Tom's Bucket O' Mud (semi self-sustaining aquarium)

[BigTom]

Getting there... looking forward to external filter and inline heater arriving next week.



novv - I use variously the Panasonic 20mm, Panasonic 14-45 kit lens and Olympus 9-18.

crcarl, this was custom made to my dimensions at a LFS. You'll be lucky to find something similar premad,e although turtle tanks and coral tanks are worth looking out for.

[bitFUUL]

Sweet Photo!
And I'm still scratching my head about this tank being in the "low tech" forums, lol.

[BigTom]

Heh... well, so far it's running without ferts, co2 or even a filter, and is using an old shop spotlight for illumination, so I'd say it's pretty low tech :p

[bitFUUL]

Originally Posted by BigTom

Heh... well, so far it's running without ferts, co2 or even a filter, and is using an old shop spotlight for illumination, so I'd say it's pretty low tech :p

Ouch, you're right. Damn you low tech!

[BigTom]

Righto, quick video here. Tank is still refusing to clear fully, but figured I should document the start of the rescape anyway - hopefully when I'm next home at the end of September everything will be crystal clear!

All the carpeting plants are beginning their slow spread, which is very pleasing.

http://vimeo.com/47250435

[poppyseed]

oh my god.. it's beauteous.

[dannylc]

Fancy seeing you here Tom lol Well jealous of the tank mate wanted to try and do similar with the 4x4x2 the mrs said no to lol

[rhyelee]

such a lovely setup! I hope I get the means to try something like this out one day.... Your lovely photos are more than enough to make me want to try!!!!
TT w TT

[xenxes]

Definitely more fish viewing space compared to the old layout, great job!

[jemminnifener]

How have I never clicked into this thread of all the days I've spent lurking around on this forum? Definitely not a bucket of mud. Each iteration of this tank has been gorgeous and something I would be so proud of I would never tear down. You have great VISION.

[WallaceGrover]

I can't get over how amazing this tank is! It proves the power of plants as filters...

[zzrguy]

sweet tank how many gal

[BigTom]

Cheers all. Lookign forward to getting some good photos when I'm back in a few weeks.

Originally Posted by WallaceGrover

I can't get over how amazing this tank is! It proves the power of plants as filters...

Yeah emergent plants do a great job as water cleansers. I should point out that I've added an external filter now though, following increasing the fish stock and reducing the number of emergents.

Originally Posted by zzrguy

sweet tank how many gal

240 litres, 64 US gallons - but probably 15 gallons of that is taken up with substrate.

[tomfromstlouis]

I think one of the things that sets this tank apart from so many others is the obvious depth of view. We get accustomed to the flatter views of taller tanks and miss out on the more natural world that the fish can explore in that third dimension.

The camera captures this beautifully. My question is this: how do you prefer to view it in person? At the height it sits in the room, I'd guess you look down into it as often as from the side. If you want to sit and look at it for 10 or 15 minutes, where do you position yourself and what view do you prefer?

[BigTom]

Originally Posted by tomfromstlouis

I think one of the things that sets this tank apart from so many others is the obvious depth of view. We get accustomed to the flatter views of taller tanks and miss out on the more natural world that the fish can explore in that third dimension.

The camera captures this beautifully. My question is this: how do you prefer to view it in person? At the height it sits in the room, I'd guess you look down into it as often as from the side. If you want to sit and look at it for 10 or 15 minutes, where do you position yourself and what view do you prefer?

The tank is in the bedroom, with the view from the bed being towards the front right corner, at head height, which is perfect. The view form my desk is from the other front corner, slightly above. And when walking into the room you see it completely from above.

For proper tank chillout time I sit right in front of it on a pillow, back against the bed with a glass of wine