George Farmer
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There's been a lot of interest in this concept, and rightly so. I share some of the concerns but feel it is still worth trialling. If it doesn't run smoothly then I'll simply close it down. If I suspect anyone is cheating I'll warn them accordingly. Anyway, here's my plan so far. I hope to get this sorted before Sunday (17th Oct).
Let me know what you think. I've covered all aspects I can think of at the moment, I have proabaly forgotten something though as I've had 3 hours sleep. The joys of teething babies!
Anyway,
Here’s an example of what may become the pinned thread, “Member’s Planted Tanks – A Gallery and Database”.
The first post will state the guidelines etc. For example -
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; you have been warned. 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.
Here’s an example of my potential contribution. (I know the layout is different now but it’s just an example).
Tank – Juwel Rio 125 - 33 US Gallons, 125 Litres, 32” x 20” x 14”
Filtration – Juwel internal, Fluval 204 external, sponge and ceramic bio-media only.
Lighting – 2 x 18W 7500K Arcadia Freshwater Lamps, 2 x 18W 6500K Interpet Daylight Plus
CO2 – Dennerle Professional 500gram refillable pressurized, output into external filter, 1 bubble per second via Dennerle bubble counter, 24/7 dosing, 30 to 35ppm CO2
Substrate – Dennerle Deponit, 1-3mm black quartz, 3 inches depth, thermostat controlled substrate heating (25W)
Fertilisation – KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4, Plantex CSM+B, Dennerle A1, S7, E15, V30 (I will stop using Dennerle range when it runs out)
KNO3 – 5ppm NO3 dosed on days 2, 4, 6
3ppm K dosed on days 2, 4, 6
KH2PO4 – 0.3ppm PO4 dosed on days 2, 4, 6
K2SO4 - 4ppm K dosed on days 2, 4, 6
Planted CSM+B - dosed on days 1, 3, 7
Dennerle A1 – daily
Dennerle S7, E15, V30 - day 7
Water chemistry – pH 6.5, KH 3, GH 6, NO3 20ppm (average), PO4 2ppm (average), temperature 28C
Maintenance – 50% weekly water change (day 7), internal filter powerhead monthly, internal media cleaned 4 monthly, external 6 monthly, no substrate cleaning, glass cleaned once per week. Reflectors cleaned monthly. Fluorescent tubes replaced 12 monthly
Fish – Discus, Cardinal tetra, Oto, SAE, Amano shrimp
Plants – Sagittaria platyphylla (foreground), Microsorium pteropus (Java fern), Crinum calimistratium.
Decor – bogwood (under fern)
Additional comments – See my journal (cop out I know but it’s all there). I’ll write a summary if and when I post in the pinned thread.
Let me know what you think. I've covered all aspects I can think of at the moment, I have proabaly forgotten something though as I've had 3 hours sleep. The joys of teething babies!
Anyway,
Here’s an example of what may become the pinned thread, “Member’s Planted Tanks – A Gallery and Database”.
The first post will state the guidelines etc. For example -
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; you have been warned. 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.
Here’s an example of my potential contribution. (I know the layout is different now but it’s just an example).
Tank – Juwel Rio 125 - 33 US Gallons, 125 Litres, 32” x 20” x 14”
Filtration – Juwel internal, Fluval 204 external, sponge and ceramic bio-media only.
Lighting – 2 x 18W 7500K Arcadia Freshwater Lamps, 2 x 18W 6500K Interpet Daylight Plus
CO2 – Dennerle Professional 500gram refillable pressurized, output into external filter, 1 bubble per second via Dennerle bubble counter, 24/7 dosing, 30 to 35ppm CO2
Substrate – Dennerle Deponit, 1-3mm black quartz, 3 inches depth, thermostat controlled substrate heating (25W)
Fertilisation – KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4, Plantex CSM+B, Dennerle A1, S7, E15, V30 (I will stop using Dennerle range when it runs out)
KNO3 – 5ppm NO3 dosed on days 2, 4, 6
3ppm K dosed on days 2, 4, 6
KH2PO4 – 0.3ppm PO4 dosed on days 2, 4, 6
K2SO4 - 4ppm K dosed on days 2, 4, 6
Planted CSM+B - dosed on days 1, 3, 7
Dennerle A1 – daily
Dennerle S7, E15, V30 - day 7
Water chemistry – pH 6.5, KH 3, GH 6, NO3 20ppm (average), PO4 2ppm (average), temperature 28C
Maintenance – 50% weekly water change (day 7), internal filter powerhead monthly, internal media cleaned 4 monthly, external 6 monthly, no substrate cleaning, glass cleaned once per week. Reflectors cleaned monthly. Fluorescent tubes replaced 12 monthly
Fish – Discus, Cardinal tetra, Oto, SAE, Amano shrimp
Plants – Sagittaria platyphylla (foreground), Microsorium pteropus (Java fern), Crinum calimistratium.
Decor – bogwood (under fern)
Additional comments – See my journal (cop out I know but it’s all there). I’ll write a summary if and when I post in the pinned thread.
I was pretty proud of it at the time (still am) although it has far too many large plants 
