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Thanks folks for the input, here are some comments:

brandeeno - Thanks for the compliments, and yes, it is really a 29G

Robyn - long time no see, thanks for the compliments.

ScottF - I am most certain that fish are ok with the twigs, not any more dangerous than rocks that are not smooth.

Garry - You are right, the tank looks a little green. 96w of 6,700K do tend to give it a rather greenish color, in particular in pictures (no time for fancy color corrections, LOL). The green background doesn't make it appear less green either, LOL.

Funny thing is, last weekend I changed the background color, just for the fun of it (I tend to do that once in a while). So now it is red.

Here is a shot from last weekend,

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

A Red One

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Hi there

Red background - looks very dramatic LF (that's a compliment BTW)

Cheers
TW

LF

Thats definetly a different shot of the tank with the red background, doesnt look too bad at all. I was wondering and im sorry if i missed this but do you get your shrimp locally or from online??

Shane

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

Very nice background, it shows the aquascape so much better than the door. Hey, what about some vertebrate life, a few fishies would compliment the layout (I hope you relaize my wording taking into account that you put the focus in your tanks on the plants and not the fish)

a school of 15 cardinal tetras would look stunning in there...

also what do you use for your background?

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

hey there ingo,

long time no post!

as far as the scape is concerned, i think you need to reduce the plant species in the tank, keep the foreground plant only (sorry, don't know what it is), and clip/plant it into a shape so it just looks like hills of green with the dead trees 'growing' out of it.

as far as wildlife, i was just thinking the same as brandeeno - what this tank needs is a dazzling shoal of cardinal or ember tetras! embers would be great as they are so small yet quite bright. dunno how they'd go against the red background...

or, a single sturisoma panamense or other whiptail catfish - it would sit among the branches at times and look quite dragon-esque.

i've put a post up of my planted tanks at last - do pop in if you have time!

Hi there, thanks for all the input, here are some comments:

Robyn, thanks for the compliment. Yes, the red is dramatic, LOL, but it contrasts the dark blue of the 125G, which is located to the left of this tank, rather nicely. I will see what the feedback of the local club is when the members see the tanks live for the next time.

Shane, thanks for the compliment as well, and the shrimps were bought locally.

catdancer, yeah - I sometimes wonder if I should add some life to the tank, LOL. The few pygmy cories are rarely seen, sometimes I wonder if they still are alive. Recently I saw 4 out of 5, so that's good. I have one red nose left, and maybe one cherry, plus maybe 4 crystal reds.

brandeeno - Cardinals, good water quality, meaning another thing to worry about. Nah, not now! The background is made of thicker cardboard sheets found at hobby stores.

Justin, yeah, scape could be better, but time is limited . I did some trimming of the HM in front of the right group, but way more needs to be done to whip this tank into shape again.

Here is a look at the tank this weekend,

Thanks again for the input,

Ingo

Attached Image:

2/18/2008

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I see, reminds me of my dwarf puffer tank. 4 of them in there and nowhere to be seen in pictures. however, you could easily add some tetras, just as an example for a family of ornamental fish or some rasboras in a tank of this size. Not necessarily the cardinal tetra, although you have soft water, right adn therefore you provide ideal conditions for these fishes. I like the scape but think that some more plants clinging to the branches of driftwood would provide nice accents.

Claudia

Too bad the shrimps aren't working well for ya. Any thoughts as to why?

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I was going to ask that same question matty. I recently purchased some cherries and im having a similar experience with loosing them. Thats why i asked about purchasing them because I thought if LF bought them offline then I would try the same source.

Tank looks great LF and I agree with claudia on the plants on the wood as would stand out more.

Shane

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

Claudia - I will have to think about new fishies for this tank, maybe in a while. As I have spent so much time in the last maybe 6 months working on my scaping skills (and this tank is not so great, I know) I forgot all about fish.

Matty - The shrimp are not NOT working, there are just not that many. At least one red nose jumped ship and was grilled on top of the glass, a red cherry died of old age, and the crystals are probably all still here.

Claudia and fishmonster - don't know about plants on the branches, all mosses collected algae and other plants are just too big.

Some Low-Grade (meaning in shot quality and shrimp quality) shots of the crystals:

Attached Image:

Shrimpsters I

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And another one of one of these two shrimp, with a third in the background.

I only recently learned on how to grade these shrimp in the first place.

Attached Image:

Shrimpsters II

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

And the other one from the first shot, this one I believe is a male while the one in the last shot is probably a female. One more reason not to add fish to the tank

Ingo

Attached Image:

Shrimpsters III

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

maybe if you added a single pair of some sort maybe apisto would work? they stay small and there are nty of plant for babie shrimpies to hide, no? well it is your tank... we cant tell you what to do...

but i still think it lacks some life!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

This tank used to seem so bright and happy. Now it seems quite dreary. Maybe it is the floaters cutting down on the lighting.

How are your little cories doing? I am sorry your shrimp aren't working out too well.

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

Ingo ...Well I haven't commented since you changed the background ..
IMHO it doesn't do anything for the tank ..takes the focus off what is a stunning design .
I find it very hard to look at the plants and scape with that background .
Anyway just my 2cents .

The more I look at the design ...I tend to think that the Wood on the left should go and
that side should be kept low ..then the right side should have some tall plants added to
the wood . Or Plant both sides heavily to give the river thru the jungle look .
Again just my opinion but this tank looks and feels unfinished as it is .
So your probably going to say MYOB ..but when I look back to the first stunning photo of
this scape the potential hasn't really developed...a problem I understand very well ..
believe me I feel that way about my tank .

Any way just some thoughts ...hope you don't mind .


Garry

So your probably going to say MYOB ..

Absolutely NOT!

Everybody is allowed to say what they have on their mind, in the worst case I just don't agree

Let me try to explain this tank's current layout to you, with regards to history and the other tanks:

First, the 20G got a mainly rock layout, then this tank got a sand bank. Both of these tanks can rather easily be changed to something completely different as I have done so many times in the past. But, the point here is, what is the result of combining rocks with sand: RIGHT, MY 40G!

I have not had a rock layout or sand before, so I needed to gain pratical experience before commiting a whole tank to it.

In short, the 20G and the 29G are experimental tanks not even intended for showcasing, I play here with plants, hardscape, background, and anything else possible. They are not meant as permanent installations either and as such finding the right fish for a current layout may be the wrong fish for the next one.

Does that make sense?

As to the red background, I will keep it a few more weeks, even if its purpose is only to create a riot at the next NJAGC meeting which will be held at my place again

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Here is a quick update.

I did some more trimming/replanting as the HM grew a little out of control, but now the tank bottom is even more bare.

And for some reason it is a long time ago that I got a good shot of the tank

Ingo

EDIT: Do you see the two Pygmy Cories and the two CRS?

Attached Image:

3/1/2008

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I spy the shrimp! One just on the left side of the sand and the other to the right of the sand on the driftwood right above the wisteria. No luck on the cories though...

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

Ingo

The cories are on the left by the glass ehehe... dude i really like this tank and the red background. BTW when is that meeting you were talking about?? have they seen it yet? I gotta know the outcome of that.

Btw you should check out the changes to my tanks and let me know what you think

Shane

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

Yup, shrimp and fish were found.

Shane, I will check your tank when I have more time, promised. There are so many tanks from you folks that I need to check

Anyway, new shot as today is this tank's

BIRTHDAY

The tank is now 3 years old, but of course not in the same layout.

Ingo

Attached Image:

3 Years Old 3/15/2008

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear 20G tank
Happy birthday to you

Hip, Hip, Hooray

Looking great and I still think the red background looks v. dramatic & quite stunning - quite the sunset look.

Cheers
TW

Happy birthday dear 20G tank

+ 9



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

Ingo ...Happy Birthday to the tank ...hmmm I think we need help BTW have you hosted the meeting of your club yet ..if so how did they like the red background .?

I see a few new plants starting to appear ( I think ) or is it just growth .? Whatever ...I like the fact that the sticks are starting to get some fullness about them .


Garry

have you hosted the meeting of your club yet ..if so how did they like the red background .?

Actually, they liked it quite a bit, as it looks better in nature than in pictures.

I see a few new plants starting to appear ( I think ) or is it just growth .?

Just growth Garry, nothing new has been introduced into this tank in ages.

I did take, just for the fun of it, a flash picture of the tank today. Of course this is not the true visual experience when standing in front of the tank either, but I found the outcome interesting. I did take a similar shot for the 20G (good catch Wings) as well.

Have fun,

Ingo

Attached Image:

29 In Flash Light

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well, IMO, you just GOTTA love that red background.

Cheers
TW

Hi LF,
The red background in this last picture is way bright, far
more so than the others. Different, yes, terrific - no.
I'm sorry but IMO it grabs ones eyes staring past
the plants and the aquascaping to see the brilliant read.
I guess I'm "old school" as I think the background should
complete the tanks appearance and not fight with it for
attention.

Frank


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

Thanks Robyn

Frank, do you read what I write or do you just look at the pictures?

Of course this is not the true visual experience when standing in front of the tank either, but I found the outcome interesting

If my tank would look like the image makes it look like then I for sure would not have kept the red background.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I'm sure in reality the tank is quite stunning, but with your little effect it reminds me of a Tim Burton set.

My Scapes

Hi Ingo,
Actually I do read the writing in every post on this
forum as well as the other forums I moderate.
However a picture is worth a thousand words, and when
the next remark is praising the picture, I just had the
emotions of the picture overcome the narrative below it
and reacted to the picture. And, I did say IMO (for those
who love the red back ground).

Frank


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

Ingo ...so no update for a while ...are we in for a suprise


Garry