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Ingo the tank looks sensational as always , the tannins from the wood are not all that noticable from the pics.

I'm reluctant to comment on the scape other than to say that I love the beach/ river theme ( I wonder why )

I think I agree with the idea of a lighter substrate in that area , maybe not sand just a finer pale gravel .

Anyway just my 2c for what its worth. Love this tank and the photos look great .
Garry

Again I don't think the Anubias is a good corner plant, but I think you know that.

Well then tetratech, how about if I put it all the way to the right of the tank, between the glass and the fern? And at least for the time being keep the left side a little lower?

I'm reluctant to comment on the scape

Garry, don't be! Any input is welcome, I can handle it when people tell me that this or that is not what they really like. Hey, what is the worst? I can always ignore the judgment and pay a price for it later

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well then tetratech, how about if I put it all the way to the right of the tank, between the glass and the fern? And at least for the time being keep the left side a little lower?

Isn't that still a corner? You guys from Jersey

P.S. I drove to Plainsboro, NJ yesterday. Fun trip, especially with the increased traffic from the P.R. Day Parade.

My Scapes

Isn't that still a corner? You guys from Jersey

See, that is why you have the tank of the month and not I

Somehow, I got hung up on the left corner, ignoring that you were speaking of corners in general.

I guess that means that you actually cannot see a place for the large barteri anywhere in the tank, right?

And yes, I stay away from the Metro Area whenever there is some kind of Parade

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

See, that is why you have the tank of the month

Your probably right.

I guess that means that you actually cannot see a place for the large barteri anywhere in the tank, right?

It's size is the problem, so I think the only solution would be to keep it as small as possible and put it somewhere off-center near big wood.

My Scapes

It's size is the problem

Honestly, I was contemplating of not adding it back into the tank when I did the last redo for exactly that reason. But attachments to this plant, as it has grown so well for me, kept me from disposing of it in some form (either throw it out or give it to some NJAGC members as a trade in).

What already seems like a large plant is actually only 4 of the original 12 equal sized "clippings" that I created a while back when I had to cut up the one mother Barteri as it was getting way too large for the last layout.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Weekly Tank Update - Week 90

Well, this week had seen the death of one group of plants, the cubans. One could see it deteriorate by the day. Here is a shot from Friday showing part of the group. You can see that only the tops are in submersed growth form, and that little part is the result of three weeks:

Attached Image:

Cubans I

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A closer look reveals that some of the heads are actually dying off at the spot between old emersed and new submersed growth. Here is a look at one stem on Friday night starting to bend over:

Attached Image:

Cubans II

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is a look at the same stem from Saturday morning, all bent out of shape. By that time, 2 other stems had lost the tops completely, two more had brown tops, and a few others were still hanging in.

Attached Image:

Cubans III

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Having not changed ferts, even having Seachem fert sticks under the plants, having not changed the ligh duration, the culprit seems to be the light as it is reaching the plant. The pictue below shows what I mean. This water is taken from the middle of the water column, no gunk or such was added. The tannins, I assume from the large wood, make the tank tea colored and greatly reduce the light that reaches the plants. Cubans do need quite some light, I have seen shots of some that have come in the same delivery batch than mine under 6wpg in a 75G or so, and they are beautiful.

Attached Image:

Tea Anyone?

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And that was that for them in this tank, currently the few survivors part of a rescue mission in the 40G, updates there later.

Oh, at the same time when I took the shot of the bending head I also caught the Wisteria waking up, top still closed:

Attached Image:

Sleepy Wisteria

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

So, to counteract the tannins, at least for a day or two, I performed 2 50% water changes, with about a 1 hour break between them to clean the 2028 filter. Here is the full tank after the second water change:

Attached Image:

Water Changes Done

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

As you can see, the spot of the Cubans has been reclaimed by Narrow Leaf Java Fern. I had them in a bucket ever since the replant, replacing the water every week with "fresh" tank water. I am glad now that I didn't throw them out or gave them away.

Here is the fern:

Attached Image:

NLJF

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Another thing that the careful observer may have seen in the full tank shot is a change in how the "river" looks like. I received some plants during the week and basically parked them in the river. I kinda like it, so it will be parked for a little longer. This are 20 !!!! Nana Petites on 2 sticks.

Attached Image:

Nana Petites

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Here is another impressionist shot of the same area, as you may notice the male Apisto has been in both shots. The Apistos like that area as the female often slips into a personal gap in the big wood.

Attached Image:

Center of Attention

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is a closer look at the male, albeit not the best I ever took. I am glad that at least for one day I was able to view him without the tannins as they make him look rather pale and yellowish:

Attached Image:

Da Man

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

The next two shot are typical (at least in my tank) courtship pictures. Male and female apisto take turns swimming in front of each other, or better said stand in front of each other. Then the one in front folds up the tail and slaps the other in the face with it

Attached Image:

Courtship I

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is the reverse with the female slapping the male. As you can see, she is really folding up that tail fin. I once have seen the male actually bite her in the fin during this courtship, and pulling her backwards, but no damage was done, no piece was missing.

Attached Image:

Courtship II

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Last but not least, the official tank shot for week 90, taken yesterday in the evening. I have to say that I value this shot very much, it has been a few weeks since the green in this tank appeared as lush as it did without the load of tannins.

I only hope that the tannis will wear down soon, I am not ready to counteract with Purigen yet as it would mean that I have to remove other media from the filer to make space for it.

Thanks for looking,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 90

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi Ingo

Hope the tannins settle down for you. Those 2 water changes must been a bit of an effort. the new nanas look good in the river area. I also really enjoyed the "tail slapping" antics of your apistos. Very cute. Mine have never done that.

Cheers
TW

also really enjoyed the "tail slapping" antics of your apistos

Thanks Robyn for the input and comments.

My Cacs in the 40G have shown a similar slapping thing as here, but by far less often and only half hearted. Well, we all know what kind of a looser the male in that tank is though

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi L_F,
now I dare to give you a bit of input. First of all, great update as always!
I have to say that I do like the 'light breakfast tea color' of the tank but that is just me and I realize your concerns about diminished light penetrating and affecting light sensitive plants. Anyway, here it goes: IMHO one of the nicest plants in this tank is the Alternanthera and this group appears a bit diminished in the most recent pic. Overall, the addition of more Java fern to replace the ailing Cuban creates a bit of a 'curtain look'. A great addition is the group of nanas in the foreground as they create a focal point that is missing in this section 9the forefront of the tank) a bit. The wisteria is nice but it gives the appearance of a nicely trimmed English lawn (fish golf? ). I am thinking a minor interruption in form of another 'hole' or a smaller rock would be nice?

now I dare to give you a bit of input.

How dare you criticize my tank!



Just kidding, of course,

Your input is much appreciated, here is the breakdown of your comments and my response:

- "great update as always!" - Thank you very much .
- "and I realize your concerns about diminished light ..." - Brown water is not my favorite, I like it clear better. I received quite some compliments during the last NJAGC meeting at my place when all members were astonished how clear my tanks are (were, in case of this tank, for the time being).
- "one of the nicest plants in this tank is the Alternanthera" - I couldn't agree more, and guess what --> growth of this plant stopped with tea water as well. Another reason why tea water is not so good.
- "creates a bit of a 'curtain look'." - I take it you mean that in a "not-so-good" way, and here I agree as well. My options were a) add the plants I have or b) leave a big open hole. Being a preacher of "stuff the tank" I would never leave a spot open that is not in the design as open. I have that fern on some wood and when it is time to fill the area with some other plant it will take about 5 seconds to remove the entire replacement group.
- "A great addition is the group of nanas ..." - Yeah, it is , and I actually had these planned for another tank that is undergoing its make-over in my head right now. I think I will remove them from this tank once I have made up my mind and find time for the makeover though. Just thinking of the market price for 20 Nana Petites and consider me buying a replacement to maintain these in this tank makes me shiver.
- "the appearance of a nicely trimmed English lawn" - what would be wrong with Hyde Park? Where would you suggest the hole?

Thanks so much for the input, much appreciated,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I was bored, so I manned the camera, attached the macro lens, and took a few shots. Nothing special came up though, with one exception being the last of these 3 shots that I am going to present.

Number one would be the No 1 in the tank, the Male Apisto:

Attached Image:

Male Apisto

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Next up would be:

Yes - I do have snails in the tank, but few and between. A sign of proper feeding, good plant health, and enough predators.

Attached Image:

A Snail

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Last but not least, when I was about to put the camera away, I saw this. An Amano on top of the glass below the light, roasted

He must have jumped out in the small open area in the back part of the top where the filter flows are entering the tank.

Who would have thought!

That's it,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Shrimp Cocktail

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Sorry for the shrimp and thanks for the education - I will disapprove of tea water in the future as well . It never entered my mind that this could be detrimental to the Alternanthera. What I meant with the lawn reference: the right side of the tank (foreground) appears very uniform with the Wisteria covering the gravel entirely. I was thinking that a small group of a different plant (nothing tall!) or a rock could create another focal point to disrupt this. Just a thought and there is nothing wrong with Hyde Park

Guess I've been lucky I've never had that happen to any of my shrimp, although I guess they could have jumped out and fell behind the tank unknown to me.

Tank looks good as I said I like the big wood focus, but I think you could still build more midground around and make it more natural looking.

My Scapes

Makes sense catdancer, I will think about what can be done.

tetratech - the midground is in the makings, it just has to grow . There are about 15 crypts on the right of the wood, in front of the area where the cubans were. And some other plants in smaller numbers as well. Maybe I will also use the pearl grass further back.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Ingo , your Photographic skills never cease to amaze me.Wish I could get my macro lens to perform like that ?!

I showed your Pics of this tank to a few friends last night and they were blown away . It continues to look fantastic

However , a couple of points .
I actually think the removal of the cubans is a good thing. IMHO they looked out of place .

The Anubias in the river to me spoil the look of it and the black area behind and underneath the driftwood . I think that area creates focus and depth .
It certainly draws the eye into mysterious interior
and if I were you I'd be reluctant to clutter it up .

I'm sorry to hear about your Shrimp .

Keep up the great work , Well done again
Garry

Hey LF. I gotta say I'm in the same opinion as you about tannins. I like a bright tank. It's a bit unnatural to have perfectly clear water in a planted setting I guess, but brown water just screams water change to me.

I like the look of this setup so far but I think there needs to be a bit more midground. I feel like there is a wall of stems and fern behind the carpet. Could just be the head on angle the picture was taken though. I know how hard it would be to get a decent angle shot of a 6 foot tank, and front on shots tend to be the most informative as well, so I'm not blaming you there.

I have to say the nana petites are a wee bit unnatural looking there, but still nice. I guess it won't matter either way since they will be moving. And I sure am jealous about 20 nana petites.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Ingo,

This latest revision of the tank is looking very nice. As always I love watching this tank evolve from one layout to the next.

-Rick

Rick
See all my pictures at Google Web Albums

Thanks guys for the input, and constructive criticism ,

Yeah yeah, everybody want everything right away

Now that I have become a preacher of patience , I cannot go ahead and move things around constantly. Time, my children, time will change things .

Well, you get my point. I am with you on many things you have said, and that includes tetratech's Nana barteri comment, but I redid the tank and used what I had to set it up. A major advantage, IMHO btw, because none of the plants were stressed from shipping or different water conditions.

This is the great thing about such a redo. just like in the last one, you start of somewhat rugged, but over time you adjust little things here and there, and voila, the tank looks better and better. Once all is done, meaning you reached the limits of your talents for the current scape, you start all over again

I think the master would be very proud of me right now, but I have to assume that half of the readers here don't even know who I would be referring to

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, much much appreciated,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yeah yeah, everybody want everything right away

Hasn't this tank been around like two years.

I think the master would be very proud of me right now, but I have to assume that half of the readers here don't even know who I would be referring

Oh stop, your making me blush

My Scapes

Oh stop, your making me blush

-

Otherwise, I am speechless

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Weekly Tank Update - Week 91

Not much happened during the week with this tank. The tannins are not as bad but still cause growth issues, the thread with which I strung some Anubias Nana Petites on the spread out branches came off and some floated about the tank.

I did a 75% water change (wanted to do 2 x 50%, but got caught up in the Bolbitis removal in the 40G).

That's it, gotta go,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 91

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Ingo , Tank looks fantastic as usual . I see the Anubias are still on the river . .

You are obviously busy , but thats the shortest update I've ever seen from you .

Hope everything is all right

Garry

Thanks Garry, here is another short one

Weekly Tank Update - Week 92

Nothing special happened this week, just very busy at work and such. I think I see some visible growth for the first time since the makeover, the tannins are still there but maybe weaker.

Here is the tank before the water change:

Attached Image:

Before Water Change

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And here is the tank a few hours after the water change. It is quite a bit brighter I think. Pearl Grass and Alternanthera show the growth from a week ago, everything else is the same old,

K, I will follow the entries in all other logs, but I am short on my time and as such will not be able to contribute too much,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 92

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Looks good LF. Looks to me like your alternanthera grew the most .

Hope work calms down for ya

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Ingo , Looks like the tannins are abating , certainly looks a lot lighter in the photos .
Your right I don't think I've ever seen this tank with less growth .

Hope work lightens up for you .
Its very quiet around here without your fascinating posts to read

Garry

Thanks guys for the input

Weekly Tank Update - Week 93

Not much happened during the week, tannis are still there and hinder the growth. I also think now that the removal of the gunk in the substrate may slow down new growth as I took away some plant food.

One of the Rainbows has an injured pectoral fin but seems otherwise fine. Nana petites are one after the other coming off the wood as the thread is disintegrating too early.

I ran out of CO2 within two weeks of hooking up a new 10lbs bottle and I think I cannot get a seal anymore. What do you guys do to keep a seal? Tetratech - do you have a perma seal?

Enough for now,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 93

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I use plumbers tape to help create a tight seal.

Nice shot with the espei .

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Yeah, I second that. Great shot with the espei in front the wood!

If you mean betwen the cylinder and the regular I use teflon tape. Haven't had any leak problems yet.

My Scapes

Thanks guys for the Espei comments and the tips on the regulator.

The guys at the welding shop explicitly stated that no teflon tape should be used between the regulator and the cylinder as the brass part of the regulator will seal very tight. I think my problem is with the white plastic fitting on the foot of the regulator and that this part is no longer capable of a tight seal. I used to use a common gray washer between the white seal and the cylinder but I was informed that the doubling up of seals (white and gray) would for sure cause a leak (and so it did the last time around).

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

They just say that because they don't like to remove the tape when someone brings the cylinder back. I can't imagine it does any harm. I've had problems with the one at work with no teflon tape, but not at home. We use the same type of regulator and everything.

I also use just the one white washer that came with the regulator instead of doubling up. Hopefully the leak is at the threads, where you can do something about it and not at the seams of the other parts. Use a soapy water solution to find the leak next time. Bubbles!

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Ingo , Great shot as always , how many Harleys do you have now BTW.
Another quick question if you don't mind .
What is the plant in the back left ?

Garry

The only part that would really cause a leak is the white washer. Take a look at how it connects together.

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

Thanks guys again for the input on the leak, it seems like it holds the pressure this time so I am not going to touch it now (of course when I come home from work it will be empty now that I said that )

Garry - to your questions:

* how many Harleys do you have now
Actually, this are not Harleys, this are Espei, Trigonostigma espei. I currently have about 25 left, but you may know from this log that I once had about 100. About 60 had been traded off and about 15 died so far of probably old age. This fish is my specialty - go and check the August 2006 issue of TFH for details.

* What is the plant in the back left?
Hm, in the way left is a group of cut up Anubias barteri of which I had a huge plant in the left center of the tank in my last layout. Right next to it is some Pennywort climbing up and over.

Thanks,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

first off awesome tank. i drool with envy every time i see it. but one question, in the last pic posted i see plant mass at the top of the water. is this floating plants or just a reflection

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

first off awesome tank. i drool with envy every time i see it. but one question, in the last pic posted i see plant mass at the top of the water. is this floating plants or just a reflection

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

sodaaddict84,

There is a plant type on the surface, it is commonly know as Water Lettuce, aka Pistia stratiotes I think. It is a really fast grower and needs to be thinned out weekly to avoid too much shading and it is a highly dangerous weed in nature (killing entire water ways). It is though an excellent nutrient sucker.

To move on:

Weekly Tank Update - Week 94

Not much happened during the week, so here is a full tank shot showing the few things that did happen during the weekly maintenance:

Attached Image:

Full Tank 7/14/2007

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

As tetratech will notice right away, the Barteri group on the left is gone, he wore me down

In its place I added a collection of Najas indica stems that I had grown in the 29G and in various spots of this tank. I also trimmed some of the pearl grass and spread that out into the left side as well.

Attached Image:

New Left Side

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Although the last shot was for the Najas, the Espei seemed to have found there a new hangout spot.

So here is a shot showing the Espei a little more in focus:

Attached Image:

Espei

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The focus are of the tank, currently hosting the "Nana Petites on a Stick" is not so focussed anymore. The disintegrating string made quite a few of them come loose and I simply stuck them into the open substrate. That is where they will stay until I put them wherever they will end up for good.

Also, greetings from the Apistos:

Attached Image:

Focus Area

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

The last picture for now shows the highly unorganized area to the right of the large driftwood, an area that I may "clean" a little during next weeks maintenance. For now it has to do.

And that is it for this week,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Unorganized Middle Section

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Oh my lord I haven't been here in AGES and your tank still looks amazing!

I want to come and live at your house Little Fish!

GFGxx

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

GFG

Long time no see, glad you are still peaking in once in a while. Thanks for the compliments, the tank is just starting to settle after its latest LITTLE_FISH style redo and things are looking up by now (slowly).

Thanks again,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

As tetratech will notice right away, the Barteri group on the left is gone, he wore me dow

No comparison, so much better and that Naja was a really nice choice for the left side. Great shot with the Espei swimming past.

I think you need to tighten up (bunchier and shorter) the red group and it will look more organized on the middle right.

My Scapes

I think you need to tighten up (bunchier and shorter) the red group and it will look more organized on the middle right.

I am all the way with you on this one, tetratech

But given that the last redo was only like 4 or 5 weeks back I decided to take it slow and do one area per week max. So the red group section will be done maybe next weekend, if time permits. I am planning on moving (and of course trimming) the alternanthera to the right of the large driftwood, the spot currently occupied in the back by the narrow leaf fern. And that fern would move to the right of that alternanthera group, for the time being, until I feel comfortable to replace it with something else (was meant to be the cuba stems, darn).

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well that makes perfect sense, the slow redos, I couldn't agree more. Wow we are really agreeing on alot.

BTW - Spent the weekend in Albany at the Empire Cup where my son's soccer team beat some Jersey Elite Select Team.


Just thought I'd throw that in there!

My Scapes

Ingo , as always your sense of whats right for your scape is spot on .
The Naja is a favorite of mine and it should look senastional when its fully grown .
I agree with Tetra on the comment about the red group , it would look fantastic if it stood out more .
Can't wait to see what you do there .

I see that the Nana's are still in the river
Still think it detracts from the effect .

Great shot of the Apisto's BTW .

The thought of you doing things slowly gives me faith that I also may be able to change in the future
As always a pleasure to read your logs .
Garry

where my son's soccer team beat some Jersey Elite Select Team.

Yeah, I sometimes have the patience to wait with my changes.

Garry, the nanas will stay there until I have the time to redo the tank where they will eventually end up in, and that is going to be a while.
The Najas will soon start to be a problem as they grow so fast that they will be blown over by the small power head and the spray bar very soon. Frequent trimming will be a must.

Thanks for the positive comments,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Weekly Tank Update - Week 95

I don't have too much time, but I will try to catch up with all your threads maybe on Monday at work, so for now just a quick update on this tank:

Here is the tank before the water change:

Attached Image:

Before Water Change

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As you may see, the Najas on the left is truly a fast grower, I doub't that I will keep it all that long in the high tech tank, way too fast.

In this close-up you can also the the diffuser on the left. I tried to clean it during the water change and what can I say, it slipped out of my hands into the sink and crash - 1000 pieces . I am glad I had a replacement one handy, same kind.

Attached Image:

Najas indica

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Here is a shot showing the amount of Water Lettuce that I remove weekly, this is on the top of a 5G bucket lit. In comparison, these are 5" tweezers on the left:

Attached Image:

Weekly Water Lettuce Removal

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After the water change I added another 9 Amanos from the 20G QT, there are now around 4 left in that tank. I was worried about the Apistos in this tank with the Amanos, and albeit I never see all od the 8 or 10 that I added a few weeks ago I see at least a few of them.

Attached Image:

Another 9 Amanos

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Last but not least, a full tank shot after the water change. You may notice that I moved things around a little in the area to the right of the big wood, nothing special though and for sure not the final design (nothing is final anyway).

That's it for now,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Tank Today

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Beautiful as always, L_F,
but what is going on with A. reineckii? It is still a small group. Is it still affected by 'black water' as you suggested several weeks ago?

To me it looks wider, and not as tall. Must be doing some growing to get a trimming.

Looks great LF. I had similar problems with my water lettuce.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

No design or scape is ever final with you Ingo . Or me either for that matter .
I like what you've down on the right , and I'm sure you will improve it further yet .
The Tank looks very good as always .

Garry

Hey Ingo,

Yeah I know what you mean about the Najas, sounds like the stargrass that grows so fast it only fits in for about 15 minutes until you have to trim. One of those plants I guess you use in a photo op when the timing is right, but not practical to keep long-term.

Tank looks very good. Tough to see any small changes in a full-tank shot since it's a 5-foot tank.

My Scapes

This is turning into my favourite all time look for this tank. Very nice LF

Cheers
TW

Wow, that looks AMAZING!!

How much time do you spend on it every week, would you say? I'm guess it takes a bit of work...

Haven't visited your thread in a while, ingo, but man, looking good .

Not you. The tank.

LOL,

Really funny Cup, glad you like the looks of my tank better than mine, haha. Thanks for the compliment.

I am a little in a rush, but here are a few answers to the previous posts:

- catdancer - Matty is right, the Alternanthera had been trimmed when I moved them.
- Matty - Thanks.
- tetratech - Thanks for the compliment on the tank. I can't believe though that you don't remember that this is a 6' tank and not 5', LOL.
- Robyn - thanks so much.
- fishnewbie - These days I spend about 5 min feeding and ferting per day, and between 2 to 4 hours of maintenance on one day of the weekend, usually Saturday, on the tank.

Next post is a quick weekly update,

Ingo

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 96

Not much going on, very good so as I don't have any time anyway.

Overall, the tannis are lessening, and plant growth is fine. I forgot to mention last week that I replace the two 6,700K PCs with new one, I somehow think the old ones were almost two years on the tank.

I did only minor trimming this weekend, one group of pearl grass and the Najas Indica.

That's it for now,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 96 - 7/29/2007

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

If you get a chance next week while taking pics, I'd like to see some closer shots on the tank, like in thirds or something for more detail. It's a little hard to tell what's going on separate from the whole. In that aspect, however, it does look good.

Were the 2 year old bulbs the ones that run all day or only for a short burst?

My short burst bulb is probably 2ish years old now and I don't see too much problem with that. I'd want to replace the one that's on all day at a year.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Ingo , I agree with Matty .
I know you're busy but a few more detail shots would be great .

Garry

Hi,
I have two CFs on my tank. One is on for 10hours/day and
the second for only 4 hrs/day. When I replace them, I
put the 4 hour light in the 10 hour socket, and the new
bulb in the 4 hour socket.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Love the tanks ingo, keep up the good work

Shane

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Thanks guys for the input, detail shots have to wait until I have more time and until the last remains of the tannins are gone and growth is back to normal. Until then:

Weekly Tank Update - Week 97

All looks ok, nothing special going on in the tank. By now I have found 3 shrimp outside the tank, dead of course. Inside the tank I cannot find even one of the about 20 that I added overall. Probably went into the category "food".

That's it for now, will also post a shot of the 20 and 29,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 97

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

no more updates?

Star of the stormy sea of my mortal life, may your light shine upon me so that I do not stray from the path that leads me to heaven.

All looks ok, nothing special going on in the tank. By now I have found 3 shrimp outside the tank, dead of course. Inside the tank I cannot find even one of the about 20 that I added overall. Probably went into the category "food".

Amanos are pretty crazy shrimp. As you probably have noticed they can walk around on dry/slightly wet surfaces. Most other shrimp I have had to net don't do that. When I put all my cherries in the little tank along with my Amanos, the Amanos came up missing. One was found in the back of the filter but the rest where gone. I am guessing they tried to relocate. I never did find any bodies either...

BTW I am in NC now. The move was not fun. I will explain later if you want some of the details.

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

no more updates?

Sure, more updates to come, but I have been in the home country for almost 2 weeks and just got back this weekend.

So quickly:

(Almost) Weekly Tank Update - Week 99

As mentioned, I have been away and the neighbor took care of feeding and fert adding. Went pretty well, the tank sure showed some growth. In particular the Najas indica was all over the tank as the strands got too long and floated around and got stuck in the other plants.

Here is today's shot, after the trimming, nothing special:

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 99

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Ingo

I hope ya had a good time in the home country, we missed ya updates my friend. Tank is looking good. Glad nothing went wrong while you were gone.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Ingo , welcome home . We certainly missed you around here . Hope you had a nice trip and glad to see everything went well with the Tank.
Garry

Thanks all, now I am late again as I spent the weekend on the beach and have to do the updates today:

Weekly Tank Update - Week 100

Not such a special week, and I have one shot only anyway, no time for more.

Not much changes, one already bad looking Rainbow is MIA, I think he went to fish heaven (and belly of others).

I trimmed the Alternanthera and the pesky Najas indica, and that was it, plus water change of course.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 100

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

What did you do with the beautiful Alternanthera? The little red bush looked so nice.

Weekly Tank Update - Week 101

catdancer - The Alternanthera is still there, it just needs some trimming once in a while and when that is done, like last week, then it is not visible for a while.

The tank has finished its hosting of the Nana Petites for the 29G - that tank is redone now (go check if you haven't yet). So the sticks and plants are out from the opening, Pearl grass has been trimmed (pieces are also in 29), and that was that, besides the water change.

Here is the tank today,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 101

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Tank is doing well i see Ingo, Glad to see the Alternanthera is comming back.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Weekly Tank Update - Week 102

Thanks fishmonster for the input.

Not much happened to this tank this week as well, just some minor trimming and the planting of some baby swords (previously at the shoot on the sword in front of the Alternanthera) in the open valley. All is getting a little messy by now, ferns start to shade the anubias to the point that they die off. Trimming needs to be done, but I have no time for it.

Here is the tank,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 102

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Weekly Tank Update - Week 103

Nothing happened, a little trimming here and there, and that was that, LOL.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 103

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Your tank is starting to look pretty wild. I understand the lack of time thing. The Brazilian Penny Wart looks pretty neat. I am tempted to try it in my set up. I feel like I need a few stems in it.

What is the report on the fish in this tank?

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

Weekly Tank Update - Week 104

First of all, thanks for the input, Wings

Fish in the tank are getting less and less as I let the group of Espei die out. I think it is an old age thing as these guys are with me for up to 2 years now. I wait until the group is really small, then I may actually replace the substrate in the tank. This way I don't have to store too many fish in other tanks.

On to the weekly thing, not much happened. Just some minor trimming and a water change.

Here is the shot,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 104

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

From here, I really like the look of what's going on in the center/just left of center. I'd like to see what's going on there in some detail. Looks very neat. Nice and healthy.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Ingo , yes I agree with Matty , a detailed look at all parts of this tank would be fantastic,
when you get some time .
Garry

Fish in the tank are getting less and less as I let the group of Espei die out.

Uhm, I thought the espei are breeding in this tank and this way should replemish the pool of younger fish or did I miss something?

Interesting about the fish. I wonder why that's happening. Probably because your not a beginner anymore

My Scapes

Probably because your not a beginner anymore

No, that is not the reason, although I actually was hoping that I went from beginner to intermediate like about a year ago.

I simply want to reduce the hassle if I should decide to do an all-out makeover.

The Espei have been breeding in this tank with great success, but since adding the Apistos and Rainbows less and less fry made it to adulthood. Apistos are excellent hunters for small stuff, they stalk the food first and then shoot forward.

Also, over two years with the same large school is getting boring.

Detail shots - nah, not at the moment. I need to change quite a few things before I believe that details should be shown.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Weekly Tank Update - Week 105

Not much has changed this week in the tank, I did some minor trimming and a little more on the Pennywort which seems to have become too much (shading of other plants).

See, with all that stuff, I completely forgot that the tank celebrated its 2 year anniversary on the 24th of September. This means that tetratech's 72G is also 2 years old, congratulations!

Here is the tank,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 105

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Wow! I can't believe you have had this tank for two years. It has gone through a ton of changes. Would you happen to have time to highlight the different stages for us?

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

Ingo , And I read everone of those entries befor I started my Tank
Congrats on the anniversary .

Garry

PS , A recap would be fantastic , great suggestion Wings .
He said hopefully
G

Weekly Tank Update - Week 106

Ok, based on popular demand, , I give you a quick review. I decided not to search for the prettiest pictures of the last 106 weeks, but to go strickly in 10 week intervals (with the exception of week 100, where I didn't even have a picture, there I selected the week earlier, 99)

Here we go:

This is week 0, meaning the tank had just been set up:

Attached Image:

Week 0

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What can I say, it was a classic beginners layout, typical plants, and what not. AND OF COURSE NOT ENOUGH PLANTS.

So the next ten weeks were spent in algae control, adding and removing fast growers, and what not, LOL.

Here is week 10:

Attached Image:

Week 10

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By week 20, the tank has changed for the umptieth time already, I always had to mess with it. based on NowherMan6's suggestion I added some wood to the tank.

Attached Image:

Week 20

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I cannot believe that it is already over 85 weeks ago that I got this wood, time goes by when you are having fun (or you are busy).

By week 30, loads of Star Grass were growing in the tank, just to keep it stable. Maintenance meant trimming of this plant every other week, with the complete removal of the stems and throwing out the old bottoms. What a pain!

Attached Image:

Week 30

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Conceptually, week 40 saw still the same tank, the most stability ever since setup.

I added a few more plants, but the structure stayed.

Attached Image:

Week 40

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By week 50 I started playing with the scape a little again, trying to make it look somewhat good. I don't think it worked to well, but it kept me busy

Attached Image:

Week 50

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

But not for too long, as by week 60 the Island layout was already established, .

I just now notice how much Alternanthera I had in there, and this gigantic Barteri.

Attached Image:

Week 60

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More plants have been added by week 70 and the island became more integrated with the rest of the tank. The Blyxa on the left is just floating up, it wasn't really that tall.

Attached Image:

Week 70

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Week 80 is still similar to week 70, another period in the life of this tank that hasn't seen too many changes in short sequence.
Note how much the needle leaf fern has grown in the last 20 weeks.

Attached Image:

Week 80

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Every period of rest (aka stabil tank) has a period of change (aka redo), that is the Ingo way of having many tanks in one box.

Week 90 saw the currently last major redo, with the addition of a giant chunk of wood and such.

Attached Image:

Week 90

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Not too much has changed then over the next 9 weeks, so here at week 99 things are still similar, with the exception of the removal of the last remains of the previously glorious Barteri (last shot on the way left).

Attached Image:

Week 99

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And last but not least, here is the tank today. Still very similar to the previous 19 weeks, I just don't have the time to rip it apart again. Or to actually scape this monster.

Hope you enjoyed the review,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 106

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Thanks for posting all the pictures! It is pretty crazy how much our tanks change. My personal favorite is week 60. I think that it was a well designed layout.

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

Ingo,

Thanks for showing the changes in the look of the tank over the two or so years you have had this going. Im glad that you and garry made me realise that putting both previous shots and new shots together you can really see the difference it makes each week or month.

Shane

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Ingo , Thank you , Thank you , Thank you . Like a trip down memory lane .
I actually love all the stages of this tank . I'm constantly amazed at how
good hardscape can disappear in even very well planned tanks . I must
admit that Wings choice is very stunning , I do like the island effect .
However my ( and I think yours as well ) constant need to meddle and try
new things means that the empty ( realitively) spaces get filled up in time .
Nothing wrong with that , its fun .
Can't wait to see what you do to change this scape in the future .

Thanks again for taking the time to do the review

Garry

Thanks guys for the comments and your display of appreciation of the "Summary Effort"

Yeah, I for sure am not at a stage with this tank yet where I could give it a long rest and not bother messing with it, if it weren't for time limitations (need a whole day at least per makeover) and actually the concern of having fish. If I had no fish in this tank then I would redo it even more often as I would be able to take breaks during the process. And no, don't suggest that I could get holding tanks for the fish, I would get in trouble.

New ideas are forming in my head recently, but it is too early to speak them out loud.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Weekly Tank Update - Week 107

Not much maintenance has been done on the tank for yet another week, as such it is no wonder that it looks more and more like a jungle.

2 of my dwarf rainbows seem to reach the end of the line, similar to another one about 2 months ago. They are more or less just hanging and breath rather heavy. When this happens in small fish then it is usually a matter of days, but with the last rainbow it was an entire month. I will see.

Other, all is the same,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

Week 107

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New Ideas , Ingo , come on lets us in on your thoughts
Surely you can house your fish in one of your other tanks .
There not over stocked from what I can see.
I can feel the 'Ingo" style redo can't be far away .


Garry