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The Lazy Asian Biotope

Thanks Zozo, Yes it has grown in rather well, a substrate aged over a decade may have it's advantages even if hard to replicate.

However before I refreshed this tank there were some very well established Echinodorus / Sword Plants and all I did was trim them off at substrate level leaving what would surely be a highly extensive root network still in the substrate to decompose and fertilise the new plants. That seems to have worked remarkably well because fert wise I'm only adding two pumps of Tropica Specialised on Sunday plus one pump on Wednesday.
 
It obviously work out all very well.. Even having a tank for a decade running on the smae stuff is hard to replicate for many people.. You obviously know very well what you are doing.
What i like the most is last week i was looking at this Dennerle stuff you have used and thought i might give it a try for my next setup.. Reading all this definitively pulls me over the line.. :thumbup:
 
It obviously work out all very well.. Even having a tank for a decade running on the smae stuff is hard to replicate for many people.. You obviously know very well what you are doing.
What i like the most is last week i was looking at this Dennerle stuff you have used and thought i might give it a try for my next setup.. Reading all this definitively pulls me over the line.. :thumbup:

Dennerle Deponit Mix with a fine gravel overlayer works very well indeed and certainly anchors new plants more securely than ADA Aquasoil. Definitely worth considering
 
There's a small shoal of danio kyathit (I wanted more but 14 was all that was available) that are quite absorbing to watch particularly when they are just cruising into the current. I've been struggling to film them in a way that matches what I see with my own eyes. This is my best effort so far...

 
Starting to get a bit thick in here with the gyre circulation swirling the balansae in two directions. This weekend may see a more serious pruning session or maybe I'll just let it grow in a bit more. Upped the ferts now to 1 pump Trop specialised daily as the Hygrophilia was looking a bit stunted and some of the crypts were losing their "shine"... it's helped. Light is still 2 x v old 54w T5 12 hrs plus another 2 for 2 hrs late in the photoperiod. (this is down from the 3hrs I had earlier as I decided it wasn't needed this long for any useful purpose)

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Must point out though that fish seem to find fault with the left side of the tank (needs work? or something dangerous therein lurks :wideyed: ) - far right seems to be the "hotbed" ;):D
 
Must point out though that fish seem to find fault with the left side of the tank (needs work? or something dangerous therein lurks :wideyed: ) - far right seems to be the "hotbed" ;):D

Indeed! ...the issue is that I feed them at the right corner and anytime anyone goes near the tank the fish come and congregate there in the hopes of a snack. In the still photo above I managed to capture the rosy bards in a more left hand position by remotely triggering the camera from a few feet away. Maybe I'll switch to left side feeding for a bit...
 
Amazing tank Chris!
My fish also congregate on the side of the tank I normally feed the moment I approach, even in my 5 footer.

Thanks, Yep whoever says fish have no memory is wrong! I've been feeding them on the left above the gyre pump the last few days and the frantic swim upstream from the right is very entertaining..apart from the lazy ones on the left that just wait for the food to arrive anyway..
 
Meanwhile...



Established, relaxed and diverting to watch...

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Still on the Tropica Specialised but now at 1 pump daily and occasionally 2 as my intuition guides me. I know horribly vague but, well, it seems to work for me...
 
Amazing cryp balansae, how many pots are in there? looks superb!!

Hi Robert, thanks, that's 10pots of crypt balansae planted at the end of december. They have now started throwing out some runners but I'm mostly trimming them out to stop the tank getting overrun.
 
Hi Chris

I love this tank! Simple composition but just perfect, as well as the fish. I have also planted some balansae in my new tank but I have realized it needs very stable conditions to thrive (nothing new I guess, as it happens with most crypts). I struggle with the old leaves that turn yellowish and fade away, but the green dark color of the new ones is simply awesome.

Jordi
 
Thanks Jordi,

It's my favourite ever own scape as it happens! I've never had crypts settle in so well before, and the old balansea leaves are only ageing from either getting sucked into the Maxpect or rubbing together in the current. I had virtually no melt at all with any of the new additions either. Can't say I always have such success by any stretch!
I'm suspecting that the high water flow is making quite a difference only because, that the biggest single. difference from anything previous and that I read in The Optimum Aquarium that in wild rivers crypts were seldom seen in still or slow water even down stream from areas where growth was dense. Nutrient substrate, strong flow, long moderate light, lean dosing...happy days?
 
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