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Sorry for the phone pics.. I have better photos but this is easier
Low-tech planted:
5 each harlequins and neons
A dozen or so cherry shrimp
2 dwarf anchor cats (hara jerdoni)
Ramshorn snails
I started this with just 2 young rasboras, and it happened to cycle instantly with seeded media. All fish were bought as juveniles and have been in the tank for at least a year and a half. This is the first time I've had zero deaths with neons! Only 5 this time, so granted there were better odds. I think the lfs finally got a good stock of neons. I
started with a male/female pair of shrimp, which have both died recently, but their offspring have populated the tank (and provided a nice live snack for the fish!)
This tank was a fairly successful experiment. I wasn't sure about using only gravel for plants, but I wanted to try a non-carpeted, low maintenance, low-tech approach with micro ferts only. The amazon swords adapted to the conditions, with shorter leaves that fit the small tank. I haven't even used root tabs, I just don't vacuum the gravel near the swords. The smaller swords (sold as argentine?) are struggling right now since I recently moved them. It seems to take a long time for the roots to re-establish in the gravel.
The anubias and java ferns on the driftwood really took off after they fully attached themselves.. The anubias only had 3 or 4 leaves a year ago; I've never seen anubias grow so fast in a low tech tank.
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