FishProfiles.com Message Forums

Been away for a while. Life changes. My first stint of unemployment has left me very lethargic about communicating.

But wasn't totally lazy. I did do this:

Attached Image:

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

This is probably the most open tank I've ever done. Fish look much better which is a bonus. Only 2 stem plants, very easy to maintain. This this max growth that will be allowed, it will be kept open.

Attached Image:

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Hopefully I won't have to tear it down in a couple of weeks. If I can agree terms witha company here I may not be moving after all. Final negotaitions are next week.

Attached Image:

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

As alkways the usual comments, criticisms, questions and nit picking will be welcome

Attached Image:

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Bensaf

Very nice to read from you again, its been quite a while. Also glad to hear that things seem like they may work out for you, I will keep my thumbs crossed.

Anyway, I like the tank, but not better or worse than the last setup I have seen. And that means of course that by our standards it is way up there.

A few questions:
- What motivated you to go from a full and lush planted tank to a more open water setup? Maintenance or just a change?
- It appears to me that the fast majority of your plants is more from the low to medium light group, anubias, fern, moss, wisteria. Do you have any concerns that the high light will actually be too much for them, or - in other words - not really needed and used by our enemies to populate?
- I know you had this before, but what is your experience with growing moss pretty much right on the substrate? Did you see any issues with creepers that then make the tank permanently "mossed"?

Anyway, don't you dare to just throw in these 3 posts and then dissapear again for weeks . This time, stay and participate in our little discussions as your help is always welcome and much needed.

And keep us posted on the life development of things

Have fun,

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

You never let us see the set up bensaf. It's always just the perfect outcome. Great lookin' tank, plants are very healthy as always. I like the open look for maintainance myself. Not too much trimming needed and shading isn't usually a problem. Glad to hear you may not need to move, that will be a relief.

---

Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

- What motivated you to go from a full and lush planted tank to a more open water setup? Maintenance or just a change?

A bit of both. Some plants that were there previously eventually out grew the tank. The structure that was there was long overgrown. Fish almost dissapeared. Not enough room at the front which really bugged me. It had been one year so a change was due I was tired of looking at the old set up. Maintenance was an issue large areas were impossible to get to and clean.

- It appears to me that the fast majority of your plants is more from the low to medium light group, anubias, fern, moss, wisteria. Do you have any concerns that the high light will actually be too much for them, or - in other words - not really needed and used by our enemies to populate?

No worries at all. These plants do well in high light too. As long as everything else is in balance it's not a issue. The huge crypt spiralis has been in the tank directly under the same light for over a year and never really attracts algae.There is not one single new plant in there. All these plants are over a year old,some are 3 years old, lights the same no reason to expect problems now. Care was taken with the placing of Anubias all get some shade from wood or other plants.

- I know you had this before, but what is your experience with growing moss pretty much right on the substrate? Did you see any issues with creepers that then make the tank permanently "mossed"?

The moss (Xmas and Taiwan) grows very quickly and take over the substrate ( I threw out a 2 gallon bucket of the stuff). None of the moss you see here is actually sitting on the substrate all are tied to small stones , pieces of wood etc. I can lift the out and trim them every couple of weeks.

I like that the wood and rocks are more visible. I like to see nice wood and rocks as much as lush plants. The fish are far more noticable and play a more significant role in the look of the tank in this set up.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

You never let us see the set up bensaf.

Who wants to the see the swans feet furiously paddling beneath the surface ?

Really there nothing to show in the set up. This was time consuming but really simple. Basically removed everything except the big crypt and val nana. Big water change to remove the mulm. Then put everything back minus what I discarded. Didn't even take the fish out ( all fine btw).

I usually have a set idea of what I want and I do things pretty instinctively. Laying out wood and rocks was very fast, no playing around. Once that's done I know exactly where I want the Anubia's,mosses etc. The donkey work took a while but putting together the 'scape itself was done very quickly. Nothing intersting in photos of buckets of plants and a messy wet floor.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Basically removed everything ...

Ah, an makeover Little_Fish style, my favorite

Now Bensaf, given that you have these plants for quite a while and that you are confident that there will be no issues, I am wondering if you adjusted the amount of ferts that you add. If I remember that right then the last setup contained more fast growers and so I would assume that in this setup the uptake should be less.

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And hey Bensaf,

Happy belated 44th

I hope you had a good time celebrating, the next one of this kind is 11 years away.

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Who wants to the see the swans feet furiously paddling beneath the surface ?

Am I the only one that likes to see the swan's feet? Like fallout, I must have a foot fetish...instead it's for swan feet.

My mistake though, I thought it was a new tank. And now that you mention it, all the fish and equipment are familiar looking.

And happy birfday

---

Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Well done bensaf, thanks for posting!

I certainly enjoy the slow-growth "low light" plants. I don't think I've trimmed my 4G in over a month - just let everything fill in. And as Jeff Senske says in his book, these aren't necessarily low light plants, they're just tolerant of a wide range of conditions


and Happy birthday You're not as old as I thought, so I'll refrain from the "old man" talk...

---

Back in the saddle!

No I haven't changed the nutrient regime at all. Goes back to whether or not you believe nutrients cause algae. I don't. The nutrients will be kept in the same "range" as before - i.e. 10-20ppm N 1-2 ppm of P.

Thanks for reminding of my birthday, I'd been trying to forget - the numbers getting way too high.

Surprised some thought I was an old man Far from it, I'm still young , actually in the best shape of my life. Just a little less hair.

Here's the proof I'm not a little old white haired professorly type. That's my wife and my niece with me, not a zimmer frame in sight !

Attached Image:

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

How cute

Bensaf on his best behaviour. Now, where is the shot where we see you sitting in the bar, unshaved, with a smoke and a Guinness?

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well happy to see those smiling faces. I could tell by them that as crazy as things are/might have been for you, you're all able to deal with it through a keen sense of humor.

On to the scape:

As before your positioning and use of textures are very nice. I like the shape you have created with the open space, but of course I will nitpick

I would love to see the tank with a black background. I think it would really bring out the constrast in the plants more. The water almost looks alittle cloudy (see it) without a background. I think without a background the colors look a little washed out. I'm not sure the round small rocks and the almost multi-colored sand do the plants justice. I think if the rocks were all the same and the gravel was more monotone it would bring out the plants even more.

Again these are small things and of course your still the master

My Scapes

Very observant nit picking tetra. Actually the small stones and the few patches of hairgrass were just sitting there when I took everything up and out. By the time I finished the layout I was too tired/lazy to remove them. They've since gone.

The water was still cloudy at the time of the pic and the background will be got around to eventually.

Ingo this is the best I could do. An older photo (hence more hair ). No Guinness but you will note a couple of bottles of Baileys within arms reach which didn't last too much longer ! That was the morning of my wedding BTW, hence the rather Michael Jacksonish jacket !!!

Attached Image:

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

I also added a bunch of these little guys. Indian Glassfish. Surprisingly colorful for "glass" fish (not dyed ). They look like little squished rams. The subtle colors and shape really suit the open tank.

Attached Image:

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Yeah Bensaf, close enough for me
The old days when we had hair, I vaguely remember them

That is some nice glass-fish there, I think I remember that I mentioned it once and stated that you probably would have more info on it (but I may have just thought about it).

I think to remember that there was some downside to this fish, but I can't recall exactly what that was. Maybe low temp or something like that.

Ingo

---

Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I think they may be bracksih fish. If I remember right....

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/275.htm

55G Planted tank thread
19G Container Pond
[IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/Wingsdlc/Ric

Gorgeous, just beautiful.


...and the fish is quite nice too... but that jacket is something else

I've only seen pictures of glass fish when they're clear and white looking, never seen any so colored up. At least they're not dyed

---

Back in the saddle!