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This tank was started about 1month ago, with the intent to submit it into the 2009 AGA aquascaping contest.

Here are the tank details:

Tank: Standard 10 gallon
Lights: 55watt 6400K Pc bulb x1, ~6 hours/day
Filter: None
Substrate: Locally collected gravel/sand.
Fertilisation: Occasional dosing of ferts. Kind of random at the moment, usually after water changes. Has been working out fine so far.
Flora: Fissidens fontanus (locally collected), Vesicularia montagnei, Ludwigia palustris, Elatine triandra, Cryptocoryne lutea, Cryptocoryne wendtii, and Anubias nana. (flame moss is in here temp)
Fauna: Badis badis
Maintenance: weekly 50% changes, daily algae, plant and other misc maintenance.
Other Equipment: DIY co2, and DIY reactor


For substrate I decided to save some money and collect it locally out of a dried up creekbed. I washed it heavily, as well as sifted out some of the larger rocks. So far, it appears to be full of nutrients and is giving my root feeders tons to grow from.

My photoperiod is short mainly to avoid algae outbreaks. I find with anything longer I get a long thin and somewhat slimy algae. It appeared with a 6 hour photoperiod, and has disappeared since the photoperiods has been decreased. Even with this short period, i am still getting significant growth. The lighting time will be increased as the plants fill in more.

Fertilization is simple, dosing the trace elements when the tank looks like it needs them. As successful as the EI dosing sounds, I don't wish to do that. But instead have been considering using the Green Brighty step 1-3 Ferts from ADA as a basis and supplementing with their other ferts where needed. Nothing is set in stone, and Im always open to suggestions.

Co2 is handle by a DIY mixture. And is diffused into the tank via a DIY reactor. My plans are to upgrade to Pressurized when the budget permits. All i need is a tank and needle valve, everything else i already have. Co2 concentration is rather high.

Now for the pics.


















Suggestions are always welcome.

No one?

Looks pretty cool. I didn't read what fish they were and thought they looked like Badis but they are so small! Cute at that age. I like the tank. I bet it will be awesome when it grows in.
Michael

For one month old, this tank looks fantastic! We all know that it takes quite a while to mature a planted tank. When does the entry have to be submitted?

Are you using the pop bottle and yeast method for CO2? What DIY reactor are you using?

I believe the deadline for entries is June or July of next year.

I am using the DIY pop bottle method for Co2, but am planning to go to pressurized just for the added control. The DIY reactor is made from a small 50-60 gph pump and the tube from a vacuum hose, the bubbles are injected at the bottom of the tube, and float up while the pump blows down on them, keeping them suspended in the tube, almost all of the bubbles get fully diffused into the water.

I used a ceramic airstone on a DIY unit for a while. It worked pretty well for a while, but since I was just letting the pressure from the CO2 push it instead of pumping it, I occasionally had problems with water backing up into the airline. Never caused any real problems, just frustrating.

The Airstone method works well, but the bubbles don't get diffused well. The reactors are possibly the best methods of diffusion, as all the co2 gets disolved into the water.

Update:

Filling in nicely! Keep the updates coming.

A little update, the tank is progressing really nicely, starting to get to the point where im happy with it. Notice the hair algae in the moss from my 3 week vacation. It is still pretty bad, but that is after cleaning it out at least 2 seperate times. With equipment, too lazy to take it out.

Oops need to top-up.