Please fully read and understand this first post before submitting your tank to this thread.

Member's Planted Tanks is intended to be a database of specifications with photos of member's planted aquariums. It should provide a valuable resource to other members of the forum and should be particularly helpful to less experienced planted aquarists. It also gives the individual member the opportunity to show off their hard work.

Do not post any replies regarding questions or feedback in this thread? I will delete them. PM the relevant member with any feedback or question you may have and if it is useful then the member will edit their post accordingly. Potential contributors should be aware that they may receive lots of PMs.

If you wish to submit your planted tank then please follow these guidelines.

1. Please do not contribute your tank unless it is well-planted, if it isn't then the Member's Aquarium Pictures Forum is the place for you. I would define "well-planted" as the aquascape being strongly dominated by living, true-aquatic plants that are growing healthily. Typically this would mean a minimum of 50% of the substrate covered in plants but there may be possible exceptions. PM me if you are unsure.

2. Follow this format for listing your tank specifications. It may be a good idea to cut and paste this into your post. If everyone follows the exact same format then I feel the thread will look very well-presented and professional looking. There is more detail here than many may be used to but in my experience the more detail the better, especially for potential planted hobbyists wishing to replicate any of the hardware, parameters etc.

Tank Volume (US Gallons, Litres), Dimensions (L x H x W - Inches, cm)

Filtration Type, media used

Lighting Type (T8, T5, PC etc.) and quantity (amount of tubes, Watts), colour temp.

CO2 Method of injection (DIY, pressurized etc.), quantity (average ppm), diffusion/reaction type, bubble rate

Substrate Type, quantity (Kg or depth in inches/cm), additives used

Fertilisation Types used, quantities and frequency of dosing.

Water chemistry pH, KH, GH, NO3, PO4, temperature

Maintenance Water change schedule, filter cleaning, substrate cleaning etc.

Fish list of species, quantity if necessary

Plants list of species (full scientific/Latin names please, common terms are too ambiguous)

Decor types i.e. bogwood, stones

Additional comments Give a brief history of the tank's life.

Discuss any problems you had with individual plants i.e. stunted growth, nutrient deficiencies and how you overcame them.

Talk about any algae experiences and you dealt with them i.e. changes in CO2, fertilising. Try to keep it brief yet well informed.

3. Try to keep the photos to a minimum, yet enough to portray the feel of the tank. Start with one whole tank shot, label the plants if necessary and provide a key. I'm leaving this to your common sense. If you feel close-ups are particularly relevant then provide them. If the size of the contribution gets out of hand then I will edit as I see fit. This may sound obvious but please crop the images to fit within a standard size desktop screen. All too often I see huge images in posts that overlap my visible desktop area.

4. Finally it has to be said I'm afraid (I hope this won't be relevant).

Don't even think about posting photos of someone else's work. I will probably be able to tell by the specs if it is genuine, if I'm in any doubt I will PM the contributor with some probing questions that will allow me to ascertain whether the submission is honest. If I believe there is cheating then needless to say the post will be deleted followed by possible disciplinary action. You have been warned.

I look forward to seeing your contributions.

Tank – 90 US gallons. 48" x 18" x 24"

Filtration – Fluval 304 with ceramic rings, filter floss, carbon sleeve, and foam. I have moved the outlet spray bar on the vertical and pointed it to get a circular current... also, this makes all the plants sway to the left making it look like the current it going downstream

Lighting – 2.4 wpg. Power Compact lights, four 21" bulbs. 5500k. On for 5 hours, off 2, on 5. Staggered to create a sunrise/sunset effect.

CO2 – Pressurized 5lb tank. 38ppm, diffused on a Nutrafin ladder. Bubble rate is about 1 per second.

Substrate – Pool filter sand with layer of laterite on the bottom.

Fertilisation – I get the powdered Potassium Nitrate and Potassium Phosphate from gregwatson.com. The powder gets mixed with sterile water to give me a 2ml = 1ppm ratio.
Nitrates: I inject up to 15ppm every other day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday)
P04: I inject up to 2ppm every other day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday)
Trace: CSM+B from gregwatson.com. I infect 22.5mls every other day (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)

Water chemistry – pH 6.8, KH 6, GH 5 Temp. 76F

Maintenance – I scrape algae only when it's very noticable. My fish seem to graze on it. I do a weekly 50% water change

Fish – 8 rosy barbs, 2 zebra danios, 8 sunset paltties (and counting), 4 black neon tetras, 1 leopard cory, 1 CAE, 3 albino bristlenose plecs, 3 SAEs. 1 otto

Decor – 2 peices Mopani wood

Plants –
Vallisneria americana (gigantea) and Vallisneria spiralis - The val is spreading like wildfire in the tank. I like having the 2 different types in the tank. The v. americana is much wider, and gets a reddish tinge to it.

Amazon Sword - Actually, this isn't doing that great in the tank right now. I didn't have enout trace elements in the water for a long time, and all the leaves were withering away. I have upped the ferts, but there has been little improvement. I may pull it altogether, and opt for something different in the back.

Tiger Lotus - I wasn't sure how this would do. Red plants need lots of light. I've been lucky with it. Both plants have sent out some smaller plants, so I now have 5 plants. The one on the right side is just shooting up. The hygro. Difformis has gotten very big at the top and has shaded out some of the light, so I'm sure that's why.

Echinodorus angustifolius - To be honest, I hate this plant in here now. I have pulled 90% of it, and am waiting for my hydrocotyle verticillata to carpet more and then it's gone.

Java Fern - It's actually kinda hard to tell how this is doing. I have it tied it to the bogwood, but im not seeing much growth. I'm also not seing many bad looking leaves, so that must be a good sign.

Ludwiga Arcuata - This one is doing great. A very delicate looking plant, with small leaves, but it was tons of colours in it. Since adding the co2 it has really started to grow.

Anubias Lanceolata - I have this anubias planted in the sand... just the roots. The rosette is above the surface. It has just started to crawl across the surface. Nice tall leaves, and since injecting the co2 and the liquid ferts (no3, po4) I haven't had any algea on the leaves. Some of these leaves are not doing well, getting thin and almost ripping, so I have cut them off in hopes of triggering some new growth.

Cryptocoryne Undulata - This crypt has just taken off. I have a decent sized patch, and am finding tons of little plants springing up all over the place; again after adding co2.

Hydrocotyle Verticillata (Pennywort) - The pennywort was originally planted in clumps, but I have spread it out into more of a carpet. I have found that it is starting to grow upwards now... but it is spreading along the sand nicely.

Hygrophilia Difformis - This grows way too fast. It gets really big up at the top and blocks off the light for some of the plants in the front right of the tank. The stems are very thick too. I like the look of the plants leaves, so I won't chuck it yet, but if it doesnt shape up, I'm going to have to do something drastic!

This post has been edited by Jen: Mar 20 2006, 06:59 PM

Jimbooo's planted tanks in detail

Juwel Rio 180 - set up December 2004
101x41x50 - 180 Litres (39.5 UK Gallons / 48 USG)




Filtration – Juwel Standard filter as supplied (only use blue sponges and white floss)

Heater: standard Juwel as supplied

Lighting – 4x T8 tubes at 30W. Total WPG 2.5
Tubes: Arcadia Freshwater (7500K), Dennerle Special Plant (3000K), 2x JBL tubes (4000K and 6000K)

CO2 – 2 Hagen Nurtafin units - diy mixture

Substrate – 3mm Gravel plus laterite (as per ratio on box) substrate depth 2/3 inches

Fertilisation - Just started EI. Dosing Potassium Nitrate (to 15ppm) and Potassium phosphate (to 1ppm) plus the Kent Botanic range of Liquid fertilisers (Grow, K, FE and Micro). Dosing schedule is based on the EI theory, details in Zigs pinned article also in this section.
I do also add root fertiliser sticks beneath the larger rosette plants ie Amazon Swords etc..

Water chemistry – pH:6.8, KH:12, NO3:15, PO4:1, temperature: 25C

Maintenance – Water change schedule: 50% weekly, filter cleaning: rince one sponge per month in old tank water, substrate cleaning: gravel vac at each water change.

Fish – 6 Zebra Danio, 11 Cardinal Tetras, 1 Neon Tetra, 6 white cloud mountain minnows, 1 Boesmani Rainbow, 4 Blue Rainbow, 4 Sterbai Corys, 1 Sailfin Plec, 1 Flying Fox, 1 Angelfish, 6 ottos, ramshorn & trumpet snails

Decor: lots of bogwood / mopani wood, slate


Juwel Rekord 60 - Set up June 04
61x36x31 - 54 Litres (12 UK Gallons / 14 USG)



Equipment List

Lighting: 2x T8 tubes at 15W. Total WPG 2.14
Tubes: Arcadia Freshwater (7500K), Dennerle Special Plant (3000K)

Substrate: pea gravel (not ideal) with first layer Laterite

Heater: standard Juwel as supplied

Filtration: Standard Juwel as supplied

CO2: 1 Hagen Nutrafin Unit - diy mixture

Fish: 1 common plec, 6 glowlight tetras, 6 White cloud mountain minnows, 1 amano shrimp, 4 ottos, ramshorn & trumpet snails

Water chemistry and fertilisation are identical to the rio 180

Plant List and findings

1 - Vallisneria spiralis

This stuff grows like a weed in my tank, once I added the laterite it seemed to go into overdrive sending out about 7 or 8 runners a week. Needs weekly pruning, as the long leaves will cover the surface very quickly shading the lower plants. I prune simply by cutting the leaves 2 inches below the surface at a 45-degree angle to reduce browning at the tip. I have also noticed you can gently tug on the longest leaves and they will break off from the crown. This promotes a growth spurt for the following week.

2 - Amazon Swords (Echinodorus bleheri)
These plants were slow to get going. When I had a plain gravel substrate without co2 they would get nasty brown patches on them and tend to wither and wilt quite quickly. Since I discovered laterite and co2 they have taken off. A heavy root feeder that will thrive with a good substrate that needs to be at least 2 inches deep for the roots to take hold. When established the roots of this plant will reach all 4 corners of your tank! Prune by pulling the older leaves from the crown at the base, do not cut the stem. This will promote new growth.

3 - echinodorus "red flame"
From the same family as the Amazon sword, growth identical to above. With good fertilisation and light the red marbled effect is stunning. One of my favourite plants, prune as with Amazon sword

4 - Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) (pic below)
One of the most useful and easy to propagate plants in the hobby. This little forest was made from one plant I originally had in my low spec rekord 60 (in the early days). When the plant has insufficient light and nutrients the larger leaves die, sprouting small plantlets at the tip. These plantlets can be removed when the leaves are an inch long and tied to bogwood or stone. My original plant produced about 50 plantlets that have been used on 4 pieces of bogwood to create the effect of one big plant. It will grow healthily in any light but growth rate will increase with higher light.


5 - Tiger Lotus Lilly (Nymphaea lotus var. rubra)
Beautiful plant, took a while to get going but once established (after 2 months) it throws off 2 new leaves a week. You need to train the plant for submerged life, remove floating leaves as soon as they get near the surface by tugging at the base; the stem breaks easily from the crown. Leaves are thick and leathery with a deep red colouration. Otto’s, Cory’s and suchlike like to sit on the leaves for a rest or under them for shade

6 - Anubias Nana
Tricky plant to grow without spot algae in my tank. Although it is a common plant in the hobby it does best in low light hence when in my tank under direct lighting the leaves cant keep up with the light so spot algae tends to creep onto the leaves. I have had success with it after putting in the lilies to shade the Anubias, with the lower light the growth rate has increased - cant explain why but it's a fact if a little confusing.

7 - Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana) (pic below just after making the carpet - will bush out soon)
Very easy plant to grow can be attached to wood or stone and will take hold in a few weeks. Will also make a nice carpet if attached to a flat slate tile with a hairnet. Useful in lower light tanks where a carpeting effect is required.



8 - Dwarf Riccia (pic below)
Well where do I start. My favourite of all aquatic plants, naturally a floating plant but can be submerged to form a dense carpet. Dwarf Riccia is very rare and I have never seen it for sale since my chance purchase in a LFS. Online companies don’t seem to offer it either. Similar to Riccia fluitians but more compact, forms a hedge rather than a lawn if that makes sense. When the tank parameters are correct the whole plant will be covered in a dense layer of oxygen bubbles and your tank will look as if it is filled with lemonade!!


9 - Ludwiga Reapens
Nice plant and useful to add colour to the tank. Requires regular pruning, cutting off the bottom 1/3 and replanting the top. Can be propagated easily by snipping off at the internodes and planting each piece separately. One stem can then give rise to 20 new stems (pm me if your confused, I know I am) with age tends to send out way too many mid stem roots so worthwhile keeping on top of the pruning

10 - Hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis)
Seems to be growing healthily in my tank but a bit of a pain to keep in check. The runners travel under wood and stone and pop up at the other side of the tank where they’re not supposed to be, getting fed up with it myself just haven't thought of a replacement yet.

11 - Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae)
Okay this stuff had caused me more trouble than anything else in the tank. The plant itself is beautiful and carpets more like a garden lawn than any other plant I have come across. The problem is it has always been swamped in algae in between the blades of grass. I have never managed to totally cure the problem; it is a slow grower so my lighting levels are most probably the cause.

12 - Micranthemum umbrosum (pic below)
Gorgeous plant bright green forms a bush like structure with pearling at the tips. The shape of the leaves means the oxygen bubbles are held in place at the tip. Good plant next to Riccia if they are both pearling. Needs to be prunes as with all stem plants, remove bottom 1/3 and replant the top.


13 - Riccia Fluitians (Crystalwort) (pic below)
Very close to dwarf Riccia but leaf structure is looser. This is the version used by Amano in his masterpiece tanks. Naturally floating but forms a neat "lawn" when submerged with bubbles across the leaf tips.


Please feel free to PM me with any questions or comments and i'll do my best to help. I have not included my cube tank as it has only been set up 8 weeks, too soon to advise based on the short time.

This post has been edited by jimbooo: Oct 17 2005, 11:41 AM

Tank – Volume is 125L roughly, Under 30 gallons.

Filtration – One internal canister filter housing two blocks of filter foam.

Lighting – My lighting consists of one T8 Tube “Life-Glo” 6700K 30W tube with reflector. Running a photoperiod of 12hrs.

CO2 – No addition of carbon dioxide at the present time. I am in the process of DIY CO2.

Substrate – Consists of two layers. The lower layer is 3-5mm gravel ranging from about 1” to 1-5” in depth. The top layer is fine sand, measuring about 1.5 to 2.5” in depth.

Fertilization – I use two main types of fertilization. SeaChem© Root Tabs, surrounding the entire root feeding plants, and I dose the weekly-recommended amount of SeaChem© Liquid fertilizers twice.

Water chemistry - Nitrates- 0-2, pH- 6-7.5, Temperature 26-30C

Maintenance – I remove dead or dying plant matter daily, or once every second day. I trim frequently whenever is needed. 30% water is changed once a fortnight.

Fish/inverts – 1x Spiny Eel, 3 Pearl Gourami, 7 Glass catfish, 4 Siamese Algae Eaters, 2 Otto’s, and 12 Harlequin Rasbora.

Plants – Vallisneria (Thin-Medium variety), Hygrophila polysperma (Green variety) and Hygrophila polysperma (Rosanervig), Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis), Dwarf Anubias (Anubias nana), Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana) and Riccia (Riccia fluitans (to the best of my knowledge)).

Décor - I have removed all but a few miniature rocks from my aquascape. My plants needed more room. I have two pieces of bogwood. One Large piece I use for a focal point. One small piece to try and break a bunch plants into two areas.

General- This system is well over 4 years old. I have kept this tank simple. I don’t use CO2 at the moment, but will in the near future. Fertilizers are routinely added, and I have found my plants show tremendous growth. I have low lighting, with a total around .8 to 1wpg. I have kept easy to grow plants, and tried to gain maximum benefit from them.

The fish I keep are tough, and all come from South East Asia. (I had this tank modeled on South East Asia, but my plant list has since diversified to include plants from other geographical locations.)



I hope you enjoyed my tank. Don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you have any questions.

This post has been edited by mr_miagi32: Oct 13 2005, 10:39 AM

Tank – 30 US gallons. 75 x 45 x 45cm.



Filtration – Aquaclear 300 HOB with filter floss only. Fluval 204 with filter foam, ceramic noodles and filter floss.

Lighting – 2 Compact Fluorescent units each holding 2 tubes. Currently I have 2 6500/1000K tubes and 2 10000K tubes. Total lighting=96watts. 3.2 watts per gallon. Lights left on for 12 hours per day without a siesta.

CO2 – Pressurised cylinder with levels maintained slightly higher than 30ppm. Diffusion using bubble ladders.

Substrate – Small black gravel with a layer of laterite in the lower third. Depth varies from 2 inches to 3 inches depending on the gradients I have setup in the tank. The back right hand corner is a lot deeper as it is a raised area.

Fertilisation – using the E.I. method of dosing nitrate levels are maintained at 20ppm and phosphate at 1ppm. I add Seachem Flourish every second day for trace elements.

Water chemistry – pH=7.0, KH=10.6deg, GH=11deg, Nitrate=20ppm, phosphate=1ppm, Water temp=27degC

Maintenance – 50% water changes performed weekly on a Saturday. Gravel not vacced as tank is heavily planted ank gravel cannot be accessed. Pruning performed on water change day. Filter media in AC300 changed/rinsed monthly, media in Fluval204 changed every second month, the timing of these is such that media from both filters are not changed in the same week.

Fish – platies, swordies, harlequin rasboras, whiteskirt tetras, platy fry, guppy fry and swordy fry.

Plants –
1. Ceratophyllum demersum (also known as foxtail or hornwort)
2. Hygrophila corymbosa "Stricta"
3. Riccia fluitans
4. Samolus valerandi (water cabbage)
5. Lilaeopsis brasilensis
6. Echinodorus "Red Flame"
7. Echinodorus amazonicus
8. Mayaca
9. Ludwigia
10. Anubias nana
11. Limnophila sessiflora (Ambulia)
12. Didiplis diandra (water hedge)
13. Valisneria americana "Natans"
14. Eichhornia diversifolia

Decor – Driftwood with anubias attached. Ceramic log covered in riccia holding gravel back at back LHS of the tank creating a raised area.

Additional comments – Have had the tank since December 2003. Initially it was a simple tank with plastic plants and plastic decor. In January 2004 I splurged and bought decent lighting. Realising this still wasn't enough I also added a DIY CO2 system made of yeast/sugar/water/bicarb soda. It was only maintained intermittently and plants suffered as a result. I then started adding liquid ferts when I remembered and root tabs when I remembered. The initial planted attempt was using sand however the plants weren't that happy so I switched to my current gravel/laterite mix at which time I added a substrate heater. I then started using the E.I. method and became diligent in maintaining my CO2. Today I have added a pressurised CO2 system which I am sure will keep my levels stable thus helping eliminate the growth of unsightly algae. Snails are now my friend, the only thing that bugs me about them is when they block up my bubble ladder.

This post has been edited by Angry_Platy: Oct 14 2005, 06:50 AM

Tank – Volume: 22 US Gallons (19 UK Gallons), Dimensions: 30x12x15 inches

Filtration – Fluval 104 External. No Carbon. Sponges and Biological.

Lighting – Interpet T5 Compact Daylight 1 x 55W (Mylar reflector). Lights on for 5 hours, off 2, on 5.

CO2 – 2 Nutrafin kits, 1/4 teaspoon yeast, flat teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sugar and water to lines. Each cannister replaced alternately every 5 days, levels achieved: 20ppm CO2

Substrate – 2 inches playsand with laterite mixed in lower level.

Fertilisation – Kent Fe (dosed as recommended on bottle)

Water chemistry – pH: 6.9, KH: 5-6, GH: 12, NO3: 5ppm, PO4: n/a

Maintenance – 30% weekly water change. Rinsed sponges in aquarium water weekly, prod sand (to help prevent compacting)

Fish – 2 Dwarf gouramis, 3 botia striata (for snail duty), 3 amano shrimp, 5 Corydoras Metae, 3 male guppies

Plants
1. Riccia fluitans
2. Hygrophila polysperma 'Rosanervig'
3. Vallisneria (not sure which species)
4. Amazon Swords
5. Nymphaea lotus (Tiger Lily)

Decor – Bogwood. Slate for riccia.

Additional comments – This tank was set up in March 2005 and the photo was taken 24th July 2005. Unfortunately the tank has suffered the fate of blue green algae (cyanobacteria). I think the main cause was low NO3 (5ppm), so I would recommend dosing NO3 as I currently do now.

Design wise, I have used far too many large leafed plants for the tank size, but I liked them at the time and couldn't bare to part with any of them.

This post has been edited by houndour: Oct 15 2005, 12:28 PM

Tank – Volume: 13 US Gallons

Filtration – 1 Hang on Back Filter (450 LPH flow rate)

Lighting – 2 pcs. 16 Watt Compact Fluorecent Daylight (6500k)
2 pcs. 9 watt Pin Type Compact Fluorescent Daylight (6500k)
1 pc. 36 watt OSRAM pl lighting
Total : 90 Watts (5 hours on 2 hours off 5 hours on, all with reflectors)


CO2 – 1 DIY pressurized c02 system using a air gun 16 oz tank. 1 bubble per second.


Substrate – 2 inches size 2 gravel with sera floredepot underneath

Fertilisation – EI method (starting off)
KNO3 5ppm dosed on T,TH,Saturday and Sunday (water change)
Phosphates 2ppm via fleet enema dosed on T,TH,Saturday and Sunday (water change)
Sera Florena for traces every M W F
Epsom and calcium chloride every water change.
chelated iron once a week.


Water chemistry – pH: 6.5, KH: 4-5, GH: n/a, NO3: 20-30ppm, PO4: n/a temperature 28-30 deg celc.

Maintenance – 30 percent water change every sunday. Occasional glass cleaning every month.
FilterMedia cleaned once every other month (not all at the same time).
Reflectors cleaned once in a while.


Fish/Fauna – 8 cardinal tetras. Local Mountain Shrimps, Local Pond snails, Malaysian Trumpet Snails


Plants (main plants)
1. Riccia fluitans
2. Heterenthera Zosterifolia
3. Vallisneria corkscrew
4. Sagittaria Subulata
5. Cryptocorne Wendtii
6. Bacopa Monierri
7. Java Moss
8. Rotala Rotunfifolua
9. Hemianthus
10. A anubias nana plant.


Decor – Driftwood and a rock...

Additional comments – This tank was first set up in early 2005. It was my second attempt at a planted tank and i will be redoing it again sometime next year. Right now it is starting to become a plant farm for my nano projects. I gained the most growth after i started to dose EI style. Also this tank is a cheap budget tank. The tank is also chilled down via a DIY chiller. (tank temp before was 30-33 deg celcius)
I also started going into the planted tank hobby because i found maintaining and looking at my planted tanks really relaxing.

This post has been edited by kenneth_kpe: Feb 15 2006, 08:51 AM

RYO's 120L


Tank � Jewel record 120L

Filtration � Rena xp2 external, 2 x sponge pads, basket ceramic tubes.

Lighting � 3x 30w, sera daylight(6000k) +arcadia freshwater(7500k) + JBL Solar Tropic (4000k)+ reflectors

CO2 � Pressurised CO2 injection, ceramic glass diffuser, bubble rate approx 2 bubble per second

Substrate � play sand + jbl root tabs

Fertilisation � EI method using - KNO3, kent grow , kent fe.
KNO3,dosed days 1,3,5 to 15ppm
kent grow dosed days 2,4,6 @ 5ml
kent fe dosed days 2,4,6 @ 1ml

Water chemistry � ph -6.8, kh- 53.7 ppm , gh-35.8 ppm, phosphate - 2ppm , nitrate - 10ppm, nitite -0 , ammonia- 0 , temp 28 c

Maintenance � 50% water change every 7 days, sponge filter pads cleaned every month , ceramics every 4 months. Sand where i can access it turned every water change.

Fish �
1x False network catfish (Corydoras sodalis)
5x Leopard Corydoras (Corydoras Trilineatus)
3x Agassiz's Corydoras (Corydoras agassizii )
2x Zebra Loach (Botia striata)
1x Yoyo loach (Botia almorhae)
3x Siamese Algae Eater (Crossocheilos siamensis )
10xCherry barb (Puntius (Barbus) titteya)
1x German Blue Rams (Microgeophagus ramirezi)
4x Khuli Loach (Pangio kuhlii)



Plants � Blyxa japonica, Eleocharis parrulus, Eleocharis acicularis, Eusteralis stellata, , Microsorum pteropus Windel�v, Alternathera rosaefolia (pink stem) ,Micosorium Pteropus , Anubias Nana, Vesicularis dubyana , Cryptocoryne beckettii (petchii).

Decor � 2 x Bogwood chunks

Additional comments � Tank was bought feb 2003, while the plants have been changed(fair few times) the main decor has remained the same. I've not run into any major setbacks with this tank (thanks to the guys n girls on this forum and blind luck)

RYO's 60L




Tank � 60L

Filtration � fluval 204 - 2 x ceramic tubes 1x filter floss

Lighting � 3x15w 2x arcadia freshwater(7500k) + 1 arcadia tropical +reflectors

CO2 � Pressurised CO2 injection, ceramic glass diffuser, bubble rate approx 1 bubble per second

Substrate � Sera floredepot and jbl florapol mix, black fine gravel.

Fertilisation � EI method using - KNO3, kent grow , kent fe.
KNO3,dosed days 1,3,5 to 15ppm
kent grow dosed days 2,4,6 @ 5ml
kent fe dosed days 2,4,6 @ 1ml

Water chemistry � ph -6.4, kh- 53.7 ppm , gh-35.8 ppm, phosphate - 2ppm , nitrate - 10ppm, nitite -0 , ammonia- 0 , temp 30 c

Maintenance � 50% water change every 7 days, sponge filter pads cleaned every month , ceramics every 4 months, plants cropped once a month.

Fish � 3x Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus)
4x Pepperd Corydoras (Corydoras paleatus )
4x Dwarf otocinclus ( Otocinclus affinis )
7x Eirmotus octozona
1x Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon Axelrodi)
1x Bristle Nose (Ancistrus triradiatus )
4x Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina denticulata sinensis ) last count

Plants � Eleocharis parrulus, Eleocharis acicularis, Eusteralis stellata, , Alternathera rosaefolia (pink stem)
Hygrophila rosanervis(pink veined hygrophilia), hygrophilia difformis(water wisteria), Vesicularis dubyana (true java moss)Cryptocoryne beckettii (petchii),Anubias


Decor � 2 small peices of bogwood

Additional comments � see journal
http://www.fishforums.net/content/Plants-and-Planted-Tanks/107901/http-www-fishforums-net-index-php-showtopic-107901/












This post has been edited by RYO: Feb 26 2007, 11:12 PM

Tank – 55 US Gallons, 48" x 18" x 13”

Filtration – Emperor 400 Power Filter w/o carbon, with extra Eheim bio filter media. (2) power heads running an ungravel filter.... Yes, even with running an "ole-school" undergravel filter, the tank still runs great!

Lighting – 130 watts of 6700k Compact Florescent + 40 watt 48 inch Nutri Grow bulb. Total 170 watts = 3.4 watts per gallon

CO2 – Pressurized CO2, 5 pound tank, Nutrafin ladder, 24/7 dosing, 30 to 35ppm CO2

Substrate – Regular ole pea-gravel.

Fertilization – KNO3, KH2PO4 - EI dosing, along with Micro dosing of Seachem Flourish.

Water chemistry – pH 6.4, KH 3, GH 3, NO3 15ppm (average), PO4 2ppm (average), temperature 83

Maintenance – 30% weekly water change as well as plant pruning.

Fish – 1 Discus, 15 Cardinal tetras, 5 Glow Light Tetras, 3 SAE's.

Plants – Java Fern, Riccia, Bolbitus Heudelotii, Rotala Indica, Sagittaria Platyphyll, Amazon Sword, Tiger Lotus Lilly, Micro Sword.

Additional comments –

I had been keeping fish for 10 years... during that time, i once had 5 tanks running, including both fresh and salt/reef. I then had to move, and got rid of all my tanks...
10 years later, i started this tank
This aquarium was started up in July of 2005.

I stacked/siliconed large river rocks up the back wall of the tank to give it a 'side of lake' look, plus to give lots of hiding places for the fish.

The biggest lesson I have learned on this 'new adventure' is the EI dosing and CO2 injection.

A couple extra pics....

What the tank first looked like!


Jojo, the idiot circus boy!


Bolbitus Heudelotii - a plant from where Jojo is from so it feel like home


The plants perl all the time! (that Bala moved onto another tank, my sons, shortly after this photo)


Riccia!


Walt

This post has been edited by Walt: Dec 9 2005, 08:10 PM

Tank: 20 US gallons
Filtration: AquaClear HOB filter
Ligthing: CoralLife 130 watt PC 6500k each bulb
CO2: Nutrafin natural plant system with DIY yeast and sugar mix
substrate: regular brown aquarium gravel
fertilization: EI method
water chemistry: ph 7.0 kh 5, kh 5 degrees, CO2 15-20 ppm
maintenance: 50% water change once a week
fish: a pair of apisto nijsseni, a trio of apisto cacatuoides, pair of apisto hongsloi, trio of apisto borelli, rock shrimps, algae eating shrimps, cardinal tetras, black neon tetras, pretty tetra, albino bristlenose pleco
plants: Bacopa australis, cryp crispatula var, limnophila sessiliflora, alt reineckii rosefolia, gloss elantinoides, eleocharis acicularis, tiger vals, anubias nana, ech bleheri, Rotala indica,crypt. wendetii "green", java fern, java moss

comments: I wanna thank everybody on this forum for helping me and answering all my questions regarding planted tanks and I just wanna show everybody the fruits of your advices and patience on helping a fellow enthusiast......My apistos seem a lot more happier now that the tanks looks natural and the water being more softer than before. In the beginning there is quite a few algae as I have 6.5 watts per gallon but as soon as the plants take off I see less and less and my ancistrus pleco is doing a good job(he recently clean off all the algae on my co2 ladder saving me some cleaning time). all plants are growing like crazy although i've been only trimming the limnophila cause it's growing in a very rapid rate.....So far so good..I can't complain and I'm very happy how the tank turn out....
Jan 23/06: I did some reaquascaping and re arrange some of the plants a little bit....the gloss have been growing crazy almost covering the whole front part of the tank...I do have some hair algae that is not visible through this pic and won't not really noticeable in exception of anybody who has great eyesight....lol....hope u like

This post has been edited by G_Sharky: Apr 21 2006, 04:58 AM

Littleimp's wonderful planted tank. (Moved by gf225 7 Jan 06)

Tank – 510l, 375l after displacement, 182x61x46cm. Home made pine stand.

Filtration – Type-2 x Fluval 404, media used – Coarse & fine sponges, filter wool, fluval media

Lighting – Aqua-medic plant---54w T5 x 6, full spectrum

CO2 – 2kg welding bottle, deltec gauges & 2 x azoo difffusers – 15-25ppm

Substrate – 60kg of homebase playsand, 4.5kg laterite mixed into 50% of bottom, approx 2” depth. Cable heater installed

Fertilisation – EI method, 5ppm nitrate & 1ppm on days 1, 3 & 5. 50:50 mix Dry ferts & magnesium sulphate on days 2,4 & 6
Water chemistry – pH 7, KH 6-7 approx, GH, NO3 5-10, PO4 1-2, temperature 27c

Maintenance – Water change with bottom vac & plant trim/bin 75l weekly. Filter clean & wool replace monthly.

Fish – 3 x otto, 3 x clown loach, 3 x panda cory, 3 x cory juli, 1 x rtb shark, 6 x algae shrimp, 12 x tiger barb, 6 x cardinal tetra, 5 x platy, 1 x clown plec, 7 x guppy, 2 x dwarf gourami. Not planning to add anymore species of fish but will be adding to the numbers.

Plants – Don’t have a bleedin’ clue!!! Bought as a 72” tank pack mail order

Decor – 2 x large clumps irish bogwood, 1 x large mopani, few scatter stones.

Additional comments – First go at a planted tank & very happy with results, had no algae problems as of yet. I think the sand was a good choice as bottom dwelling fish love digging around in it.