By now, you're probably really sick of me, but I have no final exams, most of my furniture will be moved out of my apartment by next week, and my packing's almost done for my move, so I have tons of time on my hands. I promise this is the last journal for a long time. Seriously, I'm done with the journals. I think it's time for a low-tech.
Stats:
20g high, 1.5WPG, 1 DIY CO2 unit (weak mix), light fertilization. Sand, gravel, and laterite substrate.
See layout below. I like paint.
The background plant will be egeria najas, always an easy plant to work with IMO. The dark green is again, a small crypt, probably parva or lutea, or both to get various heights. The wood will be covered with various anubias of different sizes and types, the African fern, and maybe moss (At least I'll give it a go, but the whole point is that this one is low-tech and low maintenance). Jimbooo's 12g was the influence for this tank, and I really like his sand foreground, but I don't think crypts will do very well in sand, so I may have to put gravel where the crypts are and put sand in the front. Eventually it'll mix, I'm sure, but it should look nice for a little while especially if the sand bed is not too deep. I could also use wood or plastic to separate the two substrates while I setup. Scale, as always, is off. The sand bed is WAY too big in the attachment, but you get the general idea. I don't plan on having a foreground plant. Stock is pretty simple and colorful, a school of small tetras, peacock gudgeons, and something for the surface strata, dwarf hatchet fish maybe or a colorful livebearer, or a rarer small gourami? I plan now and it could all go to bust later.
Any comments, suggestions, and bits of advice are always welcome. This tank has the priviledged position near my bed, so I want this one to be soothing and easy on the eyes. I don't want to worry about constant tweaking and it'll hopefully be the sit back and relax tank. I think I'll have enough reason to pull hair out with the other three tanks.
Stats:
20g high, 1.5WPG, 1 DIY CO2 unit (weak mix), light fertilization. Sand, gravel, and laterite substrate.
See layout below. I like paint.
The background plant will be egeria najas, always an easy plant to work with IMO. The dark green is again, a small crypt, probably parva or lutea, or both to get various heights. The wood will be covered with various anubias of different sizes and types, the African fern, and maybe moss (At least I'll give it a go, but the whole point is that this one is low-tech and low maintenance). Jimbooo's 12g was the influence for this tank, and I really like his sand foreground, but I don't think crypts will do very well in sand, so I may have to put gravel where the crypts are and put sand in the front. Eventually it'll mix, I'm sure, but it should look nice for a little while especially if the sand bed is not too deep. I could also use wood or plastic to separate the two substrates while I setup. Scale, as always, is off. The sand bed is WAY too big in the attachment, but you get the general idea. I don't plan on having a foreground plant. Stock is pretty simple and colorful, a school of small tetras, peacock gudgeons, and something for the surface strata, dwarf hatchet fish maybe or a colorful livebearer, or a rarer small gourami? I plan now and it could all go to bust later.
Any comments, suggestions, and bits of advice are always welcome. This tank has the priviledged position near my bed, so I want this one to be soothing and easy on the eyes. I don't want to worry about constant tweaking and it'll hopefully be the sit back and relax tank. I think I'll have enough reason to pull hair out with the other three tanks.
.
Its been a long week and I was at work trying not to get caught on TFF! Let me re-phrase
That's kind of NOT what I'm used to, I've always done weekly water changes, even in my non-planted tanks. Would such a span between water changes be necessary, or can I continue my normal pattern, say only about 15-25% a week instead of the 50% for my EI tanks? I think the principal behind the long span is so that the tank can accumilate more nutrients, but could I supplement this by dosing some extra ferts? Websites also say to understock which I totally understand and will do in this one. Keep changing my mind on stock too, actually kind of liking Florida Flag fish right now. 
