Jimbooo's Jungle Journal 3 (50g Cube 2x2x2)

[Mr Miagi]

Wow, what can you say about that cube! Well planted, great healthy plants, cool layout...just awsome!

 

[Solomon]

Nice tank mate.
It seems to have matured so quickly!


Any update?

 

[jimbooo]

super quick update.

lost the moss carpet to make room for a cart load of gf225's sag. further details in the rio 180 journal.

the sword has sent out a massive flower stalk and i'm trying to make a feature out of it rather than pulling it straight out. not sure if it works or not really, time will tell.

 

[voycey]

That tank is awesome - wish i could keep my plants looking like that - I have a planted discus tank - think when i move house im going to complete overhaul it and aquascape the lot - problem is I have peat in it and the water is tea coloured hehe

 

[qwikimpss]

I thought this tank was being sold?

 

[jimbooo]

it is. not pulling it apart until it's collected in a couple of weeks though. hopefully i'll have the PFK visit before it's gone. fingers crossed

 

[Dubby]

it is. not pulling it apart until it's collected in a couple of weeks though. hopefully i'll have the PFK visit before it's gone. fingers crossed

Your tank is looking good, m8 (thats an honest opinion)......Meanwhile can you post some pics JustinLaw style please.

 

[jimbooo]

love to mate, just need an SLR, tripod, 10 years experience and half the thickness of tank glass lol.

that cube is an inch thick almost lol

 

[jimbooo]

well a sad day is upon us. the cube has gone. sold the lot tank, equipment, plants and livestock to K.O.D. from here. lovely bloke, we spent a couple of hours stripping the tank, got half of the stuff in his car and the rest in mine. i followed him home as it wasn't far and ended up setting it back up again with him (one last planting session to say goodbuy to my tank so i didn't mind a bit).

i must say i'm over the moon it's gone to such a good home. he has not 1 but 2 1500 litre tanks in his living room with stingrays, large cats etc.. a big possibly 80G in the dining room with marines and a FW in another room with at least 8 L-number plecs.

MTS to another level.....

anyway my cube is now his lads tank as he's been after his own tank for a while. i'm sure he'll be happy with it.

i managed to take some last pics the night before so here you go. the last cube pics for this journal

i hope this journal has provided some inspiration to other members with lower light tanks.

just to clarify this tank had 1.3 WPG. diy co2, not more than 15ppm and i didn't change the mix regularly. it is what you call a lazy mans planted tank. it got a dollop of csm+b (trace fert) once a week and plenty of poop from the guppies. other than that it had a laterite and gravel mixed substrate (the key to it all in my opinion)

anyone looking to create a planted tank with low light should not panic. you dont NEED to have tonnes of light, huge ammounts of dry ferts etc... if you go with undemanding plant species you can still create a little slice of nature. you wont however get a glosso carpet in it or pearling riccia that kind of thing does require the extra bits.

so i hope you enjoyed this journal as much as i have enjoyed writing it. i'll now concentrate on the other 2 tanks.

thanks for reading

James

 

[Themuleous]

This has certainly been an inspriaration for me Jim. I will definately be trying something similar in my other tanks. Im glad you put the note about the substrate I was wondering what the 'key' to low light tanks was, and you've answered it for me nicely Can't say Ive read this 100% though, but will be sure to refer to it when I get round to doing the other tanks.

Sam

EDIT - I see from the Aquaessentials website that you need relatively little laterite in the substrate i.e. 1.5kg is ok for a 220lt tank. Whats your experience of this? What was your 'mix' with the gravel, percentage wise? Sorry to go on, but it this stuff easier to work with the flourite? I.e. it doesnt need cleaning as much? Cheers

 

[George Farmer]

This is a sad day. That cube was in a class of its own. At least it has gone to a good home - all this sounds familiar......

 

[lljdma06]

Awww, I will miss the cube.

You have inspired! Of course I love growing my R. macrandra in my high-tech tanks, but I have a spare 20g high that would be lovely with 1.5 WPG, DIY CO2, and a nutrient rich substrate. Perfect for my anubias and some low-maintenance plants. Probably for some Endler's or mosquito fish, or some other strange small species I can come up with.

I've read most of the journal, but will be rereading when the time comes to set up my 20g. I am even saving the thread so I can find it quickly.

 

[jimbooo]

Sam: about 20% laterite, 80% gravel from memory mate. that and a diy co2 kit and you'll be able to put something together.

bearing in mind the tank spec look at that tiger lotus lilly. it has grown in there from a tiny plantlet so they too can survive in low light.

i have never used anything other than laterite so cant comment on the other stuff but it doens't require anything more than plain gravel does. just a bit of a vac every water change. there was a hell of a lot of mulm on the bottom under the wood etc but the plants didn't mind it

George: lol, yep de ja vous (SP?) we didn't get any action shots to share though i'm afraid. it was sad coming home looking at the footprint in the carpet and an odd space on my landing. still at least i can devote more time to getting the high light tanks to the next level. it has been a very interesting time comparing high and low teck. when i move house and go to one big rio400 i'll go for something in the middle i think. i cant wait for that day, setting up a massive planted tank. i've been wanting to do it for ages.

lljdma06: i'm glad it's helped you out mate. i'll keep the link in my sig for others to refer to as and when.

 

[TammyLiz]

James,
I loved your cube. It inspired me more than anything else I have seen, period. I'm sad to see it go.
Do you have a plan yet on what a large middle tech plant tank would be like? I've been trying to figure that out! Its exactly what I would like to do...just need to figure out how.

 

[saboy]

when i move house and go to one big rio400 i'll go for something in the middle i think. i cant wait for that day, setting up a massive planted tank. i've been wanting to do it for ages.

Thats gonna be one excellent planted tank diary , by looking at your others !!