# Less than 1WPG



## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

G'day from Downunder,

I thought I would share this tank with you seeing how you have a "Low Tech" section. This tank started off as being my spare tank where I would keep my older large fish and a few plants that I didn't want in my display tanks but didn't want to part with either. 
The tank is 120cm (4') x 37cm x 53cm that holds 200 litres. I think that converts to 45 UK Gallons or 55 US Gallons. (not a big fan of inches and gallons). It has a single T8 36W bulb over it and plain gravel. I think that works out to be 0.81 Watts per UK Gallon or 0.67 Watts per US Gallon. What ever it is I think it is certainly low light. Here's a picture of when I first started it up.









After a short while I started to notice how well the plants did in this tank even with the very low light levels. Eventually I donated the fish to my LFS and decided to clean it up a bit and try some more plants. Root feeding plants have been put in pots and seem to be doing well. Here are some current pictures, the tank has been like this for a few months and things seem to be thriving;

































Some of my Favourite plants in here now are;
1. An Australian native Apontogen Tofus








2. Hygro Polysperma .. an old faithfull which I think grows best in low light








3. Mosses, Peacock & Flame








4. An Australian Native Fissidens, Berteroli









Even with this very low light level it seems to be going really well, it has become my favourite tank.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Beautiful tank. Maybe it'll hit home that you don't need high-light/high-tech to have a great tank setup.


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Your tank looks great. I'm a great proponent of root tabs. I used them for years with low light and inert gravel.


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## hungtran10 (Jul 5, 2008)

Awesome tank. Do you use any co2 injection or carbon supplementation?

- Hung


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## SpeedEuphoria (Aug 5, 2008)

epicfish said:


> Beautiful tank. Maybe it'll hit home that you don't need high-light/high-tech to have a great tank setup.


I agree, good luck tellin that to the 4wpg T5 people, lol

Nice lookin tank FarCanal!!


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## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

epicfish said:


> Beautiful tank. Maybe it'll hit home that you don't need high-light/high-tech to have a great tank setup.


Yeah that's a bit of a hard learned lesson for me. This tank is my favorite now and looks better than some of my higher light tanks! Not to mention being a squillion times easier to maintain.



Tex Gal said:


> Your tank looks great. I'm a great proponent of root tabs. I used them for years with low light and inert gravel.


The pots started out as a bit of "Substrate Experimentation". Trying a few little experiments to see what worked best. All the ferns and mosses are tied to small little pieces of wood so I can remove them and gravel clean the substrate. This is my only tank that I still use a gravel cleaner on and it's actually good. Helps keep this tank spotless. I've also assumed the gravel maybe to thin and the pebble size to large for effective root tabs. I'm a fan of root tabs and use them in other tanks. 



hungtran10 said:


> Awesome tank. Do you use any co2 injection or carbon supplementation?
> 
> - Hung


Yes I use one of those Red Sea DIY kits recommended for 60L (small) tanks which does about 1 bubble every 3 seconds. The only think is I now use a inline diffuser as it's more shrimp friendly. I did this tank without CO2 for quite a while but find it much easier for algae control with CO2. Haven't had to clean the glass in months.



SpeedEuphoria said:


> I agree, good luck tellin that to the 4wpg T5 people, lol
> 
> Nice lookin tank FarCanal!!


Cheers Mate, looks like I've finally found some like minded people here. I'm a member of a few forums and get sick to death of hearing "My plants don't grow do I need more light?" .. drives me up the wall! I used to have the nickname of the Gremlin that hated Bright lights when in School .... must be rubbing off on my tanks as well. You're flogging a dead horse when telling some people that low light is easier to grow plants.

Gee I hope you guys don't mind the use of Aussie Slang?


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## Kolkri (Dec 9, 2006)

Aww you had my attention till you said you do CO2. lol Still a great looking tank.


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## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

Kolkri said:


> Aww you had my attention till you said you do CO2. lol Still a great looking tank.


Like I said, I've done it without CO2 but it's better with. Less Algae, more plant growth. I wouldn't have thought that a bit of sugar, yeast and water would make it "not low tech"??

Once I saw the difference even a small amount of CO2 makes I was not about to stop using it. You've got me wondering why anyone who is into aquatic plants would not use CO2?

Actually I should post the first tank I did, it was without CO2 but the light level was fractionally higher than 1 WPG (1.1WPG). It was a Java Fern only tank, no ferts, plain gravel, here's a pic of that one;








That tank wasn't as low maintenance as this current one. Had to clean the glass regularly ... I hate that these days.


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## redfalconf35 (Feb 24, 2008)

Your tank looks tons better than mine when it was at .67wpg(US)! It goes to show that with proper planning, you can make a great tank with most any equipment.


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## Crystalview (Aug 10, 2007)

In pic 4.("An Australian Native Fissidens, Berteroli"). I don't recognize the fissiden, Do you have other pictures of it? I love fissiden and am always on the look out for more. What is it's growing habit? Want to sell some?


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Love the Bolbitis, so nice and compact. Mine tends to grow huge.

Low light and CO2 is a good combination, this tank shows it.


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## dr.tran (Oct 8, 2007)

How just how? I'm gonna watch this thread closely


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## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

Crystalview said:


> In pic 4.("An Australian Native Fissidens, Berteroli"). I don't recognize the fissiden, Do you have other pictures of it? I love fissiden and am always on the look out for more. What is it's growing habit? Want to sell some?


Crystalview - It is a very interesting plant indeed, one that seems to have been lost to the hobby and only recently rediscovered. I just checked for the proper spelling and it's *FISSIDENS BERTERO1 *Here's a link to the Australian Forum where it's rediscovery unfolded.
http://aquariumlife.com.au/showthread.php?t=5524
You will need to register to read it but it will be worth it to read that alone. My name on that Forum is BrianS. And if you want, someone else has just recently discovered something that looks very similar, it could be the same plant. Here's that thread
http://aquariumlife.com.au/showthread.php?t=8670
As for selling, it's being distrubuted amongst members on that site but I don't think anyone is selling it commercially. You may want to float a thread there to see if anyone can export some. I'm not sure what's involved with exporting plants.



Wasserpest said:


> Love the Bolbitis, so nice and compact. Mine tends to grow huge.
> 
> Low light and CO2 is a good combination, this tank shows it.


I've been keeping Bolbitis for around 6 years now. For me it had always stayed quite small and just seemed to grow thicker. Since I've upgrade my filters and put this plant in higher current it has started growing bigger fronds. It's very thick in there and a bit of a surprise just how regularly I have to thin it out considering the light.



dr.tran said:


> How just how? I'm gonna watch this thread closely


I'm surprised, in a very pleasant way, just how well the plants are growing in this tank. I never initially had any intention on having it as a scape but patience has paid off. I'm looking at my other tanks now and wondering if I'm doing them all wrong. It's my favourite tank now and I don't want to change anything for fear of disturbing it.

I've recently added another small Val species to see how it will go, it was collected here in Australia and maybe Val Gracilis (sp?). I would love it to be a good low light ground cover, time will tell.


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## Crystalview (Aug 10, 2007)

I googled your Fissidens and they are on the endangered list for NZ not sure if they are endangered in AUS. I did find a list of fissidens that I knew nothing about. Not all are submerged varieties.

http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/browse_taxa.php?selected_taxon=79833

In the pic they showed they say that Fissidens Strictus is very similar 










I will now go and read Aquariumlife to see what is says


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## seAdams (Jun 2, 2008)

Wow. Very very nice. When I had 1wpg, all I could maintain was Java Moss. CO2 seems to be the answer!

In the second pic down, what is that very fern-y looking plant filling in the right side of the tank?


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## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

I wouldn't say that CO2 was the answer because all the ferns were in this tank prior and would grow OK. CO2 has helped with growth rate, algae control and just helps get that "more lush" look.

The right hand side of the tank is filled with Bolbitis Heudelotii but that's the first and 4th pic. Is that what you mean? The very dark green plant that is the entire RHS.


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Yay! Finally someone else getting good growth with less than 1wpg! 2 of my 3 tanks are under 1wpg and growing wonderfully! Very low tech.....i've been tossing around the idea of DIY CO2.....your gorgeous tank may be my inspiration to try it! Though stuff grows so well i'm already pruning a lot so we'll see :hihi: 

Anyway, your tank is beautiful! What (if any) kinds of fish are in there now?


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## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

Karackle said:


> Anyway, your tank is beautiful! What (if any) kinds of fish are in there now?


G'day Karackle,

Current this tank is stocked with 30 Ember tetra's and 2 species of Native Australian Shrimp. I put 30 of each shrimp (Chamelion & Red Nose) in and they seem to breeding pretty well. I've also got a lot of snails, I put 5 Waterhouse snails in and the others are hitchhikers.

I don't see the CO2 as a necessity at all, but I have found it helps. I'll have to check out some of your tanks. I'm a low light fan.

Cheers


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

WOW! With the exception of the clay pots, I find that tank to be absolutely gorgeous! And just so you know, the term "low-tech" means different things to different people... but I find DIY co2 to be very low-tech, so you still have my attention. 

Just, wow!!


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

G'Day FarCanal - 

Ah tiny fish and shrimp, no wonder I didn't see them in the pictures! :hihi: That sounds awesome! 

Out of cursiosty (and totally off topic) what part of Australia are you from? I spent a semester in Australia and I miss it tons, being there made me feel like I'd been born in the wrong country :tongue: :biggrin:


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## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

Karackle said:


> G'Day FarCanal -
> 
> Ah tiny fish and shrimp, no wonder I didn't see them in the pictures! :hihi: That sounds awesome!
> 
> Out of cursiosty (and totally off topic) what part of Australia are you from? I spent a semester in Australia and I miss it tons, being there made me feel like I'd been born in the wrong country :tongue: :biggrin:


Mate I'm in Central Queensland on the coast, a town called Gladstone. Which part of Australia did you get to see?


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## Karackle (Dec 11, 2007)

Just realized I never responded to this! This is really weird because I know the town of Gladstone! One of the good friends I made while I was there was from Gladstone and I spent about a week there with her family after the school year ended, what a crazy coincidence! While I was studying I was at James Cook in Townsville though, so that's where I spent the majority of my time. 

Sorry though, I didn't mean to hijack your thread with chat about Aus!


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## platinumpete (Sep 10, 2005)

Love low light tanks! What is your Ph? I'm tyrying to find out how much ph affects the gowth of plants like Bolbitis and java ferns.


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## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

I try and keep the PH around 6.8, bolbitis will get a black dis-coloration if kept above a Ph of 7.0. Out of the taps here the water is Ph 8.0.


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## platinumpete (Sep 10, 2005)

So do you use R/O water for your water changes? ph chemical adjuster? My ph is around 8.0 out of the tap also.


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## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

I use the water from the tap, treat it with "Ph Down" powder and Seachem Prime and age the water anywhere from overnight to a week. I know the prime is not needed when ageing water but I'd prefer to take no chances.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

What a tank!! No words for it. What is your secret, co2, ferts?


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Hilde said:


> What a tank!! No words for it. What is your secret, co2, ferts?





FarCanal said:


> Yes I use one of those Red Sea DIY kits recommended for 60L (small) tanks which does about 1 bubble every 3 seconds. The only think is I now use a inline diffuser as it's more shrimp friendly. I did this tank without CO2 for quite a while but find it much easier for algae control with CO2. Haven't had to clean the glass in months.


Not sure about ferts, though.


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## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

Hilde said:


> What a tank!! No words for it. What is your secret, co2, ferts?


Cheers. The CO2 as above. For the ferts I use 1 drop of a fert made here in Australia daily, Dino Pee. It's very similar to Seachem Flourish. And once or twice a week I add a single drop of trace. So ferts and CO2 are in very low doses, like the lighting.

The water in this tank is very clean, I have a HOB that would give me 4 to 6 times per hour turnover. I also have 2 eheim 2211 that together with the HOB would boost the turnover to around 12 times per hour. Bolbitis loves current! All the filters are 15% noodles 15% sponge + Eheim Substrat pro & JBL Micromec for the remaining 70%. The bulk of the filtration is top notch biological media. I think that makes a massive difference.

The substrate that isn't in pots is plain and gets gravel cleaned regularly. Each week I take out a 3rd of the plants and gravel clean under them. The following week a different third. Water changes are 20% weekly.

A tank I did before this was Java Fern only with plain substrate. It grew like mad with the same water change, gravel cleaning routine. It like bolbitis does the bulk of it's feeding through it's leaves and not it's roots. So for ferns I would always use high current clean water. The other plants in pots seem to like this treatment ....


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## brion0 (Sep 28, 2008)

I like the idea to make every thing mobile.It looks like your having fun in that tank.


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## SOLOMON (Nov 19, 2006)

Nice to see you sharing the love Brian  

Didn't realise you used pH Down.


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## FarCanal (Sep 1, 2008)

G'day brion0,

It is a good tank from a maintenance point of view. Being able to take plants out and trim/divide/repot is something I really like. I find it a great way to try things out. I do a lot of reading but sometimes it good to learn things by just trying stuff out and getting the arms wet. 

G'day Sol,

Fancy bumping into you here. I use PH down on all my tanks. This tank in particular has been running for years and I've been tweaking it little by little always looking to make little improvements everywhere along the way. At the beginning it was the lowest of low tech. I've made improvements and upgraded various things but I've not gone away from PH down yet. I'm wondering if it would make a difference. PH out of the tap here is around 8 and bolbitis has to be kept below 7 so it must be tampered with. Hmmm ... you've got me thinking now. Maybe that's the next area to tweak ....


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