# My low tech 12 gallon long.



## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Been mainly lurking for a while.
My last tank wasn't going too well....

This tank is a Mr. Aqua 12 gallon long. Substrate is black and white sand. 
Two pieces of driftwood.

Aquaclear 30 filter. Still looking for something nicer.
And a 24" dual t5ho about 15" above the tank.

Been up and running for a while..I'm still working on it.

Fauna - 7 Ember tetras, 3 oto's, 1 scarlet badis, one goldfish.

The goldfish was to keep the tank cycled. Now he's maintaining the bioload until I get my planned honey gourami, and school of dwarf cories.
After that he goes into the pond.

Flora - 1 noid crypt, 3 crypt undulata, red lotus (dauben water lily), microsword, bolbitis, staurogyne repens, pogostemon helferi, eriocaulon sp. (not sure which), noid spiral plant (looks like a small less invasive corkscrew val), dwarf water lettuce, javafern, anubias nana petite, and javafern windelov, and hygrophila compacta.

Planned flora, crypt parva and marsilea quadrifolia.

That's it.

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## umarnasir335 (Mar 2, 2014)

How red have the Crypt undulata gotten for you? Mine are still green despite med/high lighting and diy c02...


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Unfortunately the undulata is the newest addition to the tank.
It hasn't acclimated all the way. I won't see it's true colours for at least a month.
My other crypt has gotten quite bronze so I have hope

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## houbanna (Nov 29, 2013)

Very cool. I love the tropical island look. I fell in love with the 12 long and have a scape filling in, yours looks great!


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Thanks man.

I hope you scape fills in nicely.


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Used the bad panorama mode on my phone to take a picture.

It's bathed in sun atm. I'll get one later with just the lights. Hopefully...









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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Looks just like a tropical atoll! (Except for the plants "floating in the sky"... maybe they're UFOs? LOL)

Lovely little tank!


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Thank you! I'm very happy with it.
That's the look I was kind of shooting for.


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

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## jem_xxiii (Apr 5, 2013)

the tank looks great!


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## Aplomado (Feb 20, 2013)

Good job!


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

When did this happen? Always wanted to get one of these, but I'm getting out of the hobby for a while (moving to NorCal). Careful about overstocking, and cat flea medication!


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## Padraig Pearse (May 26, 2013)

Really cool tank, thanks for sharing. Great job.


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

jem_xxiii said:


> the tank looks great!


Thank you!







Aplomado said:


> Good job!





quite a few things need rearranging now lol.




xenxes said:


> When did this happen? Always wanted to get one of these, but I'm getting out of the hobby for a while (moving to NorCal). Careful about overstocking, and cat flea medication!



oh gosh. I've been slowly setting it up for... maybe a year now. It's a slow process.

I downsized alot. It's one of my two tanks.
The other is a 7 gallon Betta tank which requires almost no maintenance.

I saw that in my email! Good luck with your move.
So much has happened. I've just sort of reduced my hobbies down. By quite a bit. Too much other stuff going on.
Actually the other day I finally decided it was time to clear a corner of my yard.
Found that plant package I never sent you. Completely forgot about it.
The Dragon fruit cutting I rooted you is now 5 feet long.







Padraig Pearse said:


> Really cool tank, thanks for sharing. Great job.


Thanks!


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Eldachleich said:


> oh gosh. I've been slowly setting it up for... maybe a year now. It's a slow process.
> 
> I downsized alot. It's one of my two tanks.
> The other is a 7 gallon Betta tank which requires almost no maintenance.
> ...


Haha no worries, I had *no* time to do much gardening or planting over the past year. 

I'm going to do what you do too, downsize, emphasize quality over quantity, after I find a new house. I'm only keeping my 2 Fluval and 1 EHEIM tanks for now. Eventually I want to pick up a big 100-200 gallon square cube tank as a center piece, with an island in the middle.

Not sure how I feel about CA desert climate, I'm going to miss the humidity. Completely forgot about the dragon fruit! I may bug you about it in a few months.

This tank looks awesome by the way. You should get some red stems instead of crypts since you have so much light?


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Me neither! 
Remember my tree? Half of it fell on the house.
Yard gets alot more winter sun now.

Downsizing was a good idea for me. This tank is my "display" tank and I'm very happy with it.

The climates around here can be tough. They can also be great though. 
Lol I like the humidity here! At least in my area. Never too dry, never too humid.

Outside orchids are alot harder lol.

Bug away! Most of the cuttings didn't survive the neglect, but a few bulbs, the Dragon fruit, and the Jasmine vine are very happy.

So is that grand duke cutting you sent me! Growing wonderfully. Should push out buds again in a month or so.

Thank you. If it looks good to you in photos you should see it in real life. Much much better lol.

The parts that are blocked by the wood are very dark and that's what the crypts were for.
The hygrophila was supposed to get red tinged... But do far it's not.
The bronze crypt is getting too large for its spot. I might have to move it soon. 
I was thinking of putting a red plant there. It's really too bright for crypts.

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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Still enjoying your tea btw.

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## Mirzath (Mar 15, 2013)

Your tank is looking really great! I am SLOWLY putting together a tank and want to start low tech. Your tank gives me hope I can do something similar.

Is the island made of lava rock and black sand?


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Speaking of orchids... I'm giving all this away --


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## Catf1sh (Apr 15, 2014)

Great tank! I love it!


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Mirzath said:


> Your tank is looking really great! I am SLOWLY putting together a tank and want to start low tech. Your tank gives me hope I can do something similar.
> 
> Is the island made of lava rock and black sand?


Slow is good lol. if you count the day I got the tank, three years. And I'm still stocking it lol.


xenxes said:


> Speaking of orchids... I'm giving all this away --


noooooooo! 
don't worry too much. There's bound to be some outdoors orchids where your heading.


Catf1sh said:


> Great tank! I love it!


thank you.

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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Got a bumble bee goby.
Cute little buggers. Supposedly brackish.

But thus far every one bought from this petstore is still alive in freshwater 3 years later.










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