George Farmer said:Not much to report really.
I removed the spray bar to see what effect, if any, the direct nozzle gives on plant growth.
I've also added a few small pieces of Mini Landscape Rock aka Seiryu Stone to the foreground. I simply smashed up a spare piece up with an old axe (eye protection is recommended).
I scrubbed the rocks with a wire brush to remove the stubborn algae. I actually removed each rock and cleaned them individually before replacing into a similar position. I made some very minor adjustments, but I'm not sure if anyone will notice...
It seems my worrying about algae covering the substrate was unnecessary, and the plants remain algae-free also.
So this is somewhat a surprising success so far, as it's now almost 3 months running, and one of the most trouble-free and low maintenance aquascapes I've run so far. Who says you need to plant heavily?!
Here's a re-cap of the specs -
Tank - Aqua Essentials 60x30x36cm German OptiWhite and cabinet
Light - 1 x 24w HO T5 9000K 8 hours
Filter - 1200lph external with inline heater
CO2 - 2Kg FE with Dennerle reg on solenoid, inline Boyu diffuser
Ferts - 3ml TPN+ and 3ml Seachem Excel per day
Substrate - Unipac Maui Sand (inert)
Maintenance - 50% WC per week
Plants - Eleocharis acicularis
Fish - Glowlight tetra and Amano shrimp
For the photographers all shots were taken with tank lighting only and my 50D with 17-70mm Sigma lens.
Thanks. I like dwarf cichlids, especially colourful Apistogrammas and Rams, but I don't feel they're really suited to this aquascape, in my view. Thanks for the feedback though.clonitza said:It does look very nice George. You can add a dwarf ciclid pair there, let them spawn, feed & watch the little ones ..
Wow! Now there's the best compliment someone like me could ever hope for. I don't quite agree, but thank you so much anyway.NeilW said:
Glad you approve, Mark. Thanks!Mark Evans said:
Thanks, John.john starkey said:
.
Thanks!ianho said:
Thanks pal. I just can't handle dirty rocks in such an otherwise clean-looking tank!Dan Crawford said:
Thanks!ukco2guy said:
Sorry for the confusion. The tank is usually lit with 1 x T5 for 8 hours. I use 4 x T5 for photography. I tend to use lower lighting as it means lower maintenance, lower cost, and less risk of algae.ukco2guy said:
This is plain Maui Sand from Unipac. It's completely inert and doesn't contain any nutrients. I've used it in a few aquascapes now and I really like it. I rely on TPN+ for my nutrient dosing.ukco2guy said:
I've had to run higher lighting in my latest Dutch tank, as some of the "low down" plants were suffering due to taller plants overshadowing. Even then we're only talking 2wpg.Aeropars said:
George Farmer said:A recent in-situ shot. This is the dining area of my kitchen.
I like in-situ shots. I think it's important for our aquascapes to fit nicely into our living spaces.
George Farmer said:A recent in-situ shot. This is the dining area of my kitchen.
I like in-situ shots. I think it's important for our aquascapes to fit nicely into our living spaces.
andyh said:George Farmer said:A recent in-situ shot. This is the dining area of my kitchen.
I like in-situ shots. I think it's important for our aquascapes to fit nicely into our living spaces.
So i showed my wife Bex the above photo, i am afraid she didn't even notice the world class Aquascape in the corner, she simply said " I like that funky light fitting"
That's done. Beauty job.
