# Killies Import > Planted Tanks >  Small Low Tech Tanks

## FC

Hi,

For the last 1 year, I have been travelling a fair bit. I am more settled now. I intend to start planted tanks again. This time, I decided to go low tech, that is, no CO2, no cooling device, little or no fertilizing and hopefully no filteration or water change.

I need advises and any inputs from you will be appreciated.

My plan:
Tank: Likely to be 1 or 1.5 ft cube
Substrate: ADA Amazonian soil
Lighting: 13 watts flourescence
Filter: Either hang on back type or Matten Type
Plants: Foreground (either hair grass or tennelus) Background (either mosses or java fern on wood)

I will do a Matten filter if I can find pump with rating of 2 watts and below.

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## RonWill

Hey Freddy, I knew you can't go long without a planted tank. My low tech ones literally have no tech; no filtration, aeration, fertilization and no lights. Just mosses, crypts and shrimps which I feed occasionally!

If you're looking for low-wattage pumps, try Eden. Small, efficient and less than 2 watts, I think. Keep us updated!!

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## Mars

For foreground Tennelus is better because it does not so much light as hairgrass and it looks narrow

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## FC

Just did marketing today  :Very Happy:  

I got myself:
Tank: 40Lx23Dx25H (in cm) @S$15 (Euro 7 / USD 11)
*Rounded/folded front glass
Substrate: ADA Amazonian soil @S$19
*Shop offered half bag
Lighting: 11 watts flourescence @S$14
*I like the look
Filter: Tiny hang on back type @S$8
*3 watts, comes with surface extractor!
*May add sponge to inlet to act as Matten filter

Total S$57 (Euro 27 / USD42).
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ron,
Thanks for your reminder... "cannot da han" (I admire) your tanks...fully ignored and yet works.

Mars,
Thanks.
I like tennelus when they are short (<5cm). In my previous "medium tech" tank, I failed to keep the tennelus low/short.
I am not sure if this tank setup with ADA soil will do better.

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## Green Baron

Freddy,
For small low light tank, you might also want to consider Mini pellia and C parva. I have both in a small tank with no light and filtration and they looks great.

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## timebomb

Welcome back, Freddy.

You know, you should never have sold away everything in the first place. Always keep the equipment somewhere in the house even when you are sick of the hobby because you never know when you want to start again. 

If you had not already bought your tank, I would recommend that you take a look at the tanks at Keong Seong at Havelock Road. The tanks are from China and they are of a very high quality. The prices are a bit high but considering how well the tanks are made, I would say they are very reasonable.

Loh K L

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## FC

Hi Gan,
Thanks. I like C parva but I understand that its' growth is very slow. What was your experience with it? Can you post the tank picture here?

Hi KL,
Thanks. You are right. The tank you saw may be the same as what I got, they come in various sizes and are very nice. I will post some pictures next week.

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## whuntley

I have a tank that sounds much like yours, but smaller (about 40L). I got it at the AGA auction from Tom Barr who had manged to find several of them. It came with ADA soil, CO2 injectors, filters, heaters, etc. [It was a huge bargain.]

I like it a lot, but uncovered tanks are very impractical in our low humidity, as well as being unsuited to most killifish. [They insist on moving up the evolutionary ladder by trying to live on the carpet. It usually does not work out well.]

As I recall, Tom said they came in with several sizes that nested together to make shipping more practical. Does anyone in SG have a wholesale source that could ship the tanks to the US? They are truly beautiful (but not very cheap). I have not seen them for sale here. I did manage to smuggle home from SG a much smaller one that now houses my Tiger Shrimp.

Also, does anyone make a closed hood (20-30W min.) that will discourage jumpers? At present, I can only keep White Clouds, Barbs and Rasboras in mine. The rounded front corners make normal hoods fit poorly, and there is no ledge for a glass cover.

At a RH of 15% or less on average, I simply must have covers. OTOH, chilling is easy with a good air stone! I plan to even install a swamp (evaporative) cooler on my greenhouse that is nearly completed.


Wright

PS. I'm registered to go to the annual AGA Convention in Atlanta GA in Nov. LMK if anyone (but Prof. Tan) will be there, so we can share a beer or three and swap stories.

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## FC

Hi Wright,
My tank capacity is only 23 litres. And for USD11, it comes with glass cover :P. The quality is quite good - see the pretty single folded front panel!



Yes! They come with several sizes that nested together to make shipping practical. There are 2 makers/brands, one provides cover and the other not. Otherwise, the design/size are identical. The price difference (lees than US$1) is negligible. I find the quality of the former being better.

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## FC

Photos...

Initial setup and place above book shelf :Rolling Eyes:  ... soaking the soil while waiting for new home.


Now sitting on sofa's side table :P 


I got myself hair grass which seller says is new species from Japan




To keep foreground plants properly weighted, I always shove them into substrate at an angle


Found this nice helping chap which floated nicely throughout the filling up

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## whuntley

> Hi Wright,
> My tank capacity is only 23 litres. And for USD11, it comes with glass cover :P.


That is a perfect size for many killifish. I must have converted cm and inches and gallons/liters incorrectly.




> Yes! They come with several sizes that nested together to make shipping practical. There are 2 makers/brands, one provides cover and the other not. Otherwise, the design/size are identical. The price difference (lees than US$1) is negligible. I find the quality of the former being better.


I wonder when we will be able to buy such attractive tanks here in the US. 

I think I see how the glass cover is held without any inner shelf for it. I may try to devise something similar for my present tanks.

Wright

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## RonWill

Freddy,
The moss in my neglected tanks are overgrowing and need a trim. Not sure what these are but if you like what you see, help yourself to the excess. I don't work Saturdays, so sms me.

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## FC

Hi Wright,
I have no experience in trading or shipping. I can get the shop name and contact for you if you need. Let me know if I can help in any way.

Hi Ron,
I have done the first planting, see below. Now, I am lost what to do next. 


More photos...

The S$8 filter has skimmer (located at upper part of the inlet tube) that actually works beautifully!


The lamp I got is powered by electronic ballast

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## RonWill

> Now, I am lost what to do next


 Huh? For someone who plans pretty well, I'm kinda surprised to hear you say that! You're just out of practice. Look at Kwek Leong, he tears down and rescape tanks more often than I change underwear, and you never hear him say he's lost.

But if you ask me, I think your tank needs a nice piece of driftwood or complimentary pieces of rocks to create focus. How about some taller plants in the backdrop like _Crypt. balansae_ or narrow java fern? These two aren't demanding for light.

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## Green Baron

Freddy,
parva is indeed slow growing, not suitable if you want to cover the whole tank. I grown them in a bush in one corner. Will try to take a photo later.

Another plant which i like is Potamogeton gayi. It makes a nice backdrop for tank with simple layout.

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## FC

Ron,
 :Laughing:   :Laughing:   :Laughing:  

I originally wanted narrow leaf java fern as backdrop but looking at tank's 23cm width, the leafs would stretch to reach the front panel very quickly. Then, moss wall come into picture but I do not like the usual double layered plastic mess as it takes up space. Any idea?

Or may be the twig-thin wood branches would be a good focal point?

Gan,
Thanks.

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## Robert

Hi Freddy,
you might also use these plants for your tank:

downois -> best choice as a rosette plant in such a small tank
Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite' -> I keep it for 2,5years now and it stays small
narrow/needle leaf java fern in one corner in the background -> I have the same one in a 40cm x 25cm x 30cm low light tank for years
Windelov java fern for the other corner in the background 
Cryptocoryne sp. 'Legroi' -> small brown variety which reaches only 3-4"
C. parva -> plant 3-4plants together and in small groups
C. wendtii 'green' -> stays smaller than all over varieties and would be suitable for the background
round pebbles covered with mini pelia
DW covered with Monoselenium tenerum or even better covered with _Lomariopsis lineata_ fern prothallium
Amblystegium serpens -> a tiny, very undemanding moss which grows like stringy moss and would cover well the Matten filter

That's all I can imagine so far. I grow all the mentioned plants for years in low light tanks without extra CO2. They do pretty well but some of them grow very slowly. With hair grass I never had much luck. It lasted some months but not much longer because it was too demanding. Even HC would be more suitable IMHO.

Luwdigia repens and Najas would also do but they require more maintainance. You have to replant them at least every 3 weeks. So I wouldn't recommend them.

best regards

Robert

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## FC

Hi Robert,
Thank you for your suggestions and sharing with me your experiences.
Currently, other than hair grass, I had installed cork wall with Singapore moss on it and a piece of plain drift wood as focal point.
I wish to add stem plant. For its' vibrancy and beauty, I do not mind the maintenance.
I will post pictures after my travel (Mon~Sat) next week. I hope to get suggestion on how to go on from there.

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## FC

Tank updates:

Photo taken on 25Aug08.


On the same day, I add glosso.

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## spdskr

Freddy, are you using cork bark for your background? It looks very nice. I tried it also, but eventually had problems with it deteriorating after several months in the tank. The bark sections began to float to the surface and I could no longer attach them to the tank. Also, the bark stained my water a yellow color. I hope you have better luck with the cork bark.

Duane

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## wks

Hi Freddy, you can try _Rotala rotundifolia_ 'Green' or _Vallisneria americana_ var natans as background plants. Currently I have both plants in my 1 foot low tech tank. They are growing very well and are easy to maintain.
However I am not sure whether your lighting output (11W) can support these plants because I am using a 24W PL lighting for my tank.

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## Mars

I have experience in small low tech tanks  :Cool:   :Very Happy:  Currently i have two of them. They don't have any filtration or heating. I keep mosses and liverworts, Rotala, HM, fern and shrimps in them.
I have pretty strong light on them so plant grow nice but so does algae witch are food for shrimp. 
It's really easy to keep these tanks, all I have to do i change some water once in a while and that's it  :Very Happy:

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## FC

Duane,
Wow, you guess it right! Yes, it is very nice and better than the photos suggest. There are moss growing on it which I like. It was a compliment from KL (timebomb). I secure it with sucker. I will take closer picture and post it here.

Jason,
Thanks. If I ever give up the cork bark background, I will likely to replace it with the Vallisneria americana var natans. The lighting it a little under, I am thinking to change the light to 18 or 24 watt after the foreground plants spread wide.

Mars,
I agree and I am enjoying this little tank as much I do with my former 100 gallons. Everything about it is a charm - from setup, planting to maintenance.
The hair grass has started to spread...dream coming true.

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## Mars

This tank looks pretty good, if you tie some moss on the top of the driftwood you could have a nice treelike this:

[img]http://faao.kicks-***.net/Fotos/Plantados/Historico/2008/01.jpg[/img]

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## wks

Freddy, another suggestion. I find the driftwood base too exposed. Perhaps you may want to consider _Anubias barteri_ var nana 'Petite' or _Cryptocoryne parva_.

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## FC

See the cork bark wall.




Mars,
Nice "tree" there! I will keep for future refrence.
Jason,
Thanks for the nice pointers. I will first see how it goes when the hair grass and glosso fully cover the ground.

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## phiL

Hey Freddy,

Can u post some up to date pics please?  :Smile:

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## FC

Hi Phillipp,
Thank you for your interest. My tank is doing very well but the growth is slow. I will post update few days later.
Is your family name Wolfgang? How is Germany? I was in Konstanz 10 years ago, very scenic and relax place, I hope to visit there again.

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## phiL

No its not Wolfgang.

Germany is way too cold at the moment  :Sad: 

A week ago we had around 25degrees, now its about 14 to 15...
I had to plug in all my heaters yesterday  :Smile: 

I just teared down my old tank and started a new one last weekend, I will post some pictures as well soon.

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## FC

Tank update:



2 days ago, I tied moss to the wood branches.




The glosso sprout new leafs


The moss on the wall growing


I like this little tank. Easy to take care, water is clear, plants growth is slow and fishes are happy.

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## SQUEAK

Hello Freddy,

I just wanted to say your tank looks excellent. The wall really makes for a 'complete' effect without having tons and tons of plants. This has always been my problem; regardless of my planting the tank always looks bare. I wonder if maybe walls like those would do well just behind the tank if deterioration is a problem? That way you see them (if you are looking directly), however they are not immersed in the water.

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## FC

The wall is made of cork bark, the same material used for capping wine bottle. I think it will not rot for many years. Try it.

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## phiL

Hi,

What fishes do you keep in the tank?

And how long did it take until the corc would sink?

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## SQUEAK

> The wall is made of cork bark, the same material used for capping wine bottle. I think it will not rot for many years. Try it.


Hello Freddy,

I will try it if I manage to find something similar to it here in the USA. I have never seen anything like that, and I would need to drink a lot of wine to get that many wine corks. I do like wine, but I do not like that much wine!  :Twisted Evil:  Thank you for the information Freddy.

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## FC

Philipp,
There are 9 guppies, 1 SAE, 15 shrimps, 2 ottos.
The cork bark will never sink, it has the same buoyancy as natural rubber. I keep them down on the wall using 2 suckers.

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## FC

Tank update:









The moss is doing well. However, the growth is rather slow for hair grass and glosso...it has been a painful wait...and still waiting  :Smile:

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## fish newb

> Tank updates:
> 
> Photo taken on 25Aug08.
> 
> 
> On the same day, I add glosso.


Hi Freddy,

What is the stem plant you have in these pictures. It is beautiful and grows in a stream down the street from me. I know its some sort of pond weed do you know any more about it?

The tank looks great by the way.

-Andrew

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## FC

Hi Andrew,
I do not know its' name, its' new to me. The leafs are curly, glossy and translucent.

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## FC

Tank update:

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## fish newb

Ahh too bad, I really like the plant, I'm hoping it will be there next year because its too cold now for me to try and get any lol.. 

These plants were like 5 feet long or more. it was amazing.

-Andrew

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## Wahlin

> Hi Wright,
> I have no experience in trading or shipping. I can get the shop name and contact for you if you need. Let me know if I can help in any way.
> 
> Hi Ron,
> I have done the first planting, see below. Now, I am lost what to do next. 
> 
> 
> More photos...
> 
> ...


Hi FC,

May I know where you get your hang-on-filter with skimmer. I am looking to get 1 too.

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## FC

The brand is "Sun". I bought it at Colourful, it should be available in any well stocked shops.

The box does not impress but I find it is well designed - compact, right flow rate vs filter media volume, quiet and low consumption (3 watts). Ideal for nano tanks up to 30 litres.

Tips: The original filter sponge comes with any such cheap overhang filter is a little small. Replace it and stuff the filter compact fully with new filter sponge.

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## FC

Tank rescaped for lazier me. It is now near no-maintenance... :-)

No CO2 but amusingly, the plants *bubbles* after mix of fertilizers were injected into substrate.

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## Verminator

Simple tank yes, but i think its lacks a focal point. Such as a piece of wood placed nicely, or maybe a stone/rock or two? Certainly maintenance free though  :Smile:

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## FC

Thank you for your comments! I cannot agree with you more :Smile:  I am not good in woods and rocks, and algaes like to grow on them. From my past aquascapes, I found that I like space and this one is no exception. I hope when the plants mature (take months :Sad: ) they will turn up a little wilder and natural.

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## fatKillies

hi, where to get the light?
brand?
thanks.

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## detritus

:Smile:  simple but nice...

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## rashamon

Hi may i know where to get the filter and light? thanks

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## Xianghao

hi nice tank i like your japanese hairgrass.. i don't seem to have the luck in growing that. anyway IMHO you should tie the narrow leave java fern to wood rather than stick it into the substrate. they need something to cling on..

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## Jervis

Not that the current tank is less interesting... but I really like your first tank with moss growing on the bark wall... it's so beautiful!

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## williamng

Will the ferns grow too big for your tank? I have seen some grow to 20cm

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## a4su

hi,how does ur hairgrass grow so healthy w/o co2? can share ur fert. recipe?tanxs!

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## FC

Thank you everyone for your valuable comments and suggestions.

William, you are right, the NLJFs are stretching out. I hope putting them far back corner will provide space. When the NLJFs grow bushy, I hope to see their talent in emitting illusion of depth, foresty and cooling atmosphere. It give me a sense that the fishes feel at home there.

A4SU (Aiming for S'pore Uni?), I observed hairglass for sometime. They like soft soils. I guess the roots are created to thrive in them. I experimented and discovered that they also need highlight. They will stay stagnant or infact herbinate state when deprive of the right light intensity. Currently, I have 18 watts but I observed that they are asking for 24 watts now. As for fert, I inject liquid fertilisers (self-made) because I found that the ADA soil is rather fert-free although it does a good job in providing good foundation for healthy root growth.

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## smaragd

Fred, do you know the brand of the tank? I know ocean free and some others exist but I can't pin point the brand that comes with the glass cover. I agree with the others, it needs some wood or rocks for the java fern to grow on and hairgrass to grow around to create some depth. Cheers

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## a4su

> Thank you everyone for your valuable comments and suggestions.
> 
> William, you are right, the NLJFs are stretching out. I hope putting them far back corner will provide space. When the NLJFs grow bushy, I hope to see their talent in emitting illusion of depth, foresty and cooling atmosphere. It give me a sense that the fishes feel at home there.
> 
> A4SU (Aiming for S'pore Uni?), I observed hairglass for sometime. They like soft soils. I guess the roots are created to thrive in them. I experimented and discovered that they also need highlight. They will stay stagnant or infact herbinate state when deprive of the right light intensity. Currently, I have 18 watts but I observed that they are asking for 24 watts now. As for fert, I inject liquid fertilisers (self-made) because I found that the ADA soil is rather fert-free although it does a good job in providing good foundation for healthy root growth.


Hi Fred,tanxs for sharing ur knowledge.i m using 18w currently with co2 injection,some of my hairgrass actually brown off.....btw A4SU(asking 4 some understanding?) :Razz:

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## FC

Smaragd,
I do not know the brand of the tank, I bought it at Nature Aquarium. The base was supported with white shallow paper tray that has tank's dimensions printed. It is certainly not ocean free.
Yes, I absolutely agree that planted tank needs some wood or rocks to enhance scaping. Ok, I will pickup my lazy bones and get wood for the java fern to grow on. Cheers!

A4su,
I too experienced browning hairgrass, they response and recover quickly after I inject fert into the soil. I need to do this every month to keep them going. Perhaps they are fert hungry plant?
This non-CO2 tank is 40x25x26cm and it is fun and needs little maintenance. What's your tank size?

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## a4su

> A4su,
> I too experienced browning hairgrass, they response and recover quickly after I inject fert into the soil. I need to do this every month to keep them going. Perhaps they are fert hungry plant?
> This non-CO2 tank is 40x25x26cm and it is fun and needs little maintenance. What's your tank size?


i am trying to dose some liquid fert too,but cant dose 2much coz have some shrimps in the tank.My tank size is 30x30x30cm.

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## smaragd

[QUOTE=FC;443734]Smaragd,
I do not know the brand of the tank, I bought it at Nature Aquarium. The base was supported with white shallow paper tray that has tank's dimensions printed. It is certainly not ocean free.
Yes, I absolutely agree that planted tank needs some wood or rocks to enhance scaping. Ok, I will pickup my lazy bones and get wood for the java fern to grow on. Cheers!

Noted.  :Smile:  I'm going to create another tank around the same size. Even have the same filter.

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## monstar

how to make diy ferts?

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## FC

I mixed traces (any brand) with self-mixed macros (similar to EI method).

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## boi_wave

hey buddies. im super super new in this fish aquarium thingy because my past hobbies and still strong hobby is gg fishing in and out of singapore. i have a 60 cm by 40 cm by 40 cm fish tank at home and my dad is so eager he pestered me to get the items for the tank. all i had is a small pump, no lightings, simple sand and gravel plus few live plants. im intending to get a similar size of tank from a friend of mind, to start a fresher on. planted tank before moving the fishes in. i really need help because i want to learn to make it beautiful and spectacular to see and taking care of them.

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## Verminator

In terms of help if you have specific questions fire away in the appropriate section; preferably _Beginners' Corner_. It may also be beneficial to browse through this section and others and you'll find pretty much everything you want to know has already been asked/discussed in previous threads. I certainly find past topics a big help. Failing that i'm sure the many kind people on here would gladly answer any questions  :Smile:

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## williamng

> hey buddies. im super super new in this fish aquarium thingy because my past hobbies and still strong hobby is gg fishing in and out of singapore. i have a 60 cm by 40 cm by 40 cm fish tank at home and my dad is so eager he pestered me to get the items for the tank. all i had is a small pump, no lightings, simple sand and gravel plus few live plants. im intending to get a similar size of tank from a friend of mind, to start a fresher on. planted tank before moving the fishes in. i really need help because i want to learn to make it beautiful and spectacular to see and taking care of them.


Hi

Just to share. 60 x 40 x 40cm is a good start. In order to grow plants, you need the following things: -

1) Substrate = Mainly soil such as aquasoil amazonia or some use GEX or some use a combination of base fert + sand

2) Lights = You need lights even for low lighting plants. No lighting is not possible

3) CO2 = Try to put at least CO2 tablets. I have seen tanks without CO2 and the plants looks like they are dying. Very important

4) Fertilizer = Most people use it and I know some manage to grow plants without fertilizers.

If you are free, visit aquarama on sun to look at some tanks, lightings, fertilizers and other equipment. I saw some stuff on discount.  :Grin:

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## qngwn

is your hang on filter the one seen here?

http://www.guppysaquariumproducts.co.../prod_336.html

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## unholy1

How do you keep the temp down? Whats the temp of your tank?

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## FC

The filter is not like the one in the link. I think the brand is "Sun".
There is no fan to cool the tank. I guess the temp is about 27~29 degree celcius.

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## boi_wave

how long does ur grass takes to grow??

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## tarzanboy

> Tank update:
> 
> 
> 
> 2 days ago, I tied moss to the wood branches.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Hi,Fc may I know what is the plant that you insert into the cork bark.

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## FC

Due to no CO2 injection, the "Japanese" hairgrasses take long time to grow. Simply plant more will do. Advantage is that no trimming is required :Smile: .

Those mosses on the cork bark are spiky mosses, they are realtively fast growers with good frond shape.

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## tarzanboy

> See the cork bark wall.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mars,
> Nice "tree" there! I will keep for future refrence.
> Jason,
> Thanks for the nice pointers. I will first see how it goes when the hair grass and glosso fully cover the ground.


 Hi, FC may I know that how you attact the fern on the cork bark it look nice and natural care to share thank  :Smile:

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## FC

Spiky mosses anchor themselve easily. I simply use pincer to push mosses into the cork bark's grooves. After a or two week, the mosses will grow out and look like what I had.

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## bettaboy

simple and nice bro, thanks for sharing this  :Very Happy: 
can use it for my future scapes.

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## slowcat

Love the way your glosso is growing. Any idea whether it is possible to grow glosso in lupis gravel?

Thanks

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## FC

Yes, you can grow them on gravel. However, they would do better or easier to grow on soil. See below link where I shared about use of fertilser, gravel and soil.
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=59446

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## skybird

may i know where to buy the cork bark? how much?

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## alien54d

your low tech look nicer than my high tech
haha  :Embarassed:

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## FC

The cork bark was a gift from a hobby friend.

Thanks for the compliment. Low tech tank, for its' low maintenance, is indeed a good alternative to enjoy planted hobby.

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## boxedfish

> may i know where to buy the cork bark? how much?


nature aquarium sells cork bark

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## skybird

> nature aquarium sells cork bark


Thank for infor, i will go there to check the price! :Smile:

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## slowcat

This is great. The Spikey Mosses, can it attach / take root in a synthetic media like the styrofoam rock wall?

Thanks.

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## FC

Yes, Spikey Mosses are easy to attach to any media. Simply anchor them into any grooves, or into the foam (if it is soft and penetratable). Among moss species, they are the fastest growers with well defined/visble fronds.

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## luchaolc

very nice 
no co2?

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## knight

> Tank updates:
> 
> Photo taken on 25Aug08.
> 
> 
> On the same day, I add glosso.


Good day Bro, 
May I ask where did you purchase the background?

Very unique... beautiful set up you have there!

Cheers
Knight

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## FC

luchaolc, thanks. Yes, there is no CO2.

Knight, the cock bark was a gift from a hobby friend. Mosses can be stucked and grown easily on it.

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## knight

Hm... wondering where can I get this cock bark?

Can someone enlighten me! 

Cheers
Knight

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## felix_fx2

Hello knight,

You can try NA at thomson. They sell them there, price wise i unabl;e to comment as i have no clue.

You may find them right outside the store at the left side, if not you can ask chan.

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## knight

> Hello knight,
> 
> You can try NA at thomson. They sell them there, price wise i unabl;e to comment as i have no clue.
> 
> You may find them right outside the store at the left side, if not you can ask chan.


Thanks Bro, 

Cheers
Knight

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## slowcat

Just an aside ... better ask Mr. Chan for cork board and not cock board  :Smile: 

Great tank !!!

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## Purin

I really like the lighting that you are using. Care to share where you bought it?

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## yilimi

> 


Hi FC, gong xi fa cai. May i know what is the brand/model of the light and filter you are using?

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## FC

I bought the lamp from NA at Thomson.
I do not know the brands of both lamp and filter (I do not have them now as I have upgraded to larger capacities).

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## brownie_blues

> Hello knight,
> 
> You can try NA at thomson. They sell them there, price wise i unabl;e to comment as i have no clue.
> 
> You may find them right outside the store at the left side, if not you can ask chan.


I bought the real tree bark from NA, for that they sell by weight, which comes to about about $15-$20 for a 2 x 2 feet. Looking at your tank I would say the cork bark looks better than real bark. Your tank looks great! I love the plants growing on the 'bark'. Didn't think of sticking plants in mine earlier.  :Razz:

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## yilimi

> I bought the lamp from NA at Thomson.
> I do not know the brands of both lamp and filter (I do not have them now as I have upgraded to larger capacities).


ok. thanks.

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## Springer

Cork bark can really enchance the natural look of a tank, nice work!

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## ouuuigh

what is that green long thing sticking out of the water?
nice tank u have ,

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## edsel

I was initially contemplating on using a Cork background, but after reading James experience here, I stopped contemplating.  :Grin: 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/ta...g-journal.html

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## FC

Tank update:

Apr10 (1).jpg

Apr10 (3).jpg

This non-CO2 tank's plant bubble...
Apr10 (9).jpg

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## gene

> Tank update:
> 
> Apr10 (1).jpg
> 
> Apr10 (3).jpg
> 
> This non-CO2 tank's plant bubble...
> Apr10 (9).jpg


whats the name of the plant which is like grass? looks good

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## Cheddar254

vallisernia americana

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## Jungle-mania

Very nice setup. I can see it will turn out real well.

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## goldfish&koi

nice set up. can i know where you your PL light?

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## magma

Nice setup, The glosso seems to be doing well. And very good looking driftwood.

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## gid

anybody know where to buy glosso? i usually go c328 but have nvr seen it before. or maybe i cant recognise it when packaged for LFS.

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## yashimoto

wa that is very nice non-c02 you also able to do til so nice good job

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## Skywalker

Wow thats a nice setup!  :Smile:

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## marimo

i never had chance to have pearlie on low tech tank. 
but my glosso is crawling and my hairgrass is spreading and staying low slooooowly.

Will trying to inject fertilizer into substrate instead in water column..

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## felix_fx2

marimo, low tech indoor not easy to pearl.
the o2 given out by plant faster then the water around them can absorb as you know...
but low tech normally not high powered light which is the strong factor affecting this.

anyway, i waiting for your post  :Smile:

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## biljas

Adding some floating plants with roots hanging down will add to the natural look of your tank.

Can consider Frogbits or water lettuce.

Hardy and easy plants to grow

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## Redbaron

@FC, is your tank still on the book shelf ? Far too flimsy to hold a fish tank...

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## Redbaron

For low tech planted tank, is a hang on flter advisable in terms of surface agitation, driving off too much CO2 ?

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## tetrakid

Fish-keeping is all about creating a balanced eco-system in the tank. In all aquariums, the aim is to achieve a nice balance in the system. Since every tank is different in terms of it's components, namely differing amounts of water, fish, plants and other living organisms, the amount of influence each factor contributes to balancing in one tank may not be the same in another.

Whether too much C02 is 'driven off' by surface agitation or not will depend on the optimal C02 needs of the plants in the tank itself. If the amount of fish in the tank is such that the CO2 produced by the fish during the day and regular hours of darkness is sufficiently abundant, there should be no problem. But while plants need no surface agitation or aeration, fish and other organisms need them all the time for an abundant supply of oxygen. Balancing the competing needs of the two is a bit tricky. 




> For low tech planted tank, is a hang on flter advisable in terms of surface agitation, driving off too much CO2 ?

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## yiongcs

what is that plant at the bottom of your wood?

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## ralliart12

> anybody know where to buy glosso? i usually go c328 but have nvr seen it before. or maybe i cant recognise it when packaged for LFS.


You can get the C328 auntie to order for you. Probably will arrive within the next day or two. She told me she didn't want to stock glosso because it dies easily (which I find funny because they regularly stock HC). PolyArt also carries glosso every now & then, but recently their remaining pots ain't very healthy.

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## Proster12

nice setup!! looking to do something similiar!

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## Kimo_8410

Wow nice setup. I'm gonna do something like yours.

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## chwh52

this is a great looking setup!

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## elwaynetan

> what is that green long thing sticking out of the water?
> nice tank u have ,


That's Cyperus Haspen or Dwarf Papyrus. It's actually a pond plant I found out. But I have 3 on a driftwood in my shrimp tank.. and all the 3 of them are growing 1 - 2 shoots going upwards to the surface of the tank... And I'm amazed at their growing speed... One day I see nothing in one of them. The next day when I came home, I see 2 shoots about 10cm long.  :Shocked: 

Quite an interesting plant to look at. Though at the end of the day, I supposed the shoot will grow out of the water surface and grow similar spiky leaves as a bunch like the one at the bottom. Cool plant.  :Smile:

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## marx

very nice setup and inspiring me to do one too !

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## Elemistic

> Tank updates:
> 
> Photo taken on 25Aug08.
> 
> 
> On the same day, I add glosso.


Just a question, do you silicon the corkbark in your tank ?
Thanks!

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## kopiopeng

good explaination , now i have more knowledge.
thank you

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## edenk

Any tips on using the cork bark? saw some at a LFS and cheap too but afraid it would get loose easily, LS getting stuck behind them or leach funny stuff.

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