Low Tech Tank Show-and-Tell (low tech can be lush, too! =)

[vanadium]

low tech can be what ever you want. High tech usually designates a tank which uses CO2, high light and ferts.

[Silmarwen]

Indeed, but the point is that some people think that you can't grow plants well without those things, and this thread is meant to dispel the myth that you NEED CO2 and ferts and such.

[vanadium]

I completely agree with you, and it's the reason why i left a french aquarium forum. They were saying i was mistreating my fishes because i have no filtration and not doing water changes. I was also disturbing them with light afternoon siesta... Not open minded.

[acitydweller]

no filtration and only water top offs.

ive done the same in my shrimp bowl and they have lived for nearly a year now, and my plants are trimmed every few months... definitely each environment will be unique to the experience and care of the owner. No need to criticize but to learn from each other.

[dbl_dbl17]

Wait so you have no flow and don't do waterchanges?

[boxhead1990]

I beleive you dont need all the high tech gadgets and after going high tech i like the rapid growth and the extreme amount of pearling that being said thats the only advantages :-)

I have a low tech tank aswell

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[LyzzaRyzz]

Short time lurker, this thread actually made me join! Im a member of TFK, and they say your site is awesome, and it is!
Im a newbie to planted tanks, starting out with water sprite, anacharis, then parrots feather, and now more..
Heres my 50 gallon partially planted, with some plastic plants, though i hated it being half and half, so i went out and bought more plants, and took out all the plastic..
Attachment 56573

And heres what it looks like now!
Attachment 56574
Heres the left side of the tank:
Attachment 56575
And the right side:
Attachment 56576

The plants are water sprite, floating, and [i planted some in the substrate to see what happens] caboma, onion plant, a small spiral val, parrots feather, java moss, anacharis, some small sword type plants, a medium one, and a medium large sword type plant. Im not sure what kinds they are.
The tank is 48 inches long, and i have two 36 inch t8 6500k lights on them, no CO2 and up until two weeks ago, no ferts, but now flourish comprehensive supplement.
The fish are 12 guppies, nine cherry barbs, 10 cories[albino, spotted and emerald] a rubbernose pleco, a bristlenose pleco, and a lone pristella tetra that escaped me when i caught the rest of them. Theres also two apple snails and a few pond snails, and i think six ghost shrimp.

This is my other planted tank, a 5.5 with a betta and some guppy fry, and an apple snail.
This was takenOctober 29th, and all it had was anacharis i was growing out and a few small cabomas, and watersprite.
Attachment 56577
This is the tank today, I added some water wisteria, [very sad looking] to the tank, and when i bought the wisteria, i got three stems of what looks to be a red wisteria? Im not sure, but thats in there as well.
Attachment 56578

This tank has a ten gallon hood [i know too big, but its working] with two 14 watt spiral bulbs, and ive use flourish comprehensive twice on it. before that, just the fish.

Im working on ideas for rescaping the both of them, and picked up a 14 inch tall amazon sword for the 50 gal, and two banana plants and another plant im not sure about for the 5.5..

I dont have much in the sort of hard scape, since driftwood is so expensive!

Im welcome to all advice or ideas, feel free to pm or reply here!

[LyzzaRyzz]

Did my rescapes...not exactly happy with either one, but the new plants are in and thats what i wanted.
The big amazon sword is too big for my tank, it sticks out of the top! I also needed to anchor it in the hold in the middle of my fake log peice cause it wouldent stop floating. I dont have enough sand to plant it apparently...=/
Anyways here is the 50 gallon:
Attachment 56599
Attachment 56600
Attachment 56601
Attachment 56602
Attachment 56603

Heres the 5.5, after taking out the smaller fake log peice from the 50, and putting it in there..
Attachment 56604
Also heres that red stem plant i cant seem to identify..any ideas?
Attachment 56605

And heres another planted tank i have, its in my bathroom, not really impressive, but hoping itll take off..
Attachment 56606
I call it the deathfish tank, cause when i bought my pristella tetras there was one who didnt look so hot, so i separated him..he never died, just every other fish i put in the tank with him did. Of different things, sometimes just randomly died. I decided he wasnt gonna die, so i set up this tank for him, and added some guppy fry, to see what happened, and they didnt die! But they do all swim sideways. Not swim bladder sideways, just always at a tilt. And a few days ado, deathfish jumped out of the tank, so just the gup fry are left, all swimming funny, but showing no other signs of being sick..Anyways, thats the deathfishtank..


By the way, everyones tanks look amazing..I look at mine, and i get so discouraged...I hope it gets better, im kinda down cause i can never get the look i want..
But all of your tanks inspire me, and keep em coming..it gets my blood going to do better!

[Silmarwen]

Originally Posted by LyzzaRyzz

By the way, everyones tanks look amazing..I look at mine, and i get so discouraged...I hope it gets better, im kinda down cause i can never get the look i want..
But all of your tanks inspire me, and keep em coming..it gets my blood going to do better!

I think yours look pretty good I feel much the same way a lot of the time. But it takes time and patience, which I'm slowly learning It'll come, just stick with it and drool over all the lush inspiration we have on the forum!

[ony]

Love seeing everyone's low tech set ups. I read so many forum posts that imply or sometimes say quite plainly that a planted tank *must* be pumped full of CO2 to be successful. Its nice to see other people who know different even if the gas addicts sneak in a picture every now and again

Heres my main tank, no CO2, no glut and very low flow. Just ferts and low/medium light.

[Hilde]

Originally Posted by ony

My main tank, no CO2, no glut and very low flow. Just ferts and low/medium light.

Love it. What are the foreground plants? What is your light?

[ony]

Originally Posted by Hilde

Love it. What are the foreground plants? What is your light?

Thanks. The foreground is dwarf sag and mixed crypts and I'm using 2 plant grow T5's and one red T5. The lighting is just what came with my tank, I wouldn't have thought to try a red bulb but the colour mix does look good.

Theres a close up of my crypts, they came in a mixed crypt pack so I don't actually know their names.

[GMYukonon24s]

What is the plant that is in the all the way to the left is that guppy grass? Also what are the plants on the far right front and back of the driftwood?

[ony]

Originally Posted by GMYukonon24s

What is the plant that is in the all the way to the left is that guppy grass? Also what are the plants on the far right front and back of the driftwood?

The one on the left is star grass (Heteranthera zosterifolia) and behind the driftwood is H. polysperma. The star grass is probably my favourite plant in the aquarium, I love the leaf shape, it grows really fast and its easy to shape.

[AirstoND]

LyzzaRyzz

That sad looking plant with missing leaves looks like a ludwigia glandulosa in its submerged transition phase.