The evolution of "George"

[Green Fever]

I started fish keeping in January 2012 with 2 goldfish in a fishbowl for my then 2 1/2yr old daughter. After about 2 weeks my wife said the fish looked sad so we went out and bought a 3cm common pleco, 25l kit tank which came with some blue gravel, a plastic plant and a plastic pirate . I bought some pink light "for plants" (20w t8) and mondo grass and Alternanthera Reinekii. It had a few changes and in its peak it looked like this :





I moved into my new house in July 2012 and bought my 3ft 100l. I really got hooked on plants in that tank. In October I got a custom 4ft 300l as my tank was too small. Final pic before dismantling.

 

[Green Fever]

I took an old cupboard/desk I found in the house I bought and rebuilt it to house my new tank. I cut reinforcement in to support the weight, changed the drawers for hinged doors, squared everything up and painted it. I think it came out pretty well:

 

[Green Fever]

I built a hinged canopy with separate compartments for the lighting ballasts. I diy'd some reflectors and installed 4x54w t5's

 

[Green Fever]

And then the best part. The tank went on top of the cupboard on 12 October 2012 and then fun really began...
28 October 2012


November 2012


December 2012


January 2013 - DIY co2 Injection

 

[Green Fever]

February 2013 - Pressurised co2


March 2013


April 2013



May 2013

 

[Nutty]

wow that is quiet a evolution! what happened between Feb and March? different K lights? or new camera? ... everything got a lot greener!

looks great though!

 

[Green Fever]

July 2013


August 2013


September 2013

 

[Green Fever]

wow that is quiet a evolution! what happened between Feb and March? different K lights? or new camera? ... everything got a lot greener!

looks great though!

Thanks very much and well spotted. I originally had 2x54w T5's (10000k & 8000k) and added 2x54w (6500k). I also started pressurised co2 injection in February.

 

[Green Fever]

Well that's my entire journey to date and these are all the specs:

300l
Dimensions:1.2x0.5x0.5 = 300l
Ferts: Full Seachem range as per their dosing charts
Lights: 4x54w T5's (2x6500k, 1x8000k and 1x10000k) - Lights on 17h00-23h00
Filtration: Dolphin C1300 canister; 2xInternal filters
Co2: Up Aqua reg, 2kg extinguisher, Ista 3 in 1 diffuser, Ista - All angle drop checker - co2 on 16h00-22h00
Subtrate: Inert - Silica gravel (0.4 - 4mm)
Fauna: Scalare Pterophyllum (3), Harlequin Rasbora (10), Guppies (plenty), Longfin Ancistrus, Trilineatus Corydoras (3), Sterbai Corydoras (5), SAE (5), Nothobranchius Guentheri (2), Colisa Lalia
Flora: Collectoritis sufferer...

 

[Green Fever]

Whoops...I didn't post a full pic of the tank and cabinet. This is an old pic but you get the idea...

 

[Ady34]

Great progression from January 2012. Really love march 2013 photo, and its current look too. Lovely tank.

 

[flygja]

What a great progression! Though I did half expect to see Mr Farmer in his diapers followed by bell-bottoms and nylon shirts.

 

[oldbloke]

Everybody's a bloody master joiner these days.......

Great job.

 

[Green Fever]

Thanks very much Ady and to all the other "likes". I got tank of the month on 2 local forums for the March era of my tank. I was really chuffed with it. Unfortunately I was and still am learning how big the plants get and where they should go so the tank got completely wild and I ran out of place to put the cuttings so I landed up removing 3/4 of the hardscape for a bit more planting space.

Great progression from January 2012. Really love march 2013 photo, and its current look too. Lovely tank.

I am enjoying the current scape/jungle/garden and recently acquired some Echinodorus Tennelus which has started sending runners and turning a golden/red colour. Let's see if I can grow a carpet...

Also my hemianthus micranthemoides has got quite big so I'd like to trim it low and see if I can get compact growth out of it

 

[Green Fever]

Thanks for the compliment

What a great progression! Though I did half expect to see Mr Farmer in his diapers followed by bell-bottoms and nylon shirts.

Ha ha ha...

 

[Green Fever]

Thanks a lot oldbloke. It is a necessary evil here with the cost of everything being so damn expensive! I learn't a lot with the build of my cabinet and there are a few things I would do differently if I did the exercise again.

Everybody's a bloody master joiner these days.......

Great job.

 

[George Farmer]

Great job!

I'm a bit disappointed not to see photos charting my life from babyhood though.

 

[Alastair]

Great job!

I'm a bit disappointed not to see photos charting my life from babyhood though.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Gill]

Great Evolution of your journey into the planted world.

 

[Green Fever]

Great job!

I'm a bit disappointed not to see photos charting my life from babyhood though.

Thanks George. Those were going to be my next pics


Thanks very much Gill. I like to think I've progressed decently in a year in planted tanks. I like to look back through my pics every now and then to see where the tank has come from.

Not much of an aquascaper but I can certainly grow jungles