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Matt's 220 litre low tech tank

Joined
17 Aug 2018
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Again, just catching you all up on my tanks...

I've recently taken this one from an island layout to a triangular layout. The plants need to grow in a but yet but hopefully you can see what I'm going for (and the improvement!)

Lighting: Fluval Aquasky
Filtration: Eden 522-300w
Dosing: The aquascaper complete liquid plant food (6ml daily), 4ml liquid carbon daily (currently experimenting with both guteraldehyde and citric acid based products simulataneously)
Rock: Seiryu stone
Substrate: Sand, JBL Mandano
Wood: Spider wood
Plants: Its a bit chaotic at the moment!.... Vallis, Baby Java Fern, Various Crypts (lots!), Rotala Rotundifolia (not doing so well...), Anubias Nana, Dwarf Sag, Amazon sword, Hygrophila Polysperma, Hellanthium Tennelum, Marimo moss balls, Crinum Calamistratum, Lilaeopsis novea-zealandia, Bolbitis
I plant to remove the Dwarf Sag, Marimo moss balls, Lilaeopsis and Rotala in the near future...
South American Inhabitants:
Dwarf Cichlids - Rams, Golden Eyes, Agasizzi
Tetra - Cardinals, Rummynose, Dwarf Pencilfish, Embers
Bottom dwellers - Stiphodons (soon to be replaced with Otos), Cory False Julii
Cherry shrimp, MTS
(Plus 2 harlequins and a gourami from a previous setup)
 

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Just seen this, really like the wood structure. Any updates? Dwarf Pencils are a fabulous little fish T


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Thanks!!

I'm quite keen to show what can be done by "the average fishkeeper" with no fancy equipment etc. It's just 27w of led lighting, one bag of relatively cheap planting substrate (JBL Mandano), no CO2, easy plants etc.

I've actually stopped dosing the aquascaper complete liquid plant food except for just following a water change... I have no nitrates in my tap water. I then dose the recommended weekly amount of JBL Ferropol and that's it. I let the fish load and feeding etc take care of the rest. I found my nitrate readings at the end of the week were very high with the recommended dosing of complete liquid plant food...

I am a proponent of siesta lighting - I believe this allows a non CO2 tank to have a decent lighting period. I wouldn't recommend over 6 hours without it as co2 will be depleted after this time. I have x2 4 hour lighting periods with a 4 hour break in the middle. This also means the tank is lit in the morning and evening when I can enjoy it.

If you want to find out more check out www.scapeeasy.co.uk
 
Thanks!!

I'm quite keen to show what can be done by "the average fishkeeper" with no fancy equipment etc. It's just 27w of led lighting, one bag of relatively cheap planting substrate (JBL Mandano), no CO2, easy plants etc.

I've actually stopped dosing the aquascaper complete liquid plant food except for just following a water change... I have no nitrates in my tap water. I then dose the recommended weekly amount of JBL Ferropol and that's it. I let the fish load and feeding etc take care of the rest. I found my nitrate readings at the end of the week were very high with the recommended dosing of complete liquid plant food...

I am a proponent of siesta lighting - I believe this allows a non CO2 tank to have a decent lighting period. I wouldn't recommend over 6 hours without it as co2 will be depleted after this time. I have x2 4 hour lighting periods with a 4 hour break in the middle. This also means the tank is lit in the morning and evening when I can enjoy it.

If you want to find out more check out www.scapeeasy.co.uk
JBL Ferropol what product is this Matt? The tank looks very healthy. I too have a low tech planted tank no co2 just tnc complete daily.
Cheers Lee
 
TNC Complete is a good product. JBL Ferrorpol has everything except nitrate (ammonia from fish converted to nitrate by filter) and phosphate (found in fish food) so for highly stocked tanks is useful as it won't raise nitrate levels. It does contain potassium though which some micro fertilisers (not all) miss out. I say highly stocked... I wouldn't consider my tank over stocked by any stretch... have you tested nitrates pre-water change recently? You may find you want to adjust your dosing level... I try and keep nitrates less than 30ppm esp as I have sensitive fish like rams in the tank.
 
I never test my water. Only test my tds that's it. People on here say test kits are useless. So I have never bothered testing. I do a 50% water change every week so hopefully that resets everything. I slightly overdose my tnc daily so I know all my plants are getting what they need.
Cheers Lee
 
I was also doing 50% water changes. Task kits cannot tell the difference between 5ppm and 10ppm nitrates accurately sure, but they can tell the difference between 10ppm and 200ppm no problem. It depends how you use them!!
 
Their great. I had a couple with poor genetics though (bent spine) so do check them thoroughly in the shop. Other than that they are beautiful and stay near the surface a lot (main reason I got them). They are very peaceful. Quite a small mouth so flake or micropellets only I would say. Like floating plants or say vallis on the surface. What else would you like to know?
 
Their great. I had a couple with poor genetics though (bent spine) so do check them thoroughly in the shop. Other than that they are beautiful and stay near the surface a lot (main reason I got them). They are very peaceful. Quite a small mouth so flake or micropellets only I would say. Like floating plants or say vallis on the surface. What else would you like to know?

Thanks, I was just wondering if they are similar to the other pencilfish species and by the sounds of it they are. I've kept a few members of the family and know a few are delicate and not the best community fish but these seem to be just a slightly smaller version of the good species.
 
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