# Low tech 55 gallon - First planted tank



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Update: 1/22/16











------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This would be my first planted tank. I expect a few types of plants to be taken out and replaced, since some on the list seem to be(from my internet reading), not well suited for low-tech, low-light setups.

I will also be adding a few plants to fill the open areas within a few weeks or so.... any suggestions welcome!



*55 gallon*

- No co2, daily dose of excel(recommended dose for now)
- seachem ferts, and root tabs(recommended dose for now)
- Eco complete substrate
- 2 Aquaclear70 HOB filters
- 2 Finnex Stingray leds
- glass canopies

*Stock*
- 10 neon tetras
- a dozen or so dwarf shrimp(blue, red)
- 3 amano shrimp
- 1 twig whiptail catfish
- 1 cory catfish(exact type unknown)
- 2 dwarf african frogs
- a dozen nerite snails
---to be added---
- 12 espei rasboras
- 10 dwarf neon yellow shrimp
- either otos, or SAE's

*Plants*
- Giant Hygrophilia corymbosa
- Hygrophilia corymbosa strictra(compact)
- Hygrophilia corymbosa semiensis
- Pygmy Chain sword(E. Tenellus)
- Dwarf Hairgrass(eleocharis parvula)
- Dwarf four leaf clover( Marsilea Hirsuta)
- Bacopa caroliniana
- Ludwigia repens
- cryptocoryne parva
- Staurogene repens
- anubias nana


----------



## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

Good job! This should look great once filled in!


----------



## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

Looks promising, now all you need is tincture of patience. Ha, ha, easy to say. Hard for a lot of people (yours truly included) to practice.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Daisy Mae said:


> Looks promising, now all you need is tincture of patience. Ha, ha, easy to say. Hard for a lot of people (yours truly included) to practice.


lol, It's going to be hard! But will definitely be worth it if they manage to survive/grow in the end.

Do you think there's space around the hygros for some smaller plants? Or will the leaves eventually "blossom" out and cover the surrounding area? Though I know there's some space I could fill in, infront of the hygros(behind the crypts on the left, and behind the stauros on the right).


----------



## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

jcmv4792 said:


> Do you think there's space around the hygros for some smaller plants? Or will the leaves eventually "blossom" out and cover the surrounding area? Though I know there's some space I could fill in, in front of the hygros(behind the crypts on the left, and behind the stauros on the right).


You're talking about the hygrophila corymbosa compacta, right?
I don't have personal experience with this plant but looking closely at the myriad google images available, it looks like most of the lush looking specimens are multi-stemmed. Which makes me wonder whether they were small bunches of three-ish stems planted together. So you could probably put a few more stems in the assigned area for this plant. I'm sure someone else can comment on this. 

Personally, I'd be tempted to put a few more stems of the ludwigia repens in the middle. Only because they have smaller leaves, compared to the giant hygros. If you only have one row there now, you could put another row in front of it, but staggered. I can't really tell if you have one row there, or two rows but staggered. 

Or, you could just wait for now, see what does well, and adjust from there. Probably the smart thing to do. Which we hobbyists don't always want to do.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Daisy Mae said:


> You're talking about the hygrophila corymbosa compacta, right?
> I don't have personal experience with this plant but looking closely at the myriad google images available, it looks like most of the lush looking specimens are multi-stemmed. Which makes me wonder whether they were small bunches of three-ish stems planted together. So you could probably put a few more stems in the assigned area for this plant. I'm sure someone else can comment on this.
> 
> Personally, I'd be tempted to put a few more stems of the ludwigia repens in the middle. Only because they have smaller leaves, compared to the giant hygros. If you only have one row there now, you could put another row in front of it, but staggered. I can't really tell if you have one row there, or two rows but staggered.
> ...


Yup there's only one row of the ludwigia. Though they're all the way at the back, so the light is hitting them at a slight angle instead of straight down...would staggering them be bad in terms of blocking light from eachother? I've seen them grown like that in other setups, but I'm guessing those were high light and co2 injected. I'm going to have to check again, but the PAR is around 25-30 at the floor.


----------



## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

*Phototropism will happen*

Staggering them would be good, actually. The leaves and plants will arrange themselves in order to maximize light absorption at the leaves.


----------



## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Add Otos, not SAE. SAE are a pain when they get bigger, and they will. I like the modest stocking, but be careful with your frogs. They aren't the most aggressive eaters and may not get enough food. 

The tank is beautiful and will definitely shape up very well! I like it!


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Freemananana said:


> Add Otos, not SAE. SAE are a pain when they get bigger, and they will. I like the modest stocking, but be careful with your frogs. They aren't the most aggressive eaters and may not get enough food.
> 
> The tank is beautiful and will definitely shape up very well! I like it!


Thanks for the heads up. What do you mean by "pain" though? Do they destroy 
plants?


I wasn't planning on keeping these frogs but the other day my mother showed up with these and the twig whiptail catfish...so now they're living here lol. I was going to take them back but they're pretty fun to observe. For now I've been tong feeding the frogs some bloodworms.


----------



## Veritas (Aug 9, 2013)

congrats on getting everything put together! I know from your posts you've done a lot of homework. Looking forward to seeing how this all comes together.

I like the stocking list. Do keep in mind that mixing up various colors of shrimps will eventually lead to generations of "wild" colored shrimp. Do a search for "skittle tank" for more info. I personally have zero problem with that occurring in my tanks.

Good luck! keep the journal updated!



PS: agreed with the SAE thing. they get a lot bigger than anything else you have listed - and eat less and less algae the older they get.


----------



## badbart (Jul 28, 2009)

Freemananana said:


> Add Otos, not SAE. SAE are a pain when they get bigger, and they will. I like the modest stocking, but be careful with your frogs. They aren't the most aggressive eaters and may not get enough food.
> 
> The tank is beautiful and will definitely shape up very well! I like it!



I agree, my 6 year old SAE don't eat any algae.


----------



## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

jcmv4792 said:


> Thanks for the heads up. What do you mean by "pain" though? Do they destroy
> plants?
> 
> 
> I wasn't planning on keeping these frogs but the other day my mother showed up with these and the twig whiptail catfish...so now they're living here lol. I was going to take them back but they're pretty fun to observe. For now I've been tong feeding the frogs some bloodworms.


You're in good shape with the frogs then! They just need to be observed to make sure they do get some food. 

As for the SAE, I've heard they get lazy. I've heard some get aggressive. They are definitely too big though. Otos are completely peaceful and you can have quite a few of them in a tank this size. They are a better community fish overall when compared to a SAE.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Oh I see. I was going to fill that slot for "permanent" algae eaters.. so I'll get the otos instead of SAE's.

Bump:


Veritas said:


> congrats on getting everything put together! I know from your posts you've done a lot of homework. Looking forward to seeing how this all comes together.
> 
> I like the stocking list. Do keep in mind that mixing up various colors of shrimps will eventually lead to generations of "wild" colored shrimp. Do a search for "skittle tank" for more info. I personally have zero problem with that occurring in my tanks.
> 
> ...


I forgot they were the same type of shrimp.. didn't take the mixing into consideration. I probably won't mind.


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Glad to see you started a journal.
I too should start one.

Looks good so far!
Patience and more plants.


----------



## Patriot (Dec 22, 2010)

What substrate are you using?


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Patriot said:


> What substrate are you using?


Just eco-complete


----------



## bmckinney0727 (Aug 11, 2015)

I agree with everyone else about the SAE, and go with the otos. I would also up the cories to at least 6 of the same species


----------



## Regenesis (Apr 12, 2011)

I'll be following along!


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

I believe you mentioned carpet plants before.
Just a suggestion here, Downoi as a carpet plant could work well.
Tissue cultured from day 1.









Around day 60.









This is a no-tech tank.


----------



## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Updates? I love 55 gallon tanks with good schools of Neons.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Maryland Guppy said:


> I believe you mentioned carpet plants before.
> Just a suggestion here, Downoi as a carpet plant could work well.
> Tissue cultured from day 1.
> 
> ...


Very encouraging! Is that just sand, or do you have soil underneath as well? Since I'm only using eco-complete, do you think I could get similar results by sticking a few root tabs in the substrate?



Blackheart said:


> Updates? I love 55 gallon tanks with good schools of Neons.


Will do in a few days. Just waiting for a shipment of new plants. I may change around the hardscape as well.


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

jcmv4792 said:


> Very encouraging! Is that just sand, or do you have soil underneath as well? Since I'm only using eco-complete, do you think I could get similar results by sticking a few root tabs in the substrate?


Home Depot paver sand <$4 a bag.
Another no-tech, no fert, etc.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

*Update*

I was originally going to do an update tomorrow since I have another shipment of plants coming, but I did make a few changes.

I think I prefer this arrangement of the hardscape over the previous, and I'll probably like it better as the floorspace and driftwood fill in. I also added a school of harlequin rasboras, and a school of otocinclus catfish.



















- I removed the pygmy chain sword, and replaced the area with a small bunch of cryptocoryne parva. I also tied some java fern and anubias nana petite to the peice of wood on the left.










- At first I assumed the stauro repens would give me the most trouble(low tech), but it has shown some signs of growth.










-The marsilea has grown some runners along with some single lobed nodes(is node the correct term?) The four leaf parts are dying off.










- Not sure how my ludwigia repens are doing. Do these guys usually lose *all* their red in low tech setups?


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

I added a few plants yesterday: 
- Micro Sword : Lilaeopsis mauritiana 
- Cardinal plant: Lobelia Cardinalis
- Monte carlo: Micranthemum Tweediei
- more Stauro Repens


































I plan to put more marsilea hirsuta(dwarf four leaf clovers) in the foreground infront of the wooden hardscape. Not sure what I'll put behind there, or to the side in the open space. Maybe some more monte carlo if it does well.


Did I plant the monte carlo correctly?


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Some plants added the other day:

- Rotala rotundifolia(right background)
- Alternanthera reineckii(right foreground)
- Stargrass(behind driftwood)

Some of the plants came in pretty bad shape... weak stems and clear leaves. I guess i'll just have to wait and see how they do.


----------



## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Looks good. My tank is jealous of yours. Btw what kind of sponges are you using on your AC70 filters? I'd like to invest in some of those as well.


----------



## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

Coming along very nicely!


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Blackheart said:


> Looks good. My tank is jealous of yours. Btw what kind of sponges are you using on your AC70 filters? I'd like to invest in some of those as well.





burr740 said:


> Coming along very nicely!


Thanks ya'll. Blackheart those are fluval pre-filters bought from amazon. They've been doing a good job at keeping out bigger debris.

Burr, would you say I should plant more densely with the stem plants? I am worried that light may not reach the bottom of each stem, but at the same time the tank does not look "densly" planted when looked at from above.

I will most likely leave the hygros as they are though.. they will probably overlap eachother as they grow anyways.


----------



## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Got a link to the ones you bought? Or is it just the ones for the fluval edge?

Also I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this tank fill in more


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Blackheart said:


> Got a link to the ones you bought? Or is it just the ones for the fluval edge?
> 
> Also I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this tank fill in more


This is the exact one. Takes just a slight stretch to put it on..but the tightness can be a good thing I guess.







I will fill the foreground infront of the driftwood very soon...however i've also been thinking of doing a completely java fern/java moss/anubias tank as well if I have problems with this type of setup.


----------



## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

jcmv4792 said:


> Burr, would you say I should plant more densely with the stem plants? I am worried that light may not reach the bottom of each stem, but at the same time the tank does not look "densly" planted when looked at from above.
> 
> I will most likely leave the hygros as they are though.. they will probably overlap eachother as they grow anyways.


It looks like you have them spaced about right (kinda hard to tell). The larger the leaves the more space I leave between them. Of course the lower leaves are always shaded to some degree, and a little overlap down there is fine. As long as each one has a little room to breathe Ive never found it to be a problem.

As time goes you can multiply them by replanting the tops and leaving the stumps. From the stumps will come 2-3 side shoots, which will grow out in a non-competing manner with the existing stems. Then you can make each group bigger, and/or add more species.

Re your earlier question about L repens turning green under low light, yeah that's been my experience. The lower the light the less color they display. Although the bottom of the leaves usually retain a nice reddish brown no matter what. Looks like they were mighty red when you got them, probably grown under high light and CO2. That type of color change is to be expected going from one environment to another.


----------



## toriless (Jun 4, 2014)

Java Ferns do well in low light and look a little different from what you already have. Pygmy Chain swords like more light and get sick without enough as happens when my Amazon sword got too big. Obviously avoid Amazon Swords they love light but can fill a well lit tank. I have two in 50 gallons and they really fill up the tank. The fish love them since they can swim through them and hide or sleep under them. Vallisneria is another tank hog that will go crazy and you will get 4 and 5 foot strands floating up and across the tank. However, SAE fish love the sleep on them, somehow they can cling to them while sleeping. The Anubias (almost all varieties) will want the iron in your Eco Complete substrate but like mostly moderate light. I'd use half as many snails. They poop a lot contributing to algae and mostly stay in the rocks. Get Japanese Trapdoor snails instead. They will travel all over your tank and are much more active and effective then Nerites. Two or three will do more work and help more then any amount of Nerite snails. They are amazing athletes. I love my SAE fish. They are active, always swimming about, like the JT snails and do a very good job of keeping algae off the plants so they stay healthy.

Bump: Yeah, red usually means high light is present since the plant is not using chlorophyll anymore. I forget the other substances name right now.


----------



## Regelian (Sep 14, 2014)

Tank is looking good, but, as some of the ground cover plants like lots of light, I would considerer adding another strip. You are already loosing the reds from lack of light. Keep an eye on the water hardness. Over 6 dKH can promote algae over the higher plants. Also, I would pinch-out the taller plants and root the cuttings. They should branch well from the base, especially the dwarf clones, which were selected for this inherent compactness.

Just so you know, yes, the hardscape looks much better, now!


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

I did cut some of the ludwigia as suggested by Regelian, and left the bottoms to branch out. However, I only planted the cuttings from the rotala rotundifolia and threw away the bottoms as they looked like they were on the verge of dying(they came this way from the mail). Same with the stargrass. The tops did look healthy so atleast they are growing...however since this is my first planted tank I'm not sure what constitutes as "good growth" yet.

I added some dwarf sag and a bit more marsilea to cover the foreground for now. I plan to rearrange them later on to make it look more neat.










The hygrophila has grown about an inch or two. I've snipped off the old leaves on the compact versions and have seen quite a bit of new leaves coming up as well.



















The stauro seems to be doing okay. It has definitely grown since day 1.











The lobelia cardinalis has not grown much, except for a few new leaves at the top


----------



## Regelian (Sep 14, 2014)

What is the NO3 level? I aim for about 10ppm. Up to 30 is fine for planted tanks, but under 10 and we see little growth. This said, as long as the plants are growing and a nice green, then they are healthy. Paling would mean either too little nitrogen/P/K or too little light (in most cases). Not all plants will thrive under any given set of tank conditions. As ex., the Lobelia may well suffer from lack of light and grow slowly. It is not a true aquatic, rather a swamp plant. Loves sun.

IMO, the tank is looking good. You did right to toss the dying root systems. Pollution waiting to happen.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Regelian said:


> What is the NO3 level? I aim for about 10ppm. Up to 30 is fine for planted tanks, but under 10 and we see little growth. This said, as long as the plants are growing and a nice green, then they are healthy. Paling would mean either too little nitrogen/P/K or too little light (in most cases). Not all plants will thrive under any given set of tank conditions. As ex., the Lobelia may well suffer from lack of light and grow slowly. It is not a true aquatic, rather a swamp plant. Loves sun.
> 
> IMO, the tank is looking good. You did right to toss the dying root systems. Pollution waiting to happen.


Are there any test kits that are better than the API master test kit? The reading I get is the color of the 20 and 40 ppm colors(I can't see the difference).


----------



## Regelian (Sep 14, 2014)

The best kits I've found are Elos. The API I do not know. May be North American kit. I'm in Europe.
If you are between 20-40 NO3, then you are a bit high. The plants should take this up quickly enough, just don't fertilize for a week or two. This may be coming from the ground, as the tank is new and they leach nutrient for a while.


----------



## klibs (May 1, 2014)

Fantastic for your first tank!

How did the S Repens fare in a low-tech environment? Does it spread nicely? Grow at a decent rate?

I am probably going to redo my low tech tank by the end of the year and really dig your layout. Looking to do something similar in terms of ground cover for parts and have driftwood to accent.


----------



## Daisy Mae (Jun 21, 2015)

This is really nice progress in the past month plus. Just think, a couple more months and you would barely remember how it looked at the beginning. Good thing this journal has photos!


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Thanks ya'll

Tbh, I'm not sure how much it has spread. The stauro came very thin and small. Right now these plants have become thicker and taller so it "looks" like it's spread because the leaves are overlapping eachother. At least I can cut off the tops and keep replanting lol.

Bump:


Regelian said:


> The best kits I've found are Elos. The API I do not know. May be North American kit. I'm in Europe.
> If you are between 20-40 NO3, then you are a bit high. The plants should take this up quickly enough, just don't fertilize for a week or two. This may be coming from the ground, as the tank is new and they leach nutrient for a while.


Yeah that's the NA product. The Elos seems to be similar. I just read that the API consistently reads much higher than the actual number.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Quick update after a month. I had to move the compact hygros out and plant them in the front. The hygro corymbosas were growing too tall so I cut and replanted the tops. Same with ludiwigia and stauro repens. I ended up bagging the AR since they weren't doing too good. Dwarf sag has started sending out quite a few runners, with the lobelia finally growing a good amount of green leaves(purple leaves died and fell off). The monte carlo has started spreading along the substrate so I snipped off the stem portions growing upwards.

I haven't touched the rotala rotundifolia. You can see some growth since the last update.










edit: added some floating frogbit as well


----------



## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

tank is looking great and is really starting to fill in  wish my tank was half as good as yours is.

btw.. I see you are using the finnex stingray leds. They seem to be working pretty good for you. I'm contemplating trying them out as well.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Blackheart said:


> tank is looking great and is really starting to fill in  wish my tank was half as good as yours is.
> 
> btw.. I see you are using the finnex stingray leds. They seem to be working pretty good for you. I'm contemplating trying them out as well.


Thanks. Well I did "cheat" by planting heavily. I actually switched out the finnex stingrays for current satellite+pros. Nothing wrong with the stingrays but I like using the auto timer function on the Sat+ pro model.


----------



## skoram (Aug 9, 2012)

I like the simple and elegant layout and plants look really clean and healthy. You are definitely doing something right.


----------



## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

That is some awesome driftwood. Good job so far. Also, great choice on the lighting.

I notice you asked about Nitrate test kits, check out the reefing community test kits. Some of theirs are much more accurate and easier to distinguish than the API.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Just a quick update. There has been a bit of growth on the plants in the past two weeks but I am most impressed with how much the stargrass has grown(behind the drift wood). You can tell from the previous photo it has nearly tripled in size.

I've also switched out the frogbit for some salvinia minima. I much prefer this plant as a floater over the frogbit.










Bump:


skoram said:


> I like the simple and elegant layout and plants look really clean and healthy. You are definitely doing something right.


Thanks! Appreciate it.



Freemananana said:


> That is some awesome driftwood. Good job so far. Also, great choice on the lighting.
> 
> I notice you asked about Nitrate test kits, check out the reefing community test kits. Some of theirs are much more accurate and easier to distinguish than the API.


Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check them out.


----------



## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Looks awesome


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Slow but steady growth of the stauro


9/15/15










Today









Bump:


Blackheart said:


> Looks awesome


Appreciate it!


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

I've been wanting to do an island scape for some time, and this first scape of mine lacked any real design... so I just completely redid the layout several days ago. Still not finished as I have some plants to add on the left side.


- Various java fern types
- Various bucephalandra types
- Various anubias types
- Mini x-mas moss


----------



## burr740 (Feb 19, 2014)

That looks great!


----------



## jlfkona (Jan 1, 2013)

I just read through your journal. I enjoyed watching the progression of you tank. I love your new layout. Awesome!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Added some bolbitis and crypts on the left to fill in the space. Just going to see how everything grows in from now on.


----------



## Ganyon (Jun 11, 2012)

Amazing looking tank.


----------



## Blackheart (Jul 5, 2011)

Loving your tank! People complain about 55 gallon tanks being difficult to scape, but yours looks perfectly natural!


----------



## MadDiscus (Aug 7, 2011)

Great looking tank. I notice you change filter and add powerhead, can you give me some more details


----------



## myswtsins (Nov 1, 2008)

Love the new scape, top notch! This is going into my inspiration folder. I agree with above, need updated details on the tank and inhabitants.


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Thank's yall. Yes the width of the 55 is a bit awkward to work with, hopefully I learn how to create more depth as I practice scaping.


Here are the changes I made to this one

*Equipment*:

- Eheim 2217(a.k.a classic 600) with ADA lily pipe setup
- 425 gph Hydor Nano-koralia circulation pump
- One current satellite+ pro instead of two(I don't need as much even light coverage with this one)

*Plants*:

- Java fern(normal, dwarf, windelov, rooster tail, threadleaf, mini needle)
- Anubias(Nana barteri, Nana, Nana petite, micro, nana gold)
- Bucephalandra(random bunch, mini catherine, belindae, brownie ghost)
- Aridarum narrow leaf
- Bolbitis Heudolotti mini(not baby leaf, as this grows to about 8")
- Mini Christmas moss
- Cryptocoryne becketti petchii

*Animals*
- Harlequin Rasbora, Neon Tetra, False Julii Corydoras, Amano Shrimp, Cherry shrimp(wild types have started coming out), ramshorn snails, nerite snails


----------



## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

I love the new scape. It is something I plan on doing myself, again, with the next tank. I did something like this on my 75g when I set it up, but I had dwarf sag that took over the 'water' area. 

What is in the back left corner, the tall plant? I quite like it. It looks like a giant java fern to me.


----------



## mevanpl (Jan 25, 2016)

Nice tank


Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk


----------



## Veritas (Aug 9, 2013)

looking good! all that research you did at the beginning seems to have paid off!

keep up the good work!


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Freemananana said:


> I love the new scape. It is something I plan on doing myself, again, with the next tank. I did something like this on my 75g when I set it up, but I had dwarf sag that took over the 'water' area.
> 
> What is in the back left corner, the tall plant? I quite like it. It looks like a giant java fern to me.


Yup those are huge java fern leaves.



Veritas said:


> looking good! all that research you did at the beginning seems to have paid off!
> 
> keep up the good work!


Thanks. Definitely got some good help on here!


----------



## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

Your re-scape is quite pleasant to look at and probably better to watch in person. You mentioned you have some "dwarf" and "mini needle" Java ferns, may I please see a close up of them? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Tyrone said:


> Your re-scape is quite pleasant to look at and probably better to watch in person. You mentioned you have some "dwarf" and "mini needle" Java ferns, may I please see a close up of them?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks Tyrone. Yes definitely more fun to observe in person.

I will take close up photos in the next few days when I have the time and post them here.


----------



## jr136 (Feb 10, 2016)

I have been lurking on the site for a little bit now and haven't posted yet. I love what you have done with your setup!


----------



## ctross09 (Mar 29, 2015)

followed through the progression of the tank, very cool how it developed! Nice job on the island design as well.


----------



## klibs (May 1, 2014)

This tank is a great example on how to do low tech tanks RIGHT


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Update: Haven't been on for a while. Plants have perked up(especially the moss) and have started to grow at a steady pace. Bucephalandra shoots out flowers every now and then.



















Sorry for the hold up Tyrone! It's hard to get good close up photos of each plant in this tank, but I took some overhead and side shots so hopefully you might be able to make them out. The mini needle is to the bottom left of the anubias nana gold(which is on the right side of the tank). I will have to take out the dwarf java fern out of the tank tomorrow and take an individual photo.


----------



## Tyrone (Nov 22, 2013)

Nice update! Any up-close shots of the "dwarf" and "mini needle" leaf Java ferns? 

Do you mind sharing where you acquired your Buce from? They look really nice and healthy. Were they emersed grown or already in submersed form? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## amodernstitch (Mar 11, 2016)

I just read through your journal. I have a new tank and am deciding on substrate. It looks like you changed yours over time. I love the look of the lighter substrate. What are you using now? You started out with Eco complete correct? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## someoldguy (Feb 26, 2014)

In the open areas , are you using 'plain old sand ' or something like ADA colorado sand?


----------



## anfield (Dec 1, 2013)

Really well done low tech tank. Looks better than many high tech ones. Nice use of buces. Trying to do the same myself. Where did you get the driftwood? And how fast do your buces grow?


----------



## end3r.P (Aug 31, 2015)

LOVE this look. Those buces look really healthy too.

What is that black rock you're using?  Lava rock of some kind?


----------



## jcmv4792 (Jul 15, 2015)

Tyrone said:


> Nice update! Any up-close shots of the "dwarf" and "mini needle" leaf Java ferns?
> 
> Do you mind sharing where you acquired your Buce from? They look really nice and healthy. Were they emersed grown or already in submersed form?
> 
> ...


Hi Tyrone, just took these today. Mini needle 1st pic, dwarf java 2nd pic. The dwarf seems to be the slowest grower out of all of them.

I get my bucephalandra from Han Tran(hanaquatics.com) and Joe Brunner(on facebook. He's developing his website)





















amodernstitch said:


> I just read through your journal. I have a new tank and am deciding on substrate. It looks like you changed yours over time. I love the look of the lighter substrate. What are you using now? You started out with Eco complete correct?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I am using the same eco-complete from the last setup, however the lighter substrate around the island is ADA colorado sand.



someoldguy said:


> In the open areas , are you using 'plain old sand ' or something like ADA colorado sand?


Yup ADA colorado sand



anfield said:


> Really well done low tech tank. Looks better than many high tech ones. Nice use of buces. Trying to do the same myself. Where did you get the driftwood? And how fast do your buces grow?


Thank you I appreciate that! I got the driftwood from adana-usa(hornwood). I'm trying to find more sources for hornwood.

I'd have to wait a little longer to really tell but it seems to grow as slowly as anubias.



end3r.P said:


> LOVE this look. Those buces look really healthy too.
> 
> What is that black rock you're using? Lava rock of some kind?


Yup just a bunch of black lava rock from ebay and etsy.


----------



## ?..? (Jan 7, 2017)

Is this tank still up and running if so do you have have any recent pictures


----------

