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Windowsill Nature pt. 2

Akwaskape

Akwaskape

Member
Joined
18 Mar 2015
Messages
216
Location
Southend, Essex
Hi All
here's a picture of my #lowandslow windowsill tank.

Dimensions: 42"×10"×12" (with a 2" sub the water column is 42"×10"×10")

Set up a few months back and kit consists of an airline and a heater.

Substrate is top soil capped with gravel.

Home to threadfin rainbowfish and bronze corys. Plus alot of snails and a few cherry shrimp.

Hope you enjoy it 🙂

20150513_162249_zpswwd2s34i.jpg
 
jsiegmund said:
Wow great! So am I wrong or are you saying you're also lacking a filter? No lights and no filter?
Click to expand...
Correct just capped dirt and an airline with no stone. Which has been burried beneath the sub for discretion. So the rim of the glass is pretty minimal.

Sustainable Aquaria
 
Amazing, I didn't even know that was possible. Do you need to be careful which plants you pick? And how do you battle algae 'cause I assume you have little flow in your tank, only that from the air bubbling up? Anyway, nice work and a lot more sustainable than most tanks here (mine included).
 
jsiegmund said:
Amazing, I didn't even know that was possible. Do you need to be careful which plants you pick? And how do you battle algae 'cause I assume you have little flow in your tank, only that from the air bubbling up? Anyway, nice work and a lot more sustainable than most tanks here (mine included).
Click to expand...

thanks
I guess flow is flow. It's more dead spots your worried about. A bubble travelling from the sub to the surface will push water up and also draw water behind it. And watching the surface ripple as the bubble hits shows it spread into every corner of the tank. I'm no scientist, but my hunch is that it leaves no dead spots at all. Albeit at a very gentle rate. I suppose if your intention is to shift large quantities of nutrient around at a high rate then def not the way to go. But fortunately this method doesn't require that it's a long tank so I split the line into 2 and have got them 2/3 set back into the tank and equally split across. The heater sits between them horizontally on the back wall so as to interact with both currents.
 
The thing with this tank/s is the plant selection as jsiegmund has mentioned. I can see mostly "easy" plants that can uptake carbonates from the water. Im not criticizing at all. I love the tank. Some people might see this tank and think that a high tech with a carpet of HC and some red plants can be kept in the same way..... There are plenty of "easy plants" out there to make a lovely tank with very low maintainance but still so many of us go with co2.
I think when we say high flow, its really intended for a high co2 distribution. If plants adapt to consume carbonates then flow doesnt become as important.
 
It's a valid point Jose and having run high tech myself know exactly where you are coming from, but my intention is to not really differentiate between low and high. It is to create beautiful looking tanks that are available and attainable to the big majority of hobbyists in the middle between the Walstad's and the Amano's .

I really appreciate some of the talent and effort that goes into the ADA style but on the flip side I guess it could also be viewed that all high tech thread's should come with a caveat that most of the equipment used is not needed to run "easy" plants.

I've also found ludwigia repens to be beautiful and grows purple red in my tanks. I've also got an Apono Crispus that is showing promise as well.

Really glad you like it, that's what I'm in it for to give people something to enjoy. And for the less experienced amongst us doing it without all the pressure and stress that demanding plants can sometime cause.

Imho the hobby needs this.

Good chat
thanks 🙂
 
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Hi all,
Akwaskape said:
It is to create beautiful looking tanks that are available and attainable to the big majority of hobbyists in the middle between the Walstad's and the Amano's .
Click to expand...
That is definitely where I'm coming from as well. I'd be absolutely delighted if it was my tank.

I spend a lot of time on other more fish orientated forums trying to persuade people that plants are the key to maintaining water quality, and that they don't need to spend a lot of money, or a lot of time, in maintaining a planted tank.

cheers Darrel
 
Darrel
are you grey yet, im getting there lol
I spent a lot of time on MAC for that very reason.
It's basic, simple, cost effective and rewarding. And most of all great for the fish. When I post a video of my tanks on Instagram people are amazed / stunned in fact at just how relaxed and natural my fish behave.

But wow trying to convey that is difficult when there is so much conflicting information available. And for some reason everyone wants to take that and then add something to it or take something away to make it "better"

It's tried and tested, use the principles and stay within box. And most of all have fun and enjoy it.

And thanks I'll take that compliment.
 
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I'm loving this! I'm a great believer in encouraging my friends who are interested in aquariums to have setups which can suit their needs rather than their 'wants,' which will make their life easier while being able to enjoy the success of a planted aquarium. Quite often, they try their hands on plants which are very difficult and eventually get put off the planted side of the hobby due to things like high lights and not using CO2. If only they try the less demanding plants like Anubias and Java Ferns,with some creativity, they can make some great displays.
 
Couldn't agree more. When I started this hobby 3 yrs ago, by chance I bought a java fern on a piece of bogwood (still got it today) and my interest grew. I began to scour the Internet for all sorts of information. And ended up with an injected co2 system, quad tube T5HO suspended unit, EI ferts and plant substrate basically the lot. But it was the EI that turned it for me. Not that I couldn't understand it's just that I had no interest or motivation to get into it. I then ended up with an algae bloom and wow I turned to the Internet again and I must have had several conflicting pieces of advice. It baffled me, to the point where it was not enjoyable anymore. I had a choice at that point jack it in or find an alternative. So i kinda slacked on it for a bit. Low and behold eventually the bloom sorted 'itself' out. So it got me thinking! Glad I chose the 2nd option and began to explore the more natural methods and have never looked back since.

Sustainable Aquaria
 
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