# Ex Tomato Dirt Tank



## Luminescent (Sep 13, 2013)

Low Tech Dirt Tank

So I am looking at this 5 Gallon bucket of half MGO Soil and half cheap topsoil that my totally played out tomato plant is sitting in. The only thing I ever put on the tomato plant was beer. And I have a 29 bowfront I am doing nothing with. And I just read Diana Walstads book about 2 weeks ago.

So I'm game. 

Rinsed the dirt - got some of our iron sand from the river and some river rocks and in it all went.

For a couple of days I emptied and refilled it 2 times. Then yesterday we went on an expedition to the river and brought back some Eleocharis and what-not that grows down there. Planted it out yesterday, added a few trimmings from the 40 gallon and filled it up. Popped a little HOB on the back.

Question- what is the little plant dead center on the bottom toward the front?










My lfs is so bad I actually had to order some dark, small substrate to cap with and it is late getting here. So I will do this like we used to grow potatoes in the old days.. add a thin layer, let the plants get taller, add another thin layer, etc until I have an inch or so of cap. This ought to be interesting.

Edit: 

Flora is pretty much in place:

Have: 
Wild/Collected: grassy Eleocharis and something that looks like Liliaopsis Caroliniana but isn't and wild Ludwigia.
Amazon 'Rubin'
Amazon Echinodorus parviflorus 'Tropica'
Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'
Echinodorus angustifolia 'Vesuvius'
Cryptocoryne wendtii 
Mosses / Fissidens / etc for wood.

Want:

6-8 Anubias Nana to climb along and up the larger driftwood piece.
Maybe a couple of Java Fern to pop on the rocks- other driftwood.


Fauna: (Cooler water tank 76f)

Madagascar Rainbow school -7-8

Cherry Barbs - 7-8

Some kind of Goby (Peacock?)

A Farlowella

Maybe a few red shrimp.


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## HSA1255 (Apr 2, 2013)

I like the tomato/beer tank and although I can not help to answer your question on the plant ID I wanted to comment and let you know I'm interested to see how it goes. 

On your other tank; My kids would go crazy over that amazing scene. I love that you did that for your kids with the Sleeping Beauty's Castle tank. I guess I expected disney characters strewn about but I was wrong, you tastefully made a scene that would delight any adult or child. I am so impressed with the scale of everything and the way the plants, substrate and even fish supported the theme of the tank. Truly incredible tank! I think you are a cool mom for doing it. I am inspired to create an aquarium that will capture the imagination of my little ones and will definitely consider trying my hand at it in the future.


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## Luminescent (Sep 13, 2013)

Thank you. I am glad you are inspired! The castle tanks journal is here if you are interested. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=438937


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## frenchie1001 (Jun 23, 2013)

i like the rock and wood lay out.!


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## Seedreemer (Sep 28, 2008)

I can't help with plant ID but I'm interested in what it is. It's very pretty. Pretty tank too, I love the natural look.


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

You are good at this. 

Maybe it is Lilaeopsis carolinensis ? Where are you?


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## lochaber (Jan 23, 2012)

Well done with the scaping, it looks nice, natural, and like it has sufficient hiding places, etc.


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## Luminescent (Sep 13, 2013)

BruceF said:


> You are good at this.
> 
> Maybe it is Lilaeopsis carolinensis ? Where are you?


Sierras. That's about exactly what it looks like- but totally wrong end of the country. I'll check different lil species in this area.


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## Luminescent (Sep 13, 2013)

Update- 11 days.

Full Album here: http://imgur.com/a/wwc9i

Past couple of days: Capped with black sand. Filled in with some trimmings from 40, 3 Anubias Nana and the 5 White Clouds. 

I should have brushed the plants off, but here it is.










Going for the SE Asian tropical river look - but not an exacting biotope as I want to be free to play with diff plants/fish.










Eleocharis from the river -




























Added Tanychthys last night- caught them way back in the corner doing this by morning. Got these guys as small unknown fry from a feeder tank at the local lfs a year ago- 15 of them for cycling a 29. They all lived, sold 10 back to the lfs a month ago.


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## Shangrila (Oct 13, 2012)

This is really beautiful. You have amazing talent! I wish I had a brain and eye that worked like that. Its so natural looking.


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## Luminescent (Sep 13, 2013)

Thank you so much - I am aiming for very natural. One of these days I may do an extremely controlled, scaped till it screams, 'Amano' style tank but not yet.


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## Luminescent (Sep 13, 2013)

Update: About a month. Everything is moving along well. Following Walstads prescribed practices. Using Excel and Trace + a mineral / vitamin supplement I mixed.

Album: http://imgur.com/a/wwc9i


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## thelub (Jan 4, 2013)

WOw tank looks fantastic. Love the tomato dirt. 

I just checked out the castle tank too. To be honest I glanced by the "Ornamentaria" thread and I  because I didn't actually see your scape. That is a beautiful setup. I applaud your talets. I'm pretty sure that is the first scape I've seen that uses castles and it actually looks good.


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## Meganne (Sep 3, 2012)

this is just wonderful! looks like a corner of nature, I applaud you!! and so different from the castle tank you did! I recall when you started that one, I liked your ideas but have not check in on it in a long while but remember thinking you just might pull it off....goin to take a look now!


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## Luminescent (Sep 13, 2013)

thelub said:


> WOw tank looks fantastic. Love the tomato dirt.
> 
> I just checked out the castle tank too. To be honest I glanced by the "Ornamentaria" thread and I  because I didn't actually see your scape. That is a beautiful setup. I applaud your talets. I'm pretty sure that is the first scape I've seen that uses castles and it actually looks good.


Oh it's on there- toward the bottom of the first page- and there is a link to the album on my starter post.. I just wanted folks to get in there and post their treasures instead of filling it up with mine.

So where is your scenescape


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## thelub (Jan 4, 2013)

I've always wanted to do a hobbitville scape


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