One of Six Display Tanks in the FishNook. Getting a handle on aquascaping.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Folks,
Thought I'd just post this here. I'm starting to get a handle on the aquascaping of the display tanks that are in my FishNook. Recall I started out with basic stem plants (and haven't gotten much more complicated than that)... The layout I guess is a bit more 'dutch-like' than random jungle. Trying to get to the point where trimming is just a bit easier. So, I've moved everything inward, leaving room arund the perimeter to clean glass easier. Plants are placed in tight groups. This one has about 10 different species of plants in it... all basic... but thriving. This picture is after a substantial trim and a transfer of the clippings over to a quarantine tank to grow out into new rooted stems..

Inhabitants are 6 Bleeding Hearts Tetras, 6 Pristella Tetras, 4 Corydoras Juliis, 4 Otocinclus Affinis, 2 Cobalt Gobies, 2 Amano Shrimp, 1 Bristlenose Pleco. I keep a heavy load, but the double sumps give me another 30% of extra water capacity for the system. Water changes are a good 40% once a week, sometimes twice a week... Water, gravel and glass is always this clean and all the chemistry is very good. This is the heaviest stocked Display Tank in the system for sure... most others are about 1/2 to 2/3 of this one.

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Obviously, I need to neaten the tubing and cables behind the glass as they ruin the view.... Ignore the 2 female Phantom Tetas in the photos... I put them in there by mistake and have been working to get them out for weeks.... Their other 4 'friends' are in the adjacent tank.

[two utes]

The plants look really good and healthy Peter.

I thought you might have painted the glass at the rear of the tank to cover up the brick wall and also all the wires...you could also paint a piece of 3mm thick plywood/mdf and secure it to the back. Its a very effective way, to cover the rear, and easy to remove if need be.....Good luck trying to catch those two Phantoms

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Joe,
Thanks. I'm enjoying the plant and fish care aspects more. Definitely paying more attention to flora and fauna than the technology now. :) I like being able to see through the tanks.. It creates a really neat view of the FishNook with all 8 tanks (6 display tanks and 2 sumps) having clear views all the way through. Enhances the illusion that everything is just floating.

Here is Display Tank #2 (I'm going to post one of the display tanks each day).

This one has 4 Lemon Tetas (had 6, but 2 jumped), 6 Black Phantom Tetras (would be 8, but 2 are stuck in the other aforementioned tank), 4 Ember Tetras (they came from a 5 gallon mini tank that I use as a quarantine tank now), 4 sterbai corydoras, 3 Ottos, 4 Cherry Shrimp. I like the colors of the fish in this one. This is the only tank of the 6 where the Neocardinias will come out in the open when the lights are on. I think you can even see 2 in this photo...

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Cords and tubes are less obvious behind this one. thi is not a flattering picture of this tank... It looks much better in person. I has however, been agressively pruned. so it will look even better when all of the plants get new top growth..

[two utes]

I get it. Thanks for sharing, and keep up to good work.

[Disgirl]

Good looking tanks Peter! I wish I could grow plants in my tanks, yours are beautiful. But I use only tap water and it is very high ph and hardness. Discus are used to it, but plants sure don't like it.
Barb

[FischAutoTechGarten]

the plants are okay. I don't have anything spectacular. just a bunch of cheap stem plants, java moss and vals. I've actually started to tear out about 3 different types of plants from all of my display tanks. I guess it's all a part of the journey, the learning process. I'm still making rookie mistakes... and my plants still have the occastional setbacks. I guess I just have to keep improving.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Display Tank #3. This tank has 5 Red Eye Tetras (was 6, but 1 jumped), 2 Emperor Tetras (I had a bad batch and lost several of these the first few months), 5 skunk corydoras, 5 adolfoi corydoras, 3 Otocinclus Affinis, 6 fancy tail guppies (my wife's contribution), 1 bristlenose pleco, 2 amano shrimp (had more, but I think several were eaten).

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I like this tank, but I really need to restore the Emperor Tetras to decent numbers. For now.. this is kind of a corydoras heavy tank with 10 specimens representing.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

This is Display Tank #4. This one has 6 Serpae Tetras (who don't seem to like bright light at all), 8 Silver Tip Tetras (although dull in appearance, are still a welcome additon), 6 Panda Cories (who doesn't love these guys), 4 Otocinclus vitatus, 4 bloody mary shrimp, 2 amano shrimp.

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I wish the Serpae's were more active. I'm thinking of bumping their numbers up to 10 and see what happens.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

This is Display Tank #5.

This tank has 4 Columbian Tetras (was 6, but these guys are jumpers... managing to escape through the small opening where I run the few cables that enter the tank), 4 Penguin Tetras, 2 Beckford Pencilfish (they werre supposed to be Penguins, but the shopkeep made a mistake), 4 Corydoras Elegans, 4 Corydoras Paleatus, 3 otocinclus affinis (was 4, who knows what happend to one... never found a body... like jimmy hoffa), 1 bristlenose pleco.

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What is interesting about this tank.. No shrimp... they are just gone... Amanos, Ghost Shrimp.... Also.. almost zero snails. I suspect that the Columbian Tetras are verocious predators. This tank is very high up.. So I appreciate that the Columbian Tetras are very active, and that the Beckfords and Penguins swim near the surface.... I can see them all easier.. I have to use my step stool to see what the corydoras are up to...

[FischAutoTechGarten]

This is Display Tank #6. It sits high up as well.. about 6' in the air like Tank #5.

It's simple.. 8 Rummy Nose Tetras, 8 Cardinal Tetras, 8 Pygmy Corydoras, 4 otocinclus affinis, 6 Blue Dream shrimp, 2 amano shrimp. Too many snails... (there are two assasin snails present, but they do nothing to control the pond snail population).

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I like this tank. I might add a pair of recently acquired Black Rams here.

[FischAutoTechGarten]

So that's the state of affairs with the aquascaping of my planted tanks.. Yeah, I omitted the names of the plants.... Permit me to spend some time doing a bit of research so that I can identify what I have... Obviously I'm a newby and need to discipline myself to learn the names of the flora as well as the fauna in my aquariums.

All of these photos were taken throughout this week after the aquariums were agressively pruned... Some of these already have the plants breaking the water surface again. Wow.

Tomorrow, the Desert Aquarist Society has it's first in-person club meeting in Tucson AZ USA since the beginning of Covid. I'm hoping to acquire allot of new fish, plants and invertebrates there!!!

[Disgirl]

Peter I just love the look of your tanks, and you have a great variety of fish in them! But all those shrimp will soon be snacks for the fish. May I ask what is your water ph? Mine is about 9, I have little luck with any plants other than Java Moss and Anubias. Keep up the good work on all those beautiful tanks!
Barb

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Yeah, shrimp end up becoming snacks on occasion..

I keep a pH of 6.5 (daytime photo period) to 6.75 (nighttime lights off period). I use remineralized RO water that is kept very soft, so it doesn't take much CO2 to lower the pH at all.