120 Litre Planted

[JDs4me]

So hopefully you are planting as I type...look forward to seeing some pics.

You were unsure of what system you were going to use earlier on; low tech/high tech; T5/T8; what ferts....I feel as though I am being lazy just chucking my plants in under two T5's, with little clay nutrient balls, and watching my plants grow. They all seem to be doing fine; a little leaf loss from a couple of them initially, but otherwise fine, and the floating plants are thriving (the salvinia natans really spreading fast). Is there a need to do more I wonder? Perhaps I was fortunate to choose unfussy plants...

If you have tubes, I bought a reflector which you can invert and place under one of the tubes, effectively reducing the light to the tank by 50%...might save on expensive alternatives if you need to reduce light levels. I did this to create an 'evening' light effect in the tank, which the fish now recognise as frozen food dinner time!

 

[Xraymark]

No pictures?

 

[Flubberlump]

Sorry, had a busy couple of days. Pics will be following very shortly! I'm really chuffed with it. Not sure if I need to tweak it a little bit though, see what you think when I get pics on.

I got the plants from plantedtanks.co.uk. Their shop is only 20 minutes away. I couldn't be more impressed with them! The selection was great, service was great, the staff were knowledgeable and interested in how we were setting the tank up, and I've never seen shop bought plants that are so fresh and healthy! The prices were brilliant too.

Will try and take some photos later, I'm dying to get some on after all this time lol.

 

[Flubberlump]

I know it's hard to believe, but I actually have plants, and the fish are being delivered today. It's been planted for a few weeks, but I've been so busy that I haven't had time to update the thread.

Here's a rather rubbish phone photo of when I first planted it, about three weeks ago I think:

Then I realised that there was a coconut cave in my current tank with a big java fern on top, and I'd need to make room for it. I didn't want the new plants to settle and then have to uproot them again, so I shuffled a couple of things around the next day:

Here's what it looks like now (I know the drop checker is really blue, I turned the light on just to take the photos, so e co2 isn't on yet )

The plants are: vallis back left and back right (spiralis?), amazon sword back middle, cryptocoryne wendtii back left (in front middle between the vallis and amazon sword), there's a little red tiger lotus down there too, but you can't see it in the photos as it's only little at the minute, hygrophila polysperma broadleaf front left, with the mopani and anubia next to it on the right, java fern and java moss next to that on the coconut cave, then on the right next to that is a little bronze crypt ( I don't know which variety, it wasn't one I planned on getting but liked it in the shop, anyone know what it is?), the rock cave is behind that covered in java moss, and the alternanthera reineckii is on the front right behind the slate caves.

Alternanthera reineckii:

Little crypt, can anone identify it?

You can just make out the tiger lotus here:

Mopani with the anubia, coconut cave on the right with the java fern, hygrophila on the left:

Bit of an artistic shot, you can see the salvinia natans here:

 

[Flubberlump]

Fish are here!

Everyone is alive and well! They've been floating for a while. Just added a little bit of water, will add a bit more shortly.

There are 10 lampeye killies, 6 rummy nose tetras (already have some), 4 kuhli loaches (already have some), 4 corys (already have some), and a pair of apisto cacatuoides. The apistos are really colourful, quite chuffed. I hope the 'female' is actually female, she's very colourful too. They're double reds, she doesn't have a lyre tail though and is quite a bit smaller than him. She has a couple of extended rays on her dorsal fin, but nothing like his, he's quite impressive, especially to say he's been stuck in a bag in a box in a van for 24 hours.

The kuhlis are going nuts in the bag whizzing about all over the place, the killies and rummys are flitting about a bit, and the corys are snuffling around the bottom of the bag, so everyone seems good. Will get them in the tank soon and get some photos up when they've settled.

 

[coldcazzie]

Hey, saw your post in BA&S, what did you want the title changing to?

 

[Flubberlump]

If you could just put 'updated pics and fish July 2012' in the subtitle that would be great! Thanks Cazzie!

 

[Xraymark]

I'm in shock. Pictures. LOL.
Looking really good. I like your fish selection.

 

[Flubberlump]

Thank you! got there in the end lol. Yours is looking good too!

The fish are in now, they seem really happy in there, they're not even bothering to hide. The only problem is though, one of the kuhlis just swam straight into the filter through the vent at the top I took the lid off and he was jus sat on top of the sponge. He swam out when I put the net in to get him out, but I don't want him to wiggle down the side of the sponges and get stuck. Any idea what I can cover the vent with? Think I need to get some sort of mesh. Might have to cut up a fish net...

 

[coldcazzie]

If you could just put 'updated pics and fish July 2012' in the subtitle that would be great! Thanks Cazzie!

Done no problem!

 

[Xraymark]

Net sound good or tights cut up might work.

 

[Flubberlump]

Thanks Cazzie!

I'll have to do something with it, don't want any getting lost!

Fish pics coming soon, the boyfriend's got his slr out

 

[Tizer]

family forum!

 

[Xraymark]

family forum!

LOL.

 

[Flubberlump]

Very funny Tizer!

Here are a few fishy photos:

Alan the apisto:

Amy the apisto: