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Aqua at pet shop - Season 2 - layout #6

September 2016 update - about 5.5 months.

I've been very busy with home renovation, so had no time and energy to visit to pet shop for almost 3 weeks. And nothing bad happens actuaaly when I saw the tank yesterday and do maintenace. Of course, a little bit more BBA than usual, but I'm still think it's under control. Photo taken before maintenance with dirty glass:

29312700750_73188e5a0d.jpg60x30x36 - 6 months by Alexander, on Flickr

For me nothing really bad in the state of the tank. I've done the maintenance, prune some plants and clean external filter. This time I've decided to set it up with media exactly as manual recommends (only active carbon I'm missing). The major change I've used bio-media plastic balls for second tray, as it should by the manual. So far all those years the canister have been working without those balls. I can't explain, but recently reading about sumps and refugiums, and how some big Amano's tanks have set up, I started to think I need more bio-filtration in my own tanks, rather than mechanical filtration. I expect to see better control over BBA, which is very possibly related to big amount of fish (about 20) and constant over feeding by pet shop staff (they simply don't want to hear my arguments about overfeeding). So my plan is to experiment with bio-media and see whether it's good for this particular tank with regular maintenance, and maybe I can start to do maintanence every 2 weeks, if it works.

Anyway, so far tank looks more or less OK after maintenance:

29602986505_06cfabf066.jpg60x30x36 - 6 months by Alexander, on Flickr

I'm startig thinking about rescaping it as riparium with rich emersed part, maybe fill the tank on half and make small waterfall with water from filter outlet. Also the fish. It's nice, but somewhat pale, I'd like to put there something more colorful, maybe cardinal tetra.
 
Lovely tank & 'large' cories - are they a bigger species? It will be interesting to know how the changes to your filter will work - I always change the eheim plastic mech pro with sponge, as just can't see how it could be effective at filtering enough dirt from the biological media in the next stage!
 
@Manisha those "large" cories aren't large at all IMO, they're about 4 cm. It's venezuela orange cories - I have them since January 2016. Very cute fish, I like corys.

23900078000_cbfb097e2f.jpg60x30x36 - 1 month by Alexander, on Flickr

I'm happy with these corys - quite hardy and unfussy at all. But they're shy a little, if there is no food to eat they prefer to hide into the jungle.
 
I have no clear idea what to do with background. Most likely I will put bolbitis there, but for now there is rotala valichii - just because I have no other room for it :-/
 
Thank you! Sometimes I feel those flame tetra is better suitable for close watching. On overall photos they're not so prominent. I wonder if cardinal tetra would be more colorful there...
 
Alexander Belchenko said:
I have no clear idea what to do with background. Most likely I will put bolbitis there, but for now there is rotala valichii - just because I have no other room for it :-/
Click to expand...
I think not. Better leave it like this. It is dense enough in low middle and background. You need to create a space in upper area for eyes ease :)
 
Oh, I meant middle of V shaped area between upright branches. There was a lot of pinatifida, but it's too big for this tank, so I trimmed it heavily.
 
Today we had a small meeting in the pet shop: 3 enthusiast of planted tanks I invited to come and look at new Aqualighter Aquascape LED unit. Below you can compare difference between fluorescent lamps and led unit.

2*36W fluorescent lamps (8000K+4000K)

30072270445_51a6b76741_z.jpg60x30x36 by Alexander, on Flickr

1 Aqualighter Aquascape unit in full power (6500K+3000K)

29777974940_dd080a456c_z.jpg60x30x36 by Alexander, on Flickr
 
Hi, that sure is a difference, though it may be just the way the camera picks up the light, I like how the hygrophila pinatifida colours show best with the led - but I actually think the florescent lamps show better colour on the green plants lower down in the tank? Though I know what our eyes see & what's optimum for plant growth is very different...
 
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