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

[slowfoot]

Thanks for the welcome and the nice comments!

I'm glad the natural pond look I was going for actually works - my husband just thinks it looks messy.

[Karackle]

No I think it definitely looks like a natural pond which means the "messiness" works....though admittedly I am a fan of the sightly messy more natural look myself so I might be a bit biased! But I definitely think it works really well in this tank, and I'm sure the newts love it!!!! And for me, the animals in the tank being happy is really the important part, if the tank also happens to look nice, then all the better! That's actually a large reason I got into planted tank, the live plants make the tank healthier which makes the fish happier, and the absolutely huge bonus is that real plants look better than fake! And they add another ever-changing dynamic to the tank which I also enjoy.

But I digress!

[choptop]

all tanks look great now i just need to learn how to post pics

[choptop]

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php...00000533700089
its a little cloudy just moved the plants around

[Bree7]

Great thread! Love everyone's tanks!

[sp33drhno]

Here's a horrible picture of my 20 long. It's packed with vals and various crpyts. There's also a honey gourami and twelve threadfin rainbows. Oh, there's some java moss as well. It's filtered by an Aquaclear 50, and has a Coralife Aqualight. The substrate is Flourite black mixed with EC and aquariumplants own.

[SearunSimpson]

If you've got Threadfins in there, I can almost guarantee there's eggs in the clump of moss!
Nice looking 'natural' tank!

[sp33drhno]

Thanks, I wish there were threadfin eggs. I'm pretty sure the dozen threadfins are all males. I lost the three females from the first group, and the second group are all males.

[enlender]

ok soo after lauralee's post below mine..
55g
substrate: Eco complete
Filtration: ehiem ecco 2334
Lighting: 52Watts of t8
Plants: Vals, Anubias petite nana, xmas moss, a lily, Cryptocoryne parva ,Wendtii green and red and bronze
live stock:2 Angels,4 Kribensis, 5 Neon Tetras, 5 harliquin rasboras, 2 Silver Hatchets, 4 ottos, 2 nerite snails.

[lauraleellbp]

Hey ya'll also need to post up your tank stats (size, lighting, filtration, substrate, plants, livestock, etc)- part of the goal of this thread is to let others see how simple it is to achieve a lovely tank like these!

[StarrD]

Originally Posted by DeeDeeK

Hi, new to the Planted Tank!

9 gallon, 2wpg 12000k PC lighting, customized low-flow internal filter

3 inches pool filter sand amended with about 2%-5% by volume compost-based potting soil, and several small, dead, buried fish (great fertilizer!)

pennywort, eurasian milfoil, parrotfeather milfoil, variable leaf water hyacinth, dwarf hairgrass, cabomba caroliniana, java moss, duckweed

ottos, dwarf corydoras, kuhli loaches, flame rasboras, one german blue ram

glass shrimp, malaysian trumpet snails, california blackworms, true planaria, gutless planaria

I purposefully introduced planaria, shrimp, and snails to help break down the mulm so it could sift down into the sand and decay there. Cali blackworms help aerate(?) the sand, as do the mts. I haven't vacuumed this tank in two years! And the even the water hyacinth (eichornia diversifolia), which is rated very difficult and needing rich fertile substrate and high light, grows like mad.

I love this tank!

[naturelady]

Here is an updated pic of my tank!! I am happy that it is actually starting to look good!

Sorry that the pic isn't super clear... I have finally figured out how to make the pics come out okay, but my camera just isn't up to the challenge of photographing tanks. Or maybe its just me...




And, because I am so stinking proud of it...

Here is a pic of my anubias blossoming!! I actually have had several blossoms now, but I think this pic of the flower just turned out so pretty... (and yes. It is pearling. Sort of.)



substrate: Eco complete
Filtration: ehiem 2215 (I think...)
Lighting: 65 watts of power compact fluorescents (yes, its a little high, so I only have lights on for 6 hrs/day)
Plants: Anubias- nana, petite nana, barteri, congensis. Bolbitis heudeloti, crypts (not sure what kinds), java ferns, HC, anacharis, myriphyllum.
Live stock: 6 guppies, 9 bloodfin tetras, 6 corydoras habrosus, 5 amano shrimp, bunch of cherry shrimp, 4 olive nerites

[Kolkri]

That looks very nice. Great job.

[Kamivy]

Tank size : 5 foot/100 gallon
Filtration: AquaOne 2200lph Canister
Lighting: 2 x 54 w T5HO @ 8hrs per day with afternoon siesta
Substrate: MTS topped with 3mm black gravel
Plants: Heaps! Crypts, swords, anubias, giant val, wisteria, rotala, hygrophila, HM, lileaopsis, HG, E. Tenellus, Telanthera, banana lillies, mosses, water ferns and more.
Ferts: none
Fauna: A gazillion red cherry shrimp and 2 golden mystery snails, rummynose tetras and sterbai corys coming soon.

[waterfaller1]

Beautiful! No ferts? How long has this tank been set up?