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Japan inspired low tech

T

Tom Michael

Member
Joined
16 Nov 2014
Messages
271
After recently returning from a visit to Japan I have been motivated to start a new planted aquarium. Due to time constraints I am keeping it low tech/maintenance no CO2 or Excel.

Tank stats:

Tank:Juwel Lido 120
Lighting: 2xT5s (5 h p/d)
Filtration: Eheim Classic 2217 + powerhead
Substrate: Aquasoil
Ferts: Flourish micros weekly

The first photos are some I took in Japan, Japanese garden and some of Amano's aquariums:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16309572701/" title="379 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7582/16309572701_0e3106365b_c.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/15691649173/" title="388 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7550/15691649173_faca9399ba_c.jpg

://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16311373955/" title="391 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/16311373955_6fa9f77802_c.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16309725971/" title="408 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7493/16309725971_7e99fbf3aa_c.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16309600891/" title="460 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7504/16309600891_7fff67c715_c.jpg

A couple of Amano's aquariums

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16124014400/" title="726 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8615/16124014400_f02218106f_c.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16311400835/" title="696 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7494/16311400835_cd6d9d249e_c.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16123946308/" title="734 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7478/16123946308_87232f7b3d_c.jpg

My aquarium to date:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16311865975/" title="024 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8655/16311865975_79f4347d18_c.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16310096241/" title="031 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8632/16310096241_c2d75c389b_c.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/15689027814/" title="036 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7574/15689027814_8e8cfef973_c.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/15691547843/" title="015 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7506/15691547843_5db84dae80_c.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/15691554273/" title="044 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8614/15691554273_0f72ec107d_c.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16124057580/" title="046 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7493/16124057580_9ed6d4615d_c.jpg


Running for 10 weeks. all plants are doing well with the exception of the micro sword on the bottom right, which doesn't seem to be growing and is attracting some thread algae. I will prob try again with E. tenellus or dwarf sag. I also want to add some nice rocks, when I find some I like!

I would greatly welcome thoughts and suggestions...

Cheers

Tom
 
Hello mate welcome to the forum

The pics you shared from your visit are amazing bet they the scenes where amazing in person. The tank your put together looks top too, wouldn't quite regard it as low tech tbh but very nice indeed without co2 injection.
 
Wow! Your tank looks immaculate! Really healthy plants for a low tech!
 
Really nice pics. Try getting the dwarf version of the sabulata. Tenellus is also good but keep away from a smaller tenellus version sometimes called parvulus. You can see 3 different echinodoruses in the link.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/Live-Aquarium-Plants-IN-VITRO-Aquatic-Tropical-Fish-Aquascaping-Tank-Carpet/181540510773?hlpht=true&ops=true&viphx=1&_trksid=p5197.c100068.m2280&_trkparms=ao=1&asc=20140211125758&meid=80a4df23e67f492ca8d5d9d690e327d5&pid=100068&clkid=3472259537228031565&_qi=RTM1851862
 
Nice tank and loverly pics too.
 
Thanks all for the kind comments.

Jose, thanks for the foreground plant suggestion, I will probably try both and let them fight it out, for some reason the micro sword isn't rooting, perhaps the stem plant growth is starving them of CO2. The plan b is some kind off moss carpet.

Nayr, the first picture was what initially inspired as the ferns reminded me of java fern. Strictly speaking that and moss would replicate, although it would take a long time in low tech, and i added stem plants to soak the nutrients and left them as I like the look. The bambo in the 4th pic reminded me of cambomba, and the red leaves of the tree in the 5th reminded me of some of the red aquarium stem plants.

I'm new to photographing aquariums and not totally satisfied with the results, a bit too dark and the colors look a bit odd, I will play around with the manual settings next update. Prob need a tripod.

I also have more amano tank photos and will post some of my observations; less light, CO2 than I initially expected and many more hardy plants, slow growing ferns crypts etc, and they certainally were not algae free! undoubtably stunning though.

I was reading a Diana walstad article recently and she noted that in her tanks the stem plants do well for around 10 months and then suffer and slowly die as the cannot compete with the more hardy plants ferns etc for the limited CO2 and nutients. Does any one have views to the contrary , I would have thought that if you continue to dose the water column this is not the case? And if CO2 is constant, however small, there is no clear change here? I will probably revert to some kind of very low EI dosing as Tom Barr recommends, I'm not too keen on dosing excell as I'm worried it will kill some plants like the vallis.

I'm down to replacing 10 percent of the water every four weeks, fish and shrimp don't seem to mind.
 
Last edited:
Hi Tom,
I really recommend Tom Barrs low tech dosing strategy for the long run. Diana walstads has many drawbacks imo. You ought to keep good oxygenation so as to keep a constant supply from the atmosphere of CO2. This will keep co2 levels low but constant so plants never run out of it.

Hairgrass doesnt do well without co2 ime.

you can change water every week but let the water rest for a day so that you dont get co2 spikes which melts plants.
 
A few updated pics:

Red cherry shrimps

"https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16627215432/" title="DSC_0467 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8678/16627215432_164ca658ea_b.jpg"

"https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16442013369/" title="DSC_0477 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8598/16442013369_bd2c8f5a8b_b.jpg"

Tetras breading (tough to photo!)

"https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16440691928/" title="DSC_0434 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8675/16440691928_51e5148e1b_b.jpg"

Micro sword finally getting established

"https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16008036903/" title="DSC_0845 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8576/16008036903_bb12ca9825_b.jpg"

As is the Hydrocotyle

"https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16440812610/" title="DSC_0836 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8589/16440812610_8aaf931abb_b.jpg"

New Rocks (fossilized wood)

"https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16420310897/" title="DSC_0824 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8587/16420310897_657360eb17_b.jpg"

Full tank shot

"https://www.flickr.com/photos/129003078@N03/16007830583/" title="DSC_0821 by tommoody25, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8580/16007830583_775c122b00_b.jpg"

Still need to get another foreground plant to fill in the front but otherwise everything is filling in really well and the tank requires very little maintenance.
 
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