everyone else's tanks look so pristine! Every bit of leaf looks so green and healthy.


----------



## MABJ

I use mostly mosses in my 18". You can check it out. They grow well. They'd look good in a wall, but idk if I can do it. It might be something to pursue for my tank actually!


----------



## Pukki

I think your moss looks awesome. I want mine to be just like that. How do you get it to be so bushy? What do you feed your plants? I didn't see any co2.


----------



## Pukki

Can't wait to see how it comes along Peter... 

Also, just a quick question. I've seen quite a few ADA tanks around. Is there anything in particular that is good about them as opposed to a regular tank?


----------



## MABJ

They're well built, have high clarity glass and very sleek. 

Kinda like buying an iPad over an Acer tablet.

My mosses range from fissidens to mini pellia to mini Xmas. I just let them do their thing. 

I'm big on finding a good balance between lights stocking and plant types so minimal maint is achieved. 

The waste becomes all the ferts I need.


----------



## LyzzaRyzz

An update on my 15 gallon bedside..

Current inhabitants are 5x least killis, 5x 2-3 week old guppy fry, 2x ADF.
Ill be adding 6x sparkling gourami and 6x celestial pearl danios , hopefully this week. :bounce:


----------



## Pukki

MABJ said:


> They're well built, have high clarity glass and very sleek.
> 
> Kinda like buying an iPad over an Acer tablet.
> 
> My mosses range from fissidens to mini pellia to mini Xmas. I just let them do their thing.
> 
> I'm big on finding a good balance between lights stocking and plant types so minimal maint is achieved.
> 
> The waste becomes all the ferts I need.


You couldn't have put it any better. I heard in the newer tanks, the glass doesn't have that slight green tinge and its super duper clear.

I love that about mosses. However, I noticed the mosses that I have that are in shady parts tend to die off. The ones that get light seem to be doing very well. So I'll just plant a few Anubias' in the shadowy areas.

I didn't know that waste could become ferts. I remember seeing people taking their gravel vac and sucking up every bit of whatever was in the gravel, completely. I guess when you think about it, it's like cow poop, goes back as fertiliser.


----------



## MABJ

Yup! It's a big cycle of life. Pretty important in low techs.


----------



## Hilde

Aquaticz said:


> View attachment 69449


Lovely!

What size tank is this?

What is the plant in front on the right side?


----------



## PeterN1986

Hilde said:


> Lovely!
> 
> What size tank is this?
> 
> What is the plant in front on the right side?


The plants on the right foreground look like sunset hygro to me


----------



## Rickybobby

Here's some old pics the plants have filled in more since then


----------



## LyzzaRyzz

Tis upside down Ricky! Looks good though!


----------



## hisxlency

zergling said:


> Recent shots of my MrAqua 12" cube, after I moved all the fish and snails to the big tank, uprooted the stems and replanted the tops.


Whats the name of the red colored plant?


----------



## Rickybobby

LyzzaRyzz said:


> Tis upside down Ricky! Looks good though!


Sorry lol


----------



## Couesfanatic

Ludwigia Red is the plant.


----------



## Pukki

Rickybobby said:


> Here's some old pics the plants have filled in more since then


Hey Ricky, how do you get the water to stay in the tank like that? Would be a great conversation starter!


----------



## Rickybobby

Pukki said:


> Hey Ricky, how do you get the water to stay in the tank like that? Would be a great conversation starter!


It wasn't easy...


----------



## dusted

This is my 40g breeder, I'm so tempted to remove the right amazon sword but I know it will cause a giant dirt cloud.


----------



## smiller

nice


----------



## driftwoodhunter

I must say, I really love that sword in the tank - a great focal point!


----------



## Mattymo92

View attachment 82098

Front
View attachment 82154

Left
View attachment 82162

Right







My less dominant male







My dominant male, he just looked really pretty that morning before turning the lights on







Dominant male bolivian with the two females in the background on the left. The female in front is paired up with this male
View attachment 82146

The Pair
View attachment 82170

My Golden ram hiding under the banana plant.
View attachment 82178

2 of the female Endlers and one of the males doing his mating shimmy dance in front of them (tirelessly ALL DAY LONG lol)
View attachment 82186

My Sterbai Cory and one of my Otos on the Amazon sword

This is my first planted tank that I started after I got this tank for christmas!

It is a 25 Gallon High

Substrate: 3 inch layer of a mixture of black flourite sand, caribsee black floramax, and a light dusting of peat moss all mixed together. This is all capped with a .5"-1" layer of caribsea white sand ( silica sand I think). 

Filter: Aqueon QuietFlow 30 with surface skimmer added. 

Heater: Aqueon 100 watt heater

Lighting: 2 Aqueon duel t5NO fixtures each with one 14 watt colormax bulb and one 14 watt 6700k daylight bulb... So a total of 4 bulbs at 14 watts each 

Ferts: Flourish tabs and API root tabs, Flourish comprehensive, Flourish Iron, Flourish Potassium, API CO2 booster ( all dosed as recommended)

Flora: 
Anacharis
Corkscrew vals
lobelia Cardinalis
ludwigia repens
amazon sword
green tiger lotus
dwarf hair grass
melon sword
anubias nana
java fern
java moss
crypt lucens
moneywort
Banana plant
and one tiny bit still left of a failed attempt at HC

Fauna: ( I know, I know its a little over stocked... I was excited lol oops)
4 Bolivian rams (2 male, 2 female, one breeding pair out of the 4)
1 Golden ram (1 male, the female did not make it)
1 Sterbai cory 
1 Julii cory 
6 Endler's livebearers (3 female pure strain, 2 male pure, 1 male "cobra" hybrid)
2 Otos
1 Ivory mystery snail
3 Amano shrimp

Let me know what you all think! :icon_smil

- Matt M.


----------



## Chaos_Being

An updated pic of my jungle...still chugging along, 2 years, 8 months later.


----------



## driftwoodhunter

That is gorgeous!


----------



## hisxlency

How do you keep the tank algae clear in a low tech environment?



Chaos_Being said:


> An updated pic of my jungle...still chugging along, 2 years, 8 months later.


----------



## prp427

*55 gallon*

Here is my 55 gallon.


----------



## tomfromstlouis

prp427: I suspect you of having a beautiful tank but really want to see a better picture. Turn off all room lights at night and take a flashless picture straight on. Crop out the glaring lights from the tank. Let us see it!


----------



## prp427

My bad, lol. I'll make more of an effort and post some detail shots soon. Thanks for the compliment.


----------



## Dave-H

My low-tech, low-light, low maintenance 54g tank just gets better and better. I keep trying to increase the level of balance in the tank by slowly adjusting feeding, etc. and trying to have any many species ( snails, shrimp, plants, worms, fish) as I can reasonably have so that the diversity helps keep the balance.

So far, so good. I am going w/c and maintenance once per month and everything is healthy and nice!


----------



## lauraleellbp

I love this thread. Always makes me :biggrin:


----------



## Darth Toro

It really is a great thread! Always a treat to look at.


----------



## Cinbos

prp427 said:


> Here is my 55 gallon.


Would really like to see other pics. Looks like a great looking tank!


----------



## ChadRamsey

leeteekyung said:


> i love rhizome plants, easy to rescape


this is an AMAZING tank. 

PLEASE, give me some details.


----------



## Saxtonhill

ChadRamsey said:


> this is an AMAZING tank.
> 
> PLEASE, give me some details.


Wow that is a beautiful tank!


----------



## Sharpchick

Start up on my 20 gallon long - the tank is 6 weeks old. I'll eventually replace some of the stems, but for now, the tetras and rasboras love them.










20 gallon long
a gazillion bunches anacharis
2 bunches cabomba caroliniana
1 bunch giant hyro
2 cryptocoryne wendtii
cholla wrapped with marimo moss
1 African water fern
2 bunches water wysteria
floating pennywort and anacharis

10 harlequin rasboras
6 neon tetras

I'll eventually add 6 kuhli loaches but want to let the tank mature a bit.

Have had no measurable ammonia, nitrites or nitrates yet. I dose Flourish at each bi-weekly water change. The crypts get a root tab every four weeks.


----------



## itoph

*My low tech tank*










Tank Size : 130cm x 60cm x 80cm 
Lightings: 8 x T5 28w 8hrs/day (made in china, bought it for 3$ each)
Plants: Rotalla Macandra, Weeping Moss, Peacock Moss, Java Moss, Hair Grass, Anubias, etc
Fertilizer: 25ml after water change. Fertiqua (local Ferts that has carbon liquid, macro, micro, vitamins) (5$ 300ml size)
CO2: None
Regular water change twice a week 30%
Filter: Under Gravel Filter x 2 (7$ each)
Substrat: Volcano Sand (total 5
CPU Cooling Fan 2pcs
Power head 2pcs

6 Platys, 500 red cherry shrimp

PS. Sorry for bad cellphone cam picture.

Please tell me what you think.


----------



## raulfd4

That tank is awesome. Love how the driftwood is completely covered in moss.


----------



## BS87

Really nice for 2x under gravel filter and some power heads. I've always wanted to just do sponges + Koralias


----------



## itoph

raulfd4 said:


> That tank is awesome. Love how the driftwood is completely covered in moss.


Thank's Raulfd4


----------



## In.a.Box

Rickybobby said:


> Here's some old pics the plants have filled in more since then


How do you keep the water from falling out?


----------



## jimmytruong87

My 20 gallon ( long) , low tech


----------



## PeterN1986

damn Jimmy, how do you get all that pearling? what ferts are you dosing?


----------



## jimmytruong87

PeterN1986 said:


> damn Jimmy, how do you get all that pearling? what ferts are you dosing?


DIY co2+ liquid co2+ strong light
It will get pearling


----------



## Saxtonhill

wow...awesome setups!


----------



## alipper

My 20H before removing the sword.


----------



## GMYukonon24s

Nice inspiring setups!


----------



## xtortya

*My low tech tetra*

I started this around 6 weeks ago as my first planted tank. Thanks for all the amazing shots of your tanks, some epic ones in there 

this is the details
lighting - a flat chinese LED that fit into the cfl socket (e27) and an ecoxotic white stunner strip.
dosing with excel and flourish and fish food  
11 cardinal tetras, 3 red phantom tetras, 3 black phantom tetras, 4 ember tetras, 2 bristlenose and 5 RCS.


----------



## Shawn123

*Red plants*



itoph said:


> Tank Size : 130cm x 60cm x 80cm
> Lightings: 8 x T5 28w 8hrs/day (made in china, bought it for 3$ each)
> Plants: Rotalla Macandra, Weeping Moss, Peacock Moss, Java Moss, Hair Grass, Anubias, etc
> Fertilizer: 25ml after water change. Fertiqua (local Ferts that has carbon liquid, macro, micro, vitamins) (5$ 300ml size)
> CO2: None
> Regular water change twice a week 30%
> Filter: Under Gravel Filter x 2 (7$ each)
> Substrat: Volcano Sand (total 5
> CPU Cooling Fan 2pcs
> Power head 2pcs
> 
> 6 Platys, 500 red cherry shrimp
> 
> PS. Sorry for bad cellphone cam picture.
> 
> Please tell me what you think.


Awesome tank! Can anyone tell me what the red plants are?


----------



## cherabin

That will be Rotala Macanda.


----------



## BBradbury

*Low Tech, Low Maintenance Tank*

I have several of the standard tanks that have a lot of plants and fish and require large weekly water changes. Thought I'd make a small 20G that needed no water changes, mechanical filtration, but kept the nitrogens out of the tank water. So, here are some pics of the tank.

Just to see if it was easy to do and it is. There are 30 or so Fancy Guppies. No special lighting needed. Just room light for the emersed plants. The roots keep the water pure, by taking in the toxins produced by the fish waste.

Just top off the tank a couple of times, with treated tap water and add a little liquid fert and trim the plants when they get too bushy. That's it. Total maintenance time: 20 minutes a week.

Please excuse the dark pics.

B


----------



## bbroush

What are the plants you have growing out of the top BBradbury?


----------



## extrame

here's a couple of pics of my favorite fish in my Low-tech tank


----------



## boredincubicle

i'm going to have to stat getting rid of some of my crypts soon. they keep splitting off into new plants and i'm running out of room haha.


----------



## extrame

nice tank boredincubicle! 
may i know the specs of it?


----------



## boredincubicle

Sure thing. It's a 30 gallon tank. I just put new lights on it, a 2x21w t5 fixture and a 15w t8 fixture. (used to be 2x 23w CFL and 1x13w CFL shop lights). I have an aqua clear 50 for filtration. It is overstocked, but I do a lot of maintenence. I dose excel a few times a week, along with the occasional dose of API leaf zone and some nutrafin micro nutrients stuff i found. (maybe 1x a week for those, usually less often if i do a water change). I also have root tabs throughout the substrate for all the crypts.

Plants are red crypt wendtii, java fern, anubias, cabomba, and the rest is apparently parva crypt. i bought it as parva crypt at petco, but now that it's all getting so tall I'm questioning if it is something else. it started off much, much smaller and spread and grew like crazy.


----------



## xCitol

Crappy phone pic, need to split my plants some more to fill in middle of tank just added Diy co2 so should help a bit .


----------



## Dave-H

extrame said:


> here's a couple of pics of my favorite fish in my Low-tech tank


What kind of grass is that?


----------



## extrame

thanks boredincubicle,
i'm looking into setting up a tank full of crypts! yours look very lush and neat 

hi Dave,
It's dwarf Sag.


----------



## tomfromstlouis

Here is a recent FTS of my 220g, now ~7 months old. No CO2, no ferts except root tabs.


----------



## extrame

awsome tank tomfromstlouis!!!!!! how deep is it?


----------



## Saxtonhill

extrame, ...the vals are stunning as are the dwarf sag and (I think) the crypts)! Such a lush backdrop for the pearl gouramis, may I ask what substrate you are using?

Tomfromstlouis, that tank is really progressing beautifully

boredincubicle...those crypts are great...wish I had that problem...


----------



## tomfromstlouis

...and the Academy Award for Best Picture of a Gourami, Ever, goes to ..... Extrame! Stunning.

My tank is 30" tall and 24" front to back. It is taking some time to get plants up to that top third of the tank.


----------



## Droyer

*work in progress*

Here is my 75g work in progress.


----------



## extrame

Thanks for the compliments Saxtonhill and tomfromstlouis!!
i am using normal garden soil that has a bit of rice husk mixed in it then topped with pea-gravel. 
the gourami is better looking in person haha i have poor camera skills 
wow that's deep! i wish you luck in your tank. i also want a planted tank that BIG but for sure electricity bill will go up too haha


----------



## driftwoodhunter

Droyer said:


> Here is my 75g work in progress.


Love the java fern on the driftwood!


----------



## Couesfanatic

Heres my ADA Mini S that I recently broke down.

No co2
No Ferts
1 water change per month to 6 weeks.
Really low maintenance


----------



## Droyer

driftwoodhunter said:


> Love the java fern on the driftwood!


Thanks! Hoping to get a nice lush canopy of it eventually.


----------



## Nolan

My 37g Tall


----------



## Thamizhandaa...

Very interesting and pretty useful & informative thread too.. I would suggest the moderators to make this as a 'sticky' topic!!


----------



## BBradbury

*Low Tech Tank*

Hello TPT...

Attached is a pic of my 45G tall. Anacharis (Waterweed) and Pennywort floated and the rest are Anubias. Lighting is a couple of hardware store 20 watt florescent, T12 bulbs. 2 for about $15.00 and they last well over a year.

75 or so Fancy Guppies and two 4 year old, 3 inch Melanistius Corydoras. Large, weekly water changes and you don't have to test the water. A couple of 50G HOBs and that's it. Pretty easy.

B


----------



## lauraleellbp

Thamizhandaa... said:


> Very interesting and pretty useful & informative thread too.. I would suggest the moderators to make this as a 'sticky' topic!!


No need! It's so active it's pretty much stayed on the first page of this forum for over 3 years now :icon_mrgr

I think it's really encouraging for people just getting into planted tanks to know that you don't have to dive headlong into the more expensive high tech setups to have a lovely planted tank.


----------



## Greenmagick

I apologize as this is not a good pic (cell phone) and the tank is dirty....but I do find it lush (and its low tech). Just dirt substrate capped with gravel and two spiral bulbs in the stock hood. No ferts or anything ever


----------



## Saxtonhill

lauraleellbp said:


> No need! It's so active it's pretty much stayed on the first page of this forum for over 3 years now :icon_mrgr
> 
> I think it's really encouraging for people just getting into planted tanks to know that you don't have to dive headlong into the more expensive high tech setups to have a lovely planted tank.


Thank you so much for this thread! As a live plant newbie, I've returned to it over and over


----------



## boredincubicle

So, I traded some crypt for frogbit on reddit. The betta liked it so much he built his first ever bubble nest (the remains of which you can see stuck to the wall on the right.. big water change day >_<)


----------



## Meganne

80 gallons, no CO2, 12 gallon water change weekly, fert with flourish when I think about it so maybe once a week or two. some afternoon light from window, light in hood not very bright but I am not sure what it is as it came with the hand me down tank.
all plants attached to the wood


----------



## vashnic

3 gallon bowl with lake dirt and sand in the bottom: 



2.5 gallon betta tank with Flourish 2x a month. Ish. :icon_bigg:


----------



## stanzzzz

Wtf awesome bowl, love it, did u had any issues with cyanobacteria.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2


----------



## vashnic

stanzzzz said:


> Wtf awesome bowl, love it, did u had any issues with cyanobacteria.
> 
> Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2


Thanks! Nope, aside from some diatoms early on that just kinda disappeared on their own, everything's been quite clean and water's crystal clear. I suspect it may be the giant population of snails


----------



## stanzzzz

Ohhh I m having so many issues with cyno, I ll let out grow now

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2


----------



## blt

My 84gal long:








Tank Journal: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=178693


----------



## bpb

Nice tank placement! I'm a big fan of sunlight to light tanks if possible. 

I just finished my third attempt at a planted tank. They get better with each go around but I don't want to post pics until everything really grows in.


----------



## Sharpchick

blt said:


> My 84gal long:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tank Journal: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=178693


84 gallons of real estate.

In my dreams.

Nice tank. Are those the very inexpensive shop lights I am also using? Yours are mounted much more tastefully than mine.


----------



## blt

Sharpchick said:


> 84 gallons of real estate.
> 
> In my dreams.
> 
> Nice tank. Are those the very inexpensive shop lights I am also using? Yours are mounted much more tastefully than mine.


Thanks. Yep, those are just the cheapo shop lights from Lowes/Depot with 23watt CFLs in them.


----------



## aokashi

Have I posted here before? 
pico tanks

1gallon:









__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










Another 1 gallon for shrimp

















2.5 gallon


----------



## MABJ

Beautiful azolla, Aokashi.


----------



## Matt1977

*Edge - 6 months old*

Hi..

I started this edge last year... See Journal http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=2858274#post2858274

Now it'a 6 months and still going strong. Iv'e just re-scaped and cut heaps of plants down. Still all low-tech + just a few drops of excel everyday.


----------



## aokashi

Thanks MABJ!

@matt1977
I love that beautiful curve, it's just so... sexy


----------



## TECKSPEED

Low tech, community betta tank just rescaped due to having clown puke in, now i have eco complete...

Let me know what you guys think!!


----------



## Matt1977

aokashi said:


> Thanks MABJ!
> 
> @matt1977
> I love that beautiful curve, it's just so... sexy


Thanks Aokashi...That beautiful curve only lasts for a couple weeks... My Little corys loves to do their own scaping


----------



## aokashi

Matt1977 said:


> Thanks Aokashi...That beautiful curve only lasts for a couple weeks... My Little corys loves to do their own scaping


Oh dear~ haha. I used to have a slope in my little cube tank, but the thing leveled itself out over time >.>


----------



## Sharpchick

Matt1977 said:


> Hi..
> 
> I started this edge last year... See Journal http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=2858274#post2858274
> 
> Now it'a 6 months and still going strong. Iv'e just re-scaped and cut heaps of plants down. Still all low-tech + just a few drops of excel everyday.


Seriously beautiful tank.

I read through your journal. You have a lot of thoughtful work in that tank.


----------



## Sharpchick

TECKSPEED said:


> Low tech, community betta tank just rescaped due to having clown puke in, now i have eco complete...
> 
> Let me know what you guys think!!


Nice job. How do you like your cholla wood? I've heard that it breaks down after a while. Is that true?


----------



## Matt1977

Sharpchick said:


> Seriously beautiful tank.
> 
> I read through your journal. You have a lot of thoughtful work in that tank.


Oh thanks... it's been fun... it still is!


----------



## TECKSPEED

Sharpchick said:


> Nice job. How do you like your cholla wood? I've heard that it breaks down after a while. Is that true?


It is a bit soft but I don't move it to often for the fact that it does break down. I've had it for months now and it at least is still. Holding up. Overall I like the look. Good for my shrimp too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


----------



## PaulG

Aokashi, what is that red floating plant? I want it!!!


----------



## toksyn

Not Aokashi, but the one with the round leaves is a Red Root Floater (Phyllanthus fluitans) and the little ones are Azolla (maybe caroliniana). A word of caution about the Azolla - it's got a ridiculous growth speed and will require constant reduction in order to prevent it from blanketing the surface and blocking all of the light. 

On a side note, it actually fixes nitrogen so it's also used as a fertilizing agent (eg. rice). 



PaulG said:


> Aokashi, what is that red floating plant? I want it!!!


----------



## aokashi

oh? my azolla doesn't grow that quickly. probably because my tank is pretty heavily planted. My HM grows faster than the azolla, lol XD

My personal experience is that azolla dislikes flow. until it mats together anyway. the roots actually form little curls and cling to anything and everything XD but other than that, I love the stuff!


----------



## toksyn

Maybe the flow part is your saving grace . I like Azolla too, but I won't try to use it again. At least, not when I want anything else in the water.



aokashi said:


> oh? my azolla doesn't grow that quickly. probably because my tank is pretty heavily planted. My HM grows faster than the azolla, lol XD
> 
> My personal experience is that azolla dislikes flow. until it mats together anyway. the roots actually form little curls and cling to anything and everything XD but other than that, I love the stuff!


----------



## MABJ

toksyn said:


> Maybe the flow part is your saving grace . I like Azolla too, but I won't try to use it again. At least, not when I want anything else in the water.


You said it 'fixes' the nitrate. What do you mean? And why would you not use it if you want something in the water? Could you just be more specific?


----------



## Planted_Freediver

This is my first planted tank. it is a 30 gallon tank and has been running for about two months now. Sorry for the bad quality cell phone pictures. I dont have a very nice camera.


----------



## toksyn

Nitrogen fixation is the process of converting atmospheric nitrogen into another form (ammonia) such that it can be consumed by another process (food for plants). The decomposition of Azolla releases quite a bit of N as ammonia, so it is used as a "green manure". It's not necessarily beneficial in that aspect for _fertilizing_ aquariums (unless you go about killing it and letting it decompose in your tank ... probably not desirable), but it also soaks up a lot of nutrients in the water column. It actually does this with a symbiotic relationship with a BGA species.

I wouldn't use it if I wanted something else in the water because, for me anyway, it was a pain to keep it contained. It shaded out everything underneath it and just spread. I wouldn't mind using it again in a shallow pool or something in a vivarium where that was the focus. 

I'm probably biased as I discovered that I just don't like floating plants in the aquarium. 



MABJ said:


> You said it 'fixes' the nitrate. What do you mean? And why would you not use it if you want something in the water? Could you just be more specific?


----------



## MABJ

No I really appreciated your comment. The reasons you hate it are the reasons I want it 100x more now. + I love the way it looks + no roots. Lol.


----------



## philemon716

boredincubicle said:


> So, I traded some crypt for frogbit on reddit. The betta liked it so much he built his first ever bubble nest (the remains of which you can see stuck to the wall on the right.. big water change day >_<)


Love this tank. Can I ask what are the lush plants/crypts carpeting the tank directly below the floaters?


----------



## aokashi

MABJ said:


> No I really appreciated your comment. The reasons you hate it are the reasons I want it 100x more now. + I love the way it looks + no roots. Lol.


 was just about to do a ROAK. lol! wont be able to get around to shipping it until april though~ if you want some lmk


----------



## STG88

still fairly new but here's my low tech beauty in the works 8)
Laura i love ur tanks!


----------



## MABJ

aokashi said:


> was just about to do a ROAK. lol! wont be able to get around to shipping it until april though~ if you want some lmk


A very generous member just RAOK'd me some  I'm excited to try it on my CRS tank.


----------



## Chaos_Being

hisxlency said:


> How do you keep the tank algae clear in a low tech environment?


This is a late response, but I keep thread/staghorn algae at bay by using Excel. I overdose, but I've never had any ill effect on any of the fauna in my tank. If I stop dosing for a while, that type of algae starts to grow. I keep GSA off of my leaves with olive nerites. For a time, my plants were getting pretty coated with it until I added a dozen of those snails. Neither otos or Excel did anything about that type of algae (although otos are good for diatoms.) The only drawback with nerites in my tank is that despite having hard water, their shells slowly degrade. I probably need to add a few back to my tank as I don't see as many in there now, and I'm starting to notice a bit of GSA on some leaves again.




boredincubicle said:


> So, I traded some crypt for frogbit on reddit. The betta liked it so much he built his first ever bubble nest (the remains of which you can see stuck to the wall on the right.. big water change day >_<)


I love those crypts!


----------



## Alaskan Fishface

*low tech*

My 55g low tech


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## PeterN1986

STG88 said:


> still fairly new but here's my low tech beauty in the works 8)
> Laura i love ur tanks!


What lights are those, and what bulbs are in them?


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## Sharpchick

STG88 said:


> still fairly new but here's my low tech beauty in the works 8)
> Laura i love ur tanks!


What is that on the right side of the tank? Some kind of sword?


----------



## stsalerno

My 30 gallon half moon.


----------



## rowdaddy

Glass is dirty on every tank. Lol 


75
10
20H 
20L

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## GMYukonon24s

Nice tanks everyone!


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## toksyn

Very nice! I kind of wish it was a full cylinder though - I really like this style of scape, especially for terrariums.



stsalerno said:


> My 30 gallon half moon.


----------



## STG88

PeterN1986 said:


> What lights are those, and what bulbs are in them?


They are Wave Point 12" LED's 16 watts each


----------



## STG88

Anubias, 4 of them




Sharpchick said:


> What is that on the right side of the tank? Some kind of sword?


----------



## Sparrowhawk

This is from immediately after finishing planting, last Friday, but here's the three 30cm cubes on my dresser:


































So far so good, no melting, no signs of anything bad. Just some growth happening and seemingly happy plants settling in. 
My first planted tanks with more than just shoddy LED lighting and a few anubias on driftwood.


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## STG88

stsalerno said:


> My 30 gallon half moon.


Lovey it!


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## GMYukonon24s

Great job on the cubes SparrowHawk!


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## STG88

stsalerno said:


> My 30 gallon half moon.


Love it!


----------



## BBradbury

*Simple Tank*

Thought I'd just do the basics with this 45 G tall tank, no special aquascaping. Used a couple of 32 watt, 6500K, T8s for lighting. Low to subdued light, so have Anubias attached to lava rock with rubberbands, Java fern attached to some driftwood I found outside. Used dark sewing thread to attach the plants. Got a little Anacharis (Waterweed) and Pennywort from the local LFS for a few dollars a bunch. Obviously, the floaters like the lower light. 

Have a couple of HOB Aquaclear AC 50s for filters and a couple of 150 watt heaters left over from an old tank. 

Have about 100 Fancy Guppies and two 4 year old, larger Corydoras in there.

Nothing time consuming as far as maintenance. Just a little hydroponics liquids dosed once a week when I change out half the tank water.

B


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## Jnad

Very nice and natural, what are you using as substrate?

Jnad



BBradbury said:


> Thought I'd just do the basics with this 45 G tall tank, no special aquascaping. Used a couple of 32 watt, 6500K, T8s for lighting. Low to subdued light, so have Anubias attached to lava rock with rubberbands, Java fern attached to some driftwood I found outside. Used dark sewing thread to attach the plants. Got a little Anacharis (Waterweed) and Pennywort from the local LFS for a few dollars a bunch. Obviously, the floaters like the lower light.
> 
> Have a couple of HOB Aquaclear AC 50s for filters and a couple of 150 watt heaters left over from an old tank.
> 
> Have about 100 Fancy Guppies and two 4 year old, larger Corydoras in there.
> 
> Nothing time consuming as far as maintenance. Just a little hydroponics liquids dosed once a week when I change out half the tank water.
> 
> B


----------



## Sharpchick

Sparrowhawk said:


> This is from immediately after finishing planting, last Friday, but here's the three 30cm cubes on my dresser:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So far so good, no melting, no signs of anything bad. Just some growth happening and seemingly happy plants settling in.
> My first planted tanks with more than just shoddy LED lighting and a few anubias on driftwood.


Wow, if you hadn't said so, I'd never have known those tanks were just planted.

Very nice.

ETA: Is the substrate soil capped with sand?


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## Sparrowhawk

Sharpchick said:


> Wow, if you hadn't said so, I'd never have known those tanks were just planted.
> 
> Very nice.
> 
> ETA: Is the substrate soil capped with sand?


Thank you! The low-light plants were from my previous setups, but the rest were new. 

And yep, it's soil capped with sand. Or, I should say, a pretty fine gravel.


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## Sharpchick

Re-scape of my 20 long. Very peaceful community tank.


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## bpb

Sparrowhawk said:


> This is from immediately after finishing planting, last Friday, but here's the three 30cm cubes on my dresser:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> So far so good, no melting, no signs of anything bad. Just some growth happening and seemingly happy plants settling in.
> My first planted tanks with more than just shoddy LED lighting and a few anubias on driftwood.


What's the red plant and what's your trick to keeping it so red without co2 and dosing?


----------



## Sparrowhawk

bpb said:


> What's the red plant and what's your trick to keeping it so red without co2 and dosing?


It was an impulse buy my partner brought home when one of the plants I'd sent him on a mission for wasn't available, haha. I'm not quite sure what it is, but it does look a lot like rotala macaranda. More knowledgeable folk, please correct me if I'm wrong!

I don't do anything at all really, except add a little API CO2 Booster when I turn on the lights in the morning, and it's grown a lot and stayed a vibrant red since the tanks were set up 10 days ago. The soil may contain what it needs to stay red perhaps? I don't dose any ferts, so I think that must be it.


----------



## SowndFx

Here's my 55g!

Tank size- 55g ( 48Lx18Hx12D )
Lighting- All Glass 48" Dual Tube w/ 1x Flora Sun & 1x Tropic Sun bulbs 12 hour photoperiod 
Filter- 2x Marineland Emperor 400
Heater- 200w Eheim Jager 
Substrate- 1.5" Eco-complete capped with 2" Pool Filter Sand
Ferts- Seachem Flourish tabs and Flourish Comprehensive 

Plants:
Spiral Val 
Jungle Val
Anacharis
Anubias barteri
Crypt wendtii (Red, Green and Bronze)
Crypt parva
Java Fern
Java Moss
Amazon Sword
Ocelot Sword 
Red Tiger Lotus
and a couple leaves of Duckweed 

Livestock: 
6xZebra Danios
4xCherry Barbs
6xOtos
2xAmano Shrimp

Notes: This is my very first planted tank. This tank was recently upgraded from a 1yr old 38g non planted that I had a my parents house before I bought my own house and moved out. Perfect opportunity to upgrade! One of the filters is the old one I used on the 38g and the other is new with 1x established filter pad, 1x media tray of ceramic rings and 1x bio wheel swapped the old filter.(I like to over filter) Tank has been set up with its current stocking for 3 full weeks now. All fish are original survivors from the 38g. So far I haven't lost any plants and EVERY SINGLE ONE is showing great steady growth. Even the crypts which I've read everywhere are notorious for melting in new set ups or anytime they're moved. Only lost one leaf total. Didn't really have any aqua scape planned and just put plants where I thought they looked nice. Feedback on the scape would be great. My wife and I love the way it looks now but everyday I think about how this same setup will look when these plants all fill out and grow more. 

Well just wanted to post it up and see what you guys think. We don't invite many people over and this is our lil paradise. I know everyone here loves low tech and I've fallen in love with so many tanks here I wish I had the space at home for similar setups. Lol! Hope you enjoy! 

















Far left








Middle left








Middle 








Middle right








Far right


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## Aquaticz

looking good, nice contrast, 
now all you need is more plants.
I know when I got started I did not know which plants would grow in my tank's parameters. I can not say I have seen a thread on it but I think getting to know the plants first is a great way to go. I have planted some plants thinking "oh that will look great when it grows in". then a few weeks later it looks like an undesirable weed & out it goes. you also want to bunch like plants together and leave empty space- fish like that.

hope this helps



hello mods





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## Knotyoureality

This is why I laugh when people start insisting that you can't have lush growth without C02 and a complicated dosing regime. 

37g tall, fertilization is mostly Pfertz products (micro, macro, potassium and root tabs) and amazingly inconsistent; it can range from 4x a week to 1x in two weeks. Root tabs every 3-4 months under the heaviest feeders. I do get a lot of green algae on the glass but I've been too lazy to raise the light bar or find a way to attractively shield the tank from an hour of late afternoon sun. 










Stock: 11x black neon tetra, 6x sterbai cory, 1x GBR, 1x SAE, ottos (at least three, possibly several more), 3x car. propinqua, dozens upon dozens of cherry shrimp, 1-3x ghost shrimp, 1x amano, 2x zebra nerite, 1x red spot nerite, untold numbers of MTS, pond snails, rams horns and--stuffed and useless in the face of such a bounty-- 2x assassin snail.

Substrate is a mix of flourite and polished aquarium gravel that was scooped out in the far right and front to make room for sandy areas. River rock, malaysian driftwood and manzanita branches round things out.


----------



## alipper

SowndFx said:


> Here's my 55g!
> 
> Tank size- 55g ( 48Lx18Hx12D )
> Lighting- All Glass 48" Dual Tube w/ 1x Flora Sun & 1x Tropic Sun bulbs 12 hour photoperiod
> Filter- 2x Marineland Emperor 400
> Heater- 200w Eheim Jager
> Substrate- 1.5" Eco-complete capped with 2" Pool Filter Sand
> Ferts- Seachem Flourish tabs and Flourish Comprehensive
> 
> Plants:
> Spiral Val
> Jungle Val
> Anacharis
> Anubias barteri
> Crypt wendtii (Red, Green and Bronze)
> Crypt parva
> Java Fern
> Java Moss
> Amazon Sword
> Ocelot Sword
> Red Tiger Lotus
> and a couple leaves of Duckweed
> 
> Livestock:
> 6xZebra Danios
> 4xCherry Barbs
> 6xOtos
> 2xAmano Shrimp
> 
> Notes: This is my very first planted tank. This tank was recently upgraded from a 1yr old 38g non planted that I had a my parents house before I bought my own house and moved out. Perfect opportunity to upgrade! One of the filters is the old one I used on the 38g and the other is new with 1x established filter pad, 1x media tray of ceramic rings and 1x bio wheel swapped the old filter.(I like to over filter) Tank has been set up with its current stocking for 3 full weeks now. All fish are original survivors from the 38g. So far I haven't lost any plants and EVERY SINGLE ONE is showing great steady growth. Even the crypts which I've read everywhere are notorious for melting in new set ups or anytime they're moved. Only lost one leaf total. Didn't really have any aqua scape planned and just put plants where I thought they looked nice. Feedback on the scape would be great. My wife and I love the way it looks now but everyday I think about how this same setup will look when these plants all fill out and grow more.
> 
> Well just wanted to post it up and see what you guys think. We don't invite many people over and this is our lil paradise. I know everyone here loves low tech and I've fallen in love with so many tanks here I wish I had the space at home for similar setups. Lol! Hope you enjoy!
> 
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Nice! There are a good amount of people on here from CT. Really digging that.


----------



## glutandpoop

Here's my 6-gallon cylinder planted project - photos taken after setup and about 1 month later (with weekly trimmings, daily glut 2xdose, and no ferts) - 1 of 7 tanks I currently have set up with plants/fish/turtles/etc.:

Lighting: 2x26W Finnex actinic
Filter: Sponge
Substrate: 3/4" Marble gravel, fine white Petco gravel, dirt

Plants:
Argentine Sword (it's trying to grow emersed)
Bacopa Japan (growing like crazy)
Bacopa Caroliniana (another fast grower)
Elodea (trimmings for turtle food)
Water Sprite (grows and reproduces rapidly, had to remove a large one already)

Livestock:
~30 Molly fry (from the now-removed mom in the old pic)
2 Rosy Red Minnows
2 Bristlenose Plecos
~10 Red Cherry Shrimp
>100 Physa snails and a few Ramshorns (so far these have left most of the plants alone)

My plan is to see what grows and turn it into something pretty once I have a solid excess of plant matter to work with...


----------



## OVT

One of mine (75G Tall) before co2 was invented 










and 3 more before CFL and t5s


----------



## Green_Flash

I love that Discus tank, is the carpet dwarf sag or Pygmy chain sword?


----------



## OVT

Green_Flash said:


> I love that Discus tank, is the carpet dwarf sag or Pygmy chain sword?


Thank you.
The carpet is E. tenellus.


----------



## extrame

Here's my 50 gal home tank. 
Replanted last month


----------



## AguaTropical

It's definitely respectable when someone has a low tech tank that is just as lush and green as some high tech tanks.

Nice tanks everyone!


----------



## PeterN1986

Here's my Mini-M on my desk at work:


----------



## gene4christ

Latest update to my 95gal. It has been up for about 3mounths now and has went without a hitch . Had just a bit of an algae issue but has began to die back . I have Java fern but it will not grow , I do not know why but the rezones are still green so I left them in , also there is Narrow leaf Java in there it has began to die back some but I think it will make it but not sure . I have two 48" Coral Life light strips but just use one now because I do not have enough Plant to out compete the algae so cut back to just one fixture for 14 hours . I plan to get more plants for the mid and background as well as more Crips for the front . Then use a second timer and use both fixtures for about 4hours in the afternoon . I used 3"Miracle Grow with 3"gravel cap and about a 3" border of pool-filter sand . 









Check out the links bellow for more pictures of the process and let me know what you think .


----------



## fishboy199413

Your tank looks great, but I think the reason your Java Ferns are not growing is because the rhizomes appear to be buried which is not good for those kind of plants.


----------



## gene4christ

fishboy199413 said:


> Your tank looks great, but I think the reason your Java Ferns are not growing is because the rhizomes appear to be buried which is not good for those kind of plants.


The Narrow are just above the gravel, but the regular Java Fern is on and in the driftwood on the left , you just can't see it because nothing but the rhizomes are left . :icon_sad: It is a mystery to me . :icon_sad:


----------



## scapegoat

fishboy199413 said:


> Your tank looks great, but I think the reason your Java Ferns are not growing is because the rhizomes appear to be buried which is not good for those kind of plants.


looks like his anubias is in the substrate as well.


----------



## mccoy

Here's my low light, no C02 tank. Been up and running for about 2 weeks now.

Specs...

Tank - Marineland 29 gallon
Lighting - Coralife dual T5NO 2x18 watts
Filtration - 2x Marineland HOB filters (one Penguin 150 and one Penguin 200)
CO2 - none
Fertilizers - Dry macros and liquid traces. KNO3 1/8 tsp 2x week, KH2PO4 1/32 tsp 2x week, Flourish 1/2 capful 2x week.

Flora
Cabomba
Pennywort
Ludwigia (not sure what species, guessing that it's repens)
Frogbit
Dwarf sag
Moneywort
Rotala (I think rotundifolia)

Soon to come - sword, java fern, wisteria, maybe some moss on the driftwood

Fauna
20x neon tetra
4x julii cory
5x otocinclus

Soon to come - pair of dwarf cichlids (either GBRs or Apistos) 


FTS


Right side


Left side


----------



## BBradbury

*Low Tech, Low Light Planted 55 G*

Hello TPT...

Here's a pic of one of my 55 Gs. Nothing special as far as fertilizers or lighting. I add a little liquid fert to what the fish produce, just once a week when I do my large, water changes.

Just have a couple of 32 watt florescent bulbs from the hardware store. The plants are Anubias nana and nangi, Pennywort, Brazilian water weed, Java and a bit of Singapore moss.

B


----------



## gene4christ

scapegoat said:


> looks like his anubias is in the substrate as well.


It is just above the substrate as well . :^)


----------



## Droyer

*Updated Pic*

Figured I would give an update of my Jungle. Lots of growth with just Metricide and ferts.


----------



## Bryk

*First two completed planted tanks*

I recently got back into fish.

I decided this time to try to do planted tanks.

Here is a picture of my 46G and my 37G.

I initially started out with T8s but clearly that wasn't enough light. Now I am running a fugeray 36 and a 24 inch T8 on my 46G, and a Ray II 30 and Aqueon LED with 1 white and 2 colormax on my 37G.

46G is my community tank with 1 male betta, 2 male endler guppies, 3 GBRs(had a 4th but male just killed female after she ate eggs  ), 6 Gold white clouds, 3 male cherry barbs, 3 female cherry barbs, 2 male albino cherry barbs, 6 green neon tetras, 6 dwarf neon rasboras, 6 orange von rios, 5 marble hatchets, 2 silver hatchets, 6 green cories, 8 otocinclus, some ghost shrimp left(originally 30), some cherry shrimp(30+ in an attached finnex breeder). 

37G is my betta sorority tank with 10+ females, 3 angels, 3 julii cories, 2 bamboo shrimp, 3 mollies, 6 cardinal tetras, 6 gold barbs, 1 albino bristlenose pleco, 1 bristlenose pleco, 2 golden wonder killifish, 1 kuhli loach, 2 flying fox.


Plants I tried a bunch, small amounts of others. If you have any questions I can answer. However a lot of plants didnt' work.

I have started doing partial EI dry dosing for a few weeks now and just last week started metricide.


----------



## BulletToothBoris

Crypt Undulatas, Pennywort, Marrimo


----------



## shift

The Osaka forest


----------



## StraightAddicted

Very nice setups, wished my tank looked as good as everyones. Keep up with the photos :smile:


----------



## shambhalove.

*Equipment!*
-75 gallon tank
-4 bulb shoplight 32w 6500k t8's
-Eheim 2217
-Hydor ETH 300w
-Koralia Nano 425
-Pool filter sand (Flourish root tabs)
-Flourish Comp., Nitro and Aquavitro Activate

*Plants!*
-Anacharis
-Pennywort
-Cryptocoryne Wendtii (Brown)
-Dwarf Sagitteria Sublata
-Wisteria
-Anubia Barteri var. nana
-Vallisneria spiralis
-Amazon Sword
-Amazon Frogbit

*Critters!*
1 Opaline Gourami
2 Zebra Nerites
5 Horned Nerites
Amano Shrimp
Cherry Shrimp
MTS, Bladder and Ramshorn snails

The first of many


----------



## MrAlmostWrong

Sparrowhawk said:


> This is from immediately after finishing planting, last Friday, but here's the three 30cm cubes on my dresser:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So far so good, no melting, no signs of anything bad. Just some growth happening and seemingly happy plants settling in.
> My first planted tanks with more than just shoddy LED lighting and a few anubias on driftwood.


I'm in the process of trying to figure out a setup for my 4 male bettas. It looks like you only have filtration in one of the tanks (the middle) or are my eyes bad and I just can't see it in the other two?


----------



## Aztecace

First day of my 95 gallon wave dirted freshwater dirt tank. Converted it from saltwater.


----------



## alipper

shambhalove. said:


> *Equipment!*
> -75 gallon tank
> -4 bulb shoplight 32w 6500k t8's
> -Eheim 2217
> -Hydor ETH 300w
> -Koralia Nano 425
> -Pool filter sand (Flourish root tabs)
> -Flourish Comp., Nitro and Aquavitro Activate
> 
> *Plants!*
> -Anacharis
> -Pennywort
> -Cryptocoryne Wendtii (Brown)
> -Dwarf Sagitteria Sublata
> -Wisteria
> -Anubia Barteri var. nana
> -Vallisneria spiralis
> -Amazon Sword
> -Amazon Frogbit
> 
> *Critters!*
> 1 Opaline Gourami
> 2 Zebra Nerites
> 5 Horned Nerites
> Amano Shrimp
> Cherry Shrimp
> MTS, Bladder and Ramshorn snails
> 
> The first of many


Any issues with algae? How long is your light period? Tank looks MINT, love that driftwood.


----------



## jimmeh lee

Hey guys, been lurking a little while, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed going through all 72 pages of this thread. Saved multiple pictures for inspiration for when I eventually start up a 20 to replace my tenner!
Right now I've got two tanks, both I consider low-tech.
The first is a standard 10 gallon.
Lighting: Marineland aquatic plant led(New!)
Filtration: aquaclear 20
Heating: Fluval M 50 watt
Substrate: Flourite black
Flora: Java fern, needle leaf java fern, java moss(java java java..lol), anubias nana petite, cryptocrine wendtii, a couple stems of bacopa, and a few stems of....I don't remember. 
Fauna: 1 Male betta, 3 dwarf cories(started with 6, the other three didn't settle in well.), and an invincible olive nerite I've had for 5+ years.
I'll apologize now, most pictures I'll be posting are probably going to be taken from my iphone(And probably instagram'd, but no filter), until/unless I hassle my roomie into teaching me how to use his camera.


And the second is a 5 gallon marineland crescent 
Lighting: 13 watt Fluval compact florescent 6400k
Filtration: Whisper 10 that came with the tank, with an aquaclear 30 sponge in it. (bleh)
Heating: 25 watt marina heater
Substrate: Fluval plant stratum
Flora: Java moss/fern, bacopa, anubias nana petite, a stem of hygro difformis, and more of that mystery stem plant.. I's growing quite well in this tank. 
Fauna: Single male betta

Both tanks get excel every few days, flourish and trace on weekly water changes. Not much rhyme or reason in these two, set them up with stuff I'd brought with me when I moved down to Nashville. But I like 'em.
Here's an old 15 of mine from a few years ago, kept betta simplex in it


----------



## shambhalove.

alipper said:


> Any issues with algae? How long is your light period? Tank looks MINT, love that driftwood.


Thank you!

Had a bit of cyanobacteria before everything was established. Some hair algae as well, but both were pretty minor cases...increased flow, started dosing, let frogbit take over the top...problem solved :icon_cool

Lights are on 8 hours a day 12-8. The 4 T8s are actually quite bright so i had to raise the light until i could get some floaters.

Awesome tanks people, keep it up!


----------



## BigTom

Figured this thread needed bumping up from page 3.

Who needs CO2 and dosing schedules? 8 month before and after -


----------



## bpb

^^^^

Been following your tank since you posted the original thread a while ago. Goes down as one of my top 10 favorite tanks I've seen in the water keeping hobby. So well balanced.


----------



## Dave-H

Great job BigTom!


----------



## Silky

older picture of one of my 55's, mainly just java fern crypts and flame moss, i do basiclly nothing to this tank. Has 2 48inch T8 6500k lights on it I bought at Lowes.


----------



## Leighkai76

My 45 gallon low tech/no Co2 set up. I do occasionally use Excel but don't really notice much of a difference. 2 6500k T5HO, O+ root tabs, just started weekly ferts with API leaf zone. Two canister filters. Weekly 25-30% water changes.


----------



## Cinbos

Silky said:


> older picture of one of my 55's, mainly just java fern crypts and flame moss, i do basiclly nothing to this tank. Has 2 48inch T8 6500k lights on it I bought at Lowes.


Referring to your lights, do you have 2 dual 48" shop lights, as in 4 t8 6,500k bulbs total?


----------



## Sharpchick

My 29 gallon
FTS



Male guppies



10 gallon - male betta, 3 ADFs
FTS



Dubya was tired. Said, "Night, night."


----------



## EngineChauffer

Here is my 29 Gallon that I just started a journal on. I just ordered 10 yellow shrimp and am in the process of collecting what I need to properly take care of them. Forgive my inability to use my DSLR correctly. I need to figure out why the top gets overexposed and the bottom is dark. It looks much more "balanced" as far as light goes and lush in person.

Equipment Rundown​
Stand: Petco Brooklyn 29 Gallon Metal Tank Stand

Filters: Undertow undergravel filter connected to three Whisper 20's (Two with filter media - on 24/7 all the time - another with just a airstone and small mesh bag half full of peat pellets - on only at night -)

Lighting: Stock 29 hood retrofitted with AHSupply 55w compact kit with polished reflector. (4) TrueLumen 12k LED Moonlight pucks, (2) TrueLumen Blue pucks. All-Glass aquarium top.

Heater: Aqueon Pro 100w

Substrate: Mix of "medium" size light naturally colored gravel mixed with Flourite Red (Approx 60/40) Capped with Eco-Complete 

Other things: Malaysian Driftwood, Red Slate, Black Vinyl background, the usual timers, and dimmers for the LED's. 

Plant Species: Mellon Sword, Marimo Moss Balls, Red Nesaea, Micro Sword, Java Moss, Java Fern, Bacopa, Wide Leaf Sag, Water Wisteria, Red Ludwigia and Dwarf Hairgrass.

Stock: 1 Lg. Kissing fish. Name is Fred. I have had this guy for approx. 7 years since a friend of my wife moved away. I was going to get rid of him when I revamped this tank but don't have the heart to. He has one eye, the other he lost the lens a very long time ago to...well I have no idea what) If he really starts to rip things up (he does a little at night mostly) then I may have to let him go.

2 Baby Marbled Angels, 3 Black Mollies, 3 Gold Mollies, 1 Zebra Danio (mistake by LFS) 5 Brilliant Rasbora and a couple of Olive Nerite snails.

I dose 1 cap-full of Flourish Excel every other day, 20 percent water change once a week. I keep the tank at 78 degrees. I am not going to vacuum the gravel unless absolutely necessary.

On to the pictures...


































































































And with the LED's on:


----------



## Saxtonhill

My 10 gallon betta tank...still very much a work in progress...substrate is 2 inches of mineralized top soil capped by sand and some gravel. The lighting is a T8 15w 6500K fluorescent. HOB filter, Marinelife 100w heater set at 75 F. Using root tabs for three crypts wendetii (2 undulata [?] and 1 Tropica) Floating plants are anarachis and some riccia. Would love to add some small foreground plants or more java moss...

This tank is not as beautiful as many on this forum...but it's a start...this sure is a fun hobby


----------



## Silky

Cinbos said:


> Referring to your lights, do you have 2 dual 48" shop lights, as in 4 t8 6,500k bulbs total?


no, just 2 lights, 64 watts total. I can't remember if I had 1 10k light and 1 6500k light on this at the time. I was trying different bulbs and seeing how they looked.


----------



## extrame

update on my tank


----------



## bpb

*Really like this tank*

Very well done low tech. There are many many great looking low tech tanks on here but it's good to see a few that really get filled out like this. I'm going for kind of the same style. Some broad leaves in the back, dwarf sag, and more stems. Hoping mine fills out to this point by the end of the year. Can you give us a few quick specs on your tank? Mainly just lights, substrate, dosing, and what that really fine leaf stem plant bush is on the right? Well done



extrame said:


> update on my tank


----------



## EngineChauffer

extrame said:


> update on my tank


Wow, reminds me of a lush rain-forest, looking great!


----------



## extrame

Thanks bpb, I recently trimmed this tank. Took out the cabomba I had in the left back portion of the tank to make more space for the hygro polysperma. Also took out some stargrass, blyxa, and pearlweed from this tank and transfer them to another tank. i have collectoritis!! 

the plant on the right side is najas. They are really fast growers.I have to trim them on a weekly basis. It reached a point where it was touching the front glass and so the plants under it weren't getting any light. I have 4 t5 shop lights on this tank. We custom made the hood. Re-used dirt subs capped with pea gravel. No dosing no co2 in this tank


----------



## MikeyMizz

*40B...first tank...a few months in*

Equipment:

40g breeder Aquarium
36” Finnex Fugeray LED
DIY Stand
Eheim eXperience 250 Canister filter
Hydor 200W inline heater
Surface skimmer

Scape:
Aquasoil Amazonia
Rock (slate?)

Plants:
Marsilea minuta
Glosso (not surprisingly, very little left)
Helanthium tenellum 
Rotala Indica Rotundrafolia 
Hydrocotyle Verticillata
Ludwigia Repens x L. arcuata
Cyperus Helferi
Alternanthera reineckii 'rosaefolia'
Lysimachia Nummularia 'Aurea' (Golden creeping jenny)
Vallisneria Americana Gigantea (I don't think they're true jungle vals...)
Cryptocoryne x willisii (C. lucens)
Hygro bold
Fissiden Fontanus
Mini X-mas Moss

Fauna:
13 harlequin rasbora
3 otos (one was a petsmart buy which is a different variety than the other two)
1 true SAE
1 olive nerite
2 male fancy guppies
4 julii cory

Ferts:
Potassium - 1 capful or less per day
under-dosing API CO2 booster just b/c I have it through a craigslist box of stuff

Water:
I was doing RO remineralized with Equilibrium and Alkalinity buffer
Changed to 2/3 tap w/ Prime + 1/3 RO

Consistent Parameters:
2-4 KH
4-8 GH
0ppm ammonia
0ppm nitrites
5ppm nitrates
7.2-7.6 pH

Things that work:
Pretty much all the plants except the glosso

Things that don't so much work:
Well, too many fish and invertebrates have died...the cause is pretty much a mystery. Maybe it's just beginners anti-luck.


----------



## Carrie.a.gordon

75 gallon planted discus tank
48" t5 ho
Hydor iv sponge filter
Fluval 205 
Dosing with excel, and root tabs

Giant javas, jungle vals, crypt wendtii, bacopa, narrow leaf java fern, anubias nana, red tiger lily


----------



## bbroush

Carrie.a.gordon said:


> 75 gallon planted discus tank
> 48" t5 ho
> Hydor iv sponge filter
> Fluval 205
> Dosing with excel, and root tabs
> 
> Giant javas, jungle vals, crypt wendtii, bacopa, narrow leaf java fern, anubias nana, red tiger lily
> 
> View attachment 151442
> View attachment 151450


How have your vals done SO well with excel???


----------



## PapHater

This is my first go at a fish tank, let alone a planted tank, since I was just a kid so it's still very much a work in progress. The tank has been up and running just shy of two months. The HC was a late night drunken order so right now half of it is floating and another half is pinned into the substrate. I don't really want the hassle of it so I'm thinking of pulling it all up and just letting it float. I had pygmy chain sword in there but it was taking over so I ripped it and I have some staurogyne repens.

Tank: 20 Gallon Long
Light: Fugeray 30"
Filter: SunSun 303b
Substrate: MGOPM capped with a mix of play sand and black petco sand.

Flora:
Alternanthera reineckii roseafolia
Anubias Barteri 'coffeefolia'
Gold Creeping Jenny
Hygrophila corymbosa angustifolia
Italian Vals
flame moss
christmas moss
Myriophyllum Pinnatum
Bacopa Carolina
Marsilea hirsuta

Fauna:
German Ram x2
Cardinal Tetra x12
Ottos x6
Albino bristlenose x1 (he will be moved once he gets bigger)
Pond Snails x100 (until my assassin gets here)

Please excuse the crappy cell phone pictures.


----------



## nicholz




----------



## Carrie.a.gordon

bbroush said:


> How have your vals done SO well with excel???


I have no idea. They are spreading like wildfire.


----------



## MrAlmostWrong

It's not that Vals hate excel, they just hate being introduced to it at normal dosage usually. If you cut the dosages and build up to normal over time I've found that they do just fine.


----------



## bpb

I have no luck with Val's. I got some from a friend locally who had almost identical tank parameters. Both dirt tanks, bout the same light, and same tap water. They were overrunning his tank, and they all melted and died when I put them in my tank. I know some species melt and come back, but these never did. I've experience crypt melt down and grow back, java fern, and amazon sword also. The Val's just didn't return. Melted and dead


----------



## PaulG

bpb said:


> I have no luck with Val's. I got some from a friend locally who had almost identical tank parameters. Both dirt tanks, bout the same light, and same tap water. They were overrunning his tank, and they all melted and died when I put them in my tank. I know some species melt and come back, but these never did. I've experience crypt melt down and grow back, java fern, and amazon sword also. The Val's just didn't return. Melted and dead


I can never grow vals, no idea why.


----------



## dswiese

I also had the same experience with my vals. quick melt, but never any new growth


----------



## crazymittens

Not sure if sump disqualifies me...but I have essentially zero maintenance.


Tank: 55G w. 'beananimal/coast-to-coast' overflow/plumbing
Sump: 30G w. 1" coarse foam, pot scrubbies, heater, dual pumps
Substrate: Mineralized topsoil (see AaronT's posts) with black gravel top
Lighting: Dual 48" T8 (pretty sure the bulbs are done)
Plants: Honestly cannot remember the names, some anubias, vals, and I think swords...the water wisteria lasted about 6 months before finally dying off.
Fish: Cardinals (8), Blackskirt/Phantom Tetras (12), Sunburst Platies (10), 1 mixed angel

To date, we have not done any water changes (top-ups only), and only had algae when I left the light cycle too long (8-10 hours). Even then, all I did to fix was reduce light cycle to 4 hours.

I am quite certain the key to having zero water changes is centered around the large biofilter provided by the sump, and the coast-to-coast overflow clears the water rapidly. The other quotient is the high turnover - somewhere around 1000GPH.

For a first tank, it's a lot of fun. I think next time I'll be doing something much larger.

Pics/videos in the build thread.... http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=185167


----------



## Sharpchick

crazymittens said:


> Not sure if sump disqualifies me...but I have essentially zero maintenance.
> 
> 
> Tank: 55G w. 'beananimal/coast-to-coast' overflow/plumbing
> Sump: 30G w. 1" coarse foam, pot scrubbies, heater, dual pumps
> Substrate: Mineralized topsoil (see AaronT's posts) with black gravel top
> Lighting: Dual 48" T8 (pretty sure the bulbs are done)
> Plants: Honestly cannot remember the names, some anubias, vals, and I think swords...the water wisteria lasted about 6 months before finally dying off.
> Fish: Cardinals (8), Blackskirt/Phantom Tetras (12), Sunburst Platies (10), 1 mixed angel
> 
> To date, we have not done any water changes (top-ups only), and only had algae when I left the light cycle too long (8-10 hours). Even then, all I did to fix was reduce light cycle to 4 hours.
> 
> I am quite certain the key to having zero water changes is centered around the large biofilter provided by the sump, and the coast-to-coast overflow clears the water rapidly. The other quotient is the high turnover - somewhere around 1000GPH.
> 
> For a first tank, it's a lot of fun. I think next time I'll be doing something much larger.
> 
> Pics/videos in the build thread.... http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=185167


I must have missed it.

Never saw a full tank shot. That's what we are posting in this thread, I thought...


----------



## aznartist34

Sharpchick said:


> I must have missed it.
> 
> Never saw a full tank shot. That's what we are posting in this thread, I thought...


This is the original post that the op made for this thread



lauraleellbp said:


> Been a while since we had a thread like this, so I thought I'd start another, since this is the way I like to share and learn from other people. :smile:
> 
> The idea in this thread is to post a picture of your low tech tank(s), explain the setup (equipment, lighting, substrate, ferts, etc) and briefly explain a few things you've learned that do or don't work with your setup.


Clearly he/she posted the info and a link to the journal of that tank


----------



## waterfaller1

Need to work my way back through this great thread! Hi Lauralee!


----------



## Sharpchick

aznartist34 said:


> This is the original post that the op made for this thread
> 
> 
> 
> Clearly he/she posted the info and a link to the journal of that tank


Yes, I stand corrected. I had looked at the journal yesterday from the link, but missed the FTS from last September in post #73.


----------



## Psychedelic

First fish tank and first planted tank for that matter. Just ordered some dry ferts and have been dosing with excel. 

Equipment:
55 gallon aquarium
DIY stand
Eheim 2217 canister
Hydor koralia 550 powerhead
Hydor 300w external heater
Finnex fugeray 48"
Generic digital thermometer

Flora:
Hornwort
Jungle Val
Amazon sword
Anacharis 
Wisteria
Mexican oakleaf
Red temple?
And a small ludwiga I believe

Fauna:
6x serpae tetra
1x red tailed shark
1x common pleco (will be Rehomed when too big)
6x danios, 2 gold 4 zebra (going in my gfs tank soon)

Thinking about a school of peppered corys or yoyo loaches next.


----------



## Sharpchick

I really like that driftwood, and that you have it off center in the tank.


----------



## jiejian

My 40cm lowlight with no co2 injection- its lowtech i guess


----------



## jkpedrita

Wow! I spent the last several hours looking through this thread. Beautiful tanks!


----------



## crazymittens

Sharpchick said:


> Yes, I stand corrected. I had looked at the journal yesterday from the link, but missed the FTS from last September in post #73.


FTS hasn't changed too much...I'll try and get an updated pic for you. Moar fish. Bushier plants.


----------



## BHolmes

*Filter:*
Cascade 1500
*Light:*
Lunar T5 HO
*Bulbs:*
2 Flora Sun
*Substrate:*
MGOCPM, Floramax cap, sand
*Hardscape:*
Yamaya stone, Malaysian DW, slate
*Fauna:*
3 Glossolepis incisus 2M/1F, 4 Melanotaenia boesemani 2M/2F, 4 Melanotaenia kamaka 2M/2F, 4 Puntius denisonii, 1 Trichogaster trichopterus, 2 Corydoras paleatus 1M/1F, 2 Sturisoma panamense 1M/1F, 2 Synodontis nigriventris, 5 Otocinclus (1 KIA), 4 Puntius semifasciolatus, 2 Epalzeorhynchos bicolor, 3 Hymenochirus, Snails
*Plants:*
Ludwigia Peruensis, Ludwigia inclinata, Bacopa australis, Hygro Corymbosa, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Ludwigia inclinata 'Curly', Ludwigia atlantis, Echinodorus angustifolia 'Vesuvius', Anubias nana, Blyxa japonica, Hygrophila Pinnatifida, Blyxa aubertii, Fissidens, Riccia fluitans, Dwarf hairgrass, S. repens, Cryptocoryne wendtii 'green', Christmas Moss
Dosing very low NPK, Fe, Micro, and liquid co2


----------



## BigTom

BHolmes said:


> *Substrate*
> MGOPM, Flora-Max, Misc. Sand
> *Hardscape*
> Malaysian DW, Yamaya Stones
> *Filter:*
> Cascade 1500
> *UV:*
> Coralife 18w Turbo Twist
> *Heater:*
> Hydor 300w In-Line
> *Light:*
> Coralife 48" Lunar T5 HO
> *Bulbs:*
> 1 White, 1 Blue, 2 Red
> *Fauna:*
> 4 Red Rainbows (2M/2F), 4 Boesman Rainbows (2M/2F), 4 Blue Rainbows (2M/2F), 4 Denison Barbs, 1 Gold Gourami, 2 Pepper Cory (1M/1F), 2 Royal Farlowellas, 2 Upside Down Cats, 5 Ottos, Snails
> *Plants:*
> Micro Sword, Ludwigia Peruensis, Ludwigia inclinata, Bacopa australis, Hygro Corymbosa, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Ludwigia inclinata Curly, Ludwigia Atlantis, Echinodorus angustifolia 'Vesuvius', Anubias nana, Blyxa Japonica, Hygrophila Pinnatifida, Blyxa Aubertii, Fissidens, Riccia fluitans, Dwarf hairgrass, Algae
> *Dosing*
> Flourish, API CO2 Booster


Plants look great, but it isn't low tech if you're adding glut!


----------



## BHolmes

Glut?


----------



## Hilde

Glutaraldehyde which is in Seachem excel

There are many opinions of what is low tech. The word tech refers to technical devices. Thus if you are not using equipment to inject Co2 your tank put dosing with Co2 alternate your tank could be still considered low tech.


----------



## jkpedrita

BHolmes said:


> *Substrate*
> MGOPM, Flora-Max, Misc. Sand
> *Hardscape*
> Malaysian DW, Yamaya Stones
> *Filter:*
> Cascade 1500
> *UV:*
> Coralife 18w Turbo Twist
> *Heater:*
> Hydor 300w In-Line
> *Light:*
> Coralife 48" Lunar T5 HO
> *Bulbs:*
> 1 White, 1 Blue, 2 Red
> *Fauna:*
> 4 Red Rainbows (2M/2F), 4 Boesman Rainbows (2M/2F), 4 Blue Rainbows (2M/2F), 4 Denison Barbs, 1 Gold Gourami, 2 Pepper Cory (1M/1F), 2 Royal Farlowellas, 2 Upside Down Cats, 5 Ottos, Snails
> *Plants:*
> Micro Sword, Ludwigia Peruensis, Ludwigia inclinata, Bacopa australis, Hygro Corymbosa, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Ludwigia inclinata Curly, Ludwigia Atlantis, Echinodorus angustifolia 'Vesuvius', Anubias nana, Blyxa Japonica, Hygrophila Pinnatifida, Blyxa Aubertii, Fissidens, Riccia fluitans, Dwarf hairgrass, Algae
> *Dosing*
> Flourish, API CO2 Booster


Beautiful! I love the combination of the fish and the aquascape. They compliment each other well.


----------



## BHolmes

jkpedrita said:


> Beautiful! I love the combination of the fish and the aquascape. They compliment each other well.


Thanks! I really wanted something that would be as colorful and unique as the rainbows


----------



## bpb

BHolmes said:


> *Substrate*
> MGOPM, Flora-Max, Misc. Sand
> *Hardscape*
> Malaysian DW, Yamaya Stones
> *Filter:*
> Cascade 1500
> *UV:*
> Coralife 18w Turbo Twist
> *Heater:*
> Hydor 300w In-Line
> *Light:*
> Coralife 48" Lunar T5 HO
> *Bulbs:*
> 1 White, 1 Blue, 2 Red
> *Fauna:*
> 4 Red Rainbows (2M/2F), 4 Boesman Rainbows (2M/2F), 4 Blue Rainbows (2M/2F), 4 Denison Barbs, 1 Gold Gourami, 2 Pepper Cory (1M/1F), 2 Royal Farlowellas, 2 Upside Down Cats, 5 Ottos, Snails
> *Plants:*
> Micro Sword, Ludwigia Peruensis, Ludwigia inclinata, Bacopa australis, Hygro Corymbosa, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Ludwigia inclinata Curly, Ludwigia Atlantis, Echinodorus angustifolia 'Vesuvius', Anubias nana, Blyxa Japonica, Hygrophila Pinnatifida, Blyxa Aubertii, Fissidens, Riccia fluitans, Dwarf hairgrass, Algae
> *Dosing*
> Flourish, API CO2 Booster


So far that is the most high tech looking low tech tank on this thread I think. Well done. Hopefully mine turns out that nice in the next year


----------



## OVT

I guess low tech is relative

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2


----------



## BHolmes

There's not really anything high tech about it. I dose 7ml of Flourish and 10ml of co2 booster once a day. I also feed the fish twice a day, do a 50% wc once a week, and clean my filter once a month. Pretty low maintenance. I might even check the water parameters once every six months. I'm basically growing some plants under a light in tap water.


----------



## terrapedes

hi y'all
I want to start by apologizing for my crappy photos. 

I started my tank at the beginning of April this year, I'm a total newbie, and after some trial and error I think it's finally coming along. It's a 54L / 15G tank, I have a Flamingo Swordfish 200 internal filter, the filter has charcoal and a sponge and a 50w heater. I do water change, about 30%, every 2 weeks give or take and splash in ferts when I remember.
And I have guppies, want to get rid of them and get a few cories and maybe some rasboras or barbs. Somebody gave me the guppies, you don't say no to free stuff
other occupants are, pond snails, trumpet snails, ramshorn and I even saw a few limpets the other day.

this is at the beginning before I got any fish.
FLORA: 
Ludwigia repens (I think)
java fern
Saggitaria Natans
hornwort
duckweed










Moved some things about, took off the background because it kept peeling, painted the background black, and this is as it is now, I've added root tabs and am going to buy seachem ferts next week, the ferts I've been using don't seem to do much:/
FLORA: 
cuttings of a Fine Leaf Indian Fern (floating around)
Vallisneria red (and almost dead, my water is probably to acidic)
baby tears
Ludwigia repens (I think)
java fern
Saggitaria Natans
hornwort
duckweed
and last but not least "mystery plant" ***hygrophila polysperma**










"Mystery plant" it came on runners that I cut up and spread around. Any ideas what it is? ***has been identified as hygrophila polysperma









Terra


----------



## Mizuhuman

Sorry. I can't help you with your mystery plant, but I want to ask what kind of substrate are you using?


----------



## TorontoPlantMan

Here's my 20 Gallon high tank, It's a progression of when I first started it to where it's at now. It's my first planted tank and has been running for about 4 months. 

*Substrate*
Eco-Complete capped with Fluorite Dark

*Lights*
1 Fluorescent strip light, forget the wattage
2 CFL 23 watt 1450 lumens 

*Filtration*
- Tetra Whisper Power Filter - PF10
- Aquaclear Power Filter - 20

*Powerhead*
Maxi-Jet Pro Water Pump - 400

*Dosing*
- Seachem Potassium
- Seachem Iron
- SeaPora Plant Food Supplement

*Livestock*
- 4 Odessa Barbs
- 5 Tiger Barbs
- 6 Cory Catfish
- 1 Chinese Algae Eaters
- 5 Siamese Algae Eaters
- 1 Clown Pleco's
- 1 L001 Pleco
- 3 German Blue Ram

*Plant List*
- Cabomba
- Vallisneria
- Cryptocoryne Wendtii Green 
- Elodea Canadensis (Canadian Pondweed)
- Echinodorus Amazonicus (Amazon Sword)
- Lysimachia Nummularia (Moneywort)
- Alternanthera Reineckii Var. (Rosefolia)
- Elocharis Acicularis (Dwarf Hairgrass)
- Anubias nana
- Limnophila aromatica
- Rotala Magenta


----------



## terrapedes

It's from Flamingo, it was either beach or caviar.


----------



## somewhatshocked

Love returning to this thread.

Always great to see the great, lush scapes people have created without tons of fancy equipment.


----------



## bbroush

Wow! Do you feel like you've had any issues with your tank being overstocked? It looks great though!




TorontoPlantMan said:


> Here's my 20 Gallon high tank, It's a progression of when I first started it to where it's at now. It's my first planted tank and has been running for about 4 months.
> 
> *Substrate*
> Eco-Complete capped with Fluorite Dark
> 
> *Lights*
> 1 Fluorescent strip light, forget the wattage
> 2 CFL 23 watt 1450 lumens
> 
> *Filtration*
> - Tetra Whisper Power Filter - PF10
> - Aquaclear Power Filter - 20
> 
> *Powerhead*
> Maxi-Jet Pro Water Pump - 400
> 
> *Dosing*
> - Seachem Potassium
> - Seachem Iron
> - SeaPora Plant Food Supplement
> 
> *Livestock*
> - 4 Odessa Barbs
> - 5 Tiger Barbs
> - 6 Cory Catfish
> - 1 Chinese Algae Eaters
> - 5 Siamese Algae Eaters
> - 1 Clown Pleco's
> - 1 L001 Pleco
> - 3 German Blue Ram
> 
> *Plant List*
> - Cabomba
> - Vallisneria
> - Cryptocoryne Wendtii Green
> - Elodea Canadensis (Canadian Pondweed)
> - Echinodorus Amazonicus (Amazon Sword)
> - Lysimachia Nummularia (Moneywort)
> - Alternanthera Reineckii Var. (Rosefolia)
> - Elocharis Acicularis (Dwarf Hairgrass)
> - Anubias nana
> - Limnophila aromatica
> - Rotala Magenta


----------



## Hilde

terrapedes said:


> I've added root tabs and am going to buy seachem ferts next week, the ferts I've been using don't seem to do much


I think you would do better getting ferts from Select aquatics (Calcium sulfate, Iron sulfate, Magnesium sulfate, Potasium sulfate) with the addition of KNO3. For KNO3 I use Spectricide's Stump Remover (100% KNO3) from Home Depot.


----------



## terrapedes

I'd rather not have to order anything from abroad since the import taxes here (iceland) are horrendous.


----------



## Hilde

terrapedes said:


> I'd rather not have to order anything from abroad since the import taxes here (iceland) are horrendous.


Oops!! Didn't notice you were in Iceland. Quite agree. I look for sites that don't have shipping fees. 

If it is only seachem ferts you get I would get their Equilibrium and Nitrogen. 

Perhaps doing an advance search in member would help you find other members in your area, whom you could buy ferts from.


----------



## Psychedelic

Just tore down my 55 gallon and moved everything to my newly acquired 40g from petcos $1/gallon sale. Plans for the 55g are still undetermined 

40g:

6 serpaes
6 albino cories 
2 GBRs
1 bolivian ram


----------



## Mcar585

oldpunk78 said:


> great low techs everyone!
> 
> here's mine.
> 
> my 50g
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> just gravel and mts. i add nitrogen and phosphorous once a week along with some flourish now and then. haven't been changing the water at all lately. lighting is 2x21w t5no for 8hrs.
> 
> the 29g
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i might get flamed for adding this photo here, but up until one week ago this tank was non-co2/non-excel. lighting is 2x24w t5ho suspended way up above the tank. substrate is play sand and mts. i was dosing fallowing the tom barr non-co2 method. nothing has changed in the tank yet except the bubbles.)
> 
> all i did to take myself out of the low tech category was add co2, more ferts, and lower my lighting a little.


So how far above the 29g tank did you have your t5ho lights?


----------



## TorontoPlantMan

bbroush said:


> Wow! Do you feel like you've had any issues with your tank being overstocked? It looks great though!


No problems yet ! I find my barbs to me nipping at the plants which is really starting to annoy me because they love to nip at my colourful plants which ruins them. Eventually i'll move them to my 40 and get a school os rasboras or something whenever i can get rid of my god awful pacu :frown::frown:


----------



## Meganne

Realized I could add my 40 gallon cube on here. wish I coul take an awesome picture of it like some of you do but you get the idea of what I have.


----------



## shirtz

BHolmes said:


> There's not really anything high tech about it. I dose 7ml of Flourish and 10ml of co2 booster once a day. I also feed the fish twice a day, do a 50% wc once a week, and clean my filter once a month. Pretty low maintenance. I might even check the water parameters once every six months. I'm basically growing some plants under a light in tap water.


sounds low tech to me! will have to post today, am yet to check water, if i can drink it it must be fine


----------



## pantherspawn

Kind of hard to get the details in there.. I'm no photographer. Low tech setup, pretty much self maintaining. Have never had spikes of any kind even with deaths (most of which are cleaned up "in house"). Little bit about my setup.. 

55 gal 
Eco complete, fluorite, small gravel mix
All shelters and rocks homemade with slate, river rock and aquarium silicone. 
Three pieces of mopani wood still leaching tannins after two years. 
Coralife 4 way with two 65 watt 6700k and two actinic blue (for occasional looks at night only) 
Cannister filter with wand and hob both rated for 70 gallon ea. Use only sponge, poly fil and ceramic bio
Use root tabs every four months or so. 
Do 40-50 percent water changes every three weeks. Never vacuum gravel except an occasional hit directly under filter intakes. 

Plants, too many to list all but a few are.. 
Five varieties of anubais 
Crypts
Red and green tiger lotus
Amazon swords
Moneywart
Japanese Moss ball
java moss
Etc

Some of the inhabitants
Opaline guarami
Harlequin raspboras
Neon tetras
Black neon tetras
Black skirts tetras
Glow light tetras
Albino neon tetras
Emperor tetras
Danios
Albino bn pleco
Four varieties of cory
Nerites
Amano and cherry shrimp
A ton of Assassin snails

I don't use co2 or even excel unless there's an outbreak of some kind. Will dose with potassium occasionally if it looks like an algae bloom is forming. 

That's about it.. Thanks for looking. 



Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## MD86

20g high in its current setup for the past 4 months. Tried growing the usual list of "low light" plants like ferns, crypts, wisteria and they would always slowly die off. But for whatever reason my one anubias nana grew well. So when my LFS received a new shipment of various anubias I decided to change my tank to all anubias and I've had great success with it including a recent bloom.

Lighting - Coralife T5NO 2X14watt

Filtration - Eheim 2215

20% weekly water changes

PH 7.8

Flora - All anubias, Nana, Broadleaf, Striped and Congensis

Fauna - 10 Brilliant Rasboras, 2 Galaxy Rasboras, 1 Bristlenose Pleco


----------



## Saxtonhill

MD86, really like the variety of anubias


----------



## MD86

Thanks! Each rhizome grows a new leaf once every 1-2 weeks. No CO2, no ferts. The Bristlenose takes care of most of the algae. Not sure of the water parameters except for PH. It's a very easy and rewarding tank.


----------



## musicmarn1

*progress dirt tank*

some pictures of my set up low tech


----------



## GreenBliss

Beautiful tanks everybody.


----------



## Psychedelic

Just an update.










Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Chrisinator

Loving all these Low Techs! Cheap can be good!!


----------



## pantherspawn

Chrisinator said:


> Loving all these Low Techs! Cheap can be good!!


Man.. How I wish it was cheap. Haha


----------



## Mjolnir1982

Are shrimp a good option for a low tech tank? I just have my 75g butI really truly want it to be a success. And I'm looking for every piece of advice I can get. I'd read through all the forums but I have a six week old and sitting and reading aren't really on the menu these days. And I keep seeing aquasoil, I have rock in my tank that I really like cause it gives the bottom of the tank a creek type look. I have even added quarry rock just to give it even more of a great look. I also added relatively large stones into the tank that are I believe limestone to give the tank some height. Here is a pic of the tank as it stands right now. There are only a few inhabitants, guppies, but I would like to add some others that won't cause a lot of chaos to the tank and require I have to clean it frequently. So any advice that anyone can give I would be more than pleased. Thanks everyone and beautiful tanks by the way.


----------



## BittyB

^ Yes shrimp tanks can absolutely thrive in a low tech tank. They're low bioload and generally undemanding inhabitants. I have a 3g "Java Fern Tank" I started up and they are doing quite well there. I would go into the invert subforum and start a topic so that you get get fine details without flooding this picture thread.


----------



## Lyricrex524

I'm a newbie when it comes to keeping a planted tank. Always had the regular rock and sand cichlid tank. 
This is my first attempt, so I welcome any suggestions. 
29gal tank 
Coralife and standard fixture for lighting 
Flourite mixed with eco complete 
Also mixed in laterite 
I use flourish and co2 booster. 

Plants: 
Dwarf sag 
Amazon sword 
Anubias nana 
Anubias congensis 
Java moss ball 
Water wisteria 
Jungle val 
Anacharis 
Ludwigia Ovalis 
Forgot the name of one more. 

Fish: 
In the pic 1 albino pleco and betta 
Just recently added 
2 German blue ram
2 rosy barb 
1 yoyo loach 
5 tiger barb ( may not keep)
























Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Ganyon

Very nice tanks. I'll post my tank once my plants come in. Right now its basically empty.


----------



## Aqualibra

10g
Eheim 2211
MGOC with Flourite Black cap
Aquaticlife T5HO
(No CO2 or Fert dosing)

Flora:
Dwarf Sag
Crypt Wendtii Green
Anubias Nana Petite
Hygrophilia Corymbosa Compact
Java Moss
Bacopa Australis
Ludwigia Repens
Ludwigia Ovalis
Ludwigia Narrow Leaf
Amazon Sword
Frogbit

Fauna:
Cardinal Tetra
Otocinclus
Green Nerite Snails


----------



## Hilde

Aqualibra said:


> 10g
> Eheim 2211
> MGOC with Flourite Black cap
> Aquaticlife T5HO
> (No CO2 or Fert dosing)


I wish you would paste the picture here. I don't want to have to sign into another site to look.


----------



## Aqualibra

When I "Insert Image" the only option I have is a URL and I don't have that picture up on any photo sites. I'm still not sure what you're talking about, I see the photo in the post, just like any other post that's not using an "attached thumbnail". How are you getting redirected to another site? 

- nvm, i fixed it.


----------



## gene4christ

The tanks all look great ! Here are the latest pictures of my 90gal. Planted Community Tank . As of 7/27/13 and a video . :smile:


----------



## THE V

Here's my little 125g.

Been set up for 1 1/2 years. 

Swords, crypts, & vals of assorted species. 

10 23W CFL's on for 14 hours now. 

Builder's sand base capped with pea gravel for a substrated.

Weekly or bi-weekly addition of dry ferts. 

A C-360 & a chinese knockoff do the filtration (Aqua something 350).

A few slate shelters for the BN plecos to hide in and a nice big cherry tree branch inside.


----------



## Hilde

Aqualibra said:


> When I "Insert Image" the only option I have is a URL and I don't have that picture up on any photo sites.
> How are you getting redirected to another site?


I click on the link and window with SCAPE club to sign in appears. 

What I do is upload pic to flickr. Click on pic> R click > click on size > copy image location > paste in box (mountain inside it) in header.


----------



## gene4christ

Hmmm? I just drag and drop from youtube or my site album .


----------



## shirtz

here is my...50gal i guess!

plant wise, lots of val, amazon swords, anubias, some weird variegated thing and java moss.

neons, barbs, cories, RCS and others. 

ligts are just a fluro and a 18w plant something. use tap water, dont check balances and dont do any ferts


----------



## _FC

These tracks are awesome y'all. If these are low tech my tank should be no tech...

I do 80% water changes every 8 days... that's it no dosing living from miracle grow...










Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Rajeev

*My almost 10g planted tank - Drifted away*

Hi, 

I am new to this forum but has been extremely helpful in terms of information and how to go about a planted tank.

My tank is about a month and a half old.
45 l x 30 h x 28 w
Plants :
Anubias petite
Anubias barteri (i think)
Rotella ( just about 4 stems)
Cabomba Red
Cabomba Green
Dwarf Sag (few)
E tennelus
Hydrocotyle 

Fish
Glowlight tetras - 6
Neon Tetras - 5
Otto - 2
RCS - 6 (few babies delivered)

Substrate - Aquasoil

Hang on back filter

PL compact series - lighting

Looking forward to suggestions comments


----------



## tetra73

Here is my 3 weeks old low tech dirt tank, 20g. Dosing with 2x excel with light EI dosing, twice per week. Medium light.


----------



## kcoscia

*new at planted aquariums*










just rescaped today and two weeks old (first planting and eco complete laid two weeks ago)










better view of front right


----------



## andrewq

So this is my low tech. Just cleaned and removed dead plants today. Everytime I put any type of red plant, they die. I know i need to upgrade lighting, and just havent recieved new lights yet. For now I have eco complete with root tabs. Stock lighting, 2 aquaclear filters, 70 and 50. Java moss is growing really quick on driftwood. Cant wait till it covers entire piece. The main piece is resting on top of another piece of driftwood. The other piece is a cave, and the pictures hardly do it justice. Need a better camera


----------



## andrewq

Also suggestions on background plants would be greatly appreciated


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist

Hi All,

A low tech 10 gallon and 20 gallon. The 10 gallon uses Safe-T-Sorb #7941 substrate, 2X10 watt 6500K CFL's, and a 100 gph HOB filter. The 20 gallon uses the same substrate, 1X26 watt LED lamp array, Marineland C-160 canister filter. For fertilizer both get a modified EI dosing regime with Excel/glutaraldehyde for carbon molecules.

10 gallon









20 gallon


----------



## TonyK

Tetra, what kind of plants do you have in this tank? Do you have a journal for it? I really like it plus I am setting up a 20L right now.



tetra73 said:


> Here is my 3 weeks old low tech dirt tank, 20g. Dosing with 2x excel with light EI dosing, twice per week. Medium light.


----------



## NannerPudding

I swear it is less of a mess in person. This is my DBP 8 inch cube (about ~2 gallons) that also happens to be my first "real" attempt at having a planted tank (as opposed to a tank with plants in it). It serves as home for two very personable dwarf frogs.


----------



## shambhalove.

Keep it up everyone, lots of good ideas and inspiration here!!

Here's my newish 20L shrimp tank! 

24" Fugeray, Eheim 2215, 200w Hydor, Aqua Soil, Light EI dosing

Crypts, Vals, Bacopa, Flame Moss, Rotala, Hygrophila, Dwarf Sag, Pennywort


----------



## Chanders

My low tech tank. Just a few cardinal tetras and a couple Angels. Will eventually have Discus.

90g tank 4x1.5x2
Aquatop canister filter
Some root tabs
API leaf zone
Generic sponge filter 

Sorry I don't know the names of any plants so if anyone can name plants off the top of your head I'll greatly appreciate it


----------



## newbieplanter

I was wondering what light bulbs your running and the substrate?






Chanders said:


> My low tech tank. Just a few cardinal tetras and a couple Angels. Will eventually have Discus.
> 
> 90g tank 4x1.5x2
> Aquatop canister filter
> Some root tabs
> API leaf zone
> Generic sponge filter
> 
> Sorry I don't know the names of any plants so if anyone can name plants off the top of your head I'll greatly appreciate it


----------



## kcoscia

shambhalove. said:


> Keep it up everyone, lots of good ideas and inspiration here!!
> 
> Here's my newish 20L shrimp tank!
> 
> 24" Fugeray, Eheim 2215, 200w Hydor, Aqua Soil, Light EI dosing
> 
> Crypts, Vals, Bacopa, Flame Moss, Rotala, Hygrophila, Dwarf Sag, Pennywort


love it!


----------



## newbieplanter

What are the plants on the right side of your tanks I wanna buy some?








Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi All,
> 
> A low tech 10 gallon and 20 gallon. The 10 gallon uses Safe-T-Sorb #7941 substrate, 2X10 watt 6500K CFL's, and a 100 gph HOB filter. The 20 gallon uses the same substrate, 1X26 watt LED lamp array, Marineland C-160 canister filter. For fertilizer both get a modified EI dosing regime with Excel/glutaraldehyde for carbon molecules.
> 
> 10 gallon
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20 gallon


----------



## tetra73

TonyK said:


> Tetra, what kind of plants do you have in this tank? Do you have a journal for it? I really like it plus I am setting up a 20L right now.



The carpeting ones are the Pygmy Chain Swords. The bushy ones are the Blyxa Japonica. At the corners are the ludwigia ovalis. I have like 15+ stems of Marselia minuta in which I originally wanted to use them for carpeting. They aren't really growing at the moment but only planted them less than 2 weeks ago.


----------



## Chanders

newbieplanter said:


> I was wondering what light bulbs your running and the substrate?


The substrate is a white gravel as stated on the bag but its more like a coral sand texture. I'll try to get a picture for you (see below).

The light is a full spectrum 4' bulb and normal fluorescent 4' bulb. Both 30W so a total of 60W for 90g tank.


----------



## extrame

hi guys, here's an update of my Low-tech/dirt tank
it been running for 2 years now. 








close up of the boesemanis


----------



## shambhalove.

Nice rainbows! roud:


----------



## Canadianbettas

Low Light
Low Light Plants
Soil / Fluorite

Use to be a high light co2 tank.. when I took away co2/highlights highlight plants started dying off.. what was left was a low maintenance low light tank


----------



## newbieplanter

Those bosemani how do u keep them so bright in color, R U feeding them the live brine shrimp?







extrame said:


> hi guys, here's an update of my Low-tech/dirt tank
> it been running for 2 years now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> close up of the boesemanis


----------



## Sajacobs

Wow. Beautiful.


----------



## johndimo

Here's my 55. Been setup since for around 8 months. No CO2, only some Flourish Comp Flourish Potassium 2-3 times per month.

This pic was after I hacked away at my amazon swords and pruned them down to about half their leaves.

My picture taking ability sucks, tank looks much better in person.


----------



## Bradleyv1714

Holy cow! I can't believe I just liked at every single page and post of this thread. Lol! Many amazing tanks on this thread that are low tech. Really does give me some hope to look forward to.

Here is my tank...
55gal with a canister filter that I dont remember which one it is right now. I have a fan in the tank to make some movement in the water but ive been looking to add some more movement to the tank. I really dont know what to do with my tank. 

The link in my sig is what it looked like at its prime but this picture I took a few days ago. I have 3 denison barbs, 3 brilliant rasboras, 2 gbrs,1 blue gourami, 2 green cory cats, 1 albino bn pleco, 1 clown pleco, 1 apple snail plus an albijo mystery snail. Most fish were my gf choice as I wanted a nice school of denison barbs.

I have some crypt red and brown, crypt parva and lots of java fern plus some java moss. 

My substrate is eco complete with regular gravel on top of the eco.

I dose seachem flourish comp once a week. I also have osmocote pills that I used to put under the gravel when I used to have some swords and the crypt plants.










any suggestions on rescaping my tank would be amazing! I was also trying to decide what plants to put in there. I was looking at getting hygros again. I love them! I was thinking of shifting my driftwood to one side like many of the other tanks on here have and doing a side focal point but not sure how that will look but ill have to try it on friday. Please pm me with any suggestions. Please and thank you


----------



## extrame

newbieplanter said:


> Those bosemani how do u keep them so bright in color, R U feeding them the live brine shrimp?


hi newbieplanter,
well i have a lot of shrimp in that tank, i guess they are feeding on them from time to time. also, they are more colorful when the tank lights are out haha


----------



## newbieplanter

Did u buy the fish online somewhere or at LFS?





extrame said:


> hi newbieplanter,
> well i have a lot of shrimp in that tank, i guess they are feeding on them from time to time. also, they are more colorful when the tank lights are out haha


----------



## pseudomugil

20 gallon long top off only, set up for about 4 months.

Flora:
hygrophila polysperma, ludwigia repens x arcuata, vallisneria americana, java moss, java fern narrow leaf, trident, windelov, and normal, crypt wendtii green and bronze, crypt undulata, and fontinalis antipyretica.

Fauna: fundulopanchax gardneri nigerianus pair, 4 oryzias woworae, 1 pseudomugil gertrudae (getting some more soon), 2 corydoras habrosus, 3 corydoras pygmaeus, and 1 oto.

pic attatched.


----------



## extrame

newbieplanter said:


> Did u buy the fish online somewhere or at LFS?


i buy my fish at LFS in my area 
waited for this rainbows for almost a year hahaha


----------



## thebuddha

pseudomugil said:


> Fauna: fundulopanchax gardneri nigerianus pair, 4 oryzias woworae, 1 pseudomugil gertrudae (getting some more soon), 2 corydoras habrosus, 3 corydoras pygmaeus, and 1 oto.


cool fish, i bet that tank is a lot of fun to watch!


----------



## Meganne

pseudomugil said:


> 20 gallon long top off only, set up for about 4 months.
> 
> Flora:
> hygrophila polysperma, ludwigia repens x arcuata, vallisneria americana, java moss, java fern narrow leaf, trident, windelov, and normal, crypt wendtii green and bronze, crypt undulata, and fontinalis antipyretica.
> 
> Fauna: fundulopanchax gardneri nigerianus pair, 4 oryzias woworae, 1 pseudomugil gertrudae (getting some more soon), 2 corydoras habrosus, 3 corydoras pygmaeus, and 1 oto.
> 
> pic attatched.


 OMG those are so cool!
http://youtu.be/IXMrgbp0J50


----------



## Northman

Hi shambhalove, 

I love your tank. Three questions; can you give us a head on FTS? Also, What did you use to hang your light fixture (clips, brackets etc ...) and how high is it above your tank?

I appreciate your reply and again, great tank!

Thanks,
Northman


----------



## terrapedes

*update on my green tank*

A little update on my post from a while back. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=3756089&postcount=1126

I have since, killed my vallisneria, thrown out the hornwort, put my java fern into another tank, taken out the rocks I had, and put in bogwood/driftwood with anubias nana and java moss. I have also moved some plants around, gotten a new filter (hate it!) and ordered another external filter. 

My guppy population exploded! I've been giving them away, and tomorrow I'm probably giving most of them away. There is so much poop!

Anyways here is a video:


----------



## shambhalove.

Northman said:


> Hi shambhalove,
> 
> I love your tank. Three questions; can you give us a head on FTS? Also, What did you use to hang your light fixture (clips, brackets etc ...) and how high is it above your tank?
> 
> I appreciate your reply and again, great tank!
> 
> Thanks,
> Northman


Thanks!

Which tank? I have a 20 and a 75 on here 

I use chains with s hooks to hang all my fixtures, that way adjusting height is as easy as moving the hook up/down the links.

You can check out my journals for some more detail too.


----------



## Northman

The 20L. What are the S hooks hooked to on the side of the lighting?

I appreciate your help


----------



## Rajeev

*My 1st planted tank-pics updated*

Hi all, few more pics post WC and some trimming. looking forward to comments and suggestions. 
Attached Thumbnails


----------



## Bradleyv1714

Rajeev said:


> Hi all, few more pics post WC and some trimming. looking forward to comments and suggestions.
> Attached Thumbnails


I think your tank is really nice actually! I am in love with rimless tanks so thats my weakness. I have been thinking of removing the rim on my tank but not sure what that would do to my tank or tank glass.


----------



## GMYukonon24s

That's a beautiful tank Rajeev!


----------



## CuzIsaidSo

I just went through all 80 pages of inspiration...AMAZING TANKS!!!!


----------



## Saxtonhill

Extrame and Canadianbettas your vals are so nice and lush! I can't seem to get mine to grow...made the mistake of using too much excell to control algae and killed the vals except the small few that re-grew...so decided to let the green algae grow...


----------



## kcoscia

kcoscia said:


> just rescaped today and two weeks old (first planting and eco complete laid two weeks ago)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> better view of front right


update:


----------



## plantedtankmelb

*planted tank*

Hi,

Just wanted to put some photos of my tank up.
It has been setup for about 3 months, and still has some growing in to do.
Don't use any ferts, occasional excel.

Details are:

36x18x18 tank.
Lighting is 2x39 watt T5.
Substrate is black earth aqua soil.

Plants:
Frogbit, vallisneria, lilaeopsis brasiliensis, java moss, water wisteria (hygrophila difformis), amazon sword, rotala, ambulia, mayaca

Fish:
9 rummy nose tetra
6 male guppies
6 harlequin rasbora
1 blue ram
1 pearl gourami


----------



## newbieplanter

Here's a low low for y'all 
Custom 10gal, 2-T12s 20w ea.
HOB aqua clear 50
2-Marble Angel fish 
1-Bristlenose Pleco
?-Assassin snails
These are pics of the tank after it was just built. This was gonna be a shrimp tank an I had over 30 red rili shrimp and they all died I think it was due to the amazon soil. This was the first time using it and I had a bad swing day n night of the KH I think, it was 0 in day n 40ppm night I tried to get help but got nothing so I'm gonna do another tank smaller with organic soil caped with black sand and try again anyway that's the tank as it stands. Tanks for lookin.
















Plants/moss








My little angels.
































Heres the pleco.


----------



## junaid368

Here is my first tank that I started a few months ago. Its all low tech except for excel dosing. 

I just have some basic low light plants like wistera, water sprite, some java moss, some apons, 2 lillies. It houses some silver tips, black skirts, few guppies, dwarf gourami, a BN pleco, a few snails and ghost shrimp.


----------



## Stinkypinky12

hey thats a 20 gallon tall eh? what light are you using on that?


----------



## Xiaozhuang

5 Gal with soil substrate capped with artificial soil. No CO2, Ikea 20watt table lamp for light. NPK added weekly.

Plants; Crypt undulatus, glosso, rotala wallichi, downoi, rotala rotundifolia, java fern, 
Lifestock; 3 cherry shrimps, 5 micro rasboras


----------



## emmalee01

My 6 gal low tech- this tanks only been running a few weeks, my first real planted tank. Still a lot to learn!

Ferts: Flourish once weekly, root tabs
Lighting: LEDs 4.5W (am upgrading to an 11W T5 this week)
Home to 7 CPDs and a betta

anubias, Java fern, moneywort, star grass and a bunch I'm still unsure of


----------



## emmalee01

Xiaozhuang said:


> 5 Gal with soil substrate capped with artificial soil. No CO2, Ikea 20watt table lamp for light. NPK added weekly.
> 
> Plants; Crypt undulatus, glosso, rotala wallichi, downoi, rotala rotundifolia, java fern,
> Lifestock; 3 cherry shrimps, 5 micro rasboras


Amazing!


----------



## Tiptop

Xiaozhuang said:


> 5 Gal with soil substrate capped with artificial soil. No CO2, Ikea 20watt table lamp for light. NPK added weekly.
> 
> Plants; Crypt undulatus, glosso, rotala wallichi, downoi, rotala rotundifolia, java fern,
> Lifestock; 3 cherry shrimps, 5 micro rasboras


Woah! Great glosso lawn! I want my 18gal to look that good!


----------



## junaid368

Stinkypinky12 said:


> hey thats a 20 gallon tall eh? what light are you using on that?


its a 29 gal "high". I'm using an aquean and installed 4 CFLs inside of it


----------



## 951socal

*Xiaozhuang, what kind of tank is that?*



guessing this doesn't count? 

sub $40 betta tank (betta incl)


----------



## Roshan8768

Here's mine:

20 Gallon High-10 years old



Substrate-inert aquarium sand
Filtration- Eheim 2213
Water Movement- Maxijet 400
Lighting- Hagen GLO 2x24 Watt T5HO

Flora:
Anubias Nana 
Microsorum pteropus (Java fern)
Fontinalis antipyretica (Willow moss)
Rotala indica
Ludwigia sp. atlantis
Vallisneria americana (Vals)
Ceratophyllum demursum (Horn wort)
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis (Micro sword)
Nymphaea zenkeri (Red Tiger Lotus)

Fish:
2 x Fancy Goldfish
6 x Platies
11 x Harlequin Raboras
5 x Black Neon Tetras
6 x Neon Tetras
4 x Cherry Barbs
2 x Female Bettas
1 x Peppered Corydoras Catfish

Maintenance:
Feed 2 x a day
Top off weekly
Scrub Glass and wipe down outside of tank every two weeks
Trim and 50% water change once a month
Clean Eheim every 3 months
Root tabs added for lotus twice a year


No ferts.... just plenty of light, plenty of fish, and lots of food!!


----------



## freak

I ditched all my plastic plants so here's my freshly planted low light 55g angel tank after one month of growth. Substrate is gravel, plants are-
Java ferns
Hygrophillia polysperma 
Water wisteria 
Water sprite
Jungle vals 
For fertilizing I dose with seachem comprehensive once a week and use root tabs for the vals. I run my light about 7 hours a day. I do two water changes a week religiously.


----------



## newbieplanter

freak said:


> I ditched all my plastic plants so here's my freshly planted low light 55g angel tank after one month of growth. Substrate is gravel, plants are-
> Java ferns
> Hygrophillia polysperma
> Water wisteria
> Water sprite
> Jungle vals
> For fertilizing I dose with seachem comprehensive once a week and use root tabs for the vals. I run my light about 7 hours a day. I do two water changes a week religiously.


All I can say about this tank is its HOT like BLUE FIRE HOT! If u look at it u will see what I mean.


----------



## Aurie

junaid368 said:


> its a 29 gal "high". I'm using an aquean and installed 4 CFLs inside of it


I did the same thing but only using 2 23w .. I guess I could have fitted more.

Here's my 29
Aquaclear 70/Aqueon Quietflow30
2x 23w 6700 CFL
Tahitian Moon Sand
1 BN pleco
1 mystery snail
5 julii corydoras
8 Bentosi Tetra
7 neons
1 Bolivian Ram

3x excel/week 1-2x flourish comp/week












Here's my 46 (a freebie donation from a friend, everything but fish/sand/plants)

Eheim 2215
Maxijet power filter
Coralife/aquaticlife 2x t5HO 6700
Pool Filter Sand

At the moment it houses:
lots of pond snails
4 assassins
8 Amanos
2 hengeli rasboras (I couldn't catch them on "fish trade in day")
1 Parkinsoni Rainbow (he'll have friends once I move in a month)
2 dwarf sunset gourami
10 dainty corydoras
5 khuli loaches
5 glass catfish


----------



## Hilde

Aurie said:


> Here's my 29
> 3x excel/week 1-2x flourish comp/week


I don't see any plants that need excel. I see a lot of crypts which need a rich substrate, thus I think adding iron would be beneficial.


----------



## Aurie

I only do excel because even though there's no co2 I have some tufts of Bba. Not sure how I got it n that tank only but the excel seems to keep it manageable till I move and put everyone into a 55

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


----------



## johnson18

I've read this entire thread at least twice, like no joke. Such a wealth of knowledge in between all the pretty pictures...... Must focus!!!!!


----------



## tetra73

My 20g low tech dirt tank, 4 months later. Dosing daily excel 2x. Modified, light EI dosing. No CO2 of course. Homedepot t8 light strips. 


8O2T0002 by vracing, on Flickr


----------



## jbrady33

tetra73 said:


> My 20g low tech dirt tank, 4 months later. Dosing daily excel 2x. Modified, light EI dosing. No CO2 of course. Homedepot t8 light strips.
> 
> 
> 8O2T0002 by vracing, on Flickr


Very nice! Is that Blyxa?


----------



## tetra73

jbrady33 said:


> Very nice! Is that Blyxa?



Yes. They are very bushy and thinner leaves without CO2. No trimmings are needed, which is nice. In my high tech tank, these Blyxas are like weeds. I have a huge ball growing near the water surface...


----------



## jbrady33

tetra73 said:


> Yes. They are very bushy and thinner leaves without CO2. No trimmings are needed, which is nice. In my high tech tank, these Blyxas are like weeds. I have a huge ball growing near the water surface...


They look amazing! I purposely stayed away from blyxa after everything I read said "needs co2 injection to thrive" - but yours look fantastic. Now I'm going to have to get a little bush too


----------



## Charrr89

Woohoo! Now I'm Guna try and pull some blyxa from my high tech and throw it in my low/med tech tank


----------



## livebearerlove

Ill join in. 6 gal fluval edge.
(bad picture)- now that I got the tank thing down, I have to figure out the photo thing...








Fluval edge standard: 21 7600K LED's 3 watts On for 8 hours/day
Sera Florena plus Iron= 1ml 1 x week Phosphate= 1/4 teaspoon (diluted) 1 x week Flourish Potassium= .5ml 1 x week Flourish Excel= .5ml every other day

Nano Anubias in the back corner Moss on tree is Peacock moss. The pathway down the middle is lined with Coral Moss (Mini Pellia) On the rocks, weaving in and out is beautiful Phoenix US fissidens Moss. In the back behind the small mound of rocks is flame moss. The bush in the front left is Sulawesi fissiden moss tied together to look like a bush.

Blue Japanese Lyretail Livebearer, Classic Endlers livbearer, or mutants (hybrid), 3 Painted Fire Red Grade shrimp (and their babies), Mini Oto, Nerite snails, 2 baby Amano shrimp, Assassin snail (who is currently taking a time-out in my quarantine tank for eating all my good snails).


----------



## newbieplanter

livebearerlove said:


> Ill join in. 6 gal fluval edge.
> (bad picture)- now that I got the tank thing down, I have to figure out the photo thing...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fluval edge standard: 21 7600K LED's 3 watts On for 8 hours/day
> Sera Florena plus Iron= 1ml 1 x week Phosphate= 1/4 teaspoon (diluted) 1 x week Flourish Potassium= .5ml 1 x week Flourish Excel= .5ml every other day
> 
> Nano Anubias in the back corner Moss on tree is Peacock moss. The pathway down the middle is lined with Coral Moss (Mini Pellia) On the rocks, weaving in and out is beautiful Phoenix US fissidens Moss. In the back behind the small mound of rocks is flame moss. The bush in the front left is Sulawesi fissiden moss tied together to look like a bush.
> 
> Blue Japanese Lyretail Livebearer, Classic Endlers livbearer, or mutants (hybrid), 3 Painted Fire Red Grade shrimp (and their babies), Mini Oto, Nerite snails, 2 baby Amano shrimp, Assassin snail (who is currently taking a time-out in my quarantine tank for eating all my good snails).


This tank looks too good to be low tech, lol nosa it is saweeeeeet tho.


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist

Hi All,

Here is a thread I did on a low light / low tech 10 gallon that might help you.



> plants including Limnophila aromatica 'Wavy', Pogostemon helferi (Downoi), Pogostemon erectus, Helanthium tenellum (Echinodorus tenellus/Micro Chain Sword), Barclaya longifolia, Cuphea anagalloidea, Rotala sp 'Bengladesh', and Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Bronze'. The Rotala sp 'Bengladesh' came from one of my isolation containers; the Pogostemon helferi and Cupia anagalloidea came from my emersed plant bank; the rest were grown submersed and came from one of my other established tanks. Yes, several of the species listed above would typically be found in a 'high tech' tank with much more light and CO2 but I wanted to see what I could do with 'low tech'.


Low light/low tech/no CO2 Day 3









Low light/low tech/no CO2 Day 42


----------



## livebearerlove

newbieplanter said:


> This tank looks too good to be low tech, lol nosa it is saweeeeeet tho.


Low tech. Low light. Only thing near high tech is recently started dosing with Excel (recently meaning a week ago).

Thanks tho!


----------



## newbieplanter

livebearerlove said:


> Low tech. Low light. Only thing near high tech is recently started dosing with Excel (recently meaning a week ago).
> 
> Thanks tho!


The coral moss is that a fast grower or slow cuz I was thinking of getting some but wasn't shure?


----------



## newbieplanter

livebearerlove said:


> Low tech. Low light. Only thing near high tech is recently started dosing with Excel (recently meaning a week ago).
> 
> Thanks tho!


The coral moss is that a fast grower or slow? I'm gonna get some but I wanted to know what the growth was like first?


----------



## armada

Mine doesn't compare to the beauties in this thread, but here it was a few months ago. The cichlids were rehomed and only put in there while I set my 90 up (which didn't get to happen, long story). They ultimately destroyed all my plants and I have basically started anew, so hopefully I'll be able to add an updated picture soon!









and just for sh*ts and giggles, here it was 1.5-2 weeks with no pruning









They tore those poor Lilys to pieces  
It's a 20 gallon tall, blasting sand substrate, low light, fish as fertilizers, non-consistant water changes. Whatever I was doing, I guess I was doing it right to get that insane growth? Ahaha


----------



## livebearerlove

newbieplanter said:


> The coral moss is that a fast grower or slow? I'm gonna get some but I wanted to know what the growth was like first?


Ever have a bonsai tree?
Painfully slow growing. I grew a bunch, connecting it to metal wire sheets, then pinning into place. Nutso time consuming.


----------



## inka4041

livebearerlove said:


> Ever have a bonsai tree?
> Painfully slow growing. I grew a bunch, connecting it to metal wire sheets, then pinning into place. Nutso time consuming.


So worth it though. Not much else really gives you that tight, low growth, and the stuff is basically indestructible. 

Glad to see so many gorgeous low tech tanks on this sub. Here's my latest attempt at a low tech shrimp tank, in the ubiquitous fluval spec v.


----------



## Saxtonhill

absolutely love this thread...I keep coming back to read and learn...so inspiring!


----------



## MarkM

Here are my two tanks. First is my 50, BML7K LED, Fluval 306, aquarplantdotcom substrate, two jager heaters, low and medium light plants, tetras, corys, otos, avg. 20 par.










Here is my 120, BML10K LED, FX6, Flurite Black, two jager heaters, low and medium plants, corys, otos, Angels.










Platinum Angels in the 120.


----------



## AquaAurora

MarkM said:


> Platinum Angels in the 120.


Your platinums look like "pearl scale"s from the photo, the middle one at least.


----------



## nicholz

8 gallon cube with dirt, sand and floramax substrate. galaxy rasboras and peacock gobies plus a few cherry shrimp and MTS single daylight ~6K LED bulb























Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk


----------



## newbieplanter

MarkM said:


> Here are my two tanks. First is my 50, BML7K LED, Fluval 306, aquarplantdotcom substrate, two jager heaters, low and medium light plants, tetras, corys, otos, avg. 20 par.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is my 120, BML10K LED, FX6, Flurite Black, two jager heaters, low and medium plants, corys, otos, Angels.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Platinum Angels in the 120.


Those angels look saweeeeeeet an even better when it's a gang of em (like 30 or so).


----------



## MarkM

*Angels*

I have six Angels in my 120 and they are still small. I got them from a breeder in the extended area. She says that there is a 40% chance that the fish will be pearl scale and there is some evidence so far. The fish are about dollar size now, (dime and nickle when I got them). They share the tank with 2 schools of Tetras (7+8), 4 corys, 3 Otos, and the plants.

Water Sprite is taking over and I am having to cut it back twice a month. I plan to remove most of it and try a couple of plants with some red tones.


----------



## newbieplanter

MarkM said:


> I have six Angels in my 120 and they are still small. I got them from a breeder in the extended area. She says that there is a 40% chance that the fish will be pearl scale and there is some evidence so far. The fish are about dollar size now, (dime and nickle when I got them). They share the tank with 2 schools of Tetras (7+8), 4 corys, 3 Otos, and the plants.
> 
> Water Sprite is taking over and I am having to cut it back twice a month. I plan to remove most of it and try a couple of plants with some red tones.


What's the difference with pearls and plats? I got some black marble pearls I think black marbles for shure. They all look the same to me.


----------



## MarkM

newbieplanter said:


> What's the difference with pearls and plats? I got some black marble pearls I think black marbles for shure. They all look the same to me.


Hard to see on the picture I sent, need to take better pics. The pearl scale fish have reflective scales, almost like little mirrors.


----------



## NYCaqua

Here is my 29 gallon tank running with an eheim 2213-37 and aquaclear 30. Lighting is provided by a Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED plus light with a Current USA Single Ramp timer.


----------



## prighello

*3 Gallon*

This is my tetra 3 gallon crescent. Had it for several years now. Swapped out the whisper filer for an azoo palm and the stock light for a fugeray 12". Substrate is flourite gravel mix from an older planted tank I used to have. Just douse excel, micros, and macros as needed. One betta and a few cherry shrimp live here and some stubborn GSA.


----------



## Forumsnow

My 12 gallon long royal blue tiger, oebt, supreme red neo tank. Running a BML 36" planted tank light controlled by a reefkeeper running at 25%. Hc, glosso, downoi, red lug all growing great. 0 ferts or co2/excell about as low tech as it gets.


----------



## newbieplanter

NYCaqua said:


> Here is my 29 gallon tank running with an eheim 2213-37 and aquaclear 30. Lighting is provided by a Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED plus light with a Current USA Single Ramp timer.


That's all Anubis in there? What are the plants in the front is that S. Repens? Great looken tank BTW. On second look I see the java in there as well.


----------



## AquaAurora

NYCaqua said:


> Here is my 29 gallon tank running with an eheim 2213-37 and aquaclear 30. Lighting is provided by a Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED plus light with a Current USA Single Ramp timer.


I hope to someday get that much dense growth of java and anubias in my 10 gallon


----------



## Meganne

Forumsnow said:


> My 12 gallon long royal blue tiger, oebt, supreme red neo tank. Running a BML 36" planted tank light controlled by a reefkeeper running at 25%. Hc, glosso, downoi, red lug all growing great. 0 ferts or co2/excell about as low tech as it gets.


 
that is beautiful!!!


----------



## jimmyjam

Here is my 10 gallon shrimp tank, just cycling it , hope to get some blue bolts in there soon. The lights are 12x 1.5 watt led with self made fixture.


----------



## NYCaqua

newbieplanter said:


> That's all Anubis in there? What are the plants in the front is that S. Repens? Great looken tank BTW. On second look I see the java in there as well.



Yes that is all Anubias in the middle section of the back. Mixture of nanas and barteri.The largest bunch of plants in the very front are primarily anubias petites. Then i bought one from a seller online as anubias mini and was led to believe them to be petites. But their leaves are to large for them to be. So the leaves are somewhere in between nana and petites but still rather small. I will eventually love to have a full grown petite carpet in the foreground once i have gathered enough of them. They are not easy to come across and at a reasonable price at that!


----------



## Rickybobby

Dirted 55


----------



## newbieplanter

Rickybobby said:


> Dirted 55


Is that a spray bar there in tha back?


----------



## Rickybobby

newbieplanter said:


> Is that a spray bar there in tha back?


 yes


----------



## II Knucklez II

18g
Led light from aquatraders.com 
Aquaclear 50

Plants: prava, crypts, Java fern, Anubis Nana, four left clover (forgot the real name), wisteria 

Fauna: cardinal tetra, albino Cory, panda Cory's, pure stain endlers, assassin snails, and hillstream loachs 

























Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk


----------



## JackInTheBox

Hey guys! Been following and reading a lot of posts on plantedtank.net! Finally started my low tech tank! First time with a planted tank so I apologize beforehand for the poor planting patterns haha. That mineral wool is a pain in the ass.

Tank: IM Nuvo 16
Light: Current Satellite LED+
Substrate: Black Diamond Blasting Grit
Fert: Flourish Seachem Root Tabs
Decor: Seiryu Stones
Plants: HC and Dwarf Hair Grass

I'm currently doing a dry start method so I'm trying to be very patient with it. I do not plan to do CO2 so I decided to grow out a lush carpet before adding water. This has currently been about 1 month right now, and I had to move things around last week when I got my stones in. Thanks for taking a look guys!


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/11744685234/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/11745010226/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/11744668344/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/11744273015/ http://www.flickr.com/people/[email protected]/


----------



## Karackle

Been a long time since I posted, so here is my 30g, low light, super low tech tank


----------



## Mcar585

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi All,
> 
> A low tech 10 gallon and 20 gallon. The 10 gallon uses Safe-T-Sorb #7941 substrate, 2X10 watt 6500K CFL's, and a 100 gph HOB filter. The 20 gallon uses the same substrate, 1X26 watt LED lamp array, Marineland C-160 canister filter. For fertilizer both get a modified EI dosing regime with Excel/glutaraldehyde for carbon molecules.
> 
> 10 gallon
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20 gallon


If u don't mind sharing, what is your modified ei regime. I'm looking to do a modified ei method also. Thanks


----------



## Aquatic-Prodigy

*55 gallon*








dirt and 2 23 watt cfls 9 hrs a day :fish:


----------



## MaStErFiShKeEps

That hygro is gorgeous! I love your tank!!


----------



## newbieplanter

Rickybobby said:


> Dirted 55


Any info on how that spray bar was put together?


----------



## Aquatic-Prodigy

stsalerno said:


> My 30 gallon half moon.


I love this tank where did you get it from


----------



## Neatfish

My 5.5g pretty low tech too.

Substrate: Flora-max
Light: Single bright led
Flora: Dwarf hair grass, bacopa
Fauna: pair fancy guppies, white clouds


----------



## OVT

40B
no co2
CaribSea Tahitian Moon Sand with O+ under root feeders
4 x t5ho: 2 x 10 hours, 4 x 6 hours
1/2 of my "high light" EI dosing
78F

*Floaters:*
water hyacinth
amazon frogbit
salvinia minima
Hygroryza aristata

*Plants:*
Red Tiger Lotus
Nymphaea stellata
Amazon Sword
Stargrass
Blyxa Japonica
Water Sprite
Water Wisteria
Mayaca
Hydrocotyle Japan
Hygro "kompact"
Hygro Sunset
Hygro angustifolia
Limnophila Aromatica
Lumnophila aquatica
Green Gecko baby crypts

*Fish:*
Golden Wonder Killie
Polycentropsis abbreviata
Dwarf Puffers
Black Mollies fry
Guppies fry
Ottos


----------



## BigTom

Crosspost from my journal - 










Thought I'd preserve this shot here as it's since been emptied and filled with crypts.


----------



## starfire12

*low-tech shrimp tank*

Decided to add my ten gallon low tech shrimp tank
substrate=black gravel
lighting=four led bulbs 
filteration=marina slim hob plus single sponge filter
plants=flame moss, baby tears, moss ball, hornwort, java fern, anubias, dhg.
hardscape=cholla wood, seiryu store
inhabitants=two pygmy cories, blue pearl shrimp, fire red shrimp
just did a major trim so now I have to wait for it to grow out again.
Sorry for the bad pic took it with my galaxy tab 3.


----------



## Rider

BigTom, that is a cool tank. What are the dimensions?


----------



## BigTom

Rider said:


> BigTom, that is a cool tank. What are the dimensions?


Cheers Rider. 3x1x3 feet. Lots more details on the journals thread.


----------



## Thomas.w

*Ok ok Ill post a pic of my tank*

90g community 48x18x24
1 Sunsun 403B canister
1 Marineland 300W submersible heater
1 Atlantis underwater island (underwater bio dome for my crabs)
1 Rena 300 air pump
1 air stone
1 48"-60" Current usa Sat+ Led

No co2 or excel, plain Wal-Mart gravel, Miracle grow twice a month, 2 amazon swords,
2 Anubias nana, 1 other Anubias cant remember the name some Valisneria (jungle),some crypts wendtii bronze.

12 Neon Tetra
24 Brilliant Rasboras
12 Flame Von Rio Tetras
6 Sword Tails
12 assorted Platys
6 Sunset Platys 
1 Albino LF Pleco
1 Golden Pleco
6 Emporer Tetras
1 Male Beta
6 Red Claw Crabs 
8 Fiddler Crabs
12 Emerald Green Corys
Clean the filters once a month with water change
hope the pic is ok I don't have a real camera lol


----------



## Twisty

*40B low maintenance*

I went extremely low tech with it. The lighting is 1x39w on for five hours a day with no CO2 and ferts once every ten days or so. 



Lots of root tabs and tap water top offs once a week with water changes about once every 45-60 days.



I dose Excel once or twice a week and feed the fish about three times a week. I do get a little BBA from time to time but I clip the leaf and go on.





I've thought about breaking this down and starting over again but it's so easy keeping this going. The tank is almost two years old now and I wish I would've put a little more thought into the layout on the front end but this was my first planted tank and it's been a valuable learning tool.

Thanks for looking and thanks for starting a post like this.


----------



## mollbern

Twisty said:


> I went extremely low tech with it. The lighting is 1x39w on for five hours a day with no CO2 and ferts once every ten days or so.
> 
> Lots of root tabs and tap water top offs once a week with water changes about once every 45-60 days.
> 
> I dose Excel once or twice a week and feed the fish about three times a week. I do get a little BBA from time to time but I clip the leaf and go on.
> 
> I've thought about breaking this down and starting over again but it's so easy keeping this going. The tank is almost three years old now and I wish I would've put a little more thought into the layout on the front end but this was my first planted tank and it's been a valuable learning tool.
> 
> Thanks for looking and thanks for starting a post like this.


Dang! That's gorgeous! 
What's the substrate?


----------



## newbieplanter

Twisty said:


> I went extremely low tech with it. The lighting is 1x39w on for five hours a day with no CO2 and ferts once every ten days or so.
> 
> 
> 
> Lots of root tabs and tap water top offs once a week with water changes about once every 45-60 days.
> 
> 
> 
> I dose Excel once or twice a week and feed the fish about three times a week. I do get a little BBA from time to time but I clip the leaf and go on.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've thought about breaking this down and starting over again but it's so easy keeping this going. The tank is almost three years old now and I wish I would've put a little more thought into the layout on the front end but this was my first planted tank and it's been a valuable learning tool.
> 
> Thanks for looking and thanks for starting a post like this.


What fish are those?


----------



## Chris_Produces

Are those silver/red finned, fish neon rainbows? They look really nice in this picture!


----------



## Twisty

Thanks. Those fish are Praecox rainbows or Neon rainbows and they normally aren’t that colorful. The substrate is Eco Complete, filter is Rena XP2 and the light is 2x39 watt T5HO by Deep Blue. 

I’ve included a timeline of the tank for illustrating one simple fact: once I turned off one of the bulbs and decreased the photoperiod things got much, much easier. And to show how much you can learn from your mistakes.














I got away from a lot of stem plants and went with crypts, mosses, ferns and anubias and couldn’t be happier.

I’ve got a Mr. Aqua 11.4 with medium light and pressurized CO2 and it’s a total dumpster fire!! But, I wanted a lot of light and CO2 like we see in all the great tanks on these forums. For me, if you put some thought into the layout of a low tech setup it can be extremely rewarding.


----------



## Chris_Produces

^
Awesome setup, it looks great!


----------



## agimlin

Sent from my XT1030 using Tapatalk


----------



## TheRiverRat

This is my 55 awhile ago. Really easy low tech. Aquaticlife t5-ho, ecocomplete, jbj circulating pump, eheim 2215. All I do is occasional root tabs and water changes every week now that I have a decent amount of fish. Used to just tip off the water when I only had a few. Have had crypts, swords, and my madagascar lace flower in the tank. Thinking about doing dirt next time!


----------



## colaudrey

waiting to cycle...


----------



## kyutums

2 month old 10 gallon no-tech tank (except for the powerhead).  No CO2, and the light is only indirect sunlight (it's outside, under an awning). The clump of plants on the right are some sort of weed (I think). The red cherry shrimps love it though - I see so many baby shrimp.


----------



## Hilde

lauraleellbp said:


> The idea in this thread is to post a picture of your low tech tank(s), explain the setup (equipment, lighting, substrate, ferts, etc) and briefly explain a few things you've learned that do or don't work with your setup.


Some are forgetting this.

TheRiverRat are you aware that the pic of your tank is upside down?


----------



## Hilde

Twisty said:


> I went extremely low tech with it. The lighting is 1x39w on for five hours a day with no CO2 and ferts once every ten days or so.


What type of light though, T8 or T5?


----------



## Twisty

It's one 39 watt T5HO on for five hours a day. Does that make it unsuitable for this thread?


----------



## Hilde

Twisty said:


> It's one 39 watt T5HO on for five hours a day. Does that make it unsuitable for this thread?


Thanks! No! Lo Tech refers to mostly non presureized Co2 in this thread.


----------



## Hilde

Aurie said:


> I only do excel because even though there's no co2 I have some tufts of Bba. Not sure how I got it n that tank only but the excel seems to keep it manageable


I have it naturally in my tanks too. Excel is the only thing that keeps it under control. I think it is lousy city water plus minerals from old house pipes that cause it. Next getting some Goodeid fish, for read that they eat BBA.


----------



## Thomas.w

Update on my 90g just went to dirt with black diamond blasting sand.


----------



## burr740

Here's my 75 gal, first attempt at a planted tank. Converted it from a cichlid tank a couple of months ago. (Thanks in large part to this forum!) Ive been playing around with the hardscape and changing up the plant arrangement pretty much the whole time lol. Think Ive about got it Ok for now, gonna let it fill in some and take it from there.











* Photo noob here. Gonna make a proper journal soon as I get these camera settings figured out more. It looks much better in person :red_mouth


*Tank:* 48 x 21 x 18 inches, 75 gal, partial glass tops
*Substrate:* 125 lbs Black Diamond blasting sand
*Lights:* Two 48" T5HO (1 Coralife 10K, 1 Truelumen Flora). Two little Marineland LEDs at the very back (ones that come in a 24" hood).
*Filtration:* Two HOB I already had, a Penguin 350 and a Whisper 40.
*Ferts:* Osmocote root tabs, a bit of Flourish comp, daily Excel - all subject to change.










Most of the foreground plants were planted within the last few days, along with the small wysteria and a sword you can barely see in the right rear corner. Also some Bacopa behind the rocks, so the background should even out pretty soon hopefully. Curious to see how the middle sword grows out. Got it from petco supposedly an Argentine. That's one of it's babies off a runner at seven o'clock.










You can see remnants of BBA still on the rocks, that's really the only place now. Had a bit more show up on some leaves early on. Spot treated the worst of it with H2O2. It seems to be going away for the most part.


----------



## rezco

burr740 said:


> Here's my 75 gal, first attempt at a planted tank. Converted it from a cichlid tank a couple of months ago. (Thanks in large part to this forum!) Ive been playing around with the hardscape and changing up the plant arrangement pretty much the whole time lol. Think Ive about got it Ok for now, gonna let it fill in some and take it from there.


very nice.


----------



## SnazzyJoe

My 10 gallon  ~ 5 months old



All the info on the tank is here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=589337


----------



## lauraleellbp

Nice to see this thread still bumping along, and there are some awesome new tanks in here! :icon_mrgr


----------



## kyutums

1.5 week outdoor tank. No-tech (except for the powerhead). Light is provided by the sun.  Let's see how this tank progresses.


----------



## lauraleellbp

I'd love to see some updates on some of theses tanks!

Plus any new ones!


----------



## Thomas.w

After loosing some leaves and a recycle hers an update of my 90g dirted








Sent from my Gallaxy S3 using my wet arms and hands!!


----------



## newbieplanter

lauraleellbp said:


> I'll start.
> 
> This is my 90gal. I've had the tank set up for about 2 years now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Setup:
> filters- Rena XP3, Rena XP4
> light- Catalina 4x54 T5HO (only run 2 bulbs for 6 hrs/day)
> substrate- mix of Flourite black, Flourite black sand, black T grade Colorquartz, peat
> heater- inline Hydor ETH 300 watt
> 
> Plants:
> tons of chain swords; all 4 varieties of Echinodorus tenellus, E. angustifolius, E. angustifolius 'vesuvius,' E. quadricostatus
> Vallisneria spiralis
> Bacopa caroliniana
> Lobelia cardinalis
> Marselia minuta
> Echinodorus 'kleiner bar'
> E. 'Indian red'
> E. africanus
> 
> Livestock:
> 17x Pristella tetras
> 15x P. weitzmani (Black Morpho Tetras)
> 6x assorted BN plecos (albino LF and Calico)
> 1x Clown pleco
> 5x Corydoras schwartzi
> 24x Amano shrimp
> 1x German Blue Ram
> 2x Cardinal tetras (soon to be 50x)
> 5x(??) Otocinclus viattus
> 
> NOTES- I am right on the edge of too much light. This tank did much better when I had floating plants for light control. I let those get out of control and block too much light last year and removed them all... ever since then I've been having to fight algae so I need to add some again.
> 
> The BN plecos are also eating my Vals... not sure what I'm going to do about that just yet.



Is the first pic with all 4 bulbs on an the second pic jus 2 bulbs?


----------



## newbieplanter

burr740 said:


> Here's my 75 gal, first attempt at a planted tank. Converted it from a cichlid tank a couple of months ago. (Thanks in large part to this forum!) Ive been playing around with the hardscape and changing up the plant arrangement pretty much the whole time lol. Think Ive about got it Ok for now, gonna let it fill in some and take it from there.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> * Photo noob here. Gonna make a proper journal soon as I get these camera settings figured out more. It looks much better in person :red_mouth
> 
> 
> *Tank:* 48 x 21 x 18 inches, 75 gal, partial glass tops
> *Substrate:* 125 lbs Black Diamond blasting sand
> *Lights:* Two 48" T5HO (1 Coralife 10K, 1 Truelumen Flora). Two little Marineland LEDs at the very back (ones that come in a 24" hood).
> *Filtration:* Two HOB I already had, a Penguin 350 and a Whisper 40.
> *Ferts:* Osmocote root tabs, a bit of Flourish comp, daily Excel - all subject to change.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Most of the foreground plants were planted within the last few days, along with the small wysteria and a sword you can barely see in the right rear corner. Also some Bacopa behind the rocks, so the background should even out pretty soon hopefully. Curious to see how the middle sword grows out. Got it from petco supposedly an Argentine. That's one of it's babies off a runner at seven o'clock.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can see remnants of BBA still on the rocks, that's really the only place now. Had a bit more show up on some leaves early on. Spot treated the worst of it with H2O2. It seems to be going away for the most part.


What type of anubis is that on the left? In front of the DW


----------



## lauraleellbp

newbieplanter said:


> Is the first pic with all 4 bulbs on an the second pic jus 2 bulbs?


Hm. 4 years ago, so I don't remember. I suspect it was just my cheap PAS camera catching the lighting from different angles, though.


----------



## Tyrone

Here's one of my low techs. 2g nano I call 'Clado Tree'
Light: 13w Jebo pcfl
Filter: Azoo mignon 60
100% tap. Did water changes in the beginning, but now all I do is top off. 













































Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## jrill

My 20 long set it up last December.









Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk


----------



## newbieplanter

lauraleellbp said:


> Hm. 4 years ago, so I don't remember. I suspect it was just my cheap PAS camera catching the lighting from different angles, though.


So u only ran 2 bulbs all the time?


----------



## lauraleellbp

newbieplanter said:


> So u only ran 2 bulbs all the time?


Yep, and even that was a lot of light for no CO2. I usually had to dose Excel every few months to keep the algae in check.


----------



## newbieplanter

lauraleellbp said:


> Yep, and even that was a lot of light for no CO2. I usually had to dose Excel every few months to keep the algae in check.


Tanks, u just helped me with a 90-100gal tank. I have a catalina light with 4 PC 65w bulbs an it wasnt enough for my CUSTOM 70gal but it should be more than enough for a 90-100gal.


----------



## lauraleellbp

4x65 CFL should be OK for a low light 90-100gal.


----------



## newbieplanter

lauraleellbp said:


> 4x65 CFL should be OK for a low light 90-100gal.


Yep


----------



## burr740

newbieplanter said:


> What type of anubis is that on the left? In front of the DW


Honestly Im not sure, it came from petco as "assorted." I believe it's either Barteri Congensis, or Lanceolata. There are three of those there, and the lower one on the far right is a Nana.


Here's a quick pic of mine today. It's only been two weeks since the last post 













burr740 said:


>


----------



## cape

NYCaqua said:


> Yes that is all Anubias in the middle section of the back. Mixture of nanas and barteri.The largest bunch of plants in the very front are primarily anubias petites. Then i bought one from a seller online as anubias mini and was led to believe them to be petites. But their leaves are to large for them to be. So the leaves are somewhere in between nana and petites but still rather small. I will eventually love to have a full grown petite carpet in the foreground once i have gathered enough of them. They are not easy to come across and at a reasonable price at that!


Am wondering how many hours you keep lights on? Also, is the tank sitting on top of egg crate or you cut a hole fitted for the light fixture? Thanks.


----------



## alex009

30G tall, lighting is a single 15w cfl via clip on lamp. Used to be a 26w but ran into algae issues. Want to replace with LED lighting- im thinking the finnex fugeray. Set up riparium style with pothos and arrowhead vine in the top section and mostly anubias in the aquatic section. only thing that goes into the tank is fish food and 25% water change once a week. currently home to two platies, a few endlers and a bunch of their fry.


----------



## second

TactusMortus said:


> Figured I should post my tank in this show and tell as this thread is the reason i decided to go low tech on this tank. Seeing all the beautiful low tech tanks others had inspired me to get rid of my pressurized co2 system and go low tech.
> 
> It is a 120 gallon tank with a light sprinkling of peat under diamond blasting sand with oscomote plus root tabs added every 3 months. I am running a 60" T5HO quad light setup. However I only run one set of two bulbs at a time and alternate between the two sets each day.



Beautiful tank, can I ask you for a list of the plants?


----------



## newbieplanter

alex009 said:


> 30G tall, lighting is a single 15w cfl via clip on lamp. Used to be a 26w but ran into algae issues. Want to replace with LED lighting- im thinking the finnex fugeray. Set up riparium style with pothos and arrowhead vine in the top section and mostly anubias in the aquatic section. only thing that goes into the tank is fish food and 25% water change once a week. currently home to two platies, a few endlers and a bunch of their fry.


Saweeeeet set up if u wanna sell a piece of that plant on top please let me know?


----------



## OVT

36G corner
1 x 24" Current USA Satelite+
1 x 18" Current USA Planted










Some 30+ plant species that were semi-randomly dropped in:



















Only the rear light is on:


----------



## Seedreemer

OVT, I especially love your jungle! Wow!


----------



## Betta132

Sorry for bad pic- haven't figured out how to completely turn off the flash on my camera. Also, emerald eye rasboras DO NOT SIT STILL.
29 Biocube, new style, up since January. I only added the main part of the plants after about three-four months, and most of the crypts are only about a month old.
Lighting is Coralife 36 watt actinic and 36 watt 10,000k
Filtration is just the stock filter, minus the bio-balls and plus a few sponges for extra bacteria room. 
Substrate is about 2" of sand (not sure what kind), and it's a mix of two large bags of white and a small bag of black. The black was laid over the top and slightly mixed, and my cories love it. 

Flora: 
Swordtails
Crypts (several kinds, including a twisty one and a red one)
Some sort of plant that looks way too stiff to be aquatic but grows like a crypt, has a tuber, and has been underwater for almost two years
Micro swords
One little bit of planted water sprite
Hornwort
Some slightly unhappy hair grass
Duckweed
7" long java fern (huge!)
Hydrocotl (sp?) Japan
Some moneywort
Christmas moss
Hardscape is two pieces of wood, a full squirrel skeleton, and a third of a possum. Both sets of bones are coated in acrylic to (hopefully) keep them from leaching.
Fauna: 
3 pea-sized horn nerites
3 half-grown amano shrimp
A bunch of cherry shrimp - added 50 a few weeks ago, who knows how many are still in there
1 X-ray tetra (will be rehomed soon, he was in there because of a bent spine but he recovered)
1 halfblack male guppy
1 lyretail male guppy (endlerXguppy intentional hybrid, quite pretty)
4 pygmy cories
12 dwarf cories
8 phoenix rasboras (basically chili rasboras)
10 ruby tetras 
20 emerald eye rasboras
3 oil catfish 
1 little female peacock gudgeon
And sometimes a cat footie.


----------



## nonfucious

20 long
RED Sea FloraMax mixed with Eco Complete
Finnex Fugeray planted+ LED

No ferts the fish don't provide
change a 5 gallon bucket of water every 2 weeks or so

Flora:
couple of anubias sp.
Crypt Wendtii
Some other crypt
Some Hygrophila (Salicilifolia maybe?)
Ludwigia Repens
Pennywort
a few pieces of stray subwassertang
duckweed

Fauna:
7 corydoras
6 lampeyes
6 CPD
12 glowlight tetra
1 furcata rainbow
some swordtail fry I dump in here to save them from their parents
uncounted red rilli and fire red shrimpies
1 blue mystery snail


----------



## burr740

nonfucious said:


> 20 long


Sweet looking tank. I like that a lot.


----------



## Hilde

nonfucious said:


> 20 long
> Finnex Fugeray planted+ LED
> 
> No ferts the fish don't provide


That is my goal with my 20G long. What a source of inspiration.
How long have you had it up? Please start a thread on it? I would like to its progress.


----------



## Siddhartha Saive

Hey guys [emoji4]
My 8 foot 600 gallon low tech planted tank starring 250 cardinal tetra, 10 elephant nose fish, 21 blue diamond discus and many more 

























All details in this thread
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=486449


----------



## Raymond S.

You say randomely but I noticed you stayed away from plants which have large leaves. I have 2 10g tanks and that is exactly the game plan
for me so that I can see better in my tank(s). A real tricky issue in a 10g tank. Still working on it...LOL...





OVT said:


> 36G corner
> 1 x 24" Current USA Satelite+
> 1 x 18" Current USA Planted
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some 30+ plant species that were semi-randomly dropped in:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Only the rear light is on:


----------



## Nolan




----------



## dbw27

This is my tank. It is a mess right now. One month old. I need to aquascape it better. I guess.








dbw27


----------



## frogman1980

Great thread, ton of ideas but it took forever to get to the end. Lol


----------



## philipraposo1982

TANK START DATE:

-	03-22-2014

THE HARDWARE

-	Eheim Pro 3 2075 filter
-	Eheim Jager 300W heater, set to 80 degrees
-	Finnex Planted + LED fixture, set 21” above the substrate running 8 hours a day
-	Safe-T-Sorb Substrate
-	Hydor 425 Nano Power head

THE FISH
-	25 Cardinal Tetras
-	8 Peppered Corydoras
-	8 Kuhli Loaches
-	8 Black Skirt Tetras
-	4 Pearl Gouramis
-	1 Blue Gourami aka 3 Spot Gourami
-	1 Golden Ram
-	1 Bristle Nose Pleco

THE INVERTEBRATES
-	Ramshorn Snails
-	Malaysian Trumpet Snails
-	Pond Snails
-	Cherry Shrimp

THE PLANTS
-	Anubius Barteri
-	Anubius Petite
-	Java Fern
-	Lace Fern
-	Java Moss
-	Christmas Moss
-	Flame Moss
-	Cryptocoryne Parva
-	Cryptocoryne Wendtti
-	Najas Guadalupensis
-	Cardimine Lyrata
-	Asian Ambulia
-	Dwarf Sagittaria 
-	Rotala Rotundifolia
-	Rotala Macrandra Green
-	Bacopa Caroliniana
-	Micranthemum Umbrosum
-	Pennywort
-	Vallisneria Asiatica
-	Vallisneria Natans Tiger
-	Hygrophila Sunset
-	Hygrophila Corymbosa Compacta
-	Hygrophila Corymbosa Siamensis


THE FERTILIZER
-	Flourish Comprehensive
-	Dry
-	KNO3
-	KH2P04
-	Micronutrients


----------



## ajperko

No CO2.... Was told couldn't do this. They were wrong.


----------



## domino

I am just blown away by these tanks, so much so that I am now looking to set up a planted tank of my own.


----------



## lauraleellbp

This thread makes me happy. :fish::fish1::fish::fish1::fish:


----------



## Soyerpan

slowfoot said:


> Very nice tanks!
> 
> First post here (hi!), but I've been lurking for a long time - mostly to get advice on dealing with BG algae.
> 
> Here's my very low tech newt tank (sorry for the terrible pictures):
> 
> View attachment 21603
> 
> 
> View attachment 21604
> 
> 
> View attachment 21605
> 
> 
> View attachment 21606
> 
> 
> 
> It's basically a half-full 20g tall, no filter in the summer because it heats up the water too much. The tank houses 4 eastern newts and some snails and assorted pond creatures. Not sure what plants are actually in there - it's very messy right now because the newts are laying eggs and I don't want to disturb them.


Great pics! I have a newt tank too (as well as reg planted low tech tank). I've wanting to create a vivarium like you have. How did you create the stacked look of driftwood etc on top for the dry land "raised" area?


----------



## Soyerpan

RAWR said:


> I started my first planted tank 10 days ago after reading up on here and learning some info. Its aproximately 150 gallon, substrate is mineralised top soil and akadama on top. The pump is an Eheim 2260 bucket and the lights are T5 80w x2 (one white and one blue). It's early days in terms of seeing how the tank progresses, but i'm hoping even though the growth will be slow, that the plants will stay healthy and root well.


Nice newly set up big tank. You bought all of those new plants all at once?


----------



## dbw27

legomaniac89 said:


> Here's mine.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20 high, no ferts, 2 water changes per year, soil substrate. It's a Diana Walstad-inspired tank :icon_smil


Went back to look at tanks. This is really beautiful. I love the Walstad method.

dbw


----------



## dbw27

Seedreemer said:


> OVT, I especially love your jungle! Wow!


I love it too.

dbw


----------



## dbw27

Matt1977 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Just an update pic of my Edge....
> This was set up using everything from my old 50 litre tank that has been running for many years...


This Edge is beautiful.

dbw


----------



## wraragon

Wow! All of your tanks are really nice! Here is my 55 gallon PFR and cory tank. I use bayco clamp lights with energy efficient bulbs, a few osmocote root tabs and paintball co2 setup although the co2 has been off for a month.


----------



## AquaAurora

*The Low tech Collection*

My low tech collection (I have a multi tank syndrome problem...just a little):

True Low techs
 *2G COOKIE JAR*
sponge filter
black diamond "sand"
13w 6500k cfl bulbs in an old lamp ~18" above "sand" 6 hour photo period
Christmas and Singapore moss tied to manzanita branches with clear fishing line
9-ish shrip mix of cherry, rilli, and neo wild type + ramshorn and pond snails
No ferts, co2, nothing added



 *3G BUBBLE BOWL*
sponge filter
MGOPM capped with black diamond "sand"
13w 6500k cfl bulb in desk lamp ~18" above "sand" 6 hour photo period
Blyxa j., Dwarf baby tears, Micro sword, Pygmy chain sword, and some tag-along Dwarf hair grass
4ish shrimp + ramshorn snails and mts
No ferts, no co2, nothing added
 


Medium-low techs:
 *7G CUBE*
Eheim 2211 canister filter with DIY inline heater (eheim jagar 50w in pvc)
Black diamond blasting "sand"
13w 6500k cfl bulb in work lamp reflector ~18" above substrate 8 hour photo period
Creeping jenny, Gold creeping jenny, Ludwigia repens, Ludwigia arcuata x repens, Ludwigia palustris, Rotala rotundifolia, Hygrophilia sp. tiger , Hydro sp Japan, and Staurogyne Repen.
1 Half Moon Plakat male betta (Xerxes), 1 oto (Auto), and several mts, ramshorn, and pond snails
Seachem Flourish: Flourish, Excel, Potassium, and Phosphate added



 *20G LONG RIPARIUM*
Aquaclear 70 HOB
Black diamond "sand"
ehiem jagar 75w heater
3x 13 watt 6500k cfls in work lamp reflectors raised ~24" above "sand" 8 hour photo period
Mazantia branches
*Submerged: *Crypt (wenditt?) green, Crypt parva, Dwarf lily plant, and Needle leaf Java fern 
*Riparium:* Pothos, Fittonia albivenis, Tradescantia zebrine, Cyperus umbrella sedge, Aluminum plant, Ruellia brittoniana 'Katie', Spathiphyllum "domino", Dwarf Palm Neanthe Bella, Dwarf Taro, Syngonium, Creeping jenny, Riccia, and Giant hair grass.
No fauna atm (want: otos, gold ram,... and a schooling/shoaling fish like ember tetra or danio tiniwini.. open to ideas for non jumping fish still!)
Seachem Flourish: Flourish, Excel, Potassium, and Phosphate added (starting to reduce amounts)
I mist the riparium plants 1-2x a day as some ricca, jenny, and ghg are transitioning from submerged to emersed growth
Admittedly the lush-ness is above water rather than below here.... does it still count?


I've also setup a 12g long for my husband that's truly low-tech but the blyxa has had a meltdown transition so its not nice enough to want to photograph yet, ...but its growing back.. details on it:
Eheim 2211 canister filter with DIY inline heater (eheim jagar 50w in pvc)
Black diamond blasting "sand"
Current Sat + LED ~9" above substrate 8 hour photo period but night lights used as well.
2x Rose quarts rocks
Blyxa j. and a., Italian val, and Mmini micro sword
2 dwarf puffers, 3 otos, unknown #s of hiding mts and black worms in the "sand" + periodically thrown in pond snails (they get to hunt when they want.. or when food is dumb enough to stick its head out)
Root tabs in "sand" but no added ferts or co2.


----------



## Whiskey

There are some really nice tanks here! 

Here is my contribution, 10G shrimp tank - eclipse hood filter, but I retrofitted a fuge ray in there with the light turned back a little bit.

Post by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

Whiskey


----------



## loriinpd

AquaArora...how long do you keep your light on, for the 3 gallon bubble bowl?. Says "hour" photo period?.


----------



## AquaAurora

loriinpd said:


> AquaArora...how long do you keep your light on, for the 3 gallon bubble bowl?. Says "hour" photo period?.


Whops sorry, copy pasted and forgot the # ^^'' corrected now, thank you for pointing that out. Its 6 hours. 
I left it on longer than that for a few days (would forget to turn off) and got hair algae. Been pulling it out manually and raised the light to its current height to try to reduce its growth (use to have light right over top of the bowl so ~13-14" above substrate). With the shorter photo period (when I remembered to turn off the light) this worked out ok. 
I've since installed a timer so I don't have to worry about timing.
I should also say this is on a bookshelf below a windowsill (you can see the blinds in the background) so it gets a little indirect light but not much through the day. Window is facing s/w side, but the tank is lower than the sill so its not an intense light.


----------



## taquitos

Moved everything around today to make room for the koke stones I ordered! Expected to arrive tomorrow  They're going in the middle of that empty spot on the left with some flame moss once that arrives


----------



## Neatfish

I need that Tardis.


----------



## taquitos

Neatfish said:


> I need that Tardis.


Yes I love it too! My tank has gone towards a completely new direction ever since I started researching more on Aquascaping... but I can't let go of my TARDIS! Some may say it's a bit tacky and I do love the elegant look of no cheesy resin tank decor... BUT I LOVE MY TARDIS DAMN IT haha :hihi:

I added some Koke stones today. I will be putting flame moss on them once those arrive


----------



## Sparklescale

This tank is still filling in, but, after re-doing the substrate 3 times, I'm finally happy with how it is going. Not perfect, and, not quite there or where I envisioned it going, but, getting there! :hihi: 
*tank;* 37g 30x12x22
*lights;* 4x24w t5h0 on retractable hanger. Running 2x24w 12hrs and 4x24w 2hrs at mid day. Still trying to get my lighting worked out as I know it is high for a non-CO2 system, so, I am experimenting with raising it to find that sweet spot! I do get some algae on the glass, still, hope to get the lighting height and duration worked out to eventually eliminate the algae.
*substrate;* 1" topsoil with clay kitty litter, topped with pool filter sand
*filtration;* BeanAnimal Silent Failsafe overflow to a 20gL sump with just flow through...no added chemical/bio media added. Middle of sump is also planted with a dirt/gravel substrate and is a nursery for extra plants. Sump lit by a 27w spiral compact lamp in a clamp on fixture. The overflow drainbox on the top tank holds about 3g and is now home to a large and lush pothos, too. 
*Return pump;* Maxijet 1200 powerhead (LOL!) It is an emergency replacement when my new Mag pump quit. The MJ isn't rated for return work - just laminar flow in-tank, but, it works better and more reliably than the POS Mag! I did buy a new pump, a Sicce, but, have to get new plumbing, hoses ect...in the mean-time...can't complain about the MJ! 
*circulation;* sump return...guessing at 50gph...and, an Ecotech MP10 at its slowest setting - not sure what that is, but, its enough to riffle the plant tops nearly to the far side of the tank. 
*Fertilizers;* Haphazard use of Meticide...mostly a small amount daily, but, I do miss days sometimes. Not sure if I'm really seeing any improve due to the Metricide, or, not. It may be too soon to tell. 
*Plants;* Jungle val (across the back) moneywort (right side)crypto wendtii green and tropica, rose sword, narrow-leaf red rubin sword, and, ozelot sword. Brazilian pennywort and weeping moss on the driftwood.
*Animals;* 3 juvenile calico koi angelfish, 5 female blue-fin killiefish, 6 Pristella tetras, blue ram cichlid, and 4 female riot platies. Also couple nerite snails, and a couple hundred+ each MTS and pond snails. 

Sorry this is not the best pic...I need to get a tripod because I'm too shakey to take good pics by hand!


----------



## Sparklescale

PS, I'm not a Dr. Who fan...but I LIKE the Tardis!


----------



## lauraleellbp

Hey Taquitos, look over there! --->




*steals Tardis*


----------



## taquitos

Sparklescale said:


> PS, I'm not a Dr. Who fan...but I LIKE the Tardis!


Thanks! I like the blue -- I think it goes well with Jackson (my betta) 



lauraleellbp said:


> Hey Taquitos, look over there! --->
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *steals Tardis*


Hahaha I'll trade you the TARDIS for one of your beautiful tanks


----------



## Ach1Ll3sH33L

ada 60-f
undergravel filter hooked to a canister.
10 hour light cycle with low lighting
no co2, no excel


----------



## AquaAurora

Love the bit of emersed moss poking out of the top.


----------



## Dragonfish88

AquaAurora said:


> Love the bit of emersed moss poking out of the top.


What kind of moss is that?


----------



## Ach1Ll3sH33L

Dragonfish88 said:


> What kind of moss is that?


peacock moss, any moss will work really, so long as you have a good bit submerged. The moss pulls water up and keeps the area wet so the moss higher up retains moisture and doesn't dry out.


----------



## chan011

tank is 11 weeks old.

currently have s. reopens in the foreground but they dont seem to be growing that well. thinking about taking them out but not sure what else to put there.

prefer something that will grow enough cover to hide fry

any suggestions?


----------



## lauraleellbp

Dwarf Sag and Lilaeopsis mauritiana can be good foreground choices in low tech tanks if you want a "grassy" look.


----------



## Icegoalie32

I set this tank up in November 2013, here it is as of yesterday












Equipment:

1 old All Glass Aquarium (Circa 1990) I had in storage
2 Aqueon T5NO dual lightstrips (3 6700k bulbs, 1 Colormax bulb)
1 old, but still working (Knock on wood) Visitherm 100 Watt Heater
Fluval 206

Organic Top Soil (Harvest Brand) sticks and all, capped with Black Diamond

Flora:

Ludwigia Arcuata (Needle Leaf)
Bacopa Caroliniana
Hygrophilia Coryombosa Kompact
Staurogyne Repens
Stargrass
Sunset Hygrophilia
Purple Cabomba
Hydrocotyle Japan
Dwarf Sag
Lobelia Cardinalis

Fauna:

1 Male Guppy, who is happy, but somewhat frustrated.


----------



## Hilde

Icegoalie32 said:


> I set this tank up in November 2013, here it is as of yesterday
> 
> Equipment:
> 1 old All Glass Aquarium (Circa 1990) I had in storage


What size of tank is this? What ferts do you dose? Ludwiga Arcuata amazing.


----------



## Icegoalie32

> What size of tank is this? What ferts do you dose? Ludwiga Arcuata amazing.


Thanks, Hilde. The tank is a 20 High. No ferts, just dirt. If the growth starts to suffer, I'll be adding dry ferts (modified EI) and Root tabs.


----------



## philipraposo1982

your growth is suffering, I can see potassium deficiency with your hygro.


----------



## Icegoalie32

philipraposo1982 said:


> your growth is suffering, I can see potassium deficiency with your hygro.



With the number of bladder/pond snails that are in the tank, I believe that's just snail damage. No loss of leaves. Growth is thick, green and steady. 

What am I missing?


----------



## Roshan8768

An update on my tank:


----------



## Whiskey

I'm fairly sure I posted this earlier, but here is a much updated pic.

IMG_3633nr by Wiskey2727, on Flickr

Whiskey


----------



## philipraposo1982

Updated shot, Almost 5 months old.


----------



## Icegoalie32

philipraposo1982 said:


> Updated shot, Almost 5 months old.



Beautiful aquarium.


----------



## philipraposo1982

Well thank you very much


----------



## The Dude

This is my 75 gallon

My 46 gallon

My 20 gallon

My 11 gallon


----------



## Hilde

The Dude said:


> My 11 gallon


Is that marsilea minuta in the middle? What are you dosing with?


----------



## The Dude

Hilde said:


> Is that marsilea minuta in the middle? What are you dosing with?


It's Monte Carlo. When I first planted it I did DIY C02. Now it just gets a very small dose of dry ferts maybe once a month.


----------



## Mr. Krabs

Roshan8768 said:


> An update on my tank:


Is this dwarf lily? I just picked up some of this, how long have you had it??


----------



## wantsome

I love this thread they really need to sticky it.


----------



## Roshan8768

Mr. Krabs said:


> Is this dwarf lily? I just picked up some of this, how long have you had it??


It is several of them in fact. I think I started with 4 original ones about a year ago, and there are probably now 4-5 in a very small area. IMO 1 plant ends up looking stringy. This gives me a full bushy appearance when I trim closer to the substrate. You can see the start-up pics from a year ago on pg 81 of this thread. And the tank journal is in my sig


----------



## forelle

philipraposo1982 said:


> Updated shot, Almost 5 months old.


Lovely design, really like how that carpet's coming along.


----------



## philipraposo1982

I am actually removing the dwarf sag slowly. I got a great deal on crypt nurii and decided to try that as a foreground instead. Here is a pic of the patch I planted so far.



Those 15 nurii replaced 60-70 dwarf sag. So long as they don't completely melt off and die I think I have a good shot at making it work over a good period of time. I know these plants are the slowest of crypt species when it comes to growing.


----------



## Jethro702

I've made it through 67 pages so far today, So many ideas! I look forward to starting my own tank soon


----------



## Chrysoptera

Hi, all. This is my first post here and my first fish tank!

Equipment:

Used 10 gallon tank with Aqueon Quiet Flow 10 filter
Aqueon LED light with 2 lamps installed and room for a third
Zoo Med light timer
Used 50 watt water heater
Fusion magnet thermometer that I don't think is accurate

Plant life and care:
Anubia, wisteria, Java fern, lace fern, hyssop, foxtail, dwarf grass, moss ball, Christmas moss
Driftwood, rainbow rocks
Floramax substrate
Flourish
API CO2 Booster

Water quality:
GH 6.7
KH 4.5
pH 7.5
Nitrite 0.5
Nitrate 40
Still cycling. After that reading I did a 20% water change. 

I have one betta fish. 

Like I said, I'm a newbie, so if anyone has comments or suggestions to offer, I'd be grateful. Thanks!


----------



## philipraposo1982

Those levels are too high IMO to only be doing a 20% PWC. I would suggest 50% PWC and go easy on the feeding till you fully cycled. Keep the tank clean of dead leaves and excess food.

Feed once every 2-3 days for now. Trust me your fish will be greatful.


----------



## Chrysoptera

Okay, thanks!


----------



## Chrysoptera

Well, I took the picture down. Somebody voted it a 1 in Your Tanks. I didn't think it was so much worse than everyone else's when they were just starting out. 

Philipraposo1982, after the 50% PWC, the levels were down to 0 nitrite, 20 nitrate (same as my tap water). Thanks.


----------



## Hilde

Chrysoptera said:


> Well, I took the picture down. Somebody voted it a 1 in Your Tanks. I didn't think it was so much worse than everyone else's when they were just starting out.


Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Also you succeeded in showing a low tech tank. I hope you post the pic again.


----------



## Hilde

Matt1977 said:


> Hi all,
> Just an update pic of my Edge....


Love Love it!! What ferts are you dosing? Using Excel or other Co2 additive?


----------



## jbrady33

Chrysoptera said:


> Well, I took the picture down. Somebody voted it a 1 in Your Tanks. I didn't think it was so much worse than everyone else's when they were just starting out.
> 
> Philipraposo1982, after the 50% PWC, the levels were down to 0 nitrite, 20 nitrate (same as my tap water). Thanks.


Yeah - ignore that, repost the pic! 

(this is the internet, so you have to ignore the trolls  )


----------



## AquaAurora

jbrady33 said:


> Yeah - ignore that, repost the pic!
> 
> (this is the internet, so you have to ignore the trolls  )


+1 that whole thing


----------



## RedDaddy67

Whiskey said:


> I'm fairly sure I posted this earlier, but here is a much updated pic.
> 
> IMG_3633nr by Wiskey2727, on Flickr
> 
> Whiskey


Awesome tank  given me some inspiration to use the height of my 260 litre tank with the way you have planted on that great piece of wood, fantastic  cheers Clive 

Sent from my LT30p using Tapatalk


----------



## Chrysoptera

Okay, here's my tank (again, and sorry to hijack the thread with my pity party).










Next time, I would choose a different substrate. Floramax looks good, but the gravel pieces are so light that it's hard to plant in it, even using tweezers. 

I might take out the big piece of driftwood in the front. I was hoping it would soften the water. 

I am doing a fish-in cycle with PWCs as needed (testing every day).

Bump:


RedDaddy67 said:


> Awesome tank  given me some inspiration to use the height of my 260 litre tank with the way you have planted on that great piece of wood, fantastic  cheers Clive
> 
> Sent from my LT30p using Tapatalk


Agreed, that is gorgeous.


----------



## anfield

Well here is my 40b. Not lush but growing nonetheless. Daily excel dosing and weekly api leaf zone and flourish comprehensive. Eco-complete substrate. No co2. I think my lights are weak (two satellite current plus) so the plants are not as full as I would like them. The piece of wood on the right is brand new. Hoping the moss I attached will grow on it.


----------



## bpb

Super impressed with all these tanks still after all these years. I tried the low tech method for years on several tanks and always had crashes and full out plant deaths at about the 6 month mark every time. Could never get the results any of y'all achieve


----------



## AGUILAR3

philipraposo1982 said:


>


That looks amazing. 

I'm about to do the same with c. tropica. My c. parva looks good but I would need to get an additional 20 pots to fully cover my 20's foreground.


----------



## Tshavo

Tank: 10 gallon (24"l x 12"h x 10"w)
Lighting: 2x 3700k 10.5watt LED, 1x 5000k 10.5watt LED, occasionally 75watt incandescent (depends whether my room light is on)
Filter: Marineland Penguin 150 (came with bio-wheel, removed it)
Heater: No heater
Substrate: 5lbs black gravel, 5lbs white gravel, 15lbs flourite
Ferts: Substrate has ~0.5oz Schultz Multi Cote time release all purpose plant food mixed in, dosing water with Flourish comprehensive, Flourish trace, Miracle Gro Watering Can Singles (24-8-16)
CO2: Only what the fish and snails make

Fauna:
1x Dwarf Gourami
2x Cherry Barb
6x Neon Tetra
5x Black Skirt Tetra
1x Minnow? It was a feeder fish, might be albino
3x Black Mystery Snail (I think they are apple snails)
3x Golden Mystery Snail (I think these are also apple snails)
∞x Ramshorn Snail

Flora:
Amazon Sword
Dwarf Hairgrass
Cyperus Helferi
Cryptocoryne balansae
Telanthera cardinalis
Water wisteria
Elodea (from stream)
Duckweed (if the fish would stop eating it) (from stream)
Unidentified stream plant #1
Unidentified stream plant #2


Here are the two unidentified plants:
















(the plant with the near circular leaves)


Lighting Schedule: 14on/10off
Fert Schedule: Just started dosing ferts this week, but so far I'm dosing 1ml Flourish Trace every other day, 1ml Flourish comprehensive every other day, 5ml Miracle Gro Watering Can Singles same day as Flourish Comprehensive (I mixed one packet in a 500ml water bottle, dosing based on phosphorus, 5ml should raise the tank ~0.75ppm nitrogen, ~0.25ppm phosphorus, ~0.5ppm potassium)
Water Change Schedule: First 3 weeks 50% water changes once a week, most recently I did 30% water change after a week and a half, probably going to start with 20% water changes every 2 weeks


I ordered dry ferts which should be in eventually.
The tank is pretty messy because I got 7 new bunches of plants yesterday and just threw them in. I should be rearranging everything in the near future.


----------



## CluelessAquarist

Here's my low tech 29 gallon tank. Filter is an AC 70. Just added some generic tetra 20-40 filter that is solely mechanical. Lighting is a Catalina Aquariums 54w x 3 t5ho but I only run one bulb. Substrate is MGOPS and play sand. I have 1 dwarf guorami, 2 otocinclus, 4 pygmy corys, 1 neon tetra. This picture is the day I started dosing excel, so from here on out I'm not sure if it counts as low tech, but the excel is mainly to help with algae.









Questions and comments are always appreciated!


----------



## philipraposo1982

AGUILAR3 said:


> That looks amazing.
> 
> I'm about to do the same with c. tropica. My c. parva looks good but I would need to get an additional 20 pots to fully cover my 20's foreground.


Thanks, Alot of new leaf growth is happening too which I am super excited for. I am going to slowly get rid of the dwarf sag only keeping a few as a mid ground plant. I was thinking of mixing in the odd piece of parva in with the nurii carpet. add some different color and texture.

thoughts?


----------



## AGUILAR3

philipraposo1982 said:


> I was thinking of mixing in the odd piece of parva in with the nurii carpet. add some different color and texture.
> 
> thoughts?


I love parva but its just a darn slow grower. Using it as fill between your nurii carpet would definitely look good and somewhat natural.


----------



## philipraposo1982

CluelessAquarist said:


> Here's my low tech 29 gallon tank. Filter is an AC 70. Just added some generic tetra 20-40 filter that is solely mechanical. Lighting is a Catalina Aquariums 54w x 3 t5ho but I only run one bulb. Substrate is MGOPS and play sand. I have 1 dwarf guorami, 2 otocinclus, 4 pygmy corys, 1 neon tetra. This picture is the day I started dosing excel, so from here on out I'm not sure if it counts as low tech, but the excel is mainly to help with algae.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Questions and comments are always appreciated!


Is that plant In The foreground hygro kompacta?
If so do you have pinholes In it? I can't seem to get mine to not get pinholes no matter how much potassium I give.

Bump:


AGUILAR3 said:


> I love parva but its just a darn slow grower. Using it as fill between your nurii carpet would definitely look good and somewhat natural.


Yeah it is slow, but I have access to a decent amount and like I said just for random filling in to make it look natural.


----------



## bigtrout

Low tech livebearer tank 30 gallon long

Filters: Magnum 350 and SunSun Hw302
Water:78Â° 20Â°gh 13Â°kh 8.2ph
Lighting: Homemade retrofit of perfecto strip
[email protected] watts 5500k cfl lamps
Substrate:Black Diamond Blasting Sand
Fertilization: Fish poop, Crushed shells in 
filter for carbonate hardness.
Fauna: 10 ghost shrimp
3 peppered corys
1 common pleco
8 Fancy guppies
8 Mollies
5 Swordtails
8 Platies

PLANTS: Telemanthera sp.
Crimium bulb
Amazon Swords
Apotnogeton bulbs

PLANTS collected from Allegheny River:
Vallisneria Americana
Hornwort
Myriophyllum spicatum(yes Eurasian waterweed)
Potamogeton Perfoliatus

Maintenance: 20% waterchange weekly
Filter rinse monthly
Trim and tidy Myriophyllum and hornwort weekly


----------



## Thomas.w

Nice tank bigtrout I am from north western potter co. Nice to see a neighbor welcome


----------



## Whiskey

RedDaddy67 said:


> Awesome tank  given me some inspiration to use the height of my 260 litre tank with the way you have planted on that great piece of wood, fantastic  cheers Clive
> 
> Sent from my LT30p using Tapatalk


Thank you Clive!

That scape was very much a group effort, the awesome viewers here helped me a great deal in refining it to what you see there. At first it was much more scattered.

The link in my sig will give you some of the progress shots from start to that point if your interested.

Whiskey


----------



## hitmanx

This my 6 month old 15g column... RO top off only... Tom Barr non co2 method... some hiccups but after I settled on a single stem species it has all come together


----------



## CluelessAquarist

philipraposo1982 said:


> Is that plant In The foreground hygro kompacta?
> If so do you have pinholes In it? I can't seem to get mine to not get pinholes no matter how much potassium I give.



Yeah it is. Hygrophila corymbosa stricta. The top half of the plants have 0 pinholes, but the lower leaves do have pinholes here and there on my plants. I have never dosed K, maybe you are giving them too much light? My plants get 8 hours usually.


----------



## philipraposo1982

My plants get 8 hours too. And you clearly have potassium deficiencies.

The top leaves will only get holes I. Really bad cases. Potassium is a mobile nutrient which means the new growth can pull it from the old one. Which is why all older leaves show pinholes and new ones don't. Eventually the old leave is weak enough that it just falls off. Try dosing potassium once a week at about 10-15ppm, I bet your pinhole problem stops.


----------



## joao2012

After some time with plants dying, algae problems and what not, it's working fine for about half an year now 

Lots of green stuff, lots of fish (about 20), every other month filter cleaning.
No co2, no fertilizer (for months now).


----------



## Xiaozhuang

Low tech nano - 3 gal: Dirted substrate with DHG. Growing this out as a gift to a friend~
Still waiting for the AR to grow out from the background for some color.


----------



## unrealshots

Wow, I need a friend like you... That's a lovely looking tank

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


----------



## Knotyoureality

This is one of those "but you can't do that!" tanks. 10g no tech. Weekly 25% wc. 

All purpose 'junk' tank that currently houses my endler breeding colony, my excess assassin snails, the more interestingly colored of my cherry culls (chocolates, blues, wines, etc) and whatever plants are being held over after trims and rescapes on my main tanks. 











The substrate is black sand that's less than an inch up front and about 1.5" in the back, and yet I've got crypts (planted by laying their roots down flat and scooping sand on top of them) and swords (tucked under the driftwood to hold them down) growing perfectly happily. It sits in front of a window getting indirect and reflected sunlight all day--but has no algae problem. It gets only occasional and haphazard fertilization--no depth for root tabs and I typically only remember 1-2x a week to toss in a bit of potassium or a bit of the micro/macro mixes I use daily in my other tanks. 

Fauna:
20-30 black bar endlers (and fry)
20-30 assassin snails
regularly topped off MTS, rams and pond snails (aka: assassin chow)
20-30 'cherry' shrimp. 

Flora: 
2x swords, 5x crypts wendtii, 3x java fern, 4x anubia nana, sunset hygro, pennywort, hornwort, dwarf water lettuce, xmas moss, dozens of tiny java fern plantlets that get tossed in now and then, star grass, and a scattering of just about anything else that's in my other tanks. Pretty sure there's a bit of anubia nana petite, mermaid weed, threadleaf java fern, a couple of leafless buce rhizomes, crypt lutea and some staurogyne repens floating around in there somewhere as well.


----------



## Hilde

Knotyoureality said:


> This is one of those "but you can't do that!" tanks. 10g no tech.


Where is the pic? I have to log in to see the link. Then i just get a black pic. 
Copy the location and paste here by clicking on square above with the mountain.


----------



## Tshavo

Five days ago:









Today:


----------



## Knotyoureality

Hilde said:


> Where is the pic? I have to log in to see the link. Then i just get a black pic.
> Copy the location and paste here by clicking on square above with the mountain.


Fixed--had the album marked private in error.


----------



## dpod

What are your favorite "weeds" in your tanks? 

e.g. My spiral vals grow about 1/2" every day and send out runners like there's no tomorrow. I bet it would only take them a month to completely overrun the tank :icon_smil


----------



## Tshavo

dpod said:


> What are your favorite "weeds" in your tanks?
> 
> e.g. My spiral vals grow about 1/2" every day and send out runners like there's no tomorrow. I bet it would only take them a month to completely overrun the tank :icon_smil


I love my wisteria. It grows like crazy, branches at every node, roots from a lot of nodes. The parts that are close to the light will have very lacy leaves, while parts that are in lower light have more filled in leaves. If a branch wants more light it will grow completely horizontal until it finds light.

I bought one small bunch of it from petsmart (I believe it was 4 plants, but they gave me 6, which I turned into at least 12 by the end of the week) and it has completely overgrown my 10 gallon in about a month.

This was it 5 weeks ago:









Scroll up 2 posts and that's where it is now.

The only problem I have with it is trying to find where to cut it :hihi:


----------



## Raymond S.

Well I'm getting closer to having a Low Tech tank(s) than I was before.
Really didn't have any high tech tank but have always had high light and
ferts and in one, Excel.
I have been doing that ..."I know they say you can't, but it will work differently for me" routine.
So in the last two weeks I dropped the light down to a realistic amount
and stopped the Excel. These are two 10g tanks. One had two T8 bulbs and the other had two T5 bulbs(yes that tank is full of Cladophora) and now
they both have only one T8 bulb. I found that if you get the right bulb, it looks bright enough to see well like that.
But about how long will any transition take(if you have done this) in
these tanks for them to have more or less all growth from the new light level ? I will try to add pics tomorrow...leaving for work now.
Computer going out because of XP OS and no replacement yet. Won't up-load
in most cases to the forum.
10/15/14
Edit # 1: I'm sure it will take much longer to show completely, the changes but in the tank listed as experimental#1 in my profile(had two T8 bulbs/now one)there is hardly any change so far...we'll see.
The tank listed as experimental#2 which had the T5 bulbs and Excel(that I went to one only T8 bulb) I am
a bit suprized at the changes so far. This tank has had a Piece of A.R. plant(the other tank has a piece from the same original plant)which has always had less red than the one in the other tank, but it's now even lighter red(less red) than before and the Cladophora is growing better than when the tank had T5 bulbs and Excel.
When I changed the bulbs from two T5 bulbs to one T8 bulb I added more hrs of light to 9 hrs total but since the Cladophora grew better I reduced it to 7 hrs. Will see how this works.


----------



## caoder

No Ferts, Dirted with sand. Medium DIY LED Lights.

Started like this :



Now:


----------



## CanTank2012

^ How much time did it take to get to that?


----------



## caoder

CanTank2012 said:


> ^ How much time did it take to get to that?


6-7 months, with a move in between.


----------



## Rickus

caoder said:


> 6-7 months, with a move in between.


Please give more info on the diy LED lights. 

sent from Samsung S5


----------



## caoder

Rickus said:


> Please give more info on the diy LED lights.
> 
> sent from Samsung S5


DIY LEDs are:
8 x 3W Cool whites
4 x 3w Warm Whites
2 x 3W Royal Blue running at half power.

Total cost was around ~$60 with most of the materials purchased from Ebay.


----------



## Neatfish

10g pretty low tech have to clean it up.


----------



## Sparklescale

this is an update on my 2g jar. It has a top soil/pool sand substrate, a fluval nano filter for circulation, and I recently started dosing very dilute mix of glut/macro/micro. Light is a 65w (equivalent) LED in a clamp lamp. I did have a lot of problems with algae and slow poor growth ... and kept killing my fish/frogs until I added the filter for circulation. That really made a huge difference. This has been left alone mostly to just grow...and it has! It's a jungle in there! I do have the Fluval for water circulation and I am dosing glut and a micro/macro fert mix 1-2 times a week. The glut and ferts are mixed in and very diluted in a spray bottle and I just give it 2-3 short sprays when I dose it. Frog is doing well, too. I do harvest a handful of frogbit and duckweed and also mint from the top about every two weeks.


----------



## robinss

i have very hard water. Will no water changes with top offs only make my water even harder with the evaporation of water/


----------



## Tshavo

robinss said:


> i have very hard water. Will no water changes with top offs only make my water even harder with the evaporation of water/


Yes, unless you have something absorbing calcium and magnesium at the same rate that you are adding it by topping off. One way to do that would be have a ton of plants. Another way would be to have a ton of snails, but then you still have a lot of magnesium in your water.


----------



## ShireMan

First time posting in this thread - I'm just about happy enough to show it off to this particular forum!

Size - 75 Litres (24 x 14 x 14)
Lights - 2 T5 24w, suspended on a DIY rig approx 15 inches above the surface. Due to be lowered by around 4 inches.
Dose 50% EI (just put this up to 75% though) and Fluorish excel, both daily. 
50% water change weekly
9 hour photo period
Filtered with Jebao 503 (great filter for the money)

Plants - 
2 x Amazon Swords + couple of offshoots still gowing
1 x Alternanthera reinecki (I think!)
3 x annubias, 3 x Java ferns
Chain swords, crypts kinda doing what they want
Java Moss
Dwarf Hair Grass (though this might not be dwarf.. time will tell!)

Fish - 
8 Neon, 10 Green neon Tetra
4 Ottos
2 Cherry Shrimp
1 adult, 9 juvenile and 3 fry Balloon Mollies (yup - breeding like er.. mollies)

Sorry for the picture - Still learning how to get the best shots.

​


----------



## Hilde

ShireMan said:


> Size - 75 Litres (24 x 14 x 14)
> 
> Plants -
> 2 x Amazon Swords + couple of offshoots still gowing
> 1 x Alternanthera reinecki (I think!)
> 3 x annubias, 3 x Java ferns
> Chain swords
> crypts
> Java Moss
> Dwarf Hair Grass ​


​ Just thought you should know that the roots of an Amazon Swords can take over a 29g tank.


----------



## slowfoot

My 20 gallon algae farm :wink:

Plants: various crypts and anubias

Fauna: 7 neon tetras, 6 long-finned danios, 5 cherry shrimp, and one grumpy betta








My pictures suck and it really looks better in person.


----------



## Neaha

*90 Gallon 48" x 18" x 24"*

This tank has been running for several years and is still going strong. The first year it took a lot of effort on my part to balance it out into a self-sufficient eco-system. It is my favorite tank. 
15-25% WC every 3rd week. Add Melafix and Salt at WC. No added ferts or Co2.

* two XP 3 Canister Filters
* one 660 Peguin Powerhead run only at night
* one small airstone run during the day for fish enjoyment  They play in it.
* 5 strip LED lights; run 11 hrs total. 2 strips run am & pm; 5 strips run mid-day

* Eco Complete Substrate
* Amazon Swords
* Crypt Species
* Anubias Species
* Hygrophila Species
* Ludwigia 
* Vallisneria Species
* Limnophila
* Java Fern
* Random Floating Species
* _Brush Algae_ purposely grown for Siamese Algae Eater
* _Other Algae_ purposely grown for Twig Catfish

* Bogwood used for beauty and to keep pH low and release tannins (was strickly an Angelfish and Diamond Tetra tank until very recently)

Inhabitants:

* 3 nickle sized juvenile Angelfish (growing out before moved to a different tank with other Angels)
* several 3 week old baby Diamond Tetras (born in this tank; parents have been moved)
* 3 teeny baby Yoyo Loaches
* 1 juvenile Twig Catfish
* 14 Cardinal Tetras
* 2 Kuhli Loaches that I can't catch! Removed the other 8 a few weeks ago.
* Too many Malaysian Trumpet Snails
* Some Ramshorn Snails

~new additions that will not remain in this tank~came from a friend that didn't want them anymore
* 9 adult Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish
* 2 teeny baby Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish
* 1 adult Siamese Algae Eater (poor thing needs friends  )
* 2 Glass Catfish (was a single Glass Catfish, but it was so sad, so I got a buddy for him. If I decide to keep them I will get 8 more)
* 1 Juvenile Angelfish (double the size of the three little ones)


*Last reading performed 11/6/2014
~ 6.0 pH
~ 7 parts Salinity
~ 0 Amonia
~ 0 Nitrates
~ 0 Nitrites*


----------



## dgaplin

Just planted my tank 3 days ago.


----------



## Katey

My ten gallon, with celestial pearl danios, chili rasboras, rabbit snails, and shrimp! The seventyfive, with various angels, and tetras! Also some ruby tetras!


----------



## knm<><

My 7.5 cube. Just did a rescape today, still not totally happy with it. I have a shortage of hard scape materials small enough for this tank. The NJF needs to grow in from behind the stone on the left. I might even replace it with something else, haven't decided. Those are a few of my corydorus pygmaeus in the front, there are 7 all together.


----------



## Neaha

extrame said:


> here's my low tech tank, hope you guys like it


That is one lucky betta! I bet he loves his home 

Bump: What a joy to look at every page in this thread. There are some awesome scapes on here! Look forward to seeing more :wink:


----------



## Hilde

extrame said:


> here's my low tech tank, hope you guys like it


Lovely. That must be a docile Betta in with the Neon Tetras


----------



## Greggz

This is my 120 gallon Rainbow Tank.

I consider it a fish tank with plants, not really a planted tank.

Thinking of going CO2 and going to next step, but my set up is really easy to care for now.


----------



## BigJay180

180 gallon
Eheim Pro2, Fluval FX6, Hydor inline
Lights are one 48" T8 plant light, and two 36" T5HO fixtures with three bulbs each (two 6500K and one 650nm red)
Fish: Various Rainbows and Harlequin Rasboras.
Ferts: One EI dry fert NPK dose weekly after a 60% water change, micros the day after. Sometimes I'll do a 50% EI NPK dose mid week.
CO2: Excel maintenance dose daily every night.


----------



## mattjm20

Twisty said:


> I went extremely low tech with it. The lighting is 1x39w on for five hours a day with no CO2 and ferts once every ten days or so.
> 
> 
> 
> Lots of root tabs and tap water top offs once a week with water changes about once every 45-60 days.
> 
> 
> 
> I dose Excel once or twice a week and feed the fish about three times a week. I do get a little BBA from time to time but I clip the leaf and go on.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've thought about breaking this down and starting over again but it's so easy keeping this going. The tank is almost two years old now and I wish I would've put a little more thought into the layout on the front end but this was my first planted tank and it's been a valuable learning tool.
> 
> Thanks for looking and thanks for starting a post like this.


I can't believe you have such good growth with that level of lighting and short photo period. That is awesome, congrats. Don't worry too much about the layout... no, it's not some crazy dutch scape but it looks very cool. I've got a 90G with MGOPS and 4 T5HO (I don't run all four all day because I'd have algae issues) that is considerably less lush than this. RE: tank to tank comparison, I think I need new bulbs because I started with stock T5's and also the distance from the surface to the plants is much different than a 40B. But again, this is an awesome tank. I'd put a pair of apistos in there to breed and call it a day


----------



## Saxtonhill

I so enjoy revisiting this thread to see all the creative ideas! Such lovely tanks! And great discussions on what worked and what didn't work.


----------



## mesohorny

doesn't seem to compare to most on here, but I figured i'd share my low tech tank.

27g cube, estimated PAR of 30 at the level of the substrate. dose excel flourish daily, Fe and trace after weekly changes of roughly 20%

a young tank, running for 2 months. various Crypts with some Ludwigia stems. still working out the details on livestock; just a few tetras and RCS now, looking to focus on invertebrates, but still learning about what all is compatible. also combating hydra ...


----------



## knm<><

My 7.5, only has a 12" stingray for light.


----------



## caffeinetherapy

That's an awesome piece of driftwood.



mesohorny said:


> doesn't seem to compare to most on here, but I figured i'd share my low tech tank.
> 
> 27g cube, estimated PAR of 30 at the level of the substrate. dose excel flourish daily, Fe and trace after weekly changes of roughly 20%
> 
> a young tank, running for 2 months. various Crypts with some Ludwigia stems. still working out the details on livestock; just a few tetras and RCS now, looking to focus on invertebrates, but still learning about what all is compatible. also combating hydra ...


----------



## hitmanx

Update: 

Tank with far more moss on the driftwood... the CPD's have dwindled to 7, but the 7 yellow forktail furcatus have become very healthy. ..

I guess because I am using only RO water for topoff , the KH also fell to below 2 and a subsequent ph crash happened resulting in my amano shrimp population also crashing down to 3 sorry looking shrimp... 

I added baking soda slowly to to raise it to 5 but it's again lowered to 3 over a month...

Before this I finally changed about 50% of the water with RO over the course of several weeks to reduce the gh to 16 and my ph remains at 8.0 but I recently acquired a tds meter and it's reading 1020ppm...

My other low tech 5.5 gallon also reads over 1000ppm but it has a thriving RCS colony and very healthy amano shrimp... so who knows...:help: 

the only difference between these tanks is aquasoil malaya vs flourite black sand and no fish vs fish


----------



## Sparklescale

This is my little newbie tank...about 2 cups volume. It has a dirt bottom capped with pool filter sand, one piece of New Mexico sandstone and planted with Pennywort, Ludwigia repensxarcuata, Anubias nana petite, Lilaeopsis macloviana, Hydrocotle tripartite, and frogbit. These pics were taken right after I set this up, so, waiting to see what kind of growth it gets. This gets side light from my 2g jar.


----------



## goomba

Love this tank!! 




BigJay180 said:


> 180 gallon
> Eheim Pro2, Fluval FX6, Hydor inline
> Lights are one 48" T8 plant light, and two 36" T5HO fixtures with three bulbs each (two 6500K and one 650nm red)
> Fish: Various Rainbows and Harlequin Rasboras.
> Ferts: One EI dry fert NPK dose weekly after a 60% water change, micros the day after. Sometimes I'll do a 50% EI NPK dose mid week.
> CO2: Excel maintenance dose daily every night.


----------



## mesohorny

caffeinetherapy said:


> That's an awesome piece of driftwood.


thanks; a good find. it's actually 2 I set up to look like a gnarly stump. the wonder of zip ties!


----------



## Dan110024

I don't know what the exact rules are for low tech, so forgive me if it's a little more than typical low tech. I dose excel and half strength EI but still have low light and obviously no pressurised CO2. I also added DIY root tabs 4 days ago.

I planted it one week ago. I'm amazed at how fast some of the plants are growing. I don't think my high tech tank has ever had plants grow this fast before. It kind of doesn't make sense. Haha. I added some left over star grass to my high tech tank (ADA AS, EI, CO2 & High light) and it's grown faster in the low tech tank.

Here is the tank 24 hours after I'd planted, once the water cleared up....










And here it is exactly 7 days after planting. The star grass has taken off. The vallis isn't doing badly either and the amazon sword is growing a little too.










This thread is what pushed me over the edge to setup a low tech tank. It really shows that low tech can indeed be lush and healthy. From looking at everyones tanks through this thread, I figured it was best to start out with as many plants as you can fit. I didn't want to see the back of the tank at all. I think I've come close enough to accomplishing that, and it's still only freshly planted. I don't think I can fit in another bunch of vallis in the back there. I actually almost didn't have room to plant the last couple. Hopefully it stays as healthy as it is now


----------



## burr740

Some really great looking tanks on this page^^^


Here's a 20 long I recently brought back from the dead. For almost a year it was nothing more than a depository for cuttings and plantlets that I didnt want to throw away. I'd just toss stuff in there and forget about it. Had an old standard hood with a single T8. Couple months ago I finally decided to plant a few things properly and make a presentable low tech. 

It's mainly crypts and swords off bigger plants Ive had in my 75 at one point or another. There's a java fern on a rock, and an anubias on the wood. Plus a couple other random sprigs.

Substrate - Black Diamond blasting sand, a little bit of regular black aquarium gravel.
Ferts - a heavy application of Osmocote+ root tabs.
Filter - Some kind of old Whisper HOB
Light - two T8 bulbs in a homemade box. Pics of that to follow.

After about a month I started dosing Excel, because the light is borderline too much.

Livestock is a 4 fancy guppies, 2 platys, 2 ottos, and a baby bristle nose pleco.


First planting -











Couple months later, it's coming along pretty well. 











Ignore that big clump of Willow moss, lol. It's just sitting there until I decide what to do with it.











Here's the light. I just made a simple wooden box and mounted two cheap 24" household fixtures inside. Then added a reflector made out of aluminum flashing.


----------



## Dan110024

Those lighting fixtures look surprisingly easy to make! Looks good.


----------



## ROYWS3

Thought I had more photos but this was the only one I could find and it's not great. It's a corner of one of my 20H's with a half dozen Kliener Prinz swords. There are some Crypts, bylxa and red Ludwigia in the photo too. Lighting is a 24" aquatraders 10000k/actinic fixture. Daily dosing of API CO2 booster and Tetra Flora Pride. Substrate is Eco Complete


----------



## anastasisariel

Here's mine. I neglect water changes, frankly. I use dry ferts... my own EI adaptation (sorry I can't be more scientific). One 48 Finnex Planted Plus, one 48 Current Sat LED, and one 30" dual T5 Coral life fixture that is positioned over my Lobelia Cardinalis/ DHG carpet.Sump filtration. Everything does so good it's creepy. 2 true Siamese Algae eaters and 1 BN Pleco to help keep away algae (I haven't had algae for almost 9 months.) Most plants grow slowly but steady.


----------



## boredincubicle

Here is my low tech 30. I have 2 t5 fixtures up top, root tabs throughout and usually dose Flourish once a week or so, but have been cutting back after a recent BBA outbreak that came on when I replaced my bulbs. Used to dose Excel, but my vals have never appreciated it and I've had a hard time deciding if it's worth letting some of them melt and die off to get them used to daily doses. 

Decided to give a molly a shot as a BBA cleanup crew and he has done wonders, so now I'm not sure what I'll do.


----------



## demart

This is my first ever fish tank. Decided to go planted.
36g Bowfront
Aqueon 55/75 HOB filter
Hagen glow 24" single t5ho
Eco complete capped with gravel
Amazon swords, java moss, java fern, jungle val, dwarf sag, and a few assorted crypts. 
7 neons
6 rummy nose
5 bleeding heart tetras
6 panda cory
4 oto cats

Tank has been running for 2 months. Any suggestions always welcome. Still learning.


----------



## Dan110024

demart said:


> This is my first ever fish tank. Decided to go planted.
> 36g Bowfront
> Aqueon 55/75 HOB filter
> Hagen glow 24" single t5ho
> Eco complete capped with gravel
> Amazon swords, java moss, java fern, jungle val, dwarf sag, and a few assorted crypts.
> 7 neons
> 6 rummy nose
> 5 bleeding heart tetras
> 6 panda cory
> 4 oto cats
> 
> Tank has been running for 2 months. Any suggestions always welcome. Still learning.


You should get some root tabs under the substrate. Your plants will benefit from it. Looks good, though! I'm interested to see what it'll look like once everything grows in.


----------



## HSA1255

This is my 20g high that has turned into a jungle. I am almost embarrassed it is so overgrown... but I also kind of like the craziness of it. I did recently trim some plants and gave a bunch away. I think I'm about 1/2 - 2 years in on this tank. Can not remember the substrate I used, capped with black gravel... wish I would have done black sand. No ferts, no heat, no light even (used a light from another tank to take this picture). It sits near a window and receives some direct and indirect sunlight throughout the day though. 20-25% weekly, sometimes bi-weekly, water changes keep things running smoothly. I use distilled that I remineralize. Blue dreams, Super tigers, MTS and Nerites are all doing well in here. The jelly like plant, I believe it is pellia, is out of control in this tank and is also doing well and spreading in my brackish opae ula tank. I know I'm due for a change of plants and scape soon... but this 20 is so low maintenance and the plants and shrimp seem to be doing well so I just keep leaving it alone and maintain regular water changes. Very, very low tech. Oh, it is filtered by an eheim 2215, spray bar with several extra holes drilled in make the current soft, not crazy. I replace the batting (cheap quilt batting) in the filter once every 3 or 4 months... I do not touch the media beyond that. I water all the house plants and some of my outside potted plants with the water I remove from this tank for cleanings... amazing plant food!


----------



## anfield

Here is an update on mine. A year old now, Eco complete substrate with root tabs. No CO2. Daily 0.5ml of excel and once weekly API leaf zone. The ludwigia has decent orangish coloration. But no good reds. 

Lighting is two satellite plus strips (one smaller one). Monthly water changes only. Have a clean up crew of 15 nerites, 5 amanos and 5 otos that keeps the algae at bay. Photoperiod is 8 hours.


----------



## Bradleyv1714

anfield said:


> Here is an update on mine. A year old now, Eco complete substrate with root tabs. No CO2. Daily 0.5ml of excel and once weekly API leaf zone. The ludwigia has decent orangish coloration. But no good reds.
> 
> Lighting is two satellite plus strips (one smaller one). Monthly water changes only. Have a clean up crew of 15 nerites, 5 amanos and 5 otos that keeps the algae at bay. Photoperiod is 8 hours.


That tank looks awesome! I like the idea of having a smaller sized light! what size is that tank and light?

Bradley


----------



## anfield

The tank is a 40 gallon breeder. Since it is deeper than your average tank (18 inch) I have one satellite plus strip that spans the entire length (3 ft) and a shorter 2 ft strip for the front. I do have a cover on the tank. I also have trouble growing ground cover of any kind. But other wise plants growing really well. Some algae but the clean up crew takes care of it. I hardly ever even have to clean the glass. Definitely low maintenance. I actually add a couple of ml of excel daily not 0.5 ml. Occasional certs too because my nitrate is low sometimes. More light would probably help with the lawn but then I'm pretty sure I would have more algae issues


----------



## xenxes

Here's my latest low-tech (compost, clay, peat substrate, no water changes, no dosing), 90g, so I finally moved up from nanos:


















Up and running about 3 1/2 weeks, growing in steadily but fighting off some early-tank algae (with floaters and tannins). I'm so tempted to turn to the dark side and go CO2.


----------



## BigMO

My low tech 10g: 

Its been set up for a bit over 9 weeks. Controsoil, Sat+, Excel and root tabs. Filter maintenance every two weeks and a 50% change weekly. Otocinclus, Nerites and a healthy RCS colony. Too easy!!


----------



## jlfkona

5 gallon low-tech tank set-up about 2 month ago. Home to a Dumbo Betta, a couple shrimp and some ramshorn snails. I really like how it is filling in. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Hilde

xenxes said:


> Here's my latest low-tech (compost, clay, peat substrate, no water changes, no dosing), 90g. Up and running about 3 1/2 weeks, growing in steadily but fighting off some early-tank algae (with floaters and tannins). I'm so tempted to turn to the dark side and go CO2.


Looks like a tank that has Co2 injected. All tanks have algae especially in the beginning.


----------



## xenxes

Hilde said:


> Looks like a tank that has Co2 injected. All tanks have algae especially in the beginning.


Just compost + light. I started dosing 1/5 Excel to fight back some of the staghorn and lowered the light to 8 hrs.


----------



## Hilde

xenxes said:


> Just compost + light. I started dosing 1/5 Excel to fight back some of the staghorn and lowered the light to 8 hrs.


I have found having a 3hrs siesta light period helps keep algae under control.


----------



## Jethro702

Figured I would post my low tech tank.

Its a 37gal tank and here it is:









Its been up and running for a little over 2 months

Lighting: AquaticLife Dual T5HO w/ a 6700k and 10000k bulb on for 7 hours a day.
Filter: TopFin HOB 75
Heater: TopFin 300w
Substrate: FloraMax loaded w/ root tabs
I dose KN03, K2S04, KH2P04, and Plantex CSM+B once a week.

Flora: S. Repens, Amazon Sword, Argentine Sword, Hygrophila Angustifolia, Crypt Wendtii, Crypt Balansae, Jungle Vals, Java Fern, Bacopa Monnieri, Java Moss, Ludwigia Repens, Rotala Nanjenshan (I Think lol)

Fauna: 
3 Dwarf Neon Rainbows
2 Celebes Rainbows
2 Madagascar Rainbows
2 Dwarf Gouramis
3 German Blue Rams (Long Finned)
1 Electric Blue Ram
5 Cherry Barbs
4 Otos
15ish Ghost shrimp and tons of pond snails...

Hope y'all like it


----------



## aquafella

Hi, I'm also a newbie in the planted tank industry..I'm currently setting up a low-maintenance planted aquarium and I was just wondering if it is effective to use an airline sponge filter for low-maintenance planted aquarium?


----------



## aquafella

Hi, I'm new to planted aquariums but I just have a quick question? Does it work effectively using airline sponge filter in a low-maintenance planted tank?


----------



## nawilson89

xenxes said:


> Here's my latest low-tech (compost, clay, peat substrate, no water changes, no dosing), 90g, so I finally moved up from nanos:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Up and running about 3 1/2 weeks, growing in steadily but fighting off some early-tank algae (with floaters and tannins). I'm so tempted to turn to the dark side and go CO2.


Jeez that is gorgeous. I hope my low tech tank can look half as good as that. 

I'm blown away >.<


----------



## Ghosty

Here's mine not best in world, going to add more Java fern and anubias, looking at adding Pygmy chain swords to create a carpet, will add rest of plants by end of month

Rescaled yesterday,mso will be awhile before things grow in


----------



## aquafella

*Jealous..*

I'm so jealous with your tanks..Mine is a 5 gallon non tech tank..I have 2 plants there, anacharis and java fern..I'm planning to add a couple of java moss..My substrate is river pebbles..I have 2 cardinals and 2 neon tetras plus 4 shrimps and some tiny baby guppies..I'm using an air-driven sponge filter..is that ok? Or should I be using canister filter or HOB on that?:help:


----------



## yellabelly

Sponge filters work fine but your fish bioload will still build up over time with only a few slow growing plants. Just maintain a regular weekly water change schedule. Personally, i switched to a tiny hob on my 5 gal for the noise mainly but the tank is definitely clearer now. Mine is a deep blue and was $13 on Amazon with a 2in sponge over the intake.

Bump: 5 gallon
Stingray led
Deep blue hob
Fluval heater

12 rcs
5 nerites 
Unidentified fish fry

Java moss and mini xmas moss
Anubias petite
Amazon swords


----------



## Apistia

my heavily planted 55, grown without gas


----------



## domino

Apistia said:


> my heavily planted 55, grown without gas


Very nice. I wish mine looked this good. What kind of light do you have and do you dose ferts or anything else?


----------



## Apistia

domino said:


> Very nice. I wish mine looked this good. What kind of light do you have and do you dose ferts or anything else?


Thanks for the kind words. It's been a journey. I use a modified EI program plus I overdose Excel. Light is a Finnex Ray2 mainly but I will sometimes supplement with a Current Satellite (non +). Photoperiod is 7 hours broken up into two periods with a 3 hour siesta in between.


----------



## jeepguy

This is my 65 gallon lowish tech. No co2, the light is a finnex planted plus about 36" above the substrate. Crypts, anubias, and lots of moss. I follow ei dosing except k2so4 instead of kno3.


----------



## PondLily

*No-tech 1.75 ga "Stonehenge bowl"*

Here is mine, no-tech 1.75 ga "Stonehenge bowl" It needs some serious trim


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist

Mcar585 said:


> If u don't mind sharing, what is your modified ei regime. I'm looking to do a modified ei method also. Thanks


Hi Mcar585,

I dose about 1/2 the recommended amounts of all nutrients.

Bump:


newbieplanter said:


> What are the plants on the right side of your tanks I wanna buy some?


Hi newbieplanter,

The plants on the right side of the 10 gallon are Limnophila sp. 'Wavy' and on the right side of the 30 gallon are Nymphoides sp. 'Taiwan'.


----------



## aquafella

*Here's my lowtech tank..*

So I'm planning to add more plants..I think adding some amazon sword would look good with my set up..that airline sponge filter was currently replaced with a 380 hr/l venusaqua HOB..When I was using the sponge filter I only changed the water once after 2 weeks and it was only a 10% water change..I added more rcs on that 19 to be exact..The only thing I'm confused about is the filtration..HOB seem to be a bit strong and causes strong current inside my tank..the sponge airline filter however seems ok but I'm concerned if it has the same cleaning ability with the HOB..I wanted to stick with the airline sponge filter but I'm afraid it might make me do more water changes..I'm ok with 10% water change once or twice a month..

Also..I currently have 19 rcs and around 20 fry guppies, 2 neon tetras, 2 cardinal tetras..My question is if the rcs will reproduce with this kind of set up? I'm basically letting nature takes it's course, I know all the shrimplets would not survive but I just want to make sure that they will still breed and some shrimplets will survive..


----------



## tgenega

*Egg crate background?*



jeepguy said:


> This is my 65 gallon lowish tech. No co2, the light is a finnex planted plus about 36" above the substrate. Crypts, anubias, and lots of moss. I follow ei dosing except k2so4 instead of kno3.


Jeepguy - I love that background - is that some kind of egg crate to which the plants are attached?


----------



## aquafella

*Set up part 2*

So I moved some plants around making sure that both driftwood has some plants on it..I'm trying HOB currently..I'm still confused if I should use HOB or airline sponge filter..1st photo is under blue and white led lights and the 2nd is under blue and green led lights..


----------



## Ryan83

Here is my 20g long so far...

Stringray light, 8 hour photo period.
eco complete, EI dry dosing twice a week.
10 black neons, 8 dwarf golden barbs, 9 yellow fire shrimp, 1 bamboo shrimp, 3 ottos, pond snails, 1 assassin snail.


----------



## Hilde

aquafella said:


> 1st photo is under blue and white led lights and the 2nd is under blue and green led lights..


What is your light strip?

Oh, by the amazon plant roots have been know to consume the substrate of 30g tank.


----------



## wantsome

Nice what kind of lighting are you using? and what kind of substrate?

I love assassin snails. Assassin snails need a male and female to reproduce unlike pond snails. They are great at keeping snail populations under control. When you have enough of them you can trade them in at the petshops.


----------



## The Dude

I'm wanting to do DIY C02, but haven't made the leap yet. I badly need to replace the bulbs. They are a few years old and very yellow. I ordered bulbs from amazon twice and each time they were broken .I'm sure that's the cause of the staghorn algae at the plants close.to the surface


----------



## aquafella

My friend gave me this aquarium led light..i dont know what it is..hehe


----------



## aquafella

Guys, I have a quick question..as u can see in my pictures, the substrate that I'm using is a river gravel..I'm planning on putting some top soil (for planted tanks soil) on top of the river gravel..is that ok? the reason is my hairgrass can't stay put under the river gravel..or do i need the top soil under the river gravel? river gravel is bigger than top soil or ista soil..will that work or it doesn't matter which is on top? I want my substrate to be a little thicker for me to plant some hairgrass and amazon swords and dwarf sag..any tips guys?


----------



## HDBenson

Aquafella: You will need to put something back on top of the river gravel to keep the soil from floating around your tank. Read up on using soil(s) in aquariums or, you will have a giant mess in your tank.


----------



## aquafella

Nice tank HDBenson..So you are saying that it is safe for me to put ista soil on top of my gravel? Because that's what I'm planning to do so I can confidently plant the dwarf sag, amazon sword and hairgrass..thanks for the tip..


----------



## HDBenson

Guess my response didn't post. Aquafella, I would remove half of your gravel. Then, put this substrate on top of the remaining gravel. Finally re-cap the ISTA with the original gravel or, sand. Make sure the entire substrate layer is no more than three inches at the deepest point - two inches would be better. The gravel will help to anchor plants better than the soil(in my experience MOST commercial substrates are lighter than gravel). If you do not put something like sand or, gravel on the ITSA soil then you will have a big mess in your aquarium.


----------



## Sparklescale

This is my new 7.5g Finnex. It has been set up since the middle of Feb. but, I just re-scaped it a few days ago. I have a fine sifted top-soil base, topped with Flourite black sand. The rocks are some soft sandstone from New Mexico. I'm not sure what to expect from this Finnex LED light, so, if it is too much and I start getting algae, I will start dosing Glute.


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

This might be a little off topic but I was wondering how much ppm of KH2PO4, KNO3, K, and plantex csm+b you need for a low tech 55g.


----------



## aquafella

*Kind of substrate..*

Thank you for answering my questions HDBenson..just so you know, this is the kind of substrate I'm planning to put on top of my gravel..this is ok right?


----------



## aquafella

*Not final yet..*

Here is my current set up but I'm planning to rescape it and add some healthy substrate for my plants on top of my gravel..


----------



## HDBenson

Aquafella. That should be fine with no cap on top. I still suggest removing about half of your gravel. Maybe an inch(3cm) of gravel then top it with the ISTA.


----------



## aquafella

Thanks again HDBenson..you have helped me so much..hope you won't get tired of answering questions here..


----------



## HDBenson

Nope that's why I'm/we're here! If you can. I would remove even more than half if not all of the gravel. It just seems you don't want to remove it which is fine as long as you take out some of it.


----------



## Bradleyv1714

What is ista?


----------



## RWaters

Bradleyv1714 said:


> What is ista?


I believe it's an aquatic plant soil substrate available overseas.


----------



## jefftray

*10 gal*

Heres my 10 gal. What do you guys think? Any suggestions on a plant to hide/block the heater and intake. CPDs hiding at the back of the tank.

Bump:


----------



## aquafella

Here's another trivia question..lmao I have this slim HOB filter that I got from a LFS 380L/H and I'm worried because it's too strong and is disturbing my new substrate and uprooting some of my plants..can anyone post a pic of what filtration is best for planted tanks? or if I can do something to slower the output current? i have read some using soap dish under the output of the HOB..any other strategy?


----------



## Mikeygmzmg

Here is my 10 gallon. Not sure if it's low tech tho? It has co2 lol and a finnex planted plus light. I started it 3 weeks ago.


----------



## sushant

RWaters said:


> I believe it's an aquatic plant soil substrate available overseas.


I guess guess he was meant ISTA (a Tiwanese aqua -product company)


----------



## aquafella

*Here is my newly rescaped 5 gallon lowtech tank..*

I'm still not satisfied with the way plants are placed..I want it to look more natural at the same time well organized..the plants are just everywhere..


----------



## Bradleyv1714

Thank you for answering my question. I see it now online.


----------



## aquafella

I have a question, can I keep lampeye killifish, neon tetras, or cardinals with my red cherry shrimps? Which kind of fish among the 3 is better to keep with shrimps? That would not eat baby shrimps..I have several shrimps that are preggy..I want them to multiply..or even if they eat the babies, will I still get a fair amount of shrimps growing? I have like 20 shrimps in my tank..


----------



## HDBenson

The lampeyes will stay the smallest. And they will breed without much help from you. But they all will be fine with the shrimps. I would let the shrimps produce some before adding the fish though.


----------



## BulletToothBoris

*3 weeks old.*

Zero Co2/ Zero Excel


----------



## aquafella

My rcs just gave birth..im seeing lots of shrimplets and im so happy.. i have another problem though..my plants are starting to have holes on their leaves..anyone know what causes this? Some leaves died and some got rotten..some are ok..


----------



## burr740

aquafella said:


> My rcs just gave birth..im seeing lots of shrimplets and im so happy.. i have another problem though..my plants are starting to have holes on their leaves..anyone know what causes this? Some leaves died and some got rotten..some are ok..


Pinholes are generally a sign of potassium deficiency. Need pics and more info to make a proper guess though, also probably a subject better suited for it's own thread.


----------



## Mathias1324

Here's mine. I've been messing around with planted tanks for the past two years. I tried high light, co2, and EI dosing on another tank and just got overwhelmed. This is the first time in those two years I've had a tank I'm actually proud of. And guess what? It doesn't have any of that stuff. I can actually relax and enjoy it with little to no maintenance. Low tech is where it's at!


*29 gallon

Lighting*: 2 Bayco clamp lights with 13w 6500k cfls @ 8 hrs/day. Bottom of bulbs are 28" above the substrate.
*Substrate*: Pool filter sand
*Filtration*: Aquaclear 30 and 50, Eheim 2213
*Ferts*: Just Flourish root tabs, fish food, and fish poop
*Driftwood*: Malaysian 
*Flora*: Anubias nana, crypt undulatus, red tiger lily, vals, java fern, salvinia natans
*Fauna*: Black skirt tetras, pristella tetras, bristlenose pleco

I do a 30% water change every 2 weeks with some top offs every few days.


----------



## burr740

That is a really nice tank Mathias. 29s are hard to scape, especially for a sense of depth. Great job.


----------



## m0nt3cr1st0

Mi 1 1/2 gallon shrimp tank...
Subtrate: white gravel
Filtration : whatever came with the tank
Lights: led from a 10 gallon tank cover 
Flora; criptocoryne wendtii and java moss
Fauna: 10 red cherry shrimp and 5 guppie fry..
Also a zen lady ornament and some dhg


----------



## aquafella

*My Low Tech Tank*

I have pretty much settled down in rescaping my low tech tank..
Plants: Java Fern, Java Moss, Hairgrass, Pygmy Chain, Dwarf Sag, Amazon Sword, Anacharis, Rotala Something, Hygro Something, Sword Plant..(I will be adding more Hairgrass and some Sunset Hygro and Hydrocotyle Tripartita nextweek)
Pets: 20 Adult Red Cherries 20+ Red Cherry Shrimplets and more to come, 1 Male and 1 Female Platinum Guppies, Snails, Leeches..
Substrate: Gravel topped with Ista Soil
Filtration: Venusaqua Slim HOB 380L/H
Ferts: Flourish Excel 2.5ml every other day (will be dosing Flourish Comp in the near future)
Light: Window sunlight and a 5 watt led bulb 8 hrs a day..


----------



## Poppycock

*New To Forum*

There are a lot of beautiful tanks here. I'm new to this, and it's relieving to see that I don't have to sink another small fortune into my new hobby to get a verdant tank. Here's what I have so far. This tank is about 3 months old. In the last month the growth has really picked up speed. Most of my plants nearly doubled in size all of the sudden.


----------



## Mr.Table

*New to this forum but been following for months now.*

Here a few photo of my 40b low-tech tank. Tank is two month old, Finnex planted plus lighting, EI-Dosing, and eco-complete substrate.


----------



## aquafella

Quick question? Does 1 watt per gallon work for low light planted tank? I'm using a led bulb..


----------



## Mr.Table

aquafella said:


> Quick question? Does 1 watt per gallon work for low light planted tank? I'm using a led bulb..


The watt per gallon rule apply for Compact fluorescent, it doesn't apply to LED. However if it a low output LED then it should be fine for low light plants like Java fern or Anubias.


----------



## Sparklescale

This is my 7.5g Finnex tank. I set this up at the end of Feb. and ended up re-aquascaping it with new plants in mid-march, so, this is still quite new. It went through a bad outbreak of black algae right after the replant that almost smothered out all the plants. I thought I was going to lose everything, again. None of the plants had a chance to settle in and start growing before the algae covered them, which might have stopped the algae from taking over if they had be growing well first. 

Anyway, since I thought I was going to lose them if I didn't do something drastic, I decided to use the 'One-Two Punch Method' of dosing hydrogen peroxide followed by Flourish Excel in high doses. It worked really well! :hihi: So, this is about a week later and the staurogyn repens and hairgrass are growing well, now. I thought the rose sword was dead, but, it is sprouting new leaves (just in front of the filter intake tube), and, the cryptos, moneywort, ludwigia, and Hydrocotl tripartita are all putting out new growth. You can still see patches of the black algea throughout the tank, but, it seems to be dead and is slowly coming off in the current and with me brushing it with a soft paintbrush. Once everything is growing well, I'll go in and start trimming off all the remaining blackened leaves, and, might even do one more round of the H202/Excel treatment. 

This tank has a dirt bottom, topped with Flourite black sand.
Aquaclear 20 filter with just sponges
Finnex 12" LED plant light
Currently dosing 3/4 capful of Excel per day
The first photo is right after I re-planted the tank. I didn't get a photo of the algae covered tank...it was too ugly and dismal to bother with. The last two photos are 3 days after I did the 1-2 Punch treatment. :bounce:


----------



## [email protected]

This is my 10 gallon Betta tank. AC20 filter, finnex stingray light, ei dosing liquid ferts, double dose excel daily.


----------



## knm<><

Very nice [email protected]!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk


----------



## Neatfish

Looks nice and clean.


----------



## burr740

Nice job [email protected] that looks great


----------



## [email protected]

Thanks everyone! I learned pretty much everything from you guys, burr740, you've especially helped.

I'm not totally happy with it, and the Purple Cabomba is just on the brink of the right amount of light, but I just don't have enough light to keep it healthy near the base. So, those might come out, the rest of the Cabomba bunched back in the corner a little more and a red plant or two thrown in there for some more color.

I'm kind of surprised that the Purple Cabomba has so much more lighting needs than the regular green Cabomba in there. The green stuff grows like crazy.


----------



## mattjm20

Apistia said:


> my heavily planted 55, grown without gas


I have no idea how anybody achieves this without the use of CO2. I cannot get stem plants to grow in my low tech like this for the life of me...


----------



## philipraposo1982

Just over a year old. If you guys want any info just ask


----------



## aquafella

Mr.Table said:


> The watt per gallon rule apply for Compact fluorescent, it doesn't apply to LED. However if it a low output LED then it should be fine for low light plants like Java fern or Anubias.


Thanks for the reply..now I know that the 1 watt per gallon rule only applies to compact flourescent..thanks for enlightening me..so what should be the rule for led bulbs then??


----------



## chris.rivera3

what's your plant list in this tank?



philipraposo1982 said:


> Just over a year old. If you guys want any info just ask


----------



## philipraposo1982

If you refer to this video of my tank from a couple of months ago I have a list posted in the description. There are some changes that was made since then, they are:

Removed:
Hygro compact
Hygro pinnitifida
Val nana tiger
All floating plants

Added:
Crypt aponogetifolia morco
Crypt cordata var garbowski
aponogeton boivinianus
Madagascar lace
The real amazon swords (about 10 baby plants)

Proper identification:
Thought to be amazon sword is actually 
echinodorus uruguayensis, its the plant under the driftwood on the right side. Thin leaves.


----------



## aquafella

*More New Plants*

I have added some new plants in my low tech tank..
Plants: Java Fern, Java Moss, Hairgrass, Pygmy Chain, Dwarf Sag, Amazon Sword, Anacharis, Rotala Something, Hygro Something, Sword Plant..
New Plants: Hydrocotyle Tripartita, Dwarf Sunset Hygro, Ludwigia repens, more Hairgrass and more Dwarf Sag..
Pets: 20 Adult Red Cherries 20+ Red Cherry Shrimplets and more to come, 1 Male Platinum Guppy, Snails, Leeches..(will be adding 5 Neon Tetras later)
Substrate: Gravel topped with Ista Soil
Filtration: Venusaqua Slim HOB 380L/H
Ferts: Flourish Excel 2.5ml every other day (will be dosing Flourish Comp once a week)
Light: Window sunlight and a red and white led strip light 8 hrs a day..


----------



## aquafella

I have another quick question?? In the bottle of Flourish Comp it says that dosing is 5ml for every 60 galloons..I have a 5 gallon tank, how much should I dose then?


----------



## Raymond S.

aquafella

That is only Micro ferts.
But e-bay sells plastic Pipettes for cheap. I found the 1 ml kind but they are not there sometimes. I use 1 ml for my 10g tank. Mostly just once right after the water change each week. But with lots of plants two would be better a few days apart.


----------



## shloken38

aquafella said:


> I have another quick question?? In the bottle of Flourish Comp it says that dosing is 5ml for every 60 galloons..I have a 5 gallon tank, how much should I dose then?


About 1/2 ml (.41666666 to be exact). 1/2 ml should be fine though.


----------



## shloken38

mattjm20 said:


> I have no idea how anybody achieves this without the use of CO2. I cannot get stem plants to grow in my low tech like this for the life of me...


Low tech tanks are funky Matt. All of my tanks are low tech. While they are all growing plants, some will grow certain types of plants but not others, and another tank will grow the opposite. But I have noticed that low tech tanks get to a point where they are nicely established, and they will grow what they will grow. You just have to figure out what that particular tank "likes" (haha). I have a tank that will grow "moderate" level plants, but kills off easy plants like hornwort. Go figure.....


----------



## pink4miss

low tech


----------



## aquafella

Thanks for answering my questions guys..i really appreciate it..my tank is a 9.4 gallon tank to be exact and I bought a 3ml syringe and it has measurements from .1ml-3ml..so I'll probably dose my plants 1ml or .5ml..is it ok if I overdose Flourish Comp a little? Example for a 10 gallon tank the dosage is 1ml can I do that even if i only have a 9.4 gallon tank? Or do I have to dose .9ml for my 9.4 gallon tank?


----------



## DavidZ

Amazing setups !!!!


----------



## shloken38

Aquafella....you'll be fine dosing the 1mL. You would want to be careful with Excel if you had inverts in there. Comprehensive is ok.


----------



## DavidZ

Looks like some people do not dose anything, with low water changes, and also a high load.
Can anyone go trough this process?


----------



## DHElder

DavidZ said:


> Looks like some people do not dose anything, with low water changes, and also a high load.
> Can anyone go trough this process?


Hi, I'm working on setting up my first tank and going low tech, very low maintenance and these articles were a big help to understand how a fish tank works and understand low tech, low maintenance approach. The idea is a balanced system where the plants take care of the fish and fish/food take care of the plants with the correct amount of low lighting and photoperiod. No to little water changes, just top of the water as needed and little dosing of trace elements. Getting the balance right between plants and fish seems to be the tricky part. 

http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Walstad_method

http://www.sudeepmandal.com/hobbies/planted-aquarium/low-tech-planted-tank-guide/

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/...like-a-pro-part-1-the-basics-full-article.htm

I'm still trying to figure out what are ferts versus trace elements. Some of these articles mention dosing but one say ferts, another say trace elements for fish and they seem the same to me. Lot of conflicting information.


----------



## abhinaba

Awesome!!
Do you have a journal or someting with the details of this tank?



Alastair-T said:


> View attachment 54017
> 
> 
> This is my very low tech almost zero maintenance set up.
> 260 litres
> No water changes just top ups every other day
> Fluval 306 on half flow
> Occasional bit of ferts if ever see deficiencies in the rip plants.
> Dirt substrate with some Ada Amazonia and columbo florabase as a cap
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## DavidZ

Looks like these methods work DHElder


----------



## anfield

pink4miss said:


> low tech


Nice. Is this a dirted tank? Is that staurogyne as the carpet?


----------



## anfield

Low tech nano and 40 gallon


----------



## pink4miss

anfield said:


> Low tech nano and 40 gallon



nice tanks, your plants look nice and healthy, and thank you, yes my tanks are ada aquasoil. oh the plant in the front is Hemianthus micranthemoides as a ground cover. it grows super fast, which is great with a high bio load tank. (28 fish in 17 gallon) it also grows well in shaded areas, its not a picky plant at all. if you use it and want to keep it low, expect to trim it every 2 weeks or so. i just did a huge trim on it. and had just trimmed it 2 weeks ago.


----------



## aquafella

shloken38 said:


> Aquafella....you'll be fine dosing the 1mL. You would want to be careful with Excel if you had inverts in there. Comprehensive is ok.


My inverts are fine what does excel do to them?..im dosing excel and comp..excel every other day and comp once a week..by the way, aside from bloodworms and mosquitto larvae, what can i feed my neons? Is there a specific flakes for them that they would love?


----------



## rodstewart

*7.5 gallon start up*

At week #3. Just a basic set up with no heater,HOB filter, one LED strip and some beginner plants (Elodea,java fern, Sagitarria,hornwort). Hoping to add a few shrimp soon. Thanks for having a look!


----------



## Hilde

anfield said:


> Low tech nano and 40 gallon


Love it!! roud:


----------



## extrame

update on my office tank.
4 yrs old already


----------



## aquafella

Hi guys..so in my low tech 10g tank, I dose flourish and excel and using a 9 watt led bulb since all my plants are low light plants even the red ones but I'm having problems in making the red plants turn red..any advice? Should I buy a higher wattage for my led bulb? the plants seem to reach out to the light, they are very tall now..and the tips are the only ones that are red..


----------



## shloken38

Aquafella.....red plants usually require more potent light, which would mean co2. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, higher light is required.


----------



## aquafella

shloken38, thanks for answering my questions..I'll probably increase my lighting then..and you mentioned that I should be careful with excel on my inverts..I have some shrimps die and I think that the excel killed them but it says on the bottle that it is safe for shrimps..and my baby shrimps are now big and doing fine..?? I'm puzzled..hehe


----------



## lt88

Here is my low tech that is becoming lower tech? I work 60 hours a week right now. So right now I just feed the fish and do a dose ever few days.

So its around 6 months old currently.

This is week 1 Christmas 2014










January









Week before the trimming 5/2/15









Current, trimmed it about a week ago. 5/17/2015


----------



## TarheelPlanted

so i have a 25 gallon like yours.....the Walstad method modified... no chems, no co cO2, top offs. vacuuming... BUT how do you control the algae?? mine is about three months old, guppies, one algae eater, lots of plants that are growing well... but algae growing quickly. do you have same problem?


----------



## bpb

Less light more water changes would be my guess


----------



## lt88

I still do some, took a while to balance it out. Right now my lights are running for 7 hours? not sure really. Mine is a 55g to, I do water changes ever Sunday as well about 50% each time. Also don't really vacuum much I go over the tops and bottoms of the plants a little to get the old leaves and call it good.
Right now there is some algae but its starting to even out, which sounds bad I guess. But its nothing crazy that the Sunday cleaning doesn't take away.

For fish and such.
2x angels
4x SAE/flying fox
10x maybe black tetras 
4x cory cats
and way way to many snails. Got some assassin snails they are doing good so far.

Planning to get some blue rams too add some color. Looking to get them from my lfs this weekend, they are a nice bright blue.


----------



## AquaAurora

*MTS? naaaah*

2g cookie jar


2-3g bubble bowl


6g bowfront


7g cube


12g long



Also have two lush low tech ripariums but no underwater plants, all above. Not sure if they quality for posting here...


----------



## m0nt3cr1st0

AquaAurora said:


> 2g cookie jar
> 
> 
> 2-3g bubble bowl
> 
> 
> 6g bowfront
> 
> 
> 7g cube
> 
> 
> 12g long
> 
> 
> 
> Also have two lush low tech ripariums but no underwater plants, all above. Not sure if they quality for posting here...


Those are some beautiful tanks...I'm jealous....


----------



## philipraposo1982

Hey everyone, 

Glad to see so many nice looking low tech tanks. I just redid my 75g, spent about 14 hours from start to finish. Here is the end result.

Note: I don't use co2 or excel. No stem plants either.


----------



## AquaAurora

m0nt3cr1st0 said:


> Those are some beautiful tanks...I'm jealous....


Thank you ^^



philipraposo1982 said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> Glad to see so many nice looking low tech tanks. I just redid my 75g, spent about 14 hours from start to finish. Here is the end result.
> 
> Note: I don't use co2 or excel. No stem plants either.


plant list please


----------



## philipraposo1982

-Amazon Sword
- Anubius Barteri
- Anubias Nana
- Anubius Petite
- Anubias Congensis
- Aponogeton Boivinianus
- Aponogeton Crispus
- Aponogeton Madagascariensis
- Aponogeton Undulatus
- Aponogeton Ulvaceus
- Bolbitis Heudelotii
- Crinum Natans
- Cryptocoryne Aponogetifolia
- Cryptocoryne Cordata 'Grabowski'
- Cryptocoryne Crispatula Balansae
- Cryptocoryne Green Gecko
- Cryptocoryne Parva
- Cryptocoryne Pontederiifolia
- Cryptocoryne Spiralis
- Cryptocoryne Wendtti (Red, Green, Brown)
- Cryptocoryne unknown
- Hydrocotyle leucocephala
- Hygrophila Angustifolia
- Lace Fern
- Oriental Sword
- Red Melon Sword
- Red Tiger Lotus


----------



## abhinaba

My 29g very low light almost no tech planted.. I started this as an experiment and the plants despite being moved several times are doing ok.

17w light
No co2 
Weekly dosing npk and csm b
Weekly water change 30 to 40%

Comments and critique welcome.
I know there's algae and the substrate is ugly


----------



## octo

My first tank ever, I have a lot to learn!
2,3 WPG with 7,5 Hours / day, Amazonia substrate, 2x Eheim canister filters, weekly fert. dosing, water changes ~every 2-3 weeks


----------



## Freemananana

No dosing, no CO2, weekly water changes (40g, approx. 30%), 4x $10 dome shop lights.


----------



## BettaBabe

These are so pretty! I can't wait till mine is lush and gorgeous like these!


----------



## Willcooper

20g long
Ecocomplete
Finnex fugeray planted+
PPS-PRO daily fert method
CO2 booster daily

Wisteria 
Monte Carlo
Christmas moss
Anubias nana
Large hygro

Runny nose tetra
Otocinclus
Assasin snails
Gold guarami


----------



## aquafella

AquaAurora, nice bettas you have there..just wanted to ask you if is it safe to feed bettas frozen bloodworms daily? I mean, is it ok for frozen bloodworms as staple food?


----------



## Hilde

aquafella said:


> AquaAurora, nice bettas you have there..just wanted to ask you if is it safe to feed bettas frozen bloodworms daily? I mean, is it ok for frozen bloodworms as staple food?


I use to feed mine garden worms chopped up.


----------



## AquaAurora

aquafella said:


> AquaAurora, nice bettas you have there..just wanted to ask you if is it safe to feed bettas frozen bloodworms daily? I mean, is it ok for frozen bloodworms as staple food?


Thank you ^^
Blood worms work fine but you should get at least one other food. Its good to have some variation in the diet as differnt foods have difernt nutritional values. I feed mine pellets 2x a day, but every other day for first meal they get one of these (on rotation): (thawed) Hikari frozen blood worms or brine shrimp, or live black worms. I also just got in a grindal worm culture need to build it up to have enough to feed the bettas.
If you're planning on breeding bettas conditioning them with a meat only diet is a great way to get them 'in the mood'.


Hilde said:


> I use to feed mine garden worms chopped up.


I live in the city, the neighbors go crazy with pesticides around here so I don't feed my fish anything from outside. But thats just me being paranoid.


----------



## How3y

Newbie here, its taken me a little while to get through this tread, but my god it was brilliant, some of the tanks you guys have made are out of this world 
No questions as of yet, just basically running through and grabbing ideas for my own tank (finally convinced the other half) when I get back from my holidays, I look forward to getting to know a you lot a little more, any active members from the UK here, I'm aware it's been going for quite some time lol.
Anyhow keep up the good work peeps, can't wait to start putting my little project together 

Paul


----------



## burr740

AquaAurora said:


> 2g cookie jar


All your tanks are beautiful, I especially like this one though. What kind of filter and light does it have? 


* Nevermind, I just followed the link in your sig. That is awesome.


----------



## rodstewart

1.5 gallon tank set up last week ;-)

Up Aqua LED light. 

Flora:

Cladophora, Pogostemon helferi, Ceratophyllum demersum.

Manten stones and Tahitian moon sand for substrate.

Thanks for having a look!


----------



## AquaAurora

burr740 said:


> All your tanks are beautiful, I especially like this one though. What kind of filter and light does it have?
> 
> 
> * Nevermind, I just followed the link in your sig. That is awesome.


Thank you very much ^^ I've been quite happy with this tank *whispers* don't tell the other fishies but that is my favorite tank _and _fish. He loves getting kiss and is the most mellow of my bettas, which is amusing as I gave him the most aggressive name: Alastor- Greek spirit of blood feuds and revenge ^^
I really need to trim the fissendens but I don't want to... I'm worried it will look uglier after getting hacked back a bit >.>''


----------



## geealexg

*Low-tech Fluval Spec Series*

*"MAKING MAGIC IN GLASS BOXES"*

*Summary*

5 Month Update on various Fluval Spec Low-Tech Nano tanks that were started in early 2015. They are fully planted, nano fish community tanks and these are the first tanks I have ever done in my life. I use the stock low-wattage 7500k LED fluval lights that came with the kit, but all the plants haven been doing great so far because of additional daylight from the windows and the occasional dosing of Seachem Flourish and Excel. Algae issues have been minimal with the addition of Caridinia multidentata. Both tanks are also way overstocked with fish and shrimp species, but the water quality and fish health has been excellent so far with the use of Seachem Matrix, Seachem Stability, Seachem Purigen, and 25% water changes once a week.

If you have any further questions, feel free to let me know and I'll be glad to help. Any feedback or constructive criticism is also welcome because I just started this hobby in February 2015. Since I am also new to this forum, I'll post more pictures, specifications, and new Fluval Spec nano setups (all stock with no mods) along the way. Cheers!


----------



## Neatfish

What's that light on the spec 2? Wonder why mine came with the round light and everyone else has the square light.


----------



## geealexg

*Fluval Spec Series*



Neatfish said:


> What's that light on the spec 2? Wonder why mine came with the round light and everyone else has the square light.


The Fluval Spec 2 (2 gallons) is using a round light with the flexible, gooseneck mount while the Fluval Spec 3 (2.6 gallons) is using the rectangular light with the rigid mount. Both have 31 LEDs that are low wattage so they are considered low light. However, my Fluval Spec 2 is still able to grow a healthy, full carpet of dwarf hairgrass 'japan belem' (eleocharis acciularis 'mini').

Note: the Fluval Spec 2 with the round iight is the farthest left tank in the picture, while the Fluval Spec 3 with the rectangular light is the farthest right tank.


----------



## Neatfish

So your saying I can probably grow dhg in my spec 2g?


----------



## geealexg

*DHG in Spec 2 Gallon*



Neatfish said:


> So your saying I can probably grow dhg in my spec 2g?


I would not recommend it, but I have tried it successfully with Seachem Excel and Flourish. Nice that you are also into nano tanks!


----------



## geealexg

*DHG in Low-tech Spec 2 Gallon with Stock Lighting*



geealexg said:


> I would not recommend it, but I have tried it successfully with Seachem Excel and Flourish. Nice that you are also into nano tanks!


----------



## Musubi

My low tech fluval 5 gal.

A huge variety of plants which I don't know the names. Plus the Algae!

Driftwood

Black sand
White sand
Pebbles

30% weekly water changes 
Dose excel and flourish

White Cloud Mountain Minnows
Vietnamese Mountain Minnows

Ph 7.0

Stock lights 
Sunshine 

No heater.


----------



## rodstewart

Very nice choice and layout of plants. Beautiful well established tank!


----------



## Musubi

rodstewart said:


> Very nice choice and layout of plants. Beautiful well established tank!


Thank you.


----------



## geealexg

Musubi said:


> My low tech fluval 5 gal.
> 
> A huge variety of plants which I don't know the names. Plus the Algae!
> 
> Driftwood
> 
> Black sand
> White sand
> Pebbles
> 
> 30% weekly water changes
> Dose excel and flourish
> 
> White Cloud Mountain Minnows
> Vietnamese Mountain Minnows
> 
> Ph 7.0
> 
> Stock lights
> Sunshine
> 
> No heater.


Awesome tank! I love the hardscape and the plants give it a nice Jungle look to it. If you are worried about any algae, just throw some Japonica Amano shrimp in it and they will clean up everything. They also grow to a size of 2inch so many fish will not bother them. I'm also a big fan of the stock Fluval Spec 5 Gallon Nano Tanks. Thanks for sharing!


----------



## Musubi

geealexg said:


> Awesome tank! I love the hardscape and the plants give it a nice Jungle look to it. I'm also a big fan of the stock Fluval Spec 5 Gallon Nano Tanks.


Thank you. This Fluval tank style is easy-peasy.


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## plamski

*&2 Gal Bow front*

72 Gal Bow front.
Substrate 2 bags of ADA Amazonia 4 bags of Mr. Aqua water plant soil.
Light: Odyssea LED 48" 54W 6500K. 2x 4h split photoperiod.
NO CO2, Ferts 1-2 a month 1/5 OF normal EI dosing.
WC 50 % every 40-45 days.
2 x Eheim 2217. with prefilters , 2x powerheads.
Plants mini X-mass moss,Crypts,anubias nana, petite, Staurogyne repens porto velho ,tropica 49
Planing to add some Osmocote plus DIY root tabs.
Will stock it with 6-8 Angels an 20 ish rummy nose tetras or 70ish neon tetras-still thinking.


----------



## jlfkona

plamski said:


> 72 Gal Bow front.
> 
> Substrate 2 bags of ADA Amazonia 4 bags of Mr. Aqua water plant soil.
> 
> Light: Odyssea LED 48" 54W 6500K. 2x 4h split photoperiod.
> 
> NO CO2, Ferts 1-2 a month 1/5 OF normal EI dosing.
> 
> WC 50 % every 40-45 days.
> 
> 2 x Eheim 2217. with prefilters , 2x powerheads.
> 
> Plants mini X-mass moss,Crypts,anubias nana, petite, Staurogyne repens porto velho ,tropica 49
> 
> Planing to add some Osmocote plus DIY root tabs.
> 
> Will stock it with 6-8 Angels an 20 ish rummy nose tetras or 70ish neon tetras-still thinking.



Love it! This has to be one of my favorite tanks!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## plamski

Thanks. That is my firs reasonable looking scape so far.
I'v been reading TPT forum for years and have been inspired of members skills and imagination.


----------



## SDK

A shot of my low tech 40B


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## Musubi

SDK said:


> A shot of my low tech 40B


Nice.


----------



## SDK

Thanks!


----------



## ehufaka

Here's my 10g 2 weeks ago 


And what it looks like now



Diy leds, black sand, daily does excel and seachem ferts


----------



## Freemananana

What is low tech? Drawing the limits at CO2? I have this idea that low tech is basically water changes and feeding fish.


----------



## hisxlency

extrame said:


> update on my office tank.
> 4 yrs old already


Nice tank. How are ou growing Vlas with low light? My parents tanks had Vals that did not take off and they all died.


----------



## Freemananana

Vals need more like low-medium light than low light. They grow like crazy in some tanks and die in others. My suggestion would be slightly higher light than anticipated. I had bad luck with mine, so I can't really say for certain.


----------



## EvTanked

My 25 Gallon Tank

Variety of plants, Black gravel substrate. 
Open Top Tank
River Style Current (left - outlet to right - inlet)

13 Neon Tetra
3 sunburst platy & 2 fry
3 guppy & 3 fry
1 oto
3 z. danio 1 longtail danio
3 ghost shrimp

Malaysian Driftwood

A little over stocked but every thing seems fine, no aggression in tank. 

Aqueon Floramax light

SunSun 302 canister filter
Top - Seachem Matrix and filter pad
Mid - Ceramic ring/bio balls
Bot - Bio balls, 2 filter pads, Batting Quilt for polish filter

For Water Polishing
20-40 aquatek HOB with batting quilt stuffed inside


----------



## aquafella

Hi Guys..I have a bit of a problem here..Does anyone know what Algae Eater is best in getting rid of Green Spot Algae? I've got tons on my glass..


----------



## Kdog

aquafella said:


> Hi Guys..I have a bit of a problem here..Does anyone know what Algae Eater is best in getting rid of Green Spot Algae? I've got tons on my glass..


Nerite snails will eat this algae.
Btw, you you post algae questions in the algae forum.


----------



## The Big Buddha

Evtanked, please tell me you are on a GFI.
That light does not look too secure, it wouldn't take much to bump it in the tank.


----------



## EvTanked

Currently I am not on a GFI, I know sounds super sketchy. 

I am currently trying to make my own DIY raised lightning and this is the "for now" set up, some holes drilled and nails to hold it up :help: hahaha

But I have already dropped one end in the tank, just once. Scared the crap outta me but nothing happened thank god...

I am looking for some stylish plastic parts to raise and support the light fixture. 
I love the look of a open top and raised lighting . 

I have also been debating and researching about the beamswork led 400 for a 80 cm top lighting but idk if they are any good for plants.


----------



## rodstewart

Phone snapshot of my 1.5 gallon shrimp tank at the office. Thanks for having a look!


----------



## dpod

rodstewart said:


> Phone snapshot of my 1.5 gallon shrimp tank at the office. Thanks for having a look!


Awesome little setup! What are you using for the carpet?


----------



## AquaAurora

dpod said:


> Awesome little setup! What are you using for the carpet?


That looks like marimo that either is getting too much light or has another algae infesting it from the look of the discolored patches.


----------



## boredincubicle

dwarf lily is taking over my tank.


----------



## valenciaja

boredincubicle said:


> dwarf lily is taking over my tank.


Great tank. That lily is awesome. 

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk


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## abhinaba

*Update on my 29 g*

Update on my 29g


----------



## BrynnaCC

My 55 gallon low-tech community tank!

Equipment:
55 Gallon Tank
Jebo Internal Canister Filter (bought used; label was scratched off and I haven't found one like it)
36" Finnex Light
Eco-complete

Flora:
Myriophyllum Mattogrossense
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Tiger Lotus
Java Fern
Trident Java Fern
Anchor Moss
Fissidens Fontanus
Anubias nana
Marimo
Some kind of Sword Plant
Pygmy Chain Sword
Micro Sword
Bacopa Caroliniana
Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo'
Salvinia Minima

Fauna:
1 Neon Tetra (last of his school)
12 Cardinal Tetras
8 Gold Tetras
5 Celestial Pearl Danios
4 Otos
5 Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish
6 Pygmy Hatchets
1 Giant Danio (LFS accidentally added him to a batch of Microdevario kubotai for another tank)
4 Kuhli Loaches
3 Zebra Loaches
4 Honeycomb Catfish
2 Bolivian Rams
10 Amanos
2 Bamboo Shrimp
2 Vampire Shrimp
5 Red Lip Nerites
1 Tiger Nerite
Several MTS

No ferts for this tank, just lights on from 6:00am to 8:00pm, with a four hour rest period from 10:00am to 2:00pm. It's been running for almost two years now, and all plants seem to still be thriving. Some back wall algae, but I like it that way for the otos/nerites.


----------



## Dingleberry

I'll add mine now. A forest of assorted crypts, java fern and various anubias species.


----------



## newbieplanter

boredincubicle said:


> dwarf lily is taking over my tank.


Very nice set up, i like how u did the righthand side of the tank with tha moss an anubias. If u dont mind my askin how did u set that up to get that look?

Bump:


ehufaka said:


> Here's my 10g 2 weeks ago
> 
> 
> And what it looks like now
> 
> 
> 
> Diy leds, black sand, daily does excel and seachem ferts


Nice set up here.


----------



## Simon_Stephen

looks great man


----------



## Hilde

ehufaka said:


> Diy leds, black sand, daily does excel and seachem ferts


Is that HM. What LEDs is your DIY LED light strip made of? I have seen LED light strips with Crees and car LEDs strips.


----------



## boredincubicle

newbieplanter said:


> Very nice set up, i like how u did the righthand side of the tank with tha moss an anubias. If u dont mind my askin how did u set that up to get that look?


I have two pieces of driftwood and six anubias plants plus the moss. the plant in front of the "cave entrance" has it's roots tucked under the wood, then I have two plants pinned between the wood and the tank, one plant pinned between the two pieces of wood, and then two plants that are just anchored against the other plants. P-P is plant to plant, P-A is plant anchored. So as you can see, the plant in top/back corner is basically just floating there in place with it's roots holding onto a better anchored plant. 

My rough diagram:


----------



## Meganne

Meganne said:


> Realized I could add my 40 gallon cube on here. wish I coul take an awesome picture of it like some of you do but you get the idea of what I have.


up date on this tank, oh how it has grown!!!


----------



## Meganne

Meganne said:


> 80 gallons, no CO2, 12 gallon water change weekly, fert with flourish when I think about it so maybe once a week or two. some afternoon light from window, light in hood not very bright but I am not sure what it is as it came with the hand me down tank.
> all plants attached to the wood



dont know what happened to this picture but this tank sprung a leak and everything was transfered to a new 55 gallon with the same footprint but not as tall. 
weekly water changes, fert tabs every 3 months as I have planted the pool filter sand and it is nutrient free.


----------



## Cncohen

Here's my 10 gallon. I don't even know what the name of these plants are. I just liked the way they looked at the store. It's been set up for about 1 month. The substrate is aqua man...I have an aqua lean filter, and total 22 watts led lights. I've been changing water q 2 weeks and dosing seachem excel. I have algae eaters 2X and a bunch of little snails. I'm interested in adding red cherry shrimp soon.


----------



## Regenesis

Such beautiful tanks everyone


----------



## Fantastic5

75G soil capped with sand. Occasional trim and water change.


----------



## babynemo

Here's my two ten gallons.
They have Current USA Freshwater LED lights on both of them and Flourite substrate on one and the other is Eco-Complete CaribSea substrate.
Plants include 
Water Wisteria
Aponogeton Species
Staurogyne Repens
Dwarf Sagittaria subulata
Water Sprite
Java Fern
Java Moss
Baby Tears
Onion Plant

Filters are sponge filters for both powered by a small air pump.
Occasional dosing of Excel and Flourish, root tabs for most of the plants.
Water changes 30-40% once a week every week.


----------



## ehufaka

Hilde said:


> Is that HM. What LEDs is your DIY LED light strip made of? I have seen LED light strips with Crees and car LEDs strips.


It was called hm when I bought it, but I think it's correct name is hemianthus glomeratus. I use a mix of cree xp-g2 cool and 660nm red leds. It used to be my light set up for my carnivorous plant terrarium, that's why it has red leds. I've never used strip leds because high watt leds are alot more efficient than low watt leds.


----------



## Daisy Mae

*Like it*



rodstewart said:


> Phone snapshot of my 1.5 gallon shrimp tank at the office. Thanks for having a look!


Really nice set up! It's great how a limited variety of plants and hard scape make the tank look harmonious.


----------



## AUAV8R

*90 gallon*

90 gallon dirt capped with black diamond. 2 t5 HO and planted plus LED


----------



## aquafella

Quick question?? Which is better? API co2 booster or Seachem Flourish Excel?


----------



## KnH

Do a search on using Excel alternative Metricide or Cidex


----------



## lake985

Here's my 55G low tech setup w/ Satellite+ lighting, fert tabs, daily Excel and twice a week Seachem Flourish, Potassium, and Iron dosing. This is my first try at a planted setup--planted in March 2015.

First day after planting:









And how it looks today after much rearranging lol (kind of messy, but I like the crazy look):


----------



## aquafella

KnH said:


> Do a search on using Excel alternative Metricide or Cidex


I actually did but did not give any answer to my question..metricide does not work for me though..I was just wondering on which of the 2 are good brands..if the only difference is just the price then I would go for API..if both are basically the same thing..my lfs have both so im just checking what do u guys would recomend since most of the people here are expert and have experience in dosing ferts..


----------



## Maryland Guppy

Since my wife caught the aquarium bug from me?
She would most likely never post her tanks on here.
I will share.

5 gallon baby guppy tank. 5Gallon








Moscow guppy red tank. 20G long








Moscow guppy blue tank. 20G long








All tanks are low tech, no CO2 or ferts, water changes about every 2 weeks.
Plants are leftovers mostly from mine or my eldest son's tanks.

My wife firmly stated that plants were of no concern.
Who wants to look at plants on the LFS trip, my wife does.
It's a jungle in there!


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## jcmv4792

Lake985 and Maryland Guppy, what are you using for foreground plants in those tanks? Some of them look like hg or dhg.


----------



## Maryland Guppy

jcmv4792 said:


> Lake985 and Maryland Guppy, what are you using for foreground plants in those tanks? Some of them look like hg or dhg.


The guppy tanks have *regular* baby tears as a foreground plant.
Low tech it grows slow and much denser.
But it does grow well.
I provide all the trimming from a hi-tech 40G filled with a jungle.

The baby tank is a cobble of baby plants.
My wife just puts the smaller ones in the front.
Crypts, cardinal, erio's, lloydela, and mosses glued to lava rock.


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## jcmv4792

Maryland Guppy said:


> The guppy tanks have *regular* baby tears as a foreground plant.
> Low tech it grows slow and much denser.
> But it does grow well.
> I provide all the trimming from a hi-tech 40G filled with a jungle.
> 
> The baby tank is a cobble of baby plants.
> My wife just puts the smaller ones in the front.
> Crypts, cardinal, erio's, lloydela, and mosses glued to lava rock.


So I'm assuming since it's low tech, you don't need high light/co2 for baby tears? Would a little bit of excel and liquid/tab ferts be okay?


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## HDBenson

jcmv4792 said:


> So I'm assuming since it's low tech, you don't need high light/co2 for baby tears? Would a little bit of excel and liquid/tab ferts be okay?


This would never hurt, lol.


----------



## Maryland Guppy

Baby tears are available in several varieties.
What I am showing is *regular*, not dwarf or the super tall stuff.
My LFS sold them in a plug of 60 stems for $4.99.
I planted behind a stand of DHG and they took over everything.

Some info from this site.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myPlants.php?do=view&p=73&n=Baby_Tears_Lindernia_rotundifolia

My wife adds nothing to these tanks.
Only water changes due to NO3 removal every other week.
Based on my testing when NO3 gets dark orange on the test.
Fish & shrimp food are all that goes in the tanks.
A lot can be grown in a lo-tech tank and look awesome.
It all depends on how far one wants to go.

Each 20L used to have 9 - 1 watt 7300K LED's above them.
2 months ago I switched to a IP67 rated strip x 2 (SMD5050 chips 25" long).
New lights are 6500K and wife complained they are not as bright.
But, the plants have responded by growing better.

When starting this planted tank mess I purchased many species.
Only to provide experience, I have about 40 species in a hi-tech tank.
Now 8 months have passed and only 1 total failure, Pogostemon Erectus.
It was grown emersed and did not survive in my tank. :icon_eek:


----------



## jcmv4792

Maryland Guppy said:


> Baby tears are available in several varieties.
> What I am showing is *regular*, not dwarf or the super tall stuff.
> My LFS sold them in a plug of 60 stems for $4.99.
> I planted behind a stand of DHG and they took over everything.
> 
> Some info from this site.
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myPlants.php?do=view&p=73&n=Baby_Tears_Lindernia_rotundifolia
> 
> My wife adds nothing to these tanks.
> Only water changes due to NO3 removal every other week.
> Based on my testing when NO3 gets dark orange on the test.
> Fish & shrimp food are all that goes in the tanks.
> A lot can be grown in a lo-tech tank and look awesome.
> It all depends on how far one wants to go.
> 
> Each 20L used to have 9 - 1 watt 7300K LED's above them.
> 2 months ago I switched to a IP67 rated strip x 2 (SMD5050 chips 25" long).
> New lights are 6500K and wife complained they are not as bright.
> But, the plants have responded by growing better.
> 
> When starting this planted tank mess I purchased many species.
> Only to provide experience, I have about 40 species in a hi-tech tank.
> Now 8 months have passed and only 1 total failure, Pogostemon Erectus.
> It was grown emersed and did not survive in my tank. :icon_eek:


Thanks. So you also grow dwarf hair grass in low tech tanks?


----------



## Maryland Guppy

jcmv4792 said:


> Thanks. So you also grow dwarf hair grass in low tech tanks?


No DHG in the low tech tanks for me.
I grow out.the baby tears in the hi-tech.

Someone else may have thoughts on it.


----------



## lake985

jcmv4792 said:


> Lake985 and Maryland Guppy, what are you using for foreground plants in those tanks? Some of them look like hg or dhg.


No hair grass--just some dwarf sag on the far left that hasn't really done anything in the past few months except a few runners, then some staurogyne repens, crypts, an amazon sword compacta, and some recently planted hydrocotyle japan. I did try my luck with some micro sword when the tank was first planted, but they never took off. BTW, I'm dosing 10ml of Excel daily in my 55G.
Here are a few close up pics:
























And this pic of my three rams is not relevant but I love it!


----------



## jcmv4792

lake985 said:


> No hair grass--just some dwarf sag on the far left that hasn't really done anything in the past few months except a few runners, then some staurogyne repens, crypts, an amazon sword compacta, and some recently planted hydrocotyle japan. I did try my luck with some micro sword when the tank was first planted, but they never took off. BTW, I'm dosing 10ml of Excel daily in my 55G.
> Here are a few close up pics:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And this pic of my three rams is not relevant but I love it!


Nice! Do you use root tabs for your plants?


----------



## lake985

^^Thanks! This is my first planted tank so I'm still learning. And yes, there's a root tab at least 3-4 inches from each plant.


----------



## FMF Doc

Hey Dudes. Have a long way to go, but here is the progress so far. This weekend, I will be looking for a lot more nice java fern specimens. I had driftwood in but decided to go in a different direction. I want some dense foliage in the background and am planning on trying to propogate a carpet. Currently have some fluval stratum under some river gravel.


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## strangewaters

First planted tank. Been up for about 2 whole months now. 









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## Daisy Mae

*Describe please?*



strangewaters said:


> First planted tank. Been up for about 2 whole months now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk


Could you describe your set-up please? I like the proportions of that tank. looks like good growth for two months.


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## strangewaters

Daisy Mae said:


> Could you describe your set-up please? I like the proportions of that tank. looks like good growth for two months.


I dont dose. Just osmocote in the substrate. Lights on for about 12hrs due to them being cheap lights. I think that might be helping me, not sure. Diy co2. And i have a hob marineland and a new canister filter. When the canister is established im going to remove the hob. Do weekend 50% water changes. 









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## strangewaters

Did a little trimming last night










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## Daisy Mae

strangewaters said:


> I dont dose. Just osmocote in the substrate. Lights on for about 12hrs due to them being cheap lights. I think that might be helping me, not sure. Diy co2. And i have a hob marineland and a new canister filter. When the canister is established im going to remove the hob. Do weekend 50% water changes.
> 
> Sent from my LG-D851 using Tapatalk


Thanks for the info. Whatever it is you're doing seems to be working well.


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## strangewaters

My light isnt strong enough for reds. 

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## strangewaters

And my blyxa isnt doing much since getting them. 

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## jcmv4792

FMF Doc said:


>


Nice tank! What are the parameters?(gh, kh, ph?)


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## cgorges

My 75 gal. I use minimal seachem ferts.
Picts taken with an old samsung S2 so sorry bout the quality.


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## HDBenson

Finally posting this tank after a few months grow out... my "other" 28g bowfront... and my 10g DSM(3rd DSM and I ACTUALLY flooded it this time!!)


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## gerbilshower

Relatively new to the forum, been lurking 6 months or so. The tank was originally very lightly planted with a couple of convicts in it. I really wanted more plants and more fish in a 55g so i recently rehomed those convicts and went with my gut.

55g long tank
220c marineland cannister filter
sub is half eco complete and half red flouride
lights are one 67k ho and one 10k ho, getting replaced soon due to age.

i dose flourish probly a capful a week. no root tabs. water change maybe 15 gallons once a week.

plants: aubias nana, cabomba, anubias ??? one in the middle its taller, and something in the right foreground that i forgot the name of.


















i really want to add more plants. moss for the driftwood etc. any suggestions?

woohoo!


----------



## AnthonyJ

Updated my old 2.5gallon.


----------



## Casxl

My first crack at planted. Been running about a month now. 
20 long
Sat. Freshwater LED (probably should've got the plus but oh well)
Eco complete sub
Flourish, excel doses

Plants:
Bronze wendtii 
Red wendtii
Banana plant 
Java fern (don't really like the small guys)
Java moss on driftwood, rocks and a mat growing 
Gold anubias
Corkscrew val 
Crypt spiralis
Moneywort 
Dwarf sag 
Blyxa 
Floating a penny wort stem
And some onion whose name I forgot 

Fish:
5 zebra danios (Jerry, George, Elaine, Kramer, Newman)
6 amanos ( Chowder, Mung, Truffles, Schnitzel, Endive, Pananini)
Probably going to add some otos, panda cories and maybe some neon tetras.


----------



## rragan

Awesome tanks guys! heres mine. first planted tank for me

55g
cascade 1500 canister filter
2x 54 watt T5 HO 6500k bulbs
8 hour photoperiod with 2 hour siesta in between
flourite substrate
excel/flourish









I have a lot to learn but so far, i learned to over filter and plant heavily!, not too much light.
May not be low tech for long, im getting the urge for pressurized co2


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## jcmv4792

rragan said:


> Awesome tanks guys! heres mine. first planted tank for me
> 
> 55g
> cascade 1500 canister filter
> 2x 54 watt T5 HO 6500k bulbs
> 8 hour photoperiod with 2 hour siesta in between
> flourite substrate
> excel/flourish
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have a lot to learn but so far, i learned to over filter and plant heavily!, not too much light.
> May not be low tech for long, im getting the urge for pressurized co2


Nice setup. What plants are those?


----------



## jcmv4792

lauraleellbp said:


> Lookin great, keep em coming!
> 
> 29gal update


I know this is an old post, but can anyone ID the plants used on the left side of this setup?(all but the hairgrass)


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## rragan

jcmv4792 said:


> Nice setup. What plants are those?


Thanks! heres my plant list, probably not %100 accurate;
water sprite
dwarf hairgrass
narrowleaf chain sword
narrow leaf temple plant
some type of bare root red sword plant
red nesea
ludwigia
purple comomba
italian val
amazon sword


----------



## Kindafishy

The 1 in front looks like Hygrophila corymbosa.


----------



## HDBenson

jcmv4792 said:


> I know this is an old post, but can anyone ID the plants used on the left side of this setup?(all but the hairgrass)


Hygrophila corymbosa (possibly compacta)
Java narrow and needle, the little plants right below the Hygrophila look like Lobelia cardinalis

Bump:


jcmv4792 said:


> I know this is an old post, but can anyone ID the plants used on the left side of this setup?(all but the hairgrass)


Hygrophila corymbosa (possibly compacta)
Java narrow and needle, the little plants right below the Hygrophila look like Lobelia cardinalis


----------



## jcmv4792

Thanks. I've actually been checking out lobelia cardinalis but did not know if it was suitable for low-tech. Would you say this plant requires a lot of experience to grow in low tech? Or would it be fairly easy for a beginner to grow it as well?


----------



## Kindafishy

jcmv4792 said:


> Thanks. I've actually been checking out lobelia cardinalis but did not know if it was suitable for low-tech. Would you say this plant requires a lot of experience to grow in low tech? Or would it be fairly easy for a beginner to grow it as well?


It's pretty easy to grow, but does better with medium light.


----------



## PsymonPsays

My first tank (well besides the simple goldfish won at the fair tank haha), that I've been working on for roughly 2 months. Still a major work in progress. Fell in love with apistogramma cacatuoides and built this tank to breed them. 

(Planted+ 24/7, osmocote+, EI dosing & Excel)

Plant list: 
anubias minima
anubias barteri
St. Elmo's hybrid swords
Aponogeton capuronii
dwarf hairgrass
"blue velvet" buce
"king tatena" buce
water wisteria
taiwan moss

Also ordered some anubias nana for some foreground cover around the stump.


----------



## aokashi

I cheated and color-corrected the tea color from the water. I also corrected the persepctive, but I really like how it turned out, so here it is!


----------



## AquaAurora

aokashi said:


> I cheated and color-corrected the tea color from the water. I also corrected the persepctive, but I really like how it turned out, so here it is!
> 
> View attachment 505522


hey there! Nice to see you pop over on this forum too ^^


----------



## aokashi

AquaAurora said:


> hey there! Nice to see you pop over on this forum too ^^



I've lurked here since forever


----------



## lana11

29G low tech: EcoComplete, Beamswork 6 x 0.5 Watt LEDs, AC30 HOB, no CO2, occasional root tabs

Flora
Cryptocoryne balansae, C. lutea, C. wendtii, 2-3 other crypts, 2 Anubias, M. pteropus Narrow, Bolbitas, Aponogeton ulvaceus, Hygrophila corymbosa angustifolia

Fauna
Rummy Nose Tetra, Lambchop Rasbora, Pseudomugil Gertrudae, New Guinea Blue Eyes, Amano shrimp, MTS


----------



## AquaAurora

6g bowfront


7g cube (please pardon the java fern... plantlets growing on all the old leaves make them look like [censor].. going to be planting the babies in a few weeks/months once they're grown up and pop off.)



10g


12g long


----------



## AWolf

*My Ultra Low Tech Tanks*

I have four 10g tanks with no filters, substrate, or air. The only thing that might be considered 'high tech', is 12.5 watts per gallon. I use liquid fertilizers and keep labyrinth fish and air breathers like corys and otos.


----------



## jcmv4792

AWolf said:


> I have four 10g tanks with no filters, substrate, or air. The only thing that might be considered 'high tech', is 12.5 watts per gallon. I use liquid fertilizers and keep labyrinth fish and air breathers like corys and otos.


12.5 watts per gallon? I thought 3-4 wpg was high light.

Bump:


AquaAurora said:


> 10g


Lovely setup! What plants are in the fore/mid-ground?


----------



## GadgetGirl

Yes, beautiful! What are the clover-like plants left foreground?


----------



## AquaAurora

jcmv4792 said:


> Lovely setup! What plants are in the fore/mid-ground?





GadgetGirl said:


> Yes, beautiful! What are the clover-like plants left foreground?


Thank you both ^^
The clover plant is Hydro sp. japan, I also have Downoi (Pogostemon helferi) and Micro sword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis) in the foreground. The red plants on front the left are AR ( Alternanthera reineckii).


----------



## Raymond S.

I feel this one is coming along, but not there yet. Need to make a decision on the
green looking Rotala, but it gets more red every time it gets a new shoot on it.
Supposed to be Magenta says the supplier to the LFS. But also supposed to be from the same batch as the red Rotala you see next to it. Obviously a discrepancy exist.
Upper right is Fissidens F. on the wall. The Marcelia Minuto was recently planted.
The W. Java fern is young from very small plants so hasn't grown much.
And that is native/collected DHG on the left. And a couple of Crypt Petchii/w a new
plant sprouting in between them.
10g/w one dose of EI type ferts weekly but two of the micros. 2x Excel and about
45-50 PAR on for about 7.5 hrs.

Update: Made the decision.


----------



## jcmv4792

AquaAurora said:


> Thank you both ^^
> The clover plant is Hydro sp. japan, I also have Downoi (Pogostemon helferi) and Micro sword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis) in the foreground. The red plants on front the left are AR ( Alternanthera reineckii).


I always thought alternathera R. was a hard plant to grow in low-tech. How has the experience been for you?(growth rate, health..etc)


----------



## AquaAurora

jcmv4792 said:


> I always thought alternathera R. was a hard plant to grow in low-tech. How has the experience been for you?(growth rate, health..etc)


Looked like [censor] from coming in the mail but has been good for a few weeks, its growing faster than the bacopa carolina and ludwigia sp. red but not super fast.


----------



## Patriot

AquaAurora said:


> 6g bowfront
> 
> 
> 7g cube (please pardon the java fern... plantlets growing on all the old leaves make them look like [censor].. going to be planting the babies in a few weeks/months once they're grown up and pop off.)
> 
> 
> 
> 10g
> 
> 
> 12g long


What plants are in your 7g. I love it.


----------



## jcmv4792

AquaAurora said:


> Looked like [censor] from coming in the mail but has been good for a few weeks, its growing faster than the bacopa carolina and ludwigia sp. red but not super fast.


Interesting. I may give AR a try then. Also I just noticed you said you had the brasiliensis variety of micro sword. I always thought mauritiana was the only micrsword that could grow without higher light/c02. Have you noticed any health problems or algae growth on your micro sword?


----------



## Hilde

jcmv4792 said:


> Interesting. I may give AR a try then.


The AR would do better with a light with 6700k. 

Here it is in my 20H grow-out tank. Lights are 3 T5NO 6700k. I dose Excel and Soda Water to replace Co2. No Co2 injected now though there is a Co2 diffuser in the tank. Alternanthera reineckii is on the far right. I think the pink plant on the left is Ludwigia palustris. Just got it from Petco so it should get brighter in time. Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is behind the Marsilea Minuta. Not doing well thus thinking of moving to a 10g tank.

The brightness of the light in AquaAurora's tank and mine seem similar. My Alternanthera reineckii is growing better than but his Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is growing better than mine. I have found that my lights red spectras are aprox. 3xs more that AquaAurora and his lights blue spectra are aprox 3x more than mine.


----------



## Hilde

AquaAurora said:


> Thank you both ^^
> The clover plant is Hydro sp. japan, I also have Downoi (Pogostemon helferi) and Micro sword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis) in the foreground. The red plants on front the left are AR ( Alternanthera reineckii).


Where is the Downoi (Pogostemon helferi)?









Interesting how well your Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is growing. It is growing better than mine.


----------



## AquaAurora

Patriot said:


> What plants are in your 7g. I love it.


Thank you, mostly narrow leaf/needle leaf and regular java fern but there are a few philipine and threadfin java ferns in there. Tank is packed with ferns, I can only see the substrate against the glass ^^. The red plant is a dwarf lily. Photos don't do it justice, its much more red!



jcmv4792 said:


> Interesting. I may give AR a try then. Also I just noticed you said you had the brasiliensis variety of micro sword. I always thought mauritiana was the only micrsword that could grow without higher light/c02. Have you noticed any health problems or algae growth on your micro sword?


 My microsword was grown emersed and seems to be having the hardest time transitioning, but its not dead so I'm happy ^^ I have (Lilaeopsis mauritiana) and Mini micro sword (Lilaeopsis nova "mini") in a low tech medium light that only gets excel every other day and nothing else, they love the soil based substrate!



Hilde said:


> The AR would do better with a light with 6700k.
> 
> Here it is in my 20H grow-out tank. Lights are 3 T5NO 6700k. I dose Excel and Soda Water to replace Co2. No Co2 injected now though there is a Co2 diffuser in the tank. Alternanthera reineckii is on the far right. I think the pink plant on the left is Ludwigia palustris. Just got it from Petco so it should get brighter in time. Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is behind the Marsilea Minuta. Not doing well thus thinking of moving to a 10g tank.
> 
> The brightness of the light in AquaAurora's tank and mine seem similar. My Alternanthera reineckii is growing better than but his Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is growing better than mine. I have found that my lights red spectras are aprox. 3xs more that AquaAurora and his lights blue spectra are aprox 3x more than mine.


Hers



Hilde said:


> Where is the Downoi (Pogostemon helferi)?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting how well your Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is growing. It is growing better than mine.


Dowoni is right behind the micro sword, its sort of a curved arch separating the hydro japan from the micro sword. I'll try getting a better photo of it later.




The amusing thing about the 10g was I was sure it would fail and was all ready to have just a N. Taiwan and water spire low tech tank, but its doing... and now I _want _a lot tech tank haha. The N. Taiwan is so prolific (clippings make new plants if you don't toss them) I can fill a 10g in a few months wit this stuff!


----------



## FishEnthusiast98

AquaAurora, which Java Fern is your favorite? I'm currently deciding between Windelov and Narrow Leaf. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Hilde

FishEnthusiast98 said:


> AquaAurora, which Java Fern is your favorite? I'm currently deciding between Windelov and Narrow Leaf.


Windelov is my favorite. Narrow leaf tends to get hidden amidst other plants.


----------



## AquaAurora

Hilde said:


> Where is the Downoi (Pogostemon helferi)?
> 
> 
> Interesting how well your Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is growing. It is growing better than mine.


Sorry for delay getting photo.. tank really needed a trim and I was being a bit lazy about getting it done.
Dowoni should be easier to see in these photos 

Pre trim


Post trim





FishEnthusiast98 said:


> AquaAurora, which Java Fern is your favorite? I'm currently deciding between Windelov and Narrow Leaf.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I've not had windelov (I always want to call it willow) but I like my narrow leaf and Philippine java fern a lot. For some reason the regular java fern always does that plantedlet and old leaf die off when put in a new tank for me.. but my others don't thankfully ^^

I'm actually boiling the [censor] out of some cut driftwood to redo java fern tie down in that tank once the plantlets are all popped off. Some already are off the mother leaf..though I'm not sure if that's thats because they're ready to grow on their own or if my fish crashed through them and 'helped'. Speaking of which timer just went off to dump and refill water for the boil!


----------



## Scav1180

Not the greatest looking but here is my 

20g - Aqua Clear 50 - Fugeray - Eco complete - Eheim heater


----------



## FishEnthusiast98

AquaAurora said:


> Sorry for delay getting photo.. tank really needed a trim and I was being a bit lazy about getting it done.
> Dowoni should be easier to see in these photos
> 
> Pre trim
> 
> 
> Post trim
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've not had windelov (I always want to call it willow) but I like my narrow leaf and Philippine java fern a lot. For some reason the regular java fern always does that plantedlet and old leaf die off when put in a new tank for me.. but my others don't thankfully ^^
> 
> I'm actually boiling the [censor] out of some cut driftwood to redo java fern tie down in that tank once the plantlets are all popped off. Some already are off the mother leaf..though I'm not sure if that's thats because they're ready to grow on their own or if my fish crashed through them and 'helped'. Speaking of which timer just went off to dump and refill water for the boil!






Hilde said:


> Windelov is my favorite. Narrow leaf tends to get hidden amidst other plants.



I'll ask both of you this...

Which Java Fern would offer the best contrast to a tank that will have a lot of Cryptocoryne (such as wendtii 'Florida Sunset', nurii, etc.) and Anubias? My current Java Fern is sort of boring--not unique enough for my taste.










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## bigbadjon




----------



## Daisy Mae

bigbadjon said:


>


I like this! Simple but effective. How's the maintenance?


----------



## Steve0

Here is the 20L in the kids playroom. No CO2, no ferts ( except osmocote root tabs when I started it, months ago). Eco complete. 1 T8 on for 4,off for 4,back on for 4. Water change/filter cleaning whenever I remember.

Fish-
A few tetras
A few guppies
2 nerite snails
1 assassin snail
? malaysian trumpet snails
Plants-
Lots and of crypt wendtii 
Big bush of needle leaf Java fern
Wad of moss (fissiden?)


----------



## bigbadjon

Daisy Mae said:


> I like this! Simple but effective. How's the maintenance?


Maintenance is pretty easy. Plenty of room to vacuum and I do two 50% water changes a week. With all smooth rock and sand if I do get some algae then cleaning it is no biggy. I have a thread a few days ago that goes into it some more.


----------



## beetea

AquaAurora said:


> My microsword was grown emersed and seems to be having the hardest time transitioning, but its not dead so I'm happy


I really like L. brasiliensis and it's a lot hardier than I would've expected. I've had it survive in maintenance buckets (eg. when I rescape or move) for months! One thing I do notice is that it takes *forever* to acclimate (weeks to months) before it starts spreading.


----------



## AquaAurora

FishEnthusiast98 said:


> I'll ask both of you this...
> 
> Which Java Fern would offer the best contrast to a tank that will have a lot of Cryptocoryne (such as wendtii 'Florida Sunset', nurii, etc.) and Anubias? My current Java Fern is sort of boring--not unique enough for my taste.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Can't really answer that since I only used a few types and have not had some of the more uniquely shaped leaf ones.



Steve0 said:


> Here is the 20L in the kids playroom. No CO2, no ferts ( except osmocote root tabs when I started it, months ago). Eco complete. 1 T8 on for 4,off for 4,back on for 4. Water change/filter cleaning whenever I remember.
> 
> Fish-
> A few tetras
> A few guppies
> 2 nerite snails
> 1 assassin snail
> ? malaysian trumpet snails
> Plants-
> Lots and of crypt wendtii
> Big bush of needle leaf Java fern
> Wad of moss (fissiden?)


Nice big bunch of crypts and ferns!



beetea said:


> I really like L. brasiliensis and it's a lot hardier than I would've expected. I've had it survive in maintenance buckets (eg. when I rescape or move) for months! One thing I do notice is that it takes *forever* to acclimate (weeks to months) before it starts spreading.


I'd believe it. As long the malaysian trumpet snails don't uproot them constantly I don't care if these micrswords take a while to settle in.


----------



## xev11

My 16 after a thorough replanting of everything. Thoughts?


----------



## end3r.P

AquaAurora said:


>


Lovely tank. What's the big bushy plant taking up the far right side? And the needle-thin stalks to the left?


----------



## Vic4UF

I want to redo the substrate but don't want to start all over again. Can't get the foreground to spread.


----------



## Vic4UF

Java fern, red Rubin and lily bulbs


----------



## Aquatastic

end3r.P said:


> AquaAurora said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lovely tank. What's the big bushy plant taking up the far right side? And the needle-thin stalks to the left?
Click to expand...

That looks like water wisteria to me.

Great tanks everyone! I've only started getting into aquascaping not too long ago so I have a lot to learn. My plants so far are doing great for being a newbie (low tech 10g). I will post a picture later.


----------



## ReXeR

*Lighting*

What is the wattage on your lighting?


----------



## danceswithferrets

Superfish 40L
One week old,
Going to be home for 5 dwarf pufferfish,
Garden centre topsoil substrate topped with sand. 
Java moss superglued to bogwood, java fern, babytears, usual suspects.


----------



## danceswithferrets

Diy tank, 1500x350x300 mm,
Up for a year and a half,
Topsoil substrate capped with sand,
Recently added extra plants, snails decour many plants. Pretty plants seem more tasty.
Home to dwarf neon rainbow, harlequins, corys, amano shrimp, vampire shrimp, pufferfish soon to be rehomed. Fancy a few hatchet fish.
Eheim classic, plus fan for circulation (all fish love to play in the strong current), small monthly water changes.


----------



## AquaAurora

end3r.P said:


> Lovely tank. What's the big bushy plant taking up the far right side? And the needle-thin stalks to the left?





Aquatastic said:


> That looks like water wisteria to me.
> 
> Great tanks everyone! I've only started getting into aquascaping not too long ago so I have a lot to learn. My plants so far are doing great for being a newbie (low tech 10g). I will post a picture later.


Close its Water sprite on the right, I always mix the two up but the person who gave it to me clearly labeled it so i wrote it down to remember which I have.
I'm not sure what you mean by needley stock? Do you mean the corkscrew/spiral like thing? That's Echinodorus angustifolia 'Vesuvius'. The yellow-ish pink plant with narrow leaves I don't have a 100% ID on sorry (it was some tag along tinny broken stem with some other plants). The red leafed plant with very thin stem next to it is ludwigia sp. red. Bacopa caroliniana is the green plant at the far left in the back.


----------



## Aquatastic

This is my 10g tank. It currently has 2 CFL bulbs (600 lumens and 10 watts each with 6500 K). I dose API LeafZone weekly. I am going to buy dry ferts this upcoming week so I can start learning how to use those.


----------



## Rinfish

Frenchie said:


> -29g
> -Lighting - 36w Coralife T5
> -Filtration - Penguin 330 and a korilia pump
> -Substrate - Eco Complete
> -Flora - Brazil sword, Bacopa, Anubius nana, Anubius Barti, Tiger tiger lotus, crypt wendtii green and red, Java, fern, Wisteria, and a little bit of Java Moss
> -Fauna - 2 blue dwarf gouramis, 6 glowlight tetras, 2 zebra danios, bristlenose pleco, unknown goby, 5 amino shrimp, tiger shrimp and cherry shrimp
> -No c02 and I've starting cutting back on water changes. I've read none are necessary but am still keeping an eye on the water.
> 
> before the rescape:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> after, should look better once it fills in:


Nice tank! I especially love your driftwood. Where did you purchase it from if you don't mind me asking?


----------



## tanganyikatapwaterman

*My first grand planted restart*

Hi,as a beginner I've lot of questions about right restart.
Its 5ft 105gal real water 85gal tank.
Light:2x80w Philips Daylight 6500k makes 0.48wpl/1.8wpg
Substrat are :first layer JBL volcano 2x9L+bacteril powder for colony
midle layer Tropica Plant Growth 3x2.5L + EasyLife FE sticks
and up 2-3mm inert gravel.
Plants :Valisneria Tiger x25,Echinodorus Bleheri x2,Cypts.:Wendtii Green x50 (Tropica Grow up 123),Parva 19x3-5 (carpet),Wisli x 15,Becketti Pechi x12roots.
Pictures are after 65hours and water are little bit cloudi (brown cloudy)
I was using established Eheim 2128th and old tank water 30gal/25%
I understand my tank as 'Low tech' 
A question is how often must make wch in first 4-6weeks ?
ThankYou.
p.s. lights on timer 6h a day and from 10pm-5am nightlight.
after 21h i was change 24% water and plan is next week make a 3wch by 15%.

Bump: T are +26'C pH about 7.5 Kh 11 Gh12
Little cloudyness after 65h
Any help will be good.


----------



## drink

This thread inspired me to go low tech.

Root tabs and osmocte in substrate. Dose weekly with K, P and glut. Low light, 5 hours a day. Growth is slow but I wanted that.


----------



## FishEnthusiast98

drink said:


> This thread inspired me to go low tech.
> 
> 
> 
> Root tabs and osmocte in substrate. Dose weekly with K, P and glut. Low light, 5 hours a day. Growth is slow but I wanted that.



Your tank is inspirational to me. I love the looks of those crypts! What crypts do you have in there? Wendtii? I'm converting my high tech over to low-ish tech. Low light, pressurized CO2 (not a high amount of CO2 though, just enough for healthy growth and no algae problems...no glut dosing), and a dimmable LED unit. I've found that high-tech and fast growth is too time consuming for me to enjoy my tank and to just watch. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## knm<><

drink said:


> This thread inspired me to go low tech.
> 
> Root tabs and osmocte in substrate. Dose weekly with K, P and glut. Low light, 5 hours a day. Growth is slow but I wanted that.


Beautiful tank!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk


----------



## Hilde

tanganyikatapwaterman said:


> Its 5ft 105gal real water 85gal tank.
> 
> A question is how often must make wch in first 4-6weeks ?


It really depends on your fish load. With the El-Natural method some only do water changes yearly. Diana Walstad, whom started El Natural, uses UV Sterilizer.

Amazed at you work at planting. Might be easier with tweezers in the future.


----------



## jcmv4792

drink said:


> This thread inspired me to go low tech.
> 
> Root tabs and osmocte in substrate. Dose weekly with K, P and glut. Low light, 5 hours a day. Growth is slow but I wanted that.


Love how this looks.. It's like one of those ADA scapes.

What exactly is the substrate and type of plants?


----------



## drink

FishEnthusiast98 said:


> Your tank is inspirational to me. I love the looks of those crypts! What crypts do you have in there? Wendtii?


Thanks. I think they are Wendtii. They are commonly available in LFS in Australia as "assorted crypts" in terracotta pots. 



jcmv4792 said:


> Love how this looks.. It's like one of those ADA scapes.
> 
> What exactly is the substrate and type of plants?


Thanks also. Substrate is sand with root tabs and osmocote. Full tank thread is here. The majority of the plants are crypts, the clover looking one is hydrocotyle.


----------



## Vic4UF

Early stages.


----------



## wootlaws

20G long shrimp tank


----------



## AquaAurora

wootlaws said:


> 20G long shrimp tank


wow thats some thick moss!


----------



## doylecolmdoyle

Here is my first ever fish tank pretty sure its 10g (900mm long 230mm wide x 250mm tall, These photos are from when i first filled it, I need to get some better photos of the plants I have since added, I have put in some hair grass and Glosso (I think I didnt pay to much attention to what I was buying) Also I dont know how much light my tank is getting, perhaps too much as I am starting to get some hair algae and the plants are growing fairly fast. I am thinking of getting a mini Co2 setup to try get some good ground coverage.




























Added some Rummy nose Tetras and a bronze catfish, need to get a few more catfish to keep this one company.










I have not tested the water yet or added any additives, going to test tonight and hopefully get everything i need to keep the water under control on the weekend (along with more fish!)


----------



## aquafella

*Update: 10 months and counting*

Started excell for a month then let nature take its course, now its unstoppable..


----------



## HDBenson

Good job @auquafella! Looks like you finally got everything reigned in! Beautiful tank!


----------



## aquafella

*Hey HDBenson*



HDBenson said:


> Good job @auquafella! Looks like you finally got everything reigned in! Beautiful tank!


It's been awhile..how's your tank doing? I have another tank that is so challenging. I'm aiming for iwagumi set up with HC as carpet plant. I'm currently doing a drystart method then will flood it after a month or two, this hobby is so addicting. I have lowtech and hightech tanks now..


----------



## HDBenson

@aquafella: 



I've recently downsized to this display and a 10g farm tank:


----------



## Tihsho

@aquafella when I saw that blue trim on your tank it took me back to when I was a kid living overseas in Manila for a couple years, then I saw your location! Is the blue trim company specific over there? I use to have the tank here in the US then one day the bottom pane gaveway during a scape change.
@HDBenson, why have a 10 gallon submersed farm? Why not go emersed?


----------



## HDBenson

@Tihsho.. bc I can. But seriously, just as one of those experiments to see what happens, etc. Plus, why do emersed when you can do submerged and cut out the drastic transition? It also makes a convenient laboratory for trying out new stuff before going into a display. And, I only have one display right now so, I need something to play with... boys and toys ya know?


----------



## solchitlins

I had a 120g., it broke, downsized to two 40 gal breeder tanks.
I'm currently shopping for another large tank so I can combine these back together again 

top 2 pics are from same tank, 40 breeder, sand over dirt, cheap t5 lighting, no ferts or chemicals. Low maintenance. Stock= 6 rosy barbs and 6 Odessa barbs
Bottom tank is mostly plants tied to wood, t8 lights no chemicals or ferts, stock=8 congo tetras


----------



## redavalanche

Started with 1 plant. Never intended to be planted. Now almost a year later and I got this mess. 
Light is a Stingray, too little for a 37G. Been doing Flourish Comprehensive 2x week. 
Now started some Macros and a little Excel. This tank grows brown algae like crazy. This is the clean version pic. 
You can see holes in leaves, ripped looking leaves, yellow skeleton leaves, BGA remnant leaves, everything you never wanted.


----------



## aquafella

Awesome @HDBenson..the tank you have is looking great..you should set up the farm tank that you have or get a nano tank and set it up so you can still use those extra plants.. @Tihsho A friend gave me this tank, I'm not sure about the blue trim company but I believe that this tank that I have has been with different owners and has survive decades because the tanks that are sold here now are all rimless. Nice to know someone in this forum that has been here in the PH.


----------



## Daisy Mae

Hey @aquafella! I was born in the Philippines and the ten-gallon tank I had as a teenager (ha ha don't ask me how long ago) had a red trim. Purchased it myself in Chinatown (Binondo). Yup, I was a teen-ager runnin around all over the place. Good times. For the life of me though, I can't imagine how I would have carried it home in a jeep. Must have obtained a ride from a relative somehow. 

Nice tank you got there by the way.


----------



## Tihsho

aquafella said:


> @Tihsho A friend gave me this tank, I'm not sure about the blue trim company but I believe that this tank that I have has been with different owners and has survive decades because the tanks that are sold here now are all rimless. Nice to know someone in this forum that has been here in the PH.


I'd have to say that I've yet to be in an interesting LFS since living in Manila. It definitely was an inspiration to my 'MonsterFish' days, but until I move that won't happen again. Glad to see you have a blue trim!

Bump:


Daisy Mae said:


> Hey @aquafella! I was born in the Philippines and the ten-gallon tank I had as a teenager (ha ha don't ask me how long ago) had a red trim. Purchased it myself in Chinatown (Binondo). Yup, I was a teen-ager runnin around all over the place. Good times. For the life of me though, I can't imagine how I would have carried it home in a jeep. Must have obtained a ride from a relative somehow.
> 
> Nice tank you got there by the way.


@Daisy Mae, Jeep or Jeepnee?


----------



## Daisy Mae

Hi @Tihsho!

Definitely the jeepney, the gaudiest kind! Where you argue with the driver about the fare (ha ha, tell him how many kilometers it is from point A to point B so he can't argue with your math). I was too much of a smart--s as a kid for my own good. Good thing age has taught me that experience sometimes counts for more 0


----------



## aquafella

@Daisy Mae wow! another person that had been here..nice to know that..yeah in binondo you can get almost anything you look for..that chinatown is a nice place and the jeeneys..some parts of manila they have this drifting jeepneys, if I'm not mistaken that is somewhere in Marikina..anyway, nice to know you people..wil be posting updates on future tanks..might be resetting my old one..got bored with the design..hehe


----------



## DMAXNAZ

That is a neat tank Doyle!


----------



## Freemananana

An update from my 75g.

Check out the little crypt that could, front and center! I can't believe how big it has gotten and how much my dwarf sag has propagated. 
May 2015

October 2015

I can't believe this tank is coming up on the 6 month mark. I've done almost nothing. I scrubbed the algae on the glass once or twice, trimmed the amazon swords twice, and done weekly water changes fairly consistently. This is about as low tech as it gets.


----------



## doylecolmdoyle

purchased 2 new plants on the weekend, the two in the pots... need to plant them I guess but was told in the store its fine to leave them i the pots as I was unsure if I want them permanently in the tank!. I was getting some algae on the ground coverage so stopped running the LED light for a week, hopefully adding some new plants will help and allow me to run the light a bit longer and help the ground coverage spread as its started to grow upwards this past week with no LED lighting


----------



## plamski

*20gal*

Here is my work place 20gal tank. It is very low maintenance tank.Water changes every 4 months,top off every week. Parameters are PH at 5.6,TDS 70,GH2,KH0 in order to keep plants grow very slow.No fishes or shrimps = 0 nitrates.Full spectrum DIY converted Odyssea LED fixture .


----------



## jcmv4792

plamski said:


> Here is my work place 20gal tank. It is very low maintenance tank.Water changes every 4 months,top off every week. Parameters are PH at 5.6,TDS 70,GH2,KH0 in order to keep plants grow very slow.No fishes or shrimps = 0 nitrates.Full spectrum DIY converted Odyssea LED fixture .


This is an awesome scape. What plants are in here?


----------



## DMAXNAZ

Freemananana said:


> An update from my 75g.
> 
> Check out the little crypt that could, front and center! I can't believe how big it has gotten and how much my dwarf sag has propagated.
> May 2015
> 
> October 2015
> 
> I can't believe this tank is coming up on the 6 month mark. I've done almost nothing. I scrubbed the algae on the glass once or twice, trimmed the amazon swords twice, and done weekly water changes fairly consistently. This is about as low tech as it gets.


This is exactly what I would like to have in 6 months. It looks fantastic! No fertilizer used? What conditioner do you use for your weekly changes? How much water do you change each time?


----------



## Freemananana

I didn't use any ferts or excel, and I dose prime when I do water changes. For awhile, I did water changes every week. Then I started doing them every other week or once every 3 weeks. I'm doing them weekly again. I had a busy point in my life. To be honest, I think I need to cut the water changes to once every two weeks. I think I was getting better growth with that time line. I also, after taking the second photo, starting dosing excel/metricide. I have some liquid ferts that I dose about once a week, sometimes. I thought I'd give mild dosing a shot for a few weeks/months and see how it looks. 

I'm still impressed by that crypt in the front. It went from 4-5 leaves to that giant monster all by itself. I didn't do anything.


----------



## DMAXNAZ

Freemananana said:


> I didn't use any ferts or excel, and I dose prime when I do water changes. For awhile, I did water changes every week. Then I started doing them every other week or once every 3 weeks. I'm doing them weekly again. I had a busy point in my life. To be honest, I think I need to cut the water changes to once every two weeks. I think I was getting better growth with that time line. I also, after taking the second photo, starting dosing excel/metricide. I have some liquid ferts that I dose about once a week, sometimes. I thought I'd give mild dosing a shot for a few weeks/months and see how it looks.
> 
> I'm still impressed by that crypt in the front. It went from 4-5 leaves to that giant monster all by itself. I didn't do anything.


That's cool. I think I'm going to start off like you did, and maybe introduce the ferts later. I'm in no hurry for major growth.


----------



## Freemananana

I do advocate the completely low tech approach. It is pretty easy to just add fish and do a 30-50% water change every week or two. Dialing in your lights should be your first matter of business. I start with around 6 hours of light for a few weeks to a month. No algae? Bump it up. There is a happy median to be had. I like longer days with weak light in my tanks, somewhere around 8-10 hours of light.


----------



## plamski

jcmv4792 said:


> This is an awesome scape. What plants are in here?


Thanks.
There is mini pellia for tree foliage.Some fissidens moss between rocks here and there. Monte Carlo for carpeting at lowest level on the right.Some tropica 49 on the left. Hygrophila pinnatifida middle right.Mini Xmas mos next to the right glass.


----------



## jcmv4792

Freemananana said:


> I do advocate the completely low tech approach. It is pretty easy to just add fish and do a 30-50% water change every week or two. Dialing in your lights should be your first matter of business. I start with around 6 hours of light for a few weeks to a month. No algae? Bump it up. There is a happy median to be had. I like longer days with weak light in my tanks, somewhere around 8-10 hours of light.


What do you consider low light? What is the lowest PAR that your anubias, ferns, mosses get?


----------



## Freemananana

jcmv4792 said:


> What do you consider low light? What is the lowest PAR that your anubias, ferns, mosses get?


Under 30 par is low light in my book. Lowest par? Probably 10-15 in some spots of my tank with other plants over growing them. My anubias is near the glass so that my swords cast a shadow over them. I don't have any java fern, but my moss actually enjoys higher light so I try and plant it in the open and in the top half of the tank.


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## crusht

Here is my low Tech tank.

Its my first post and have been reading on this great forum a lot and in a few weeks will seriously post a 'higher' tech tank picture when I fill this baby up


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## Hilde

crusht said:


> Here is my low Tech tank.
> 
> Its my first post and have been reading on this great forum a lot and in a few weeks will seriously post a 'higher' tech tank picture when I fill this baby up


I would have preferred you posted after you got it planted.


----------



## crusht

I know. I was just looking at my empty tank and thought this is as low tech as it can get. I filled it up to test for leaks and today should be receiving the hood, substrate, heater etc... I come from years of Tanganyika setups, this is going to be all new for me.


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## Hoppy

This is a 65 gallon tank, with Finnex Planted Plus light, Metricide for carbon, and EI dosing at low light levels. It is one year since I started it.


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## Timmy!!

This is my 40b, super low tech. Hasn't seen real ferts in over a year, every couple months I dose micros. Water changes happen every 3 or 4 months. I don't have anything to trim and has a fairly low fish load. That being said this is probably my favorite tank I've ever had.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk


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## Freemananana

I'm kind of digging the island look.


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## AquaAurora

Timmy!! said:


> This is my 40b, super low tech. Hasn't seen real ferts in over a year, every couple months I dose micros. Water changes happen every 3 or 4 months. I don't have anything to trim and has a fairly low fish load. That being said this is probably my favorite tank I've ever had.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk


*I.want.your.java.fern.blob!*
Mine is constantly doing that annoying plantlet growing-leaf dieing [censor] so it doesn't look that good =.=
What's you pH btw? Low or medium light?


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## LRJ

Timmy!! said:


> This is my 40b, super low tech. Hasn't seen real ferts in over a year, every couple months I dose micros. Water changes happen every 3 or 4 months. I don't have anything to trim and has a fairly low fish load. That being said this is probably my favorite tank I've ever had.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk


Looks like a nice home for some small to mid sized CA cichlids. What's your stock?


----------



## Timmy!!

Thanks guys! I LOVE java fern... The only plants in this tank are standard java fern and a couple anubius. What's funny is all that java fern came from one plant a couple years ago, it grows very well for me. The ph is usually closer to 7.5, temp is at 76, and I have a finnex ray 2 hanging about 22 inches from the substrate. I think that qualifies as medium light. At one point I had the ray2 sitting on the rim, I had lots of algae issues with that.

For stock, all I have is 5 ottos, a Rio grande pleco, 2 siamese algae eaters, and a lone koi sword tail I call Nemo.  In the near future I would like to get a school of rasboras or something, but who knows.


Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk


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## end3r.P

Hoppy said:


> This is a 65 gallon tank, with Finnex Planted Plus light, Metricide for carbon, and EI dosing at low light levels. It is one year since I started it.


Is that mostly Bacopa monnieri? It looks so good... Mine grew for a while in my low-tech (plus Excel) tank, but I finally had to pull it because the stems' lower parts were all rotting/melting.

Bump:


Freemananana said:


> I do advocate the completely low tech approach. It is pretty easy to just add fish and do a 30-50% water change every week or two. Dialing in your lights should be your first matter of business. I start with around 6 hours of light for a few weeks to a month. No algae? Bump it up. There is a happy median to be had. I like longer days with weak light in my tanks, somewhere around 8-10 hours of light.


The only downside is missing out on the best carpeting plants... which is why I'm trying CO2 in my next tank. Low tech can certainly grow a lot of great plantscapes though.


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## AquaAurora

I'd thought of trying koi sword tails but read somewhere they like to nibble/destroy plants a bit. Yours leaves the java fern alone?


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## Timmy!!

I've had the sword tails in a couple tanks, they've never messed with any of the plants

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk


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## BruceF

That is some great java fern there Timmy. Do you happen to know what your tap water chemistry is?


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## Timmy!!

Thanks! Honestly, it's been over a year since I tested my water parameters other than ph. Not really sure..

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk


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## ottomotto

My 4 gallon shrimp tank. 

Seachem flourish once a week and water change 2 times per month.

6 watt led light.


Java moss growing like crazy. Never had bba or even hair algae in this tank. Green spot algae at the beginning but it vanished. Tank has water spots sorry for that , i clean the tank during sundays.


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## drx




----------



## leeteekyung

about USD20 low tech tank


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## Timmy!!

leeteekyung said:


> about USD20 low tech tank


That driftwood is awesome! 

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk


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## leeteekyung

Timmy!! said:


> That driftwood is awesome!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk


if only you are here i will give them for free. my tank rack is in trouble right now


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## MD86

20g high all anubias.

July 2013











December 2015










It's gone through several rescapes. And I've divided the rhizomes up a few times to help fill in the tank.

var. Broad leaf in the background. var. Congensis mid center. var. Striped mid left, mid right/background. var. Nana foreground.

9 brilliant rasboras, 1 lone galaxy rasbora. 4ish ramshorn snails.

Currently 1, 15w, Flora-Glo bulb

eheim 2215

I like that all the anubias are attached to rocks making it easy to rescape. Irregular water changes, occasionally take a razor blade to the glass to clean off algae. 

Goals - Waiting for a good deal on a 40g breeder to move it all into. Possibly a 50g. Fluorite or Eco-Complete instead of gravel. Try out some crypts. Add more galaxy rasboras. Add some sort of single fish (dwarf gourami, krib, suggestions?)


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## AquaAurora

MD86 said:


> 20g high all anubias.
> 
> July 2013
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> December 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's gone through several rescapes. And I've divided the rhizomes up a few times to help fill in the tank.
> 
> var. Broad leaf in the background. var. Congensis mid center. var. Striped mid left, mid right/background. var. Nana foreground.
> 
> 9 brilliant rasboras, 1 lone galaxy rasbora. 4ish ramshorn snails.
> 
> Currently 1, 15w, Flora-Glo bulb
> 
> eheim 2013 canister
> 
> I like that all the anubias are attached to rocks making it easy to rescape. Irregular water changes, occasionally take a razor blade to the glass to clean off algae.
> 
> Goals - Waiting for a good deal on a 40g breeder to move it all into. Possibly a 50g. Fluorite or Eco-Complete instead of gravel. Try out some crypts. Add more galaxy rasboras. Add some sort of single fish (dwarf gourami, krib, suggestions?)


Nice anubias tank! Now you just need some petite, narrow leaf, or even micro to stick in front of the nana in the foreground ^^

As for Dwarf gouramis, those sold at the stores are usually male (females tend to be dull in color and undesired).. its hit and miss with them on attitude-I had a good one (he was the tank boss but he wasn't mean/destructive) but some people get males that are very aggressive/territorial and may destroy plants to make their bubble nests (typically softer leafed stem plants near the surface and floaters). Also the dwarf goruamis tend to be over/inbred and have a disease in their breed that many get from poor breeding/raising conditions making it easy to spread to other dwarf gouramis. I was fortunate enough not to get an infected gourami but not everyone is as lucky.


----------



## rmemanuel

I've been lurking on PTF for a couple of years now. This community has been superbly helpful in my hobby. Your posts are great fun and help feed my obsession perfectly (besides actually working with or enjoying my tanks). 

I am a few years into playing with planted tanks and I'm wedded 100% to low tech, Walstad-based (hybrid) approaches on all three of my tanks. Here they are:

















29 gallon, SE Asian theme (fish, not plants). Fluval Eco Planted LED array. Fluval 300 HOB. Flow deflection by placing foam pipe insulation at outfall. 

This tank is about 2 months old. 

Plants: Several spp of crypts, Sagittaria subulatta, Mayaca, Rottala indica, red root floaters, floating water sprite, Java fern, Staurogyne repens, Brazilian pennywort, Myriophylum aquaticum, Blyxa, Hygro spp, giant hygro, and one big leftover Echinodorus from an older build. 

Fish: Brilliant Rasbora x9
Cherry Barbs x5
Pearl Gorami x2
MTS and hitch hiker snails. 
Loaches arriving soon to lower that population. Just want to make sure the tank is really biologically mature. 

Scape: deep base of flourite and old Eco complete beneath 2" of organic commercial soil, capped with course clean sand. Spider and bogwood. River rocks. Goal: backwater lowland, low flow. 

Inputs: 25% water changes weekly, Flourish Excel, monthly micros and Prime. Seachem Prime regime at startup. 

Next up: 



















This is my 1 year old 29 gallon tank devoted to mostly Rainbows. 

Fluval Eco Planted LED array. Fluval 300 HOB. Plus two large sponge filters for additional biological filtration. 

Plants: Hygro spp, red tiger lotus, Anubias various, Java fern, Rottala indica, various crypts, Echinodorus (dwarf and E. amazonicus), red root floaters, free floating water sprite, Bacopa monera. 

Fish: Dwarf neon rainbowfish x12
Malagasy rainbowfish x3
Cardinal tetras from an old tank x4
Kuhli loaches x5
MTS x too many to count 

Scape: 3" organic commercial soil capped with 2" fine play sand, 30 lb piece of bogwood, rocks scavenged. 

Inputs: 25% weekly water changes, half dose Flourish Excel, monthly micros, Prime. 

Because both of these tanks are heavily stocked, I test with an API master kit frequently. But nitrates have never exceeded 20 ppm. Mostly in the range of 5 ppm. Temp on the Praecox tank is 76-78 while the SE Asian tank is running 78. Both have a tannin coloration that was intended for effect. 

Lastly:



















Fluval Spec 1.5 with CFL. 

Stock: red cherry shrimps x3 + MTS. 

Plants: hygro, red root floaters, Sagittaria, subwassertang. Algae allowed for shrimp diet. 

Scape that you can't see: organic soil capped with fine play sand. Bogwood. 

Weekly top off. 30% water change every few weeks when algae gets out of control. 

Thanks everyone who has unknowingly contributed to my success and inspiration in planted tanks.


----------



## MD86

Thanks for the kind words AquaAurora! I'd consider some Petite and have yet to look into Narrow and Micro. 

Good to know about the dwarf gourami's. I had one about a year ago that only made it about 6 months. Showed no signs of disease or stress and one day bit the dust. 

Anyway, I haven't been on these forums in a while. I went back to check on my original post on this thread (page 76) and realized I definitely need to update you guys! I'll probably start a journal once I get the 40g.


----------



## Empress Akitla

Been lurking around here for a few years now. Decided I better go ahead and post pics f my newly rescaped tank!

*Equipment*
29 gallon tank
Whisper Internal Filter
Tetra Heater
Generic bubble wand
Frankenhood (lid part is from the 29 gallon but the lighting unit is from a ten gallon after the other one fell apart)
2x15 watt aquarium bulbs
Half dose of ferts once a week or so because I'm forgetful

*Plants*
1xAmazon sword (not sure actually, it's that big tall one in the left hand corner, got it from PetCo with no label)
1xAnubias nana petite (going to get some more because they're adorable)
3xAnubias nana
1xAnubias congensis
1xAsian fern (is that the same as a java fern?)
2xMoneywort
10xCrypt wendtiis (troopers and veterans of the tank for many years of neglect and general rough handling)

*Fish*
12xFancy guppies (started out with three and now have a breeding school...colony...shoal?)
1xSerpae tetra (going to get him some friends soon, he is also a veteran of the tank)

I'm thinking about getting some sunset platies and cories as well as some ghost shrimp. Will any of those have problems with each other?


----------



## Freemananana

Spiral vals are taking over my 75g. It has grown even more since this photo.


----------



## Hilde

Empress Akitla said:


> Decided I better go ahead and post pics f my newly rescaped tank!
> 
> *Equipment*
> 29 gallon tank
> 2x15 watt aquarium bulbs


I need to see a full front view to appreciate it.


----------



## Empress Akitla

Here is a full frontal of my frankentank.


----------



## Hooked on fish

Wow there are some great tanks on here.


Here are two of mine!


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## 47hooker

This is my first and only planted tank. As you can see I'm trying to make a moss wall in the back. Low tech 29 gal


----------



## brandonhauser

Here is my 2.6 gal Fluval Spec III. Currently dosing Excel daily. Notice the use of both rocks and driftwood (a big no no in aquascaping from what I've read haha!) :wink2: I like it though. Check out that sweet micro crab in the front left, too.


----------



## brandonhauser

They're neat little creatures. Filter feed off particles in the water and are fully aquatic, so cannot survive out of the water. I haven't had any attempt to crawl out yet.



rossychang1530 said:


> nice tank, havent seen a crab in this hobby. will it crawl out of the tank?


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## Jcstank

*Low Tech 75*

Here is mine after a major prune. The plants grow like crazy in this thing so it doesn't always look this good. Low Tech can certainly grow quickly! Currently I dose 1/3 EI every two weeks and do 50% water changes every two weeks also. Recently I was dosing 1/3 EI and 50% water changes every week but its a decent amount of work that I don't always have the time for.


----------



## [email protected]

My two betta tanks;

Fluval Spec V, haven't decided on a routine as today is the first day the tank has had a fish in it. Plants are mostly Anubius varieties with some Java Fern in the back, and Narrow Leaf Chain Sword back right which I'll be taking out of the tank. No ferts, no co2/Excel.

10 gallon gets dosed liquid macro/micro ferts once a week, Excel dosed daily, 50% WC weekly. Plants are Narrow Leaf Chain Sword, Jungle Val, Amazon Sword, Water Wisteria, Java Fern.

Both tanks have a Finnex Stingray.


----------



## knm<><

That 10g looks really nice, well done!


----------



## DanielWard

New to the hobby, first tank below. Going to get a bigger tank in the new year! This one is a 7 gallon.


----------



## Dingleberry

46 Bowfront crypt streambed. Miscellaneous crypts and anubias. Only 6 hours of full light a day excluding a few hours of sunrise and sunset settings on my timer. No liquid ferts just ecocomplete sub and root tabs.
Stocking includes angels, neons, rasboras, Cory's, loaches. Soon to be an Asian stream biotope with Asian fish species only.


----------



## Jcstank

plamski said:


> Here is my work place 20gal tank. It is very low maintenance tank.Water changes every 4 months,top off every week. Parameters are PH at 5.6,TDS 70,GH2,KH0 in order to keep plants grow very slow.No fishes or shrimps = 0 nitrates.Full spectrum DIY converted Odyssea LED fixture .


That tank looks awesome; so different from what I normally see.


----------



## Fornstar

Heres mine. At least I think it counts as low tech. I have just recently gotten back in to the hobby. Setting up the tank was a reward system to help potty train my son. 

Fluval Flora 7.9 gallon
2 x 13W CFL
Eco Complete
DIY Osmcote Plus root tabs
Dose Excel every other day .8mL

The only plant names I know for sure is the Christmas Moss and the DHG.










The plants on the far left will be coming out at some point. I will be replacing them with some driftwood with some moss. Not sure which one. Just have to find the right piece that I picture in my head.

The Anubias needs some attention. I just added the DHG. Had some left over from a different tank so I threw it in to see if it would grow in the tank.

Matt


----------



## ernest

f1ea said:


> This is my 200 Gal outdoor low tech tank:
> 
> - 1 WPG + Sunlight
> - Excell only (no co2)
> - Simple gravel substrate


if it is outside How do you contro algae?


----------



## sushisnake

"and my jem, a Madagascar Lace plant."
Wow! In a low tech tank! Wow, Noahma!

I'm loving this thread. 

I live in a country town and know one other planted tank enthusiast, so there are no actual tanks for me to look at and learn the growth habits of the plants from. The one and only LFS doesn't even have a planted display tank because there's no market for it, and photos and forums - even tank journals - can only take you so far because they are overwhelmingly about high tech tanks. 

I've had some very expensive failures, so many I felt like a failure and had almost given up aquascaping because I don't have the time, the money or the practical knowledge for high tech tanks, but this thread has energised me. The lower plant choices in low tech means I can look at a tank photo and get the plant habits immediately.

Thanks and kudos to the OP for starting this motivating thread


----------



## blackjack

This is my 75g low tech planted tank. Flourite black sand, 1 led light strip (don't know watt or lumen), and 1 HOB filter and 1 heater.

Flora: crypts, dwarf sags, anubias nana, and some moss.

Fauna: 3 angelfish, 3 swordtails, 2 discus, 1 albino BN pleco, 1 blue ahli, 1 yellow regal aulonocara

50-75% water change once every month. No CO2 and minimal fertilizer added after water change. Set up over a year with no algae problems. Had some snail issue but that was resolved with the addition of the ahli and aulonocara.


----------



## roadmaster

blackjack said:


> This is my 75g low tech planted tank. Flourite black sand, 1 led light strip (don't know watt or lumen), and 1 HOB filter and 1 heater.
> 
> Flora: crypts, dwarf sags, anubias nana, and some moss.
> 
> Fauna: 3 angelfish, 3 swordtails, 2 discus, 1 albino BN pleco, 1 blue ahli, 1 yellow regal aulonocara
> 
> 50-75% water change once every month. No CO2 and minimal fertilizer added after water change. Set up over a year with no algae problems. Had some snail issue but that was resolved with the addition of the ahli and aulonocara.


 
Very nice tank ,poor fish selection, particularly the Blue ahli.
Ahli will be more and more aggressive as it matures(can grow to five inches easily )and could easily shred fin's of Discus and Angelfish (probable), as is it's nature.
All your missing is a couple Piranah.
Nice job with the plant's however long they remain.


----------



## yashmack

brandonhauser said:


> Here is my 2.6 gal Fluval Spec III. Currently dosing Excel daily. Notice the use of both rocks and driftwood (a big no no in aquascaping from what I've read haha!) :wink2: I like it though. Check out that sweet micro crab in the front left, too.


What are the plants in the background?


----------



## davlee

This is my newly setup tank. Beginner here... Got some egeria, cabomba, mini java fern and mini windelov. Still waiting for tank to cycle before putting in fauna. Am thinking to make a java moss wall on the right hand side background. What you guys think?











Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


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## doylecolmdoyle

my ultimate low tech, shouldn't need a trim for awhile


----------



## Tyrone

davlee said:


> This is my newly setup tank. Beginner here... Got some egeria, cabomba, mini java fern and mini windelov. Still waiting for tank to cycle before putting in fauna. Am thinking to make a java moss wall on the right hand side background. What you guys think?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk



Nice job for a beginner! What brand tank is that?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Tyrone

doylecolmdoyle said:


> my ultimate low tech, shouldn't need a trim for awhile



That looks really good! I might have to copy that! How many gallons is this set up?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## davlee

Tyrone said:


> Nice job for a beginner! What brand tank is that?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The brand is sea star, cheap tank that is made in China

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----------



## doylecolmdoyle

Tyrone said:


> That looks really good! I might have to copy that! How many gallons is this set up?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Cheers its 30cm cube, I think 5 or 6g


----------



## sushisnake

*Marimo moss balls tank.*



Tyrone said:


> That looks really good! I might have to copy that! How many gallons is this set up?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Here's the link to the thread about this tank:

Marimo Hills - Nano Cube


----------



## Tyrone

sushisnake said:


> Here's the link to the thread about this tank:
> 
> Marimo Hills - Nano Cube



Awesome, thank you!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## AquaAurora

RE-scaped my husband's tank before Christmas. Very low tech-marimo and riccia-a drop of Flourish once a week if I remember, and betta poop.


----------



## nanoguy

Just started this tank after about a 5 year hiatus from aquariums. Never been able to pull off a planted tank, hoping this time it works out. 

Specs:
- 60" 120g tank
- Fluval Fx6
- Beamworks 120 x 0.5w 6500k
- PFS Substrate
- ACJr. Controller (leftover from reef days)

Plants (just added most tonight):
- Jungle Vals
- Spiral Vals
- DHG
- Few different Anubias
- Unknown Sword
- Unknown Crypt

Livestock:
- 5 Angels
- 20 H. Rasboras
- 6 Julii Cories
- 1 lonely hatchetfish
- 1 oto cat
- 4 gambusia my son caught in the ditch

Just got done planting so the water looks cloudy. Open to any advice or criticism as this is really my first planted tank.


----------



## robinc

really beautiful tank. Love your plants.


----------



## crusht

This regular 10g tank will be hitting the 3 month mark in a few days. Very happy with it. Two 6500K 8-10 watt led bulbs on there. Plants as far as I know are Bacopa, crypts, rotala indica, rotala wallichii, Hygrophila, Alternanthera Reineckii and some Marsilea sp. Had some green spot algae on plants that went away after I changed to these bulbs and this fuzzy algae that was allover the rotala wallichii went away overnight and I dont know why... Still get some algae on the glass but not so much any more.

I was dosing Excel daily and Flourish+Iron once a week but I have cut down on those in the last 2 weeks and it seems to work even better. Eco complete substrate and cheap internal filter.


----------



## nanoguy

crusht said:


> This regular 10g tank will be hitting the 3 month mark in a few days. Very happy with it. Two 6500K 8-10 watt led bulbs on there. Plants as far as I know are Bacopa, crypts, rotala indica, rotala wallichii, Hygrophila, Alternanthera Reineckii and some Marsilea sp. Had some green spot algae on plants that went away after I changed to these bulbs and this fuzzy algae that was allover the rotala wallichii went away overnight and I dont know why... Still get some algae on the glass but not so much any more.
> 
> I was dosing Excel daily and Flourish+Iron once a week but I have cut down on those in the last 2 weeks and it seems to work even better. Eco complete substrate and cheap internal filter.


Very nice, hoping to do a small shrimp tank soon. Love it if looks like that.


----------



## Hilde

crusht said:


> This regular 10g tank will be hitting the 3 month mark in a few days. Very happy with it. Two 6500K 8-10 watt led bulbs on there. Plants are: Bacopa, crypts, rotala indica, rotala wallichii, Hygrophila, Alternanthera Reineckii and some Marsilea sp.


Amazed at the bright color of the AR plant. Got a link to the bulbs?


----------



## Rapture

Fluval Spec V
Current USA Satellite LED Freshwater Plus (dimmed down)
Excel daily-ish
NPK, micros weekly-ish
Root tabs in Flourite

1 Betta
25-ish Cherry shrimp
1 Ghost shrimp
2 Horned Nerite
1 Zebra Nerite
4574534 little jerk snails


----------



## crusht

nanoguy said:


> Very nice, hoping to do a small shrimp tank soon. Love it if looks like that.


Thanks



Hilde said:


> Amazed at the bright color of the AR plant. Got a link to the bulbs?


I got the AR at a Petco in one of those closed pacakges with the gel on the roots. I dont remember it stating the type of AR but looking at the way it has been growing the past 3 months I think it is the short bushy kind, not getting tall at all and lots of roots. I want to trim and see what happens.

My Hygrophila are losing leaves the last few days, I think I may have to start Macro dosing a little


----------



## crusht

Rapture said:


> Fluval Spec V
> Current USA Satellite LED Freshwater Plus (dimmed down)
> Excel daily-ish
> NPK, micros weekly-ish
> Root tabs in Flourite
> 
> 1 Betta
> 25-ish Cherry shrimp
> 1 Ghost shrimp
> 2 Horned Nerite
> 1 Zebra Nerite
> 4574534 little jerk snails


Love that tank!!! Great photo.


----------



## FishEnthusiast98

Rapture said:


> Fluval Spec V
> Current USA Satellite LED Freshwater Plus (dimmed down)
> Excel daily-ish
> NPK, micros weekly-ish
> Root tabs in Flourite
> 
> 1 Betta
> 25-ish Cherry shrimp
> 1 Ghost shrimp
> 2 Horned Nerite
> 1 Zebra Nerite
> 4574534 little jerk snails



Beautiful tank! 


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## livebearer

@crusht wow this 10g look better then any 10g ive done...good job!


----------



## NaH2O

Rapture said:


> Fluval Spec V
> Current USA Satellite LED Freshwater Plus (dimmed down)
> Excel daily-ish
> NPK, micros weekly-ish
> Root tabs in Flourite
> 
> 1 Betta
> 25-ish Cherry shrimp
> 1 Ghost shrimp
> 2 Horned Nerite
> 1 Zebra Nerite
> 4574534 little jerk snails


What is the age on this tank? It's a very neat vision for betta luxury!


----------



## j-pond

*Re-Done 20long*

I just re-did my 20-long and thought I should see what everyone thinks.
Equipment: Marineland Canister C-160
Lights are (2) CFL bulbs in DIY clamp-light covers 
Heater cant remember what brand
Substrate: ECO Complete
Plants:
Vallisneria Spirals * Ancharis * Crypts = Parva & Wendtii Green & one I can't remember * Anubias = Nana & Barteri * Aponogeton Crispus
Fish: Blood Fin Tetras (5) Rummynose (3) Neon (6) Leopard Danios (2) Danio Margaritatus (3)


----------



## crusht

Hilde said:


> Got a link to the bulbs?


Got them from 



.


----------



## Rapture

crusht said:


> Love that tank!!! Great photo.


Thank you!



FishEnthusiast98 said:


> Beautiful tank!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you!



NaH2O said:


> What is the age on this tank? It's a very neat vision for betta luxury!


This go around started a little over 6 months ago, and the tank went through a lot of changes since then. Tank journal can be seen here - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/958866-resurrection-spec-v.html - if you are interested.


----------



## jcmv4792

New 55 gallon scape not yet completed(some crypts and bolbitis to add)

- Various java fern types
- Various bucephalandra types
- Various anubias types
- Mini x-mas moss

Lava rock hardscape, ADA colorado sand


----------



## ofthemountain

Well the tank above puts mine to shame, but here are my stats (48 Gal bowfront)
Stock:
2 Madagascar rainbow
7 rummynose
7 harlequin rasbora
2 black mollies
4 galaxy rasbora/ celestial pearl danio 
1 peacock gudgeon
1 siamese algae eater
1 albino bristlenose
Some nerite snails in there too

Plants:
Mostly java ferns and anubias. Some other misc plants in there. I got rid of the amazon sword because the bristlenose kept eating the leaves and it would look ugly. It was the bristlenose or the sword so I made my choice. 

8 hours of light a day, water change every other week... or at least I try. 

Well thats my tank!


----------



## Dingleberry

My newly set up 75 gallon with SA species only. Weekly iron and flourish dosing with osmocote tabs.











And my 25 gallon bolivian ram tank. Dirted with MGOPS with weekly iron dosing.


----------



## jcmv4792

ofthemountain said:


> Well the tank above puts mine to shame, but here are my stats (48 Gal bowfront)
> Stock:
> 2 Madagascar rainbow
> 7 rummynose
> 7 harlequin rasbora
> 2 black mollies
> 4 galaxy rasbora/ celestial pearl danio
> 1 peacock gudgeon
> 1 siamese algae eater
> 1 albino bristlenose
> Some nerite snails in there too
> 
> Plants:
> Mostly java ferns and anubias. Some other misc plants in there. I got rid of the amazon sword because the bristlenose kept eating the leaves and it would look ugly. It was the bristlenose or the sword so I made my choice.
> 
> 8 hours of light a day, water change every other week... or at least I try.
> 
> Well thats my tank!


I like it =]. I want to do a smaller tank that I can do rooted plants in like this.

What substrate are you using here?


----------



## ofthemountain

jcmv4792 said:


> I like it =]. I want to do a smaller tank that I can do rooted plants in like this.
> 
> What substrate are you using here?


Glad you like my tank! Thank you. 

Unfortunately I bought the substrate off craigslist (yeah random there was actually a dude selling substrate) and dont remember the brand. He told me when I bought it but it was a while ago. Probably need to replace it anyways. I think its a mix of flourite and something else.


----------



## Rusty_Faders

Some beautiful tanks in here! Here's my freshly-planted first ever tank. Planted super heavy to get it started and will scape as things settle down. Planning to stock it with some Amano's and Oto's for cleanup and some CPD's and Blue-Eyes if they're available.

Equipment: 23G Fluval Vista tank; Aquaclear 50; 2x 13w CFL in Ikea Foto pendants 21" from substrate (2x 4hour photoperiod w/ 5 hr siesta). Took the LED's out of the hood included in the kit and put it behind the tank for the blue ambient lighting...a bit cheesy but I like the effect at night when the plants are silhouetted against the blue. ADA Amazonia substrate.

Plants: S. Repens, H. Tripartita, C. Wendtii, C. Wendtii "Mi Oya", E. Bleheri, V. Natans, B. Caroliniana, A. Barteri v. Nana, M. Pteropus "Narrow", Java Moss


----------



## jcmv4792

Rusty_Faders said:


> Some beautiful tanks in here! Here's my freshly-planted first ever tank. Planted super heavy to get it started and will scape as things settle down. Planning to stock it with some Amano's and Oto's for cleanup and some CPD's and Blue-Eyes if they're available.
> 
> Equipment: 23G Fluval Vista tank; Aquaclear 50; 2x 13w CFL in Ikea Foto pendants 21" from substrate (2x 4hour photoperiod w/ 5 hr siesta). Took the LED's out of the hood included in the kit and put it behind the tank for the blue ambient lighting...a bit cheesy but I like the effect at night when the plants are silhouetted against the blue. ADA Amazonia substrate.
> 
> Plants: S. Repens, H. Tripartita, C. Wendtii, C. Wendtii "Mi Oya", E. Bleheri, V. Natans, B. Caroliniana, A. Barteri v. Nana, M. Pteropus "Narrow", Java Moss


That's a nice first tank! Are you using tap water with that ada amazonia, or RODI water?


----------



## Rusty_Faders

Tap water treated with Prime...Should I be on the lookout for something?


----------



## Tyrone

Rusty_Faders said:


> Tap water treated with Prime...Should I be on the lookout for something?


In the initial start, not really. Only only after cycled and a few water changes and before adding livestock. 

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## ckeep22

My 10 gallon which was an absolute jungle before a massive trim that filled my 33 gallon and 15 gallon. Also sold some to people.


----------



## Rapture

plantbrain said:


> ADA 60p
> No CO2, no water changes, dosed about 1/10th EI dosing once a week.........
> 
> Clean filter once every 3-4 months.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Had 9 Zebra plecos, 4 Gold nuggets, 7 Red farowellas(bred them 30X in this tank), Fire shrimp.
> 
> Now Betta macrostoma.
> 
> Weeds: pennywort, Xmas moss, Anbuias, some bolbitus perhaps and a little HC keeps popping up.
> 
> This is also not a photo shoot, this is the way to tank looks anytime folks stop by and there are few on this forum that have seen the tank many times.
> 
> It's well scaped, but still EXTREMELY easy to care for.
> 
> 
> 
> Walstad style certainly has a LOT of ferts, they are in the soil, but the total fert level is quite high for the first year or so, then N declines mostly.
> 
> Non CO2/No excel methods add ferts to the water column, I was curious if this would work a no # of years ago using plain sand.......... turns out it does. See above.
> 
> I think overall, adding ferts to both locations regardless of high, mid or low tech philosophy is the best management approach to ferts.........
> 
> Most old school folks considered CO2 gas...........the defining difference...........and I consider Excel enrichment as well.........(mid tech I suppose), no Carbon enrichment: low tech.
> 
> I think using Carbon as the defining metric seems best, since light can be all over with each method and same for ferts.
> 
> So seems that would be the better choice to make groups, but there's a lack of consistency with the terms.
> 
> The plant police would need to patrol and enforce it:icon_mrgr


This tank right here


----------



## yaleforks

My first tank. 10 days old


----------



## shrimpNewbie

yaleforks said:


> My first tank. 10 days old


This is your first? Either you're lying or you have a knack for creation =p

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----------



## That_one_guy

What kind of mod did you do on your outflow?


----------



## That_one_guy

Fluval spec V 

Marimo moss ball, 
Subwassertang in the front right
Two crypt Lucens on both sides 
*And Hornwort in the Back that just won't grow!!!!!!!!!! *

Kevin the Half moon Dumbo Betta!

and three crazy ghost shrimp

oh and one stupid fake plant that I want to take out as soon as I get some jungle Val


----------



## AquaAurora

That_one_guy said:


> Fluval spec V
> 
> Marimo moss ball,
> Subwassertang in the front right
> Two crypt Lucens on both sides
> *And Hornwort in the Back that just won't grow!!!!!!!!!! *
> 
> Kevin the Half moon Dumbo Betta!
> 
> and three crazy ghost shrimp
> 
> oh and one stupid fake plant that I want to take out as soon as I get some jungle Val


Luck you, my EE (elephant ear aka dumbo) betta kills everything I tried putting in his tank including ghost shrimp (he guarded and ate one for a day until I took it out) and amano. He even kills large MTS!

Do not put jungle val in that tank. Jungle val get over an inch wide and can exceed 4 FEET long-they are better suited for 55g and larger tanks. If you want vals look at getting Italian or Leopard vals.. or even Corckscrew vals, they're smaller/thinner and won't over dominate the tank. Another option is pygmy chain sword (doesn't stay that pygmy-can get 8"+ over time).

Btw I'd advise getting some wet-dry sand paper and having at that dirftwood. Mopani has a lot of rough nubs that can shred betta fins, not sure what the other wood is.. Malaysian? Get its rough edges sanded too. Wet-dry sand paper is quick and easy to use on already wet wood, just remember to rinse the wood after sanding before it goes back in. A nylon stocking make a prefect tester-similar delicateness of betta fins, rub the stocking over every inch of the driftwood at every angle and if it snags slightly or full blow rips that spot can damage betta fins and needs sanded. After sanding and rinsing re-nylon stocking test. You can get nylon stockings for cheap at the grocery store or dollar store if there aren't any in the house you can use.
I'd also recommend putting a piece of sponge/foam filter media over the intake slots to avoid having betta fins sucked in and shredded when he tried to pull away. You can tie on the foam with clear fishing line or 100% acrylic thread so it lasts forever.


----------



## chillwill007

Here's a video of my 47g low tech planted column tank. Fighting some hair algae now tho. 
Info
Equipment 
Aquatop 400 uv canister (uv off)
Hydor 300 watt ETH in line heater 
Hydor hydrostat thermostat 

Plants
3"-4" eco complete 
Malaysian driftwood 
Cabomba 
Anarchis 
Ludwiga 
Banana plant 
Red arrow lilly 
Spiral sword
Marimo balls
Anubis(not sure which one)
Java fern

Animals
6 lamb chop rasboras
3 diamond head neon tetras 
4 neon tetras 
6 panda cories 
6 horned nerite snails 
1 amano shrimp (had 6 only one little one left)




https://youtu.be/ho4OpkkisuQ


----------



## Mordechaj

*Sorry if pic-dump is too much.*

Dirted Wave 240l tank with 3xt8 lights and very irregular and low ferts, chronologically:





































That one's sold though because I moved and didn't have place for it any more.

Now I have a Wave Vision 60 (cm) tank, that I held dry for a few years. It started like this:










due to excessive lights soon turned to this:









after a few years hiatus became this:










but it looks like my cats were not overly satisfied with my 'scape ideas, so after their critical intervention it ended up slightly different:









Now it's on split light schedule (5h on, 4h break, 5h on and 10h night), with nightly dosing 10-15 drops of profito for this 10gal blackwater.

All tanks that I had were lowtech, low budget, this one is low light too


----------



## Godbee

Hey y'all. I've got two tanks ones a 55 and the others a 30 gallon. 

55 gallon

Substrate: pool filter sand and pea gravel

Ferts: excel daily and EI dosing. (2 ml of macros and 2 ml of micros once a week). I'm open to advice on this. 

Plants: bacopa carolinia, crypt wentii green, tropica, bronze, red, undulata.
Alternathera reinikki, creeping Jenny, normal? Baby tears
Just started hygro pinnatifida, and dwarf rotala

Gear: 2x 48 inch current satellite plus, 2x emperor 400 power filter, jäger heater, koralia nano wave maker 


30 gallon

Substrate: miracle organic, black blasting sand

Ferts: excel daily and a little less than 2 ml of micros and macros one day out of the week

Plants: all the same crypts as the tank above, Amazon sword, baby tears

Gear: 3x 13 watt CFL 6500k, 1 emperor 400, petsmart heater


First picture is the 30 gallon and the last two are the 55.


----------



## meo21590

This is my first attempt at a planted tank. I had an aquarium with fake plants for about 9 years and decided to do live plants this time around!

Tank: 46 gallon bowfront
Substrate: eco-complete
Lights: 30 watts on for 8 hours/day
Filter: Aqueon quietflow 50 with carbon removed
No ferts, no CO2, no water changes (yet), just top-offs only so far

Plants:
Amazon sword
Java fern
Java moss
Anubias
Giant ambulia
Ludwigia repens
Elodea
Hygrophila lancea
Anacharis
Crypts

Fish:
False spotted cories
Otos
Giant danios
Neon tetras
Pearl guarami
Amano shrimp
Clown pleco

The first pic is the day I planted it and the second pic is from a week later. Any tips or suggestions are welcome!


----------



## Tessa

Here's my 33 gallon salad bowl. It's been up since August 2014, but I did a complete rescape (including a substrate change) about 2 months ago, so it's somewhat empty right now.

Tank: 33 gallon Eheim Vivaline 126 (with matching cabinet)
Filter: JBL CristalProfi canister, Eheim Aquaball internal for extra flow
Lights: 2x24W T5 (JBL Solar Ultra Tropic and Ultra Natur), homemade blue LED moonlight
Heater: none
Substrate: plain small grain gravel
Hardscape: rocks and man made sandstone "cliffs"
Ferts: small daily dose of Excel, Tropica nutrition capsules in the substrate, really random doses of Seachem liquid ferts

Plants:
different java ferns
different crypts
anubias
red tiger lotus
nymphoides Taiwan
hornwort wrapped around the spraybar

Fish:
large mixed school of rasboras (espei, hengel, harlequin)
neon tetras
cories
otos








http://www.plantedtank.net//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


----------



## RWaters

Nice tank, Tessa!


----------



## Tessa

RWaters said:


> Nice tank, Tessa!


Thank you! For some reason I have never been able to grow any stem plants (even the supposedly easiest ones), that's why I mostly stick with ferns and crypts.


----------



## paradunga

My low tech non co2 / excel:

90gal
Light: 3 x 18w tubular led lamps ( 1 6500k and 2 4000k)
Filters: Jebo 839 canister an AC 50.
Inert substrate
Fertilization: Flourish 5 ml 1 x week
WC: 1 x week 10%
Ph: 6,6
Temp: 27
Kh and gh : very soft water

Plants: 
Higrophila corymbosa
Higrophila rio
Anubias nana
Java fern
New added Java moss
Cripto wendti
Bacopa
Alternanthera 

Fauna:
14 rodostomus
16 neon cardinal
5 corydoras sp
4 corydoras schwartzi
1 corydora sterbai ( 8 years old)
1 apistograma cacatuoides 
2 dwarf rainbow fish
1 red tailed shark
6 otocinclus

Best!










































Enviado do meu iPhone usando Tapatalk


----------



## rushb17

My two month old first planted tank ever also new to the hobby 
55 gal.
Lighting just a shop light with P/A he bulbs two 48" odno 
Plants water lily 
Apostrgomen I think is the name.
Lame excuse for dwarf hair grass
Several others that I forgot the names of lol
Fish
2 bala shark
1 red tail shark
14 mail standard guppies.
6 turquoise rainbows
2 platies
2 Mollys
1pleco
Several leopard danios
Two gliw danios


----------



## Oracus

Tank noob with 2 month old planted 10g
Excel and Flourish
DIY LED hood
No co2 yet


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

This is my 55g 48 by 12 by 18 low tech aquarium. I've had it for two years, but went through a bga battle for about a year when transitioning it to a planted tank. This tank recovered from bga about a month ago, so it's kind of "new". My plants mostly died from before, but now the ones which survived are doing better. I don't have many fish since they either died or got sold away.


Flora:
Tons of java fern
Sagittaria subulata
cryptocoryne willisii
some type of amazon sword
rotala rotundifolia
ludwigia repens
anubias barteri
More to come

Fauna:
Black skirt tetra
kribensis
soon:
GBR 
angelfish
school of rummynose

Stuff:
48 inch Beamswork 3300 raised 4 inches from surface
no CO2
aquaclear 70
some top fin or tetra heater
plain gravel
malaysian driftwood from another country

ferts:
oscomote plus tabs
fish food and poop

Ei dosing: 
I'm still figuring out the best amounts but for now,
1/32 tsp potassium phosphate
1/32 tsp plantex csm+b
1/8 tsp potassium nitrate 
40% water change every week

























I'm thinking about adding DIY co2 for a few months to get the rotala and ludwigia lush faster. I'm just worried about ph swings and getting it to be off at night.


----------



## lake985

Kylesaltandpepper--what did you do to combat the bga?


----------



## Neatfish

My spec II, Don't have a filter or heater only light is from a lamp at night. I'm not even sure how these plants are even growing.


----------



## ibebian

crusht said:


> This regular 10g tank will be hitting the 3 month mark in a few days. Very happy with it. Two 6500K 8-10 watt led bulbs on there. Plants as far as I know are Bacopa, crypts, rotala indica, rotala wallichii, Hygrophila, Alternanthera Reineckii and some Marsilea sp. Had some green spot algae on plants that went away after I changed to these bulbs and this fuzzy algae that was allover the rotala wallichii went away overnight and I dont know why... Still get some algae on the glass but not so much any more.
> 
> I was dosing Excel daily and Flourish+Iron once a week but I have cut down on those in the last 2 weeks and it seems to work even better. Eco complete substrate and cheap internal filter.


The reds look fantastic and without CO2, yah? How are the rotala wallichii doing, are they staying pink? I am considering adding wallichii, but it is always billed as a moderate/high light and CO2 plant. I would love to be able to grow it with excel and iron ferts.


----------



## Kylesaltandpepper

lake985 said:


> Kylesaltandpepper--what did you do to combat the bga?


I first removed as much algae as I could manually then added chemiclean and continued the treatment for about a week.


----------



## Wilderman204

55 gallon
48" Finnex 24/7
Mineralized topsoil, my take on the Aaron Barr method. Capped with flourite black sand. 
Hamburg Mat Filter planted with moss, anubias, and ferns 
Mixed crypts
Dwarf sag
Giant hair grass
Nymphaea rubra
Brazilian pennywort
Hydrophilia augustifolia
Red Rubin sword
Mixed bucephalandra
Cardinal plant 
Trying some bacopa
Large colony of Flag Killifish(Jordanella Floridae)
4 Thiara Cancellata( hairy trumpet snail)
Lots of pond and ramshorn snails


----------



## danarl

Well here is my tank
The tank is running for 10 month but the plants are there for a month to 2 weeks 
All seem to develop nice and slow. 
30 liter tank(6~ gallon) 
Low tech with 8 watt of goq led(google if you want to, i really recommend them) 
2 white and two yellowish(roughly 6500K. Average.) no co2 no ferts, just light and love[emoji1] 
Currently the betta 3 ottos and shrimp. Plan to keep that way as im kinda moving out except weekend so no one is gonna maintenance the aquarium. Waiting for the carpet to grow and spread wich is currently about one new stem(is that the word?) every 5-7 days

If anyone have an ideas to makt that aquarium prettier or more 'natural' im open for hearing  

Excuse my bad English and spelling mistakes as I am from a foreign country


----------



## underwater_dream

*My first 20G long*

:laugh2:

Can someone please tell me why my pictures are uploaded as 180 degree rotated?


----------



## Fornstar

Here's mine. Going through some changes right now. I pulled some Ludgwidia (sp) from the back center and replaced it with something I had in a vase. It grows quick and just got a trim and replant. 

Fluval Flora 7.9 gallon
Dual 13watt CFL
Eco-Complete
DIY Osmocote Plus root tabs

I was dosing excel but stopped for a while to see how it goes. Everything is fine, I may start back.










Matt


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----------



## Tyrone

underwater_dream said:


> :laugh2:
> 
> Can someone please tell me why my pictures are uploaded as 180 degree rotated?












Here you go. 


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----------



## jemanser

Here is my 55 gallon low tech aquarium. I found out the hard way that "doing less is more". I have no algae now and have backed off and let nature take its coarse (after years of trial and error). My lighting is a Finnex planted plus 48 inch -suspended 6 inches above the water and the lighting peroid is split( AM/PM 8-9 hours/day total. I do a 25 % water change every3- 4 weeks and top off with RO as needed. I use root tabs every 2-3 months and 1/2 the recommended dose of flourish comprehensive and KNO3 with water changes every 3 weeks. I feed fish 2x/day. I use iron supplement that I inject in the eco-complete substrate once a month. I change my Fluval cannister filter media ( 304) every 3- 4 months. My plants consist of : Rubin sword, java ferns, Dwarf water lily, Madagascar lace, Creeping Jenny, Crypt Wendtii, narrow leaf chain swords, melon swords, corkscrew vals,Aponofeton crispus,Anubias nana, and ambulia. Fish : glow fish , bristlenose, Oto cats,SAE. Amano shrimp, Nerites and Malaysian drift wood. I do not even need to clean the glass anymore. What joy this hobby has become. Plants make the difference!


----------



## Neatfish




----------



## Shcrimp

Neatfish said:


> I'm not even sure how these plants are even growing.


Story of my life


----------



## Neatfish

Shcrimp said:


> Story of my life


Found the cord to the light now watch the plants not grow.





Added some driftwood from my other tank and more plants


----------



## Cokeman

Neatfish said:


>


Looks like a gator. :wink2:


----------



## crusht

ibebian said:


> The reds look fantastic and without CO2, yah? How are the rotala wallichii doing, are they staying pink? I am considering adding wallichii, but it is always billed as a moderate/high light and CO2 plant. I would love to be able to grow it with excel and iron ferts.


The wallichii are doing good, and yes no CO2 except for a little excel. I cut some of the wallichii from the left and planted some on the right. I trimmed the broad leafed red plant and planted them behind the rock. I have since bought a green rotala (didn't want any more red) and this thin leaved hydro. Tank is out of control now and have to get rid of some of the plants.

I have failed miserably with plants in the past and I think the only reason I have a little bit of success this time is because the area I live in has soft acid water. My tank pH is at 6.00, thats what the pet store told me at least. I cut the excell down to once a week too. This is turning into a very low maintenance tank. I've been changing water every 2 weeks now.

Oh something weird started to happen. This short rotala I planted in the front started "crawling" and shooting out roots as it did. Can I turn this into a carpet plant if I trim it?


----------



## knm<><

jcmv4792 said:


> New 55 gallon scape not yet completed(some crypts and bolbitis to add)
> 
> - Various java fern types
> - Various bucephalandra types
> - Various anubias types
> - Mini x-mas moss
> 
> Lava rock hardscape, ADA colorado sand


Hands down, best 55 gallon scape I've seen.

Bump: Cool, I like the island. You could really set it off with some anubias nana attached to rocks around the perimeter of the island, tucked up close to the wood.




Timmy!! said:


> This is my 40b, super low tech. Hasn't seen real ferts in over a year, every couple months I dose micros. Water changes happen every 3 or 4 months. I don't have anything to trim and has a fairly low fish load. That being said this is probably my favorite tank I've ever had.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk


----------



## wmnash

I've done better, but this is my low tech 75 gallon bedroom put-me-to-sleep-at-night aquarium. I set it up 09/10/2015.
*Substrate* #20 pool filter sand
*Filter* an Aqueon (I keep the water an inch below the rim because I like the sound of trickling water, very Zen). 

*Plants*
Crpyt wendetii (chocolate red in color)
Chain swords
Dwarf sagittaria
Patches of dwarf hair grass
Patches of dwarf hair grass
Combomba furcata (hard to see in photo, but there's lots of it and it's lavender/purple)
Anacharis (because I love the color and its weedy habit)
Red tiger lotus (which, of course, is really a lily)
Hygrophilia (several types)
Hygrophilia difformis
Ceratopterus thalictroides (water sprite)
Hydrocotyle verticillata (Brazilian pennywort)
Echinodorus Frans 
Echinodorus angustifolia 
Vallisneria asiatica
. . . and some feral Lemna. Gotta have Lemna.

I have to admit that I have succumbed to sticking fertilzer pellets under the lily, swords, among the vallisneria, and crypts but only once.

*Live Stock*
9 Lambchop rasboras, 5 neon tetras, 3 cardinal tetras who think they're neons, 6 black neon tetras, 3 juvenile delinquent male fancy guppies, 3 zebra danios, 11 pygmy coraduras, 1 kuhli loach I never see and my retired stud breeding Betta. He's four years-old and very tired.


----------



## jemanser

nice


----------



## Neatfish




----------



## jr136

anyone have a 60g setup that I could see (or something similar) im debating on what tank to setup and can get a good deal on a 60cube and stand.... tia


----------



## h22prelude2k

Here's my first attempt at aquascaping:

Still a work in progress and I'm open to suggestions and criticisms to make it look better. Looking to add something to middle of the tank to get rid of the divide between the tree and the rocks. Also might try to add some more substrate below the rocks to raise them up a little more(?) Any ideas?


----------



## Tyrone

h22prelude2k said:


> Here's my first attempt at aquascaping:
> 
> 
> 
> Still a work in progress and I'm open to suggestions and criticisms to make it look better. Looking to add something to middle of the tank to get rid of the divide between the tree and the rocks. Also might try to add some more substrate below the rocks to raise them up a little more(?) Any ideas?



Try adding a slope, front to back, to create some depth. Or a slope from the back corner of the tree to the opposite corner, maybe using the larger stones in that opposite corner to create a cliff. Then filling the empty corner with natural decorative sand to kind of keep the scale of the tree. 

Also, the tree, I'd would use Anubias nana petite, again to keep scale. 

I would also acquire more plants, maybe more hair grass to fill the voids. It's not bad to heavily plant. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Ahboram

http://imgur.com/a/hm3Yd

When I first got my tank and 2nd picture is 1 month after!

Setup:
3g All in one tank I got from a LFS (some generic brand)
Hydor 25W Submersible Glass Aquarium Heater (in the back)

Plants:
Driftwood superglued on it has some xmas moss, java moss, & subwassertang
AR mini
Lobelia cardinalis
anubias nana petite
almond indian leaf

Livestock:
15x Red Cherry Shrimp
1x oto cat

NOTES- I had a rough time with tank at the start, I had rocks that were leeching raising my pH levels killing multiple shrimp. Had shrimp dying every water change, shrimp getting sucked into the back filter... All-in-all it was a huge mess but after a month I finally am doing something right. I feed my shrimp every other day and do weekly 10-15% water changes with SS gh/kh+ and finally 2-3 of my shrimp are saddled! Just hoping they get berried soon enough. All I have to say is to be patient and once it gets rolling, its all downhill from here! Thanks for looking friends !~


----------



## HeavyUser

Just flooded it tonight! This is my first planted tank 20H, still so much for me to learn...it's a little overwhelming. Water parameters are PH 7, KH8, GH6, Ammonia 2, Nitrates 0, Nitrites 0 I just filled the tank today. I plan on dosing Excel, Flourish Comp, and occasionally Trace. I'm using Dr. Tim's to do a fishless cycle. Once the cycle is complete I plan on adding Celestial Pearl Danios, Cardinal tetras, maybe some Otos and lots of Red Cherry Shrimp! Click the link in my sig to get to my Journal.


----------



## MCHRKiller

jcmv4792, your scape is honestly one of the best on the forum IMO...very nice tank!

4ft 50G...same as a 55G just not as tall...just 64watts of T8









Pair of 75s in "the fish room" left tank only has 68watt of T8, right tank has 96 watts of T8


----------



## hassan.nabeel

*90 g*

This forum has been inspiration for me to start planted tank. 

90G, 4ft x 1.5ft x 2ft
Lighting:
2 18w LED linear lights (6500k)
4 9W LED bulbs (6500K)

Plants:
Green Cabomba
Amazon Swords
Anubias nana

Stocking:
Black Angel
Rainbow shark
Tiger Barb
Neon Tetra
Red Eye Tetra
Serpae tetra
Pleco
Clown Fish
Dwarf Gourami
Golden Gourami
Zebra Danios


----------



## h22prelude2k

Changed things up a bit- still in development


----------



## Empress Akitla

I have another one! My MTS is bad, my only savior being my mom who curbs how many tanks I have around the house. XD

Tank and Equipment:
3 Gallon bubble bowl
Inert black gravel (Walmart brand, woot!)
Decorative dojo
Aqueon heater
Sponge filter
Desk lamp (four inches above the tank)

Parameters:
pH 7.2
GH 300ppm
KH 40ppm
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrites .2ppm (I keep having tiny spikes for unknown reasons)
Nitrates 0ppm
Half dose of Iron and Potassium

Plants:
8xGreen gecko crypts
2xAnubias nana petites
1xclump of java moss
Duckweed

Livestock:
11xCarbon rili shrimp (just arrived yesterday)


----------



## paradunga

Dunga


----------



## HeavyUser

Didn't turn out exactly how I planned, it's pretty much a jungle and its only going to get worse......Amazed how much I can fit into a 20gallon.


----------



## paradunga

New video!
https://vimeo.com/157522506


Dunga


----------



## Hilde

crusht said:


> This regular 10g tank will be hitting the 3 month mark in a few days. Very happy with it. Two 6500K 8-10 watt led bulbs on there. Plants as far as I know are Bacopa, crypts, rotala indica, rotala wallichii, Hygrophila, Alternanthera Reineckii and some Marsilea sp. Had some green spot algae on plants that went away after I changed to these bulbs and this fuzzy algae that was allover the rotala wallichii went away overnight and I dont know why... Still get some algae on the glass but not so much any more.
> 
> I was dosing Excel daily and Flourish+Iron once a week but I have cut down on those in the last 2 weeks and it seems to work even better. Eco complete substrate and cheap internal filter.


Wow! I am envious!


----------



## csantucci

Getting my feet wet with first tank. 5.5 gallon, aquaclear filter, finnex sting ray clip light, and eco complete substrate.

Local mountain rocks
No ferts
Excel daily
20% monthly water change


----------



## csantucci

More


----------



## Sakmeht

Here's my tank then and now. Substrate is a mix of sand and Shultz aquatic soil, lighting is going to be revamped, but it's a 25gallon tall with a T5 10K bulb over it.
No ferts or CO2, I just top off when it gets low. Any issues with algae have been dealt with by adding hornwort occasionally. 


Planted Tank Gallery - Sakmeht


----------



## Sakmeht

Now, and then, I guess I should say.


----------



## Wilderman204

Update on my 55g. Different times of the day with my Finnex 24/7

Morning


Around 3pm(peak intensity)


Evening


----------



## morfeeis

csantucci said:


> More


What are those purplish red plants? they look amazing...


----------



## DubDub

Nice tank wilderman 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Aparker2005

So for all of these awesome low tech tanks have more people than not found out that less fertilizer/no c02 actually works better?


----------



## DubDub

It really depends on what species you want to grow I think. High tech has its purpose as well as looks great when used properly. Same goes for low tech. Key word when used "properly". Put the work into it and you'll get good results. If you neglect it you get algae blooms and death all the same. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Iwagumist

Here is my 3 gallon Iwagumi... the fish are boraras maculatus and boraras brigittae. In total I only have 6 and I am planning on getting more soon. I consider this tank low tech because I only use Excel and not CO2.

P.S.-- Ignore the tube, bubble counter and and fluval ceramic diffuser in the back...I used to use CO2 along time ago, and I just forgot to take them out.


----------



## Aparker2005

You guy's tanks amaze me. I'm trying low tech and just getting frustrated. Maybe it's my lights (planted Plus 24/7 on the 24/7 cycle). Maybe it's no excel or c02. Maybe I've been using too many ferts? Gla micros/macros with ei method. Also use root tabs. 

My 125 has easy plants:
Java fern
Anubius 
Amazon swords 
Jungle Val 
Ludwigia 
S repens 

Only my swords and Java fern seem to be doing much. My java fern all turned brown when I put it in this tank in November, but I have a ton of new baby plants now. 

Ludwigia has all melted. 

Everything else is just growing very slow and accumulating some algae, or not doing much at all lol.


----------



## ktownhero

Wilderman204 said:


> Update on my 55g. Different times of the day with my Finnex 24/7
> 
> Morning
> 
> 
> Around 3pm(peak intensity)
> 
> 
> Evening


 My god does that light do an amazing job. What a wonderful variety of color.


----------



## shattersea

Here's my 21 gallon one month after setup. This is my first experiment with buces. Currently houses threadfin and red neon rainbows.


----------



## AquaAurora

shattersea said:


> Here's my 21 gallon one month after setup. This is my first experiment with buces. Currently houses threadfin and red neon rainbows.


You should dose some iron that .. tiger lotus(?) on the right is very yellow.


----------



## shattersea

It's a nymphaea stellata. I've got root tabs and red clay capsules under it. I am doing light dosing but very light because tank is so new. I will add more iron.


----------



## Tyrone

shattersea said:


> Here's my 21 gallon one month after setup. This is my first experiment with buces. Currently houses threadfin and red neon rainbows.



Do you have a clearer picture. Seems a bit blurry over here. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## shattersea

Trying to figure out how to take a picture without the reflections showing in the glass. I think that's what's causing it to look blurry (and the algae on the glass isn't helping).


----------



## csantucci

Alternanthera reineckii I got from pet smart


----------



## joejoe123

What kind of stems are those?


----------



## Karackle

Been a LONG time since I posted, but here's my 30g looooooowwww tech tank


----------



## Complexity

Hey Karachie! I didn't post for years, but had to ask a question, and you know how this place can draw a person in. 

Good to see you're still in the hobby. Love your tank! So very LUSH!!


----------



## Karackle

Vicki! Wow!!! Good to "see" you!!! I take it this means you are also still active in the hobby?  I am not very active on the forums anymore and didn't post at all for a couple years. Now I mostly come back when I have a question or to do a journal update occasionally, and when I do have a question I try to look around to see if there are a few questions I can answer in return


----------



## FishEnthusiast98

I wouldn't call this low tech, as I have pressurized CO2, but it is low light and low maintenance. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Complexity

Karackle said:


> Vicki! Wow!!! Good to "see" you!!! I take it this means you are also still active in the hobby?  I am not very active on the forums anymore and didn't post at all for a couple years. Now I mostly come back when I have a question or to do a journal update occasionally, and when I do have a question I try to look around to see if there are a few questions I can answer in return


Oh, yeah, I never stopped having my tanks. I don't think I could part with them! LOL! I just don't give them the same amount of attention I once did. I still very much enjoy them.

I'm not very active on the forum anymore either. It was taking over my life. Then I went back to college so I didn't have time. I could usually find other threads to answer my questions, but I needed to replace a light fixture rather quickly, and didn't have the time to do all the research I normally prefer to do. So I gave in and posted a question. And, of course, the wonderful people on this board were a great help. I now have new LED lights for my two 29g tanks.

It's so great to see you're still going strong. Your tank looks amazing! It just goes to show that planted tanks don't always require a immense amount of time and effort to still be very enjoyable.


----------



## nanoguy

Standard 10g I set up for my wife's 3rd grade classroom. Went cheap everywhere I could because it was only my second foray into planted tanks. I did splurge a bit on the aquasoil but I wanted to see how it did.

10g tank
Beamswork LED
Sunsun canister filter
Cheap heater
Mr. Aqua aquasoil
Random plants from my other tank
5 platys, 2 guppies and 5 amano shrimp

First pic is setup and second is current (1 month).


----------



## Karackle

Complexity said:


> Oh, yeah, I never stopped having my tanks. I don't think I could part with them! LOL! I just don't give them the same amount of attention I once did. I still very much enjoy them.


Glad to hear it!!! I feel the same way  I will always have at LEAST 1 planted fish tank I am sure 



Complexity said:


> It's so great to see you're still going strong. Your tank looks amazing! It just goes to show that planted tanks don't always require a immense amount of time and effort to still be very enjoyable.


Thank you! I love my 30g, and my 5g (which I should probably post here too). And my tanks are most certainly low maintenance! I barely touch them other than to feed the fish, occasionally top off or change water, clean a filter now and then, or replenish root tabs (the only fertilizer I use aside from the fish poo) when the crypts start telling me it's time :hihi:


----------



## aquafella

what carpet plant do you have here?


----------



## aquafella

what carpet plant did you use here?

Bump:


Iwagumist said:


> Here is my 3 gallon Iwagumi... the fish are boraras maculatus and boraras brigittae. In total I only have 6 and I am planning on getting more soon. I consider this tank low tech because I only use Excel and not CO2.
> 
> P.S.-- Ignore the tube, bubble counter and and fluval ceramic diffuser in the back...I used to use CO2 along time ago, and I just forgot to take them out.


what carpet plant did you use here?


----------



## DMAXNAZ

Karackle said:


> Been a LONG time since I posted, but here's my 30g looooooowwww tech tank


Nice tank!

Bump:


Wilderman204 said:


> Update on my 55g. Different times of the day with my Finnex 24/7
> 
> Morning
> 
> 
> Around 3pm(peak intensity)
> 
> 
> Evening


Wow, that is so cool. What is the tall grass in the back corner? I would like to add some of that to my tank.


----------



## aquafella

*Update*

Update on my low tech 10g tank..dosing excel every other day and macro/micro ferts..this tank was established last year and did a reset already..


----------



## Karackle

DMAXNAZ said:


> Nice tank!


Thank you very much!!!


----------



## Qli

New 55g setup


----------



## Mattcosner10

My 50 gal bow front. Started when I knew nothing about planted tanks about a year ago, so I will be completely breaking it down in a week.


----------



## Karackle

Mattcosner10 said:


> My 50 gal bow front. Started when I knew nothing about planted tanks about a year ago, so I will be completely breaking it down in a week.


Why? I think it looks great! roud: But if that's what you want to do I look forward to seeing the results


----------



## anastasisariel

This is really just a 29 gallon that I use for a breeder but I planted HM and it took over. Not really a scape but still pleasant looking despite a brick and coconut shell visible. 











Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk


----------



## dpod

anastasisariel said:


> This is really just a 29 gallon that I use for a breeder but I planted HM and it took over. Not really a scape but still pleasant looking despite a brick and coconut shell visible.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk


What's the carpet? Looks great for low tech


----------



## TaylorTurner

Here is my 12 gallon long. 









It's been running for 36 days. I had pressurized CO2 at the beginning, but had issues with it from day one and gave up on it a while ago. I feel like within the last week I have found the sweet spot with lighting and dosing. 

I have a journal for this tank if you are curious about the details.


----------



## HeavyUser

My "Jungle", since there is no real scape going on I've been thinking about just tearing it all down and starting over.


----------



## SNAXX

HeavyUser said:


> My "Jungle", since there is no real scape going on I've been thinking about just tearing it all down and starting over.


I like it. Looks natural.


----------



## HeavyUser

SNAXX said:


> I like it. Looks natural.


Thanks, I'm really torn with what to do with it at the moment.


----------



## anastasisariel

dpod said:


> What's the carpet? Looks great for low tech


Its hemianthus micranthemoides

I actually just had to trim it today. Most prolific lowtech carpet plant there is. 








This is my 75 gallon also lowtech with HM










Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk


----------



## wootlaws

Pre-trim










Post-trim


----------



## Gig'em

Here's my desk planted tank. Started it back in 2012 and really haven't changed much since then other than remove moss as it outgrows the space. No heater or CO2, just a cheap Chinese LED light and a small circulation pump.


----------



## jcmv4792

aquafella said:


> Update on my low tech 10g tank..dosing excel every other day and macro/micro ferts..this tank was established last year and did a reset already..


Very nice! What is the foregroudn plant?

Bump:


anastasisariel said:


> Its hemianthus micranthemoides
> 
> I actually just had to trim it today. Most prolific lowtech carpet plant there is.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is my 75 gallon also lowtech with HM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk


How did you get it to carpet? Did you use high light and ferts?


----------



## FishyKat

Not as impressive as those posted here. This was my tank a few weeks ago.. it's in serious need of cleaning and pruning now, lol. There are 2 driftwoods somewhere in the mess of the plants as well.

9 gal ehiem cube


----------



## Mattcosner10

Just rescaped


----------



## Aparker2005

Do you guys not run pressurized c02? I'd love for my 125 to look like some of these but I'm only getting brown leaves and melting plants. My 55 was a jungle


----------



## tapwater

A work in progress. Unsure if I qualify. I add liquid CO2 and ferts every morning. Tank about 4-5 months old. Fortunately no issues as yet (touch wood) Busy fiddling in the background. Was told to cover rear of tank with java moss. Got small HG growing the front recently planted

Bump: kinda blurred LOL


----------



## Moosemoose

What a thread!!! I've been reading it for the past week, tons of helpful info and absolutely beautiful tanks. I'll be posting my tank once it gets grown in but just wanted to say wow! at this thread. Just a reminder though, some have stopped posting all the specs and dosing and routines and lights and everything about their tank, that's what really helps the newbies so please continue posting all the info.


----------



## bsk

Here's my low tech Iwagumi shrimp tank. zero co2 and a weak marine land low wattage led light. I've heard many people say this light is not strong enough to grow any plants.....they were wrong. Foreground plant is monte carlo


----------



## number1sixerfan

Wilderman204 said:


> Update on my 55g. Different times of the day with my Finnex 24/7
> 
> Around 3pm(peak intensity)
> 
> [/IMG][/URL]


Amazing looking tank, what are the tall, stem like plants in the back left part of the tank?


----------



## EVANATOOR77

Probably water onion or maybe even giant hairgrass.


----------



## number1sixerfan

EVANATOOR77 said:


> Probably water onion or maybe even giant hairgrass.


Thanks! Looks like giant hairgrass it is.


----------



## aquafella

dwarf sag

Bump: My tank from the contest here in the PH..


----------



## aquafella

*Low Tech Competition Tank*

This is my entry tank in the competition her in the PH.

Bump: This is my entry tank in the competition her in the PH.

Bump: This is my entry tank in the competition her in the PH.

Bump: This is my entry tank in the competition her in the PH.


----------



## b.grueneich

Here is a picture of my 55 gallon. Just added the jungle vals in the back, baby tears in the front, and Christmas moss to the wood yesterday. 

filter: Eheim Canister
lighting: Finnex planted 24/7 LED
substrate: mix of eco-complete, flourite, and white sandbox sand
ferts: about once a week I dose flourish, root tabs under rooted plants, flourish iron every other month, and flourish excel when I remember (which is about every other day)

plants: 
assorted swords
assorted crypts
java fern
water sprite
jungle val (new)
dwarf hairgrass
baby tears (new)
red tiger lotus
anubias "nana petite"
Christmas moss (new)
moneywort

fish:
cory cats
oto cats
one cardinal and one neon tetra (Have been trying to get a school of cardinals but have had little luck. I can't seem to keep them alive.)
malaysian trumpet snails and a few pond snails


----------



## Tessa

I redecorated my 8 gallon betta cube just two days ago, so it's a little bare right now, but hopefully the plants will flourish again.

edit: weekly 50% water changes, no CO2 or Excel, sometimes I add a few drops of potassium and once in a blue moon a root tab.








http://www.plantedtank.net//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


----------



## jcmv4792

bsk said:


> Here's my low tech Iwagumi shrimp tank. zero co2 and a weak marine land low wattage led light. I've heard many people say this light is not strong enough to grow any plants.....they were wrong. Foreground plant is monte carlo


That is insane. How do you get such a dense monte carlo carpet in low tech? Do you know what PAR is hitting the carpet?

Do you dose ferts? What substrate?


----------



## bsk

no idea what the par is but im sure its pretty low. I don't use any ferts and I haven't done any water changes in 2 months lol all I do is top it off with ro water. substrate is ada aquasoil Amazonia 2 I think. I did start off immersed but filled the tank when 75% of it was filled in. It was no where as thick and lush as it is now. Its been submerged since January and I've never trimmed or did anything other than clean the glass. So far this has been the lowest maintenance planted tank ive had. High lights/ferts/co2 always cause me algae issues so I decided to give this low tech method a try and its working out great so far. This was my first time using monte carlo and I love it. So easy to grow.


----------



## yrral

This is my 17 Gallon Low Tech. Started really low tech with only Anubias. Felt the fish weren't active or happy with minimal coverage.

Last week, added more hardy plants and what a difference. All fish became more active and colors shining through. Dosing Macro Micro Mix, Flourish, Excel with Osmocote +


----------



## kendrid

yrral said:


> This is my 17 Gallon Low Tech. Started really low tech with only Anubias. Felt the fish weren't active or happy with minimal coverage.
> 
> Last week, added more hardy plants and what a difference. All fish became more active and colors shining through. Dosing Macro Micro Mix, Flourish, Excel with Osmocote +


The corners of a rimless tank must be on a hard surface. The way you have the tank hanging over the edge you are asking for a disaster.


----------



## yrral

kendrid said:


> The corners of a rimless tank must be on a hard surface. The way you have the tank hanging over the edge you are asking for a disaster.


Thanks, I will get that corrected soon


----------



## kendrid

yrral said:


> Thanks, I will get that corrected soon


Nice looking tank by the way. I love the look of the smaller rimless tanks when planted.

A piece of "thick" wood under the tank but on top of that table would work fine. The wood would transfer the forces evenly onto the table.


----------



## Bstuver

I am just going to get back into a low tech planted tank, had planted tanks and discus years ago and then went to salt water still have my salt tank but want to start a new low tech planted one. Do you mind telling me what plants you are using it has been so long that I don't remember what does well in low light:/
Love the tank by the way!


----------



## Dogstar

Just starting this 29 gallon. The plants are all pretty new so hopefully they start growing in more soon.


----------



## socool

*my 29gl*

My 29gallons when i just started. But shortly after plants got destroyed by the molly. The plants would up roots or missing so i give the molly away lol. Still no luck with the plants just reasonly all of my rainbow fish died. Tank empty and clean out, looking to start another one soon..

Bump: My 29gallons when i just started. But shortly after plants got destroyed by the molly. The plants would up roots or missing so i give the molly away lol. Still no luck with the plants just reasonly all of my rainbow fish died. Tank empty and clean out, looking to start another one soon..


----------



## jacob.morgan78

Nice look! What type of substrate is this? Thanks for sharing!



yrral said:


> This is my 17 Gallon Low Tech. Started really low tech with only Anubias. Felt the fish weren't active or happy with minimal coverage.
> 
> Last week, added more hardy plants and what a difference. All fish became more active and colors shining through. Dosing Macro Micro Mix, Flourish, Excel with Osmocote +


----------



## Tyrone

socool said:


> My 29gallons when i just started. But shortly after plants got destroyed by the molly. The plants would up roots or missing so i give the molly away lol. Still no luck with the plants just reasonly all of my rainbow fish died. Tank empty and clean out, looking to start another one soon..
> 
> Bump: My 29gallons when i just started. But shortly after plants got destroyed by the molly. The plants would up roots or missing so i give the molly away lol. Still no luck with the plants just reasonly all of my rainbow fish died. Tank empty and clean out, looking to start another one soon..




Good start. But the two tall plants in each back corner aren't aquatic, they're more for terrariums or even just a house plant.


----------



## Particle

I'll throw in here.

Thi is my 55 gallon. Almost two years old. Mostly small schooling fish (lemon tetras, harlquin rasboras, black phantom tetras, kuhli loaches, and peppered cories) with a shy Pearl Gourami and a friendly little Bolivian Ram.

No ferts except root tabs. Once in a great while I remember to dose some excel. I do two water changes a week, each around 33%. I'm also growing pothos in shower caddies and I decided to try out a clip on desk lamp. Moderate success so far, but I had to move them around today. I had to take out some of the gravel. They were slowly sinking.

Filters are an Eheim 2075 and an Aquaclear 70. Lighting is a Planted 24/7. I do get some glass algae, and I'm hoping if I actually buckle down on the Excel I could help eliminate that.


----------



## yrral

jacob.morgan78 said:


> Nice look! What type of substrate is this? Thanks for sharing!


Thanks! It is pool filter sand!


----------



## jacob.morgan78

yrral said:


> Thanks! It is pool filter sand!


Cool. The particle size looked too big to me to be sand but I guess it is after all! The reason I was asking is because I'm thinking of using another substance that I think will work and think it would end up looking like this possibly. I started a link about it but haven't got a response yet... I'll put it below. (update link now works) Thanks!

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/8...ed-suggestions-guidance-substrate-choice.html


----------



## Cassandra Turke

Just starting out. My first full planted tank. The plants arrived today in great shape. Now to just watch them grow and add fish once the tank is finishing cycling. Let me know if I need to change my lighting. I have the marineland 11 inch led bar and the stock led lights on now. Stock lights I believe have 18 leds. I am using liquid ferts.


----------



## pauliewoz

Ok, I thought I would share my tanks. 

This one is my 25 gallon which I tore down about 3 weeks ago.

Regular gravel as substrate, root tabs, excel, NPK macros and Seachem envy for micros. The light was a 2 bulb T5NO home depot strip light.

This picture was taken right before the teardown, I let it grow wild because everything was moving into my new 75 gallon.










And now here is my new 75. 

Substrate is safe-t-sorb and caribsea sand. I put tropica root tabs, and still dosing macros and micros along with excel. I charged STS with ferts before sticking it in the aquarium. Lights are 2 ecoxotic e series, dimmed quite a bit. 
































Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## wantsome

Nice tanks I never thought I'd like blue gravel. On your 25 gallon your dosing macro's and micros are you dosing using recommended EI levels of ferts for that size tank? or are you using a modified version of EI?

I'm just trying to get more of an understanding for ferts in a low tech set up. What is your dosing and water change regimen if you don't mind?


----------



## gregorylampron

This is just flourite, root tabs, and hard water! Cheap beamswork planted+ light seems to be doing ok. Have a canister running only ceramic and floss. No ferts. Planted ~2 mos ago. Picture from 2 weeks ago right before I stocked.

Please keep hands off glass.


----------



## jacob.morgan78

gregorylampron said:


> Please keep hands off glass


That's funny!


----------



## pauliewoz

wantsome said:


> Nice tanks I never thought I'd like blue gravel. On your 25 gallon your dosing macro's and micros are you dosing using recommended EI levels of ferts for that size tank? or are you using a modified version of EI?
> 
> I'm just trying to get more of an understanding for ferts in a low tech set up. What is your dosing and water change regimen if you don't mind?


Thanks,

I use the premixed dry EI ferts from the user Nilocg. So I don't know what the exact proportions are of each fert. But here is a link for it which has all the info you need. http://nilocg.com/diy-ei-liquid-fertilizer/ 

He says that for low tech your supposed to dose 5ml per 20 gallons once a week. But I ended up dosing about 3.5ml because my nitrates were going up too much. And instead of doing it once a week, I split it up into three days. For Micros I ended up using Seachem envy at the recommended dosage and I add it three times a week as well. So I alternate the macros and micros.

I didn't end up using the csm+b that came with the dry fert package because some of my fish had clamped fins and weren't as active while using it. I'll probably try again at a lower dose maybe.

I also add excel at almost double the dose.

The plants are doing a lot better in the new aquarium, especially the red ones. I guess it's thanks to the combination of the better substrate and light. 

I'm still waiting for some algae to show up, but so far so good.



Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## ct60g

My tank has finally grown up! Its a 60g tank with pool filter sand substrate and two T8 Life-Glo bulbs. I dose Excel daily, and have Osmocote root tabs in the substrate. 

All in all I have 13 plant species (L. repens, L. brevips, L. red, S. repens, jungle val, corkscrew val, water wisteria, moss balls, java fern, anubias mini, rotala bonsai, hygro and amazon sword. My favorites are my S. repens carpet and my L. repens stems, which need a trim. 

Here are some photos:


----------



## TaylorTurner

Here's a few more pictures of my 12 gallon long. 

Pre-trim:



Post-trim:



Right side:



Bump:


ct60g said:


> My tank has finally grown up! Its a 60g tank with pool filter sand substrate and two T8 Life-Glo bulbs. I dose Excel daily, and have Osmocote root tabs in the substrate.
> 
> All in all I have 13 plant species (L. repens, L. brevips, L. red, S. repens, jungle val, corkscrew val, water wisteria, moss balls, java fern, anubias mini, rotala bonsai, hygro and amazon sword. My favorites are my S. repens carpet and my L. repens stems, which need a trim.
> 
> Here are some photos:


Wow, what a great set up! Your _S. repens_ carpet looks really nice and healthy (as does the rest).


----------



## ct60g

Thanks! Love your tank too, makes me think of the shallows of a lake or stream somewhere. Super cool!


----------



## misslizd13

lauraleellbp,

i am new to planted tanks and i havent gotten very far.. what kind of substrate did you use? what is Onyx Sand mixed with a little black T grade Colorquartz. is there a specific reason you chose these?
i have two 10 gallon tanks and i only have regular aquarium rocks in my tanks.. i have some plants in both some bacopa and another plant that didnt have a label when i bouth it but i separated the new plant and placed each root system in the substrate. i have low light i believe.. just some small led lights. i am not sure about the specifics on the lighting. my bacopa plant is still in the pot carrier i got it in and it seems to be doing fine. i was told i could use leaf zone plant food to keep my plants healthy and growing.. do i need something else to add with it? do i need a specific substrate to get my plants to stay healthy... also i would like to get some carpet plants that will spread out over time across the bottom but i am confused by how id clean the food and waste from substrate. in one tank i have guppies, a cory, and some ghost shrimp to help with cleaning up the leftover food and algea. in my other tank i have 2 tiger barbs, 2 sword tail platty, 2 slender lined algea eaters and a pleco i cant remember the name off but it kind of reminds me of a stingray. it has spots. i would appreciate any and all advice i can get... thank you for your time and anyone else' time who may have things to throw my way.


----------



## Hilde

misslizd13 said:


> i am new to planted tanks and i havent gotten very far.. what kind of substrate did you use? what is Onyx Sand mixed with a little black T grade Colorquartz. is there a specific reason you chose these?


This is show and tell about low tech thread. To get answers to your questions you need to post a thread in substrate.


----------



## LeyWanderer

My old 15gal column which I have since dismantled. Looked really lush here for a bit.


----------



## kanishkster

Here is my 4 months old 10 gallon low tech tank.

Flora
====
Anubias
Alternanthera Reineckii Mini
Alternanthera Reineckii
Echinodorus Tenellus
Red Cabomba (Cabomba furcata)
Rotala Rotundifolia Indica
Rotala Rotundifolia 'HRA'
Cryptocoryne Wendtii
Limnophila Aquatica

Fauna
====
Otocinclus X 2
Rummynose 'Tetra' X 4
Red Cherry Shrimps (No count, they keep reproducing)
Some Snail (not sure where it came from)

Equipment
=======
Sunsun HOB Filter
Sobo Power Head
Nutrafin CO2 Kit
Boyu 36W (6400k) Light

Dosing
====
Seachem Flourish Excel (Daily)
Seachem Flourish (Twice a week)
ADA Brighty K (Alternate Days)
Nitrosomonos & Nitrobacter (Occasionally)

Misc
===
Weekly 30% (RO Water)
Photo-Period - 7 hours (9AM to 1PM & 4PM to 7PM)


----------



## gregorylampron

I notice alot of the tanks posted on here aren't actually lotech. They look great, though.

Please keep hands off glass.


----------



## Aparker2005

Do any of you not do anything to your tanks except for water changes? 

I was dosing metricide daily but have since stopped everything. No clue how you people's tanks look so good. One day!


----------



## gregorylampron

Aparker2005 said:


> Do any of you not do anything to your tanks except for water changes?
> 
> I was dosing metricide daily but have since stopped everything. No clue how you people's tanks look so good. One day!


Generally no co2 injection, and sometimes no ferts or even no draw filtration, just a sponge.

Please keep hands off glass.


----------



## osmel1992

davemonkey said:


> Here's a pic of my brothers old Walstad-style 125 gallon tank (Soil substrate capped with gravel, lots of different plants, moderate light and modest filtration, heavy stocking/feeding).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And here's a picotope at my office, Walstad-style, filterless, low-light when I'm not there, moderate light when I'm there. Shrimp only. Dwarf Hairgrass, Lilaeopsis, _Lindernia grandiflora_,_ Nessaea triflora_, _Fissidens fontanus_, and one of the _Marsilea spp_.


Hey I have a 125 setup walstad style and planted it good with plants.they did good for about 3 month than most of them died off. Had 4 t8 bulbs at the time didn't dose anything and no water changes. What did your brother do to get his tank looking so good have since changed to 4 23 wat cfl bulbs and am getting back some growth

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


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## aquafella

Hi..I just wanted to know what substrate are you using here? Is it a powder type or those little round brown ones?


----------



## TaylorTurner

My 12 long, post re-scape:


----------



## ichy

50 gal 
Worm castings capped with black diamond. No ferts no co2.
Internal weir bean animal to sump.

Only do water changes and top off with RODI. Tank is three months old.


----------



## Hilde

ichy said:


> 50 gal
> Worm castings capped with black diamond. No ferts no co2.


What are your plants? Got a thread on it?


----------



## ichy

Hilde said:


> What are your plants? Got a thread on it?



pretty basic
Anubius hastifolia
java fern
narrow leaf java
Crypt wendetti
crypt lucens
crypt parva
crypt balansae
Pogostemon helferi...slowly fading away! 

It has taken until now, but you can tell the roots are finally establishing themselves in the worm castings. They are really starting to look robust and take off.

My water prameters are a mess right now. My Gh and Kh are sky high. I've started doing water changes with water from the water softner and mixing in RO and then topping off with RO.


----------



## Hilde

ichy said:


> Pogostemon helferi...slowly fading away!
> 
> My water prameters are a mess right now. My Gh and Kh are sky high.


Have you tried changing water with distilled water?

I thought that was Pogostemon helferi. Surprised it is doing so well without injecting Co2. I am struggling with it now. I am trying to recoup what is left from fish eating it by dosing with Schweppes club soda. For since it is in a tank with ferns and moss, which are sensitive to Excel.


----------



## ichy

Hilde said:


> Have you tried changing water with distilled water?
> 
> I thought that was Pogostemon helferi. Surprised it is doing so well without injecting Co2. I am struggling with it now. I am trying to recoup what is left from fish eating it by dosing with Schweppes club soda. For since it is in a tank with ferns and moss, which are sensitive to Excel.


I did a 20 gal water change with water softner water and 5 gallons of RODI water today. I'm going to do it again in a couple days and see what I get. If that doesn't work I'll go larger changes with RODI water. My unit only does 24 GPD so it will be running alot if I have to do that!

The Pogo in there is not long for this world. Its slowly fading and with all the cories they grub it up before the roots have a chance. I think I'm going to stick some tennulus in that spot.


----------



## Cav2201

My 12 gallon low tech that is serious need of some TLC
Filter: Eheim classic 2215
Light: Finnex planted plus
Sub: ADA Amazonia

Plants:
Ammania Bonsai
Eleocharis Acicularis
Marsilea Crenata
Hydrocotle Tripartita
random anubias
weeping moss, or so i think

Denizens:
10 Neon Tetras
2 Mexican Dwarf Crayfish

Excel and very minimum ei dosing when I think of it, I really don't put much effort into this tank as you can see.


----------



## AquaAurora

overgrown fun-ness.. only 2x excel a day.



Excel daily, flourish every 2-3 days


----------



## Hilde

Cav2201 said:


> My 12 gallon low tech


What is the plant in the left rear?


----------



## Cav2201

Hilde said:


> What is the plant in the left rear?


Come to think of it the name escapes me right now, I think it was some random tissue culture pack i picked up. I will try to find it later or maybe someone else knows off the top of there head.


----------



## Willcooper

AquaAurora said:


> overgrown fun-ness.. only 2x excel a day.
> http://s556.photobucket.com/user/aquaaurorapb/media/aquarium/002_zpsk6xt4kvl.jpg.html




I love this. Is that all Wistiria?


----------



## AquaAurora

Willcooper said:


> I love this. Is that all Wistiria?


Not quite, it's water sprite which looks similar but has thinner leaves/formation. There is also n. Taiwan (light green lily) and flame moss attached to several peices of driftwood in there but they're hard to see when the water sprite is left untrimmed like this for a while.


----------



## Kampo

Really happy with these 2 Tanks. 

29 is my first serious planted tank, been going for 8 months, home a a pair of Apisto Caucatuids, a Dwarf Flame Gourami, a few random tetras and a endler colony.











My 10 Gallon is a few months old. home to a Trio of Dwarf Red Gularis


----------



## TaylorTurner

_C. dewitii_ 'Papua New Guinea'


----------



## AquaAurora

shtyage said:


> Thirty-five programs were grouped in seven "libraries" initially:[2]
> 
> Fairy Tales and Cartoons
> Children's Favorite Classics I
> Children's Favorite Classics II
> History
> Science and Space
> The World We Live In
> Steps to Knowledge


??? Uh I think you posted in the wrong thread?


----------



## RWaters

Possibly the wrong Forum!


----------



## jcmv4792




----------



## TaylorTurner

I really like what you have going on there, @jcmv4792.


----------



## jcmv4792

TaylorTurner said:


> I really like what you have going on there, @*jcmv4792*.


Thanks Taylor


----------



## AquaHobbyist

*My 20g Low Tech Tank!*

Have been very inspired by all the beautiful tanks posted on this forum, and wanted to post my first serious 20 gallon tall tank:

Tank:20 gallon tall
Light: Coralife T5 Dual Light (two 6700K bulbs)
Substrate: Mixture of sand and small pebbles

Flora:
Water sprite
Banana plant
Anubias
Crypts
Melon Sword
(Can't identify the two tall plants behind the wood and to the right side of the tank. Easy, fast growing plant - if anyone can ID that would be great!)

Fauna:
5 zebra danios
1 albino bristlenose pleco
1 rainbow shark
2 albino cory cats
1 julii cory cat

Fertilizers: 
Flourish Excel every day
Iron and Flourish Comprehensive every other day
Nitrogen and potassium every other day
Flourish root tabs

So far, it seems like everything is going well. I had an issue with hair algae, but cutting back on the lighting have helped a lot. Plan on getting more anubias soon to fill the left corner and maybe another tall plant for the back.


----------



## Nlewis

My low tech 20G. It gets nothing but a water change every Sunday.


----------



## AquaHobbyist

Great tank, @Nlewis! It looks lovely.


----------



## Kdog

Wow, no ferts?! This looks awesome.

Any other secrets?


----------



## Nlewis

Kdog said:


> Wow, no ferts?! This looks awesome.
> 
> Any other secrets?


No secrets. I had root tabs in there but they were depleted a long time ago.


----------



## Empress Akitla

Thought I'd drop by with an update! I have torn down my 20 gallon (yes, it was 20 gallons, not 29, I'd been lied to) and upgraded to a 55 gallon. Yay!

Equipment:
T5 bulb on 4hr, off 6hr, on 2hr, off 12hr
Eheim 2217 canister filter
Marina heater

Parameters:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - <10
pH - 7.2
Hardness - 150
Alkalinity - 120
Temperature - 79F

Plants:
Anubias nana, anubias petite, anubias congensis
Wisteria
Cabomba
Green gecko crypts
Asian fern
Amazon sword
Jungle val (it's still a baby)
Some giant duckweed I'm trying to get to grow
Substrate is about one third medium grade gravel and the rest is pool filter sand

Livestock:
11 adult fancy guppies
1 Candy cane platy

In QT (waiting to put them in display tank):
2 Candy cane platys
8 Red phantom tetras

I would like to add a shoal of cories as well, probably peppered. Would they be okay in here? That's one reason I wanted to include sand in this setup.


----------



## AquaAurora

40g water sprite goldfish tank with aquaponics on diy in-tank sump.


----------



## Karackle

Been a while since I posted my tanks in this thread, so here's how my tanks are looking these days: 

2.5g 









5g









30g









All tanks are low tech, low light, almost no maintenance. I rely on root tabs and critter waste to fertilize my plants.


----------



## philipraposo1982

75g geophagus tapajos tank. 5 months old.

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk


----------



## jcmv4792

philipraposo1982 said:


> 75g geophagus tapajos tank. 5 months old.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk


Wow love this tank. Is the needle leaf java fern at the top right floating? What are the yellow schooling fish?


----------



## skystrife

jcmv4792 said:


> Wow love this tank. Is the needle leaf java fern at the top right floating? What are the yellow schooling fish?


Not sure about how the fern is attached, but the fish are lemon tetras.


----------



## philipraposo1982

jcmv4792 said:


> Wow love this tank. Is the needle leaf java fern at the top right floating? What are the yellow schooling fish?


Yes needle leaf Java fern and lemon tetras.

Thanks 

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk


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## matt_and_his_tank

*My new tank setup*

I thought I'd add my tank to this thread too 


I have a ~160L tank with a 100L refugium running for 3 weeks after it had cycled.

Substrate: Root tabs, soil bottom, then a plant nutrient substrate then fine black substrate on top.
Lighting: Aqua One PlantGlo 90cm LED
Dosing: 5ml TNC Carbon Daily
Fish: 11 rummynose tetra, 6 peppered cory, 5 apistogramma cacatuoides

Carpet Plants: Dwarf Hairgrass, Hemianthus Callitrichoides (not sure if this will grow under my LED!)
Foreground: Cryptocoryne affinis, Anubias nana, 
Mid Plants: Amazon Swords, Staurogyne Repens
Background: Ceratopteris siliquosa, Limnophila heterophylla
Misc Plants: Java Moss (currently growing into a 'Bonsai' tree), also going to add to the rocks to completely cover them.

Regugium: Java Moss, Marimo Moss Balls, Christmas Moss // Ceramic Media, Lava Rock, Sponge, Peat, Bio Balls and Filter Wool


----------



## fracturedapple

I'm fairly new to this forum thing and I'm enjoying it so far. 

Here is my 150 gallon low tech tank

Plants: 
Anubius coffeefolia 
Anubius hastifolia
Anubius baterii 
Cryptocoryne wendetti red
bucephalandra (black angel)
aponogeton crispus 
Green tiger lotus
cobomba
Four leaf clover ( just put it in a couple days ago )
Ludwigia Cuba 
PROSERPINACA PALUSTRIS
Dwarf water lettuce 


Livestock:
10 pork chop rasboras 
4 Apistogramma cacatuoides
Too many rams horn snails to count 


This tank is only 5 months old so I'm not done with the livestock, when this was in the planning stages I was thinking low tech planted discus tank but haven't bought them yet. No ferts just fish food and waste for the plants. Water changes are every 2 weeks till the soil stops leaching tannins into the water then change every 3 months or so. 

Equipment: 

Fluval u3 ( just for water movement really )
Two 100 watt ehiem jager 
4 kessil a160we

Substrate is 1 inch organic garden soil capped with 1 inch aqua soil that green leaf aquariums use to sell.

Note: the cobomba has melted due to the floating plants blocking the light and left just the stems, everything was still green so Im controlling the floating plants more and they are making a come back.


----------



## RENDOG

Nlewis said:


> My low tech 20G. It gets nothing but a water change every Sunday.


wow, beautiful...plant list please. Also, what substrate is that and how old is the tank in that picture?

Thank you.


----------



## mibe661

My little low-tech tank:










Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk


----------



## cnichols78

My low tech tank...no fertilizers. LED hood light only. Only change water. Old plastic plants floating so it's not so bright in there. Looking for some jungle Val to add height.


----------



## AbbeysDad

This is my 60g low tech Marineland community tank.
(See pictorial in Tank Journals)

*Equipment*:
-> 48" Finnex LED Planted+ 24/7 running in 24/7 mode, but on a timer - on @6am, off @Midnight.

-> 2x Aquaclear 70 HOB filters w/AC50 impellers for reduced flow. Filters are sponge, bio-sponge and polyester fiber for polish. I'm also using Fluval pre-filter sponges to keep fry from being pulled in.

-> 2x Aqueon 200w heaters.

*Substrate*:
Silica (pool filter) sand.

*Decor*:
2 rocks from my creek.
1 plastic hollow log (couldn't get rid of the log-it looks real and the fish love it.)

*Plants*:
Jungle Val, Wisteria, Java Fern, Java Moss, Dwarf Sag, Rotala, Green Crypt Wendtii, Amazon Swords.

*Livestock*:
Angels, Swordtails, Blue Dwarf Gouramis, Platies, Baloon Mollies
Malaysian Trumpet Snails.
Other snails from plants.

*Ferts*:
I'm using Seachem Flourish Root Tabs for rooted plants.
With the weekly 10-15g water change, I add 2-3 capfuls of Flourish Trace and 1/2 tsp. of Seachem Equilibrium. Every other week, a day or two after the water change, I add 1 capful of Flourish Comprehensive.
I hope to leverage organics and minimize the use of chemical ferts.

*Background*: As for me, I've been in and out of the hobby (mostly in) for 50 years. My first tank was a 3g all glass when I was 12. In my teens and 20's I had 8 tanks (6-10g, 1-20g, 1-29H). I've had the 60g for about 10 years.
I have high nitrates (40-80) in my well water so I pre-filter my water to remove nitrates for weekly partial water changes. I use an API Tap Water filter filled with API Nitra-Zorb. I get about 200g before I need to recharge with salt water.
The tank had been setup for years with plastic decor before getting the Finnex light and planting. This photo is current as of this writing at about 3 months after planting.


----------



## firegreencurry

My low tech 40 gallon breeder. Still needs a lot of work. I just got some ferts in the mail. Running a Finnex planted plus and E-Heim 2213.

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----------



## Redneck tenner

firegreencurry said:


> My low tech 40 gallon breeder. Still needs a lot of work. I just got some ferts in the mail. Running a Finnex planted plus and E-Heim 2213.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


Very impressive. Red plants look great. What are they

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----------



## firegreencurry

******* tenner said:


> Very impressive. Red plants look great. What are they
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


It's sometimes called https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternanthera_reineckii and/or telanthera cardinalis, although I've see both of those names used for a few different plants in the same family. They sell a bunch of seedlings at Petsmarts in my area and they looked nasty at first, but grew well over a few months. I trim the tops every once in awhile and replant and they've been looking great recently...I'll post an update of the red plants when I turn my lights on this afternoon (I don't use any co2 and only recently started fertilizing because my green plants are yellowing.)

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## Redneck tenner

firegreencurry said:


> It's sometimes called https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternanthera_reineckii and/or telanthera cardinalis, although I've see both of those names used for a few different plants in the same family. They sell a bunch of seedlings at Petsmarts in my area and they looked nasty at first, but grew well over a few months. I trim the tops every once in awhile and replant and they've been looking great recently. (I don't use any co2 and only recently started fertilizing because my green plants are yellowing.)
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


I thought so didnt know got that tall. What light do you have 

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## firegreencurry

******* tenner said:


> I thought so didnt know got that tall. What light do you have
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


Finnex funeray planted plus. That's one of the setups with just a switch. No fancy time controls or anything.

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## Redneck tenner

firegreencurry said:


> Finnex funeray planted plus. That's one of the setups with just a switch. No fancy time controls or anything.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


Your getting good par whats depth on 40b. 18in? 

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## firegreencurry

******* tenner said:


> Your getting good par whats depth on 40b. 18in?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


I just measured. It's about 17 inches. But I keep my water at about 15-15.5 inches usually. And the light sits at about 18 inches up from the bottom.

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## Redneck tenner

firegreencurry said:


> I just measured. It's about 17 inches. But I keep my water at about 15-15.5 inches usually. And the light sits at about 18 inches up from the bottom.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


Very nice tank. You should be proud

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## firegreencurry

******* tenner said:


> Very nice tank. You should be proud
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


Thanks!

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## Redneck tenner

Whats the plant on left side running horizontal from left to right in water column

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## firegreencurry

******* tenner said:


> Whats the plant on left side running horizontal from left to right in water column
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


I believe it is some type of pennywort. It grows kind of like a vine with lilly pads which reach the surface









Also, I have another intereating plant floating on the surface. I am not 100% sure about it, but I think it's an invasive marsh species called alligator weed. About a year ago I went exploring for aquatic plants at a nature preserve near where I live in Louisiana and it was particularly abundant. It doesn't grow anything like it did in the wild and seems to have adapted to my tank. I just float it on top and after many months it has started growing some small leaves from the top and in the middle of the vine.










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## Redneck tenner

firegreencurry said:


> I believe it is some type of pennywort. It grows kind of like a vine with lilly pads which reach the surface
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, I have another intereating plant floating on the surface. I am not 100% sure about it, but I think it's an invasive marsh species called alligator weed. About a year ago I went exploring for aquatic plants at a nature preserve near where I live in Louisiana and it was particularly abundant. It doesn't grow anything like it did in the wild and seems to have adapted to my tank. I just float it on top and after many months it has started growing some small leaves from the top and in the middle of the vine.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


The first one may be cardmine. Google it and see 

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## firegreencurry

******* tenner said:


> The first one may be cardmine. Google it and see
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


I looked up cardamine and another plant that came up was Brazilian pennywort. Mine kind of looks like this. http://bobstropicalplants.com/gallery/galleries/plants/stems/Pennywort.JPG

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## Redneck tenner

firegreencurry said:


> I looked up cardamine and another plant that came up was Brazilian pennywort. Mine kind of looks like this. http://bobstropicalplants.com/gallery/galleries/plants/stems/Pennywort.JPG
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


Ill hit you up for some cuttings lol

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## doylecolmdoyle

Just planted this 30cm Cube, this is my first real low tech tank, I have two high tech tanks, will be interesting to see how this grows!


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## Hilde

firegreencurry said:


> My low tech 40 gallon breeder. Still needs a lot of work. I just got some ferts in the mail. Running a Finnex planted plus and E-Heim 2213.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


Wow!!:surprise: What have you been dosing to get that plant red? Any Co2 additive?


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## firegreencurry

Hilde said:


> Wow!!:surprise: What have you been dosing to get that plant red? Any Co2 additive?


Great question!!! I have been curious about this myself. As I learned more about the planted tank world, I realized red plants generally don't do well in low tech tanks. I learned this firsthand when I bought some red ludwigia from my LFS. The guy told me he didn't think they'd do well without CO2 and he was right. They died a few weeks later. I did use some CO2 supplementation (off brand excel) early on, but I haven't been able to afford any of that for months and these plants still do very well. I only recently started fertilizing because of obvious deficiencies in my plants (yellowing and holes). The only thing I've been somewhat consistent about is Flourish trace. However, I've given these plants to two friends with low tech tanks and they didn't have any success whatsoever.

So to answer your question, these plants have been staying bright red with very minimal nutrients. Since I only recently started supplementing, my nitrates are barely registering when I do water tests. As you can tell, my Finnex is fairly bright for a low tank at this depth (initially caused me a lot of algea problems). But I really have no idea. Could it be something to do with the light?

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## Aparker2005

I think I've asked in here before, but is anyone in here running a finnex 24/7 on the 24/7 cycle with good results? 

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## HaeSuse

AquaHobbyist said:


> (Can't identify the two tall plants behind the wood and to the right side of the tank. Easy, fast growing plant - if anyone can ID that would be great!)


Rotala of some sort or another.


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## straha20

This is my 20L low light, low tech tank finally and fully planted. The red tiger lotus has been in there for six days now, and aside from a slight melting on the larger leaves, it has already produced two new leaves, with another popping up.

Light is a finnex stingray with ADA aquasoil substrate


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## Karackle

doylecolmdoyle said:


> Just planted this 30cm Cube, this is my first real low tech tank, I have two high tech tanks, will be interesting to see how this grows!


Tank looks great! But I have to warn you, if you are used to high tech (super fast growth) it is probably going to seem like this tank is not growing at all to you. You must have patience. In 6 months take a picture and compare it to this one and you will see just how much your tank has grown. Low tech takes patience because the plants grow much slower. I am only giving you this warning because I have seen people used to high tech get frustrated and give up on their low tech tanks in a matter of weeks because of the slow growth. I say just enjoy the relatively much lower maintenance and let the tank alone


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## SeeF1L

Hello, I must say that this is an impressive, awesome, and inspiring thread. The creativity and differences have opened my mind. I knew I wanted to do a planted tank, but these ideas blew mine "out of the water". Literally, I love the plants and aquascape coming out of the water. I will be doing a 60g soon and I will post pictures (Here is the thread). Great job for all that posted!! I'll keep you all posted.


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## doylecolmdoyle

Karackle said:


> Tank looks great! But I have to warn you, if you are used to high tech (super fast growth) it is probably going to seem like this tank is not growing at all to you. You must have patience. In 6 months take a picture and compare it to this one and you will see just how much your tank has grown. Low tech takes patience because the plants grow much slower. I am only giving you this warning because I have seen people used to high tech get frustrated and give up on their low tech tanks in a matter of weeks because of the slow growth. I say just enjoy the relatively much lower maintenance and let the tank alone


Good advice, I am tempted to add co2 because I dont see any real growth... but I will stick with low tech for now


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## Monrankim

This is my 75 gallon low tech soil tank. 

Light:
I'm running four T8's (two 6500k two 2700k) for two 4 hour periods. 

Substrate: un-mineralized top soil w/ Sp. peat moss, yard dirt, cat litter soaked in garden lime and red pottery clay capped with black beauty blast sand. 

Filter: Eheim knock-off Canister filter with the usual media and Purigen.

Hardscape:
You can't really see it but I have a Mopani wood hardscape. The unexpected growth quickly consumed the wood but it has provided a planting medium for Java Fern and has created subtle accents and caves for the shrimp and ropefish.

Fauna:
Right now I have some Angel fish quickly outgrowing the tank, a ropefish, wild caught grass shrimp, various tetras and guppies from other tanks. I plan to relocate some fish and get it down to a couple angels and the rope fish, neons and shrimp, now that the tank has grown out. 

Flora: Argentine Sword, L. Repens, Alternanthera reineckii 'lilacina', Ludwigia repens x L. arcuata, Sagittaria, Temple plant, Crypt Parva, Wentii Bronze and green, Bacopa, Rotala -?, Wisteria, Java Fern, Java Moss, S. Repens, Amazon Sword, Vesuvius Sword, and another plant that I still have to identify.

I use Excel and Osmocote + diy root tabs. 

This tank was alot of fun and I learned a lot from the experience. This is my first real planted tank and I started it in the beginning of the summer. The first attempt didn't go well and I tore it down and tried a better DIY soil the second time around. Thanks for looking


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## Aparker2005

Monrankim said:


> This is my 75 gallon low tech soil tank.
> 
> Light:
> I'm running four T8's (two 6500k two 2700k) for two 4 hour periods.
> 
> Substrate: un-mineralized top soil w/ Sp. peat moss, yard dirt, cat litter soaked in garden lime and red pottery clay capped with black beauty blast sand.
> 
> Hardscape:
> You can't really see it but I have a Mopani wood hardscape. The unexpected growth quickly consumed the wood but it has provided a planting medium for Java Fern and has created subtle accents and caves for the shrimp and ropefish.
> 
> Fauna:
> Right now I have some Angel fish quickly outgrowing the tank, a ropefish, wild caught grass shrimp, various tetras and guppies from other tanks. I plan to relocate some fish and get it down to a couple angels and the rope fish, neons and shrimp, now that the tank has grown out.
> 
> Flora: Argentine Sword, L. Repens, Alternanthera reineckii 'lilacina', Ludwigia repens x L. arcuata, Sagittaria, Temple plant, Crypt Parva, Wentii Bronze and green, Bacopa, Rotala -?, Wisteria, Java Fern, Java Moss, S. Repens, Amazon Sword, Vesuvius Sword, and another plant that I still have to identify.
> 
> I use Excel and Osmocote + diy root tabs.
> 
> This tank was alot of fun and I learned a lot from the experience. This is my first real planted tank and I started it in the beginning of the summer. The first attempt didn't go well and I tore it down and tried a better DIY soil the second time around. Thanks for looking


Ridiculously jealous. Amazing tank! 

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## Monrankim

Aparker2005 said:


> Ridiculously jealous. Amazing tank!
> 
> Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk


Thanks!


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## chale

Here's my 75 gallon corner overflow after planting. Running 4 bulb Odyssea T5 lighting, only using 3 bulbs though. Dosing is per Tom Barr's guidelines for low tech tanks and no water changes.


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## Tessa

Monrankim said:


> This is my 75 gallon low tech soil tank.


Wow... that's a gorgeous mixture of colors and textures. Very nice!
Save​


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## Wilderman204

number1sixerfan said:


> Amazing looking tank, what are the tall, stem like plants in the back left part of the tank?




Lil late on the answer, but yes that is Giant hairgrass. Eleocharis montevidensis


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## Monrankim

Tessa said:


> Wow... that's a gorgeous mixture of colors and textures. Very nice!
> Save​


Thank you very much


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## Duff77

*Low tech and low cost*










Plant: Cryptocoryne lucens and wendtii, Round Pellia, Bacopa Caroliniana, Microsorum Windelov, Riccia fluitans, Cladophora, Helantium bolivianum, christmas moss, Anubias

Fish: 7 rasbore, 10 Amandae, 3 barbus tetrazone, corydoras and red cherry.

Tank PetCompany at the supermarket: (there was both the inner filter with the pump, the heater, the lid with the light, but I changed all)

volcanic lapilli: readily available in garden centers, it serves little, so it will be useful for many other productions

river sand (bag 25 kg I think)

Little Pump: 300l/h 2 watt

Sponge: a little

2T5 ceiling lamp 24w

Fertilizing with PMDD

Aquarium energy cost to month: about 4.20 $

PS: excuse my bad English, are Italian


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## Coops

My tank : )


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## klibs

Monrankim said:


> This is my 75 gallon low tech soil tank.
> 
> Light:
> I'm running four T8's (two 6500k two 2700k) for two 4 hour periods.
> 
> Substrate: un-mineralized top soil w/ Sp. peat moss, yard dirt, cat litter soaked in garden lime and red pottery clay capped with black beauty blast sand.
> 
> Filter: Eheim knock-off Canister filter with the usual media and Purigen.
> 
> Hardscape:
> You can't really see it but I have a Mopani wood hardscape. The unexpected growth quickly consumed the wood but it has provided a planting medium for Java Fern and has created subtle accents and caves for the shrimp and ropefish.
> 
> Fauna:
> Right now I have some Angel fish quickly outgrowing the tank, a ropefish, wild caught grass shrimp, various tetras and guppies from other tanks. I plan to relocate some fish and get it down to a couple angels and the rope fish, neons and shrimp, now that the tank has grown out.
> 
> Flora: Argentine Sword, L. Repens, Alternanthera reineckii 'lilacina', Ludwigia repens x L. arcuata, Sagittaria, Temple plant, Crypt Parva, Wentii Bronze and green, Bacopa, Rotala -?, Wisteria, Java Fern, Java Moss, S. Repens, Amazon Sword, Vesuvius Sword, and another plant that I still have to identify.
> 
> I use Excel and Osmocote + diy root tabs.
> 
> This tank was alot of fun and I learned a lot from the experience. This is my first real planted tank and I started it in the beginning of the summer. The first attempt didn't go well and I tore it down and tried a better DIY soil the second time around. Thanks for looking


beautiful tank


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## IntotheWRX

Monrankim said:


> This is my 75 gallon low tech soil tank.
> 
> Light:
> I'm running four T8's (two 6500k two 2700k) for two 4 hour periods.
> 
> Substrate: un-mineralized top soil w/ Sp. peat moss, yard dirt, cat litter soaked in garden lime and red pottery clay capped with black beauty blast sand.
> 
> Filter: Eheim knock-off Canister filter with the usual media and Purigen.
> 
> Hardscape:
> You can't really see it but I have a Mopani wood hardscape. The unexpected growth quickly consumed the wood but it has provided a planting medium for Java Fern and has created subtle accents and caves for the shrimp and ropefish.
> 
> Fauna:
> Right now I have some Angel fish quickly outgrowing the tank, a ropefish, wild caught grass shrimp, various tetras and guppies from other tanks. I plan to relocate some fish and get it down to a couple angels and the rope fish, neons and shrimp, now that the tank has grown out.
> 
> Flora: Argentine Sword, L. Repens, Alternanthera reineckii 'lilacina', Ludwigia repens x L. arcuata, Sagittaria, Temple plant, Crypt Parva, Wentii Bronze and green, Bacopa, Rotala -?, Wisteria, Java Fern, Java Moss, S. Repens, Amazon Sword, Vesuvius Sword, and another plant that I still have to identify.
> 
> I use Excel and Osmocote + diy root tabs.
> 
> This tank was alot of fun and I learned a lot from the experience. This is my first real planted tank and I started it in the beginning of the summer. The first attempt didn't go well and I tore it down and tried a better DIY soil the second time around. Thanks for looking


wow beautiful. lush, healthy plants. how often do you do a water change?


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## BrandonL

I actually just joined this forum today, but I have been lurking for months since I started my first tank. I think I read almost this entire thread getting great ideas of what can be done with a low tech set up, and I wanted to share what my tank started out as, and what it looks like today. My family had fish tanks growing up, but until this year I hadn't even thought about keeping a fish tank for probably a decade. Heres the first tank I can call my own.

20 gallon high
The only filter is an HOB Aquaclear 50, just sponge and filter media. 
I do weekly to biweekly water changes (20-33%), but I mostly stopped measuring anything quite a while ago, and I wonder if I can drop this down to just once every other week or less.
Very sporadic trace fertilizer (maybe once every other week or once a month flourish trace) but no other fertilizers, no CO2, etc.
The light is a finnex stingray I believe. 

I have one sunset gourami (I think is the name of it), 6 neon tetras, 5 panda cories, 3 otos, and 7 red cherry shrimp. The ottos and red cherry shrimp are new additions this week, as I was hoping they would help out with the algae a little bit.
This is the tank a few weeks after I started it










Here it is today










It has been a mixed bag sometimes; I struggled with algae quite a bit at the beginning, and still have some I have to deal with. I also lost two banana plants and I'm still not sure why. I was hoping they would take up some of the vertical space of the aquarium when they grew, but instead they just fizzled out. The smaller crypto wendetti (sp?) also used to be much larger, died back, and now seems to be recovering again. I also was hoping the anubia on the right would drop up the log, but instead is just growing straight out into the tank. Think I could remove it from the driftwood and rotate it 180 so it would grow up instead of out?



















Thanks for looking or any comments/suggestions!


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## Monrankim

IntotheWRX said:


> wow beautiful. lush, healthy plants. how often do you do a water change?


About once a month. Thank you very much btw [emoji4] 

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## agimlin

The start of my low tech 29g, has been planted for 3 days now









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## hassan.nabeel

Simple plain Low tech


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## tlriot

BrandonL said:


> I actually just joined this forum today, but I have been lurking for months since I started my first tank. I think I read almost this entire thread getting great ideas of what can be done with a low tech set up, and I wanted to share what my tank started out as, and what it looks like today. My family had fish tanks growing up, but until this year I hadn't even thought about keeping a fish tank for probably a decade. Heres the first tank I can call my own.
> 
> 20 gallon high
> The only filter is an HOB Aquaclear 50, just sponge and filter media.
> I do weekly to biweekly water changes (20-33%), but I mostly stopped measuring anything quite a while ago, and I wonder if I can drop this down to just once every other week or less.
> Very sporadic trace fertilizer (maybe once every other week or once a month flourish trace) but no other fertilizers, no CO2, etc.
> The light is a finnex stingray I believe.
> 
> I have one sunset gourami (I think is the name of it), 6 neon tetras, 5 panda cories, 3 otos, and 7 red cherry shrimp. The ottos and red cherry shrimp are new additions this week, as I was hoping they would help out with the algae a little bit.
> This is the tank a few weeks after I started it
> 
> It has been a mixed bag sometimes; I struggled with algae quite a bit at the beginning, and still have some I have to deal with. I also lost two banana plants and I'm still not sure why. I was hoping they would take up some of the vertical space of the aquarium when they grew, but instead they just fizzled out. The smaller crypto wendetti (sp?) also used to be much larger, died back, and now seems to be recovering again. I also was hoping the anubia on the right would drop up the log, but instead is just growing straight out into the tank. Think I could remove it from the driftwood and rotate it 180 so it would grow up instead of out?


That die off on your crypt is really normal. It has happened to all of mine that I've had in the past. Basically it can't handle the change in water parameters, the leaves melt, but the root system survives and regrows leaves that can tolerate your water.

Your anubias is likely growing that way because it is so low. "High" layout tanks have a problem with not enough light reaching the lower parts of the tank, and even though its a low light plant that you can't kill, it's not really growing ideally. I would remove it and attach it higher up on the driftwood. It will still grow outwards, but probably in a more dense formation that you're looking for.

Bump: This tank isn't complete yet, about 85% of the way there.

Tank itself is a Marineland Portrait 5g with a DIY light made from a work clamp light that I removed the clamp from and have hung from a rafter that extends over the tank. Light itself is a 15W PAR 20 LED, recommended by Teebo who has the same set up.

The layout of the tank has been difficult to work with, everything from design to lighting to maintenance. Only really good part about it is the small floor plan (only about 9"Wx7"D) means not a lot of substrate.

ADA Aquasoil Amazonia "Regular"
Spider Wood
Yamaya Stone

Current Plants:
Microsword
Anubias nana "Petite"
Java fern
Java fern "windelov"
Crypt. wendtii "Tropica"

I'm still looking into background plants (recommendations are appreciated) that are nice and bright to give some contrast to the dark crypts, and fill in all that top space. I do have some narrow leaf java fern that will be going in there, and a sad anubias nana plant and surviving rhizome that may also join the party.


----------



## Dogstar

Here's my 29 Gal. Using the Finnex Planted+ 24/7 for lighting which I love.


----------



## AquaAurora

8g jumbo bubble bowl









2.5g (just setup yesterday)









2g case


----------



## s2man

Hello all. New member here. I am really enjoying this thread and thought I would throw in my new tank. But please don't judge it. It is NOT scaped, yet, but I thought you may appreciate the good growth.

I was working on setting this up and I found a deal on 100+ plants, 23 species and I grabbed them. So I didn't have time to design or plan much. I just planted them all as a nursery and will wait to see who does well (or not). This is my first soil-planted tank. I hope I didn't goof up by just planting everything and planning to rescape later. I read that can be a mess with soil substrate...

125g see-through tank. Dh 9, kh 7. We have hard water, so I mixed 1/3 RO when I filled it.

Light: 4x48" T8s and one 65W CFL, all 6500K = 1.5W/g. Was 8hrs/day but I just switched that to 10hrs with a siesta. I've never tried a siesta, before.

Substrate: Too much advice on soil out there. So I mashed them all together and spread 1 bag EC and 1 bag Flourite in the tank. Next, I blended 2 parts organic potting soil / 2pt peat moss / 1pt organic garden soil. I added the blend to the tank until it was 2" thick, then mixed it all very well and spread it back out. Topped it with 1/2" of Petco gravel (I told you I was rushed).

Filter: Two Marineland Penguin 400s which came with the tank. I have one on each end. That's a lot of current. As much as I like to see the plants waving around, I am worried it may be too much for schools of small fish. I have turned down the flow on them. If I still find it is too much for the fish I am thinking about removing one of the Penguins and replacing it with a large sponge filter. But that will just be more unsightly junk inside the tank and a single Penguin will push any floating plants to the other end of the tank. Shoot. A canister maybe? Any suggestions are welcome for this, or any other items, as this is a work in progress.

Hardscape: Some river stone and a couple of pieces of Manzanita, to which I have attached Java Fern and Riccia. More to come as I decide how to scape this. I have some ideas but won't bother you with them, now.

Flora: Here is the list the seller gave:

Alternanthera reineckii 'Pink' (roseafolia)
Alternanthera reineckii 'Purple' (lilacina).
Bacopa caroliniana (Giant Bacopa)
Bacopa monnieri (Moneywort)
Cabomba aquatica , Egeria densa (Elodea)
Ceratophyllum demersum (Foxtail)
Ceratopteris thalictroides Water Sprite
Golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)
Hydrocotyle tripartita
Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamenis'
Hygrophila difformis (wisteria)
Hygrophila sp. ''Araguaia''
Ludwigia palustris
Ludwigia palustris (Ludwigia, Narrow Leaf)
Ludwigia repens 'Rubin'
Ludwigia repens (Ludwigia, Broad Leaf)
Microsorum pteropus (Needle Leaf Java Fern)
Myriophyllum (parrot feathers, milfoil)
Persicaria sp. 'Kawagoeanum' (Red Bamboo)
Riccia Fluitans (crystalwort)
Rotala rotundifolia
Sagittaria subulata
Zephyranthes candida ("Dwarf" onion plant)

There was no Wisteria in the bundle, but there was one mystery plant which I am trying to identify. I am not yet positive on the identification of a few of the others, either.

Fauna: Well, dang. a growing population of pond snails from a couple of small Water Hyacinth I threw in, later. They were really cheap because of end of the pond season and I thought a few more plants to suck up the ammonia wouldn't hurt. I didn't dip them. Sheesh. I have some Assassin snails coming, next week. I figured if the pond snails can handle the water parms, so can the Assassins. 

This will be a subtropial tank. My plans, right now, are a school of Otos, a school of Zebra Danios, a school of Cories and a trio of Paradise fish or High-Fin PLaties. Bristlenose Pleco, Halfbeaks, Golden Wonder Killifish or a school of Rosy Barbs will work, too. FWIW, I have always done species/biotope tanks. This will be my first community tank since I was a kid.

Fert's: None yet, other than the soil nitrification. At day 22 ammonia was 0.5, nitrite 3 and nitrate 20ppm. So the cycling appears to be going well. I have trace minerals on the way and I want to find a good NPK test kit. I expect the bioload to supply most of the requirements, but I don't want any limiting nutrients. Nor, do I want to do EI and have to do weekly WC on a tank this size.

Misc: DIY lids which slide toward the center for access to the water without having to remove the lights and lids. Once I have all the mechanicals worked out I will build a hood to hide them all. I may add an auto-fill connected to the RO system, since the tank isn't too far from the refrigerator.










Day 4









Day 16. I think that is amazing growth for only two weeks. Whoda thunk plants would like soil so much? LOL. After taking this pic I trimmed the fast-growing stems and donated them to the LFS, hinting maybe I could supply him in the future in exchange for store credit. ;-)

Currently at day 23 and time to prune, again. And no more pics during the day with windows in the background. Sorry.


----------



## SeeF1L

Hello,

This is my first dirted fish tank ever. I mineralized the soil and capped it with BD Blasting Sand. I built up the left side with a combination of brick, lava rock, and cat litter. I ordered the plants on the WTB thread. I highly recommend ordering your plants there. Everyone seems so helpful and generous. The wood was ordered on [Ebay Link Removed] The stone was purchased at a local nursery.
Here are the plants I received:
Hydrocotyle
Rotala mini green
Vesicularia Sp
Staurogyne Porto Velho
Rotala mini
Ludwwigia Red mini
Pogohelferii Downi
Blxya Octandra
Lobella Caudinalis
Corym Bosa Cherry
Polygonum
Acmella Repens
Valisineria Sp Leopard
Blxya Japonica
Staurogyne Sp Purple
Ludwiga Marila
Guppy Grass
Monte Carlo


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## Tessa

12 gallon betta tank. BeamsWork clip-on led, modified Dennerle Nano filter (changed the insert to sponge), JBL heater. Inert sand bottom, small rocks collected at the beach, large holey rock, piece of spiderwood, ceramic log.

Plants: vals, dwarf sag, red tiger lotus, java fern and narrow leaf java fern, anubias nana petite, salvinia and frogbit.

Ferts: Tropica Specialised daily, occasionally I add some liquid Seachem stuff. No Excel or CO2.








Save​


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## AquaAurora

Tessa said:


> 12 gallon betta tank. BeamsWork clip-on led, modified Dennerle Nano filter (changed the insert to sponge), JBL heater. Inert sand bottom, small rocks collected at the beach, large holey rock, piece of spiderwood, ceramic log.
> 
> Plants: vals, dwarf sag, red tiger lotus, java fern and narrow leaf java fern, anubias nana petite, salvinia and frogbit.
> 
> Ferts: Tropica Specialised daily, occasionally I add some liquid Seachem stuff. No Excel or CO2.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Save​


Love you tank! I'm sure you betta does too


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## Tessa

AquaAurora said:


> Love you tank! I'm sure you betta does too


Thanks! Yep, he's a happy little lunatic - gotta love sassy hyperactive plakats


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## Maclyri

Tessa said:


> 12 gallon betta tank. BeamsWork clip-on led, modified Dennerle Nano filter (changed the insert to sponge), JBL heater. Inert sand bottom, small rocks collected at the beach, large holey rock, piece of spiderwood, ceramic log.
> 
> Plants: vals, dwarf sag, red tiger lotus, java fern and narrow leaf java fern, anubias nana petite, salvinia and frogbit.
> 
> Ferts: Tropica Specialised daily, occasionally I add some liquid Seachem stuff. No Excel or CO2.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Save​




That lotus is AWESOME


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## meowschwitz




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## philipraposo1982

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk


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## ArchimedesTheDog

Just planted:


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## AquaAurora

philipraposo1982 said:


> Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk


how long has your tank been scaped?
is there any fauna?


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## philipraposo1982

AquaAurora said:


> how long has your tank been scaped?
> is there any fauna?















































I originally started this scape about 5 months ago but recently moved and alot of my needle leaf fern leaves died and it's been a struggle. 

I have huge bolbitis rhizomes in there too but I have to cut all the leaves off as they melted from the move. But they already started to grow new leaves now.

Just added the anubias petite a few days ago. 

The tank houses green terror pair and that's it.

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## toadpher

Loving that lotus! I just planted a red tiger lotus, I can't wait till it sprouts and I can move it to the big tank!



Tessa said:


> 12 gallon betta tank. BeamsWork clip-on led, modified Dennerle Nano filter (changed the insert to sponge), JBL heater. Inert sand bottom, small rocks collected at the beach, large holey rock, piece of spiderwood, ceramic log.
> 
> Plants: vals, dwarf sag, red tiger lotus, java fern and narrow leaf java fern, anubias nana petite, salvinia and frogbit.
> 
> Ferts: Tropica Specialised daily, occasionally I add some liquid Seachem stuff. No Excel or CO2.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Save​


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## Tessa

toadpher said:


> Loving that lotus! I just planted a red tiger lotus, I can't wait till it sprouts and I can move it to the big tank!


Thanks! Yeah, it's a great red plant for low tech tanks, very easy to keep.


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## toadpher

That's what I've read online too, so good to hear, because I'm struggling just to get dwarf sag to grow..


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## Findibulator

My 20 long. Most of the inhabitants didn't want to pose for the photo.
Had a snail outbreak a few weeks ago. Decided to let a few assassin snails work on the problem. So far it seems to be working. Hoping we'll reach equilibrium at some point and the I can perhaps add another fish to two.

Currently 1 albino and 2 zebra cory cats, 2 guppies , 3 Mickey Mouse Platys, and 5 cherry shrimp (supposedly, I never see more than 2 at a time).

Would like a different color fish or two - currently it's all yellows and orange. Ideas?


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## Tessa

Here's my 33g. 2x24W T5 HO lights, JBL CristalProfi canister, small internal for extra circulation. Inert sand substrate.

Plants: lots of crypt wendtii varieties, java ferns, red tiger lotus, nymphoides taiwan, anubias nana, bolbitis heudelotii, tiny sprig of vals.

Ferts: small daily doses of Tropica Premium, Seachem Advance and Potassium. Sometimes I add phosphates. No Excel or CO2.








Save​


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## mik778866

Hi tessa. How often do you change your water?
Root tabs?

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## Tessa

mik778866 said:


> Hi tessa. How often do you change your water?
> Root tabs?


I change water once a week, about 35%. And yes, I occasionally add root tabs - have tried a few different ones but haven't found anything I prefer yet.


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## Jminator22

*First Planted Tank - 29 Gallon Low Tech*

I started my first aquarium yesterday, and went with a 29 gallon dirted tank. I used approximately 1 inch of Miracle Gro Organic Potting mix under 1-1.5 inches of Black Diamond 20/40 blasting sand. I conditioned the water with Prime. 

Will probably add fish next month, but want to watch the nitrogen cycle and learn a bit more about it first. I tested the water today and all levels were at 0 with the exception of Nitrates being at <5ppm. I added ammonia to get to 1ppm today and will test twice daily to keep an eye on the cycle. I do not add any CO2 and am hoping to keep it that way, the easier the better. I struggled with choosing lighting, but hopefully the Coralife fixture I went with isn't too much. 

Feel free to comment, as this is my first ever aquarium and could use some advice.



Lighting - Coralife 2 x 18w T5NO (6700k and Colormaxx bulbs)

Filtration - AquaClear AC70

Heater - Aquatop GH150

PLANTS
Java Fern
Anubias barteri var. Nana
Anubias nana petite
Anacharis Elodea
Cabomba Caroliniana
Vallisneria spiralis
Aponegeton capuronii
Bolbitis heudelotti
Banana plant


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## Shprotes

One year in

36g bow front
Finnex Planted+, 4hrs, break, 4hrs
Eheim 2215
No CO2
Was dosing Seachem line, started PPS dosing a few weeks ago
organic potting soil capped with Black Diamond sand

Crypt Spiralis (left), Wendtii Brown, Lutea, Lucens, Tropica (right)
Anubias nana (foreground), Striped (mid), Congensis (left mid), and Broad Leaf (back)

Brilliant Rasboras
Powder Blue Gourami
Sterbai Corydoras


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## sloo50

My Tanks at work. Fluval Spec V and a 8x8x8


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## BrynnaCC

My Fluval Spec V - an attempt to make a Walstad with a Nature Aquarium look (apologies for the algae).










Stats:
5 gallon
Finnex Stingray
No ferts
No W/C - parameters are stable
Walstad - Inch of organic potting soil, inch of sand

Plants:
Bolbitis spp. baby leaf
Wisteria
Crypt parva
Anubias petite
Fissidens fontanus
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Glosso

Manzanita Branches and Seiryu Stone (well, sold to me as such - not sure)

Occupants:
2 Swamp Darters
2 Nerites
MTS


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## Maclyri

My new 10 gal! I have a female betta in there and she'll be getting some Pygmy Cory friends when the tank grows in










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## renk777

*Work in progress *

It's still cycling...and the plants I ordered off ebay have yet to arrive. Not sure how the DHG is still alive but it's hanging in there despite the less-than-desirable conditions. I just tied the majority of the java moss on today. It's been living in a bowl on my kitchen counter for weeks and I got sick of seeing it there. I just dreaded tying it on in a tank filled with water; I figured it would be an awful chore and it was every bit as bad as I feared LOL So it's a sloppy job and ideally, I need some more but I figure it'll grow and I can trim and move it as it does. My plants should arrive next week...not a lot of them due to budget...but enough to fill it in just a bit more. If numbers allow, I hope to get a couple more acara and another gourami in a couple weeks. Haven't quite figured out yet what direction to aim the return. It's pretty forceful and from what I heard, gourami and ETs prefer slower water. Right now it's hitting the front panel of the tank which gives them less turbulent water behind...but a ton of bubbles that sort of interfere with my view. Any suggestions regarding the ideal position would be great. I love that it's oxygenating the water but it's a little distracting. Other than that, it's close to finished! I should just wait to post when it's all done but it's pretty much been sitting empty since September and I'm just so excited to have a real tank. Hoping you guys approve since you've been in the hobby so much longer. Sorry if the vid is poor quality; my phone likes to reduce it when I transfer  https://youtu.be/gH6hxfvn-r0 I'll add 2 pics as well


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## Findibulator

20L Update. Perhaps time for a trim soon.










]http://i.imgur.com/BI9UfA2.jpg[/IMG]


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## blake.tomlinson

this is mine i just set it up 3 days ago


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## Reivyn124

Here's my new desktop tank. 3.5 gallons and super low tech. Bonus pic of my new betta as well!
















baeta.exe is swimming


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## PEdwards

20 long, soil and sand substrate, cheapass lights, and an aquaclear 20 filter. 2009


20 long, sand and gravel substrate, same cheapass light as above, Magnum 350 filter. 2003


10 gal, T-12 lights, sand substrate, minor fertilization. 2003


29 gal, 64 watts PC lights, substrate, plants and fish collected locally, no filtration, no water changes. 2005


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## bbroush

PEdwards said:


> 20 long, soil and sand substrate, cheapass lights, and an aquaclear 20 filter. 2009
> 
> 
> 20 long, sand and gravel substrate, same cheapass light as above, Magnum 350 filter. 2003
> 
> 
> 10 gal, T-12 lights, sand substrate, minor fertilization. 2003
> 
> 
> 29 gal, 64 watts PC lights, substrate, plants and fish collected locally, no filtration, no water changes. 2005




How long did you keep the 29 gallon going for?


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## PEdwards

bbroush,

That one kept going for about a year total before I ended up moving. With the native plants being seasonal it went through a couple different phases. I only ended up taking pictures of it for the AGA contest though so that's all I've got.


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## Kalyke

Hi, I worked on this tank for a while then I just let the plants grow for a while. It is mostly anubias because the fish do not care to eat it. The fish have eaten most everything I have planted. It as seachem onyyx, and Carib Sea Rio Grand, as well as many rocks and pieces of mopani. The fish are assorted. The ones that are orange are "foster goldfish" who will be moving on soon. 









I am going to get to work on moving things around some. That grass belongs in the back.


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## PEdwards

Planted goldfish tanks are doable as long as you find plants the fish won't eat.  Looks like it's going to be a pretty tank. I've always wanted to do a planted goldie tank. Perhaps someday.


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## RWaters

Reivyn124 said:


> Here's my new desktop tank. 3.5 gallons and super low tech. Bonus pic of my new betta as well!
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> baeta.exe is swimming


Very nice tank and a beautiful betta! I like it.


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## joe23521

Here's my low tech 55 gallon. Eco-complete with root tabs and liquid CO2. 

Getting a bit wild and needs a good trim. I'm thinking about ripping out some of the stem plants completely.


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## NickAu

My low tech Betta sorority jungle. 
4 Female Bettas, and a bunch of feeder shrimp.










and my Aquael cube
1 Male Betta.










http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...my-2-foot-low-tech-jungle-betta-sorority.html


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## frenziedpace

6.4 gallon AquaMaxx started on 1/8/17








MGOPM with a Black Diamond Blasting cap
16" Finnex Stingray 7-8 hrs per day
Sunsun 603 canister mainly for water movement with poly quilt batting for water polishing
25W Marina heater

1ml Excel daily
1ml Thrive by Nilocg 2 times per week

Everything is growing like crazy

Here's a vid of of the fauna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX6J22zcGKQ


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## Kalyke

I did some more work in my 75 gallon aquarium. This is the old picture that I posted above: 










Here I moved the driftwood around a bit, and then added more plants. I added java fern, windlove java fern, and 6 types of bucephandara. 









Here's a corner that I really like. 

















I think the left side of the tank is weakest. I also feel I need a low light background plant, and I was thinking about bolbitus heudelotus (African water fern). In the next few years, I would like the short buces to carpet the two sides of the front of the tank, leaving a clear, rocky area in the front as though it is the bed of a stream. I have a lot of work to do. The main thing is waiting for a lot of this to grow out.


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## toadpher

Here's mine, 60g with three Goldie's and two nerite snails. Ludwigia red and variegated, Anubias Nana and petite, jungle Val and red tiger lotus. Just some liquid ferts every once in a while and trace nutrients about once a month.


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## cininohio

My 56 gallon low tech angels, white clouds and cory cat tank. It was my first planted tank and was a challenge due to the height. It finally has been filling in. I killed a lot of plants till I figured out what worked in this tank. 25% water changed weekly and some leaf zone when I have it.








My 10 gallon redo, waiting for the buce, cameroon moss and fissidens to fill in.








I have pics of my 20 somewhere and will have to dig them up.


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## frenziedpace

Nice to see some new posts. I enjoy looking at all the tanks.

Here's an update shot of mine.


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## bigbadjon

This is my grow out tank. It will honestly be a shame to move the stuff because it is starting to look good.


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## sushisnake

Tessa said:


> Here's my 33g. 2x24W T5 HO lights, JBL CristalProfi canister, small internal for extra circulation. Inert sand substrate.
> 
> Plants: lots of crypt wendtii varieties, java ferns, red tiger lotus, nymphoides taiwan, anubias nana, bolbitis heudelotii, tiny sprig of vals.
> 
> Ferts: small daily doses of Tropica Premium, Seachem Advance and Potassium. Sometimes I add phosphates. No Excel or CO2.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Save​


Hi Tessa
I love your tank, it's gorgeous. Did you maybe do a tank journal on it here? Or maybe have a planting layout still lying around? They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I really appreciate being able to follow your lead.


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## sepulvd

joe23521 said:


> Here's my low tech 55 gallon. Eco-complete with root tabs and liquid CO2.
> 
> Getting a bit wild and needs a good trim. I'm thinking about ripping out some of the stem plants completely.
> 
> View attachment 723770


What light are you using

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## LancerLife

My 55gal after a trim. Eco-complete substrate with a small smattering of root tabs.

Fish:
1 Black Lancer Catfish
6 Arulius Barbs 
1 Opaline Gourami
1 Clown Pleco

Plants:
Bacopa caroliniana
Ceratopteris thalictroids
Anubius nana
Florida Sunset wendtii
Green wendtii
Tropica wendtii
Brazilian micro sword
Rotala Macrandra
Myriophyllum simulans

Equipment:
2 T5HO (Ultra sun/ flora sun)
SunSun303 canister filter


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## Willcooper

LancerLife said:


> My 55gal after a trim. Eco-complete substrate with a small smattering of root tabs.
> 
> 
> 
> Fish:
> 
> 1 Black Lancer Catfish
> 
> 6 Arulius Barbs
> 
> 1 Opaline Gourami
> 
> 1 Clown Pleco
> 
> 
> 
> Plants:
> 
> Bacopa caroliniana
> 
> Ceratopteris thalictroids
> 
> Anubius nana
> 
> Florida Sunset wendtii
> 
> Green wendtii
> 
> Tropica wendtii
> 
> Brazilian micro sword
> 
> Rotala Macrandra
> 
> Myriophyllum simulans
> 
> 
> 
> Equipment:
> 
> 2 T5HO (Ultra sun/ flora sun)
> 
> SunSun303 canister filter




This is going to look great grown in. Do you like the sun sun 303? Would you buy it again?


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## LancerLife

Willcooper said:


> This is going to look great grown in. Do you like the sun sun 303? Would you buy it again?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks! Yes, I would buy it again. I'm actually looking at the 304B for when I upgrade my Oscar to a 75gal tank. It's my first canister filter and I'm glad I switched from HOBs.


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## RWaters

LancerLife said:


> My 55gal after a trim. Eco-complete substrate with a small smattering of root tabs.
> 
> Fish:
> 1 Black Lancer Catfish
> 6 Arulius Barbs
> 1 Opaline Gourami
> 1 Clown Pleco
> 
> Plants:
> Bacopa caroliniana
> Ceratopteris thalictroids
> Anubius nana
> Florida Sunset wendtii
> Green wendtii
> Tropica wendtii
> Brazilian micro sword
> Rotala Macrandra
> Myriophyllum simulans
> 
> Equipment:
> 2 T5HO (Ultra sun/ flora sun)
> SunSun303 canister filter



Arulius Barbs!! You don't see those too often. I had 7 or 8 years ago. It's one of my top two favorite barbs (the other being Black Ruby Barbs).


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## LancerLife

RWaters said:


> Arulius Barbs!! You don't see those too often. I had 7 or 8 years ago. It's one of my top two favorite barbs (the other being Black Ruby Barbs).


Tell me about it, they were hard to find when I was trying to up their numbers. I considered black ruby barbs, I will have to get some next time I'm in the market.


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## RWaters

LancerLife said:


> Tell me about it, they were hard to find when I was trying to up their numbers. I considered black ruby barbs, I will have to get some next time I'm in the market.


My Black Ruby Barbs from a few years back. Not the best picture but you get the idea of their coloring. I loved those fish!


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## NickAu

My Rebuild after the floods


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## Silang

My first planted tank:
65 Gallon moderately planted tank at 50 days old; my attempt to create a natural looking freshwater environment (not sure if successful or what) using readily available, or home sourced materials. Minimal equipment: just a smal sponge filter and an airstone I run every night time. 
*Substrate:* Backyard dirt under gravel and sand
*Decors: *Stones, leaf litter, branches and twigs - all locally sourced
*Lighting:* Just an 11w bulb for lighted viewing; 8 to 10 hours of indirect natural light per day
*Plants:* Vallisneria, Amazon Swords, Bacopa Monnieri, Pennywort, Ludwigia
*Stock: *8 Tiger Barbs, 5 Mollies, 4 Kuhli Loach, 1 Red Tail Black Shark (juvenile); looking to replace the mollies with either rainbowfish or danios to make this a pure Southeast Asian tank.
*Maintenance:* no ferts, no co2, no gravel vacuum. 20% weekly water change. Algae are allowed to grow on decors and back glass - I only clean the front and sides once a week. No excess growth since day 1. A little tannin tint from leaf litter and twigs can be noticed when the tank is viewed from the side.


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## Freemananana

While the tank has had it's ups and downs, primarily running into the woes of buying a used tank, it is still quite pretty to me. Almost achieved the jungle style scape I was going for! There's 20+ congo tetras and about a dozen rainbowfish pictured.



EDIT: Forgot to mention, it's my 125 gallon tank in my signature. Low to medium light, no ferts, weekly-ish water changes, daily feedings, dirt capped in sand.


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## toadpher

*Progress*

I think I'm starting to get a hang of this planted tank thing. The latest rescape. I got a great deal on a bronze crypt from an lfs. Decent size mother plant with a lot of baby plants coming off of it. I'm excited to see them all grow out! The red tiger lotus has been the easiest plant to grow BY FAR. I love that plant and the floating pads. Looking forward to seeing it flower.




























Anyone know how to get rid of that green hair algae? It's out-competing my Anubias Petite on the driftwood.


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## MCHRKiller

Havent been on this thread in awhile....certainly some beautiful additions to the thread!

Freemananana: I really love your scape...very natural and I am sure in person this is an absolute stunning setup. Also proof of what can be achieved with only a couple of plant species. 

LancerLife: I am jealous of your barbs, lol Tank is giving me some motivation to get my own new 55G going....they certainly are a hard shape to scape but you have done very well. 

I agree with others Black Ruby barbs are stunning...recently got a group of 20 for my 56G and the males have wicked color certainly a nice contrast to my Turq severum. SunSun canisters are amazing...I think a 304 on a 75G is just about perfect. I am running a 304 and a 302 on my Jag's 75G and the water is crystal clear.


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## Freemananana

MCHRKiller said:


> Freemananana: I really love your scape...very natural and I am sure in person this is an absolute stunning setup. Also proof of what can be achieved with only a couple of plant species.


I'll take all the praise I can get! There is java fern, vals, dwarf sag, crypt spiralis and crypt wendtii in there. I really enjoy the vibrant green look, reminds me of the forest.


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## NickAu




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## Krispyplants

I'm not sure if I posted this tank here before but here's the tank that I settled down on after downgrading from high tech setups because of school. 
*Soil* ADA Amazonia
*Lighting* Finnex Stingray
*Plants* montecarlo, Anubias stardust and Snow White, different varieties of bucephalandras, mini pellia, hairgrass and fissidens. 
*Tank set up duration* around half of a year

No co2, a water change when I feel like it or have the time. The last duration lasted 3 months without a water change. I'm digging this low tech, stress free style of tanking. They just take forever to grow :flick:


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## aryopanji

This is my new setup tank, 4 days old. Still in cycling phase.


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## toadpher

Slowly it is coming together. Anyone want my ludwigia? I'm looking to get rid of all of it (two kinds, ludwigia red and some variegated form). Will trade for swords, Anubias, crypts and Java Fern.


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## Silang

Day #72 of my tank. No fert. No CO2. Natural light only, and an 11w bulb for evening viewing.


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## Empress Akitla

Silang said:


> Day #72 of my tank. No fert. No CO2. Natural light only, and an 11w bulb for evening viewing.


Do you get a lot of algae with the natural light? I tried that with a five gallon and the algae was too difficult for me to manage.

-Empress Akitla


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## Silang

Empress Akitla said:


> Do you get a lot of algae with the natural light? I tried that with a five gallon and the algae was too difficult for me to manage.
> 
> -Empress Akitla


 Yes. But not to an extent that it became a problem. The glasses facing the sun was infested by spot algae, the root/wood hardscape with those small hairy algae, and the plants and stones with the common green/brown algae. My mollies and redtail shark happily grazed on them everyday. I then added 4 nerite snails in my tank, and in two weeks they cleaned them all. I am kinda worried now, because algae is part of redtail shark diet. 

For your 5 gal, I think it's too small of a tank to receive such amount of light, and I doubt you were able to propagate enough plants in there. In my case, good number of plants consumed most of the nutrients in the water, making it hard for algae to bloom, plus the nerite snails - they are voracious, even the thick spot algae that my fish never bothered grazing on, they ate em all.


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## micheljq

You need something to control the natural sunlight, especially in summer, like good curtains, sunlight is so much powerful, even natural daylight near windows is quite powerful.

Michel.


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## toadpher

New swords!


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## aryopanji

Nano tank 10g - just finished setting


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## AquaAurora

8g jumbo bubble bowl
flora: unknown crypts, broad leaf and regular sag
fauna: mini ramshorn snails #?, 1 half giant halfmoon plakat betta male
filter: tetra whisper 10 air pump run sponge filter
heater: hydro theo 50 watt adjustable heater
lighter: clamp on work lamp with 13 watt 6500k cfl placed right on lid
substrate:black diamond 'sand'
fertssmocote+ root tabs and maybe once a week iron dosing for sag if I remember.








still have a few floating sag I need to replant once roots re-grow (had some die off) but otherwise happy with this tank, can't wait for the sag to spread all around with runners. My lid is giving me grief with condensation forming then dripping down the side of the tank causing lowered water levels like I had not lid + wet table...need to fix that.


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## Tessa

Well, my big tank looks a bit different now... _*gulp*_ Re-did everything and yes, added a shipwreck decor.

edit: heh, I guess anything with artificial decor is frowned upon here, no matter how many real plants a tank has. Nevermind


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## JovialLich

Aqualibra said:


> 10g
> Eheim 2211
> MGOC with Flourite Black cap
> Aquaticlife T5HO
> (No CO2 or Fert dosing)
> 
> Flora:
> Dwarf Sag
> Crypt Wendtii Green
> Anubias Nana Petite
> Hygrophilia Corymbosa Compact
> Java Moss
> Bacopa Australis
> Ludwigia Repens
> Ludwigia Ovalis
> Ludwigia Narrow Leaf
> Amazon Sword
> Frogbit
> 
> Fauna:
> Cardinal Tetra
> Otocinclus
> Green Nerite Snails


Would love to know what kind of rocks those are in the foreground. The 3 or 4 large greyish/green ones. Thanks!


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## JovialLich

Anyone have ideas on what kind of decorative rock that is in the above tank? Thanks.


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## Tyrone

JovialLich said:


> Anyone have ideas on what kind of decorative rock that is in the above tank? Thanks.




Looks like that stone they call Sieryu stone. I could be wrong though. Hopefully the tank owner will chime in soon. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## kamimahrie

so inspiring about to build my first planted aquarium and really can't do CO2 I was worried I wouldn't be able to achieve the bright greens I want without it but this gives me hope!


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## jay6896

2 year old 36 bow front. Stock Aqueon full spectrum T8 2 hob filters. Water changes and ferts about every 2 weeks. Needs a little work but made it thru a flood, a ride in the back of a truck to my sister's house while we rebuilt our home and then a ride back. Flowering anubias coffeeolia on the front right.


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## Freemananana

Update since a lot of photos disappeared with photobucket. 

72"x24"x18" (LxWxH) 125g acrylic tank with 75g sump.
No ferts, minimal water changes, soil capped in pool sand.
Pent 0.5w 6500K 72" beamswork LED.
Dozen rainbowfish, two dozen congo tetras, dozen cory cats.
Jungle vals, spiral vals, sag, dwarg sag, crypts, java fern.
Manzanita and local sourced boulders.


----------



## Silang

update of my 65gal dirted low tech at 146 days. 

Setup and maintenance: No ferts, no CO2, natural sunlight, minimal (15%) weekly water change, sometimes topup of evaporated water only. 
Stock: 11 Tiger barbs, 1 Epalzeorynchos bicolor(RTBS), 1 gold gourami, 3 Kuhli Loach, 4 boesemani rainbowfish, 4 nerite snails
Plants: Vallisneria, Dwarf Water Lettuce, Ludwigia Repens, Pearlweed, Amazon Sword, Bacopa Monneiri


----------



## antonylex

CL said:


> None of these had co2 or regular water changes or ferts.
> 
> A little cloudy in this pic because I just cleaned the glass. ADA 30C Aquasoil, 27W light 12 inches above tank. No water changes or ferts, only top-offs. Snowball shrimp


This could be the setting for Finding Memo


----------



## stiganas

*My 3 gallon (12l) tank*

My very first post here.

This tank is on my desk going strong for 4 years, no rebuilding in this time. 3 endlers, 2 ancistrus, some RCS and plants. Two bottle of water changed every two weeks, no filtration, heat, just a small airstone.

The light is a small Ikea led bulb that doesn't cover all the tank and in this way keep the plants grouped where is the light, I have to do no pruning. No glass cleaning, algae.

This is an older clip:


----------



## SonnyRay

1 week since I started my 5 gallon tank! Can't wait to see how it grows out!










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MattHunt

I will stop lurking. [emoji2] 

45l originally lit by t8 then I bought a Fluval Aqua sky about 4 months ago. John Innes no3 under JBL Zanzibar black. Occasional ferts. 









Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


----------



## MattHunt

T2 is a 180l again with John Innes and Zanzibar. Led lights, fluval u4 and a power head. Currently running a second internal since I do not trust the U4.










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----------



## Bradleyv1714

MattHunt said:


> T2 is a 180l again with John Innes and Zanzibar. Led lights, fluval u4 and a power head. Currently running a second internal since I do not trust the U4.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


What led lights do you have on this tank? Wondering what the John innes and Zanzibar is?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk


----------



## MattHunt

Hello, the lights are Arcadia classica stretch. 

John Innes no3 is a compost and the '3' is a specific recipe reference. If I remember the No3 mix has little solid organic material in it . It is quite commonly used in the UK for Walstad tanks and in the US I think the equivalent is Miracle Gro. 

Zanzibar black is a very fine, near black when wet, sand from JBL. It has smooth edges so is Cory friendly.

Best

Matt

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


----------



## Bradleyv1714

MattHunt said:


> Hello, the lights are Arcadia classica stretch.
> 
> John Innes no3 is a compost and the '3' is a specific recipe reference. If I remember the No3 mix has little solid organic material in it . It is quite commonly used in the UK for Walstad tanks and in the US I think the equivalent is Miracle Gro.
> 
> Zanzibar black is a very fine, near black when wet, sand from JBL. It has smooth edges so is Cory friendly.
> 
> Best
> 
> Matt
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


Thank guy very much!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk


----------



## DigityDog70

Nice tank. What are the plants with the large (dark green leaves) on the right from about 1-5 o'clock ? Tank looks very nicely balanced, a natural appearance vs. a tight manicured look, but I like it and good for Fish. Probably a challenge to clean though ? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MattHunt

Hi

For my T2 post? The right of the tank is a large anubias at the back by the filter, then down the tank side ( so 1 to 4 o' clock ) mostly crypts with some twisted vals. 5 to 6 o'clock is a huge anubias which need trimming soon. 

The fish ( harlequin rasbora) an SAE, 5 otos, glass cats and some 3 spot Gourami seem to love it although checking I have all my glass cats and otos is a challenge. And Yes, cleaning is a prolonged affair ..

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


----------



## architect

First tank. 10 days old and not grown in.


----------



## Rogozhin75

Looks good!


----------



## Warpiper

Awesome thread and beautiful tanks. I'm following along.


----------



## RAGS AND RICHES

For issues with algae, the tank is currently high tech. But this is what it looked like when it was still low tech.


----------



## druzsba

This is our very minimalistic Fluval Spec V, originally bought and used in 2013/14 and re-started again three weeks ago.

Tank details:
Lights: original stock lights, 10W with 7000K – 8 hours a day
Substrate: Mixture of smaller 1-2 mm and larger 4-5 pebbles
Ferts: EasyLife ProFito and EasyLife Carbo
No heating

Flora:
6 stems of anubias nana petite
12+ dwarf sagittaria
a big handful of java moss split to three smaller batches

Fauna: 
No animals yet, however this is plan:
4-5 white cloud mountain minnows
1 amano shrimp
1 zebra nerite


----------



## Warpiper

Nice. Can't wait to see it take off.


----------



## irie

RAGS AND RICHES said:


> For issues with algae, the tank is currently high tech. But this is what it looked like when it was still low tech.


you achieved this in low tech? beautiful! which plant did you use for the tree?


----------



## MultiTankGuy

Hello TPT...

I have a low tech, low maintenance tank I'd like to show you. So, how would I go about inserting a picture on this forum?

M


----------



## Charrr89

MultiTankGuy said:


> Hello TPT...
> 
> I have a low tech, low maintenance tank I'd like to show you. So, how would I go about inserting a picture on this forum?
> 
> M


Subscribe to like photobucket or some image url website. And post from there


----------



## Charrr89

This forum seems like it’s died down a lot..! 

Anyways. Finally at it again. 

Low tech 40B just set up 2/15 for my discus 

Specs 
Eheim eco 2232 
Aquatic Life 36” Rena fixture we’ll see how this goes. 
ADA Hornwood 
Azoo light soil 
Just sticking with the crypts, anubias and bucephalandra. 

No ferts no co2 I plan to just do water top off like my shrimp tank 

Will eventually start collecting more and more crypts as I go. So far I have Mioya,Lucens and Parva.... as for buce I have green wavy and some anubias petites already attached to older wood


----------



## Tank Stand

architect said:


> First tank. 10 days old and not grown in.


Did the grass fill out?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## laxxrick

Low tech Platy and Tetra

Specs 
24" LED, 6000K Color Temp, 2000 Lumen (removed ballast)
40 gallon Long
Miracle-Gro Organic Potting Mix substrate (tannins in water visible)
Pea Gravel

Hardscape
Driftwood
Locally-collected geodes (not sure if that's exactly correct terminology, people call them brain rocks around here)

Plants
Dwarf Sagitarria
Bacopa Caroliniana
Rotella rotundifolia
Watersprite
Amazon Sword x 2
Subwassertang (attached to driftwood via thread)
Ludwigia Peruensis
FERTILIZER: Tropica Plant Growth Specialised Fertiliser, 14 pumps weekly with 25% water change.

Animals:
Platys x 6 (red wags, blue mickey mouse, comet, sunset) along with assorted fry
Ghost shrimp x ?
Mystery Snail x 4
Common Pleco x 1
Neon Tetra x 9
Pond Snails x ? (rode in on swords :crying

Long time reader, infrequent poster on this forum. Got all my setup information here. Tank cycled beautifully. Cycled fish-in much to the chagrin of the community here (won't be doing that again) but all fish survived with minimal stress (and man frequent water changes). Water is hard, ph about 7.4-7.6. Started dosing fertilizer when I had some issues with some spots on plants that looked more like some sort of trace deficiency than just standard melt as it lasted quite some time. Never going back to plastic plants and artificial structures. Me and the kids love finding geodes and driftwood for our next projects.


----------



## MamaS

This is about add low tech as it gets. This is my tiny office bowl. 

One crypt, some frog bit, a small bit of anacharis. One snail (at the moment, you know how that goes) and one red shrimp. He's going to town on the clean up duties. 

Such a pleasant diversion from spreadsheets...


----------



## tamsin

AquaOne 510 tank (70L/15G) with light swapped to Grobeam 600
TMC Complete dosed per bottle plus tabs
No CO2/Carbon

Plants: mix of anubias, crypt, buce, bolbitis and vallis

Occupants: ember tetra & otocinclus

Substrate: JBL auqabasis (about 5 years old now) capped with gravel


----------



## Wobblebonk

Last night this tank is low tech :/ I would have hooked it up this morning but the power was out all day and the wind was so bad it ripped the siding off my damn house... fun times. Also instead of going to the big fish deal I had to spend all afternoon doing water changes to keep my fry tanks alive


----------



## Tank Stand

Wobblebonk said:


> Last night this tank is low tech :/ I would have hooked it up this morning but the power was out all day and the wind was so bad it ripped the siding off my damn house... fun times. Also instead of going to the big fish deal I had to spend all afternoon doing water changes to keep my fry tanks alive


That's a beautiful tank.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## fskiff

New to planted tanks and looking for low tech ideas. Loving this thread! It's great to see what people have done and have gotten some great ideas.


----------



## Newlinta

Here’s my low tech 90 gallon, a little over 2 months in. I had just trimmed most of the background plants down about 6-8 inches and did a water change before taking the pics.
1st pic with all lights on. 2nd pic with 1/2 the lights on.


----------



## Burrus555

I am so excited to see all these low tech tanks. just the inspiration I'm looking for.


----------



## aryopanji

aryopanji said:


> Nano tank 10g - just finished setting


After failure attempt, this time bravely enough to venture once more.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef

50 Gallon Fluval Osaka:








Another 50 gallon Osaka:








125 gallon built in wall low tech:








Another in-wall 125:


----------



## Desert Pupfish

Blue Ridge Reef said:


> 125 gallon built in wall low tech:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ]


Thanks for sharing these. What kind of sword is that in the 1st 125 tank? Red melon? Osiris?
And are those crypts in front?
And what are the orangish floating plants in the left? Or are those tall stems that reached the top and are floating?

Always looking for colorful plants that will do well in low tech.


----------



## Blue Ridge Reef

Sword is a red melon. Not quite sure what happened because I didn't place it on the mopani wood, it somehow sent a runner there I believe. Crypts are wendtii green, brown, and bronze in order from left to right. The tall stems are rotala. The right side of the tank is a mess because I was trying to catch a really unusual shrimp out and started moving things. Naturally, I never got him and just messed up the scape.


----------



## Mitsute

*My first (planted) tank- dirted 20 g high - 4 weeks in*

20 gallon tall. 
Organic potting soil with fluorite "natural" substrate
Started with aqueon quietflow 10 but converting to an Aquaclear 30 with a pre filter and switched to a stack of sponges.
Beamworks DA FSPEC 24" LED array on a timer. Tank is lit for 9 hours with 4 hour midday siesta (8-12, 4-9)
No ferts
Two week dry start, now 4 weeks in.
After an initial burst of diatoms and green algae (filtering stupidly with activated carbon filter, too long lights, no algae eating fauna, and had to leave town for a few days)... after cleanup and fixing obvious issues, I have been daily dosing Flourish Excel.
Flora: - I took the shotgun approach (plant heavily and see what sticks)
Floating: First tried azolla with some duckweed, now replacing with salvinia and red root floaters
Foreground: Eleocharis acicularis, (HC Cuba- I was stubborn and tried to plant and it failed- now mostly removed), crypt wenditii green, hygrophilia tripartia- (planted after the first diatom burst), 
Midground: (L) Malaysian driftwood and lava rock with microsorum pteropus (windeluv, trident, regular), java moss, anubias nana petit, different varieties of buchelandra, susswassertang, java moss and (R) sagitarria subulate, crypt wenditii (brown, red, green), crypt undulata
Background: Initially: echinodorus martii, moneywort and rotala rotundifola and myriophillum. Moneywort melted and I chickened out and pulled it out. Added hygrophilia corymbosa siamensis and ludwigia repens, Crypt balansae.


Fauna: 4 oto, 3 nerite snails, 4 amano shrimp, and 9 cpd after


----------



## Thelongsnail

About 25 gallons (80cm l x 40cm w x 30cm h).










Flora:
Assorted crypts
Vallis
Assorted anubias
Java & bolbitis fern
2x African dwarf lotus
Buce
Frogbit

Fauna:
14x CPDs
7x Endler
1x Badis
3x Otocinclus
Assorted shrimp
3x Nerite snails


----------



## livebearerlove

I have a lot of tanks- but particularly my low tech fry tanks need CONSTANT trimming (they are very 'lush'). Extremely low tech- they even have crappy filters (one internal itty bitty one and the other a sponge filter. Here is a photo of the two:
Photo one: HC, dwarf hairgrass, fissiden fontantus, christmas moss, anibia, and some air plants on top of the filter.... yes, this needs trimming! lol. I just always put it off because of the design the mosses push up against the glass. oops.
Photo two: Pogostemon, water sprite, riccia, Clinopodium brownei
Both just keep my fry.... and tons of shrimp that keep breeding.


----------



## ursamajor

Here's my little bowl. It's been running for a few weeks with nothing but a CFL and everything is growing like crazy. I used aquasoil and fertilize NPK, magnesium, and micros, with extra potassium since the broad-leafed plants were showing signs of deficiency. The plants are mostly aggressively invasive weeds and include Camboba, Ludwigia, Eleocharis, Anubias, and Lemna species. This bowl has been easy, cheap, and pretty fun, though in the future I would use a slightly larger container since getting my hands in there to trim is pretty tricky.


----------



## Hilde

I amazed that the crypts are growing in the sand. How did you accomplish that? Is that pool filter sand?


----------



## Ken Keating1

I'd call this my no-tech tank. Standard 10 gallon tank and hood from Petco, add Anubias and Java Fern, and give minimum maintenance for six months as it's in my wife's 1st grade classroom. Can't get much easier than that.


----------



## DaveKS

Ken Keating1 said:


> I'd call this my no-tech tank. Standard 10 gallon tank and hood from Petco, add Anubias and Java Fern, and give minimum maintenance for six months as it's in my wife's 1st grade classroom. Can't get much easier than that.


----------



## Lowflyer

Good day, all

My name is Luke. I live in South Africa and this is my lowtech planted 4 foot setup.








I am running a 20 watt 6500k floodlight and am dosing with Seachem Trace, Nitrogen and Iron supplements.

I have also made my own root tabs using capsules and slow release ferts.


----------



## Jrb3368

Hilde said:


> I amazed that the crypts are growing in the sand. How did you accomplish that? Is that pool filter sand?


I dont have any pics at the moment but im using black diamond blasting sand in my 60G and of all the stem plants ive tried the wenditti red crypt is doing the best withonly root tabs


----------



## AquaAurora

Ken Keating1 said:


> I'd call this my no-tech tank. Standard 10 gallon tank and hood from Petco, add Anubias and Java Fern, and give minimum maintenance for six months as it's in my wife's 1st grade classroom. Can't get much easier than that.


Wow that is just stunning anubias!


DaveKS said:


>


yep that sums it up.


----------



## AquaAurora

Don't think I posted this one here
dismantled now but 2.5g vase: leopard vals, anubias petite, anbuias nana, anbuais golden, and anubias marble. black diamond substrate, root tab by the vals, and clf bulb on a timer. super simple.








nana, golden, and marble growing gangbusters (with some other anubias) in a 3g bubble bowl still.


[edit] same 2.5 vase with water sprite and anubias coffeefolia (also dismantled now)









looking at these old photos makes me want to pull it out of storage and plant again x.x[end edit]

[2nd edit]forgot I'd loaned this to a family member for to use... asked them about it a few days ago...turns out they broke it :c [/end 2nd edit]

ps why is this thread still not a sticky?!


----------



## mopani

a few of mine


----------



## knm<><

My latest tanks, a 3 gallon cylinder vase I found in At Home and the Top Fin Engage 5 gallon. Both photos are day one.

Cylinder has java moss, narrow leaf java fern and Buce brownie ghost
Engage has java moss, hydrocotyle tripartita, anubias nana petite and Buce sexy pink. I want more in here, but haven’t decided what I want. 

Neither have fauna yet. Probably going to leave the cylinder that way and do a betta in the engage.


----------



## zetko

My original and reworked low tech tanks


----------



## Ken Keating1

Great looking tank @zetko ! I like the landscaping and plants, great job.


----------



## Darkness

Temporary tank 








New tank under construction


----------



## [email protected]

My 20G tank that's been running for about almost 4mos now.

Lighting: Aqua Zonic Super Bright 60cm Twin 24w T5 HO 
Super Tropical Pink
Super Sun 12,000 Kelvin thats on for 7hrs / day. 

Filter: Aquaone Aquis CF500 canister upto 100liters

Substrate: AF Lava Soil

Heater: Jebo heater 200W

Plants:
*Java ferns
*Anubias
*Ludwiga Repens
*Roseafolia
*Dwarf Sagitaria
*Hygrophelia polysperma
*Sword
*Rotala rotundifolia
*Green tiger lotus

Ferts: (Seachem)
Iron 1x per week
Excel 3x per week
Potassium 1x per week
Flourish every other week
Api tablets (2-3mos)

Had trouble with battling BBA but it's getting better now after dosing excel directly on the affected spot. Slowly increasing my lighting making it to 8hrs after i come back from vacation. I've setup an automatic feeder feeding only ones per day as much as i want every other day i just can't do it with my current feeder. There will be no maintenance for 4weeks while I'm away. Hopefully they'll all be fine. Has anyone tried leaving their planted tanks for 4weeks?
















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----------



## Rainbow bristlenose

My low tech is one week old. Used the water in the canister filter and it’s media plus the bacteria from the prefilter sponge of another aquarium to kick start the conditioning process. Have a heater and Nemolight as well as an external eheim canister filter. Dose with seachem flourish excel and have Osmacoat at the bottom of the soil. My tank is slightly overpopulated but that’s because I’m breeding the mollies to trade for aquarium goods at a local pet shop (he gives me $2 per molly of store credit). Will sell ALL the mollies soon so will be slightly less populated then. I’m having trouble adding my photo. Will add soon...


----------



## kookyxogirl

Beautiful tanks everyone! You all inspire me! 😊


----------



## Lapolice17

@zetko - I like both the original and the re-work. I really like your style of aquascaping. Great tanks!

Bump:


----------



## Lapolice17

My two nano tanks. Fluval 5 gallon and 5 day old fluval 2.6 gallon (soon to be shrimp tank). Temporarily housing my sick Betta...


----------



## TacitBlues

This is my 40g breeder:










I've been growing mostly anubias of various sorts in here for a couple years now. It used to be a lot sparser  With low tech patience is key!


----------



## AquaAurora

TacitBlues said:


> This is my 40g breeder:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've been growing mostly anubias of various sorts in here for a couple years now. It used to be a lot sparser  With low tech patience is key!


So much lovely anubias *drools* I want some!


----------



## Quint

Posted this in my forum. No CO2 so low tech for the most part. Still add ferts and what not. 
40B








10G


----------



## mboley

Just found this thread. Heres my 7 month old 50 gallon low tech w/ Excel Amazonia light tank. Frankly, I can hardly believe how well this tank is doing; no algae whatsoever and much better growth than I expected.























Lighting is two current USA planted pro plus 22" units in this configuration, which allows me to mix higher lights plants on the left and lower light on the right. Right now they're running at 100 % on RGB colors, and 65% on white. 


I do dose the tank with 4 ml Excel daily, 3 ml macros and 2.1 micros with a stock PPSPro
Mix.


----------



## FrankWhite

mboley said:


> Just found this thread. Heres my 7 month old 50 gallon low tech w/ Excel Amazonia light tank. Frankly, I can hardly believe how well this tank is doing; no algae whatsoever and much better growth than I expected.


Looking awesome!


----------



## mertgezer

Ken Keating1 said:


> I'd call this my no-tech tank. Standard 10 gallon tank and hood from Petco, add Anubias and Java Fern, and give minimum maintenance for six months as it's in my wife's 1st grade classroom. Can't get much easier than that.



Super... no algae on anubias... what type of light do you have in this tank

Bump: 12lt / 4 gl bowl


Low maintenance, no CO2, tiny wavemaker, tropica soil, 12w CFL bulb, ikea lamp.


----------



## Boostr

My Low-Tech 20l










Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


----------



## Lowflyer

Hi guys and girls. I am from South Africa and below is a picture of my tank which has been running for 1 year now. I plan to remove the hideous internal sump filter on the left and change over to either and Aquaclear 70 or Seachem Tidal 75.

I am running three LED flood lights; 1 x 20watt and 2 x 10watt all with a K rating of 6500.

I was dosing with Seachem Iron, Trace, Potassium, Nitrogen and Phosphorous. I have now stopped dosing, as I have a hair algae issue (filamentis type).


----------



## 25cube2019

mboley said:


> Just found this thread. Heres my 7 month old 50 gallon low tech w/ Excel Amazonia light tank. Frankly, I can hardly believe how well this tank is doing; no algae whatsoever and much better growth than I expected.
> View attachment 891307
> 
> View attachment 891309
> 
> View attachment 891313
> 
> 
> 
> Lighting is two current USA planted pro plus 22" units in this configuration, which allows me to mix higher lights plants on the left and lower light on the right. Right now they're running at 100 % on RGB colors, and 65% on white.
> 
> 
> I do dose the tank with 4 ml Excel daily, 3 ml macros and 2.1 micros with a stock PPSPro
> Mix.


Great looking tank. Do you do weekly water change and tap or ro water?

Bump:


Quint said:


> Posted this in my forum. No CO2 so low tech for the most part. Still add ferts and what not.
> 40B
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 10G


What light are you running on the 40B and what maintainance schedule like?


----------



## Quint

25cube2019 said:


> Bump: What light are you running on the 40B and what maintainance schedule like?



Fluval 3.0, weekly 50% water changes, thriveC twice a week, little extra potassium and phosphates once a week, root tabs once a month or so only a few, GH buffer to bring GH up to about 6. 



That about sums it up.


----------



## Hilde

Quint said:


> Fluval 3.0, weekly 50% water changes, thriveC twice a week, little extra potassium and phosphates once a week, root tabs once a month or so only a few, GH buffer to bring GH up to about 6.


Interesting! I have to much phosphates in my water. 

Which Gh buffer are you using? Had read that chemicals to adjust parameters can cause Ph swings. Thus many use coral in the filter. No experience with that?


----------



## mboley

25cube2019 said:


> mboley said:
> 
> 
> 
> Just found this thread. Heres my 7 month old 50 gallon low tech w/ Excel Amazonia light tank. Frankly, I can hardly believe how well this tank is doing; no algae whatsoever and much better growth than I expected.
> View attachment 891307
> 
> View attachment 891309
> 
> View attachment 891313
> 
> 
> 
> Lighting is two current USA planted pro plus 22" units in this configuration, which allows me to mix higher lights plants on the left and lower light on the right. Right now they're running at 100 % on RGB colors, and 65% on white.
> 
> 
> I do dose the tank with 4 ml Excel daily, 3 ml macros and 2.1 micros with a stock PPSPro
> Mix.
> 
> 
> 
> Great looking tank. Do you do weekly water change and tap or ro water?
Click to expand...

I do a weekly 25% water change with tap water but my make up water for evaporation is RO.


----------



## Discusluv

mboley said:


> Just found this thread. Heres my 7 month old 50 gallon low tech w/ Excel Amazonia light tank. Frankly, I can hardly believe how well this tank is doing; no algae whatsoever and much better growth than I expected.
> View attachment 891307
> 
> View attachment 891309
> 
> View attachment 891313
> 
> 
> 
> Lighting is two current USA planted pro plus 22" units in this configuration, which allows me to mix higher lights plants on the left and lower light on the right. Right now they're running at 100 % on RGB colors, and 65% on white.
> 
> 
> I do dose the tank with 4 ml Excel daily, 3 ml macros and 2.1 micros with a stock PPSPro
> Mix.


This tank is amazing. Those plants are going for it! Do you have an updated pic?


----------



## mboley

Discusluv said:


> mboley said:
> 
> 
> 
> Just found this thread. Heres my 7 month old 50 gallon low tech w/ Excel Amazonia light tank. Frankly, I can hardly believe how well this tank is doing; no algae whatsoever and much better growth than I expected.
> View attachment 891307
> 
> View attachment 891309
> 
> View attachment 891313
> 
> 
> 
> Lighting is two current USA planted pro plus 22" units in this configuration, which allows me to mix higher lights plants on the left and lower light on the right. Right now they're running at 100 % on RGB colors, and 65% on white.
> 
> 
> I do dose the tank with 4 ml Excel daily, 3 ml macros and 2.1 micros with a stock PPSPro
> Mix.
> 
> 
> 
> This tank is amazing. Those plants are going for it! Do you have an updated pic?
Click to expand...

Thanks, I can hardly believe it myself. Its really not slow growing either. Im guessing, but I assume the combo of ADA substrate and Excel along with daily dosing has something to do with it.

Here's a pic I just took. Made some changes, mainly the big Buce log added on the right, which I moved from my high tech tank. Moved some Anubis to the left front and back. Also trying to train the Willow moss tree to drape more,hence the zip ties around it.


----------



## Discusluv

mboley said:


> Thanks, I can hardly believe it myself. Its really not slow growing either. Im guessing, but I assume the combo of ADA substrate and Excel along with daily dosing has something to do with it.
> 
> Here's a pic I just took. Made some changes, mainly the big Buce log added on the right, which I moved from my high tech tank. Moved some Anubis to the left front and back. Also trying to train the Willow moss tree to drape more,hence the zip ties around it.


You are my low-tech hero-- that is as gorgeous as any Co2 tank!


----------



## Quint

Hilde said:


> Interesting! I have to much phosphates in my water.
> 
> Which Gh buffer are you using? Had read that chemicals to adjust parameters can cause Ph swings. Thus many use coral in the filter. No experience with that?



Pretty much salts so I guess you could call them chemicals. It works for my situation. KH is at I think I said 5 or so which helps hold PH to a stable parameter. PH can swing anyways regardless of what you do. Problem with coral is you need a low PH for it to do its job. My PH once degassed is at 8.0 or more so its not gonna do much with the coral besides grow bacteria from my understanding. I put some of that bird chew stuff in once in a while but that literally takes 6-10months for a small piece to dissolve. A GH booster works in a day or two, pre mix my water, hard to go wrong with that IMHO.


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## chrisg

Hi everyone, first post here on the forums. I'm new to the hobby and 3 months in on a 20g community betta tank so I thought I'd share its progress so far - still learning and making mistakes, but these forums have helped a lot since starting and I hope I can contribute back to the community as I learn more. Very open to any feedback/suggestions.

Livestock:
1 Betta
8 Glowlight tetras
2 Otos
6 RCS
2 Ghost shrimp
2 Amanos
2 Assassin snails
??? Bladder snails

Plants:
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Rotala wallichii
Hydrocotyle tripartita
Red ludwigia
Salvinia Minima
Hornwort
Amazon Sword
Anubias
Aponogetons
Java Fern
Microsword (has not grown much)
Anacharis (melted - tank may have been too hot)
Giant hairgrass (got rid of it, didn't really like the look)

Tank: 20g Topfin kit
Eco-complete
Flourish root tabs
Aluminum foil on lid undercarraige to boost the cheap lighting
12-hour photo period
25% water change 2x a week


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## Capsaicin_MFK

No tech, except for the light which is just a daylight bulb in a desk lamp.


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## Doc7

Tank is 12 days old. No Bio media in filter which is a first for me! Fish - ember and cardinal tetras, Corydoras, and amano shrimp have been in 5 days and all numbers are 0/0/5-10. 

I have done 4-5 50% water changes and plan to do them twice a week for a couple more weeks then probably weekly until tank is 3 months old and consider slowing down.

So far I have not seen any new stuff to scrape off glass. My low tech/DIY CO2 tank I was scraping all the time so this has been nice.











I did buy 3 Nerites and have since accidentally stepped on two of them. I guess I might need a lid, which I’ve never had, to keep them. Not really a fan of that although I read amazing things about nerite snails.


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## Quint

@Doc7 the algae wont come till later. Expect to go thru a few spells of different types as the tank ages. Once everything gets settled in its nice though. Nerites do ok but they cant get on plants unless they are very sturdy but are nice to have. Otos are much better at cleaning certain algaes and I personally really like them but wait till your tank is more settled and mature before adding any if you do. Tank looks real nice.


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## roshannatasha2188

Really neat set up


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## Doc7

Update


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## Sam the Slayer

Doc7 said:


> Update



Looks nice 


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## chrisg

@Doc7 Looks good! That's a lot of new growth in 2 weeks.

I may need to find a new place to post updates, added Co2 to the tank last week.  Also got rid of the fake rock and replaced it with some new plants, I was trying to make a more low light environment for the fish and had a little bit of a die off as plants adjusted after adding floaters, but they seem to have adapted pretty well overall.


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## Jacaranda

The "aquarium wall" in my bedroom. 



The 20gal long has been running for about 8 years and is probably the most low maintenance of the three. That might change since I recently switched the old fluorescent fixture for a cheap LED one, but... we'll see, haha.


The weirdly-shaped 2.5 (upper left) and the 5.5 (lower left) were set up a few months ago and I'm still trying to work out the lighting/maintenance schedule on them. Currently battling gha on the christmas moss in both, ugh. The c. mioya looked pretty sad when it came in, but really took off once it got settled. The s. repens also filled in nicely; I HATE constantly replanting trimmings until their roots come in, but the payoff has been worth it. Still trying to figure out what to do with the space in the back left of the tank.


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## StankTank

2 months going strong! It’s dirted and I dose excel but not sure I actually see a difference in plants growth from before I started dosing. Having to be patient with the DHG but it is spreading.


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## Bomanz

My first tank since I was a kid! It's less than a month old and looking fabulous


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## knm<><

A week old, most everything in this came out of my 75gal I'll be retiring soon. 

To the left, that's Paisley 😁
To the right is a UNS 60s pond style in the hard scape stage. Waiting on cooler weather to order plants.


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## Sean09

9.6 gallon shrimp tank, only piece of equipment is a light!


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## Lammergeier

I just spent the last few days browsing this thread for inspiration. Everyone has such great looking tanks!

I guess I'll share my 10 gallon poorly scaped tank even though I think it looks like a mess right now. I've got java ferns, amazon swords, anubias, buce, and a couple unknowns (maybe crypts) from a big box pet store. Two cories, one three spot gourami, and a mystery snail call the tank home. Within the next couple of weeks, I should be changing out the Flourite substrate for some sand. Hopefully, by then I'll have come up with some better scaping ideas.


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## Bunsen Honeydew

I guess my setup is beginning to border on lush.









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## sudhirr

Bunsen Honeydew said:


> I guess my setup is beginning to border on lush.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk



Amazing. 


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## Bunsen Honeydew

sudhirr said:


> Amazing.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk


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## jlscho03

These are all beautiful tanks. @Doc7, I can't believe there was so much growth so quick!


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## Lammergeier

Just wanted to post a little update from my last. I replaced the fluorite with sand a few months ago and I'm loving it! Added some more bucephelandra, anubias, and anacharis/egeria along with three nerite snails. Most of the plants are doing spectacularly well, including the crypts that I had almost given up on. The java fern has suffered quite a bit and has died back to almost nothing, although I haven't given up hope on it yet. I've been fertilizing the tank using the seachem dosing chart on a somewhat haphazard basis (ie, when I remember). I'm sure there is still room for improvement, but I think the tank looks loads better from its last iteration.


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## fastfreddie

Beautiful!


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## ererer

*Setup:* 55g Aqueon AGA

*Stocking:*
8 Paracheirodon axelrodi
2 Corydoras trilineatus
6 Corydoras sterbai
5 Apistogramma hongsloi
4 Corydoras paleatus "Longfin"
1 unidentified Corydoras sp. (could be C. similis?)
100+ Neocaridina davidi

*Plants:*
Echinodorus osiris
Echinodorus cordifolius
Echinodorus vesuvius
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus 'Barthii'
Microsorum pteropus
Sagittaria subulata
Vallisneria spiralis
Lobelia cardinalis
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Cryptocoryne walkeri
Fissidens fontanus
Bucephalandra

*Equipment:* PennPlax Cascade 1000 canister filter
Finnex 300w titanium heater w/ Inkbird temp controller

*Lighting:* Fluval 3.0
*
Substrate:* Pool filter sand + safe-t-sorb

*Ferts:* Osmocote Plus, with occasional dosing for trace using NiloCG Aquatics Selects Salts
*
What I've learned:*
I bought the equipment to run a custom co2 setup, but realized that the tank was doing well without it, so I haven't added it yet. I do deal with hair algae in the phoenix moss on one of the branches right under the light that I have to remove manually about twice a month. The Fissidens is about the only plant that doesn't do well in my tank, and would probably do better with co2. However, most of my plants seem to grow really tall, which I imagine is due to the lack of co2, and the lower light intensity I run to keep algae low. All-in-all, I'm quite pleased, as it's a pretty low maintenance tank, though I am experimenting with making it a blackwater tank now. I'll post the results here in a few months.


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## Andy22

17 gallons with gravel as substrate and some sand in the foreground.

Plants:
Anubias nana petite
Pearl weed
Ludwigia super red
Java fern
Rotala rotundifolia
Hydrocotyle tripartita
Some type of anubias I have not identified
Red root floater
A lot of duckweed (I propagate it to feed my koi)

Filtration is Aqueon HOB

Lighting is finnex ray 2 DS about 8hrs on

Ferts Nilocg thrive+ 1-2 ml/week


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## chrisg

Update on my tank from here - it turned into a cautionary tale of what happens when you let floating plants take over and block too much light, so I thought I'd show the decline in case it helps someone else.

It started out as Salvinia Minima, but a little duckweed came with it and it didn't take long for it to become all duckweed. I'd remove about 75% of it with each water change which was not enough, should have pulled it all sooner but I was paying more attention to a new tank and let this one go on autopilot for too long. This is over about 6 months:






























So, it was time to clean it out and start over:


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## greenguppy

Very nice tanks what fertilizer do you use @chrisg


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## Bon MotMot

All my tanks are low tech. I don't think I could keep up with CO2. I can't grow everything but what does grow goes crazy.









Betta Nano 5 gal at 1 year








Other Betta Nano 7 gal at 5 months. This was the peak; the emergent stuff took over and I lost the diversity of the lower level plants. Had to start over but it is fun to watch the changes.









Loach tank 20g long at 4 months. Need to get better photos.








Livebearer tank 29g at 2 months.








Big tank 75g at 2 months after a 1.5 month dry start. Before the ludwigia took over.








75g at one year; has had one big trim


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## Plinkploop

40B first low tech tank in ages. I'm soooooo out of the loop. Trying to get my situation under control. This tank has been in use for a decade. It started it's existence as an apisto breeder, turned into a plant propagation tank and then was stripped of everything it was besides filters, heater and a couple pieces bogwood and driftwood.
Set up-
2 fluval internal filters (floss and sponge only)
1 large sponge filter
Aqueon (?) dual ballast 1 TropicSun T8, 1 unknown brand 6500K T8 (waiting on my finnex)

Substrate
1 inch laterite/ plant substrate (can't remember the name of it)
2 inches gravel

Plants
Narrow leaf java
unknown crypts
Java moss
Aponongoton
Various dwarf anubias
Four leaf clover
Random sword

Stock
10 rummynose
8 cardinals
8 oto
6 spotted cories
An unfortunate amount of pesky guppies, currently being removed daily (thanks hubby)

Maintenance
Daily- 2.5-5 gallon changes, 3/4 dose API CO2 boost
2-3X per week- npk dose
Weekly- 10 gallon (25%) water change
Monthly filter rinses
3 month plant maintenance

Having some issues with algae so lights cut back from 8 hours to 6 hours and 25% water changes upped from once a month to weekly. Missing my high tech set up but hoping to find some fun in getting back to basics and relearning how to balance things without tech. All suggestions and any words of advice are welcome


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## SophieBee

6 months of growth 😁
10 gallon low tech
Only inhabitants so far are a handful of otocinclus and a nerite snail (had two but one disappeared 🤷‍♀️)


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## phongg

Here are my two tanks which I've had for about 3 years now: UNS 45P on the left and 20 gallon long on the right. However I've recently added CO2 to the 20 gallon (which is growing much faster now), but these are all older photos prior to that.

For me, I found for non CO2 tanks, growth didn't really take off until I started dosing ferts and increasing the lights beyond 8 hours (by dimming the light, using floating plants, or both to keep algae at bay). Substrate and light choice doesn't even seem to matter as I'm using eco complete that everyone complains about and it grows fine.










*Plant List:*

Anubias Nana Petite
Anubias Nana
Dwarf Sag
S. Repens
Trident Java Fern / Regular Java Fern
Rotala Rotundifolia
Java Moss
Crypt Undulata
Salvinia Minimas (floating)
Dwarf Water Lettuce (floating)

*Hardscape:*

Dragon Stone
Malaysian Driftwood
Spider Wood
Pacific Driftwood

*Substrate:*

Eco Complete
ADA La Plata Sand (decorative)
*Lighting:*

Nicrew Deluxe (dimmed to about 30%)
Finnex Stingray (now swapped to Nicrew SkyLED Plus)
11 hours a day
*Filter:*

Fluval 206 Cannister for 20 gallon
Aquaclear 50 HOB for 9 gallon

*Dosing 1x a week:*

KH2PO4 (1/32 tsp both tanks)
K2S04 (1/16 tsp for 20 gallon, 1/32 for tsp 9 gallon)
Plantex CSM+B (1/16 tsp for 20 gallon, 1/32 for tsp 9 gallon)
Water Change: 30% every 2 weeks
I have KNO3 also, but don't use it as I like to keep the nitrates around 5-10ppm which it usually stays at without it.

My 20 Gallon Long FTS









UNS 45P FTS: This one was cheaper as I used trimmings from the 20 gallon to scape. I moved my neon tetras over to other tank also, so now its just a betta tank.


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## SDrouillard

SophieBee said:


> 6 months of growth 😁
> 10 gallon low tech
> Only inhabitants so far are a handful of otocinclus and a nerite snail (had two but one disappeared 🤷‍♀️)
> View attachment 1026601
> View attachment 1026602


I have that lovely little bridge in my 29 Gallon aquarium too. It is really cute. Your aquarium is lovely.


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## Tessa

Well, I'm not sure how "lush" I would call this but it's definitely low tech. 66 gallons, internal filter, no heater, low light. Only plants are varieties of anubias and java fern; these just get a few squirts of potassium and magnesium after weekly water change. Livestock is a handful of small rasboras, one really old otto, a single nerite, a herd of small brown ramshorn snails and 30+ panda cories - I honestly lost count.
Part of the setup. It's darker and greener in real life but my old phone camera is somewhat... lacking in quality. Apologies.


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## Kogre

Hi all,

I bought a large tank back in 2013 but was unable to plant/stock it due to the possibility of us moving. We ended up moving in August 2019...

A few projects later I managed to free up some finances to be able to start work on my tank. It is 68" long, 24" wide and 30" deep. Silly dimensions, right? I had to order the tank to fit in the space I had at the time where it sat gathering dust for a few years.










There are two types of anubias in here, two types of hygrophila, two types of echinodorus, two types of bucephalandra, quite a few spots of different cryptocoryne with the most densely planted one being the petchii variety. There's about 15 portions of narrow leaf java fern, some moss, sag, ludwigia s red (still growing in, quite short at the moment), water sprite, some amazon frogbit, another floater similar to frogbit I don't recognise but with smaller leaves and more "bushy" roots, water sprite is floating and s repens. Only the s repens has struggled since being planted (April 1st), everything else has been steadily pacing towards new growth with new leaves coming through on the anubias especially. The moss, sag and swords have started to explode in growth. I've not trimmed any moss yet but it looks like I really need to. I'm going to leave it for a while and see what happens.

The stock of livestock has changed since this picture was taken. Here is what I have in there.

~ 60 Amano shrimp
6 Otocinclus
~ 30 Rummy Nose Tetra
30 Rosy Tetra
10 Apistogramma Cacatuoides (2 orange flash males, 3 double red males and five females)

There has already been two broods of fry from different mothers since introducing the Apistogramma to the tank. They're currently growing/being picked off and being fed BBS every day or two. I may be overstocked on males. I think two or three would do it; five seems excessive now and I'm basing that on the regular aggression displayed between them.

A lot of pots went into planting this; it took over two days to complete. Let me know if anyone wants to know the fill plant list and I'll post it up.


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## Chucker

@LidijaPN I think you may have some reading to do here...


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## LidijaPN

Chucker said:


> @LidijaPN I think you may have some reading to do here...


Omg yes indeed!!!!


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## Asteroid

It's mostly good plant selection that succeeds in low-tech long-term. You can't expect all plants to work since they do have light and co2 requirements. it's not like you could put any high-light plant in a low-tech tank and think it will just grow "slowly" in low light. That's why it's a limited option, limited doesn't have to be bad it's just limited to what you can grow well.


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## LidijaPN

Asteroid said:


> It's mostly good plant selection that succeeds in low-tech long-term. You can't expect all plants to work since they do have light and co2 requirements. it's not like you could put any high-light plant in a low-tech tank and think it will just grow "slowly" in low light. That's why it's a limited option, limited doesn't have to be bad it's just limited to what you can grow well.


There’s my Jiminy Cricket ♥

Did you see the Ammania Nessea in a cup in @sudiorca’s thread? Does yours look like that? ⭐

I mean, we agree about the limitations, we always have. We just don’t agree about where they are, exactly.


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## Asteroid

LidijaPN said:


> There’s my Jiminy Cricket ♥
> 
> Did you see the Ammania Nessea in a cup in @sudiorca’s thread? Does yours look like that? ⭐
> 
> I mean, we agree about the limitations, we always have. We just don’t agree about where they are, exactly.


Putting something in a cup and experimenting (all respect to Sudiorca) is a far cry from having a tank with a bunch of different plants, fish and critters and finding a good balance of things that work. Come on, really?

All I said was plant selection is key with low tech, Most will agree with that. Look at the plant list on a Walstad tank.


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## LidijaPN

Asteroid said:


> Putting something in a cup and experimenting (all respect to Sudiorca) is a far cry from having a tank with a bunch of different plants, fish and critters and finding a good balance of things that work. Come on, really?
> 
> All I said was plant selection is key with low tech, Most will agree with that. Look at the plant list on a Walstad tank.


I do agree that plant selection is key, for sure. But I think maybe the list usually used for Walstad/low tech tanks is maybe shorter than it has to be. 

We’ll see I guess! If I’m wrong all my experiments will fail and you can do the ‘I told you so’ dance


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