# Planted Golden barb tank - 1st post!



## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

Yo,
Tank specifications:
Fauna
-	Golden barb
-	SAE
-	Indian Loach
-	Ghost Shrimps
-	Pepper Cory
-	Green tiger Barb

Flora
-	Java Fern
-	Java Fern Windelov
-	Singapore moss
-	Java Moss
-	Anubias barteri var petite
-	Anubias barteri
-	Anubias barteri v 'angustifolia'
-	Cyperus Helferi
-	Bolbitis heudelotii
-	&#8230;and some irritating algae

It took me more than a year to reach the current look! Besides the slow growing nature of most of the plants inside it, the tank also took many transformations. At least now, I do not have terrestrial plants inside the tank like I use too. Heh.

Please leave a comment or more!...especially on points where I can improve on.


----------



## T-Bone (Nov 23, 2005)

My overall impression is "tranquil" It's clean, healthy and has a nice composition. If I had any advise it would be to groom it a bit. By that I mean pull some of the plants closer together, tighten the existing clusters of plants up more. Make the species of plants you have, stand out. 

But even if you did nothing it still looks good. Your choice of gold barbs is great. They really accent your tank well.


----------



## MATTHEW MAHLING (Dec 1, 2005)

Very nice.
Tank size, lighting, co2?


----------



## erik Loza (Feb 6, 2006)

Great looking tank. I'm sure the photo doesn't do the barbs justice. Thanks for posting.


----------



## Hawaiian (Aug 17, 2005)

I agree with all above. The tank looks Great.

Ike


----------



## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Neat, I'm liking the sharp angled driftwood. The fish look good too, but I think I like the photo without the fish better. The number of fish makes the tank seem smaller.

Oh, and Welcome to the Forum! Thanks for sharing.

-John N.


----------



## Tankman (Feb 19, 2006)

Tank looks really nice. How big is it?


----------



## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

T-Bone said:


> By that I mean pull some of the plants closer together, tighten the existing clusters of plants up more. Make the species of plants you have, stand out.


Thanks for the suggestion. I will certainly look into that. However, i am currently planning to let the plants grow to fill in the gaps instead.



MATTHEW MAHLING said:


> Very nice.
> Tank size, lighting, co2?


Thanks for the compliment. Its Azoo Super Light 15w more thn 12 hours a day. Cant really control the photo time as I am not at home most of the time. No CO2

Thanks for the post Erik Loza, Hawaiian and John N.



Tankman said:


> Tank looks really nice. How big is it?


Its a 2ft x1ft x1ft Ocean Free tank.


----------



## KeIgO86 (Jun 23, 2005)

Beautiful tank! Very Tranquil!

Sorry for my honest opinion, but I feel that the first picture is much nicer than the 2nd in the sense that there are too many golden barbs and its destroying the tranquility the tank creates. I would prefer only half the number of barbs though. Just my opinion. 

Anyway, how do you guys seemingly stack your anubias and ferns so high up the tank with such great effect. I'm always stuck with them near ground level of the tank.


----------



## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

I use the block of wood that the anubias came with for my tank. I broke the block of driftwood into a few oblong pieces then tie the anubias to one end, then stand it up by sticking one end of the wood into the substrate or lean it towards some rocks or a bigger driftwood.

You can buy thin driftwood if you want the anubias patch to be taller and bigger. Just a thought 

I ve been thinking of changing the fauna of the tanks to shrimps. Mayb revamping the whole tank. See how things goes heh. I will certainly keep posting.


----------



## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

Found an old pic of the tank above.










Currently, my tank pretty clear of algae and will post up pics soon. Something else I have been working on...
previously looked like this:


















The bowl above gets light from a frosted window, chilled by air condition at night, no CO2 and no fert regime. The only faunas are Malaysian trumpet snail which i caught at a pond near my house. Floras include Hygrophila difformis (just a small sprout) and Blyxa echinosperma. Bowl in which everything is in was given to me as a birthday present YEARS ago, and the soil, rock and gravel in the bowl is from my garden  So the project was virtually costless. :smow:

Just recently:
I took out whats in that fish bowl









Cleaned it out









Added coral sand which my neighbour thrown out, and 1/4 of a cup of used aquasoil i had lying around mixed in with the previous soil...









Plants and trumpet snails in:









It was done, the water was a little cloudy from the coral sand. So i dint take pictures of it. The water is much clearer now. I ll load up a pic soon


----------



## Tankman (Feb 19, 2006)

I'm really looking forward to seeing all your TANKS one day  Btw, hv you tried adding Nana petite into the bowl?


----------



## chadly (Dec 19, 2005)

I Like the old look better, not so overcrowded. cool bowl.


----------



## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

I took some pictures today of my tank. They din't turn out as i wanted them to. However, I've got some pics for my side project:
From the left









From the right









Front









Close up and personal with an inhabitant









Tankman unfortunately, most of my bigger tanks are not matured. Finances are too low for the right look :sorry: Plus the six footer is not aquascaped in anyway! It is just aquaplanted...big jungle in there. If you get what i mean :yawinkle:

chadly, thanks for the compliment. The golden barbs in the older pic are much younger thus smaller. I gotta have more patience to snap more pics of the tank to do them any justice. Heh.

Not to forget, Please leave a comment! Thanks!


----------



## JudyS (Jan 5, 2007)

I absolutly love this bowl. Do you have to keep the water clean and maintained and how often do you change it?


----------



## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

I am honored to get ur 1st post. Heh. Because the bowl is around a gallon, I need to monitor the water parameters really closely. Actually that just means that I have to take a look at it everyday just to see if the water is clear/cloudy/algae plagued. lol. Sound simple enough. Matter of fact I lost this bowl when I got a bit busy with work and algae took over. Yup, to the point that I had to pour everything out and start anew. Additional tips, is to change the water after you scrub the glass and cap the garden soil with gravel real nicely =)


----------



## soulmia (Apr 11, 2007)

what can i say? another stunning tank. Although I do agree witha couple of forumers that the tank could do with lesser fish - but then again, what do I know? )


----------



## colonel mustard (Apr 21, 2007)

realy nce looking tank


----------



## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

i like anubias filled tanks a'la l. navarro! i'm just a little too impatient to have tanks like these but i envy you. very well kept (especially the anubias) and the tank just flows.

the bowl's gnarly too man.


----------



## stepheus (Jun 13, 2006)

i am overwhelmed. thanks! i enjoy tanks with anubias too. however, like you, i like to have more tanks done so i too lost patience for such tanks. LOL. 

thanks soulmia and colonel mustard =)


----------

