# [Wet Thumb Forum]-My "Low Tech" effort (w/ photos)



## imported_locus (Feb 2, 2003)

This is currently the tank I get my most enjoyment out of - maintenance is easy, pruning consists of occaisionally cutting leaves off plants that are looking a bit gross & I have my favorite fish in there.

It still has a lot of growing in to do, which will take time.










Heres the plant layout:










Filtration is from an aquaclear mini, the lighting is just 2 x 18w fluros in a double reflector suspended about 10cm above the tank.

Only recently have I started adding Flourish Excel, originally I was just adding 1ml of Flourish after every water change & had no problems apart from BGA (which, coincidently, cleared up after the addition of Excel)

Although you can't see all the fish in the photo, there are:

2 x Apistogramma macmasteri
6 x Rasbora heteromorpha
3 x Pencil fish (not sure of spec.)
1 x Otocinclus

The Apisto's are right at home amongst the leaves of the low growing crypts, perhaps it simulates leaf litter to some degree?

On top of the plants listed in the layout pic, there is also some C. lucens, C. undulatus and C. becketti in there somewhere...

The most expensive thing about this tank has been the plants (imported Crypts cost around AUD$16 per pot) and the pair of A. macmasteri, which are german bred.


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## imported_locus (Feb 2, 2003)

This is currently the tank I get my most enjoyment out of - maintenance is easy, pruning consists of occaisionally cutting leaves off plants that are looking a bit gross & I have my favorite fish in there.

It still has a lot of growing in to do, which will take time.










Heres the plant layout:










Filtration is from an aquaclear mini, the lighting is just 2 x 18w fluros in a double reflector suspended about 10cm above the tank.

Only recently have I started adding Flourish Excel, originally I was just adding 1ml of Flourish after every water change & had no problems apart from BGA (which, coincidently, cleared up after the addition of Excel)

Although you can't see all the fish in the photo, there are:

2 x Apistogramma macmasteri
6 x Rasbora heteromorpha
3 x Pencil fish (not sure of spec.)
1 x Otocinclus

The Apisto's are right at home amongst the leaves of the low growing crypts, perhaps it simulates leaf litter to some degree?

On top of the plants listed in the layout pic, there is also some C. lucens, C. undulatus and C. becketti in there somewhere...

The most expensive thing about this tank has been the plants (imported Crypts cost around AUD$16 per pot) and the pair of A. macmasteri, which are german bred.


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## Slappy (Mar 2, 2003)

That's a beautiful start.

----------------------------
Fish Slapping Extraordinaire


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## superjohnny (Jul 31, 2004)

Yea that looks great. How big of a tank is it?

---------------------------------------------
Fish are the things that live with my plants.


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## imported_aquaverde (May 5, 2003)

The C. wendtii "Tropica" is...what incredible color, they're beautiful. Is that unretouched?

James B.

armchair aquarist and former algae farmer


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## Liquid (Nov 19, 2004)

Nice setup







even if the foreground is left bare









I like the colour-play of the crypts with the dark green. Should look great once the plants grows-in


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## imported_Svennovitch (Feb 1, 2003)

locus, that is beautiful but why do you call it a low tech tank?

Sven


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## imported_locus (Feb 2, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Svennovitch:
> locus, that is beautiful but why do you call it a low tech tank?
> ...


Sven,

Low-tech because it doesnt have bright lights (3+wpg), injected CO2, or a time consuming fertilisation & maintenance regime!

Its the sort of tank you can keep if you have limited money & spare time.


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## Kevin Jones (Apr 4, 2004)

nice tak, but those crypts will not stay low growing for long (except the 'tropica' and parva of course) I keep all of those species and they can get pretty big, especially the Mi oya if you give them time


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## imported_Svennovitch (Feb 1, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by locus:
> Sven,
> ...


Ok, but I thought you had CO2 because that is what your pictures says. You sure have a lot of varieties of the Crypto wendtii. I didn't know there were so much of them.

Sven


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## imported_locus (Feb 2, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Svennovitch:
> 
> ...


Sven,

I use Seachem Flourish, which is a liquid Carbon fertilizer for the aquarium, but do not use injected (pressurized or DIY yeast method) CO2 in this tank! Sorry for the confusion









Aquaverde, the color of the "tropica" has not been retouched, although I am suspecting that it may not be "tropica"!

I recently picked up some more wendtii "tropica" for another tank and it looks identical to what I have thought to be "mi oya". I checked out some photos of "tropica" online and it appears I was mistaken.

I will take some photos of both plants for second opinions.

JoneZay, I don't mind if the tank becomes an overgrown forrest, in fact, I want it to! I think there will be enough difference in plant heights and leaf shape to maintain some sort of aquascape though.


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## imported_Svennovitch (Feb 1, 2003)

locus,

I thought Flourish Excel was the liquid carbon fertilizer. I don't use the Seachem line, because it is very expensive over here in Belgium and hard to find. But I thought Flourish is the equivalent of TMG.

Sven


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## imported_aquaverde (May 5, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by locus:
> Aquaverde, the color of the "tropica" has not been retouched, although I am suspecting that it may not be "tropica"!


Well, whatever it is, it's very impressive. If I ever see anything like that for sale anywhere, it's gonna be mine. I have a tank full of many types of crypts, and nothing to rival that.

James

armchair aquarist and former algae farmer


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## imported_csf (May 8, 2003)

Flourish Excel is a carbon additive that has a similar, albeit lesser effect of CO2.

TMG has just one additive - the trace mix with some other goodies. Flourish has several additives: Flourish, Flourish Iron, Potassium, Excel, Equlibrium, Phosphate, etc.


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2003)

Hi I was wondering, what are your water parameters for this tank????


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## BrianNY (Oct 17, 2003)

I think it's GREAT looking set up!!!!!!!


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## JeffP (May 22, 2003)

I'm with ya on the simplicity thing. Looks like a great start and I would certainly appreciate regular photo updates.


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

Hey locus,
any updated photos of this tank?
Would love to see it!

Regards,
Mike Morrissey

---------------
*My Digital Gallery*


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## imported_locus (Feb 2, 2003)

Well, I was kinda bored with the whole thing so I re-scaped it... heh heh

Photos to come as soon as the dust settles!


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

i would love tos ee photos too! hehe..


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2003)

Hi lucas, I used to go to uni in perth and when i was there i'd scout out all the LFS there but my search turned out no apisto in site in the "well-known" stores, hmm can you tell me where you got the Mac? I was hoping to got some if I eventually get to living in Perth, cherrio buddy.... Something tells me it can't be Veba's that stocks apistos...


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## imported_locus (Feb 2, 2003)

Well, here is the tank completely rescaped... and simplified in terms of plant selection.










Basically now it is the bright green of the C. wendtii hybrid in the middle (elevated among rocks and driftwood), C. retrospiralis planted in the golden ration as a focal point, all surrounded by the dark leaved C wendtii "green".. in the forground are numerous C. parva plants that are hard to see as they are so small. Oh. and C. wendtii "tropica" is planted around the rocks in front of the wendtii hybrid.

I was finding as the old scape was growing in I was liking it less and less, so a drastic change was in order.

Keep in mind the photo of the last set up was after a couple of months of growth, this is immediately after planting... so given a while to grow in, I think it will be quite striking.

Andre, I got my apistos from Morley Aquariums. They can order in a bunch of different ones if you ask them, I've bought A. macmasteri, A. hongsloi & A. hippolytae from them before, they can also get all the usual suspects like cacatoides, agassizi etc. and the odd rarer wild caught on occaision.


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## hubbahubbahehe (Mar 29, 2004)

what is the thin leaved crypt on the left side??

by the way I really liked your first aquascape a LOT , which is why i'm following this topic hehe, 
i really hope that this one grows and i'll be impressed with the finished aquascape. GOOD LUCK!!


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## imported_locus (Feb 2, 2003)

Andre,

I've posted a few pics of my A. macmasteri male... cost me AUD40.00 each (I got a pair), german bred.

http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.cc/groupee/forums?a=tpc&s=4006090712&f=4256000314&m=8636093084&r=8636093084#8636093084


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## Guest (Nov 9, 2003)

Thanks locus, I have been to Morley's, great shop, the last time I was there there wern't any. Anyway, its great they have an ordering system on request, because IMO Apistos are great fish, they're docile and are pretty hardy so long you have an established tank. Will see if I eventually get to Perth, I'm in Singapore now.


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