Tank:
Waterbox 16 (60x30x36)
Equipment:
Aquaclear 50
Chihiros WRGB Vivid II
Azoo Skim 250
Eheim heater
Aquario Neo diffuser
Aquatek mini CO2 regulator
Hardscape:
Seiryu stone
Forest Black Wood (driftwood)
ADA Amazonia Ver. 2
ADA Power Sand
ADA Aqua Gravel
Plants:
Marsilea hirsuta (tc)
Lobelia cardinalis
Crytocoryne parva (tc)
Rotala rotundifolia
Cryptocoryne balansae
Anubias (nana, nana petite (tc), nana golden (tc))
Bucephalandra
Myriophyllum
Rotala walichii
Cabomba
Gratiola viscidula (tc)
Red tiger lotus
*TC: Tissue Culture
Fish and Inverts:
Amano Shrimps
Nerite Snails
Ember Tetra
Pygmy Corydoras
Emerald Danio
Cherry Shrimps
Otocinclus
The Process
This is the first serious aquascape that I have done. I had broken down my tank that had a mish mash of plants, hardscape and gravel. I wanted to try a focused effort into setting up a proper planted tank. This lead me do more research on local fish shops in my area as well as online stores where I could get the materials that I needed. One of the online stores that I stumbled upon was Atlantic Aquariums; which had the Tropica line of tissue culture plants, fertilizers that I use and wanted to use. Also, this is where I was able to meet Usama who kept me updated with my orders and provided me with top notch customer service. One local fish store in my area had a variety if driftwood that caught my eye. I planned the scape around the wood and rocks that I had and it all started from there. I ordered the lights, the substrate and played around with the hardscape following a triangular layout. There was really no solid plan that I followed and just focused on what felt right for me. After spending a couple of hours on figuring out the scape, I finally had one that appealed to me.
Then it came to start acquiring plants for the scape. This was a mix of what I already have and what I got from Atlantic Aquariums, which was the Tropica tissue culture plants. I had also gotten both the Tropica Premium and Specialized Nutrition liquid fertilizer which I had successes in my other aquariums. I started planting and crossed my fingers that the plants don’t melt and to my surprise I had very little to none. The first couple of weeks was focused on frequent water changes. It was very rewarding to see the plants develop into their current state. Of course it wasn’t smooth sailing. I had to battle all sorts of algae and I still am. It’s a constant battle and a continuous learning process for me. A lot of adjustments were made with the lights, temperature, dosing, and flow. Patience was key to just let the scape grow and mature. Sometimes when we let nature take its course we get better results. After three weeks I introduced the algae eaters, which helped with the algae. Then on the first month added my ember tetras. A couple of weeks later the rest of the gang followed.
This new hobby has been a pleasant surprise as it has fueled my creativity and my love of nature. I am planning on another tank and I am currently looking for inspiration and playing with ideas for the next build.
The Progression.....
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