Have had the pleasure of browsing this forum for some time (used to post regularly on TPT and this is cross posted there) and you guys have some top notch scapes. Wanted to post my own contribution. This tank has taken over a year to mature.....one of the downsides of low tech but on the other hand, it has been relatively low maintenance. However, it does have a lawn that I would say looks pretty decent for a non-CO2 tank without using organic soil.
Soil: Mr Aqua aquarium soil and Eco complete combination.
Tank: ADA 36 inch by 18 inch by 18 inch
Hardscape: lava rock
Plants: Micranthemum montecarlo, dwarf anubias, wisteria and some assorted buces (none of which did well)
Fish: Mix of apistos and congo red tetras. I know this is a bit small for congo reds but I will eventually upgrade the tank
Lighting: Two satellite Current LED strips to get better coverage across the 18 inch deep tank. This allowed me to grow the lawn but needless to say it was challenging to keep algae at bay. Used a 7 hr photoperiod and about 40-60% light intensity. Still have some algae but nothing major.
Ferts: Daily excel, with weekly doses of Seachem Flourish, Trace and API leafzone. I did a dry start first for about 2 months using a mister and then flooded the tank. However the pace of growth was really slow for 9 months.....until I started using Seachem Advance and dosed phosphate (tested phosphate levels). At that point growth rate doubled from very slow to just slow .
Water change: 50% every two weeks.
The rock hardscape to quite a bit of time to assemble. It does get challenging to clean and annoying when fish get trapped in hard to get places. It may be hard to see but there are multiple caves that the fish love to use and there are shrimp hidden in there as well. Please note that this is meant to be relatively low maintenance so ignore the algae covered fixtures and my novice picture taking skills!
20170316_081004 by miclino, on Flickr
20170420_093922 by miclino, on Flickr
20170615_234418 by miclino, on Flickr
20170701_101045 by miclino, on Flickr
DSC_0109 by miclino, on Flickr
DSC_0074 by miclino, on Flickr
DSC_0092 by miclino, on Flickr
DSC_0125 by miclino, on Flickr
DSC_0090 by miclino, on Flickr
DSC_0135 by miclino, on Flickr
DSC_0118 by miclino, on Flickr
DSC_0117 by miclino, on Flickr
Soil: Mr Aqua aquarium soil and Eco complete combination.
Tank: ADA 36 inch by 18 inch by 18 inch
Hardscape: lava rock
Plants: Micranthemum montecarlo, dwarf anubias, wisteria and some assorted buces (none of which did well)
Fish: Mix of apistos and congo red tetras. I know this is a bit small for congo reds but I will eventually upgrade the tank
Lighting: Two satellite Current LED strips to get better coverage across the 18 inch deep tank. This allowed me to grow the lawn but needless to say it was challenging to keep algae at bay. Used a 7 hr photoperiod and about 40-60% light intensity. Still have some algae but nothing major.
Ferts: Daily excel, with weekly doses of Seachem Flourish, Trace and API leafzone. I did a dry start first for about 2 months using a mister and then flooded the tank. However the pace of growth was really slow for 9 months.....until I started using Seachem Advance and dosed phosphate (tested phosphate levels). At that point growth rate doubled from very slow to just slow .
Water change: 50% every two weeks.
The rock hardscape to quite a bit of time to assemble. It does get challenging to clean and annoying when fish get trapped in hard to get places. It may be hard to see but there are multiple caves that the fish love to use and there are shrimp hidden in there as well. Please note that this is meant to be relatively low maintenance so ignore the algae covered fixtures and my novice picture taking skills!