Nornicle Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 My Tank Before with goldfish in it... Extreme Makeover The tank is freshly planted and needs time to grow(exposure is too high on the first photo) The back left is still needing to be planted out (waiting for the right plants and $) Details Plants (from front right to back left, crypts first) Cryptocoryne walkeri Cryptocoryne becketii Cryptocoryne balansae Cryptocoryne wendtii 'mi oya' Cryptocoryne lucens (sold as this but is actually C. willisii X 'lucens' a naturally occuring 'hybrid' plant according to Tropica, although I doubt that the plant I have is the true C. willisi X 'lucens'...) Echinodorus sp. 'chain sword' Vallisneria americana 'gigantae' Vallisneria americana 'natans' Ceratopteris thalictroides Hygrophila polysperma Bolbitis heudelotii Jungle fern (not sure if its Microsorium or not) Microsorium pteroptus 'windelov' Echinodorus'rose' (E. horemanii ''rot'' X E. horizontalis according to Tropica) Echinodorus 'red rubin' (E. horemanii ''rot'' X Echinodorus barthii according to Tropica) Microsorium pteroptus Vesicularia dubyana (although who knows what it REALLY is..) Fish: 6 x Apistogramma agassizi 'red' tail although god knows where they are now.. I can only ever spot 2 or 3 at a time. 1 X Ancistrus hoplogenys Peppermint bristlenose (I was going to remove him for fear of chomping on my plants.. but for now he can stay - truly a fantastic looking fish) 7 X Congo tetras (I killed 5.... don't ask... ) 1 X guppy (again.. don't ask ) Technical Filter : Eheim 2217 (will be packed full of filter wool + carbon to draw tannins out of water) + 2215 (packed with filter wool and coral sand, will act as a reactor for co2) Tank Size : 6x2.5x2.5 Lighting : 4 x Arcadia Marine White, 4 X Arcadia Tropical (2 of each in 4ft and 2ft) Fertilisation : Tetra Hilena Initial Tabs, 'Crypto' Tabs, JBL 'The 7 Balls,' Terralit base, Seachem Flourish and Iron. The Future: Plants: I want Crinum natans growing up and in the left side ( hiding the equipment and providing some shade). I want C. willisi mixed into the fore ground... and possibly grow some more wendtii.. but I will have to watch the evolution of the tank, esp the swords... (note that even in a tank this big, i've only planted TWO swords!!!) If I had all the plants in the world, I would replace the jungle fern (in my opinion it is of only so so aesthetic value) and replace it with narrow leaf java fern. I would replace all java moss with 'micro' moss and grow christmas moss on the same log as the jungle fern. Fish: I'm considering earth eaters although im not sure of the intelligence of that..... I'll be giving a couple of small fish a go in the tank I think and see what they do, a pair of adult altifrons would really look nice! Otherwise a pair of discus and some schooling fish... definitely a school of C. brochis . What I would eventually REALLY like.. although I bet I kill them through my sheer incompetence and clumsiness is the Peruvian Altum (any one seen them for cheap... im a dreamer...)... I have some panda cories I'm considering letting loose in the tank, but I am afraid they will not get enough food and starve... the fragile little basta.. i mean.. critters. Technical: Never fear, DIY pressurised Co2 is on the way. I want to add fans to cool the lights, and maybe use power compacts, overdriven normal output lights or metal halides. Another future upgrade is adding another eheim 2217... or selling them all and upgrading to a Eheim 2260 (the cost is the prohibitive part! at least $700 just for the filter ALONE i.e no media) Stay tuned for more developments! If you would like more details on how I got everything together from empty tank to planted, I have a journal of the tank on plantedtank.net, you will however have to be a member to view this journal link (it costs the webmaster bandwidth and is image intensive so broadband only) - My Tank Journal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevkoi Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 Richard, I think u're thinking of the "Orinoco" Altums. Peruvian altums (P.scalare "Peruvian") are not true altums... and the Peruvians ARE available occasionally. I had a breeding pair of Peruvians at one point. Sold the pair to a couple of Japanese guys. At the risk of now driving you broke and into another direction... here's a good Angelfish site for you to drool over. http://www.finarama.com/tba/ We'll need another picture in say 2weeks time when the chain-swords are more established and the other plants fill the space out. : nice nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I'd be interested in seeing how the E. tenellus go; I'd like some for my tank, seeing that the Loaches have just about done the Lileopsis in. BTW, where di you buy them from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted March 12, 2004 Author Share Posted March 12, 2004 it's not e. tenellus (narrow leaf) I used to have it and there aren't many places you can get it. People sell e. tenellus but its actually a much wider leaf than the true E. tenellus which is very dark leafed + very thin leaf..no more than 3mm wide (and is used by Amano alot) The E. tenellus I see in Sydney alot is actually more similar to dwarf sag, but I don't know the scientific name... Lilaeopsis is a great plant, very strange though when I grew it, it only ever flourised UNDER the shade of the sword's leaves... and grew VERY slowly.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Nice work Nornicle. Coming along nicely. The subrate has a nice colour to it. The Eheims are pretty expensive in Aust. However, I am going to Singapore in two weeks time and will be coming back with an Eheim 2260 for about A$380. They come without media, so instead of ehfisubtrate, I will probably be using scoria, which are like small lava rocks. Cost next to nothing, and has good surface area. Another alternative is Kongs aqua one (chinese version) of ehfisubrate which I can get for $40 for 25kg's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted March 14, 2004 Share Posted March 14, 2004 Lilaeopsis is a great plant, very strange though when I grew it, it only ever flourised UNDER the shade of the sword's leaves... and grew VERY slowly.. That's interesting, because that's completely the opposite of how Lilaeopsis should be doing, as it is supposedly higher light than the E. tenellus. Perhaps that's why it is slow growing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted March 14, 2004 Share Posted March 14, 2004 I thought the "balance" in the tank was great, and wouldn't add further plants to the back left corner of the tank as you suggested. Once the tank grows in, a clear space will be good. I wouldn't put the earth eaters in, gravel sifters, and plant tanks don't mix. Good job. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted March 28, 2004 Author Share Posted March 28, 2004 - added about 40 rummy noses, 20 sterbai corydoras - added purigen to suck out all the tannin staining i've gone pressurised co2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted April 6, 2004 Author Share Posted April 6, 2004 5-4-2004 update moved some plants around wish i could stick more in, but cant find the plants i want at the prices i want pre discus - discus going in tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHL Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 A planted tank is never fisnished! I've just done some hard pruning (after some time of not doing anything) on one of mine (my display planted tank), and will take a closer look at it again in a week once everything has time to settle somewhat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted April 11, 2004 Author Share Posted April 11, 2004 lol thats why i really detest high light tanks with co2 and lots of plants - look great but pruning is such a $%#$%!!! I really respect people who keep lots of nice stem plants and have to constantly prune!! some more pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted May 5, 2004 Author Share Posted May 5, 2004 Heres a 5/5/04 update of the tank! co2 kinda stuffed up for a while but I've got it all going good guns now it was screwing up the canister so i stopped that.. also had a spate of saddle back *DOH* oh photos were taken as the lights were going off so all the plants have closed up! doh! whole tank right side Red Alenquer Discus (as far as I can tell their not hybrids.. ) 1. 2. 3. 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barca888 Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 Wow it's really coming along. Very nice pictures. Love the discus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett4Perth Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 Great Nornicle, It is really filling in nicely, you must be pleased. Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbuna Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 that looks awesome nornicle, thats great growth for under two months! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barca888 Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 "also had a spate of saddle back" What does this mean? When u said your plants had "closed up" does this mean you just turned the light on? Thanks Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted May 11, 2004 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Great to see how the tank has been coming on. Also great to see how your photography has improved! Your tank is looking really good, and I agree with your comments in regards to admiration for those who use co2 and bunch plants. Your discus look really great. Well done, the tank is a credit to you. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted May 12, 2004 Share Posted May 12, 2004 HI Richard your tank looks awesome , is it high maintenance cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajk Posted May 12, 2004 Share Posted May 12, 2004 Nornicle, Magic tank mate! Id love one. But mines not looking anything like that! What are those plants you used in the forground? e. tenelus? Regards, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted May 12, 2004 Author Share Posted May 12, 2004 Wow what's with the sudden spate of replies!!! Saddleback = Columnaris a bacterial infection that makes the fish look likes its body has a 'saddle' absolute #$%^ of a disease.... If you look carefully at my plants, the leaves are 'pointed' towards to the surface of the tank... when plants come to the end of their photosynthesis for the day (generally at the end of the photo period, around 10 hours for most plants) they 'close' their leaves for sleep... It's hard for me to take photos unless its just before the tank is turning off because I have to turn off every light in the house to get the good photos.. Thanks for the congrats on my photography, i've really been trying to learn how to use this digital camera esp with manual modes.. its awesome!! - Canon A80 Sarah - its very low maintainence, one of my goals with this tank is to only touch it for maintainence once every 2 weeks or so (pruning and cleaning the surface) I do try to do 2 50% water changes a week though, for the discus's sake. Andrew - the plant at the front is a form of echinodorus, many call it tenellus, but i prefer to call the dark green narrow leafed plant tenellus, and the wider leaf one magdalenensis (as aquamail calls it). There is a big difference in the type of plant!! Amano mostly uses the former.. I prefer the former, but magdalenensis grows very quickly and is easier to keep .. BTW I added a pair of blue rams.. its been nearly a week and they are still alive!! they seem to still be breathing quite quickly, so im feeding the tank an anti-parasitic (in case of gill flukes) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrdog Posted May 12, 2004 Share Posted May 12, 2004 TRULY AMAZING!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted August 8, 2004 Author Share Posted August 8, 2004 I screwed up and white spot hit the guys from a too cold a water change (I blame it on the clown loaches) I'll try to get pics tonight, but I've taken all the chain sword out and I'm looking for a new foreground carpet plant.. that needs very low light requirements ) I'm going to try java moss as a foreground plant and see how that goes.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punie Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Generally, the best foreground plant thats low maint. is e tenellus but with co2 they too can run pretty quick! Using java moss as a foreground plant can get pretty messy, unless you tie em to a mesh, huge effort but results are worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fozziwozzi Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 Very nice nornicle! Out of curiosity where do you buy your discus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted August 8, 2004 Author Share Posted August 8, 2004 they sell wild type and normal discus I bought them at Slippery Little Suckers in Kingsford, they have awesome discus at a damn good price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.