NAJAS GUPPY
Member
Little late to start a journal on this one but here we go regardless.
180ish litre tank (around 4ft by 1 by 1.5) found in the loft during lockdown. Got a crack about a decade ago and the previous owner just siliconed a glass square over it; held ever since in my ownership.
Going to attempt a walstad escue with this.
Setup with some substrate from another running tank for the mulm and bacteria etc.
Hardscape-
Found some terracotta drainage pipes on a dog walk buried under a leaf pile and covered in moss must of been sat their aslong as the tanks been in the loft.
Mixed in are some terracota pots from the running tank that donated the substrate.
Lighting-
Running a single led lightbar from all pond solutions just now. Planning on adding another when funds allow.
Planting -
Nice and bulletproof. Vallisneria (i think spiralis and maybe gigantea) and dwarf sag.
Elodea as the main ones as their my favourite and good for oxygenation.
Hidden away in the back are -
Devils ivy growing emergent over the terracota pots.
Bacopa carolinnia
Hygrophila polysperma (variegate)
And a rather sickly looking amazon sword cutting.
Being added once the ebay order arrives are salvinia natans and giant duckweed
It's being left unstocked until cycled aside from ramshorn snails, tadpole and M.T.S. until algae builds up on the terracota and the vals and elodea take hold properly.
After that the plan is to attempt cherry shrimp from another more 'normal' running tank if i feel it's safe enough for them. If it goes wrong they'll go back home. If i can get a cherry shrimp colony going in this i'll be happy. A heater might well be added later on but for now it' still mid summer so no hurry. Tanks sitting at an even 21c consistently
No filter yet either! Experiment could later see it being added but for now it's a no.
Anyways... i feel iv'e rambled enough... photo's!!... will maybe update this as i go along if i have any success... if not the tank will just get left as a plant only tank or a filter added and i'll take it from there
180ish litre tank (around 4ft by 1 by 1.5) found in the loft during lockdown. Got a crack about a decade ago and the previous owner just siliconed a glass square over it; held ever since in my ownership.
Going to attempt a walstad escue with this.
Setup with some substrate from another running tank for the mulm and bacteria etc.
Hardscape-
Found some terracotta drainage pipes on a dog walk buried under a leaf pile and covered in moss must of been sat their aslong as the tanks been in the loft.
Mixed in are some terracota pots from the running tank that donated the substrate.
Lighting-
Running a single led lightbar from all pond solutions just now. Planning on adding another when funds allow.
Planting -
Nice and bulletproof. Vallisneria (i think spiralis and maybe gigantea) and dwarf sag.
Elodea as the main ones as their my favourite and good for oxygenation.
Hidden away in the back are -
Devils ivy growing emergent over the terracota pots.
Bacopa carolinnia
Hygrophila polysperma (variegate)
And a rather sickly looking amazon sword cutting.
Being added once the ebay order arrives are salvinia natans and giant duckweed
It's being left unstocked until cycled aside from ramshorn snails, tadpole and M.T.S. until algae builds up on the terracota and the vals and elodea take hold properly.
After that the plan is to attempt cherry shrimp from another more 'normal' running tank if i feel it's safe enough for them. If it goes wrong they'll go back home. If i can get a cherry shrimp colony going in this i'll be happy. A heater might well be added later on but for now it' still mid summer so no hurry. Tanks sitting at an even 21c consistently
No filter yet either! Experiment could later see it being added but for now it's a no.
Anyways... i feel iv'e rambled enough... photo's!!... will maybe update this as i go along if i have any success... if not the tank will just get left as a plant only tank or a filter added and i'll take it from there