Low tech beauty

[Sharpchick]

Started thinking about this as I'm planning another planted tank. I guess you'd call all five of my tanks, and the new dirted bowl, low tech.

Certainly not no tech - I use artificial light on all of them, and I fertilize my plants with root tabs and liquid ferts. But that's about the extent of my techiness.

I think it would be really cool for folks to post photos of low tech planted tanks in this thread. I bet there are a bunch of them.

Tell us about the tank when you post, please.

 

[Sharpchick]

29 gallon high
Three filters, including sponge
Gravel substrate
Driftwood, assorted riverstones and rocks (the rocks are more for protection of the plants from the goldfish than for decoration)
2 8.5" el cheapo work lights, with 23 watt/6700 k CFLs

Flora:
Anubias
Java fern
Giant hygro (hygrophila corymbosa)
Compact hygro (hygrophila corymbosa stricta)
Narrow leaf hygro (hygrophila corymbosa angustifolia)
Cryptocoryne retrospiralis
Amazon sword
Floating pennywort and narrow leaf anacharis

Fauna
Two ryukins, Gypsy and Blondie, who make it a real challenge to find plants they can't/won't destroy

I alternately dose Flourish Comprehensive and API Leaf Zone twice weekly, root tabs for the crypts and the sword.

 

[_skyla_]

41g long Eheim 350 classic canister filter

T8 fixture with single 30watt day grow bulb
Gold vine wood & other bits of driftwood
River stones and other various other rocks purchased from the lfs.
I use aqua soil with a base layer of laterite.

Plants
-Anubias nana
-larger Anubias plant (unsure of name)
-vallisneria
-2 types of ludwidgia (not sure exactly which types)
-hygrophila broad and narrow leaf
-java fern
-melon sword
-Amazon swords
- crypt ( not sure of exact species)
- water sprite
- penny wort
There are a few more types I'm not sure off so of you can ID any I haven't mentioned or the exact types of the ones I'm not sure of that'd be great

I dose flourish comprehensive weekly with water changes and just started using the recommended dose of exel daily.
I use API root tabs but with be using seachem root tabs next time.

The tank is a bit cloudy as I just took these today after moving some plants around

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/members/65790-albums11541-picture53948.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/members/65790-albums11541-picture53946.html

 

[Sharpchick]

41g long Eheim 350 classic canister filter

T8 fixture with single 30watt day grow bulb
Gold vine wood & other bits of driftwood
River stones and other various other rocks purchased from the lfs.
I use aqua soil with a base layer of laterite.

Plants
-Anubias nana
-larger Anubias plant (unsure of name)
-vallisneria
-2 types of ludwidgia (not sure exactly which types)
-hygrophila broad and narrow leaf
-java fern
-melon sword
-Amazon swords
- crypt ( not sure of exact species)
- water sprite
- penny wort
There are a few more types I'm not sure off so of you can ID any I haven't mentioned or the exact types of the ones I'm not sure of that'd be great

I dose flourish comprehensive weekly with water changes and just started using the recommended dose of exel daily.
I use API root tabs but with be using seachem root tabs next time.

The tank is a bit cloudy as I just took these today after moving some plants around

Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - _skyla_'s Album: My community tank - Picture

Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - _skyla_'s Album: My community tank - Picture

Love that look.

I think you have either a contortion or corkscrew val in the left mid-ground.

I just ordered contortion vals for 3 of my tanks.

 

[_skyla_]

Thanks it never grows it just doesn't do well in my tank so I didn't think it was a val.

 

[Sharpchick]

20 gallon long planted tank

50/50 mix of Eco Complete and fine natural gravel
2 filters, including sponge
driftwood and rocks (the asian water fern is tied to a piece of driftwood)
Lighting is 2 el cheapo 5.5" shop lights with 13 watt CFLs/5000K

Flora
Hygrophila corymbosa (giant hygro)
Hygrophila corymbosa stricta
Cryptocoryne wendtii bronze
Cryptocoryne lutea
Hygrophila difformis (water wisteria)
Cabomba (green)
Rotala indica
Bolbitis heteroclita (asian water fern)
Echinodorus tenellus (narrow leaf pygmy chain sword)
Anacharis
Salvinia minima (water spangles, or as my LFS calls them, "water weeds")

Fauna
10 harlequin rasbora
10 neon tetras
6 emerald corydoras

 

[Rodeo one]

50g , pea gravel from Lowes, dose w Flourish when I remember (once a week?), haven t had enough coffee to go look up all the plant names . Just know that it s thriving & I love looking at it. And love seeing pics of others tanks, too! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sharpchick]

I've moved the goldfish to the pond, so the 29 gallon has been converted to FW tropical.

The plants have recovered nicely from nibbling (okay chomping and being dragged around the tank), and the swords have taken off...

​

Here's my 10 gallon with a male betta and 3 ADFs.

​

 

[Sharpchick]

And I know there are more low-tech beauties out there.

Wish people would post them.

 

[Sharpchick]

50g , pea gravel from Lowes, dose w Flourish when I remember (once a week?), haven t had enough coffee to go look up all the plant names . Just know that it s thriving & I love looking at it. And love seeing pics of others tanks, too! Thanks for sharing.

View attachment 163875

I love your wood and rocks!

 

[Old Scales]

WoW you guys! Those are great tanks! Good work. I'm enjoying seeing them! OS.

 

[Sharpchick]

WoW you guys! Those are great tanks! Good work. I'm enjoying seeing them! OS.

Yay! Someone else from Arkansas.

Let's see your tank, please...

 

[Old Scales]

Hello Arky!!! I'm a redneck so do you want to see my fish tank or the M1A1 Abrahms main battle tank I have in the backyard? OS.
Oh by the way. I LOVE your quote. Katharine Hepburn was one classy lady! I loved her.

 

[Sharpchick]

Hello Arky!!! I'm a redneck so do you want to see my fish tank or the M1A1 Abrahms main battle tank I have in the backyard? OS.

Fish tank would be great...

I just looked at your albums. You have some beauties yourself.

 

[Old Scales]

Thank you very much. What part of the Natural State are you in? OS.

 

[Sharpchick]

Thank you very much. What part of the Natural State are you in? OS.

Just a little south of Little Rock. You?

 

[Convict2161]

I've moved the goldfish to the pond, so the 29 gallon has been converted to FW tropical.

The plants have recovered nicely from nibbling (okay chomping and being dragged around the tank), and the swords have taken off...

http://s3.photobucket.com/user/sharpchick/media/Aquaria/FTS2.jpg.html

Here's my 10 gallon with a male betta and 3 ADFs.

http://s3.photobucket.com/user/sharpchick/media/Aquaria/FTS.jpg.html

I LOVE your tanks!! For real!! There beautiful!!

 

[Zimmanski]

Kinda bad timing for this thread because I just trimmed a bunch and replanted, but here's my very low tech 10g
1 male betta, 5 harlequin rasbora
Bacopa caroliniana, rosette swords
Laterite base, caribsea Tahitian moon sand cap, single t8 "plant growth" bulb

 

[Fidgetromeo]

13gal low tech with shrimp, no co2, a single 15w t8, no serious fertilization, and plain gravel

 

[Old Scales]

Sharpchick,
I'm right in the middle of Fort Smith. Gosh, I wonder if we're the only ones in AA from Arkansas? Arkys! Speak up! OS.