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Dont give up hope! A 6 month window.

Mark Evans

Mark Evans

Expert
Joined
13 Jun 2008
Messages
6,483
Location
newark notts.
On occasions, i read post of people wanting to give up due to algae woes, and the likes.

I thought I'd do a little post possibly, to maybe stop people wanting to give up. With a lot of help from the UKAPS forums, there's all the answers people need.

Great guys to get help and feedback from, i for sure wouldn't be doing what i'm doing if it wasn't for many folk on here.

The following tanks, were done in a 6 month window.


back in 2007, September ish, i had this aquarium, low light no ferts and if i'm honest, no clue.

1-3.jpg


come christmas, i bought a bigger tank, hoping i could at least replicate what I'd done previous...This was hopeless! :wideyed: Algae tastic. BBA took over everything. Look @ the wood!

2-3.jpg


Anyway, it was at about this time, i started to go on forums, but not yet found UKAPS. I'd discovered you need co2 to grow plants, but my efforts to inject it correctly didn't work. I had 4 x 54w t5 baring down on the tank.

Once I'd slowly improved my injection rate, and started adding ferts, things started to improve. All of this in just weeks.

3-3.jpg


The above tank, was the turning point for me. No looking back.About 4 months in and Now that i knew how to grow plants, i rescape the big tank using ADA system, and bought a 60cm...later to become 'The Henge'

4-2.jpg


Hopefully, for those wanting to give up...DONT! just keep going, research, use the Internet to it's full potential, and in time, you'll get to where you want to be. :thumbup:

5 years in, and the aquarium world is your oyster.

sdreaming-1.jpg
 
Love it :)

Its strange when everything clicks...it just seems like such common sense!
 
Such an improvement (not taking anything away from your original work) Ive been trying to get a planted tank going since January but have failed twice so far and I will admit I am loosing patience with it but after seeing what you have achieved I think I will have to try again and try harder :)
 
Great thread, Mark! Thanks for sharing.

It's really interesting how rapidly one can progress in the hobby with the right tools (knowledge and appropriate gear). Mix it up with some talent and you're onto a real winner, as you have clearly shown over the last couple of years.

Seeing the transformation in the aquascapes is also very interesting. Amano has influenced so many of us - sometimes I nearly forget...
 
Nice post.

I've been seriously considering giving up, then I took time to go over everything I've previously learnt and make sure I wasn't making any stupid mistakes....I was. So now with renewed confidence I'm enjoying this planted tank malarkey.
 
Mark,

Nice thread and thanks for sharing. For us newbies its great to see the progress you can make and how this in itself keeps the hobby interesting.

Your thread got me thinking about when I look on fleabay - you always see the complete setups where its obvious somebody has just thought it would be nice to have a fish tank and then after a short time they're fed up.

So unlike most members on the forum, these guys and girls have perhaps given up before the tank ever got to see a real plant or a great piece of hardscape - I guess my point is that my wife and friends said they'd give me one year with my tank before I'm sick of it and I think that maybe they would have been right if I never discovered the forum and the hobby of keeping plants the way we do it on here.

The forum community, members journals and advice has definitley increased my knowledge and kept me motivated to refine and improve my scape
 
May I ask what the plant is in between the wood in that last pic? Kind of hanging over it
 
Nicely done Mark,I found Ukaps invaluable when I did my first planted tank,Geogre,and Dan were my 2 sources of inspiration back then,but just to add my own little bit of advice,especially for new comers who see the the planted tanks Looking spotless and thinking I want a tank like that,well these setups are only achieved and kept that way with good husbandry,I can't ephasise how important it is to get into a maitainance routine and stick to it as best as possible,if you keep on top of a setup it will be the focal point of your front room and ampleasure to view,if you don't it becomes a chore and you will lose interest,when a setup is new two water changes per week is best until it's all growing well then once a week should be suffice,I change 1/3 to 1/4 every week,I top up evaporation every other day so that in a way is also doing some good,

Keep on top of your setup and it will always be great to look at,that's how the best setups on here are kept looking that way.

John
 
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