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Iain Sutherland

Global Moderator
UKAPS Team
Joined
7 Jul 2011
Messages
3,744
Location
Cambridge
Hey all, set this up a couple of days ago for some more Taiwan Bees.
Nothing too fancy and got a few things that need tweaking like the detail stones etc but the idea of this one was always function over form.

Tank- optiwhite 40x30x30
Filtration - eheim liberty
Lighting - 11w CFL with 9w par38 led for emersed and night lighting
Substrate - EbiGold
Heating - reptile matt at 21c
Hardscape - MapleLeaf Rock and Sumatra
Ferts - Tropica specialised
TDS - 135
Plants - Microsorum pteropus narrow and needle, hygrophilia pinnatafida, Hygrophila sp. ''Araguaia'', lilaeopsis NZ, cryptocoryne parva, fissidens fontanus, riccardia graefei.

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Ficus colomba still going well if painfully slow!
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Bee-e-a-utiful!
Great set up and amazing attention to detail :clap:

function over form! I'm sure enzo ferrari said the same!
+1, it may work great for your bees, but wow it looks the part too.
Love that maple rock.

You not a little worried Iain that your bees will try to fly up your Ficus? :nurse: ......seriously though, ive had shrimp climb out my tank with too high a water level, your offering them a lemming ladder :nailbiting:


Cheerio mate,
Ady.
 
Haha thanks guys, i say function over form as there would be things id change if it wasnt for shrimp such as having a sand bed (you know all about that Ady) different plants id be happy using with LC etc..
Im really pleased with the tank, both size and quality, thanks Ed i know you didnt really want to part with it :thumbup: the 40 gives so many more options than the old 30.
Now ive spent more time looking at it i would change the left most front rock, its a bit flat and dominating but the substrate is stacked up behind it now... hmm its going to bother me now :(

In regard to the ficus Ady, wasnt worried until now lol Never noticed it as problem last time but then my shrimp did vanish!
 
i would change the left most front rock, its a bit flat and dominating but the substrate is stacked up behind it now... hmm its going to bother me now
Nah, that rock adds extra depth, to me its the perfect size and with the texture it doesnt look too flat imo. The shape is great too, it works great with the lines of the hardscaping to the right, yet draws the eye back into the scape from the left due to its slightly triangular shape....the more i look at it, the more i like it :cool:

In regard to the ficus Ady, wasnt worried until now lol Never noticed it as problem last time but then my shrimp did vanish!
sorry mate, im sure if they had climbed youd have found them....it looks really cool though :photogenic: Paulo has loads of stuff growing out of his tanks without issue.

Cheerio,
Ady.
 
Looking lush mate! Very nice set up and well aquascaped.

Ps I still have that ranunculus floating in my kitchen tank. Do you still need it?
 
Here's hoping they don't start jumping Ady, I'm dying to have a shrimp tank thick with life like yours.

Thanks Ian, I'd really appreciate the ranunculus as another texture, will be interested to see what it does in here. Ill pm my address to you mate.
How is the kitchen bowl going?
 
Here's hoping they don't start jumping Ady, I'm dying to have a shrimp tank thick with life like yours.

Thanks Ian, I'd really appreciate the ranunculus as another texture, will be interested to see what it does in here. Ill pm my address to you mate.
How is the kitchen bowl going?

Will send it Monday, the bowl has yet again become a holding tank for cuttings. The sword is doing well though.
 
Bit of both stu, lilaeopsis NZ with 4 or 5 parva mixed in. I found the lilaeopsis grows at only 1-2cm without the 'sword' shape to it when low tech, kind of grass like. Also has some Hygrophila sp. ''Araguaia''in the gaps in low tech form but looks like it will race to the surface so may come out
Ill fill in the plants list before i go to work :(
The rock is really attractive, would look great in your next 90.
 
How are you finding the heating mat? does it have a temp probe that goes into the tank?

cool looking tank too, a hob filter and no heater makes these tank look slick!
 
no temp probe fella, just set on a timer. Takes a while to find a on/off pattern to keep a steady temp but works a treat, only down side is that come spring/summer it'll need tweaking again.
I may look into a probe that will turn it on and off for me but hobby funds are tied up in the big tank at the moment.
 
Iain,that's a beautiful looking set up you have there.The colour of the rock really stands out against all of the greenery :thumbup:

Cheers
Martin
 
Had the pleasure to go and visit ed today which meant a candy shop experience at the showroom. Very impresive selection of hardscape, equipment, plants, substrates, additives and heaps more... that not to mention the ever impressive range of shrimp. So i filled my pockets with substrate, rock and ferts for the NA and shrimp food for these dudes.

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Very nice! Do you have "money plant" growing out of the HOB? I don't know what that plant is really called, in Malaysia its just money plant.
 
Its a species of Philodendron in the filter, no idea which though. Unfortunately it may have to go as have a bit of staghorn around, as nice as it is it make filter maintenance very difficult as the roots grow through the sponges.

EDIT**
I have recently been reading that philodendron may have toxin issue in an aquarium?? I'm not sure how true this is and i removed it from this tank very early on but worth consideration....
 
looking good Iain, those shrimp are beauties!
 
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