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Andy D's Splendid Tank

Tank looks really good.. What sorta dosh did you have to hand over?

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
Friday has arrived so I can now set the tank up!

First up I have stuck in a base layer of pond soil. Probably not needed with my plants but just in case:

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I have capped this with Unipac Senegal sand:

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Heater already in (which I must say I am very impressed with how discreet it is) so added the pear branches:

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Partially filled and added my Anubias. These are in quite good condition considering how long they have been sitting in a bucket for!

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Next I have added the caddies:

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And then the remaining plants and filter. A couple of Java Fern tucked in the back and yet more Anubias. Also added a couple of strands of Vallis:

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Added some floating plants. They are looking a bit worse for wear but I hope they recover:

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I added a few squirts of Tropica Specialised and Premium. TDS is 160, gH is 6 and kH is 2.

Overall I am quite pleased. I am considering sourcing smaller caddies or an alternative way to attach the plants. Current caddies do the job well but I have not made my mind up as to whether they are too big.

I am also going to need to suspend the light as I think the current position may negatively effect the growth of the Peace Lillie's. Time will tell. I will let it all settle tonight and add the fish tomorrow. I also have some Catappa leaves and Alder cones to add along with my tea bags to stain the water.

:)
 
I would not bother planting anything beneath the piece lilies in the caddies, whatever it is, it will find itself smothered eventually without any light reaching it. Unless you keep the piece lilies small.
I'd say it's better to suspend the light way higher in the long term, unless you are getting plenty of direct sunlight.
 
I would not bother planting anything beneath the piece lilies in the caddies, whatever it is, it will find itself smothered eventually without any light reaching it. Unless you keep the piece lilies small.
I'd say it's better to suspend the light way higher in the long term, unless you are getting plenty of direct sunlight.

I have Anubias under the caddies as this does well in low light. If the roots get to be too much I'll trim them up a bit.

Definitely better to suspend it. Looking at it know I don't know why I ever thought this would work! :D

I need to order a few bits to do this but may bodge something together in the meantime.
 
I have Anubias under the caddies as this does well in low light. If the roots get to be too much I'll trim them up a bit.

Definitely better to suspend it. Looking at it know I don't know why I ever thought this would work! :D

I need to order a few bits to do this but may bodge something together in the meantime.

Hi Andy,
what I meant was in response to Alastair's suggestion below. The stalks of the peace lily get too tick and multiply themselves so one can't really plant other plants in the same caddy.

Hi Andy
If you get some Micranthamum micranthumoides and plant onto the top layer of the caddies it grows over the edges and down like a curtain covering them
[DOUBLEPOST=1403983718][/DOUBLEPOST]Here's a picture, all from one caddy:

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Tonight I have bodged together a way to suspend the light using some garden twine and the tube the MMS rail came in.

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Here are a couple of shots. The plants either side of the tank are just there temporarily for now.

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As always, you will have to excuse the poor photography! :)
 
Necessity is the mother of invention or as you call it 'bodge job'. I myself am a huge fan of bodging.
 
Where is the second bar hojng to go? It would be quite good lower down and to the front of the tank, angled to illuminate the area shaded by the emersed growth.
 
Where is the second bar hojng to go? It would be quite good lower down and to the front of the tank, angled to illuminate the area shaded by the emersed growth.

I am not too sure about this at present. I have bought another bar and used the rim supports to have it near the front. It does detract from the overall look but is necessary for now until I can get something else sorted.

As for the plants at the back I am hoping the Anubias will be ok. They seem to tolerate low light very well and are showing new growth. I do have a submersible LED bar that I could stick under the planters.
 
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