Monstronarium ii

[Joel S]

I needed to downsize because there’s only so many and so large tanks that can work on my boat, so last year I set up a 45cm AG tank to replace the 60cm Monstronarium i.


It’s now been planted for 11 months, and has been through a few stages but all of them building on the first planting so far.

Lighting is an ONF flat nano (from Aquarium Gardens) and a small spotlight.
Filter is an Oase biomaster 60 (is that the name of the small one?)
50w aquael heater.
CO2 directly bubbled into the inlet of the filter.
Gravel substrate with crushed Seachem Flourish tab layer (occasionally added to).
Redmoor root, some of which is mounted on suckers to the back of the tank.
Foraged Apple, Alder, Ivy, and Willow wood.

 

[Joel S]

As soon as I set up the 45cm tank I had to quickly re-setup my Flexi-mini as it was clear that my Plakat Betta couldn’t get on with my male Rocket Killifish. The Betta lived in the Flexi-mini for 11 months, but sadly jumped to his death just the day before yesterday. Two days before that the male killifish died of old age (after having lived with me for almost 3 years.

 

[Joel S]

This tank will be a year old in a couple of weeks. I’ve recently been having problems with black beard and staghorn algae, and today had to remove a lot of leaves, although you probably wouldn’t know it.

I made some changes with the lighting levels recently, also used a small amount of rainwater to bring down the TDS at water-change time, also the purigen I’ve been running in the filter (because of Oxford’s appalling tap water) finally needed regenerating. Also I added a load of twigs. The algae must be because of one or all of these things.

 

[Joel S]

I got my dates wrong. These two tanks were a year old yesterday!

 

[Joel S]

I’ve transformed the flexi-mini tank into a blackwater/botanicals experiment. Over the next days I plan to transition it over from hard oxford tap water to rainwater and add a few long rooted floating plants.

The 2l jug on the right here is stuffed with spare süsswassertang. Anybody need some?

 

[aec34]

Lovely tank!

The 2l jug on the right here is stuffed with spare süsswassertang. Anybody need some?

...and yes please, I’d very much like a bit for my new tank if there is some going - never tried it before.

 

[Gill]

The 2l jug on the right here is stuffed with spare süsswassertang. Anybody need some?

Yes Please @Joel S

 

[ScareCrow]

The 2l jug on the right here is stuffed with spare süsswassertang. Anybody need some?

If there's enough to go around @Joel S , then yes please.

 

[Joel S]

Thanks folks. Pm me your addresses and I’ll send some out to you for postage and a donation to UKAPS…

 

[Joel S]

A week or so ago I swapped over the botanical/blackwater tank and the originally larger planted one. It was a tricky endeavour! Actually now the smaller one is a mini-m size aquarium gardens tank that was used for the original mangrovium.