13 replies to this topic

[Voodoo]

So after cleaning out my tropical community tank i decided to get some random fish and spend a bit of money (well more than the couple of dollars at the LFS for gouramis and tetras anyway).

 

So I planted out my tank with the help of a guy in Langford that i found on gumtree - nice guy that was very knowledgeable as i had less than zero knowledge on plants

 

picked up a senegal birchir off Jules on Saturday to put with my Spiny Eel - who appear to be best buddies now - i havent seen my eel out and about this much since i got it.

 

added a pair of archer fish from Aquotix yesterday and i think that will be all i have in that tank - soooo excited and happy with how it turned out

more pics

more pics

and i apologise for my crappy photography

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[Jules]

Nice one man!! Glad your pumped about it. Should look nice when the plants grow out, and the bichir will love it more.

[Redevilz]

Looks beautiful Voodoo, nice work.

Good selection of fish too.

[Voodoo]

thanks

i don't know how birchirs arent more popular - they are so goofy and weird looking!! i love them

so funny to watch the eel think he is a birchir as well - they are buddies!!

 

oh there is a sailfin pleco in there too - mainly for maintenance purposes

[tunagirll]

Welcome to the plant dark side

[Voodoo]

haha yeah i am just crossing my fingers that they dont just die

[Michael the fish fanatic]

Beautiful tank, I love seeing birchirs in planted tanks

[Voodoo]

thanks man - i really like the looks of planted tanks - i assume that once it establishes itself it will look more natural?

[malawiman85]

Love the archers mate, great fish... Really, really great fish!

[tunagirll]

Yep they will fill out slowly over time. Just remember you have to feed your plants like you do your fish - they want trace elements, macro fertilisers, and carbon to grow. It's a balancing act between all those and the light - just remember less is more!

[Voodoo]

that sounds intimidating lol

[Bombshocked]

save your self some trouble. get some good fert... ollie sells some dry mix fert its like 8.50$ its awesome and i recently switched from ADA fert and haven't noticed a difference not to mention the bottle of ada cost 40$ and ive got at least 20 refills from 8.50 and 4$ worth of distilled water, saves like 800$ in fert

 

leaf zone was a nightmare for me, say hello to black beard algae, staghorn, green string,.....(in higher light situations, i grow my anubias and val with leafzone in low light no problem)

 

i wouldn't use and liquid carbon with the vallis it will go yellow and drop leaves ( Vals sensitive to Excell/Dino Spit gluteraldehyde based products) in my experience

 

give it some time and it will grow in nicely, birchirs are like the oddball thats good for a planted tank

Edited by Sir_Anubias, 14 July 2014 - 05:26 PM.

[Androo]

Looks great, I hope to see more pics as the tank progresses

[Voodoo]

cheers guys - yeah hopefully the plants will grow on their own with fertiliser from the fish hahaha - will see how it all goes though and if things start to look a bit sad i will add some extra fertiliser